Unfortunately, I won't be much more help. But, you make a couple of comments that point towards getting a T1.

"My concern with onepiece wetsuits is the fit through the torso since my torso is proportionally short when compared to the rest of my body. " If you are really that proportionally different, the T1 will enable you to have two different sizes based on your measurements. Desoto is really good at sizing their wetsuits.

You also want a wetsuit that will be best for your overall time, including the transitions. Well, the T1 is just as fast as others in tranisition, and it has been demonstrated by slowtwich tests (and probably some other independent tests) to be faster in the water. Any of the suits that you mentioned are top of the line, so you are probably splitting hairs between them as far as speed goes. I've had a couple of friends who are very experienced triathletes wear the piel once. Once was all that it took for them to decide that they didn't like it. One went with an Orca Predator, the other with Ironman Stealth and now QR.

Plus, if you are a poor swimmer as stated, 10 extra seconds in the transition area is going to be a very small percentage of your overal swim time. The suit that is the most comfortable will be the best suit for you.

Another possible shameless plug for choosing the T1: The USAT rules say nothing about wearing one piece of the two piece wetsuit. Years back (1989 or 1990), they outlawed a waist down wetsuit made by Wavelength because it was deemed for flotation/speed only, so wearing the T1 bottom only might raise eyebrows if lots of folks ended up doing that. But, how about wearing just the top when the water is just barely legal? Speed, warmth, and flotation.

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Brandon Marsh - Website | @BrandonMarshTX | RokaSports | 1stEndurance | ATC Bikeshop |

Thanks for the reply -Tex.

Joe Moya prefers the Piel over the T1 for shorter distances. Any more information on what your friends disliked about the Piel? I am curious because Joe's comments about prefering the Piel for shorter races are partially the reason I started this thread. Prior to reading his comments, I had almost decided on the T1.

Water leakage through the zippers.

Lack of flexibility due to two full length zippers.

It just wasn't as comfortable as other wetsuits.

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Brandon Marsh - Website | @BrandonMarshTX | RokaSports | 1stEndurance | ATC Bikeshop |

Sting - I just got back from Wildflower and wanted to give you a heads up on the T1. I was stationed at the end of the swim taking pictures of people coming out of the water. The people I remember most are the people who were wearing T1 and it wasn't because they were first out of water! (Most of those were the new Ironman Stealth, or Orca)

What I remembered about the T1 people was how hard it was for them to get out of the tops. One guy started screaming to the crowd "don't buy this f...king suit" because he couldn't get it above his head. Another guy ran out of the water half way up the ramp and then turned around to submerge himself in the water again to try and get the suit off. A woman stated swearing at the Desoto people who were standing there (they were the sponsors). I think the problem is that after a swim your shoulder muscles are so tired that they can't stretch the rubber over your head. Apparently there is some secret to getting the top off. If you ask me I don't need a secret I need easy.

The Piel did come off really fast but I only saw two of them which makes me a little wary. Anyway - don't know if that helps.

"Sting - I just got back from Wildflower and wanted to give you a heads up on the T1."

Anzus - I just got back from Wildflower and wanted to give YOU a heads up on the T1.

my wave started exactly 1 hour after the pros left, and i saw roughly the first six waves exit the water as i was waiting to start my race. i was watching a different race than you. i saw one person have some difficulty getting his T1 top off, which cost him an extra 5 seconds. he didn't curse anyone, as i suspect he was quite happy when he looked at his watch. i also saw quite a lot of people getting their T1 wetsuits off faster than the one-piece wearers around them.

in particular, i saw one episode that made me wish i had a video camera. two people exited the water at precisely the same time, side by side. one had an orca predator, the other a T1. the fellow with the orca exited the suit about as fast as one-piece suits are normally exited. while he was fishing for his pull cord the T1 user had the top halfway off. by the time the orca wearer had his zipper flap unzipped the T1 user had the top all the way off. as the orca user was pulling down the zipper the T1 wearer was out of the water and running up the ramp, taking the bottom straps down. the T1 user was stepping out of the bottom of his suit on the boat ramp while the orca was coming off its owner's shoulders.

the moral of the story is, you've go to practice getting the top off with your T1, just as you had to practice getting out of a one-piece when you got your first one. the T1 doesn't take itself off. you have to practice a couple of times. you weren't fast or efficient the first time you tried to get into clipless pedals, or ride in the aero position, or use STI shifters. but i'll bet you're glad you stuck with each of those new, improved technologies.

so, bottom line, if you require a suit that you can put on and swim in and exit, taking off the suit for the very first time as you exit the water of your race, don't get a T1. but don't get a one-piece either, if you've never worn one.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

this is my second season in a t1. to be honest, i never understood any fuss about it being difficult to take off. just follow the instructions and it flies off. i think i'm quicker getting out of it than i ever was out of a one piece. like dan says, may take a bit of practice, but it's really not that complicated.

don't forget the body glide though. i have found that the no chaffing claim doesn't apply to me. could just be something funky with my stroke.

brent

I bought an Aquaman a couple of years ago and have had no complaints. They cut the arms and legs a little higher than usual. This makes the opening a little larger so you can have a quick exit. Make sure it's comfortable and doesn't constrict your movement, makes for an easier swim.

The key advantage to the Piel is that it's design allows you to remove the bottom portion without stopping... There is NO other wetsuit design that can do that - period.

The T1 is more difficult to remove and requires much more effort than the Piel... but, that didn't stop me from wearing my at WF. Why? because 30-40 seconds of potential gain in removal (with forward motion) doesn't amount to a whole lot in a 1/2IM. On the otherhand, it could make a difference in a sprint.

Removal is but one issue... the biggest issue is fit. If you have problems with traditionally designed wetsuits (i.e., aquaman, QR, etc) then the Piel will not be any different. In fact, it is stiffer and less comfortable to wear than some traditionally designed wetsuits (and, definately less comfortable than the T1).

Currently, (IMHO) you can't have both a fast sprint distance wetsuit and a fast long course wetsuit in the perfect sense of the word. You will most likely trade off speed of removal for comfort (or vice versa). However, if the new Yamamoto (sp?) material is what it claims to be... then, the Piel (if made of this new material) could become the best combination of the two - ease/speed of removal with comfort and good swim like feel. Until then, the T1 and Piel are both very good choices but for different reasons.

FWIW Joe Moya

The learning curve for the T1 is definately higher that most wet suits... but, it's not impossible... I couldn't get my top off the first time I tried... but, I went one size up and can now stuggle like a tuna caught in a fish net and still manage to get it off.

I think it's steep learning curve and difficulty of removal is obvious. Afterall, I saw the De Soto people hollering .... "pull it off while it's wet"... excuse me, but a 1-2 min. jog to the transition area isn't going to dry the thing out. Dipping helps but slows down the transition process. Still, the comfort factor the T1 over comes many of it's dissadvantages for the long course triathlons.

As for the Piel, probably the main reason you didn't see many at WF is that it is not a comfortable suit to swim in for over 30 minutes. I prefer to sacrifice speed of removal (wearing the T1) for comfort on long courses. On the otherhand, if the new Yamamoto material is what it's suppose to be, the Piel could become much more comfortable and flexible with the speed of removal. It will interesting to see the new neoprene material and it's application.

FWIW Joe Moya