{"id":23482,"date":"2023-06-20T10:00:47","date_gmt":"2023-06-20T08:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.220triathlon.com\/?p=139753"},"modified":"2023-06-20T10:40:03","modified_gmt":"2023-06-20T08:40:03","slug":"would-you-spend-800-on-a-tri-suit","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/rss_feed\/would-you-spend-800-on-a-tri-suit\/","title":{"rendered":"Would you spend \u00a3800 on a tri-suit?"},"content":{"rendered":"

You can buy a lot of kit for \u00a3800, but would you blow it all on a tri-suit? Here\u2019s why you might want to consider it\u2026 <\/p>

By Rob Slade\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 20 June 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Norwegian brand Trimtex shot into the limelight with the help of one of triathlon\u2019s hottest properties \u2013 Kristian Blummenfelt<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

That may have had something to do with the now infamous see-through tri-suit he wore to victory at the Tokyo Olympics<\/a><\/strong>, but transparency aside, his gold medal proved it\u2019s clearly a suit that\u2019s worked well for him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, you can get your hands on the latest iteration of the same suit. That\u2019s because Trimtex has launched a new high-performance brand called Surpas, which is home to the Insane tri-suit and the brand\u2019s other top-end kit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t come cheap, though. For those racing over middle or long distances, the Insane Speedsuit range includes the top-end customisable suits (\u20ac1,000) and non-customisable options (\u20ac800) with turbulators, plus customisable (\u20ac800) and non-customisable (\u20ac600) options without turbulators.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s also the Insane Skinsuit (\u20ac450), which is a sleeveless option designed for sprint or Olympic distances, plus calf sleeves (\u20ac100 without turbulators, \u20ac150 with them), which have achieved savings of 4-6 watts in testing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Surpas has also developed a lower-price ranged called the Pursue, which you can read about below, while all options are available in both men\u2019s and women\u2019s sizes.<\/p>\n

Why should you spend so much?<\/b><\/h2>\n
\""Kristian\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Credit: Surpas\/Daniel Vazquez<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Now, that\u2019s obviously a lot of money, and much more than you may be used to shelling out on a tri-suit. But why should you spend so much? And who should be buying one?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve called it Insane, because everything about it is insane,\u201d Surpas explains. \u201cThe technology, the science, the materials as well as the results \u2013 both in testing and racing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Talking about science, a lot has gone into the research and development (R&D) of this suit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Developed with help from Blummenfelt\u2019s coach Olav Alexander Bu and temperature monitoring pioneers Core, the suit aims to balance aerodynamics, hydrophobics, heat dissipation, flexibility and fit perfectly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\""Kristian\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Credit: Surpas\/Daniel Vazquez<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

It was first developed for the Tokyo Olympics in association with the Norwegian Triathlon Federation (NFT), so it not only had to be fast, but it also had to deal with hot and humid conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n

No stone was left unturned as the brand worked through different prototypes and years of testing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Using multiple Core Body Temperature heat sensors<\/a><\/strong> on test subjects, the team was able to identify when athletes were overheating and tweak the design to deliver improved thermo regulation and cooling performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even the colour of the suit was considered, with the see-through nature of the material deemed less important than the impact it had on performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

The result, the brand explains, is that the suit gives \u2018the lowest skin temperature and highest heat flux values recorded\u2019 in the buildup to Tokyo.<\/span><\/p>\n

An Olympic gold medal followed for Blummenfelt, but that wasn\u2019t the end of the line for the Insane suit, as Trimtex continued its development in order to help the Norwegian reach his other goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

A substantial amount of wind tunnel and velodrome testing had already gone into the development of the suit, but the brand still found aerodynamic improvements to make and those turbulators (see box out below) have played their part.<\/span><\/p>\n

\""Gustav\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Credit: Surpas<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\u201cFrom intensive testing we have done in the field, velodrome and wind tunnel, we have seen improvements of 3.5% on average and above 8% peak under specific conditions for Kristian in the Insane Speedsuit,\u201d explains Olav Alexander Bu.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is based on conditions very similar to Kona with speeds of 40-44km\/h and a range of different wind directions (yaw angles).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s not the last bold claim the brand makes, as it also believes the suit uses \u2018the lightest fabric ever used in a triathlon suit\u2019 thanks to the woven elastane polyester blend.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite its lightweight nature, Surpas says it still offers maximum recovery and stability thanks to its extremely tight fit and compressive nature.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Given how Blummenfelt\u2019s career has gone since he donned that iconic white suit, it looks as though all of this R&D has paid off, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Norwegian has won a lot of races while wearing it, including:<\/span><\/p>\n