A Wetsuit Tip that applies to all wetsuits - from Emilio (Page 2)

ahhh, wonderful! I never get tired of hearing stuff like this! Thanks so much.

What a coincidence to see this posted again!

I actually just pulled out my black pearl wetsuit this morning and did this in preparation for IMAZ next week. I also just received my new skin cooler tri top and will be wearing it next week as well as my cool wings and 400 miler bike shorts. Then change into my tri power shorts for the run. I could be a Desoto billboard!

One question I do have for Emilio.

Not being able to do any open water swims until I get down to Tempe next week for gatorade swims (since I live in Colorado), am I doing any damage to the wetsuit if I use it in the pool? Just want to verify fit and make sure there are no problems with the suit before I head down. Is it safe to assume that if I rinse it out really well in the shower after that I won't have any issues?

Love all of your products and have never been disappointed. Keep up the great work!!

Thanks for your kind words. Truly appreciated.

To answer your question, NO, we use a chlorine resistant treatment so go ahead and swim in the pool. Yes, just rinse after using it.

Arm Coolers and Coolwings will be all over that course.

Hey Emilio ...

Any chance you will ever have any plus size tri gear for the ladies? It's excruciatingly difficult to find plus size tri gear. There have been multiple threads in the Clydes & Athenas forum asking for recommendations of plus size gear for ladies, so there definitely seems to be a market for it.

Just askin'.

Tough one, but here it goes....

1. We made an XL for women and XXL for me a few years ago, and we sold very few. One thing we did do is make our women's sizes all a bit larger (this is called vanity sizing) so if you used to fit in an XL, you may very well fit in an L now, and if you used to fit in an L you may fit into an M now.

2. The reason we do not make bigger sizes now? We are a small company. We barely have a market for XL Trishorts, which is the style we sell the most of. I wish we could sell more, but we just don't. Keep in mind that triathlon is a relatively small sport, the women's segment of triathlon comprises only 25-30% of this small sport, and the XL segment of the women's market comprises on about 3% of that women's market. For that reason, it does not make financial sense to XL. The last year we made them we sold about 3 dozen total pieces. We ended up blowing out and donating the rest. So in summary, we lost money trying to satisfy the clydesdale/athena market.

The Nike's and Reebok's of the world see the triathlon market as just too small to even make any triathlon clothing. So a company like mine, that makes sizes to outfit 97% of triathletes, still remains so small, that to satisfy the other 3% is really really small in numbers. We are working towards making stuff for every triathlete, and we are trying to do it in a way that keeps us in business. I hope you understand.

If you strongly believe there is a market for it, I urge you or anyone to pursue idea into a new business. Heck this is what I did 18 years ago, when I started De Soto. Back then nobody knew what a triathlon was. I saw a need, felt I could offer a quality product that was different, did my research, convinced myself it was a good idea, and never looked back.

thanks for the info

I second the Carerra Tri Top raves. Most mfg put a band of elastic in the top and call it a bra. I'm no DDD but the girls need more support than that! And they all seem to end right where the inevitable tummy pooch starts, not flattering. I'd like to say I'm washboard but give me a break! I had a kid 21 months ago! The Carerra rocks. I'm ordering one for this season shortly.

...and thank you for your kind comments. Spread the word about my little company!

Thanks for the response, Emilio. I had a feeling that was going to be the answer, and I completely understand. I used to be a small business owner as well, so I know all about the financial feasibility of things.

This is definitely a great tip. If it's been more than a month since my last race, I'll always soak my suit 3-4 days before the race. You don't want your suit to be soaking wet or bone dry when you put it on. Neither is going to be easy.

Looking forward to getting the new full suit and a speedsuit that I ordered a couple of hours ago. Not De Sotos, but then a friend from college is one of the owners of Xterra, the discount made it an offer I couldn't refuse. I guess I should do enough swim training to actually deserve them.

IT is pretty easy putting on a wet wetsuit, just use plastic grocery bags over your feet and hands. The limbs will slide right in.

I want the one with a 5 hp motor and propeller...

Emilio,
what about a Team DeSoto? Like Javelin does, $25 for admin fees, you get a singlet or tank and discounts on apparel/other promos (early access to sales, etc.).
Beth

Bump for the new year!

Awesome thread and a good tip....glad to know some of the industry "giants" are on the boards. I personally own a few pair of DeSoto tri shorts and a tri top and love them. I wear them in the pool for swims and they last longer than the jammers I have owned....great products! I would love to get a T1 wetsuit set, but my 2XU suit is still good =P. Might just be my B-Day present to myself this year...

This may be a little off topic, but I currently have the Profile Design Wetsuit shampoo and it works fine, but was wondering if there are other products out there that are better? I figured since I would have it out to soak, I might as well wash it as well....

Hello Beth,

Sorry for the extremely delayed response to your question...I am not sure how I missed this one. We have considered doing this before, and while it is not out of the question, we currently work with a over 100 triathlon teams and clubs by making their team uniforms. Those teams that use us for their uniforms get great discount on all our other signature De Soto products (including T1 Wetsuits).

By creating a De Soto Team as you describe, we would, in a way, be competing against all these teams we work with. So for the time being, we will be continuing with the path we are on!

Thanks for your kind words. I hardly consider myself a giant, but in our small industry, I guess I will graciously accept the honor of that title.

Your wetsuit shampoo question is a good one and I this may be a great one for me to post another "Tip From Emilio."

I grew up surfing in California and have been wearing wetsuits since 1970 and no matter how much you rinse a wetsuit, it will always smell like the ocean.  Over time, you may actually appreciate their odor about as much as a horse owner appreciates the smell of a stable!

There is no need to waste your money on expensive wetsuit shampoo!

Fill a tub with 4 inches of water.  Put 1/2 cup of your favorite Shampoo into the water and stir it around.  Place the wetsuit in the tub and submerse it in the water.  Let it sit for about 30 minutes, then rinse.  The more frequently you do this the more it will smell like the shampoo.   Shampoo is gentle enough not to ruin the suit, yet strong enough to leave a nice scent.


Edited by Emilio 2009-01-04 1:14 PM

Do you mind if I put this on my blog (see my sig)? I'd be glad to keep the reference to desoto and link to the url! It's very useful info, and I've never heard it before.

by all means, just keep my name as the one who wrote it and I am fine with it. Thanks for asking.

I always appreciate your kind support, so yes, this one is worth resurrecting a couple of times a year.

Emilio,

I'm a newbie to triathlon. Last year, I purchased a DeSoto Forza trisuit (which I LOVE, btw..and also wearing in my avatar!) from my local tri shop. The fit, material, and quality far surpassed other trisuits that I tried on...including Zoot and TYR! My only disappointment in it, was that I wore the suit in a chlorinated pool a few times (wanted to do a few test swims with it before raceday)...and now it seems that the pool chemicals have "eaten away" at the front panel of the suit. It's almost see-through in certain spots...and I'm assuming this is from the chlorine. I hadn't realized that the Forza suits are not meant to be worn in chlorinated pools...my bad. I do like the suit though, so I will probably end up buying a new one for next season...only this time, I definitely will NOT be using it for any pool swims.

Any chance that you could possibly produce a trisuit in the future, that is chlorine-resisant?

Thanks!

Linda

Edited by nscrbug 2009-01-04 4:50 PM