The choice is all about preference.
I did a tri on Sunday that had a 1500m lake swim. Water was 66, so it probably would have been OK to do without the rubber, but with the air temp in the low 60s, a cold morning rain, and knowing that USAT encourages drafting on the swim led me to choose to wear the rubber. I will say that while I was speedy in it, my long-john style wetsuit really messes with my body position. My legs are at the right place along the surface of the water w/o a wetsuit - but with one, they're just too high and my kick feels out of whack. A warmer day and I would probably have been the tough guy with the speedo.
The choice is all about preference.
I did a tri on Sunday that had a 1500m lake swim. Water was 66, so it probably would have been OK to do without the rubber, but with the air temp in the low 60s, a cold morning rain, and knowing that USAT encourages drafting on the swim led me to choose to wear the rubber. I will say that while I was speedy in it, my long-john style wetsuit really messes with my body position. My legs are at the right place along the surface of the water w/o a wetsuit - but with one, they're just too high and my kick feels out of whack. A warmer day and I would probably have been the tough guy with the speedo.
