What is happening to my Aussiebums

[singletlover]

I have one of the first suits they made. Light blue double panel front, single on the rear. The rear portion is almost see-thru, but a little stiff (not that guys). The double panel front is smooth as always.

The other issue is the waistband it seems that the drawstring is glued to the suit. I cannot get it to slide either way. I have always rinsed in the shower and air dry, never in the washer or dryer.

According to my database of lycra it was given to me in 2004 by Phil.

Any ideas?????

[Byron]

How/where stored?
How often taken out?
Just how many years applies to "one of the first"?
Were they nwt when donated by Phil?

[PSDave]

I found that Aussiebum nylon suits do last a lot longer than the lycra or other blends, but not as good as the old speedo nylon. The material seems to break down and the color fades. I have nylon speedos that were my fathers when he was in school in the 60's that are as good as new.
The draw string stuck in the suit is a sign the rubber in the waist is breaking down. It has a tendency to either become brittle and break up, or turn liquid and into glue. Either way, it goes along with the fading suit as far as longevity of a suit goes.

[Torchwatch]

If a suit is past it put it in your personal speedo museum then get out and buy a new pair.
There is great excitement to be had from searching and trying on suits in your local stores, and the experience of handing a skimpy suit over to the girl at the checkout hoping she hasn't noticed the bulge that trying it on has caused.
Of course searching the internet you will find a cornucopia of styles, colours and print patterns to explore, imagine yourself wearing and dare to buy.
Hanging on to just one pair of swim briefs until the fabric has gone saggy and see through and the elastic has collapsed brings speedos into disrepute and puts the manufacturers and their workers out of business.
Use and enjoy your swimwear but the more you love to wear it the sooner you will need to replace and upgrade.

[SwimTeamSpeedo]

sounds like you may not have rinsed them as well as possible... the chlorine residue wreaks havoc on man made fabrics, like Nylon and/or lycra.

[PSDave]

that is true for lycra or spandex, however, 100% nylon can go on forever in salt or chlorine. Providing it is a quality nylon to start with. Like I said, I wore the same nylon suit my father wore when he was on college swim team and even after years in a chlorine pool they are almost like new. Sorry to say that Aussibum nylon suits, for some reason don't hold up as well. I don't think the nylon is as sturdy as Speedo uses and amazed how the color fades.

[sebbie]

If the suits lasted indefinitely, the companies that make them would not get to sell more suits as replacements. Same issure the car companies have run into..with cars now routinely going 100,000+ miles, people end up keeping their cars longer, trading less often, and the compsanies do not sell as many. Products can be too good to make money on.

[singletlover]

Thank you all for you insight. I am not making disparities against Aussybums, was just curious.
Unfortunately all my nylon, and nylon /lycra are stored in plastic boxes. Lid are tight, but not air tight. Space is the problem since I have been collecting for 30 years. Some of that time I dedicated a closet to the collection, but I cannot now.

Heck, yesterday I came across an origin Finals suit with the Speedo board logo on it.

[Byron]

:) LOL - time to have a historic speedos museum website I think

[SwimTeamSpeedo]

A Finals Speedo... talk about the ultimate brand conflict.

[Byron]

Did the Speedoboard have a logo?

[Torchwatch]

It did, the old speedo board had a logo and printed it on suits presented to competition winners. The competitions were irregular and infrequent making the speedo board logo printed suits a rare item indeed.
Usually the competitions ended before you noticed that they started making them difficult to enter.

[singletlover]

Will work on a photo for you all this week

[Byron]

Thanks guys - look forward with interest - and maybe we need a new thread for any other members who have such a rare item in long-forgotten storage?

[singletlover]

Here is the Speedo Board Suit, as promised.

Well maybe not. Seems it is too big. Now I am lost. Any suggestions, I 'm on a Mac

[Torchwatch]

Use a photo editor package to reduce the size of a photo, keeping the picture in proportion reduce the number of piccells it uses.

[PSDave]

If the suits lasted indefinitely, the companies that make them would not get to sell more suits as replacements. Same issure the car companies have run into..with cars now routinely going 100,000+ miles, people end up keeping their cars longer, trading less often, and the compsanies do not sell as many. Products can be too good to make money on.

