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Just how tight should a wetsuit be? Roka/Helix fitting question
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So my girlfriend got me a wetsuit for Christmas and after trying them on I'm curious justs how fitting they should be. She got me a Roka Maverick and a B70 Helix, both size small, with intention of keeping the one that fits best. Both fit very well in the legs/stomach/chest and are sized pretty similarity. The problem I'm having is in the bicep area of the sleeves. I don't think my arms are any bigger than most people wearing a small and I'm not doing much upper body strength work so I don't imagine my arms will ahrink come race season but the cut of these is not as comfortable as the rest of the suit. I had indention marks from the seems of both suits and the B70 was almost to the point of being unbearably uncomfortable.

So my question is, should a wetsuit have a minor amount of discomfort when worn dry?

I'm coming from a Orca Alpha fs suit that seems to fit me pretty well with no cpmfort issues but it's starting to reach the end of its usable life which is the reason for the upgrade. Also why I'm asking because I feel like my orca has stretched a little and broken in.
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Re: Just how tight should a wetsuit be? Roka/Helix fitting question [kyle h] [ In reply to ]
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They should not be uncomfortable. Have you tried it in water? They soften up after being worn a few times and in water they are more supple still.

I have the Helix and it is much tighter in the same size then my previous Axis.

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Re: Just how tight should a wetsuit be? Roka/Helix fitting question [kyle h] [ In reply to ]
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When I did my wet suit testing the most uncomfortable suit to wear while not swimming was an older B70. Cut into my armpits, felt like it was scrunching my body. Was a very, very comfy wet suit to swim in, to the point that there was no constriction, scrunching etc.

Trying a wetsuit on without swimming in it is a fools journey to selecting a wetsuit.

I have a Roka and my biceps are very aerodynamic (small). Unfortunately I can not help you on that as I've never had a wet suit that didn't comfortably fit over my biceps :-(

Did you pull the sleeves up high enough? In many suits they now should end above the watch line

Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
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Re: Just how tight should a wetsuit be? Roka/Helix fitting question [desert dude] [ In reply to ]
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See that's kind of what I'm thinking is that it will loosen up once it gets wet. Roka is very generous with their return policy but All3Sports is, understandably, not that way with the B70.

Just looking to see if anyone else had similar issues. The discomfort is mostly the armpit seems with some tightness in the biceps but everything else being pretty good.
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Re: Just how tight should a wetsuit be? Roka/Helix fitting question [kyle h] [ In reply to ]
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You may want to check with Trisports.com on their return policy re: wetsuits.

Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

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Re: Just how tight should a wetsuit be? Roka/Helix fitting question [kyle h] [ In reply to ]
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The helix loosens up in the water. Also make sure you pull all extra material up from cuff. The cuff should be above the wrist bone (where the 2 forearm bones meet with the hand) or 2" from wrist. Then pull all extra material all the way up to the armpits. Make sure to get extra material at the elbows.

Do the same from the groin all the way up to the armpits again.

Go in shower, open the neck and then let water get in the suit. Then pull up extra material again the same way.

Roka is more forgiving then Helix. Roka will likely last longer too, the Helix material seems to breakdown quickly. However, the Helix is still a kick ass suit. And if you haven't tried the Roka while swimming, you are in for an experience. The rotation is awesome. Also, I think the helix neck and reverse zipper is the only thing the helix has over the roka. Neither chaffe much at all, but I like the feeling of a sealed neck (no water gets in) when the zipper is reversed.
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Re: Just how tight should a wetsuit be? Roka/Helix fitting question [desert dude] [ In reply to ]
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Trying a wetsuit on without swimming in it is a fools journey to selecting a wetsuit.

Boom!

Bang on from Brian.

Many triathletes left up to their own devices, will choose a wetsuit, that is too big for them. Why? They are looking for something "comfortable". However as Brian found out in his informal testing a few years ago, as I seem to recall the most "uncomfortable" suit was the one that tested the fastest!

It's never a good idea to buy a suit just from a dry try on, but if you are and you are with a REALLY good sales person who knows what they are doing with wetsuit fitting (rare), then you want the suit that is slightly uncomfortably tight when you are trying the suit on dry - assuming you have fitted and put on the suit properly.


Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog
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Re: Just how tight should a wetsuit be? Roka/Helix fitting question [Fleck] [ In reply to ]
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Yeah, sadly Pittsburgh is lacking in shops that stock wetsuits so Im stuck ordering online. I didn't realize that TriSports has a one swim return policy also, wish I would have known that before ordering from All3Sports.
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Re: Just how tight should a wetsuit be? Roka/Helix fitting question [kyle h] [ In reply to ]
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My Maverick is pretty tight through my biceps and if it's a hot day (sweat factor) it'll take me quite a while to get it right in the arms. Once I get in the water though the suit re-positions a little and I can barely tell I'm wearing it.

I wore an Orca Alpha before switching to Roka and they are definitely roomier in the arms, but I had issues with water coming in. I would go as tight as you can through the arms.

-Eric

Eric Lagerstrom
Professional Triathlete
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Re: Just how tight should a wetsuit be? Roka/Helix fitting question [kyle h] [ In reply to ]
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Hi Kyle

Happy Holidays.

As others have mentioned, would highly recommend that you test the suits in the water - will fit differently for sure. Regardless, if you are having an issue with our suit, whether purchased directly from us or not, we'd be glad to see if we can help. You can reach our team at support@rokasports.com or 877-985-7652.

Best,
Rob

---
rob canales
ceo + co-founder at ROKA
http://www.roka.com
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Re: Just how tight should a wetsuit be? Roka/Helix fitting question [kyle h] [ In reply to ]
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Yeah, sadly Pittsburgh is lacking in shops that stock wetsuits so Im stuck ordering online.

I know. Several shops in the metro Pittsburgh area have come and gone. There are other large metro areas in North America that also don't have great bricks & motor retail options for anything triathlon, not just wetsuits. For those folks, online will be your answer.

Kudos to Rob Canales from Roka for chiming in. That is another option - just contacting the manufacturer directly. These are not big businesses, and I am sure they would be happy to help you out directly as best they can.


Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog
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Re: Just how tight should a wetsuit be? Roka/Helix fitting question [Fleck] [ In reply to ]
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Many thanks to everyone who responded. I didn't think of trying it on in the shower and for some reason the thought of using it in a chlorine pool has me worried but Roka reassured me that a quick swim wouldn't be of much issue.
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Re: Just how tight should a wetsuit be? Roka/Helix fitting question [Eric_Lagerstrom] [ In reply to ]
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I'm glad to hear this!!! I just got my ROKA Maverick Pro yesterday in XS. I'm barely 5'2" and 110 pounds so maybe I'm on the border between that and an S. This is not my first wetsuit so I know the dry fit is supposed to be tight but trying to get my arms through the sleeves was ridiculous! I'm taking it to the pool to do a proper testing but I'm so undecided about whether I should try to exchange it for an S.
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