Posts Member

A tri suit provides no buoyancy. Depending on the water temperature, sleeveless suits offer great bang for your buck. I have a Zoot sleeveless that cost me around $175 on sale. I used it about 3 times this year, so you also have to evaluate cost/use and whether it is worth it to you.

If swimming is your weakest leg, then a wetsuit will probably give you a pretty good benefit.

Posts Member

If you can, get both. Wear the trisuit underneath the wetsuit and have at it. I recently had a fantastic experience with Xterra. I cant speak highly about the deal. What I did was I rented a wetsuit and they have a deal where if you like THAT wetsuit you can buy it for a small fee. About 125.00. Sure its used, but I just got the Vector Pro X2 for 125.00 (plus the rental fee, so that was like 160 total). The Vector Pro sells for 500+ new. However it is a rented suit. So mine came with some dings but nothing that made it unusable. However at 125 for the suit, it was a no brainer. Xterra is also having a 50% off current stock sale on their site I believe and now Im eying up that Velocity speedsuit...

cheers
S.

Posts Member

A "trisuit" and "wet suit" are totally diff as others have said. I can see the mix-up though: Trisuit and triathlon wetsuit seem like they'd be the same. Nope. Regardless, rent a wetsuit to try it out. Unless you will be using it several times per season, a wetsuit (which usually start at $200 and go up to $500+) takes awhile to recover cost compared to renting one once per season.

Trisuit: Made to be worn in swim, bike, and run. Made from polyester, spandex, etc. Has small chamois but NO neoprene.

Wetsuit: Made to be worn in swim only. Made from neoprene.

Posts Member

I went to my LBS and after fighting the 'but you really want this one... $$$' sales pitch tried on 2 suits below $200. I went with an Orca full body, around $175 mid-season, but I don't know the model. I highly recommend getting a wet suit. In terms of benefit to cost, I think it is one of the best expenditures a triathlon newb, like myself, could have made.

I am bit leery of ordering one off the web though. Wetsuits are notoriously person-fit specific and trying one a few models should absolutely be done. Of course you could go to a local shop, try a few on, and then order it off the web for $20 less, but again, I prefer to support the local shops (who in turn usually support local athletes, who in turn attract local races and who finally, in turn, promote this fine sport).

Posts Member

The coupon was AUG50, which gave you 50% any wetsuit when checking out. Unfortunately, I think the coupon expired on Sept 10. If you search the forum section for "xterra AUG50", you can find some more information. It seems like they have this sale a couple of times a year, so you might be able to wait until the spring.

Posts Member

I would +1 all the comments above, but add that depending on how good a swimmer and how naturally boyant you are, you might consider spending the extra to get a full sleeve, not sleeveless, wetsuit. The reason I say it is that I have a sleeveless, which I really do like, but it brings my legs way up, but my torso, because I'm really lean, sort of down into the water. With a full suit, you'll be more able to stay above the water and really cruise. Of course, all that said, the best thing is to try a few out (and not buy off the internet, because you're likely to have to return or sell it - I did this for two wetsuits, until I learned to go local) and see what works best for you. The rent, then buy option sounds like a really good choice too.

Posts Member

+1 to the sleeves...more balanced buoyancy as well as it beefs up the forearm area (along with "water gripping" material on the pull side of the forearm) to allow for better pull. If you are not a strong swimmer (like myself) I'd say that's the way to go. Just look for deals

If you are a strong swimmer...sleeveless will be fine, that's what my sister works with since she likes less resistance to her upper body motion, but she doesn't need any advantages since she was an NCAA swimmer.

Posts Member

That's what I tell people when they ask why i shave my legs, etc. but not my arms. Grip in the water I say.

Posts Member

It seems like when i swim, my torso floats fine but my legs sink....that being said, should I go sleeveless? And I have no idea where to get a wetsuit locally. I'm in Orange County, NY so if anyone knows any place around there I would greatly appreciate it.