This is a really interesting piece. $160 is fair if the fastskin stuff actually does something.

There is a long zipper (according to the photo in the link you provided) so you could vent well on the bike and run.

This is a big "problem solver" suit for non-wetsuit swims. The pocket in the back may have been left off by Speedo to make it more hydrodynamic.

There was a thread a while back about pros at Hawaii wearing the speed suits over their normal tri suits for better streamlining in the water. This suit kind of skips a step. That seems like a good idea.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

One of my buddies uses that suit. I use the prior one (not made of fastskin). They are really nice suits but for $160 I've heard they are falling apart after a few uses. They are made for speed and not to last forever.

I race in a unitard in sprints to 1/2 IM.

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Paul

Fastskins are pretty cool-looking, but actual drag reduction isn't as high as they would have you believe. A pocket at the bag would probably negate (and more) any reduction you might achieve over a standard suit. They are also designed to fit very tight (remember, they were originally designed to fit pool swimmers who don't need to run/pedal in them), and become loose with use (about 1 swim season...4-5 months of about 2 meets per month MAX...most don't).

The "sharkskin" stuff is pretty hyped-up in swimming circles, especially since it's an Olympic year...they're releasing the 2nd version this year...supposedly the suit has more panels so it would fit better. The slick surface only reduces friction drag...you still gotta deal with form drag and wave drag, and those two go up at a much higher exponential rate than friction drag does, which is closer to linear.

It's like pumping your bike tires up to 140psi vs 120psi to reduce rolling resistance, but not using aerobars...priorities wise, I'd go for chamois comfort on the run.

I do have to admit they look pretty cool, especially the red version.

Dave "it's sometimes all about looking good"

I've got one. It's a 2002 model but basically the same as the one shown.

It does seem pretty fast in the water to me. I swear I knocked off 15 seconds off my 500 yard swim time the one and only time I used it in training. However I'm assured that there is no way a swim suit would make that much difference but I know how to read a watch.

On the downside it'll only have about 10 races in it because of the fabric being delicate. I'd think sharks skin would wear longer but that's just me I guess.

Seems like girls in high school used to wear these....and they usually came in turtle-necks...I think they called them "body suits".

Just joking....

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

check the fit, neck was waay loose on me and I've had a couple customers complain about chafing on the arm holes. Nice suit though. Wish TYR would do a tri suit in thier new shift fabric. You can find those suits marked down pretty cheap if you look. Almost bought one at a speedo store last month for half price.

Doesn't even the Speedo research show it doesn't work in open water swims, just in controlled conditions in the pool? And I believe the fabric is not very breathable, at least the pros who use it in Hawaii usually take it off after the swim (in which case they may very well be losing those seconds they didn't gain in the first place).

I think this may be one of those cases where consumers give it all sorts of benefits that the manufacturer doesn't even claim, just like the Arione saddle (where so many people say the increased length gives you room to move around while Fizik says it does not. It still flares out in one particular spot so you cannot sit on the end. Fizik tells me it's purely aestetics). And while I'm talking about the Arione, they also did not find a hole in the rules or take advantage of a rule change. They first made the saddle, and then asked the UCI to change the rules to make it legal and the UCI did. Who ever said the UCI isn't reasonable when it comes to helping out manufacturers?

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Gerard Vroomen
3T.bike
OPEN cycle