I’m pleased and impressed by how well the DeSoto T1 wetsuit did in the forum poll on which wetsuit you would buy. The T1 is an excellent suit and hands down the most versatile “suit system” on the market.
I have my own ideas why the T1 is good.
What are yours? What made so many of you guys (32% by current accounting) vote for the T1 as the suit you want to buy?
As an F.Y.I. when I asked several other wetsuit manufacturers when they were coming out with a two piece suit (Ironman briefly featured a prototype on their site a few years ago- that I know of, it never made it retail) they mentioned they never would since (their words) “it would only validate what DeSoto is doing…”
That may be the most impressive endorsement of all…
Haven’t tried one of them yet, but I do love the two-piece idea. One of the drawbacks of fullsuits for some of us a bit larger in the upper body than others is that constricting feeling…in order to get the suit to fit right, damn it sure feels extra snug up there. The concept of the two piece is very intriguing, both in terms of being able to get perhaps different sizing top and bottom, plus a little bit of added “flex”, so to speak, as you are swimming, helping to reduce that “restricting” feeling.
The reason I think the T1 does so well is that it is a suit for the masses – e.g. you can get a customized fit, with technology that is helpful for the mop swimmer, at a decent price. Given that there is a lot of fiscally responsible MOP folks here, it would translate into those sorts of numbers. In contrast, a strong fishie is going to swim fast in anything that fits (I know since I’m married to one) and therefore may not be drawn to the T1, given the aesthetics, relative to someone who is thinking technology first and looks second. Most of the really fast swimmers I know are in Blue Seventy or QR suits, not T1s. Speedy Reedy, my tri shop, sells a lot of Blue Seventy and Zoots but carried De Soto. That’s how I triangulate.
I am on my second T1 wetsuit and they rock the fit is awsome, super flexiable and the cost is less than Orca etc. The one question I get asked alot is what is it like througth T1 whilst In my experence this is not a problem (I normally have a t1 time in the top 10 throughout the day.) It seems to be an misconseption about them. One reason maybe they are not used at the very high end is Desoto dont seem to have the sponsorship budget of say Orca, Blue seventy etc. I may not be a super fish but neither am I slow coming out the water in the secound group at most of my Ironman Races (low 50s). Oh and DSS have the best customer service I have expernced in the business.
Aside from the fact that I have YET to even see any polls, I own and would vote for the T1 also for the following reasons:
2-piece offers the flexibility of having two different sizes. My legs are more slender than my upper body, so I can get a larger top.
2-piece provides the choice to wear ONLY the pants - shorter races where I’d still like some flotation (I kick backwards) but don’t want or need a full suit
** DeSoto TTT Specific Reasons **
Price - it was reasonably priced to begin with, but as a ‘TTT’ participant, I got an additional 20% discount - that tipped the scales for me
TTT Leg Cramping - I heard the horror stories of legs cramping in Race #3 (Bike-Swim-Run) so I wanted something I could tolerate in excessive heat that would still protect my legs - voila - the Speedtube
**// EDIT - Just found the poll - and voted, for the DeSoto T1 of course!
One of the things we’ve picked up on about these suits is that most customers tend to don traditional one piece full suits incorrectly. WE did a ton (we think) of research on wetsuit perfromance and I can tell you with a degree of authority that “pull panels” and “flex panels” and all these new “strakes” and so-called features did not produce any tangible speed benefit for us. None. Zero.
The only suit we found was tangibly faster in most cases (but not all- there were exceptions) was a two piece suit. I think the reasons are:
Even if you don a two piece suit slightly incorrectly (don’t pull sleeves up, don’t pull up bib john torso) the suit “swims itself into place”. The top and the bottom of the suit work independantly of each other. For most triathletes with a less than stellar stroke seems to be the easiest (fastest) suit to swim in.
We also hear a lot fewer tales of wetsuit anxiety with two piece suits since they seem to feel less restrictive.
I’ll fess up as the owner of a T1 full , orca apex full & Blue seventy full suit. My swim times (MOP) are virtually identical and the key issue for me is getting the suit on correctly … not a small issue for most people. ST seems to always have a rather skewed response on wet suits compared to what you see at races … I don’t know what that means. The only thing I don’t like about T1 is its a pain to get out of … especially trying to get the top off before you hit wetsuit strippers. I’m sure others do better at it than I. I also will fess up that I actually have had my best swim times in an Orca predator sleeveless that I always enjoy the excuse of wearing “because the water is too warm”. We all know that I really couldn’t be faster because everyone on ST knows a full sleeved suit is always fastest!
