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Swim Skins - Much Difference?

I need some advice from the warm weather racers out there.

I am an average I guess OW swimmer (32.5 mins on exit of my 70.3 flat, fresh water swim leg in a wetsuit), but I've signed up for Singapore next year and that is almost certainly going to be non-wetsuit due to warm water. I'm not super quick overall (mid age group) so if they don't make loads of difference I can live with it but if we're talking minutes over 1.9k (like wetsuit v non-wetsuit) I think the WAT officer can be persuaded. Any thoughts?

Comments

  • fatstufatstu Posts: 46
    Yes, I saw that. I was gutted to discover that I'll actually be a small (combination of being a short@rse and being a bit less fat than I was when I chose my forum name) otherwise I would have been bidding.

    I'll work on the sales patter for the WAT officer, I've got a few months...
  • fatstufatstu Posts: 46
    Conehead you are an absolute legend, that would be fantastic. Yes, it would be the blueseventy suit I would want (long legs obviously, based on your feedback). Let me know what I need to do.
  • AndreAndre Posts: 103
    It arrived [much gratefully received, by the way Darren] on Friday, in time for my weekend visit to the family in Germany and open water swimming at the nearby lake.

    First impressions, the fit is very tight around the leg, especially just above the knee. These skins are designed to go over a swim/tri suit, and if it were to ride up, the wrinkles would obviously disturb the smooth flow of water. I also found it a little tight around the shoulders, but not uncomfortably so. Neither of these things particularly bothered me, but I did find the fit in the body to be a little roomier than I'd expected... especially as I'd gone for the medium as a bit of a 'punt', thinking I should have gone for a medium/tall.

    The quirkiness of the fit on land suddenly makes an awful lot of sense once you're in the water. The tightness in the legs, which on land feels odd, becomes imperceptible, and the the 'helix-like' lycra stretch panels around the shoulders/lats means there's practically no discomfort around this crucial area of the suit once you're moving. As for the looseness around the body, this actually affords you the movement you need to swim efficiently, without feeling any sort of pull or twist in the body. Overall, the whole suit feels an awful lot like swimming naked.

    I spent both Saturday and Sunday swimming in a lovely lake, only to find that today, now back in England, I can barely move. It's not that the Swim Skin is hard work, more that - much like some bikes do - it begs to 'ridden' fast. I haven't done any time comparisons, but when I do, and I will, it'll be very interesting to see if the speed benefits match those of its comfort.
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