Read the posted thread above.

It certainly won't be done quickly.

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-Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
Team ZOOT
ZOOT, QR, Garmin, HED Wheels, Zealios, FormSwim, Precision Hydration, Rudy Project

But its not going to take minutes. And it purportedly will save quite a few minutes. Still a net gain. Or loss? A net better result!

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"One Line Robert"

I'd probably rip the suit trying the put it on. Wet skin and compression clothing can be a disaster.

Possibly. Though maybe these suits are designed with that in mind. Allowing easier on/off while wet. I have no idea though as I've not tried either.

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"One Line Robert"

My LG Course TT skinsuit has a very fine ribbed texture (looks like corduroy but scaled down) on the sleeves that's different from the smoother fabric of the rest of the suit.

My next question for Castelli is, "why are we going to pay more money for the T1 tri top instead of just buying the Aero Race 5.0 jersey?"

Think about it, based on their ads, there isn't a big/if any difference between the T1 and a race aero jersey and the race aero jersey is easier to put on in T1, take off in T2. If you were to wear the T1 top for the run, then that's a different question but they tell you not to.

So, why? Oh yeah, easy marketing for more money.

Considering their core market, I would be surprised if they made design compromises to accommodate someone trying to put one on after a swim.

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-Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
Team ZOOT
ZOOT, QR, Garmin, HED Wheels, Zealios, FormSwim, Precision Hydration, Rudy Project

Their core market? These are triathlon specific tops/suits. Seems pretty core to me.

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"One Line Robert"

Like the other poster, I assume they are simply rebranding a cycling top to the tri market as opposed to a purposefully designed top for triathlon. Heather Wurtele is wearing something like this as well.

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-Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
Team ZOOT
ZOOT, QR, Garmin, HED Wheels, Zealios, FormSwim, Precision Hydration, Rudy Project

This is the important question. Yes, the sleeved suits are dramatically faster, but if you're giving up too much time in both T1 and T2, do you give up any advantage you might have gained?

I would say if it only takes 60 seconds on each end, which is a lot of time, then there is no question - you wear the suit. Actually, you could give up much more time than that before you "break even" overall, but you don't want to be messing with these suits while your opponents ride up the road. After all, if all you're doing is playing catch-up from transition, what good is that?

Here's the rub. The elites think of these new tops as a means of using less energy to go the same speed. Economy of effort. They're not thinking of breaking away necessarily; they simply want to use less energy to get to the run.

Two other advantages they provide: 1. They're actually cooler than sleeveless and 2. they provide uv protection so no time wasted putting on sunscreen.

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Jim Manton / ERO Sports

Assuming this is a one piece, can it just be rolled down to the waist and worn under a swim skin, then be pulled up once the athlete is on dry land?

If it's not a one-piece, I agree that getting it onto a wet body would be a bit tedious.

Wind tunnel tests indicate The Castelli T1 Stealth Top would theoretically save you over 6 minutes in an Ironman bike leg. Real world educated guess puts the time savings closer to 3 minutes.
This is a scan of the promo card that went out with the Stealth Tops being handed out at Kona this week.

Well according to Superdave she has 12 minutes coming to her from the new bike so she can afford to puts around a little in T1. Note I haven't read the posted thread yet.

Depends on the suit, how it fits, material used, etc. I would say more than 3 but less than 6. That's one hell of a deal considering the price.

I don't know what Rinny is using. Amongst the favorites, we helped with Crowie, Leanda, Luke, and Rachael Joyce. The last two are also fit clients. There are several other elites and age-groupers racing we worked with on both fit and aero testing that will likely use long sleeves. From the above list, I'm not sure either Crowie or Rachael will wear sleeves. It's all about what they're comfortable with on race day. I suspect a few tops will be left in transition if, for instance, an athlete has a worse than expected swim time. They won't want to give up extra time.

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Jim Manton / ERO Sports

It's a top, not a one-piece. It's also specifically designed to be put on after the swim and taken off before the run. I got one at Kona, too. It's smooth material in the front and waffled aero fabric on the back and underarms. It's very thin. Much thinner and more breathable than the Castelli aero race bike jersey. It doesn't have pockets. The fabric is also not very compressive. It's much easier to put on than my aero race jersey. I assume the must have tested a full-zip version, but it seems that would be the fastest possible way to get this on and off quickly.

I think it's a pretty trick piece of clothing. Only time will tell if this type of top catches on or not. It seems to be extremely well-designed and high quality, as you'd expect from Castelli.

Good Guess

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Proud Member of Chris McDonald's 2018 Big Sexy Race Team "That which doesn't kill me, will only make me stronger"
Blog-Twitter-Instagram-Race Reports - 2018 Races: IM Florida 70.3, IM Raleigh 70.3, IM 70.3 World Championships - South Africa, IM North Carolina 70.3

I got one here too and agree with everything craig said. Super high quality but i dont think real functional for a non-wetsuit, ironman length race. Incredibly tight and as i see it, nearly impossible to get on a wet body. Also...with no rear pockets, where the hell am i supposed to store my bag of 5 PB&J sandwiches?

Now if someone were paying me to race, yep, best tri jersey out there. You'd all be foolish not to go right out and buy one!

Really? Let's see... they're both white. They both have 3/4 sleeves. Similarity ends there.

The T1 Stealth was designed from the ground up for the bike leg of triathlon. Its fabrics are easier to get into after the swim, it's more aero on a tri bike as opposed to a road position, sun protection right down to the elbows, fabrics designed to keep you cool at consistent hard effort as opposed to the variations in road racing.

You could run in the T1 Stealth if you really want to, but it was designed for no compromise aerodynamics on the bike, with no consideration whatsoever to chafing on the run. Try it on some long training runs before you run in it on race day. I think you'll have more cooling with your shoulders and arms exposed.

Looking back over the article where she was set up by Matt Steimetz here:

http://www.slowtwitch.com/...elt_IA_fit_3922.html

I am curious as to where those 7cm come from. It looks possible, just not clear exactly what changes from the photos provided. Can you clarify?

"Jackmott said a full sleeve very tight Under Armour compression top is a great Skinsuit in a pinch... is that textured?"

Jackmott does that well - "say things". He will often say things that contradict other things he just said, and most of the things he says are his opinions, which of course he has every right to say. He is helpful for answering questions, for sure, but remember, just because someone answers all the questions doesnt necessarily make those answers correct.

I really like the idea of these, but possible for cooler races? I generally get cold on the bike in a tri suit unless its 70+ degrees.

Any hot news (maybe from someone who's at Kona-Expo these days) when the Castelli Stealth Top will be available and if they are also planning to offer a shortsleeve version which some pros were wearing during training (and maybe race in this saturday).

Full Skin Suits in Kona? Like this? From IMH '93.


Everything old is new again! :)

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog