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Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water
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| General Discussion | Triathlon Talk » Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water | Rss Feed  |
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 2016-05-18 7:26 PM |
 8 |  Subject: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the waterHello all triathletes, I am the founder of a custom-fit surf and dive wetsuit company and had the pleasure to suit up many that needed a great fitting wetsuit. I am in no way trying to sell wetsuits or market our wetsuits through this forum but simply asking if custom-fit wetsuits would be a great alternative for what is currently on the market for standard sized tri wetsuits. Divers and surfers need to maximize their performance but I imagine triathletes are more critical with their efficiency in the water. I think our custom technology will improve the fit of a tri wetsuit but curious to know how well your current wetsuit serves you. We get a few requests a day regarding triathlon wetsuits but do not stock the appropriate race materials to create a wetsuit that will be great for gliding through the water. From what I understand the swimming leg of a race for many athletes is slowest and uncomfortable portion of the triathlon. I am really curious to know how well standard sized wetsuit companies are creating products that make this leg more bearable with their standard cuts. Our business has suited up thousands of happy surfers and divers and if there is a need in the triathlon market we'd love to offer our great product to this market as well. |
| 2016-05-18 11:38 PM in reply to: customwetsuits |
47 | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water Interesting topic! I'm very happy with the fit of my wetsuit and don't consider it a hindrance at all. That said, it's hard to say whether a custom fit could make the comfort even better. It would be interesting to know for sure. I think most people could find some wetsuit out there that's suitable for them, but depending on body type it might take more or less work to do so, so for people with slightly more unusual body type I'd imagine that a service like yours could be a great convenience. In terms of performance, the swim is actually the shortest leg of the triathlon, and when you do find a suitable wetsuit, I don't think a custom-made wetsuit would provide anything more than very, very marginal gains. But that's just my hunch. Do keep us posted if you pursue this idea!
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| 2016-05-19 7:18 AM in reply to: customwetsuits |
370  , North Carolina | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water I think that this would be a great alternative for quite a few people. I think that even if you were to make something semi-custom it could make a huge difference. You'll find that most of the people that need a custom suit will not fall in the standard wet suit sizing. Mostly your overweight or very tall will need a suit. I also think that you'll also find that those looking for the highest level of performance could benefit from a custom suit. The problem here is that not a whole lot of overweight people are going to be investing in a wetsuit for triathlons. Unlike neoprene hunting waders where more "husky" bigger guys need waders that give them more room. Most hunting waders are just usually based off the boot size as opposed to anything else. Hard to get waders that fit when you have a 30" inseam, 40" waist, a 52" chest and a size 10 foot.(not me I'm much shorter). I searched high and low for custom waders and only found one company making them. But, if you are getting a few requests per day and already have the tooling and experience in making dive and surf suit you could probably jump into the market with out a huge investment. |
| 2016-05-19 7:41 AM in reply to: customwetsuits |
| 261 | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water I think a majority of the complaints from triathletes regarding wetsuits are probably related to restriction in the shoulder causing one's shoulders to fatigue. I think the more expensive wetsuits may do a better job with this. For me, I have a $200 zoot wetsuit. It works fine for me. Some very slight restriction in my shoulders but I've only raced in it once. Would a $600 wetsuit make me faster? Ummm...unlikely any significant amount. And that's the key. A custom fit wetsuit I would assume would be more expensive. It depends on the cost of your wetsuit. Some triathlon wetsuits cost $900+. If you have a comparable cost and your wetsuit is custom fit then you've got something. Everybody wants to be as comfortable as possible while racing. |
| 2016-05-19 8:18 AM in reply to: customwetsuits |
Expert 2852  Pfafftown, NC | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water Is there a market for it? Probably. Is it a large market? Couldn't say. There's already one avenue for people who are looking for a custom fit wetsuit, designed for triathlon. It's the T1 from Desoto. I'm 6'1"/194#'s. With the two-piece T1 design, I wear a size 6 speed tube (pants) and a size 5 vest and sleeved top. If you're more odd shaped than me, you could come up with a number of different size options. I wish you luck with your venture. I do think buying a wetsuit is probably the toughest thing to conveniently purchase for triathletes. Most places have limited brands and limited sizes for us to try on. I'm not sure how custom fitting could enhance that process, though. |
| 2016-05-19 9:23 AM in reply to: customwetsuits |
1300 | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water Is there a market for it, probably since triathletes have notoriously bad spending habits. However I don't know if a custom made wetsuit would be the most profitable product for you. IMO it's more about getting the right fitting wetsuit in the first place which can be difficult with ordering online. I don't know many brick and mortar stores that carry swimming wetsuits or if they do have them carry a large selection. There's a thread on slowtwich in which the founder of the website and earlier innovator in this sport talks about wetsuit sizing. For those who truly cannot get a good fit from a standard size, Desoto makes a two piece suit. My $.02, ROKA has by far the best performing product on the market. I would take a look at what they do if you move forward. The majority of swimmers I know that have worn a ROKA suit all agree it is the most comfortable and has the best range of motion in the shoulders. |
| 2016-05-19 10:43 AM in reply to: TriTampa2 |
| 47 | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water Originally posted by TriTampa2 I think a majority of the complaints from triathletes regarding wetsuits are probably related to restriction in the shoulder causing one's shoulders to fatigue. I think the more expensive wetsuits may do a better job with this. For me, I have a $200 zoot wetsuit. It works fine for me. Some very slight restriction in my shoulders but I've only raced in it once. Would a $600 wetsuit make me faster? Ummm...unlikely any significant amount. And that's the key. A custom fit wetsuit I would assume would be more expensive. It depends on the cost of your wetsuit. Some triathlon wetsuits cost $900+. If you have a comparable cost and your wetsuit is custom fit then you've got something. Everybody wants to be as comfortable as possible while racing. The thing here is that there a custom-made wetsuit inevitably is going to be as expensive or more than high-end wetsuits. As expensive only if something else is traded away (like mobility). That's why I'd say that if your issue is restricted movement in your wetsuit, not a bad fit per se, then go for a higher-end wetsuit that fits you well, because they do have excellent mobility around the shoulders IMO. I agree with Nick B that it's mostly overweight people and tall people that might have trouble finding good fits elsewhere that might be interested.
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| 2016-05-19 11:29 AM in reply to: customwetsuits |
Member 1748 Exton, PA | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water Yes there is a market for this. I see 2 ways of doing it. 1. Athletes go to a shop to get measured, or alternatively have a rep measure people at major events. 2. Have 4 or five measurements that athletes take themselves at home and send into you- maybe partially custom. I would have definitely done either one of these to get a good fitting suit assuming the cost is on line with other suites of the same quality. That being said I would be willing to pay an extra $20-$40 for something like thing, but probably not much more. If its a $100 more than comparable quality suites I think you get hard to fit people only. If it's $30 more I think you'll get a lot of people just for piece of mind to know that their suite actual fits right and not guessing. |
| 2016-05-19 5:51 PM in reply to: 0 |
Veteran 2441 Western Australia | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water Originally posted by mike761 yep all of this AND you need to provide great customer service. Meaning if there is any problem you deal with it you don't fob your customer off. Unfortunately, for you, DeSoto has set the bar extremely high in this area.Yes there is a market for this. I see 2 ways of doing it. 1. Athletes go to a shop to get measured, or alternatively have a rep measure people at major events. 2. Have 4 or five measurements that athletes take themselves at home and send into you- maybe partially custom. I would have definitely done either one of these to get a good fitting suit assuming the cost is on line with other suites of the same quality. That being said I would be willing to pay an extra $20-$40 for something like thing, but probably not much more. If its a $100 more than comparable quality suites I think you get hard to fit people only. If it's $30 more I think you'll get a lot of people just for piece of mind to know that their suite actual fits right and not guessing. Edited by StaceyK 2016-05-19 5:51 PM |
| 2016-05-31 9:38 PM in reply to: Nick B |
| 8 | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water The triathlon market is growing but it is nothing close to what the surf and dive wetsuit market is. I do see a lot of bigger athletes getting into the sport than slimming down as they get more active. Have you ever heard of anyone just wanting a custom fit wetsuit? I think this might even be a better option for women as i heard they have serious issues with finding the right fitting wetsuits. |
| 2016-05-31 9:43 PM in reply to: TriTampa2 |
| 8 | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water Do you find $200 wetsuits the average price across the board? I also noticed you said "works fine for me" does that mean it could be improved to working great for you if you had some improvements on fit? Average surf wetsuit is $250. We are in line with the top of the line standard size pricing. I see that there are 1000 dollar race suits but find it hard to believe that people would spend that kind of money on wetsuits. Is this common? |
| 2016-05-31 9:45 PM in reply to: mike761 |
| 8 | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water Interesting comment and thank you for your detailed input. What if the measurements came along with a video guide that was very easy to follow along and there was a guarantee that the wetsuit will fit no matter what the company has to do to get it right. Would that be something to consider for at home measurements and online ordering? if you don't mind me asking what would you pay for a good wetsuit? |
| 2016-05-31 9:49 PM in reply to: StaceyK |
| 8 | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water Wow i checked out that company and their prices are quite high. Our customer support is on point too and i think most companies are doing that fairly well these days but as far as pricing is desoto one of the top line wetsuits? |
| 2016-05-31 10:13 PM in reply to: Goggles Pizzano |
| 8 | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water Your 2 cents is much appreciated. This is actually a very interesting response and I am curious to know if you do most of your triathlete purchases online. I also noticed not many sizes are offered in stores so do most athletes have to exchange sizes until they find the correct fit? Was this the thread you were referring to as well? http://www.slowtwitch.com/Products/Wetsuit_by_brand/The_Slowtwitch_... |
| 2016-06-01 7:04 AM in reply to: customwetsuits |
Member 1748 Exton, PA | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water Originally posted by customwetsuits Interesting comment and thank you for your detailed input. What if the measurements came along with a video guide that was very easy to follow along and there was a guarantee that the wetsuit will fit no matter what the company has to do to get it right. Would that be something to consider for at home measurements and online ordering? if you don't mind me asking what would you pay for a good wetsuit? A video guide for taking measurements would probably work well with online ordering. Know upfront that many people fluctuate in weight between off season and season. I think I paid about $170-$180 for my wetsuit , but it is a sleeveless which cost less. the same model with sleeves was probably $100 more. (I bought a HUUB) For me being an ex-swimmer I did not want any chance of restrictions on my shoulders, and did not want to buy 2 or 3 wetsuits to get it right. One thing that many triathletes do after they buy is cut back the arms and legs, so that we can get out of it quickly without them hanging up. This is an option many people would like if you provided a "quick transition suit" that already had the legs up 5" from the ankles and the sleeves cut back 3". (these dimensions are estimates) |
| 2016-06-01 12:13 PM in reply to: customwetsuits |
Master 5557 , California | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water Originally posted by customwetsuits Wow i checked out that company and their prices are quite high. Our customer support is on point too and i think most companies are doing that fairly well these days but as far as pricing is desoto one of the top line wetsuits? To your pricing questions, I'd say for full-length sleeved wetsuits: ~$200 is entry level $~500-700 is the high quality range (usually better quality neoprene / more flexible in the shoulders / thicker neoprene in the legs). and then there are a few outliers that are more expensive (Tyr Freak of Nature).
De Soto is in that mid-to-high range depending on which suit you get. They are also, to my knowledge, the only company that offers a two-piece triathlon wetsuit. They have a great trial / return policy and they also do lifetime repairs on their suits. |
| 2016-06-01 1:08 PM in reply to: customwetsuits |
| 1300 | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water Originally posted by customwetsuits Your 2 cents is much appreciated. This is actually a very interesting response and I am curious to know if you do most of your triathlete purchases online. I also noticed not many sizes are offered in stores so do most athletes have to exchange sizes until they find the correct fit? Was this the thread you were referring to as well? http://www.slowtwitch.com/Products/Wetsuit_by_brand/The_Slowtwitch_... The article you linked is a good read. If you think Desoto is pricey check out ROKA. I have a Synergy wetsuit but when or if it ever wears out I would go with ROKA as long as their quality keeps up. Good luck though. Keep this thread updated with your progress. |
| 2016-06-02 12:37 AM in reply to: customwetsuits |
Veteran 2297 Great White North | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water Its not just a custom fit to their body but using different thickness of neoprene in the right places. Look at how HUUB has their 3:5 suit targeting swimmers who need more help maintaining a good body position and their 4:4 line for those who have a great position. |
| 2016-06-02 2:47 AM in reply to: customwetsuits |
