My Xterra wetsuit from 4 seasons ago has so many holes in it it would be like swimming in a swiss cheese suit haha.
I know wetsuits are all about fit. It’s hard to test speed differences. Anyone that owns the Roka Maverick Pro or the Blue Seventy Helix, can you comment on what you like and don’t like about the suit?
My local tri shop has the Helix and carries Blue Seventy, Huub, Orca, Aqua Sphere and Zone 3 but does not carry Roka.
I love the Blu70 Helix, last years model simply Its like nothing I have ever swum in, it feels that great. getting into the sport with not much of a swimming background. I can feel the difference between any suit and the B70 Helix. Its a bitch to get on but once its on it really feel like 2nd skin and comes of with ease. I can not recommend the Helix highly enough, its that awesome. A friend of mine who’s triathlon knowledge is much greater then mine had this to say-link http://www.endurancemag.com/2014/07/gear-review-2013-blueseventy-helix-fullsuit-699-99/ .
Side note I did see in my local shop some of 2014 helix on mega sale - Inside out spots in charlotte nc. I have no idea if the sale will continue or if they have any helix let but at that price its work a phone call. Tell them Team Ice told you to call
Yeah I know James and I read his review. My local store is IOS-Cary
I can help out here as I’ve owned and raced in a B70 Helix, two Rokas, and an Xterra Vendetta. Simply put, you can rotate more in the Roka than either the Helix or the Vendetta. The Vendetta “floats” the most of the three. Here’s what I’d say:
-Get the Vendetta if you have serious sinking leg syndrome… it’s basically the biggest pull buoy out there lol.
-Get the Roka if you have decent technique and want a suit that won’t get in your way but will give you the advantages of a wetsuit (a bit of float and lower skin drag)
-I’m just not a huge fan of the Helix. I know I’m in the minority with that opinion but, IMO, I think the Roka is the better suit. With that said, I much prefer the zipper on the Helix to either the Vendetta or Roka. I also felt like I had a little more room in my calves and quads in the Helix than the Roka for what is supposedly the same size suit.
Agree on all you wrote.
Both roka and helix have very flexible rubber, shoulders are free, panels placed well, and seams are well connected.
Roka- if you have a light kick that is used for rotation and stabilization and not much for propulsion, roka is perfect. Easy to rotate. Placement in water is great. I feel like a hover craft floating easily on the water with roka.
Helix- if you are a college swimmer or have excellent body position in the water, then helix is for you. I feel like a slippery eel in the water with helix.
Perfect world- roka maverick pro with helix reverse zipper!
Last comment- I have owned many helix, because every year I had to replace mine due to tears and holes from wear. Roka has not had the same problems.
I haven’t tried the Blue 70 but I absolutely love my Maverick Pro. I’m a FOP swimmer, and find that it facilitates high turnover and ease of movement more than any other wetsuit I’ve tried (both low & medium tier X-terras).
Roka let me take a suit for the day at Boulder IM to test - loved it - bought it - had a great swim. I have good body position - like to rotate - FOP swimmer. Loved my Roka. Have not tried the Blue Seventy - they wouldn’t let me borrow one at the race to test…
Dave
Hi! I have a similar dilemma between Helix Thermal Reaction and Roka Pro II Thermal. I am a weak swimmer, I swim mostly on hands (ca. 1 km in 1 h, 2 times per week, swimming pool, crawl). But the sea water temperatures (official measurements) are low at the place where I live, Trondheim, Norway: 8 C in May, with max 14 C in July, and 8 C again in Nov. I believe it is practically somewhat warmer in shallow water. I also never tried open water swimming here or elsewhere. Based on your comments I see that Roka is more preferable due to my level of swimming (technique and strength). So, if I would I chose Roka, but would wear some additional thermal gear (as short and boxers) for cold conditions – would such gear ruin performance of Roka? Having said this, should I look more closely to (warmer, as it seems and somewhat less designed concerning the rotation (based on the comments above) Helix then?
Anatoly
I own a Bluesevety Helix and Roka Maverick Pro wetsuits.
I took both to the pool and swam 5x100 LCM in each with 10 seconds rest between and had the wife time me.
It was a blind swim test for me as I didn’t know my times until I was done trialing both suits, and the results were interesting to say the least. The first one or two were essentially identical times in both suits, the third slight faster in the Roka, and the last one or two were two to three seconds faster in the Roka with lower perceived effort.
