Thanks about your experience using bibs under a wetsuit.
But I’m specifically interested in hearing from anyone who has used cycling bibs under a (WTC legal) swim skin.
A wetsuit does not get as much water in so less drag in the water?
In a swim skin there is not much between the bib and the water.
I wear them under my swim skin, then it’s top, helmet, glasses and I’m gone…(yes I leave my shoe and food on the bike) most times the only thing I do in the changing tent is hand off my swim skin.
The wetsuit is less permeable than a swimskin, but over the 2.4 miles of an IM swim the pad will be fully saturated. It won’t create extra drag since 99.99% of the water is flowing over the suit, and the compression of the suit is keeping the pad in place (i.e. it can’t act as a drag chute).
You can also test things out in a pool (a couple of swims won’t harm the swimskin…just rinse it well after).
I think this would be pretty easy to test for yourself at home and see what you prefer. Put on bibs, put on swim skin, run a garden hose over yourself for a few minutes (goggle and swim cap optional), run around the house a few times to simulate the run to T1, simulate your T1, then hop on your bike and go for a short ride.
Rinse…repeat (no pun intended) and try it again while trying to put your bibs on in your simulated T1.
Ok, I’m sorry. There must be a general confusion as to how a wetsuit works. A wetsuit = you are wet. There’s a small layer of water in between your skin/clothing and the rubber. You’ll be just as wet in a wetsuit as a swim skin. No matter how short or how long you are in the water.
Ok, I’m sorry. There must be a general confusion as to how a wetsuit works. A wetsuit = you are wet. There’s a small layer of water in between your skin/clothing and the rubber. You’ll be just as wet in a wetsuit as a swim skin. No matter how short or how long you are in the water.
No confusion. My point was that it wasn’t like a wetsuit would keep the pad dry, so experience with cycling bibs under a wetsuit was reasonably applicable to wearing them under a swimskin.
There’s no period in that. I’ve come the conclusion that I do A LOT better in cycling shorts for the IM distance. The comfort is the issue. Yes, you are probably right, if bike fit was spot on one could wear next to nothing comfortably for the distance.
Still wondering if swim skins benefits become offset by the water logged bib short pad versus swimming in the buff or with jammers. The time it takes to put on bibs while wet needs to experimented with. Though it just sounds like a bit of a struggle and something that may get the heart rate up not when its needed.
The period was because if you are going to wear cycle shorts or bib, put it on after. Assuming you gain a couple of minutes in a 3.8k swim, with a skin, then you take 30 sec extra to put on a bib or short in a T1 that most people spend 5 minutes in, in anycase, nothing is lost. Here’s the rub (sorry for the pun) if you are adding shorts or a bib, chance are you have already assumed a long day that most probably doesn’t include a podium (same day I have), so at the end of all this discussion, unless 30 sec is important, then it makes sense to stay comfortable. Whatever that takes. But swimming arse heavy not so much fun.
I wore jammers under wetsuit, switched into DeSoto 400-mile bibs at T1, and tri shorts at T2, at IMCDA. Both transitions were about 6:30 - could’ve knocked a min or two off, but nevertheless, I was comfortable on the bike - and comfort is speed!
You could, wearing cycling bibs on the swim, during the run up to T1, simply grab your crotch and squeeze real hard to drain the excess water out of the pad.