08/11/11
ironguides' short-course Tri Suit
ironguides' new short-course ironguides trisuit came from watching our athletes, over and over, make the silliest mistakes when picking a swim suit for non-wetsuit races. Here is an introduction to this latest product in the ironguides apparel line and this one is sure to boost your performance:
Category: Equipment
Posted by: editor
Triathletes are obsessed with gear. Just have a look around at races and you will see all types of fancy bikes, wheels and what not.
There are two reasons for this. First, for most athletes out there, it is still only a hobby and nice equipment can make this hobby even more fun. As much as most athletes definitely do not need an expensive bike, if that new and nice carbon bike is going to motivate you to ride it more often, then it is a win—you will improve not due to the bike, but you will enjoy it more.
Then there is the performance aspect of equipment. While with some equipment you do not see much of a difference in performance (only in prices!) between the top-of-the-line model and a mid-level one, you can definitely choose your equipment wiser and that will have an impact on the rest of your race.
When it comes to the swim, we have races that require a wetsuit—in that case, as long as you have a decent wetsuit on you, you are covered. However, most races around some ironguides squad locations are non-wetsuit swims—this puts a massive importance on what you will wear during the swim.
The new short-course ironguides trisuit, and this article, came from watching our athletes, over and over, make the silliest mistakes when picking a swim suit for non-wetsuit races. The most common mistake is to wear a normal tritop.
The origin of this problem lies in watching professional triathletes swimming with their tops or trisuits on. Then most people presume any top or trisuit will do, which becomes more like the rule rather than the exception.
Let’s use a typical tritop with pockets for example. How much time do you lose by swimming with that, compared with swimming with a bare torso? I would imagine anything from 1 to 2 minutes over the 1.5km distance depending on the level of the swimmer. It doesn’t sound a lot right? But it is probably more than what you save on the bike with that set of carbon wheels that costs US$3,000.
The other reason to give this such importance is the amount of work it takes to improve by that much time in the pool. Considering a swimmer who can swim 30 minutes or so for the 1.5km, 90 seconds is a 5% improvement—for a time-constrained age grouper this is more than he will improve after six months of consistent hard training. The same 90 seconds is only around 2% improvement over the 40km on the bike (presuming the bike equipment will help you that much).
Thinking about the above scenario, ironguides developed its own short-course trisuits. Here are some details:
Fabric
With most of our squads based in Southeast Asia, we have an advantage in dealing with Chinese suppliers. The fabric is the same as used for the Olympic triathlete's trisuit; while water repellent, it is also breathable, giving athletes the great combination of comfort and performance.
Cut
Starting with the lack of pockets, which makes the suit faster in the water since there is almost no drag, the trisuit was designed for short-course races, up to the Olympic distance where you may only need a couple gels. You can comfortably carry those with you without the need for pockets at the back of your suit.
A wider yet tight neck- and armpit cut is also an improvement from most conventional suits. This combination avoids chafing while keeping the water flow away from inside the suit.
Reverse zipper
The zipper works in reverse—that means you can only open it if you pull it up. That avoids other athletes accidentally (or not!) opening your trisuit in the middle of the swim.
Padding
Padding is always a very individual preference, since more padding usually means more comfort on the bike but less comfort when running. We opted for a happy medium, comfortable enough but nothing too big. When running you won’t even remember you are in a trisuit.
Pricing
We developed this suit for our athletes since coaching is more than writing training plans and guiding through training and races alone; helping our athletes to pick the most appropriate gear is also part of our job. The suits is available for non-ironguides athletes, while preferred prices are only another benefit of being part of the ironguides family!
There are two reasons for this. First, for most athletes out there, it is still only a hobby and nice equipment can make this hobby even more fun. As much as most athletes definitely do not need an expensive bike, if that new and nice carbon bike is going to motivate you to ride it more often, then it is a win—you will improve not due to the bike, but you will enjoy it more.
Then there is the performance aspect of equipment. While with some equipment you do not see much of a difference in performance (only in prices!) between the top-of-the-line model and a mid-level one, you can definitely choose your equipment wiser and that will have an impact on the rest of your race.
When it comes to the swim, we have races that require a wetsuit—in that case, as long as you have a decent wetsuit on you, you are covered. However, most races around some ironguides squad locations are non-wetsuit swims—this puts a massive importance on what you will wear during the swim.
The new short-course ironguides trisuit, and this article, came from watching our athletes, over and over, make the silliest mistakes when picking a swim suit for non-wetsuit races. The most common mistake is to wear a normal tritop.
The origin of this problem lies in watching professional triathletes swimming with their tops or trisuits on. Then most people presume any top or trisuit will do, which becomes more like the rule rather than the exception.
Let’s use a typical tritop with pockets for example. How much time do you lose by swimming with that, compared with swimming with a bare torso? I would imagine anything from 1 to 2 minutes over the 1.5km distance depending on the level of the swimmer. It doesn’t sound a lot right? But it is probably more than what you save on the bike with that set of carbon wheels that costs US$3,000.
The other reason to give this such importance is the amount of work it takes to improve by that much time in the pool. Considering a swimmer who can swim 30 minutes or so for the 1.5km, 90 seconds is a 5% improvement—for a time-constrained age grouper this is more than he will improve after six months of consistent hard training. The same 90 seconds is only around 2% improvement over the 40km on the bike (presuming the bike equipment will help you that much).
Thinking about the above scenario, ironguides developed its own short-course trisuits. Here are some details:
Fabric
With most of our squads based in Southeast Asia, we have an advantage in dealing with Chinese suppliers. The fabric is the same as used for the Olympic triathlete's trisuit; while water repellent, it is also breathable, giving athletes the great combination of comfort and performance.
Cut
Starting with the lack of pockets, which makes the suit faster in the water since there is almost no drag, the trisuit was designed for short-course races, up to the Olympic distance where you may only need a couple gels. You can comfortably carry those with you without the need for pockets at the back of your suit.
A wider yet tight neck- and armpit cut is also an improvement from most conventional suits. This combination avoids chafing while keeping the water flow away from inside the suit.
Reverse zipper
The zipper works in reverse—that means you can only open it if you pull it up. That avoids other athletes accidentally (or not!) opening your trisuit in the middle of the swim.
Padding
Padding is always a very individual preference, since more padding usually means more comfort on the bike but less comfort when running. We opted for a happy medium, comfortable enough but nothing too big. When running you won’t even remember you are in a trisuit.
Pricing
We developed this suit for our athletes since coaching is more than writing training plans and guiding through training and races alone; helping our athletes to pick the most appropriate gear is also part of our job. The suits is available for non-ironguides athletes, while preferred prices are only another benefit of being part of the ironguides family!