Along with most big brands interested in triathlon, Speedo made sure it had a big presence at the annual TCR (Triathlon, Cycling and Running) Show at Esher last weekend. Speedo set up an endless pool and invited the likes of Helen Jenkins and Hollie Avil to demonstrate their new TriElite wetsuits in it.

Most intriguing though was the Big Black Box. The Big Black Box takes some of the art out of finding the right wetsuit and turns it into science.

When you step into the Big Black Box a Speedo technician (who waits outside) asks you to strip down to your underwear. You then move into the inner sanctuary, a dark cubicle about the size of a photo booth.  A woman’s voice commands you to stand straight with your feet shoulder width apart, hold your chin up and grab the two handles to your left and right. Press the start button when ready and stay still.

A humming noise starts and lights flash. Is this a prank? Have you volunteered for a walk-on part in Dr Who?

A few seconds later and it’s all over. Dress, and step outside for the results. The print out show an impressive array of numbers: chest, waist, hips, leg lengths, arm lengths, bicep sizes (left and right) and so on. All very interesting, but in the end really only a set of numbers that a good tailor with a tape measure could give you. Oh, and a recommendation for what size of wetsuit and tri-suit to choose.

To be fair to Speedo the Scary Big Black Box is used primarily as a research tool and not an expensive gimmick for selling wetsuits, and it isn’t available in their retail outlets so if you want a new wetsuit, stick to the tape measure for now.

After the scan, Speedo allowed us to try out a scientifically sized TriElite wetsuit in the endless pool, and benefit from some technique advice from coach Dan Bullock. The TriElite features the so called VORTEX stroke panel on the inside forearms, designed to increase your purchase on the water. We couldn’t really tell how effective these were in the turbulence of the endless pool but hope to try them out again soon. In other respects, the suit felt great: plenty of movement around the shoulders and nice balance in the water.

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