It’s been a long time coming, but the first breaststroke-specific triathlon wetsuit has finally hit the market.
With traditional suits primed for forward motion and without the flexibility for lateral leg kick and arm stroke, the new Zone3 Aspect aims to fit that brief while remaining hydrodynamic thanks to sleek Aqua-X-coated and Smoothskin neoprene.
The Aspect’s geometry is designed around the more upright position required for breaststroke movement. As such, it’s made from 1.5, 2 and 3mm thick neoprene. The thickest area sits around the torso and upper legs while the thinnest panels can be found along the tops of the arms.
The buoyancy panels lift the torso and legs into the breaststroke position, which is great for those with heavier legs but our slim tester found that our feet were breaking the surface at times. Since flexibility is a key requirement, the suit has high stretch nylon panels on the underarms, back, bum, and inner thighs.
This works very well, allowing completely uninhibited range of movement in the arms and a wide width for leg kick. Another plus is that the suit’s also designed for front crawl.
And while we felt a slightly increased roll when swimming FC, and the high neck cuff dug in a little in this position, other than that the suit worked well.
In terms of removal, the silky smooth YKK zipper and high-vis arm cuffs made for easy exit, but we’d like to see the same cuffs on the legs to avoid having to wrestle them off.
Verdict: Fits its purpose, looks great and reasonably priced
Score: 90%
