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Roka, Blueseventy or Xterra Wetsuit
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Roka Comp ii
Blueseventy Helix
Xterra Vortex

These are the 3 wetsuits I’m interested in. I previously owned a Vortex. I fit a medium very comfortably. The suit was tearing a lot (front of shoulders) and would chafe my neck pretty bad on most swims. I had to glue it continually so I pitched it and picked up a Helix at a great price. The only problem is I sized between a small tall and medium. Medium was not available on sale so I scooped up the small tall. It took me baby powder to get into the suit. It was way tight and suffocating. It actually seemed to get tighter to the point I could only do 100’s. It did seem quite fast but I couldn’t test it over distance. I noticed the Xterra has great buoyancy to the point it lifts your rear upon entry into the pool. It’s noticeable. I do notice some water intrusion through the neckline on push offs.

Should I purchase another Vortex based on float, comfort and fit or get another one of the suits mentioned in a proper size medium?
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Re: Roka, Blueseventy or Xterra Wetsuit [mwanner13] [ In reply to ]
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How many times do you push offf the wall in a triathlon? Don't let that affect what you buy.

That said, have you considered a T1 Wetsuit?

Emilio De Soto II
Maker of triathlon clothing, T1 Wetsuits, & Saddle Seat Pads and AXS since 1990
emilio@desotosport.com http://www.desotosport.com
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Re: Roka, Blueseventy or Xterra Wetsuit [Emilio] [ In reply to ]
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Between sizes get a desoto

Best of two sizes
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Re: Roka, Blueseventy or Xterra Wetsuit [Emilio] [ In reply to ]
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Emilio wrote:
How many times do you push offf the wall in a triathlon? Don't let that affect what you buy.

That said, have you considered a T1 Wetsuit?

The bottoms link doesn’t go to any page or
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Re: Roka, Blueseventy or Xterra Wetsuit [RBR] [ In reply to ]
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Try the link below now in my signature.

Emilio De Soto II
Maker of triathlon clothing, T1 Wetsuits, & Saddle Seat Pads and AXS since 1990
emilio@desotosport.com http://www.desotosport.com
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Re: Roka, Blueseventy or Xterra Wetsuit [Emilio] [ In reply to ]
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Obviously push offs don’t matter in ows. I did look at DeSoto, but I’m most interested in these three.

Emilio wrote:
How many times do you push offf the wall in a triathlon? Don't let that affect what you buy.

That said, have you considered a T1 Wetsuit?
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Re: Roka, Blueseventy or Xterra Wetsuit [Emilio] [ In reply to ]
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Emilio wrote:
Try the link below now in my signature.

Thank you
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Re: Roka, Blueseventy or Xterra Wetsuit [mwanner13] [ In reply to ]
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Have you considered either the vengeance? I think that suit is a lot more comfortable and flexible than the vortex which is already pretty comfortable to begin with. And it has the cool silver so you’re different than everyone else in the water!

Twitter - Instagram
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Re: Roka, Blueseventy or Xterra Wetsuit [mwanner13] [ In reply to ]
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Resurrecting this thread a little...

Roka has the Maverick Pro II 30% off for $525. Blueseventy has the Reaction on sale 20% off for $440.

What is a consensus opinion of best performance bank for the buck between these two? Is the Pro II a better suit in general that makes its 30% discount a great score. Or, are the two equivalent, and therefore the Reaction is the smarter buy.

The Helix is also on sale for $680, but I am not sure that I want that. First, the anecdotal reviews seem to imply that the second-best suits are better for regular swimmers. And second, I think the backwards zipper would mess with me.
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Re: Roka, Blueseventy or Xterra Wetsuit [exxxviii] [ In reply to ]
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exxxviii wrote:
Resurrecting this thread a little...

Roka has the Maverick Pro II 30% off for $525. Blueseventy has the Reaction on sale 20% off for $440.

What is a consensus opinion of best performance bank for the buck between these two? Is the Pro II a better suit in general that makes its 30% discount a great score. Or, are the two equivalent, and therefore the Reaction is the smarter buy.

The Helix is also on sale for $680, but I am not sure that I want that. First, the anecdotal reviews seem to imply that the second-best suits are better for regular swimmers. And second, I think the backwards zipper would mess with me.

Blueseventy all day long. The ROKA is way too fragile. Some folks only get a few swims in them before they see issues. I don’t care how marginally fast they claim to be. Unless you like paying $50-$100 a swim, Blueseventy is your best option IMO.
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Re: Roka, Blueseventy or Xterra Wetsuit [exxxviii] [ In reply to ]
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Re: Roka, Blueseventy or Xterra Wetsuit [ggeiger] [ In reply to ]
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I wish those were my size.
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Re: Roka, Blueseventy or Xterra Wetsuit [exxxviii] [ In reply to ]
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exxxviii wrote:
I wish those were my size.

