WTC-legal speedsuit acquisition
OK, I'm probably not realistically in the Kona hunt, but if it's a really hot day and I execute really well and a couple of people blow up...well, you never know, you might get lucky...
Water temp at WI is 80+ right now as a result of all the heat that's been in the midwest. While it's ridiculous to worry about it right now, I don't think it's ridiculous to plan. A speedsuit makes you faster, and the trantition time is probably a wash between taking it off and the fact that you can have a few items in the tri top (gels, number) on or in the picket of your tri top beneath.
Is it morally repugnant to buy a WTC-legal speedsuit in mid-August by mail order from a company that has a 30-day unused money back policy? [e.g., Xterra has such an offer; they were easy to check. I bet others do as well...either direct like Zoot, or certain retailers]
If the water stays warm, and you use the suit, then everything's fine. Leaving it in the package until race week is no big deal. You bought it; you used it; it's yours.
If the water cools down, then it can be returned, less some restocking fee that amounts to a "rental".
On one hand, this seems cheesy; on the other, the tactic is so obvious that the companies have to understand that it is part of their offer.
If this is morally repugnant, there is still time to be patient looking for sales or used ones out there...
Normally, I think if you have to ask, then it's a bad idea. But this one seems really borderline to me.
Comments
Your use it or return it plan is the way I'd go if I were doing IMWI. I say go for it! They offer 30-days, take advantage of it.
Thanks for the suggestion. I think I am going to do this as well. I don't think it's questionable at all. That's what return policies are for.
BTW, As far as Zoot WTC legal speedsuits, the priority was to have them for sale at the expos prior to Vegas and Kona. I don't think are going to be able to get enough made and get them out to the retailers by then and therefore you likely wont be able to find a Zoot one for Wisconsin. I don't have one yet myself either and they just go them out to the top pros (Ben, Kelly, Jordan, etc) in July.
Buy the suit. If you do use it, make sure it has a long string (like a long shoe lace) thru the zipper so you can easily get it off in T1. And don't make the mistake I did once, when I put the end of the string under the shoulder strap. By the time I got out of the water, I had rubbed my skin raw there, like some people do with wet suit necks.
I was going to do similar...I just purchased XTERRA Velocity M....I figured I would try it out...if I liked it use at IMLOO if not send it back...heck its even okay to try it in your event and send it back as long as it is in the 30 day window...I hear women do this type of thing with dresses all the time...no big deal.
@Al- excellent point...the EXTERRA has a breakaway zipper so it comes with no lanyard...in practice it comes off pretty easy...of course you must have someone help you zip it up...but I have taken to using a shoes string through the zipper to put the suit on and take off on my own...QUESTION- do you just let the lanyard/shoestring hang outside? (like on a regular wetsuit)
FWIW --
I recently purchased a Velocity M (Xterra). I think its probably a fairly good deal at 200 bucks as some of the others are signficantly more.
Size Small and Medium were out of stock for over a month recently and they just got new ones in. I don't know what their supply situation currently is but I suspect as Vegas and Kona draw near, they may be hard to obtain as well.
The Zoot speedsuit has a breakaway zipper and it comes with a detacable cord. You can choose if you want to leave the cord on or take it off. of course you can easily and a cord to the Xterra as well.
Ran across this earlier today.
www.youtube.com/watch
Regarding the XTERRA with Breakaway Zipper...have used it twice in practice now and really like it. You definitely notice the difference between the speedsuited and non-speedsuited swim.
Specifically to the Zipper....it definitely comes down/off easily enough. For putting it on (without assistance) I use a shoelace or string w/paperclip attached...run it through the zippertab hole...pull up the zipper (as you do with a normal lanyard on a wetsuit)...then detach it once the zipper is up...viola...ready to swim (and no concern about the lanyard hanging)
Buy the suit (but not for any moral reason. It's just a good thing to have around and isn't that expensive). If it helps, this one is ending in 15 hours and is less than fifty bucks with no takers, thanks to a misspelled item title. Lots more out there.
