Surpas Insane 2 Speedsuit LDT review

Turbulators! Thermoregulation! Laminar boundary layers! Surpas has thrown the kitchen sink, bath tub and air fryer at the Insane 2 Speedsuit LDT.

And while I had my fears it would display a scattergun approach akin to that classic The Simpsons’ episode where Homer designs a family car (The result? Instant bankruptcy for his brother’s car brand), here this height of ambition pays off. And then some.

Put simply, it’s the greatest suit I’ve worn in over a decade of testing Lycra for 220 Triathlon, and it firmly deserves a place on our list of the best tri-suits. The elephant in the room is that ‘insane’ £500+ (€650) price tag, of course…

Solid foundations

But first, who the hell is Surpas? The brand was launched in 2023 by existing tri brand

Trimtex as a high-performance home for the Insane tri-suit and the brand’s other top-end kit.

Part of the Trimtex collective is Kristian Blummenfelt, the Norwegian Olympic and Ironman champ who has worn the Insane to glory at the Ironman Worlds and 70.3 Worlds in 2022.

Blummenfelt was involved in the creation of the Insane, alongside his coach and sports scientist, Olav Alexander Bu, and temperature monitoring leaders Core.

“We’ve called it Insane, because everything about it is insane,” Surpas explains.

“The technology, the science, the materials as well as the results – both in testing and racing.”

Aero performance

Does that translate to what age-groupers need? Well, let’s start this review with the ‘turbulators’ on the arm sleeves (small white plastic dots to you and I), which were borne out of Surpas’ wind-tunnel and velodrome testing.

The aim is to create a layer of turbulence around the cyclist, something we’ve seen over the years with dimpled fabrics and pinstripe fabric designs, but not to the extent here (naturally, there are also pinstripes located under the turbulators).

Further heightening the aero appeal are the laser-cut arm and leg sleeves, which sit closely on the skin yet remain unrestrictive when on the move.

Into the wind tunnel and, given that price tag, we’re relieved to report that the Surpas Insane topped the field in 220’s wind-tunnel tests at the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub with The Bike Tailor.

Its performance over our baseline suit at a 7.5° yaw angle (simply, the amount of crosswind on your bike) was a monstrous 125secs at 30km/h and 77secs at 40km/h over a 40km bike leg with a rider on the tri-bars.

That’s nearly 10 minutes for an Ironman bike leg!

Design and comfort

Onto the fabric and the lightweight construction (195g for a medium) is lean yet supportive, and it’s incredibly comfortable for something so aerodynamically uncompromising.

The long-distance comfort theme continues with the full-length zipper garage and breakaway zipper for easy toilet stops, while the internal composition is exemplary.

The design looks good, too, with the fabric proving breathable on early summer efforts.

Price and durability

Let’s address the elephant, then, and that mammoth €650 price tag (which converts to £560/$710 at the time of publishing), which is comfortably higher than the most expensive tri-suits around.

It made me nervous using it in training for fear of crashing, worried about what it would look like after time in the washing machine, and concerned about hanging it on my city centre washing line without a permanent security presence.

The material doesn’t feel quite as delicate as the similarly impressive Castelli PR 2 Speed Suit, however, while the internal finishing quality is exemplary and suggests long-term durability.

Minor faults

There are only two aspects in which I could find slight fault with the Insane 2’s performance.

The first is the rear pockets, where we’d normally store energy gels. Due to the intense aero focus, both of the pocket’s elasticated openings are taut and tight, making accessing them quite tricky, especially at speed. They also sit quite low on the body.

I was also surprised to see a standard, quite firm Elastic Interface pad for the price tag.

Elastic Interface make fantastic chamois pads and the included one here is fine, but with all the innovation going on elsewhere, I was expecting to see something as groundbreaking on the inside.

The bottom line

Whether it warrants the spend depends on how deep your pockets are and how much every single second matters in your bid for triathlon glory.

For multisporters who largely occupy the mid-pack positions, Surpas’ (still-pricey) Pursue line displays some of the trickle-down tech shown here.

Looking for a great race for which to use your new tri-suit? See our list of the best triathlons in the world.

Surpas Insane 2 Speedsuit LDT specs

Price:	€650
Available from:	Surpas
Sizing:	XS-3XL and S-L Tall (men’s), XS-XXL and S-L Tall (women’s)
Pockets:	2
Breakaway zip?	Yes