I’ve decided on a Roka Maverick wetsuit, if it fits. Now it’s down to the choice between the Comp and the Elite. The difference seems to be the rubber with the Comp having Smoothskin and the Elite having SCS. I want to get the one that’s most durable even if the other is faster.
Can anyone tell me about the difference in the two suits? And about the durability of the Roka suits?
I’ve worn my maverick pro in 5 races over 2 years. I wore an x-terra vector pro for a similar period prior to getting the Maverick. I don’t have a single tear or hole in my maverick. I had to patch a dozen in the xterra. I used wetsuit strippers at races for both. My n=1 experince, the Roka is way better built than the Xterra.
Thanks, what can you tell me about size? I’m 6’0, 170 with 72 inch wingspan and 32 inch pants inseam. I could go MT or M and Roka says go with the smallerone; M. Waht do you think?
6’0 - 33 inch inseam. 40 chest. I actually squeeze into a small/tall. I like to race at 162, have been closer to 170 this season. I can’t zip it by myself, but it fits great once on. Wingspan like 73 or so. For you - medium or Small Tall as well.
Xterra Vector Pro is very easily torn compared to the Xterra Vortex.
Just ordered a Roka elite, hope it’s as durable as you described.
For as supple as the Roka rubber is, it is very durable. The only difference for me is a slight difference in stretch when removing the wetsuit. Pro is easiest I think. I’ve tried the comp and it’s really nice.
I would go MT. Medium is only for girth, but you will likely like the extra length in the tall.
I’m 5’9" and wear a small tall. The tall still needs to be worked up through the groin and up to the pits.
Can’t speak to the Comp or the Elite, but I have swum in the ocean with the Maverick Pro 1-2x per week for over a year and haven’t had any issues with tears in the rubber. The only problem I had was a broken zipper, completely my fault, which was a quick $20 repair at the local wetsuit shop. On a dollar-per-swim basis, it’s actually been the cheapest wetsuit I’ve owned since others seemed to fall apart much more quickly.
The majority of tri wetsuits use Yamamoto SCS surface material. So differences in susceptibility to fingernail tears would have to be a function of how flexible the underlying neoprene was. Xterra has a bad rep for tearing, but are people suggesting it uses more flexible neoprene?
6’0 - 33 inch inseam. 40 chest. I actually squeeze into a small/tall. I like to race at 162, have been closer to 170 this season. I can’t zip it by myself, but it fits great once on. Wingspan like 73 or so. For you - medium or Small Tall as well.
Im 6’0 32inseam 172lbs and use a Roka MT, I find the fit tight but no to tight, if you know what I mean. Before I had a Profile M and it was to tight.
Not sure if you already bought your suit but TriSports.com has the Roka wetsuits on sale for 50% off right now.
I’m coming off a second season with my Xterra Vendetta suit and I’m honestly disappointed. The fit was good but through getting fitter the top half loosened up and then I noticed at my last race of the year there was plenty of tears, rips and little gashes in the suit. I’ve honestly taken good care cleaning and soaking the suit but will admit to not being a wetsuit patching kind of guy. With the 50% off sale Roka has got going on I’m really investigating the Maverick Elite/Pro. Going to a local shop to try them on rather than ordering online like I did with the Xterra.
In the end I’ve heard nothing but praise for all the Roka branded product that have been coming out. Having used the SIM shorts, the series of goggles I can attest to quality craftsmanship they pride themselves on. And to boot Jennifer in Customer Support has been a delightful individual to deal with when I’ve had questions, concerns or issues.
6’0 - 33 inch inseam. 40 chest. I actually squeeze into a small/tall. I like to race at 162, have been closer to 170 this season. I can’t zip it by myself, but it fits great once on. Wingspan like 73 or so. For you - medium or Small Tall as well.
Im 6’0 32inseam 172lbs and use a Roka MT, I find the fit tight but no to tight, if you know what I mean. Before I had a Profile M and it was to tight.
