There seem to be a huge number of wetsuits available but little to no independent or in-depth testing. I know it can be a super-personal preference as to which works best, but wondered if anyone has a similar profile to me so could offer any recommendations?
Adult-onset swimmer, now at around 8 years experience racing all distances, predominantly 70.3Race pace for 1.9km is ~ 1:45 to 1:50/100m so very much mid-packClassic “sinky legs” profile given my lack of swim form, although it is getting (slowly!) better176cm tall / 72kg
I’ve previously had a Zone3 Aspire that I found quite restrictive in the shoulder area, then most recently had a Huub Aerious (with their 3:5 buoyancy profile) which felt much better. The Huub’s buoyancy also seemed to help my swim times, although it was very fragile (hence needing a replacement!)
I’m now in need of a new wetsuit, with my first target race just under 3 weeks away. Budget isn’t massive (~£250-ish) but then again there’s all sorts of discounts floating around that may or may not help here. First question is with my swim profile, will I notice the benefits of a higher end wetsuit, or will an entry-level option (with increased buoyancy) actually work better? Or will I find the arm movement restrictive like the Zone3 previously? Then secondly, does anyone have any great recommendations?
Options I’ve looked at for the moment are:
2XU P1 Propeldhb Aeron Lab
My limited experience: I had a similar profile to yours a few years ago when I got my first wetsuit, a sleeved Zone 3 Vision. I replaced it three years ago with a sleeved blueseventy Reaction.
I did as much research as I could and solicited feedback from this forum from the experts we have (both pros and a few coaches who did speed comparisons). My super simple summary is that all wetsuits from all the makers generally break down into two classes - the top 2 models use great rubber and are very fast and comfortable. The best performance & value for most regular swimmers is the 2nd best model. The rest of the lines (3rd best and down) use pedestrian rubber and feel more restrictive and are not as fast for regular swimmers.
That led me to the 2nd best option from blueseventy. With a £250 budget, I would shop the best deal from one of the mainstream wetsuit makers. Many of them have outlets with deep discounts, so start there. Then, just regular sales.
First question is with my swim profile, will I notice the benefits of a higher end wetsuit, or will an entry-level option (with increased buoyancy) actually work better?
I’m also in the market for a new wetsuit.
The general consensus I’ve heard is the thicker the rubber and the more the rubber the better. The speed advantage of a wetsuit is lift (and whole body lift, not just legs). This picture from the Roka MX page sums it up best for me. It seems to be that the trend on top of the line suits is the thin the suit above the waist and shoulders to preserve “the swimmer’s feel”. But it’s not faster.
Shoulder restriction is more tied to fit. If it restricts your shoulders, the suit is probably too small or just the wrong fit.
It’s what I’m looking at as well. Just getting back into tri and my ~10 year old Aquaman ART suit is wee bit snug. Which is odd since my weight is actually lower than when I last used it (9 years ago). Do wetsuits shrink if not used for years?