I have to say in theory, you are right. BUT, we are men. We want new speedos cuz of color, pattern or cut and because we started a love affair with them when we saw them on the hanger. And cars -- come on, lets face it, cars are like drugs or alcohol, they are addictive and once you have seen it you have to have it. You can have a car with 10,000 mile on it or one with 200,000 mile on it, if you see "the one" you have to buy it. It is in the male genes. I have a great car that I love but there are a couple newer models that are taunting me to trade. No matter how much I know I don't need it, I know I am weak and till get it -- just like I do when I am on vacation or just shopping and I see a speedo I love - gotta have it. Some things are not meant to be purchased by logic and for men, speedos and cars are two if them. Has logic ever been priority when shopping for a car or speedo?
By the way, my emotions and logic are coming to blows - I am now thinking that I need a second car (crossover CLK) so can keep the one I still love (or as logical as it is to buy a second Benz)

[Byron]

Maybe this is becoming a topic to require a thread of its own.
I am fascinated to learn a little more with the help of Louis and am picking up on Singletlover's posts #1 #8 and #15.

It seems that one speedo is recorded as from Phil in 2004 and a Finals suit is mentioned bearing the old Speedoboard logo. Would this not have been one
of many of the yellow roundel invented and printed by Phil on the suits he donated some years ago to Mike at the old Speedo Fantasy Board for distribution?
We have heard of these suits being awarded as competition prizes but can anyone explain the nature of the competitions? (in which some reference was made to "competitive swimmers" I believe).

Any progress yet on a pic of the old yellow logo so that we may all see Phil's creation of the past which must have become a rare collector's piece by now with age having taken its toll on the fabrics?

Such recollections are perhaps appropriate as the new MSSB comes up to its first birthday does it not ? (Mike - was it November 2011?).

Some who do not know the "experiences" website may also be interested to read this: http://www.experienceproject.com/stories/Like-Speedos/946903

[Byron]

They are indeed a big feature of "must have" male addictions and I believe their longevity has long been noted in California as the climate delays the onset of body-rusting which will occur elsewhere to shorten their lives.

I guess the same might apply to Dave of Palm Springs (and certainly there must be some explanation for the remaining Chevvies Fords Dodges et al on the roads in Cuba).
In his case the Mercs seem to be the preferred choice however and a crossover CLK is one of their new models I believe.

(saw a Lincoln Continental stretched limo. parked last week - how appropriate that I was in Lincoln's Inn at the time!)

[Byron]

Is this it? http://pictures.topspeed.com//IMG/jpg/200905/2012-mercedes-clk-rew.jpg

[louis]

Yes I am the opne that had the boards logo printed on severel the finals suits to send them to Mike, for him to offer them to board members via a contest, this happened so long agao that i barely remember the logo, all I do remember is that it was round and yellow with the words SPEEDO BOARD.COM IN THE YELLOW CIRCLE, I HOPE YOU WILL BE ABLE (SINGLETLOVER) TO POST A PIC SO THAT6 TTHIS WILL BE CONFIRMED, (REFERRING TO THE OLD BOARD OF COURSE, AND WOW WHEN I THINK THATT YOU KEPT ONE OF THESE SUITS FOR SO LONG.

[Byron]

.... have scoured the internet for any conceivable remaining details of the old Speedo Fantasy Board but nothing to be found.
(we may have to go to Mike for perhaps a hard copy image he might have in his old files somewhere)

[Torchwatch]

Mike did have a photograph of the Speedoboard logo competition prize suit, ask nicely.

[Byron]

OK - have asked him

[singletlover]

Here are the pics.

[Byron]

Haven't seen that before (what's that little pile of something at the bottom of the circle ?)

