Saturday, February 28, 2009

The 'TYR Tracer Titan' - The first suit to use 'Yamamoto SCS-Fabric BRS MARK-III' fabric!



Has the Tracer Rise been replaced by a far superior version? Most likely for the subhead on the Tracer Titan product sheet makes it clear that they are using the next generation of hydrophobic fabric coming out of the Yamamoto Corporation, a company that provides Yamamoto SCS fabric for such speedsuits as the blueseventy, Rocket Science and the Jaked suit.

The Yamamoto SCS-Fabric BRS MARK-III
has 34% less drag than the previous SCS Fabric, is a much thinner fabric, absorbs 0.5% less water, and TYR has it first. I am unclear if the fabric will be available to other suit makers.

I find this very exciting news for their former suit, the Tracer Rise, was setting world records for the past six months and now they have "leapfrogged" that technology with a suit that on paper looks even better! I can't wait to pour myself into one of these.

Check out this comment from their product sheet that clearly suggests that latic acid can be "dampened?"
The flexible Titanium alloy layer provides optimal thermoregulation which aids in the reduction of lactic acid in the blood, optimizing muscle performance. Titanium is recognized for its high strength-to-weight ratio which allows the material to contour to the natural shape of each athlete, significantly reducing stress and fatigue on the muscles.
[Link]
Some thoughts: I think the phrase, thermoregulation, is a fancy way of saying it will keep you warm. Well, the suit definitely looks sexy and TYR has proven in numerous meets these past six-months that their suits set world records too. I want to see this one in action for I like the cut, the color and I want one for SCY Nationals!

I have no clue when they are for sale.

The suit will be available at the NCAA level and I was told by TYR PR that they are shipping off tons of these 'babies' to colleges everywhere so as to make them available per the FINA rule regarding suit availability.

Here is a snippet from an NCAA memo release from CollegeSwimming.com:

In light of the recent proliferation of new models and designs of technical swimsuits, international bodies have begun discussions on implementing scientific measures to be used for approving swimsuits for competition. In mid-January, FINA announced it was temporarily halting the intake of approval requests from manufacturers designing new swimsuits. As a result, the committees have been forced to reevaluate using FINA’s list as the resource for approving swimsuits for intercollegiate competition.

Since the NCAA does not currently have the capability to test swimsuits, and since there seemingly is no discernible justification for treating any one technical suit differently from any other for purposes of use at intercollegiate competition, the committees have decided to permit all technical swimsuits for all 2009 NCAA swimming and diving championships.
[Link]
The biggest question here is if the fabric is stronger than the previous Yamamoto SCS fabric and is it elastic enough to avoid suit malfunctions? I will catalog any failures I see.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Go. Tyt!!! What will it cost?

Tony Austin said...

I was told that the fabric used to make a Rocket Science suit cost something like $70 a square meter and more than one meter is used to build one! This is the next generation material so it will cost more.

I suspect it has to cost more than a blueseventy or Rocket Science. I paid $344.00 for my Tracer Light I would pay $400 for that suit but if it turns out to be the next "LZR", it could cost more I bet!

This is all guessing on my part. ALso, I updated to post to clean up the grammar and to post a question: WIll the suit be strong and not rip?

Oh btw, with the FINA ruling, I bet a lot of suits will be on sale soon.

Anonymous said...

Hey Tony:

TYR has done it again!!

Way to go Steve, Matt and Jeremy!!

Rob D said...

It figures... as soon as I buy a Tracer they announce something even cooler! The Titan sounds like a pretty cool suit, I'm very curious to see what the MSRP is when it hits the streets.

Unknown said...

The images of the suit are awesome, now we need some reliable data as to how they perform, or should I say how swimmers perform while wearing them..I was not happy with the Tracer Light model, I have been using the original Fastskin as I feel better in it than the newer models. Perhaps the new Titan will be available for us to wear at Clovis, I hope it is less expensive than the LZR.

Tony Austin said...

Same with me! I only have two races in my Tracer. Also, Apple does this to all the time.

Tony Austin said...

Yeah, we can rematch in the 200 free. :-)

Kast-A-Way Swimwear said...

So it's like that front panel from the Tracer Rise, but over the entire suit? That's what it looks like to me.

Other suitable names:
Tracer Ironman
Tracer Tin-Man
TYR Silver Surfer

Or in Grevers' case, the TYR Iron Giant haha

-Eric

CATS Aquatics (aka Coach Vlad) said...

I'm going to try TITAN this weekend at Masters State meet! I guess it's legal for USMS :)

Tony Austin said...

WOW! That is fantastic: Владимир Пышненко.

Please, please,please, send a photo of you racing?

Tony

Unknown said...

I am confused with the A7, Titan, Rise? there are so many versions....which is the best?

Tony Austin said...

I don't know which is best. I think that whatever is for sale right now, I suspect that these suits are the only ones that will be available.

FINA has yet to clarify their position on Masters.