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?
Interesting that people keep bringing up cycling, because the closest cycling equivalent to a racing suit is the tubular ("sew-up") tire. When I was racing, you just had to have a pair of tub wheels for races if you wanted to be truly competitive, because the clincher tires and rims of the time were so heavy and lifeless. So you paid a lot of money for a light, fragile tire that could theoretically be repaired if it was punctured, but no-one ever bothered because it was a lot of work and was never quite the same after. So - $40-$60 worth of tire tossed in the garbage if you got a flat out on a time trial course.
Now clincher tires and rims are so good that they have been used for pro races, even though a set of silk tubulars is still considered the gold standard. The way technology trickles down, the "clincher rim" version of the tech suit will inevitably be available to level out the playing field. Maybe it already exists and just hasn't received as much attention. Maybe the Blue Seventy is a step in that direction.
I disagree. When LeMond showed up with his aero helmet and TT bars to race the final stage of the 1989 Tour de France to beat Fignon by 58 seconds and win his second Tour, he "let the cat out of the bag." He was the first to use aero bars in the Tour and they're now standard for any TT. The sport is no worse for utilizing technological advances, like carbon frames, aero helmets, and yes, lighter clincher wheels and tires. It is worse off for the rampant drug use, but that's a story for another thread.
Interesting that people keep bringing up cycling, because the closest cycling equivalent to a racing suit is the tubular ("sew-up") tire. When I was racing, you just had to have a pair of tub wheels for races if you wanted to be truly competitive, because the clincher tires and rims of the time were so heavy and lifeless. So you paid a lot of money for a light, fragile tire that could theoretically be repaired if it was punctured, but no-one ever bothered because it was a lot of work and was never quite the same after. So - $40-$60 worth of tire tossed in the garbage if you got a flat out on a time trial course.
Now clincher tires and rims are so good that they have been used for pro races, even though a set of silk tubulars is still considered the gold standard. The way technology trickles down, the "clincher rim" version of the tech suit will inevitably be available to level out the playing field. Maybe it already exists and just hasn't received as much attention. Maybe the Blue Seventy is a step in that direction.
I disagree. When LeMond showed up with his aero helmet and TT bars to race the final stage of the 1989 Tour de France to beat Fignon by 58 seconds and win his second Tour, he "let the cat out of the bag." He was the first to use aero bars in the Tour and they're now standard for any TT. The sport is no worse for utilizing technological advances, like carbon frames, aero helmets, and yes, lighter clincher wheels and tires. It is worse off for the rampant drug use, but that's a story for another thread.
