I am just back from the SPMA meet where all the top finisher were wearing the latest generation tech suits,mostly B-70s(or were named Jeff Commings.)I have here to for been in favor of the suits,but now I am not so sure.First,they eliminate the old bench marks.I went my fastest 100m BR in 5 yr in my LZR,but it was only .3 sec faster than I did untapered 5 wk earlier in my first swim in the LZR.So was my swim good or not,I'm not sure.Also,instead of focusing on technique or pace I found myself ruminating over aspects of the suits,how many more swims did the suit have,is it the right size,was the reason I didn't get better results from my B-70 because it was too big?etc.The B-70 has somewhat mitigated the "too expensive,not durable" problem,but for how long.
Lets say a company comes up with a suit that is much faster,say 4 sec/100.Further that it is very expensive(say $1000) lasts 4 swims and is very hard to make so that quantities are always limited and the fastest way to get one is to bid up to $3000 on ebay. Now lets say your nemesis has one,or that getting one is your best chance to get TT or AA or a ZR or WR,or that your child is close to making JO cuts,or finally beating his/her nemesis etc. Is it worth it and where does it stop?
I think we need some perspective. They really aren't that expensive
I'd say they are very expensive for something with such a limited life. Sure people will spend $500 on a driver or $5,000 on a bike, but those things should last a lot longer than a $550 LZR suit.
I've never been in a race where I even suspected that a better suit accounted for someone's having beaten me. In Long Beach, for instance, I took second in my age group in the 400 and 800 frees, but I really don't think the winner's B70 to my TYR Aquapel explains why she beat me by 12 seconds in the 400 and 30 in the 800
Yes, but what if that same swimmer had beaten you by only a second?
I think we need some perspective. They really aren't that expensive
I'd say they are very expensive for something with such a limited life. Sure people will spend $500 on a driver or $5,000 on a bike, but those things should last a lot longer than a $550 LZR suit.
I've never been in a race where I even suspected that a better suit accounted for someone's having beaten me. In Long Beach, for instance, I took second in my age group in the 400 and 800 frees, but I really don't think the winner's B70 to my TYR Aquapel explains why she beat me by 12 seconds in the 400 and 30 in the 800
Yes, but what if that same swimmer had beaten you by only a second?
