For those who have one, what difference does the zipper in the front make, as opposed to having it in the back?
the difference is it’s easier to unzip and get out of it going into T1. With some rear zip suits i sometimes get the zip snagged on the line of fabric that protects your skin from the zip.
the downside is that it may be a bit constricting on the chest to use throughout a triathlon esp short-course because you must have it zipped up or it will flap aorund a lot on the bike (found out the hard way).
Thanks for the feedback. I’ll only be wearing it for the swim. How did it feel in the water compared to others you’ve used? Constriction?
the material is thinner than e.g. Speedo Fastskin or TYR Aquashift. These are the only other swim skins i’ve used. It’s tough to compare constriction because the Desoto comes in 3 sizes whilst a TYR for example has swimming sizes e.g. 24-30+ in smaller increments, so it’s not really fair to compare constriction.
in the water i think the liftfoil allows for more flexibility and is less compressive in the thighs (as swim-specific skins tend to be). The fit is more of a tri-suit type fit. i would say it’s definitely more comfortable and the seams are stitched very well. you may want to wait for the 08 version though as it comes with a chamois in 2008.
i think eventually most skins will have a chamois. In 06 the orca killa didn’t have a chamois but now in 07 it does. they have obviously gotten around the chamois drag factor.
edit: i have never, and never will use a skin in a chlorine pool, so can’t comment objectively on speed improvements. others have reported 2-3 sec/100m improvement though. i just refuse to risk disintegrating my suit prematurely with chlorine exposure.
so you would recommend it over the Speedo or TYR?
for triathlons yes.
Owner of Desoto sports says you should NOT wear anything under the Liftfoil.
I used a Liftfoil.
Zipper broke first time I used it in a race.
It turned into a drag suit and was horrible.
.