Yeah, yeah I know...being an oversized clydesdale and maxing out the sizing chart on a suit is setting myself up for problems....but blowing the inner thigh seam on my B70 after only about 6 swims pissed me off.
Even more disturbing is that at least a dozen other swimmers in Portland had major problems with the B70 as well...plus I've gotten some emails from people who saw my post complaining as well.
B70 has a problem...thankfully it does appear that they will honor a one year warranty but lets see how long that lasts if they get buried with returns.
Add to this discussion the fact that I know of at least 6 swimmers who have raced in LZR's and had failures as well....at $400-$550 a pop I'm more than a little concerned.
I got a Blue 70 on Sunday and swam the 50 free and a 50 *** relay leg in it. I'm 6'2", 195, went with a 30 on Patty's recommendation. Didn't try a 28. Random thoughts:
Way easier to put on than my full FS Pro.
I felt a lot of water moving through it in the free. At first I thought I'd bought too big, but I think I just didn't have the neck pulled up snug enough.
I tugged the torso up and snugged the neck up higher for my *** leg, and didn't experience any water moving. I would have expected more water moving in *** vs. free.
I went with the full leg vs. kneeskin after watching Pat Allender win the 100 *** -- by 1/100th -- wearing one. I didn't like my FS Pro full suit for *** at all, but decided to give the Blue 70 a try.
Results: I went a 27.67 50 free vs. a 28.52 pr, but this was not unexpected. I had split 2 27 lows wearing my old suits in relays already at the meet. I didn't have a very crisp feeling swim, I think the heat and meet fatigue were getting to me, and I had the water flushing issue. So for the first swim the results were equivocal.
The second swim sold me, though. I felt like I had a good, solid *** leg. My flat start pr, set in April of this year, was 37.69, and I figured I was 37 low, maybe dipping into the 36s. I split a 34.81. Even allowing for a relay start, that's crazy improvement.
From talking with other folks, dropping seconds per hundred is not uncommon. The guy next to me in the 100 free, another Oregon swimmer, has always been a 1:03ish seed. I saw that he had gone a 1:00 in a meet a month ago and asked him about it before our 100. He attributed it to the Blue 70. He went a 59.56 in our race at Nationals, and was a big part of the reason I decided to give the suit a try.
Don't stand in the sun with it unless you're cold and trying to warm up. They are excellent solar collectors.
I think they may help the breaststrokers and fliers more than the free/back folks. Lots of glide and easy feeling speed.
Blue 70s were everywhere at the meet. I only saw one guy wearing an LZR, although I'm sure there were others.
I got a Blue 70 on Sunday and swam the 50 free and a 50 *** relay leg in it. I'm 6'2", 195, went with a 30 on Patty's recommendation. Didn't try a 28. Random thoughts:
Way easier to put on than my full FS Pro.
I felt a lot of water moving through it in the free. At first I thought I'd bought too big, but I think I just didn't have the neck pulled up snug enough.
I tugged the torso up and snugged the neck up higher for my *** leg, and didn't experience any water moving. I would have expected more water moving in *** vs. free.
I went with the full leg vs. kneeskin after watching Pat Allender win the 100 *** -- by 1/100th -- wearing one. I didn't like my FS Pro full suit for *** at all, but decided to give the Blue 70 a try.
Results: I went a 27.67 50 free vs. a 28.52 pr, but this was not unexpected. I had split 2 27 lows wearing my old suits in relays already at the meet. I didn't have a very crisp feeling swim, I think the heat and meet fatigue were getting to me, and I had the water flushing issue. So for the first swim the results were equivocal.
The second swim sold me, though. I felt like I had a good, solid *** leg. My flat start pr, set in April of this year, was 37.69, and I figured I was 37 low, maybe dipping into the 36s. I split a 34.81. Even allowing for a relay start, that's crazy improvement.
From talking with other folks, dropping seconds per hundred is not uncommon. The guy next to me in the 100 free, another Oregon swimmer, has always been a 1:03ish seed. I saw that he had gone a 1:00 in a meet a month ago and asked him about it before our 100. He attributed it to the Blue 70. He went a 59.56 in our race at Nationals, and was a big part of the reason I decided to give the suit a try.
Don't stand in the sun with it unless you're cold and trying to warm up. They are excellent solar collectors.
I think they may help the breaststrokers and fliers more than the free/back folks. Lots of glide and easy feeling speed.
Blue 70s were everywhere at the meet. I only saw one guy wearing an LZR, although I'm sure there were others.
