I continue to have a heck of a time getting the wetsuit over my feet (to cut off jokes at the pass, only size 12 but very high instep and heel and I am not swimming with my bike shoes on either)
One thought would be adding 8" zippers up the outside of each leg, would only take a couple of secs to pull, probably save 30 secs of struggling in T1.
Anyone dealt with this?
No, don’t do it. Cut your legs shorter with a v-shape towards the back and add seam tape back onto the stitches, that will get you out faster.
Herbert
i have not put in zippers.
but i have raced with a great wetsuit that had them. the thing nearly fell off my body and my transitions were ultra fast.
if you have any luck in putting them in your current suit, please report back. i’d like to know how easy it is to do …
I continue to have a heck of a time getting the wetsuit over my feet (to cut off jokes at the pass, only size 12 but very high instep and heel and I am not swimming with my bike shoes on either)
One thought would be adding 8" zippers up the outside of each leg, would only take a couple of secs to pull, probably save 30 secs of struggling in T1.
Anyone dealt with this?
When I bought my Aleeda (used) back in '92 or so, I took it to a dive shop, where they put in an 8-10" heavy duty zipper in the back of each calf. They put it under the neoprene (just slit the neoprene and glued/sewed inside) so it’s still smooth. I figured that the rear of the calf won’t be in the water quite as much as on the side, so less resistance. The zipper and seams are holding up fine, fifteen years later.
When I leave the water, I unzip the top and pull it down to waist level while running. Where appropriate after that, I stop, pull it down to my knees. While bent over, I then unzip the two ankle zippers, do the wetsuit dance, and off it comes.
For the record, I had the fastest T1 in 45-49 at Eagleman in 2006.