Desoto – T1 Speedtube

The two-piece design of the T1 Wetsuits offer more comfort and less restriction. Because the top and bottom are not attached, you have much more freedom of movement and there is no “torso-rubber stretch” or shoulder fatigue that occurs with one-piece wetsuits. All T1 models are sold as separates for a more customized and personal fit. With up to seven sizes of tops and bottoms, you have 49 possible size combinations from which to choose. Other features we innovated many years ago include lower necklines and thicker rubber in the legs and hips to help float the largest bones and muscles in the body. More floatation here means more speed. T1 Wetsuits are not filled with gimmicks, just physics.

The Speedtube™ was invented by Emilio De Soto in 2004. While he loved the benefits of swimming faster in a full wetsuit, he felt too warm and claustrophobic, so after careful research and testing on how to achieve wetsuit buoyancy without losing speed, the Speedtube was born. Simply put, they are a 3/4-length capri style pant, made of 5mm GreenGoma™rubber, with a drawcord waist.

Given the convenience and comfort of wearing it in warmer waters combined with GreenGoma’s amazing chlorine resistance, the Speedtube has become a common they are a 3/4-length capri style pant, made of 5mm GreenGoma™rubber, with a drawcord waist.as an effective replacement for the pull buoy. It floats the hips without sacrificing torso rotation and the natural stroke motion, resulting in better swimming technique.

This and all individual T1 Wetsuit pieces are completely legal under the new rules set by ITU, USAT, and WTC.

Please check your size on size chart down below!

The Speedtube is a wetsuit. It can only be worn in races that permit wetsuits.

All T1 Wetsuits are made of GreenGoma™ a limestone rubber…bye-bye petroleum wetsuits

Until recently all triathlon wetsuits have been made of petroleum. First in the industry to introduce limestone rubber into our wetsuits, all T1 Wetsuits incorporate this amazing GreenGoma™ technology.

So what does this all mean to you?

GreenGoma™ rubber offers better stretch, buoyancy, durability, and insulation with a more closed-cell injected construction thus making it 98.9% water impermeable. So it is lighter, it dries quicker, and lasts longer. The only part of the rubber that gets wet is the new stretch liner that is now made of recycled post consumer products.

So is this rubber environmentally friendly? Is it a “green” wetsuit?

We have seamlessly replaced one rubber with another that is better, more buoyant, helps you swim faster, and lasts longer. If nothing else were to change, you will have a better-performing product with less detriment to the environment, which is always our goal.

Please allow us to be perfectly upfront. There are a handful of companies that are manufacturing wetsuits out of limestone rubber and then marketing them as environmentally-friendly. Currently, wetsuit rubber is either made of petroleum, which begins with oil exploration and drilling, or, in the alternative, made of limestone, which begins with mining. Both petroleum and limestone have taken hundreds of thousands of years to produce and both are nonrenewable resources; both are in limited supply on our earth, require heat, and create pollution and waste to refine into a finished product. So for one to claim that a limestone wetsuit is “green” is just not true, at least not yet.

It is apparent in light of the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, that limestone is cleaner when one considers the risk of environmental disasters. The factory that makes our GreenGoma™ uses much less heat to refine it as compared to its petroleum counterpart. This is a step in the right direction.

In order for us to step away from limestone in the future, we need to first step away from petroleum and look for other “greener” options. The idea of trying to create a green wetsuit has inspired us to change to recycled internal fabrics with no VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) dyes. The use of non-toxic laminates and adhesives during the assembly process are additional steps in our goal. We are getting closer to finding water-based adhesives that are stronger and more flexible. Finally we are working with YKK on developing a wetsuit zipper made of recycled materials.

As for recyclability and sustainability, no wetsuit rubber in the world is recyclable. Yes, old triathlon wetsuits can and should be re-used for other sports, or can be cut up and used as potholders, used for insulation and even be turned into beer and soft drink koozies. For now, the most obvious form of sustainability is simply that we have created a wetsuit that will last longer, so you will not have to replace it as soon.

Before any of us can swim 2.4 miles, we first need to get across the length of a pool. When it comes to making a greener wetsuit, we are the first to dive in!