Dave
Having used an entry-level Orca until I received my T1 First Wave last week, I COULD…NOT…BELIEVE how good the T1 felt in the water for an open-water mile race on Sunday. I’m normally a FOMOP swimmer, but finished third on Sunday. The suit wasn’t restrictive in any way, provided great buoyancy in the legs, and I was also very pleasantly surprised at how easily the suit comes off. It took a few practice tries to get used to the zipper, but once the zipper is undone, the suit comes off in an instant. The way it just rolls off the legs is amazing.
Okay, so that’s what I liked about it after I bought it. Things that made me go to Emilio in the first place:
The 14-day trial offer. What did I have to lose? If I didn’t think the difference between the T1 and my old suit was worth the money I spent, I’d have sent it back. I will not be sending it back - I can’t imagine any other suit feeling better.
As Dan noted in his “what do the polls show us” post, I *usually *think that *many *STers are *generally *at the pointy edge of thinking about logical gear selection. I don’t think I’ve read a negative comment here about the T1 or DeSoto, but I definitely have seen scores of positive ones. If the T1 is good enough for the picky ST crowd (that’s tried just about everything out there) without reservation, I figured it was worth a shot. The same principle worked pretty well with choosing Signature Cycles and Elite…
I have a perfectly fine QR superfull, a few years old, but no real reason to replace it with something only incrementally better, but fundamentally the same (i.e. any classic full suit on the market). If I were to get another wetsuit (but I’m not going to) I would want to try the T1. At 5’11, 145lbs I don’t really have too much trouble finding gear that fits, so it’s not the mix-and-match part that appeals to me, but rather the increased flexibility due to both two-piece design and lack of a full-length zipper.
I’ve had such good experience dealing with Emilio, I’d buy his wetsuits even if they were a little slower than the competitors (I’m not saying they are, I’m just saying I wouldn’t care.) If he sells it, I don’t shop around.
I bought a T1 a couple of weeks ago. My previous suit was too big in the chest and I ended up carrying a lot of water. With the T1, I was able to get a size smaller in the top and get a “perfect” fit that I would not have been able to get in any other brand. I’m build like a cyclist with narrow shoulders and wider hips. Most suits seem to be built for swimmers and I can’t fill them out properly. My first swim in the suit was a “b” race, I was one of the faster women and I even beat the OA 1st and 2nd place gals out of T1. That never happens…
2 piece so a far more natural swim stroke for me
I can buy a long sleeve top, short sleeve top and the bottoms for the same price as 1 other wetsuit. So I essentially get two for 1
DeSoto customer service is some of the best out there.
Mark
Very simply – the T1 was the only wetsuit in which I did not experience any shoulder fatigue after 1500 meters.
Using trisports’ incredible return policy, I purchased and tested 4 different models over the course of about a week. I took each suit on two 1500 meter swims making notes regarding feel and time. For each suit, I immediately noted the distance at which I started to experience any shoulder fatigue.
Sizing was an interesting issue. I had 4 different model suits, but, ended up doing a couple exchanges to ensure I had the proper size in each. Being long in the torso and fairly thin, it was a challenging process.
The T1 was not the fastest, according to my tests, but, it was very close (close enough that other variables may have come into play). Likewise, the T1 did not “feel” the fastest of the suits, but, again, was a close second. However, the T1 was the ONLY suit in which I did not experience any shoulder fatigue during the 1500 meter swims. I am not talking about exhaustion, just getting a little tired. As a result, I felt the “freshest” in the T1 after both 1500 m swims. Given the flex and freedom of movement, I was sold! After several open water swims and races, no doubt I made the correct decision.
Only thing that surprised me about the T1 was the sizing. I am a little broad in the shoulder. According to the sizing charts, I was dead center of the range for a size 4 bottom and size 5 top. However, the size 5 top as way too big. Ended up with a size 4 bottom and size 4 top, which really surprised me. I thought I would need a larger top than bottom and, going into the experiment, thought this is where the T1 would surpass the one-piece suits that were unable to have different size tops and bottoms. Not so in my case.
Love the T1. Also love my Speedtube 2, which I have been wearing on our weekly 2-3 mile swims in Lake Michigan.
I would guess the poll results have quite a bit to do with Emilio (and his participation on ST), as well as De Soto’s industry-leading customer service.
