Bike Shorts Sun Suits


Figure 1.--These two Australian boys wear rear zipper sunsuits, and the one on the right wears beach sun protection shoes. The image is dated about 1996.

Some sun protection wear makers make the sunsuit, wich is bike shorts and rashie combined in one suit, and has a zipper like a springsuit up the back or sometimes up the front and made of lycra instead of wetsuit rubber. Sometimes you see the long sleeve sunsuit, which has long sleeves and short legs, and sometimes you see kids wearing the sunsuit that looks like a steamer with long sleeves and long legs. These normally have the zipper up the back with a piece of string to grab hold of it. Some kids wear their speedos underneath there sunsuits, but most dont bother , just wearing the sunsuit as a swimming costume. Kids who dont want to wear the sunsuit wear a rashie. With the rashie they wear speedos, boardies or bike shorts, or with a long sleeve rashie some boys will even wear footless lycra tights or leggings. Sunsiuts are normally brightly colored, or with big panels of dark color or black and small areas of neon color. The most popular colors are black or dark blue with some neon blue, yellow or red. Girls wear sunsuits as well as boys do, and they tend to be bright pink a lot.

Design

Some sun protection wear makers make the sunsuit, wich is bike shorts and rashie combined in one suit.

Zippers

Most of these sunsuits havr a zipper like a springsuit up the back. These normally have a piece of string to grab hold of it. Some come with the zipper up the front, but they are not as common.

Sleeves

Sometimes you see the long sleeve sunsuit, which has long sleeves and short legs. By far the most common are the suits with short sleeves.

Legs

Some of the suits look like a steamer with long sleeves and long legs. This style, however, is not nearly as popular as the short leg style. HBC is not sure what boys think about long-leg unsuits. They probably are more widely worn near the end of the summer when the water begins to cool.

Lycra Material

These sun suits are made of Lycra instead of wetsuit rubber. Lycra is a sunthetic fabric which was riginally developed as a replacement for rubber, LYCRAŽ is remarkable for its ability to stretch up to six times its original length--and then amazingly snap back to its starting size with no loss to its spring. Every day in every country, LYCRAŽ lends those properties to every fabric and garment in which it's used. A touch of LYCRAŽ is the solution, adding comfort and freedom of movement and improving the fit, shape retention, drape and wrinkle resistance of the apparel. It has proven to be especially useful in bike shorts and sunsuits, perhaps more popular in Australia than many other countries.

Conventions

Some kids wear their speedos underneath there sunsuits, but most dont bother, just wearing the sunsuit as a swimming costume.

Alternatives

Kids who dont want to wear the sunsuit wear a rashie. With the rashie they wear speedos, boardies or bike shorts, or with a long sleeve rashie some boys will even wear footless lycra tights or leggings.


Figure 2.--These two boys wear front zipper sunsuits, and the boy on the left wears the steamer long leg version. The images is dated about 1995.

Colors

Sunsiuts are normally brightly colored, or with big panels of dark color or black and small areas of neon color. The most popular colors are black or dark blue with some neon blue, yellow or red.

Gender Connotations

Girls wear sunsuits as well as boys do, The designs and patterns are identical. The colors, however, may vary. The girls tend to wear bright pink a lot.

Countries

These sunsuits appear to be quite popular in Australia. In part this is because of the great concern in Australia and New Zealand about the Ozone Hole and the health consequences. The suits did not prove particularly popular in America. I'm less sure about other countries.





Christopher Wagner





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Created: November 27, 2000
Last updated: November 27, 2000