- If you are lucky enough to live somewhere warm,
or you've travelled to race somewhere that has warm water,
then you've probably experienced a non-wetsuit legal swim.
In this situation, you can obviously wear just a tri suit,
but you also have the option of a swim skin.
- Today, we're going to be looking at the differences
between those two things, and we are going to compare
those here in the pool.
(futuristic computer sounds)
(upbeat smooth jazz)
- When the water reaches a certain temperature,
wetsuits aren't allowed, and this does vary
from organisation to organisation, but Ironman,
for example, for age-group athletes, choose a temperature
of 24.5 degrees Centigrade or 76.1 degrees Fahrenheit.
Anything above this means you're not allowed
to wear a wetsuit, but you are allowed to wear swimwear
as long as it doesn't consist of neoprene and it doesn't
go past your elbows or your knees.
- So that there leaves us open to anything from a bikini
or a swim costume, right through to more advanced things
like the tri suits or swim skins
that we will be wearing today.
- Yeah, and aerodynamics in this material has come on so
far that, actually, you're at more of an advantage
to be wearing the swim material
than you are against your skin.
So, you see more and more athletes actually opting to wear
a tri suit or a swim skin that comes down to their elbows
as opposed to cutting off at the shoulders.
Both have their advantages, so let's start by taking
a closer look at the pros of a tri suit.
First up, obviously, you only need to buy the one garment,
because you can wear this for your whole event.
Also, the fabric tends to be easier to print on,
so that means you've got more options
for different colours and designs.
And then there's the restriction.
If you're not used to wearing something really tight
like a swim skin, you might well find a tri suit
more comfortable in the swim,
and ultimately, it's going to be quicker when you get to T1
because you don't need to get changed.
- For strong swimmers, there is definitely
a proven advantage to wearing the swim skin.
That being said, we are talking about marginal gains.
However, you will be hard pushed to find
a top age-grouper or a pro who, given the choice,
wouldn't wear their swim skin in a race.
What you choose to wear under your swim skin, is, of course,
up to you, but most would be wearing tri suit and probably
a sleeve tri suit.
So you either have that sleeved tri suit worn fully
underneath your skin, which definitely gives you
a little bit of buoyancy and feels faster,
or, if you don't like having something covering
your shoulders when you're swimming, you can do what
an awful lot of pros do, and have that folded down
underneath the skin, so when you pull the skin off
in T1, you can pull that up and get going on your bike.
(upbeat jazz music)
- There are several noticeable differences,
so let's start by taking a closer look
at a typical tri suit, such as what Fraser is wearing today.
Well, the most obvious difference
has to be the pad or the chamois.
Now, how thick this is does depend on what distance
you're racing and how much you emphasise comfort,
but obviously, ultimately, it is designed
for wearing on the bike.
And many tri suits come with pockets on the back
for storing your nutrition, mainly on the run,
but also, potentially, for the bike.
And then the finally, the zips tend to be on the front,
so you can open it up
for a little bit of added ventilation.
The first thing you'll notice about a swim skin,
it's a tighter fit, or at least it should be.
It's designed to help keep you in a streamline position,
so with that in mind, it's not going to be
so mobile around the hips.
You don't want to try cycling or running in a swim skin.
Being designed purely for swimming, obviously,
there's no pad or chamois.
It's also a slightly thicker material
'cause you're not going to be wearing it for so long
so it shouldn't get too hot.
And with that in mind, the zip is on the back,
because it's all about hydrodynamics.
Well, that's enough talking about them.
It's time we got on with it.
So, Fraser and I are gonna swim 400 metres hard,
first in our tri suits, have a full recovery,
and then another 400 in our swim skins.
You ready Fraser?
- Yep.
- Okay, let's count us in.
Three, two, one, go.
(upbeat smooth jazz music)
- Right, we've had a chance to get our breath back
and look at the numbers, and the results are in.
We obviously did a 400 metres
and we just went first in our tri suits.
What were you, Fraser?
- [Fraser] I was at 4:53.
- [Heather] Well, I was little bit slower, but I came in
at a 5:24 for my tri suit.
Then we had plenty of rest and recovery,
and we went again in our swim skins.
- [Fraser] And I came down by three seconds, to a 4:50.
- Well I came in at a 5:18,
so actually six seconds quicker.
And I guess that's the most significant learning
from this, we are, as we would have expected,
quicker in our swim skins,
but there's so much more to consider.
You've obviously got the cost of it,
the speed that you're swimming at,
which we've touched on, we did a 400 metres there,
what you want to wear underneath it,
and also, quite significantly,
the time that you're gonna spend in T1.
- And it is, of course, worth noting
that both Heather and I are wearing sleeveless swim skins
and we wore sleeved tri suits.
And of course, that could be swapped
the other way around as well.
You could have the sleeveless tri suit underneath
and you could also have the sleeved swim skin,
so it really is up to you what you want to wear
but the crucial thing is you are going to be saving
a little bit of time wearing that swim skin.
- Yeah, and the final point, I mean it's not really
scientific, but for me, when I put on a swim skin,
it just feels really good.
And, you know, I can't quantify that, but I put it on
and I feel like I'm ready to race.
- No, I know what you mean.
I feel exactly the same.
There's just a little bit of extra something special.
- So whatever you do choose, just remember that comfort
and fit are going to be key.
And make sure that you practise wearing it in training
before you get to race day.
- And if you've been lucky enough to swim somewhere
where the water's warm enough to allow the choice,
then please let us know if you opted for it in
tri suit or the swim skin, and let us know about those
in the comments below.
If you've liked our video, give us the thumbs up,
and remember to click on the globe to subscribe.
- And if you want to see our video
of wetsuit versus tri suit, that is down here.
And if you want to see a comparison between
pool stroke and open water stroke,
you can find that video just down here.