I wear sleeveless with sleeved trisuit, no issues. If trisuit is restricting movement on arms and creating drag it's either poor quality or a poor fit or both. Don't attempt to put on any clothes in T1 other than socks.

why would anyone buy a sleeveless wetsuit?

I'm a FOP swimmer, typically top 10 over a 70.3. have worn a sleeveless for 2 seasons with no change in my swim times. A full length would be faster in a pool, probably 30s over 1.9km, but in the ocean with 300 other swimmers, where you're drafting, then the difference in performance between the two are negligible. In fact most of my swim times are dictated by who I'm drafting off. Busso 70.3 in December was my first rolling start, I queued up behind Neil Brooks, ex-Olympic swimmer and sat on his toes for as long as I could, when I lost him, I jumped on someone else's toes. I could have worn my old man's 20 year old wetsuit my swim time would have been the same. Also a sleeveless is much quicker to get off.

I put the top of my trisuit (sleeved one piece garment) in T1 while I'm running to a tent. After that when I'm on the bike I flatten the wrinkles on my shoulders and arms and good to go. I don't think I gain any time because of time lost in transition and during the first several km on the bike, but I hate the feeling when I swim with trisuit sleeves on.

Heat management.

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New Training/Racing Log - http://www.earthdaykid.com/blog --- Old Training/Racing Log - http://colinlaughery.blogspot.com

THIS. We don't all think 65-76f degree water is cold. Personally, I get too hot in a WS above 65, especially if the sun is out and air temp is above 75f. Additionally, if you can afford a $600 wetsuit, then can buy a sleeved WS to solve the shoulder restriction issue, otherwise that's another problem.

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"The person on top of the mountain didn't fall there." - unkown

also rule 5

Some people have shoulder restriction issues which are significantly improved by a sleeveless wetsuit, compared to one with sleeves.
I fall into that category thanks to multiple fractures of my shoulder and there is no doubt I am faster without sleeves.

I have not found significant time differences with my sleeved trisuit vs sleeveless. But I will qualify these comments as being from someone who is not FOP for swimming.

Old post but hoping someone has advise, since I am now in that boat as well.

In my only race this year I left the upper body rolled down under my wet suit but that was a terribly tough time to put on the sleeves once wet and out of the water.

My concern with trying to swim with my trisuit sleeves out from under the sleeveless wetsuit is would the rubbing between the seem of the sleeveless wetsuit on top of the trisuit cause tears and damage to the trisuit? Wondering if people have found that from that chafing area?

I'm a FOP ex-college swimmer and absolutely hate my sleeved wetsuit - the minor restriction on shoulders and loss of forearm feel. I'll choose my sleeveless wetsuit every time unless its freezing. I'm sure the high-end wetsuits would get closer to the shoulder mobility that I like, but I'm not spending $700 on a wetsuit when my $100 sleeveless is just(about) as fast and more comfortable.

this is my situation, done a bunch of races with this setup. i think it depends entirely on the race distance and the trisuit you have.

for a full or half ironman, roll suit down to waist, and put wetsuit on over it. transition time being longer won't make a difference and shoulder freedom for longer swim is beneficial. maybe for OLY distance too depending on how the trisuit affects your sholders in the swim or how good a swimmer you are.

for sprint distance, just leave trisuit on. at least that's what i do. swim is short enough that you can overcome any restriction and the time saved in transition will make up for it.

i have swam many times (racing and training) with the trisuit down under the wetsuit to the waist and have never seen any issues with damage to either suit. or chafing. as long as you are calculated when putting the wetsuit on over the rolled down trisuit, making sure it's spread out and sitting where you want under the suit, you shouldn't have any problems. if you're violently stretching/stuffing it down with no regard, maybe some potential but i doubt that's how you'd do it! haha.

its not as much the restriction I'm concerned about but rather the edge of the sleeveless wet suit around the shoulder chafing and damaging the trisuit sleeves if I have them on during the swim

Rent a full sleeved if you don't want to buy. According to Slowman, who is pretty much the "guru" of Tri wetsuits, 25% slower in a sleeveless. The BS of water feel and loss of flexibility is just because an ill fitting or poorly positioned wetsuit can be that way. I recently fitted a female power lifter who said it felt awesome and flexible. Ever wonder why no one in the front, whose salary depends on winnings, is never in a sleeveless. If you care about finish time, go full sleeve. It also saves your expensive Tri suit.

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Kiwami Racing Team

Ah, ok.

I have never seen any chafing or marks on my trisuit from that. I have a roka sleeveless wetsuit and have worn both castelli and wyn republic suits under it with sleeves out for race/practice swims.