Speed Suits
Matt - Have you researched speed suits for the Kona swim? I see that Tyr has a hydrophobic model of $330, and DeSoto has their WTC legal model for $190 promising "4 seconds/100 meters".
Does Zoot have anything here?
Default for me is to use my Speedo sharkskin circa 2005 I used in Kona and Xterra Maui until I got the (thankfully "half-price" and now illegal) Xterra skin suit, which turned out to be a single use item, I guess.
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Al - I just emailed Zoot and the response I got is they will have something however there are in a time crunch and it will not be available for sale prior Kona. They will be getting the first batch in prior to Kona and will have atheletes swiming in them but he thought it was unlikely they would have enough to put them on sale at the expo even. They are disappointed but it is what it is and said if you need something you should order another product to make sure you have it in time.
If I were to buy one, I would go with the best bang for the buck unless there is a really good reason to spend the extra money. Especially something that is used so rarely. Therefore I would go with the DeSoto if you buy something new, plus I know you like DeSoto and I have had great experiences with them as well.
Personally I would probably just stick with the Sharkskin this year as I bet the difference is very minimal and who knows what rule change WTC will make next year.
•Swimwear and swim apparel must be comprised of 100 percent textile material, such as nylon or lycra, and may not include rubberized material such as polyurethane or neoprene. Swimwear may not cover the neck or extend past the shoulders or knees. Swimwear may contain a zipper. A race kit or trisuit may be worn underneath swimwear.
So the new suits will probably not be as fast as the old reberized ones, but they are likely faster than having a two peice trisuit with pockets. Who knows, maybe someone will even figure out to make a textile suit that is faster. I'm sure they will be able to prove in a lab test that under optimal conditions the new suits are worth X seconds and of course triathletes (myself included) will think awesome I can save 1 minute in an IM for $200 and line up to buy them.
Paul - I did the Xterra on Maui from 2001 thru 2008, and in 2006 started wearing a Speedo "speedsuit" Last year when this came up, on the old 3.0 forum, I documented my times from that 1500 meter swim and felt I was demonstrably faster wearing the thing, which cost me $75 at the time, being "last year's model" Funny thing, when I got Xterra mini-neprene outfit for Kona 2009, my time was exactly the same as in 2006 when I wore the "textile" suit.. There's certainly no buoyancy in those suits but, as Matt says, it at least covers the rougher parts of the tri-suit fabric and the pockets. And maybe the water clings less to it. But I was 30-60 sec faster I felt in 1500 meters.
One of the ways the super-tight ones (not sure if any of them are legal any more) work is not only giving you a smooth surface, but literally squeezing you into a more hydrodynamic shape. You wouldnt think that would matter for super skinny world class swimmers, but evidently it did!
This came via email from all3sports.com to me, this morning...
www.all3sports.com/index.php