Thought I'd try. Maybe get in touch with Dan, as he had a number of wetsuits available. Maybe he has some left in your size, as he had a huge bunch at killer prices.
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Re: Roka, Blueseventy or Xterra Wetsuit [ggeiger] [ In reply to ]
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Good call... I did not think about reaching out directly. I got his sale emails, but those were all smaller sizes.
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Re: Roka, Blueseventy or Xterra Wetsuit [exxxviii] [ In reply to ]
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exxxviii wrote:
Good call... I did not think about reaching out directly. I got his sale emails, but those were all smaller sizes.

What size you looking for?
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Re: Roka, Blueseventy or Xterra Wetsuit [Skyline Chili] [ In reply to ]
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Skyline Chili wrote:
Blueseventy all day long. The ROKA is way too fragile. Some folks only get a few swims in them before they see issues.
I thought that they both used basically the same Yamamoto rubber, so the durability would be very similar. Is that not the case?
ggeiger wrote:
What size you looking for?
I am probably a ML for both. I currently have a Zone3 Vision ML. I am 5-10 and around 180 lbs.
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Re: Roka, Blueseventy or Xterra Wetsuit [exxxviii] [ In reply to ]
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exxxviii wrote:
Skyline Chili wrote:
Blueseventy all day long. The ROKA is way too fragile. Some folks only get a few swims in them before they see issues.
I thought that they both used basically the same Yamamoto rubber, so the durability would be very similar. Is that not the case?
ggeiger wrote:
What size you looking for?
I am probably a ML for both. I currently have a Zone3 Vision ML. I am 5-10 and around 180 lbs.

There are vast differences in adhesion and sewn construction between them.
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Re: Roka, Blueseventy or Xterra Wetsuit [ggeiger] [ In reply to ]
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How does one get in touch regarding on sale wetsuits? Definitely interested, especially if they're smaller sizes
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Re: Roka, Blueseventy or Xterra Wetsuit [HeartRN] [ In reply to ]
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HeartRN wrote:
How does one get in touch regarding on sale wetsuits? Definitely interested, especially if they're smaller sizes

I know JR has a couple listed in classifieds, and Dan had an entire fleet of new and demo suits in his drive. Perhaps he or Monty can chime in as to what is still available. Otherwise PM them and maybe they have time to get back to you. Another site I've seen some suits for sale is the FB "Ironman Wisconsin Training Secrets Members Junk for sale" site.
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Re: Roka, Blueseventy or Xterra Wetsuit [Skyline Chili] [ In reply to ]
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Skyline Chili wrote:
exxxviii wrote:
Skyline Chili wrote:
Blueseventy all day long. The ROKA is way too fragile. Some folks only get a few swims in them before they see issues.

I thought that they both used basically the same Yamamoto rubber, so the durability would be very similar. Is that not the case?
ggeiger wrote:
What size you looking for?

I am probably a ML for both. I currently have a Zone3 Vision ML. I am 5-10 and around 180 lbs.


There are vast differences in adhesion and sewn construction between them.

So I just did this race / half iron (non-WTC brand) & drilled some questions to some Roka wearers at the swim start. 3 of the 4 have or had seam rips. One did not, but it was only a couple months old. One in particular said he was on his second suit (Maverick X) only because Roka did the good thing & upgraded his Pro II after it ripped out after 1.5 seasons. That said, it sounds like at least their customer service is pretty good--as the X is a pricier version. But still, for that kind of money it shouldn't happen very often that soon.
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Re: Roka, Blueseventy or Xterra Wetsuit [Rocky M] [ In reply to ]
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Rocky M wrote:
Skyline Chili wrote:
exxxviii wrote:
Skyline Chili wrote:
Blueseventy all day long. The ROKA is way too fragile. Some folks only get a few swims in them before they see issues.

I thought that they both used basically the same Yamamoto rubber, so the durability would be very similar. Is that not the case?
ggeiger wrote:
What size you looking for?

I am probably a ML for both. I currently have a Zone3 Vision ML. I am 5-10 and around 180 lbs.


There are vast differences in adhesion and sewn construction between them.

So I just did this race / half iron (non-WTC brand) & drilled some questions to some Roka wearers at the swim start. 3 of the 4 have or had seam rips. One did not, but it was only a couple months old. One in particular said he was on his second suit (Maverick X) only because Roka did the good thing & upgraded his Pro II after it ripped out after 1.5 seasons. That said, it sounds like at least their customer service is pretty good--as the X is a pricier version. But still, for that kind of money it shouldn't happen very often that soon.

Roka is more interested in their line of sunglasses. Like I said, I’d go with Blueseventy.
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