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Cutting wetsuit legs
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leggett24
Jul 3, 08 7:36
Post #1 of 10 (399 views)
Cutting wetsuit legs
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I have a ProMotion wetsuit. It has zippers at the bottom of the legs and I hate them. Besides being a pain to take off, there is more boyancy than I need or want. I was thinking of cutting off from just above the zippers, so I have some questions.
1) What should I cut with?
2) Are there any tricks for cutting straight?
3) What angle should I cut at? I see on many wetsuits the leg opening is up at the calf but longer in the front than the back, seems pretty common in ITU.
It's not the end of the world if I screw this up BTW. I'll get a new suit eventually, I can't take having scabby neck after every race for much longer.
hj-rockstar
Jul 3, 08 8:43
Post #2 of 10 (353 views)
Re: Cutting wetsuit legs [leggett24]
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I cut mine with a pair of sewing scissors. I then stitched the seams with regular thread. (I would recommend wetsuit glue). I used one leg (before I cut it) as a template for the other leg. Then once one leg was cut I used the template again. Don't be scared. As long as you seal the seams you will be fine. Something to remember...just like when you cut your jeans into "cutoffs"... easier to cut more if it is not short enough, harder to put the material back on if it is too short ;-)
JNSunSports
Jul 4, 08 16:15
Post #3 of 10 (293 views)
Re: Cutting wetsuit legs [leggett24]
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I'm not sure why you would have more buoyancy than you want, as this is the main advantage of a tri-suit, getting the legs up and hydrodynamic - but that aside, any pair of scissors should work, and sealing the threads with wetsuit glue is recommended as mentioned above. The angle...doesn't matter one bit. You can't really screw it up...you could make a shorty out of it. :)
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swimfan
Jul 4, 08 16:45
Post #4 of 10 (279 views)
Re: Cutting wetsuit legs [leggett24]
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Cut it as you like, after you cut it carefully apply seam seal patch (iron on patch) over the stiches to make sure extra pressure on the leg or arm openings won't open the seams.
Here is the product
http://www.trisports.com/irmenrepkit.html
it is really easy to apply just cut 3-4 inches long to cover the seams on the inside warm the iron to a "silk" setting with a soft press apply the tape over the seams.
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Alvin Tostig
Jul 4, 08 18:14
Post #5 of 10 (250 views)
Re: Cutting wetsuit legs [leggett24]
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I had the same problem with my Pro Motion suit with the calf zippers. I was going to use it at IMAZ 2007. I got the suit a couple of months before the race and I hadn't done any open water swims until I showed up at Tempe Town Lake two days before the race. After getting me and the suit wet during the practice swims, it was a real job to get my legs out of the suit after unzipping the calf zippers. (I wonder who thought this was a good idea?) I went to my hotel, borrowed a pair of scissors from the front desk, and cut the legs off as straight as possible just above the zippers. I didn't have wetsuit repair glue, but it turned out it wasn't really necessary. Since then, I've worn the same wetsuit at the Silverman Half and some local races when the water was cold. Still no problems with the seams, no problems staying warm, and no problems with the amount of buoyancy for my legs. And now it's a piece of cake to get my legs out of the suit!
leggett24
Jul 4, 08 19:01
Post #6 of 10 (235 views)
Re: Cutting wetsuit legs [Alvin Tostig]
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Good to hear.
Thanks to all of you for your responses.
Rahzel
Jul 4, 08 19:30
Post #7 of 10 (220 views)
Re: Cutting wetsuit legs [leggett24]
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Interesting responses--I'm considering cutting my Quintana Roo suit as well. The seams, instead of having wetsuit glue holding the seams together at the legs, have some sort of black tape (which looks a lot like gaffer's tape) on them to hold the seams in place.
After I cut my suit, would I be able to use a similar sort of tape (duct tape or gaffer's tape) instead of wetsuit glue (which I'd have to order online) to re-seal the seams? Or is the tape on my wetsuit some spiffy special QR tape designed specifically for wetsuits?
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swimfan
Jul 4, 08 19:34
Post #8 of 10 (217 views)
Re: Cutting wetsuit legs [Rahzel]
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read my reply! Geez, you sound like the dude who asked how to make a flat coke!!!!
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Rahzel
Jul 4, 08 19:40
Post #9 of 10 (209 views)
Re: Cutting wetsuit legs [swimfan]
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The only problem with the product you described is that I'd have to order it over the internet, hence my dilemma. Ideally I'd like to be able to do this without buying any new stuff!
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Niezgodafitness
Jul 5, 08 9:36
Post #10 of 10 (156 views)
Re: Cutting wetsuit legs [leggett24]
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In Reply To
I have a ProMotion wetsuit. It has zippers at the bottom of the legs and I hate them. Besides being a pain to take off, there is more boyancy than I need or want. I was thinking of cutting off from just above the zippers, so I have some questions.
1) What should I cut with?
2) Are there any tricks for cutting straight?
3) What angle should I cut at? I see on many wetsuits the leg opening is up at the calf but longer in the front than the back, seems pretty common in ITU.
It's not the end of the world if I screw this up BTW. I'll get a new suit eventually, I can't take having scabby neck after every race for much longer.
I cut all of my suits!
1) use super sharp scissors.
2) lay the suit flat and just cut.
3)Cut a line so that the suit is slightly higher in the back of your leg then in the front. This will help you pop the suit off quicker, because the hole is larger and the angel will roll over the heal better.
Use wetsuit glue to cover the stitching; go up about 1 inch wit the glue.
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