Speed Suits (1)

Triathlon Forum
1

For the swimmers amongst us…for a non wet suite swim do you notice a marked difference vs just your tri shorts? Wondering if it is worth spending the dollars…

2

I bought a speedo speedskin before IM Lou and have really not noticed any difference except that it takes longer to get on and off. I’ve swum in the pool and open water and the improvement is minimal at best. I can’t speak for other brands but for the average Joe I’d say put your money towards a lesson with a swim coach instead.

3

Thanks - any others? Thinking of racing with my tri top and shorts under it vs swimming with just my tri shorts and putting the top in T1…

4

IM Louisville I made a last minute decision not to drop $200 for a speed suit. I went with TYR spandex over my tri shorts, nothing up top. Really didn’t feel like i was struggling any more than previous wetsuit IM’s and time ended up being fairly comparable (which might have been a factor of the current). IMHO, unless you are planning on doing many non wetsuit events, are going for a PR or to qualify i don’t think it would be worth it to get a speedsuit for one race.

5

I would not say there really is a big enough difference to go with one compared to not wearing any top at all. I have one, and I would equate the difference to that of a speedo fastskin, but it is slightly faster than a fastskin (or so they say). I would be shocked if it is more than 1 second per hundred faster than a speedo on a person who is completely shaved.

The biggest benefit is not having the pockets from your tri-top acting as a parachute, but if you are going without a top, then that benefit isn’t quite there.

If 5 seconds over 1500 m makes a big difference for you, then drop the money, but you would be much better served just doing a good solid warm-up before the race in order to go faster…

6

I got the pointzerothree for IM Lou.

  • I noticed the added bouyancy the moment I got in the water

  • I swam 1h10 but can’t really compare that to anything

  • I wore it over a full tri suit with no problems

  • It took no time at all to get off on the way to T1. I had the 35th fastest T1 time overall (2nd in AG)

  • I tested it in the pool the other day over 1000 metres.

      My previous best, 50m pool, with flip turns, swimming shorts,  completely out of breath at the end 17m35 
                          25m pool, no flip turns, pointzerothree suit and with a much easier percieved effort. 17m10. Feel like I could go 16m50.
7

I’ve found that I swim better with just my Craft training top and Sugoi tri shorts. Can’t stand the wetsuit anymore and only wear it for the early season races where the water temps are low. I just lube up the inside of my arms with Bodyglide to save the friction burn I get from the seams of the top.

Then again, I only do sprints and Olympic distance, so I’m sure your overall time in the water will play some factor in your decision-making process.

hak