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What Wet Suit

OSR3OSR3 Posts: 17
Hi all



This is my first post.



Been training for the last 6 Months and entered by first Duathlon last week it went very well.



However to move forward to Triathlons i need to buy a Wetsuit.



What do you suggest and the best place to buy one.



Dive shop or surf shop?



Comments

  • loonytoonloonytoon Posts: 673
    OSR3...



    Your best bet is a tri shop as they will stock tri specific suits...both surf and dive suits have different proporties that will make it difficult to swim at your best



    TOTAL FITNESS NOTTINGHAM



    Wiggle – www.wiggle.co.uk - The place for Cycle, Run, Swim, Boat, Snow, Fitness



    Tri UK



    All stock a range. If you can get to the shop its better because you can try it on first...

  • plingbootplingboot Posts: 19
    I'd aviod buying one unseen too.

    Sizes vary and you need to try them on to see what a correctly fitting one feels like.



    Blue70 seem to be doing the rounds at lakes (were at heron lake last weekend) and events with loads of suits to try and i think (stand to be corrected) that you can try orca suits at datchet lake (south west london)
  • madnursemadnurse Posts: 782
    hi - wetsuits make a big difference sao is worth making sure you get one that is a good fit before you buy. maybe i am little more adventurous than others but i tried to get best of both worlds.... i went to a local tri shop, spent ages tryig on different suits until i knew exactly what suited me by make and size ... i then went on ebay (looking iinternationally) until i found the suit i wanted & saved myself around £200. I had to wait a few weeks for it as it came from Australia but hey worth the weait andthe slight gamble.



    madnurse



  • One other option is to hire a wetsuit for the season and buy it if you like it. I know that London Triathlon rent new ones for £50 and I think there is at least one other company that rents them for £40 a season.

  • Hired mine from http://triuk.com/ very good service and cheap too!
  • trisitrisi Posts: 13
    Sorry OSR3, not a constructive reply, but an associated question.



    Does anyone know the 'rule' concerning wetsuits? Can you wear a cut off one (think they're called a shorty)? Triuk sell 'long john' types with the arms cut off.... are these legal or will I get told to go home if I wear one? or will I just freeze to death?!!
  • madnursemadnurse Posts: 782
    you can wear pretty much any wetsuit you want long john, shorty or whatever - the rules when applied are that you wear a wetsuit .. not what style, make or even if a tri wetsuit. the advantages of wetsuits like the long john (ie no arms) or the shorty (ie no legs) gives you better range of movement but reduced bouyancy. swimers who use breastroke tend to favour cut off suits



    madnurse
  • shamus_2shamus_2 Posts: 4
    madnurse wrote:


    you can wear pretty much any wetsuit you want long john, shorty or whatever - the rules when applied are that you wear a wetsuit .. not what style, make or even if a tri wetsuit. the advantages of wetsuits like the long john (ie no arms) or the shorty (ie no legs) gives you better range of movement but reduced bouyancy. swimers who use breastroke tend to favour cut off suits



    madnurse



    This is good info to know I was curious, as have a QR quickJohn (no arms, and cut just above the knee, and 5MM thick all over). Only raced in Canada till now.



    The advantages to a suit like this are that :

    a) they're like half the price of the full suits

    b) Much better range of motion - so for good suimmers, I think you will probably have a better time in one of these up to an Olympic distance, beyond that, probably good to get the full

    c) Much easier to get on and off. Will save tiem in transition, since after you unzipp from bhind it literally slips off!!

    d) Much better for warmer swims, where the full will make you too hot

    e) Less closterphobic!





    The only real disadvantage is for cold water consitions and if you get cold easily.



    Thanks for reading!
  • AndyAAndyA Posts: 14
    I got my Snugg Ultralite via the TCR show down south. Snugg had a stand there and a made to measure suit added £30 only, so i went for it (being v long and skinny!). I've used it for three full seasons and it's been ace.



    The buy back option is a good one too. My wife just bought her first wetsuit at Royles and the staff were v helpful. Royles offer a 50% buyback and gave 10% off for doing one of their sponsored events (Deva Triathlon). The guy in the shop reckoned they had sold several hundred suits last and only had seven back!!
  • polyotterpolyotter Posts: 17
    I've got a foor long john and love it because of the range of motion i get, had a full one and it rubbed my arms sore for weeks after. However since the triathlon training has taken effect its now way too big for me, so if anyone is interested in a nearly new (only worn once, at london tri last year and stored well over the winter) suit for £40 + P&P let me know
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