wetsuit advice

richiemack

hi guys Im looking to buy my first tri wetsuit. I know enough about surfing wetsuits re. thickness etc but Im aware that tri suits are totally different so Ill need help.

Im imagining that people probably go for 5mm suits for sprint and 3mm for olympic would that be right? Im doing mostly sprints this summer but would like to aim for olympic at the end.

I dont want to spend a huge amount of money on one either. I spotted this zoosuit on cyclesuperstore which seems reasonably priced, would you think it would be suitable?

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=27154

mloc123

Plan to go try on the same suit next week, so I will follow this with interest.

I plan on buying a cheap one this year and go from there. What does a better/more expensive suit offer?

baloonatic

I got a blue seventy one for 190 in wheelworx in clondalkin recently, great service, and a really nice fitting suit. I'd strongly advise getting some informed opinions before buying.

messed_up

Just about to invest in my first wetsuit too. Have narrowed down my choice to the following:

http://www.wheelworxbikes.com/product_info.php?cPath=3&products_id=1197

or

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/triathlon/10/2XU_Mens_C2_Wetsuit/5360035382/

Anybody here have any experience/recoomendations for either of these?

ladytri

richiemack wrote: »

hi guys Im looking to buy my first tri wetsuit. I know enough about surfing wetsuits re. thickness etc but Im aware that tri suits are totally different so Ill need help.

Im imagining that people probably go for 5mm suits for sprint and 3mm for olympic would that be right? Im doing mostly sprints this summer but would like to aim for olympic at the end.

I dont want to spend a huge amount of money on one either. I spotted this zoosuit on cyclesuperstore which seems reasonably priced, would you think it would be suitable?

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=27154

Hi Richiemack,
I'll throw my tu'pence worth in here but I'm open to correction. Generally the thickness for tri wetsuits is a combination of say 5mm & 3mm- 3mm in the arm panels to allow for more flexibility and ease of movement through your stroke- 5mm around the body/thigh panels to aid bouyancy.
Someone put in a link to a 2XU suit on wiggle which looks pretty good for the money but if its only entry level you want and you want a budget version you can't go wrong with the Orca S2 for £99.
But definitely try one on in a store before you buy off the net- if it feels too small its the perfect size:)

MrCreosote

Go for fit first. If a slightly more expensive suit fits better it's always worth the extra.

jlang

I'll echo the above advice to go and try them on. You need a snug fit and I tried a few that were theoretically the right size before finding the right one. Advice was go for the tightest suit you can get into; you won't feel the tightness in the water.

Reminds me, must try mine on before next week. I've lost a few lb and shifted a few others around so hope it still fits! Worst case there's a hardly used triathlon wetsuit looking for a new owner or it might be easier to just lay into the cakes so I fit it.

911sc

Have a look at this one
I tried it but was too small for me. A lot of wetsuit for the money. I tried several types/brand in NAC as well and decided at the end to buy the zoot zenith. Got it from the States for €250 incl. shipping.

Also, have a look at this thread.

richiemack

mloc123 wrote: »

Plan to go try on the same suit next week, so I will follow this with interest.

Apparently the difference between this one and the next one up in the range is immense. The neoprene and build of the suit is very basic in comparison, Apparently Zoot only developed this to compete with the other low level suits on the market(obviously) but its not the best due to price. I decided to get the next one up, bought it today, can't wait to try it out
http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=75&idproduct=27152