(I've got a watch list on ebay at the moment and saw one go for less than $30 last night!)
http://ironman.com/faq/rulesfaq#axzz1UNV6eUKv
Wm
Matt, William, thanks. I had been going from info in this link, which is obviously dated.
http://www.xterrawetsuits.com/products/womens/speedsuits/
Oh, and on the moral issue... I think you're all good on however you want to handle it. That's well within their advertised policy, even if you race in it and then send it back. I reward companies that have great costumer service with my business which is why they do those things.
I finally broke down and bought a DeSoto Liftfoil which has the "float pad" found in their Riviera tri shorts and their ITU suit. It's awesome as you can wear it for the whole race. No pockets and made with the slippery liftfoil material. Wore it the first time yesterday and highly recommend it. I got it for around $170 at trisports.com with the 10% discount code.
http://www.desotosport.com/merchant.mvc+Screen=PROD&Store_Code=DSS&Product_Code=LF1&Category_Code=messentials
@Daniella- the older Velocity version (.02) is not legal for WTC events that are non-Wetsuit legal. They have a statement on their site and also if you search "Wetsuits" on Ironman.com they actually list many/most of the currently legals suits. (I think the key issue is they must be 100% fabric.)
@Joseph - Thanks!
@Matt - I wasn't able to find the Zoot CompressRx Speedsuit. Is it available?
@John - Do you know what the coupon code was, and if it's still active? I tried SEVERAL and most were just for wetsuits, and the rest had expired. I found this one, but it doesn't seem ethically right to use it..
http://www.pdxtriclub.org/content/view/196/1/
What is the Velocity Y? I could only find the 'M' version.
Early this year they started the testing of a new Speedsuit named the Ultra SpeedZoot. This testing went much better and Kelly, Ben, Jordan, and a few others have been racing in them this summer. The Ultra SpeedZoot is approved by WTC and in production right now, they will have them by Kona and are hoping to get the first run of them in prior to Vegas / IMWI.
So, that was the long way to say, there is not a Zoot speedsuit available today that is approved, however there will be one available in about a month and it is going to be very tough to get one by IMWI. I'm on the list to have one mailed to me the day they get them in the warehouse and I may not have it by wisconsin.
I did Kona last year with no speedsuit and had my fastest IM swim, so I'm not horribly worried about "needing" one. But any extra speed would be good.
If it really looks like the water temp is staying high and there is no way I will have the zoot one in time, I may make the last minute decision to buy one from someone else.
Sorry for overtaking this thread..maybe I should have started a new one.
The time savings is very little in a legal speedsuit. The majority of the savings are because the manufactures test resistance of someone swimmng in a standard tri top that fits but is not supper tight and has pockets that act like parachutes. Then they put them in a speedsuit that fits so tight someone else has to zip it and there are no pockets or seams to catch the water. If you tri top fits tight, and the pockets don't fill with water you wont notice much difference at all.
It's kind of like how the Zipp 404 firecrest wheels with 21mm aero shaped tires save 85 seconds per 40km when compared to a box rim with 32 round spokes and a round 23mm tire. The reality is most people are not riding the baseline wheels so the real savings are a good bit less then 85 seconds, but zipp's claim is still technically valid.
I have tried doing my swim workout in my tri top with pockets and in a the one piece IT style trisuit with no pockets. The differnce I notice is about 1 second per 100 M. Thats 38 seconds in an IM. Let's same the WTC legal speedsuit can double that, so 1:16 savings an ironman... you have to decide if saving a little over a minute is worth $200 to you. Even if the suit is awesome and give you 3" per 100, that is still under 2:00 total of savings in your race for $200. I'd make sure you have great tires, latex tubes, aerohelmet, aero bottle, etc first before even thinking about a speedsuit.
That's just my opinion, I'm sure others will disagree.
I am getting a chain guard as I missed a 70.3 world's by 8 seconds as Kansas. According to my Joule, I was stopped for 12 seconds to put it back on, and I would have lost some momentum as I was going up hill. Not that I would have taken the slot, but it would have been nice to say I qualified. It did roll down, but it's not the same.