Hi,
First, some background. I have been using wetsuits for about 5 years in triathlon. I have tried multiple, also during test sessions, but I keep having shoulder pain/fatigue during swimming. I come from a swimming background and much of my speed is contributed by good technique with shoulder flexibility.
Therefore I am thinking of buying a sleeveless wetsuit. My current wetsuit is already very flexible. I might step it up a notch to even more flexibility with a better suit, but such a wetsuit will set me back 700-900 dollars which is just insane. No matter how flexible, it will always hinder arm movement ever so slightly. A sleeveless wetsuit seems to offer all the freedom of a very expensive suit, for a price of only about 200 dollars.
Of course, it has some disadvantages:
- less cold protection > this worries me the most, but I think for the races/training I do it will be sufficient
- less bouyancy > does not really seem a problem to me, why would you need it in your arms anyway
It would be great if you can help me with:
- What are your experiences with sleeveless suits?
- What suit did you buy and why?
- What differences are there between cheap and expensive sleeveless suits? It seems to me the flexible neoprene in the shoulder area drives much of the cost, but a sleeveless doesnt have this.
First, some background. I have been using wetsuits for about 5 years in triathlon. I have tried multiple, also during test sessions, but I keep having shoulder pain/fatigue during swimming. I come from a swimming background and much of my speed is contributed by good technique with shoulder flexibility.
Therefore I am thinking of buying a sleeveless wetsuit. My current wetsuit is already very flexible. I might step it up a notch to even more flexibility with a better suit, but such a wetsuit will set me back 700-900 dollars which is just insane. No matter how flexible, it will always hinder arm movement ever so slightly. A sleeveless wetsuit seems to offer all the freedom of a very expensive suit, for a price of only about 200 dollars.
Of course, it has some disadvantages:
- less cold protection > this worries me the most, but I think for the races/training I do it will be sufficient
- less bouyancy > does not really seem a problem to me, why would you need it in your arms anyway
It would be great if you can help me with:
- What are your experiences with sleeveless suits?
- What suit did you buy and why?
- What differences are there between cheap and expensive sleeveless suits? It seems to me the flexible neoprene in the shoulder area drives much of the cost, but a sleeveless doesnt have this.