I got out and regardless of what the times were I had made up my mind that I was going to race in the Roka, it just fit me better, so really, I think that is more important than anything.
I’m 6’3+ and 160 to 165 lbs, so finding a suit in the appropriate weight range that is long enough for the bod is the biggest challenges. It doesn’t matter how flexible the shoulders or arms are if the suit is too stretched over the length of my body.
A lot of the taller suits are made for someone 185 lbs+, and for me, those just fill like water and I feel like the Michelin man.
A long winded way of saying that a lot of top end suits are great, but what fits best will likely be the fastest.
Nice thing about Roka, perhaps other brands too, is they’ll let you buy it and swim in it for 30 days.
Huub.
.
FYI, if you settle on a Roka, they are having a 50% off sale on their Mavericks. It ends tomorrow. No coupon code required, or at least the email I was sent did not have one.
How often does Roka run these specials? I see a 20% coupon code but am in no hurry and wouldn’t mind holding out for 50%. By the way, trying to decide between the comp for 395 and the MX for 495. They both seem to have the same rubber but the MX is the 3:4:5 (more bouyancy) vs 1:3:5 for the Comp. Also, I would think that the entry level Comp would have been more bouyant, for beginners, etc, so not sure I understand that. But I am a slow swimmer and my current zoot is starting to show signs of old age so I am looking to replace it.
Get on their email list, if you aren’t already. They run 25% off all the time, and a few times a year they have a warehouse sale. Only catch with the warehouse sale is no returns and it might be a blemish or returned item. I rolled the dice and bought a Maverick Pro X for $250 (normally almost $1K) that fits and looked brand new.
From the land of J. Klaebo heh? Saw it on TV this year --miss the nordic FIS races on the tube! Hopefully, they’ll have them again this year.
Oh, I’m voting for the B70, if only because of the seam issues I’ve heard from so many I’ve personally talked to. Separating that is. But many don’t have that issue. When I was looking at a new suit, I interviewed on the beach about a dozen who had the Roka Mav…many of them were replacements or brand new. Replaced all due to literally coming apart at the seams but otherwise they liked the suit. So I went with the Helix and love it. Super flexible you won’t find a more sturdy suit that performs at that level.
This will be like my 4th or 5th Blue Seventy suit. Glad I stuck with them. I also use their PSTXZ swim skin.
I’m 6’3+ and 160 to 165 lbs, so finding a suit in the appropriate weight range that is long enough for the bod is the biggest challenges. It doesn’t matter how flexible the shoulders or arms are if the suit is too stretched over the length of my body.
I am the same height and weight (tall and skinny) and the Roka is the first wetsuit (out of the 4 I own and several others I have tested) that has fitted me properly.
As you mentioned, fit is one of the main factors, but the Roka wetsuit feels so much better than any other wetsuit I have tried.
Helix and Roka Maverick Elite are both great, IMO the reverse zipper is a BIG PITA! It is not easy to find people who know how to handle the zipper, particularly if you have any mass in upper body (chest/shoulders).
Had a Helix for a season, and will never by a reverse zipper again
Haha 5 year old thread.
I am also tall (197 cm) and skinny (90 kg), so partly based on the replies above (about better rotation of Roka and hence better suitability of it for an amateur swimmer, and also due to absence of comments criticizing its durability (at the time I posted my comment) and based on tables of the producers providing the size selection (my measurements fell only in the Roka’s LT) – I have chosen Roka Mav. Thermal LT. So far, only a bit of water circulating along my spine when I crawl. I also noticed that the circulation of water is lower when I take time for wearing the suite, then it sits somewhat better and circulations of water is nearly absent.
Thanks, @Rocky M for the comment! Would be really interesting to try out the B70 one day:)
A little off topic here—does BlueSeventy ever do late season big discounts like Roka? I really don’t need a new race suit, but love the Thermal Reaction I got recently and would give their top end suit a try at a more tolerable price. I’ve yet to experience any wetsuit good enough for $800.
A little off topic here—does BlueSeventy ever do late season big discounts like Roka? I really don’t need a new race suit, but love the Thermal Reaction I got recently and would give their top end suit a try at a more tolerable price. I’ve yet to experience any wetsuit good enough for $800.
In my experience they all tear so no suit is worth more than $300 to me. All it takes is clipping an overhanging tree limb at waters edge or putting it on while sweating or very cold and being in a rush. No matter how careful they will tear at some point.