I live in minneapolis and have a short distance tri coming up in early june. the weather has not been warm so the lakes are still cold, maybe 55-60 if we are lucky. i am thinking about a new wetsuit but don’t know if I should go with a full or john or which brands work best. Any ideas or should I just suck it up and jump in.
Definetly fullsuit, www.wetsuit.com, Promotion suits are as nice as the big guys and cost less.
If you are normally swimming in cold water I would recommend a full. As far as brand/cost, it depends on a couple of things…
Fit - Make sure whatever you buy, it fits correctly.
Goals/Money - If money is an object, then you can certainly get away with something less than the latest and greatest, or look for a last year model. Unless you are going to the podium, the difference between a $250 and $400 wetsuit probably isn’t going to make that HUGE a difference. The higher priced suits generally give a little bit more flotation. When I started I had a pretty average suit and I still loved it - kept me warm and made me faster.
I live in the area and have done almost every race available over the last 5 years. You will definately want and appreciate a full wetsuit. I can’t think of a single race where I wished I had a bib john type suit. I would recommend going out to Gear West and trying on several different suits and see which one fits you best.
FWIW- I have used both the Ironman Vo2 suit and now the De Soto T1. They are both fantastic, but I like the fact that the De Soto is a 2 piece and allows me to buy a seperate top (bib) if I ever wanted to go that route. I also like not having to worry about chafing. I think slowman has a review about it on this site. Good Luck!