Looking at blueseventy:

http://www.blueseventy.com/...ins/products/pz4tx-1

Even the best of swimmers will see a benefit from a properly fitting speedsuit.

Our Energize suit gives you a great medium compression textile that has hydrophobic properties. Giving you a fast, smooth surface for water to run off virtually eliminating the drag your race kit may cause.

The suit has an excellent pricepoint as well!

If you have any questions, I'm more than happy to help!

Energize Speedsuit

Jake

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http://www.AquaSphereSwim.com
http://www.MichaelPhelps.com

Over on general forum, there's a thread about speedsuits:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...g=speedsuit;#5681354
If you're going to get one, now's a good time as the season's winding down and the clearance sales are on.
There are some big differences in fabrics, etc, so if you have questions about models, brands, fitting, etc, " ask me anything..."
KS

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Karen ST Concierge

Thanks Karen, I saw that post. I'm leaning towards the blueseventy. But I have until March to decide and commit. Really looking for something that will improve my swim in Puerto Rico (compared to going w/o a speed suit). I am used to wetsuit open water swims, so any speedsuit that gives me confidence will be a plus.

I am sort of surprised nobody has raised this issue in general (and maybe JAkers or Karen can clarify) --
My understanding is that speed suits, for the most part, are designed to reduce drag and do pretty much nothing to increase buoyancy. So at least in the early days, only the faster swimmers chose to pay for them, and everyone else just swam in their kits (in fact a few years ago when IMLP was suddenly no-wetsuit, a friend of mine raced the entire day in her swimsuit because she had left her speed suit in her hotel and her actual tri kit had pockets and thus too much drag ... and still qualified for Kona!).
However, I didn't follow all the twists and turns of what's legal when, and I am all for increased confidence in the water using any legal means!

Good luck with your race!

Yeah, I know it's only going to reduce drag. Someone on the main forum was saying you might save 3 seconds per 100 yards. That might be a minute total saved during a 1.2 mile half iron swim. Not sure if that is worth the money. I'm not shooting for a Worlds spot especially since I'm coming back from a stress fracture. Just looking to have a good, fun early season race after a hideously bad summer. If I could save 2-3 minutes in a half iron swim by reducing the drag with a speedsuit, it might be worth it for me. My tri kit does have pockets, seams and padding.

I'll admit my husband and I do love sports gear and it won't take much to convince me to purchase a fancy new speedsuit :-)

Def. speed suit

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leslie myers
http://www.foodsensenow.com

A good speedsuit that fits you well can be good for somewhere around 2-5 seconds per 100m. Some will see more than that.

No buoyancy allowed anymore. Must be a textile fabric suit. The textiles being used are generally compression textiles, so you will see a slight compression benefit. Some suits have bonded seams, some have flat-lock stitched seams. Some use a locking zipper and some use a lanyard. Paneling will also differ from suit to suit.

Trying these suits on is important just like a wetsuit. If you can try it on with your kit on, even better. The suit sizing could change with your kit on.

What are the key features in the B70 suit that you are finding to be the most attractive curiously?

Thanks,
Jake

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http://www.AquaSphereSwim.com
http://www.MichaelPhelps.com

A good speed-suit is a really good thing - even if it only helps mentally

I've tried two over the years. Last year I used the DeSoto at Kona through the swim and ride. I changed for the run only because I really prefer running shorts on the marathon. It fit me very well and like you, I am a "adult onset swimmer" (love that phrase!). I think it mentally helped too. Previous to that I borrowed a friend's BlueSeventy swim skin (and was able to still fit my race kit underneath. So I think it will depend a bit on your own preferences for the ride and of course the fit! Good luck - sounds like a great race!

I have a roka viper pro. So far I haven't had an opportunity to race in it (damn stress fracture) but it felt fast on my couple of open water practice suits.