Chances are I wont even be able to wear a wet suit at the Louisville Ironman. This year, and last year, the water was just too warm. So chances are it will be too warm next year as well. But I would rather have a wetsuit and not need it, than to need it and not have one. Also I will want to do some open water swims up here in New York. And the water is cooler up here, so I will at least want a wet suit for that. I will probably sign up for some shorter distance triathlons up here,
maybe an Olympic distance or a half-Ironman.
Being at the end of the season, I figured wetsuits might be on sale. Maybe I could pick up a used rental or something. I was going to visit the local triathlon store, so I checked his website for hours. I saw on his site that he was open, and that 2008 wetsuits were on slae for
20% off.
I rode my bike down to his store with my credit card in the back pocket. I had stopped down previously wanting to ask him about wetsuits, but he was slammed. Thankfully, this time he wasn’t so busy.
He got my height (6 foot) and my weight (about 170), and said I took a medium. He showed me different samples of neoprene and said they were the cheaper one, the mid level one, and the high end one. He went to check to see what he had in my size. He had a sleeveless wetsuit in
the mid-level. It was a Nineteen Riptide. I went back into the changing room and carefully put it on. I was afraid of tearing it with my fingernails, so I was very careful. I was a snug, but I was told it
was supposed to be like this. I am sure with work, I could have pulled more neoprene up from the legs to loosed the neoprene around my torso. The tightness around my neck bothered me. It felt a little like it was choking me. I was told this was normal. Again, if I got it more pulled up, I think it would have been looser.
The regular price was $275. He said in a previous season this wetsuit was the higher end model and sold for over $300. He said next season it would probably selling for over $400. 20% off was a good deal. But he ended up giving me 25% off. Way cool! I told him I could pay for it now, but I would need to come back and pick it up since I rode my bike.
Meanwhile I am training in the pool and will probably wait until next Spring to get out and try it in a swim. Maybe I can try it this year in a local lake… who knows.

Posted by Rob in Triathlon on September 21st, 2008 |