Lot’s of people throw $1800 down on a wheel upgrade. What about putting $600 into a top of the line wetsuit to replace my old QR Hydrofull (from about 2000)? Any anecdotes of actual improvement just based on switching to a new top of the line wetsuit? Or, is a wetsuit pretty much a wetsuit, assuming a fairly mediocre swimmer? I have no complaints with the old QR other than a little slow getting my feet out. These things seem to never wear out.
Yes. The rubber stretches out and also gets stiffer. I think a new wetsuit ~ every two years, depending on how much you swim in it, is a good idea. If you swim open water a lot (the group I train with swims open water at least twice a week for the whole summer and part of spring and fall), then once a year is more likely.
Tough call. I know I upgrade to a T1 this year and it is a much better fit for my tall skinny body.
So, as the experts state, fit is number one, rather than any specific brand.
Dave
A newer top of the line suit that fits properly, will be faster if it is more flexible than your older one and it will also be faster if it puts you in a better body position in the water.
If your suit is more than 5 years old, you should do yourself a favor and shop around for something new. The neoprene does loose a bit of it’s stretch over the years and their has been some significant advancements in neoprene and suit design in the past few years.
a thread on a similar topic: http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=1144570#1144570
FWIW, I always had been skeptical of the value of the top-of-the-line wetsuits. But when i upgraded from an entry-level Ironman Instinct to a blueseventy Helix? wow. big difference. Much more flexible, better fitting…more comfortable overall. And while its hard to prove, I do believe its faster. I know its a sample of N=1, but I’ve had a Oly and HIM swim split PB since I got it.
Not unless there is something wrong with your current suit.
Dave
Hi,
I raced as a competitive swimmer from age 8 to 22.
Began triathlon at age 18 and have been at it for 26 years.
Wetsuits have gotten better over the last 5 years, some brands put a different emphaisis on areas of improvement than others. That said, check out a 2007 Hydrofull or (if you can find one , AND size down 1-2 full sizes) a 2007 SuperFull. They are super stretchy and quite floatatious (My word, sorry). Check out Nineteen, 2XU, Blue70 and Aquaman. This is a great time for wetsuit technology.
Just make sure and be diligent in training, they do not make you fit…just faster
You might want to read Dan’s article’s under the “Training” section of this website. The one titled “Questionable Wetsuit Technology” might suggest that yours is still pretty viable.
Tom,
Thanks for the plug!
Indeed, as you mentioned wetsuit and neoprene technology has changed dramatically in the last few years. When I do demos now, and people try on our new top-of-the line suit or even our mid level suit and they compare it to their entry level suit they may have bought 3 - 5 years ago and are still using, they come back out of the water with these HUGE smiles on their faces saying things like:
“Now I can breath when I am swimming”
“I can actually move through the whole range of my swim stroke”
“My arms did not get tired after the first 10 minutes of swimming”
“I didn’t feel like I was fighting the wetsuit. It felt like I was wearing no wetsuit!”
“My shoulders don’t get sore”
. . . and so on.
These are actual comments from the demo sessions I did last weeekend at Mirror Lake in Lake Placid.
I realize this is a shill for a new wetsuit purchase, but if you have a wetsuit that is over 5 years old and you are taking this sport even moderatly seriously, you should have a look at something new. You will be surprised.
Yes. The rubber stretches out and also gets stiffer. I think a new wetsuit ~ every two years, depending on how much you swim in it, is a good idea. If you swim open water a lot (the group I train with swims open water at least twice a week for the whole summer and part of spring and fall), then once a year is more likely.
So, how much is my >15year old Aleeda sleeveless holding me back without my knowing it? Seriously. It gets used about 10-15 times per year.
Ken,
Where you the guy in Lake Placid on the weekend with ancient Aleeda wetsuit?
Old sleevless suits fall into a bit of a different category. Flexibility at the shoulder is likley not an issue, but the flexibility in the hip area is and also the suit has likely lost some or a lot of it’s bouyancy, thus you are not floating as high nor positioned as best you can be in the water.
I say, time for a new wetsuit.
Gee whiz, Tom Price! No need to list your credentials. Just say “this is Tom Price…THE Tom Price”. Great to have your input.
I guess it’s time for me to head down to TriSports (plug) and demo a few suits. I have noticed that my arms get tired incredibly soon in wetsuits swims compared to normal…I chalked that up mostly to being too reved up at the start and going out too hard, but just maybe a new suit would help in that department. I tend to be sceptical of marketing hype and frankly wouldn’t pay $500 to get 30 seconds faster in a IM swim, but it doesn’t cost anything to try things out.
Don’t go throwing money away until you’ve read Dan’s article(s) and thoughts on current wetsuits. He is THE expert on this subject.
Slowman’s article is here: http://www.slowtwitch.com/cgi-bin/parse.pl?url=http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/swimcenter/wetsuittech.html&text=Questionable%20Wetsuit%20Technology
As he states himself, a test is worth 1000 opinions (or 2000 pages of marketing hype), so the thing to do is get in the tank and try out a half dozen suits in comparison to my old one and see what feels good. Unless it comes with built in kick fins, I don’t think pull panels or that sort of thing will make a difference for me.
Send a private email to rappstar, we just tested several of the new suits up here, and there were marked differences in speed…HE can give you his results…
If you swim open water a lot (the group I train with swims open water at least twice a week for the whole summer and part of spring and fall), then once a year is more likely.-
The last two seasons I ocean swam 2-3 times a week Spring-Fall. It does do a number on your wetsuit.
well i just think the higher end suits do fit and feel better and they come off much faster due to the inner lining.