| Member 566 | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water Fit is less of an issue for tri wetsuits, since they use extremely stretchy rubbers (Yamamoto #39 and #40) and jerseys. For the key mobility areas they also use very thin 1.0-1.5mm rubber (so proper gluing and stitching is critical). Drop Dan Empfield ([email protected]) a line and ask his perspective. He developed the original triathlon wetsuit, and still has his finger on the pulse of the industry. |
| 2016-06-02 3:33 PM in reply to: Goggles Pizzano |
| 8 | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water Originally posted by Goggles Pizzano Originally posted by customwetsuits Your 2 cents is much appreciated. This is actually a very interesting response and I am curious to know if you do most of your triathlete purchases online. I also noticed not many sizes are offered in stores so do most athletes have to exchange sizes until they find the correct fit? Was this the thread you were referring to as well? http://www.slowtwitch.com/Products/Wetsuit_by_brand/The_Slowtwitch_... The article you linked is a good read. If you think Desoto is pricey check out ROKA. I have a Synergy wetsuit but when or if it ever wears out I would go with ROKA as long as their quality keeps up. Good luck though. Keep this thread updated with your progress. This waas an aweosme thread thanks for sharing this. |
| 2016-06-02 3:38 PM in reply to: simpsonbo |
| 8 | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water Originally posted by simpsonbo Its not just a custom fit to their body but using different thickness of neoprene in the right places. Look at how HUUB has their 3:5 suit targeting swimmers who need more help maintaining a good body position and their 4:4 line for those who have a great position. Ah the ability to choose different thicknesses would be a great bonus. The ability to control what the wetsuit includes will be great for the customer. I noticed most companies offer wetsuits online is this the common theme for wetsuit purchases? |
| 2016-06-03 6:53 AM in reply to: Trath-L33T |
Member 1748 Exton, PA | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water Originally posted by Trath-L33T Fit is less of an issue for tri wetsuits, since they use extremely stretchy rubbers (Yamamoto #39 and #40) and jerseys. For the key mobility areas they also use very thin 1.0-1.5mm rubber (so proper gluing and stitching is critical). Fit is the #1 problem with wetsuit's for triathletes. Most people have no idea how tight the wetsuit should be for best performance. #2 issue would probably be shoulder mobility. |
| 2016-06-03 7:55 PM in reply to: customwetsuits |
Veteran 2297 Great White North | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water Yes. But as a former college level swimmer my take is I need something that fits. Being in Canada I do not want to mess with returning stuff through customs. I got my HUUB from the Cdn distributer since its a model most retailers did not stock. |
| 2016-06-03 10:14 PM in reply to: customwetsuits |
Master 8247 Eugene, Oregon Bronze member | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water Agree--there are triathletes who really depend on their wetsuits for buoyancy (and maybe can't finish the swim without it, or at least they think they can't). Then you have more confident swimmers (like me) who really just want it for warmth, and don't want extra buoyancy at the expense of freedom of movement. I've actually felt like some of the suits make it more difficult, not easier, to swim! I would be interested in a custom suit if the price was reasonable and there was a guarantee that i could return it until it was right. I think your main market would be people who don't fit the standard size profile--the very tall, the overweight, and perhaps the skinny and petite. I've struggled with wetsuit fit (and tri stuff in general) as I'm medium tall with a really small frame. Only a few brands seem to work, and even that's a compromise. Because the wetsuit needs to fit tightly and I'm only about 115 pounds, I'm usually sized into a suit that's meant for a considerably shorter woman (5'3" to 5'5") when I'm actually 5'7" and change. Then the "ankle" falls on my calves, which is a big problem, as that is probably the most muscular part of me after 37 years of distance running, so it always gets stuck, no matter what I do with Body Glide, etc. For my next suit, I'm pretty much looking at brands that have leg zips--I've lost so much time in transition trying to get the suit off! I just don't feel confident cutting the legs off an expensive suit--just seems like if I did it wrong it could compromise the longevity of the suit. |
| 2016-06-05 5:14 PM in reply to: customwetsuits |
| 225 | Subject: RE: Better fitting wetsuits - Improving your efficiency in the water I am someone who is hard to fit in a wetsuit. I have a large chest and that is not something most triathlon wetsuits can deal with. That said, there is more to a triathlon then just a great fit, there are a lot of other features that might need a fair bit of R&D. If you've been looking around at the different wetsuits you've probably noticed this. Material int he forearm to help improve your catch... using different thicknesses of neoprene in different spots to help improve body position. |
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