water temp for wetsuit

There are some good deals to be had on wetsuits - might be last year's inventory, but that doesn't make them a poor choice. Check www.racycles.com, and there's another website (can't remember it right now) that may have some closeouts. And check www.trisports.com, too.Typically, wetsuits are required under 65 degrees, recommended for 65-72 (or 75 at some tris) and not allowed over like 78 degrees. Different tris have different regs, so always check the rules.I don't know about 20s per 100m being the typical speed increase, but you'll definitely be more bouyant.

thanks for the quick response. I guess you are saying get one. thanks.

ProMotion has cheaper ones. Check their sales section for reduced prices on last year's models.... I think the website is www.wetsuit.com

USAT rules are wetsuits allowed with 78 degrees or less water temperature....And something else I didn't know when I verified that number...if you are an age-grouper you can actually wear it if the water temp is between 78 and 84...but you can't win any awards :-(

Never done a sprint, but I suppose you would have to weigh the consideration of how much faster you will actually be with the wetsuit on with how much longer it will make your transition. It's a no-brainer for long events, but short ones...dunno....

Since I didn't have open water swimming access, I jumped in the pool with my wetsuit on to get used to swimming in it. Maybe try that and see if it makes you much faster or not. Just make sure you rinse the wetsuit off well and don't do it too much...the chlorine can be bad for the suit.

And of course there is always what I consider the best method of determining if you should do something in a triathlon or not (especially for a beginner). Have all options available, and see what everybody else is doing :-) In other words, bring your wetsuit and if everybody else is wearing on, put it on :-D But that might just be me...

Now I defer to the experts....

I don't know that wetsuits are required at any temp but I suppose the individual race could require them. I swam my first tri last May without a wetsuit and it was cold (~68) but once I got moving it wasn't a problem. That being said, a wetsuit is a great idea...especially if you aren't a very efficient swimmer. The extra floatation it gives (especially in the legs) helps maintain proper balance and position in the water and allows you to focus your energy on moving forward. The weaker a swimmer you are the more a wetsuit will help you. There are usually lightly used suits on eBay. You can also rent a wetsuit for the event if you're not sure about sticking with the sport yet but they can run $50+ for a rental so it's a good bit of money. If you think you're going to stick with tris then you should look to purchase yourself a suit. Full suits are more expensive of course but are also faster. ProMotion has about the best bang-for-buck wetsuits out there. You can pick up a new Fluid Drive sleeveless suit for $169 plus you get %15 off for being a BT member. Their service is fantastic and the Power Glide full I bought from them a few months ago is very nice.

From the USAT rule book:

"Each age group participant shall be permitted to wear a wet suit without penalty in any event sanctioned by USA Triathlon up to and including a water temperature of 78 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water temperature is greater than 78 degrees, but less than 84 degrees Fahrenheit, age group participants may wear a wet suit at their own discretion, provided however that participants who wear a wet suit within this temperature range shall not be eligible for prizes or awards. Age group participants shall not wear wet suits in water temperatures equal to or greater than 84 degrees Fahrenheit. The wetsuit policy for elite athletes shall be determined by the USAT Athletes Advisory Council."

thanks again to all. I was looking on ebay and noticed that wetsuit listed in the sufting catagories are cheaper. Is it OK to by a wetsuit not specifically designed for swimming/triathlon?

More experienced members might say something different, but if I were to purchase a wetsuit for tris (which I probably will soon), I would definitely go with a tri suit not a "regular" wetsuit. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe tri suits have more flexibility/less material in the should area to allow for a better stroke. I rented a suit for one tri, it was a diving suit, and I felt I could hardly rotate my arms!

It's important to get a suit made specifically for swimming. Surfing wetsuits might work okay, but I'd really suggest a triathlon wetsuit.

Our local Tri shop rents Ironman Stealth Wetsuits for $10 per day...Check around and see if someone in your area does the same. It's a great way to try out a few suits and sizes in a real Tri before you buy, which is what I plan to do (from this shop, gotta give back) after I've done a couple more!

PS If you are not a strong swimmer, I would wear a wetsuit in any Tri in which it is legal!

Check out this site:

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/features/wetsuit.shtml

I was wondering the same question yesterday.

Randy

With all this talk about 400m runners, I had to go and find out who actually won the Olympic Gold. I am also trying to get excited about track and field since it is starting up again for me in two weeks. Life is really going to get interesting these next 3 months with family, track, and Tri training.

I told my wife that I would not even think about training for a full Ironman until I quit coaching. (Maybe 5-10 years and after I complete my first Tri...HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA)

By the way, his name is Jeremy Wariner.

Randy