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 Seventy Nero Comp shortie a few days before LCM Nationals. Got the 26 but I was on the borderline with it (I am 5'11" and about 190). Here are my initial thoughts.
*I swam three lifetime bests at Portland, was 8/100ths off of another and had other very solid swims. Was it the pool, the suit, better dryland training, or a good taper? Dunno but I did swim fast.
*It is a workout getting into the suit, especially the first few times. Stay try and use plastic bags.
*Holy crap does it heat-up in the sun! Avoid sunlight as much as possible, that black fabric is a magnet for heat.
*Fabric looks good so far. Did eight races total, one pre-nats workout, and three pre-meet warmup sessions. Will only wear this suit at big meets, otherwise will stick with lycra jammers.
*During most of my swims I felt great, even the 400IM. I think the compression it provides helps reduce my muscle fatigue.
*I did get water in the small of my back though, which I did not like. I reckon this added weight may have slightly hindered my swims. I don't like feeling like a water balloon!
So far I have been happy with my Nero Comp. I think it helps at the margins for me, it certainly made a positive difference. In general the positives far outweighed the negatives for me. I will use it at Long Beach at their SCM meet in December and will see what happens there.
I got a Blue Seventy Nero Comp shortie a few days before LCM Nationals. Got the 26 but I was on the borderline with it (I am 5'11" and about 190). Here are my initial thoughts.
*I swam three lifetime bests at Portland, was 8/100ths off of another and had other very solid swims. Was it the pool, the suit, better dryland training, or a good taper? Dunno but I did swim fast.
*It is a workout getting into the suit, especially the first few times. Stay try and use plastic bags.
*Holy crap does it heat-up in the sun! Avoid sunlight as much as possible, that black fabric is a magnet for heat.
*Fabric looks good so far. Did eight races total, one pre-nats workout, and three pre-meet warmup sessions. Will only wear this suit at big meets, otherwise will stick with lycra jammers.
*During most of my swims I felt great, even the 400IM. I think the compression it provides helps reduce my muscle fatigue.
*I did get water in the small of my back though, which I did not like. I reckon this added weight may have slightly hindered my swims. I don't like feeling like a water balloon!
So far I have been happy with my Nero Comp. I think it helps at the margins for me, it certainly made a positive difference. In general the positives far outweighed the negatives for me. I will use it at Long Beach at their SCM meet in December and will see what happens there.