One of the things we’ve picked up on about these suits is that most customers tend to don traditional one piece full suits incorrectly.
Tom,
Great point. I spent 3 days at IMUSA in Lake Placid helping people get fitted properly to their wetsuits - both Nineteen and other brands. After a proper fit the most common comment was “Wow! My wetsuit feels fantastic. It feels like a new suit!” So I agree with you that part of the problem with one-piece design is that many people are NOT putting the suits on properly. The things I was showing them, on how to put the suit on properly, they had no idea about. I was glad to share this information with as many people as I could.
Forum threads first pointed me toward the T1 but emailing Emilio and getting great customer service is what sold me. He genuinely cares about what was best for my needs more than anything else. And with the return policy what do you have to lose.
Now that I have a couple of seasons under my belt with the 2 piece/T1 I can’t imagine going back to a 1 piece.
I am going 2 piece on the next go around. I have a full Vector pro which is nice but I like the idea of being able to get a 2 mL bottom with a sleeveless top to better conform to my strong kick stroke…
One of the things we’ve picked up on about these suits is that most customers tend to don traditional one piece full suits incorrectly. WE did a ton (we think) of research on wetsuit perfromance and I can tell you with a degree of authority that “pull panels” and “flex panels” and all these new “strakes” and so-called features did not produce any tangible speed benefit for us. None. Zero.
The only suit we found was tangibly faster in most cases (but not all- there were exceptions) was a two piece suit. I think the reasons are:
Even if you don a two piece suit slightly incorrectly (don’t pull sleeves up, don’t pull up bib john torso) the suit “swims itself into place”. The top and the bottom of the suit work independantly of each other. For most triathletes with a less than stellar stroke seems to be the easiest (fastest) suit to swim in.
We also hear a lot fewer tales of wetsuit anxiety with two piece suits since they seem to feel less restrictive.
There are two unique things when fitting a two piece though:
sizing the top is important, as if you buy it too big, it can ride up. This is why it is especially important to swim in a wetsuit, not just try it dry. It’s also important to encourage people to swim in the suit several times, which is why DeSoto’s return policy is so good. Not having the collar pulled down can take a bit of getting used to. The suit is different. And different is often scary. Once you get someone sized correctly, get them to swim in the suit a few times. THEN, get them to try on their one piece again. That is the way, I think, to really make the strongest impression. But remember that you do have to fit and size it differently, since torso length is no longer an issue.
How you put on your two piece is also very important. The alignment of the seam on the forearm is quite important for shoulder flexibility. You won’t notice it as much in the two piece, but if you put it on correctly, you may be like “wow, this is a LOT better.” That’s my experience anyway. You may be tempted to throw it on because it does fit so easily. But take some extra time. Sleeves go on first, then pull it over your head. This photo should be ingrained in the head of every T1 owner:
i haven’t used a 2 piece suit. i have no doubt they are fine in the water if you can swim fast, which i can. rapid removal is my big question. i’ve seen emilio’s video of his removal process. i am impressed with his dedication, but i am not so impressed with his video.
i can do this currently with my fullsuit:
i can run at full speed out fully of the water, and without stopping, i can unzip my fullsuit and pull it down to just below my waist, continue running to t1 (remember, i never stopped), remove my goggles and cap, hold them in my hand, arrive at t1, throw down my goggles and cap near my bike, unpeel the remainder of my suit, and then jump on my bike.
my question: can this be done in any version of the T1 suit after you have left the water, without leaving any part of the suit near the water, without any assistance or a handler, without losing sight of where you are running, without dropping or losing one’s goggles or cap, and without any decrease in a full on running speed (this is, after all, a race)?
if this can be done in a T1 suit, can anyone post a video of someone doing this, or explain (in detail) how it is done?
As someone who is in the market to purchase a wetsuit, most likely in the next week or two at the Chicago Expo, why wouldn’t people purchase some of the other brands? Blue Seventy seems to be a pretty popular brand at races but only a very small percentage (7 I think it was) said they’d buy one.
The suit that I have now is a 6 year old QR sleveless that I got when I first started to race. There really is nothing wrong with it, except when I started racing I looked more like the Michelin man that I really car to admit.
Lastly there is a HUGE price jump from mid-range to top of the line. I’m not the best swimmer in the water, but I’m not that bad either, what is spending an extra 200 dollars going to get me?
