Ban the tech suits?

Again, Geek, I think the difference is these are items that last. I don't know with certainty, but I suspect a good saddle doesn't need to be replaced after just a few uses. Yes, snow skis wear out, too, but not like these tech suits and skis aren't that much more expensive than LZRs. Of course, the way things have gone lately, you hardly have time to wear out your suit before the next iteration comes along.

It just looks bad because in the past we could totally outfit ourselves for $40. Agreed. This was a point I was trying to make in the USA Swimming banning Tech suits for the kids, with my hockey vs. swimming post

I was talking to my coach tonight about the B70 and the LZR and he said he thinks these suits will actually help the average swimmer more than the elites (and I'm talking average like most of us here, as opposed to someone like Phelps). He thinks these suits force you to keep the core tight, and that's something most of us don't normally do.

It's still (wo)man going through the water. Suits don't swim your race for you. And they don't do the training that goes into the racing. Yeah, but remember the good old days when if you won a race you knew it was because you were the fastest swimmer rather than you spent the most on a suit?

Well, yes, I've been known to wear a set of legs every now and again... but given the price and technology of a fastskin/fs pro vs lzr & b70, can you really call the fastskins (and pro) a "tech suit" anymore? Legs are a far cry from the full body suits too. I've proved as recently as this summer that you can swim fast and drop time unshaved and in a speedo - see my results from the IGLA meet: 5 swims, 5 PBs. Could I have done better by putting my legs on? Maybe. But nothing can substitute determination and sheer hard work. I was pleased with my times from that meet and aside from the 400, didn't come close to my times last weekend while wearing the Pro - and just as rested. For the record, I do not like the Pro - I prefer the FSII (black with red stripes). I dont think the fabric provides the same compression as the FSII, nor am I convinced it is any more friction-friendly than a FSII. I don't like the fit (I get an air bubble every event except backstroke) either. But I have worn for some fast swims. I think if it as my "rest" suit - and have used it at meets where I've rested a bit, but not shaved or tapered, and for events high on my priority list. Oh, I was just giving you grief. Of course you can swim fast without the gear. I swam at zones last year in briefs and also did a couple PBs, one of which was a national record (which has since been demolished by Mr. Ross). I've never used the Pro. At one point in the summer the U of R coach liked it as much as the LZR though he may have changed his tune by now. For me, the FSII is no better than shaved skin. As far as the discussion about wearing tech suits in unrested meets, I can see two reasons: -- getting used to the suits. I'm simply not going to wear them in practice but I can see getting some race experience in them. Especially if you have a new suit, probably better to give it a trial run before using it "for real." -- swimming fast when unrested. I think the suit can give your times a little oomph when you are tired from training. I'll probably do this at VA Sr Champs in the spring b/c if I don't, I doubt I'll even make it back at night. I'll probably do it at zones too since I'll probably swim some events there that I won't swim at nationals.

Yes, but what if that same swimmer had beaten you by only a second? Then I would be one of the very best swimmers in the world, having swum a time in the FINA top ten ever for my age/sex group. And if I were such a swimmer, I would probably consider spending a few hundred $ to have the very best suit. At my level, though, if someone beats me by one second while wearing a supposedly speedier suit, I am not going to worry about it much. For me, a bargain-basement older-generation race suit is just fine for making me feel like my race is special without stressing my wallet.

Again, Geek, I think the difference is these are items that last. I'll grant you the longevity argument but most avid sports participants want the latest and greatest fairly frequently. I have many friends who buy new very expensive bikes every few years. Golfer are notoriously gear oriented. A sweet golf bag costs hundreds and is shot the first time you get caught in a big storm or spill your beer all over it. I still contend that from a gear perspective, swimming is near the bottom and will never approach other sports in terms of expense.

Who cares what people do? Is it a bad thing to wear your tech suit every meet? And, if so, why? Right now, I plan on wearing my B70 for all competitions. I don't swim in many meets per course, and I'd like my times to be meaningful. (Of course, that assumes they even count.) As some of us get into the "older" groups :cane:, not knowing when your very last swim will take place comes into play. If that should occur while racing, I want to make sure I was going fast. :bump:

Does anyone know someone who would stop competing if tech suits were banned? This is all very abstract since I don't think it will happen, but who knows? QUOTE] i did have a conversation recently with a very successful world class swimmer who did say that the new tech suits available have made it exciting for him to race again. implying that...yes they erase big chunks (a reletive term) of time from a swim; also that he has adjusted technique instruction to accomodate wetsuit wearers.... probably not long until this also applies to tech suit wearers.

So the net result is the sport has gotten more expensive for everyone. One other thing I've noticed. I know people have been wearing tech suits for quite a while now. One thing that has become much more common, I think, is people wearing them for every competition. It used to be you'd go to a smallish local meet and only see a couple people wearing body suits. Now they are commonplace at any meet you go to. This is interesting because I found a few years ago that, with the body suits, I had a good chance of making a Top Ten time in events that I swam in but without I was out of the running. So, as a result, I wear them for all competitions no matter the venue since the TT is my main motivation at the moment. When the suits first became accessible to me, I would only wear them for the biggest meets. BTW, I edited a couple of typos in your post, quoted above...