(Btw Mike didn't bother to reply)

[louis]

WELL IL BE DARN, YES, THAT IS THE ONE, WITCH I HAD PRINTED THE ROUND YELLOW LOGO, ON SEVEREL OF THEM (IF MY MEMORY IS CORRECT 24 PAIRS) THEN WORDS ON THE LOGO WAS SPEEDO BOARD.COM AND ON THE BOTTOM O FTHE CIRCLE I CANT SEE TTHE PIC IS TO SMALL AND ITS BENE SO LONG AGO THAT I CANT REMEMBER (I PUT THE PIC ON MY PICTURES FOLDER TO ENLARGE LATER IF WHAT EVER BYRON ASK IS POSSIBLE TO SEE I WILL LET YOU LNOW.
i CANT REMEMBER WHAT MIKE EXACTLY DID WITH THEM (OR PERHAPS I DISTRIBUTED THEM MYSELF)
i DID NEVER THE LESS SEND MIKE 24 MORE DIFFERENT SUITS THAT I HAD PURCHASED AT WYZMAN .COM BUT I CANT REMEMEBR WHAT WHAT THE PURPOSE WAS FOR.
i DO REMEMBER THAT ON THE OLD BOARD THERE WAS A SECTION WHERE GUYS THAT COULDNT AFFORD TO BUY A NEW SUIT COULD CLAIM ONE FROM ME OR MIKE AND SHORTLY HE WOULD GET HIS FREE SUIT AFTER SENDING US HIS ID COORDONNATES VIA EMAIL WE DISTRIBUTED MANY SUITS THAT WAY, I EVEN REMEMBER SENDIKNG A FREE SUIT TO A GUIY IN IOWA USA THAT HE WAS SO HAPPY TO GET ONE THAT WE CORRESPONDED VIA EMAIL FOR 5 YEARS INDEED WE MADE MANY VERY HAPPY THOSE DAYS.

[singletlover]

Here is the Logo only

[louis]

tthanks singletlover yep now it came all back to me, the waves on the bottom of the yellow circle.
Holy cats never did I think that someome would keep one of those suits so long.

[singletlover]

Seems I am a collector. I have some where in the neighborhood of 100 brief style suits. Some still fit, others not. I continue to purchase swim briefs, underwear,wrestling gear, biking gear, and jocks, etc. not sure why, but have been doing so for years.

Rarely do items get tossed, unless they have degraded too far.

[Byron]

Thanks for your submissions guys.
That's where the Forum works well - SL started with his ABs just eleven days ago and now I know a whole lot more about The Finals and what happened in the past.

[PSDave]

They are indeed a big feature of "must have" male addictions and I believe their longevity has long been noted in California as the climate delays the onset of body-rusting which will occur elsewhere to shorten their lives.

I guess the same might apply to Dave of Palm Springs (and certainly there must be some explanation for the remaining Chevvies Fords Dodges et al on the roads in Cuba).
In his case the Mercs seem to be the preferred choice however and a crossover CLK is one of their new models I believe.

(saw a Lincoln Continental stretched limo. parked last week - how appropriate that I was in Lincoln's Inn at the time!)

I don't know what it is about the Benz, but I seem to be addicted - just like my speedos. I really am partial to German handling of cars. I did look at the new Lincoln Hybrid and was impressed with the car -- except the ride and handling weren't as tight as I like.
However -- you mentioned a Lincoln Limo. Without a doubt, they are the best limos on the road. The ride and comfort is fantastic and seating leaves lots of room for relaxing or ..... well you get the idea. Rode in one of the Hummer Limos once and will admit it was easier to get in and out of, it just didn't have the class or luxury of Lincoln.
To tie the two subjects together -- my last ride in a limo I was wearing a tux, black and conservative, with a bright red nylon Aussiebum for underwear. (I always christen a new car with a ride in nothing bot a speedo)

PS Yes, the CLK is the small SUV/crossover. I liked the R class (really nice crossover) but the convenience of the the smaller (size and price) one was more suited to my need for a practical second car.

[magnumman]

Me and a buddy made a cool ad for Aussiebums at http://www.xtube.com/watch.php?v=YI3af-G573-

Check it out

Magnum Man

[Byron]

Something tells me that AB will not be putting that out on general release
(if that's Part 2 who made Part 1?)

[shaulis]

AussieBum makes racy ads on Youtube to sell their wares. I don't see them using this video anytime soon.