I’m new to tris, in fact never even done one yet. I’m looking forward to trying my first one out this summer.
I’ve been gradually working up to it, starting to include running last year, and swimming this past winter.
The biking part, no problem. I’ve been mtbiking for the past few years, theres tons of articles about bikes, and positioning, what gadgets I need to lighten my wallet etc, and who can’t ride a bike?
Run? Thats one of the things I learned in life when I was like what, 2? Again, tons of info about pace, stride, footwear, training aids.
Swimming? What is that? I took swim lessons as a kid, but specific to tri there seems to be a lot less info! Are fins good training aids? What about those paddles? What wetsuit? There seems to be very little current information. Wetsuit reviews all seem to be sporadic and a few years old.
Why is that? or where is the info I’m missing? Sorry for the long post, just hoping to read more about current wetsuit reviews than about the P4 or newest orbea.
The biking part, no problem. I’ve been mtbiking for the past few years, theres tons of articles about bikes, and positioning, what gadgets I need to lighten my wallet etc, and who can’t ride a bike?
I don’t think you will find the kind of info like a bike, wheels, position with wind tunnel tests etc.
Run? Thats one of the things I learned in life when I was like what, 2? Again, tons of info about pace, stride, footwear, training aids.
There is a ton of info on stroke count, body position, training aids, breathing, sighting, drills etc.
I agree with D that is a good thread.
The most important thing with a WS is the fit. If it fits well all wetsuits will make you faster. Try a search on Fleck or Emilio you might get some advice.
Anyway, what would you like to know about wetsuits. Fire away? I’ll see if I can help. ---------------------------------------------------------------------
You can’t beat that offer!
I realized a lot of people can’t ride WELL.
Watching the tire marks and the people in front of me at the turn around point when I did the duathlon last year was scary.
Back to the point.
Thanks Steve, I’ve always read your posts with much respect.
The wetsuit tests done by the other member here was great. I’m hoping to find more tests similar to that.
For myself though, the wetsuits he tested are out of my budget. I plan to do maybe 2 tris this year, and although an IM is in my future (hopefully) that is a long term goal rather than short.
I’m looking at the entry level suits, hope for it to last for 2-3 years, at which time I’ll know if I’m serious about the sport or not.
Reading about them, fit is going to be important. I have a stocky build, with short legs. Broad shoulders and larger upper body than most triathletes I’ve seen. (Not counting the out of shape AGers).
I’m not even sure I have real questions yet, as I haven’t tried one on, but what sure like to know as much as I can before I head into a store.
i’d say that for a beginner, looking at an entry level wetsuit, the most important factor is being able to try them on before you buy.
wetsuits are kinda like bicycle helmets - there are benefits to the more expensive/fancy ones, but even the entry level will get you a lot of benefit.
wetsuits will help you float, and make it easier to swim. what you need to figure out is what fits, and how it’s supposed to feel when you are wearing it (for example, it will feel somewhat restrictive - you have 5mm of rubber covering your body - but a poor fit will make it unreasonably restrictive. how will you know which is right? try several on).
I own 2 surfing wetsuits that fit me pretty well. One is a Billabong 3mmx2mm and a Hotline 4mmx3mm. Are these just as good for swimming as Tri wetsuits? Is there any signifigant advantage I’m losing?
I think its because its difficult, darn near impossible to test right now. The body is constantly moving while in the water, thus giving a multitude of variables (more than cycling, I think) to consider…technology I dont think has caught up enough to “test” wetsuit function, except getting in the water and going at it.
A good fitting tri wetsuit will swim much better. Heck, an ill-fitting wetsuit will probably swim better. Don’t get me wrong, surfing wetsuits are great at doing what they’re meant to, but they’re not meant for swimming. A good tri wetsuit will be much more flexible, especially in the arms. They are also made out of a rubber that is more flexible and slicker in the water. Lastly, the wetsuit has thicker rubber in all the right places to help give a proper body position.
If you don’t have the money or just don’t want to go out and spend a few hundred dollars on another wetsuit, the surfing wetsuits will definitely get you through a triathlon swim (the shorter ones at least). I used one for quite a few races, and I’m just now buying a tri wetsuit.
So, if you’re just doing sprints and olys and don’t plan on being highly competitive, then a surfing wetsuit will work fine. But if you plan on getting into longer races or being highly competitive, then a good fitting tri wetsuit will serve you much better.
“I’m not even sure I have real questions yet, as I haven’t tried one on, but what sure like to know as much as I can before I head into a store.”
Have you picked out what races you are going to do? It is possible you won’t even need a wetsuit. If it is a shorter race and the water is not cold, it is possible the time gained by having a wetsuit will be minimized by the time lost removing it.
I have a series in mind, haven’t picked out exactly which races I’ll do. They’ll have to fit in after I pick out which MTB races and road races I do this year.
But from what my friends told me, the water is pretty cold up here. (Toronto, Canada). The duathlon I did last year I went to check out the tri. One guy did it in speedos, I thought he was nuts, cause I was a little cold just waiting for the start of my race and when I went to touch the water it was freezing.
I’m not sure I understand the concept of why too stretchy is a bad thing? Especially along the back, or is a fast wetsuit one that feels like a corset and really sucks your body in?
Heck, an ill-fitting wetsuit will probably swim better
Possibly but not very likely. Depends on how it is ill-fitting. If it’s overly restrictive in the shoulders and arms - you will be prematurely fatigued in that area due to the extra work of working against the wetsuit - that will make you slower. If the suit is too big for you - the suit will fill with water and then you’ll be dragging that 5 - 10 pounds of water around with you on the swim and be slower. The neck could possibly be a problem in an ill-fitting suit as well - I have seen people permanently scared from the neck rash recived from an ill-fitting wetsuit. Maybe not slower, but I don’t know as that is something I would want to deal with.
To the OP - sounds like you are in the Toronto area. If you are doing any of the early season races, in June, the water will be cold enough, that you will most likly want to use a wetsuit. You can either buy new or rent. I would suggest that you go to the Enduro Sport store in Leaside and check out the wetsuits there. Naturally, I’ll put in a plug for Nineteen here, but Enduro Sport has the best selection and range of suits in Ontario, so you should be able to get a good sense for what is available, and they also rent suits as well( Nineteen Pipelines).
Because in opposit of most bike stuff, a wetsuit helps poor athletes WAY more than good athletes. And here on slowtwitch we like to think we are good athletes.
Have you picked out what races you are going to do? It is possible you won’t even need a wetsuit. If it is a shorter race and the water is not cold, it is possible the time gained by having a wetsuit will be minimized by the time lost removing it.
First triathlon year I gained 10 seconds/100 meter with wearing a wetsuit. With those differences I would wear a wetsuit if the swim is longer than 200 meter. I think I am a bit of an exception with wetsuit advantage, but the gain for weak swimmers can be huge, depending on body composition. After the first year I became +- 1:30 minute/kilometer faster without a wetsuit, but in a wetsuit swim my last 2 year improvement is less than 30 seconds. Wetsuits are really compensating for weak swimming.
