Wetsuit

[Liamblink182]

I'm doing my first triathlon in July and need to get a wetsuit for the 1500m swim.

I have no idea about wetsuits and have been reading up on them. I've seen a few online these included very cheap ones from amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=358549767&pf_rd_i=468294

Or a bit more expensive orca from wiggle:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/orca-trn-thermo-full-sleeve-wetsuit/

I'm sure the orca from wiggle is the better suit but is it worth the extra money or would the cheap one from amazon be sufficient?

Thanks

 

[PpPete]

My son got his from Wiggle, might have been an Orca, but I think it was the cheapeast one they had.
He is a strong, but not terribly quick, club swimmer.
To his surprise he won his first open water 1500 wearing it.

One of his friends tried about six different ones from Wiggle one after the other, and sent the first five back because they "just didn't fit right".

I'd be very wary of anything that doesn't specifically say it is designed for Triathlon.
Potential issues with a "general purpose" wetsuit seem to be++:
* flexibility around the shoulders
* ease of removal in T1

(++ like I know about this stuff... never done a Triathlon or a competitive open water swim, never really intend to either
I like watching the Brownlee brothers though )

 

[Liamblink182]

Appreciate your advice, I would prefer the orca as it is like you say tri-specific, however I am on a bit of a budget. My aim for the near future is a half ironman so in the long run the better the suit the more benefit I'm gonna get.

 

[VamP]

Appreciate your advice, I would prefer the orca as it is like you say tri-specific, however I am on a bit of a budget. My aim for the near future is a half ironman so in the long run the better the suit the more benefit I'm gonna get.

I think you know the answer. The Osprey is a cheap surfing suit. It won't even be any good for surfing. You certainly won't want to swim 1500m in it, never mind 3200m, plus the hundreds of training kilometres that you need to do to get to Ironman fitness. Save yourself the £20 and get the Orca. I can pretty much guarantee that if you do get hooked, you'll be wanting to upgrade from that before too long as well.

If you haven't done any open water swimming yet, get some practice in before your tri. It's quite different from the pool, and most people get psyched out at first. Plus the water is a lot colder and that interferes with your breathing until you get used to it.

 

[Liamblink182]

Vamp thanks for the advise. I've done a bit of open water did a 2k sea swim in turkey last week but that's obviously nice weather however it was 8am so sea was cold and it was an extremely windy day.

Orca it is then

Any more tips vamp I'm keen to learn

 

[VamP]

Vamp thanks for the advise. I've done a bit of open water did a 2k sea swim in turkey last week but that's obviously nice weather however it was 8am so sea was cold and it was an extremely windy day.

Orca it is then

Any more tips vamp I'm keen to learn

Get some body glide. Makes suit on and off-age a lot more less cuss-worthy, and reduces chaffing. Find an OW venue near you and do your training there. Within a short time, you will find it much nicer than training in a pool.

I bought my suit online, and then regretted as I couldn't work out if I got the right size or not. Trying in a shop with someone who knows what they are doing (not all shop staff do) will ease your learning curve. The right size for you will at first seem impossible to get into. Be patient. Putting on a wet suit is a bit of an art. You want the finished product to be tight fitting, not baggy. They are easy to rip too, so care is needed.

A good routine to get into is to come out of the water at the end of your swim like you're heading for T1. Run out of the water (say 100m) then take your suit off as fast as you can, and then run another 100m. This will make the real thing feel automatic and a lot easier.

While you are at it, get some good tri goggles. They are very comfy compared to regular swim goggles, and have a bigger field of vision, which is important as it helps with sighting. Sighting is another important reason to train in OW. So many beginning triathletes waste minutes in the swim section by zigzagging around.

It sounds like you are a competent swimmer already, so I won't go into bilateral breathing etc.

Not swim related but when you get to your tri, really learn your way around the transition zone. There are always so many people wandering around looking for their stuff. Find a fool proof way of finding your kit, remember, you will not be at your best deductive powers at either T1 or T2.

 

[Ghost Donkey]

I bough the cheapest Orca from wiggle a couple of years ago and it just fit right. It was luck basically. I've since joined a tri club and am a regular open water swimmer. Having spoken to a lot of people regarding this and I was doing it again I'd go to a good shop. A lot of people I know highly recommend TFN in Nottingham. Not close to you but not too far away. They'll let you try a few in your budget and give good advice on fit and what works best for you. You could see if your local tri club has a webpage with a forum or a facebook page and ask them if they can recommend a local shop. Orca are great but don't be afraid to buy another brand if the fit is better.

Another option is to hire one for a year from a hire company. You may end up playing a guessing game like buying online though. It's fairly cheap and they'll probably offer you the chance to buy at a discounted price at the end of the year rather than sending it back. If you don't like it you've learned a bit about wetsuits in the process.

 

[Brent]

Try wiggle