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Speed Suit, Swimskin, whatever you call it, what do you use?

Nemo BrauchNemo Brauch
in General Training Discussions

I seem to be entering more and more races that are not wetsuit legal these days.  IMMD is on my calendar this year and I can easily see that one going either way, so I think it may be time to bite the bullet and buy one of these speed suit or swimskin things that you use instead of a wetsuit.

I'm sure the main recommendation is "buy the one that fits", but otherwise, anyone have some tips, recommendations, or things to watch out for they could share for someone who is starting to take a look?  And for that matter, how "should" it fit?  Should it feel super snug like a wetsuit?  Or have a little more flex and give?

Comments

  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    For non-wetsuit swims I use the following:
    1) Very short swim - no skinsuit, race in Kiwami Amphibian one piece trisuit since it is practically a skinsuit in its own right.
    2) USAT race - use XTERRA 002 speedsuit - this one is NOT legal for WTC races
    3) WTC rate - use Blue Seventy PZ3TX textile speedsuit
  • MattAaronsonMattAaronson
    I have a TYR speed suit. No idea if it makes me faster. Perhaps I just paid a lot of money to cover up the pockets of my tri top that would otherwise really slow me down...
  • Bruce ThompsonBruce Thompson
    It makes you feel faster.  That's good enough for me.  But who knows if you really are faster?
  • Tom BoxTom Box
    I have an xterra. It's supposed to fit tight keeping you more streamlined through the water. I tested last year in the pool with and without. Speed suit was 1-2 seconds faster per 100.
  • david waredavid ware
    Are these the same things that were being discussed a couple of weeks ago for group order?
  • ezellrhezellrh
    I use a TYR swim skin. I don't have any quantifiable self-tested data, but like others have mentioned, it allows me to swim in my kit with less perceived drag. Quick off in T1 without doing the wet body tri-top tango.
  • Robert SaboRobert Sabo
    The group order was for a sleeved trisuit which is illegal to wear with the top part on during a non wetsuit legal swim. This thread is for a speed suit with no sleeves usually worn over Tri gear for the swim only and removed in T1.
  • Nemo BrauchNemo Brauch

    Posted By Robert Sabo on 28 Jul 2015 04:22 AM


    The group order was for a sleeved trisuit which is illegal to wear with the top part on during a non wetsuit legal swim. This thread is for a speed suit with no sleeves usually worn over Tri gear for the swim only and removed in T1.

    Correct, and thanks for clarifying.

    I'm pretty sold on the value of the suits, I'm curious mostly about fit.  I've heard the TYR's in particular run a bit small, but maybe that's just the women's sizes.

  • William JenksWilliam Jenks
    I have had mixed practical results, but only had one brand (Xterra). It is a fact that they are faster in the water than swimming with a traditional 2-piece tri suit with pockets. I had trouble with the zippers on mine, though, and ended up "Hulk Hoganing" mine off unintentionally at a race a while back. That was my second one, with the first one having a non-race-time zipper failure. I have not replaced it...but I also haven't gone in to a race schedule knowing I wouldn't be wearing wetsuits.

    So, along with "fit", I would add "reliability of zipper".
  • Nemo BrauchNemo Brauch
    Going Hulk! I'd like to have seen that William! Thanks for the tip.
  • John WithrowJohn Withrow
    I love my HUUB Archimedes wetsuit, so I bought their speedsuit. I only used it in 1 race, but really liked it. Don't know if it made me faster, but it looked cool and was comfortable to swim in.
  • Nemo BrauchNemo Brauch
    So, just to update the thread and close this out a bit. I ended up purchasing a BlueSeventy PZ3TX

    http://www.blueseventy.com/collections/mens-swimskins/products/pz3tx

    I made my decision based on two items, 1- I was able to get a really good "closeout" deal on the PZ3TX because it's a "last year" model that's been replaced by the PZ4TX, and 2- My two other wetsuits are BlueSeventy (OK, the sleeveless is really "Ironman" but same thing essentially) and they fit me well, so I figured the cut of the swimskin would likely be similar.


    Tried it out for the first time today and it feels good. Definitely keeps everything from flopping around in the water and wasn't too hot. I'll still always hope for wetsuit conditions, but it's nice to now have this item in my toolkit for when the race becomes a non-wettie.
  • William JenksWilliam Jenks
    Great to hear. Blue 70 are also popular among competitive swimmers. Their high end swim suits are generally among the best fitting for the "less busty" women swimmers...which, if you think about it, would be a very large fraction of sales. There are a lot more 12-15 year olds buying them than people at the Olympic Trials.
  • Nemo BrauchNemo Brauch
    generally among the best fitting for the "less busty" women swimmers

    yup, I resemble that remark
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