my first tri wetsuit

joeyboy12345

Hey guys,did a pool try a tri in sligo last year. This year i want to push it on and do a few proper triathlons and need a wet suit.so what should i be looking for?what money do i need to spend?i dont want to spend the top end money,neither do i want to scrimp!im asking about a middle of the road wetsuit.im based in the midlands.

joeyboy12345

Bump, still looking for some advice on this please

crazyderk

joeyboy12345 wrote: »

Bump, still looking for some advice on this please

I did my first triathlon in sept last year. I went to adverts and picked one up for like 50 quid. Did the job just fine. You can invest a few hundred in one like a mate of mine did which allowed him to wear his while he cycled which meant he was quicker getting in and out of the change station but only by a minute or two, he also had these clip on shoes on his bike which helped while I put on runners.

2 things to look out for I guess, get full length arms and legs it's a little warmer when you get into the water. Now in saying that it's not the end of the world as you get used to it after a few mins.

Then I think There's suits for swimming and suits for scuba diving which is all about thickness, the thicker it is the warmer it is but can be a bit restrictive. But supposedly the buoyancy helps you swim better? ( you may wanna google that as I'm just typing off the top of my head)

The thin ones are less restrictive which helps you swim better.

I'd say stick with adverts buy cheap and then through experience and talking to people you'll find out what you like and then can invest more the more triathlons you want to do.

Kurt_Godel

crazyderk wrote: »

I did my first triathlon in sept last year. I went to adverts and picked one up for like 50 quid. Did the job just fine. You can invest a few hundred in one like a mate of mine did which allowed him to wear his while he cycled which meant he was quicker getting in and out of the change station but only by a minute or two, he also had these clip on shoes on his bike which helped while I put on runners.

2 things to look out for I guess, get full length arms and legs it's a little warmer when you get into the water. Now in saying that it's not the end of the world as you get used to it after a few mins.

Then I think There's suits for swimming and suits for scuba diving which is all about thickness, the thicker it is the warmer it is but can be a bit restrictive. But supposedly the buoyancy helps you swim better? ( you may wanna google that as I'm just typing off the top of my head)

The thin ones are less restrictive which helps you swim better.

I'd say stick with adverts buy cheap and then through experience and talking to people you'll find out what you like and then can invest more the more triathlons you want to do.

Thats really bad advice above, maybe well-intentioned but needs to be shot down. A swimming wetsuit is needed for Tri, yes you can wear a scuba or surf wetsuit but then you cycle the Alps on a fixie if you want too. You don't cycle in a wetsuit, it comes off in T1 after the swim...

OP, if you are serious about a suit, its all about the fit. Get to a store and get a proper fit. I'd recommend going to Base2Race who will let you try on different sizes in their endless pool, and will give good advice about how best to put on/take off/maintain the suit. Or join a Tri club, ask members what suits they wear and maybe try one on for size in a pool.

There's not much point in buying a discounted suit online if it doesn't fit you, and your ability to get a good swim will be determined by how well it fits you.

iAcesHigh

Sure, fit is the most important thing... The only thing I would add is to choose a bit more "elastic" or to say, "softer" suit - a friend of mine suggested Sailfish Vibrant (THIS) and since the size seemed perfect I decided to go with it and never regretted...

Ferdiad

I would recommend:

1. Zone3 Venture wetsuit OR 2. Blue Seventy Pivot

Both are under 200 euro - no need to go crazy on a wetsuit first time out, and they both do exactly what you want them to do. Either should last you for years. Pretty sure the Zone3 can be bought anywhere and the Blueseventy is on sale @ wiggle. ( I have the Zone3 myself and my friend has the Blue Seventy ). Anything better then those will not be cost efficient I feel and I have not seen anything cheaper thats at this standard (the blue seventy is only € 116).

Crazyderks post - i think his friend had a "tri-suit" which is not the same thing as a wetsuit.
tri-suit - can use in warmer weather swim-cycle-run (no wetsuit used).
wetsuit - swim section (with tri-suit optionally underneath) change out of wetsuit at t1

Hope this helps.
As above, AT WORST, would suggest you call into shops (Great Outdoors if you are in Dublin) and try 1 on sothat you get a feel for sizing.

sconhome

Hey joeyboy12345, you have an idea about your budget, you are saying you don't want to scrimp which is good and you don't want to blow the load which is reasonable so you should have a budget in mind of €200-€300 which will get you a broad choice across a wide range of brands.

You either need to speak with someone you can trust about size, fit & function; how to fit and remove the wetsuit; how to care for it and what warranty you have and the level of customer service is if you have a warranty issue. Or you buy blind online.

Search the forum and you will be bamboozled with "buy this, I swear by it!" from each and every other one of us.

Go to a shop, ask if you can have advice, touch and feel get to know what you are discussing and if you are satisfied and interested in buying then ask if you can be fitted. Buy your first suit right the first time out and you can not go wrong.

sconhome

Ferdiad wrote: »

Anything better then those will not be cost efficient I feel...

Unless you know the person in real life already, how can you say this without knowing anything about how the person swims, their ability or their times?