Triathlon Swimming Q&A: Cutting the legs of a Wetsuit to improve transition

Q: I would like to cut the legs of my wetsuit a bit to make it easier to remove in transition. Is it necessary to seal or perform any special procedure on the part of the neoprene that was cut?

A: To get to the bottom of this, I turned to an expert. Many thanks to Kevin O’Connor, owner of Gear West Bike & Triathlon, for providing his wisdom built on several decades in the sport of triathlon. You can visit Kevin’s store and website at www.gearwestbike.com.

Kevin says, “Yes you can cut off the bottom of the legs on your wetsuit. The neoprene is both glued and stitched at all seams. Most of the companies also use a piece of heat tape at the end of most seams to minimize the risk of the stitching coming out. However, I have personally cut off, and know of dozens of triathletes, who have cut the legs and do not know of any issues with stitching coming out or of seams failing.”

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