Wind tunnel testing isn’t an option for me. Nor is it worth it. I am just not that good.
I tend to race in the summer, so heat is almost always a factor for me. I do not do well with heat, unfortunately.
Something that is slippery on the bike will be the biggest premium for me. I am not a high power guy and make most of my gains by holding a very aero position.
For me, the most aero in the tunnel (and thankfully most comfortable suit) was the Louis Garneau Tri Course LGneer. YMMV
Zone3 Aeroforce X is a super snug super sleek tri-suit, however you need to be careful with their sizing.
Zone3 Lava Long Distance is less sleek, but extra comfy and very well built suit with a normal sizing
Ryzon Myth Skinsuit - is a good combination of the above at heftiest price.
Internet tests do mention Aeroforce to be the fastest one, I liked it, but need to shed some weight for it to properly fit me.
edit had a typo
You really are asking a question with no clear answer. As others have noted you want something tight that doesn’t have a ton of wrinkles is a good rule of thumb. Next or maybe in line with that, is how comfortable is it. Thirdly and in line again with those are features… gel pockets, sleeves or no, is the fabric good to swim in, etc?
I’ve raced in a handful of things and my favorite so far is Kiwami. I’d recommend their spider kits at the top of line.
If you go sleeved, you really want a swim skin or wetsuit on if fast is your thing… dimpled fabrics are cool on the bike but not to swim in.
I can’t find any data or review on trisuit like sun-dried or velotec which are cheaper than the high end brands.
I m in the market for something with back pockets, for wetsuit legal races, 70.3 to IM distances, and affordable, less than 200€/$/£.
As I’m not going to test I would go for a model that works with a large panel of user.
Thx
Edit: by the way, as fitting is concerned, I m quite skinny guy with long legs 6’ -155 / 1.85 70
I’ve seen a review on a sundried, maybe tri220 magazine, from what I remember it rated very highly.
Stolen Goat, Heart and Tri Fit also rated highly if I remember rightly.
Buying off the rack, it really is mostly a function of how close your physique matches the form that base the design on. The extent to which you vary from that will determine how well it fits.
For me, the Pearl Izumi stuff works well, and the P.R.O. version is expensive, but extremely high quality and comfortable.
A dead tie would be the Huub stuff. I like the DS long course suit quite a bit, it was my go to for the self-supported tris I did during Covid.
No complaints about anything else, but those two are my favorites. Desoto and Zoot also make great stuff I’ve used.
I don’t know if Nike still makes tri gear, but their tri tops and bottoms were very comfortable and long lasting for training.
Then again, I’m a middle of the pack age grouper on a budget, so fit, comfort, and durability are at least as important as shaving a second or two off my time, lol.
I managed to get a Trimtex Aero for €90 or so, and AFAIK it’s pretty good. I can get it wrinkle-less, and although it’s previous generation (they’ve now gone to gen 2) it’s sure not going to be a limiting factor for me.
Probably should shave my legs to start with…
fastest? with all my respect, i dont think frodo or blummelfelft would care about it that much…just my POV
Fastest for most won’t be just related to the suit itself, but how it affects you on the bike and run. If for some you can’t carry nutrition or salt then you can quickly end up wasting time trying to source.
I have used a version of the Trimtex and it wasn’t long enough in the upper body, felt like it was no good for my back.
It certainly is one of those YMMV ones - it’s good for me but I don’t have a particularly long back - just gangly limbs.
I don’t think there is any other option besides trying suits on to see which one fits you the best. All the top ones are pretty fast so I think it probably comes down to fit and comfort. I had to order several before I settled on a Huub, which I love and feels like it was designed for exactly my body type. Some of the other that people said good things about just didn’t match me.
I wish there were a triathlon superstore where we could all go to to try on ten different suits in a single outing, but that’s not an option. I’m in Chicago and there’s not even a small tri-store left here. I just had to order online and return over and over.
I just did my first tri in 30 years at the ripe old age of 66. Dealing with a hamstring issue so just did the super sprint. I wore the Huub Anemoi sub 22. Felt a tad heavy in the pool. I was the fastest of the group on the bike and the suit felt really good and dried quickly out of the pool. Probably why I finished 2nd overall. Very comfortable on the run as well. Only one in an all black suit with a small red trim (live in AZ so we will see when things really heat up) as others were obviously going for the colors! But it matches my red helmet and my bike is a black and white colnago so the trim kit look good IMO.