Last year I was looking to buy a speedsuit to use for my races. I figured that over a long distance swim, the speed advantage of a speedsuit would be multiplied several times over. So I looked at the market, and there were sooo many options to choose from. My biggest problem was the sizing. Most companies offered their suits in the generic small medium large sizes, which gave me quite a headache as I'm considered tall for my weight, and I always found myself in between small and medium sizes.
Then I came upon Xterra's website (http://www.xterrawetsuits.com/), and was pleasantly surprised when I found that they offered their suits for those of us in between (small long, medium large, etc.) I emailed them for help regarding shipping to Singapore, and before I knew it, I got my speedsuit in the mail.
My first impression with the suit was awesome. It fit perfectly, and was flexible and I was able to put it on without too much hassle. One feature that I really liked was the breakaway zipper. Rather than having a string tied to the zip (which most companies use), all I had to do was lift it up, and I could open the suit up from behind. No more fiddling and trying to find a string while running towards transition!
I used to own a wetsuit whose brand also features an "X" in its name (go figure), and I hated swimming in it. The shoulders were too thick and inflexible, and I got tired swimming in it really quickly. When I got the chance, I purchased a Vortex 3 Fullsuit Wetsuit for my race in Clearwater, Florida, the Ironman 70.3 World Championships. The difference was instantly noticeable, as the really flexible shoulder section made me enjoy swimming in a wetsuit. I stopped getting tired really quickly during the swim, and came out of the 1.9km swim during the race in 30mins, a new PB!
Even though my speedsuit (Velocity 0.02) is now deemed illegal for WTC races, I still use it in the ones where it is not banned. However, I am looking forward to getting my hands on the new Velocity-M, now WTC-legal! It debuted during the Ironman World Champs last year in Kona, and if my past experiences with Xterra are any indication, this new swimskin should be awesomely wicked fast!
Read more about the Xterra Advantage here: http://www.xterrawetsuits.com/products/#advantage
For those who need a wetsuit or swimskin to kick off their 2011 season, use the coupon code SA-JMA when making your orders! This will give you the suits at the following great prices!
-Vortex 3 Sleeveless USD$139 (u/p $300)
-Vortex 3 Full USD$189 (u/p $400)
-Vector Pro X Sleeveless USD$199 (u/p $400)
-Vector Pro X Full USD$299 (u/p $600)
-Vendetta USD$500 (u/p $750)
http://www.xterrawetsuits.com/products/mens/wetsuits/
First out of the water at OSIM Tri 2010 in my Velocity 0.02, all smiles!
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