I’m the same size and have used a MT in the Pro. I had one for almost 2 years, one small tear, but then this spring had a seam tear open. Roka was great about the warranty (2 years). I got it at TS so I had to return there, they inspected it and saw it was a seam failure and shipped me a brand new suit. I just got a sleeveless in the 50% sale.
One small thing, with the Pro the arm cuffs are banded which makes it tough to get over a watch. The Elite has no such cuffs.
Not sure if you already bought your suit but TriSports.com has the Roka wetsuits on sale for 50% off right now.
Thanks or the heads up. I just bought one.
I’ve worn my maverick pro in 5 races over 2 years. I wore an x-terra vector pro for a similar period prior to getting the Maverick. I don’t have a single tear or hole in my maverick. I had to patch a dozen in the xterra. I used wetsuit strippers at races for both. My n=1 experince, the Roka is way better built than the Xterra.
Can you share how the Maverick Pro fit you compared to the Vector pro? I’ve been in the Vector pro for a few years and every time i swim, i just can’t breathe in that thing! Something about it just doesn’t seem right to me. The sizing is correct too.
I’ve worn my maverick pro in 5 races over 2 years. I wore an x-terra vector pro for a similar period prior to getting the Maverick. I don’t have a single tear or hole in my maverick. I had to patch a dozen in the xterra. I used wetsuit strippers at races for both. My n=1 experince, the Roka is way better built than the Xterra.
I’m pretty sure both the Xterra Vector Pro and Vortex use Yamamoto SCS skins (I think the more delicate, but also faster, Nano-SCS material is used in the Vendetta), and the neoprene to which those skins are bonded is almost certainly less flexible than the neoprene Roka uses for the Mavericks, which also use SCS skins, so I have a hard time explaining how the Xterras would be more susceptible to tearing than the Rokas. Are you sure you’re not just being more careful with the Roka?
When I see people with lots of wetsuit tears, I assume they don’t know how to put a delicate tri wetsuit on. I find a combination of two things avoids tears: 1) pull up from the inside, not the outside, i.e. grab a roll of wetsuit material and use that to pull the suit up your legs, up into your crotch, onto your arms, etc. 2) use gloves, a plastic bag, or a swim cap over your hand to shield the outer skin of the wetsuit from your fingernails. I find a swim cap works wonderfully for this purpose, because it’s grippy and sticks to the wetsuit skin, while perfectly protecting the suit from fingernails, plus by definition you always have one around when it’s needed.
I’m 5’10, 168 lbs, swimmer’s build. I fit a Xterra Vortex and Vector Pro ML and a solid M in the Roka Maverick Elite. I’m at the top end of the size range on the Roka chart and the suit both fits well and feels minimally constraining. The snugness does mean it’s a bit of a pain to put on, but totally worth the hassle. The size chart, plus Roka’s outstanding customer service, should easily help you choose the correct size–and exchange it later if necessary.
@andrejs - to be fair, I drastically sized down for the Roka vs. my Vector Pro. i went from Medium to small tall. HOWEVER - despite sizing down, I have more flexibility in the Maverick, which I attribute to it being the better suit. roka has a great try/test/ return policy. Try it out first hand.
@Niccolo - me being more careful may have something to do with it. However - wetsuit strippers aren’t as delicate as the owners, and I’ve used each suit for multiple races with strippers. The Roka has just lasted better over a similar amount of use. Again N=1.
Also - the Maverick pro comes at a $$ premium vs. the Vector Pro, which is very easy to get on the cheap. I think the suit is worth that premium, but I’m not the average swimmer. I’m a decent fish.
I hear you, and Xterra suits do have a widespread reputation for poor durability. And anecdotally, I see way more torn Xterras than torn anything else. But since they are mostly made of the same or more durable materials than many other suits, this seems odd to me, but maybe there’s some nuance of manufacturing, or of the materials, that I’m missing.
More generally, the Roka suits are superb. Other suits feel more like a slab of neoprene to me, whereas my Roka feels more like a second skin, and one differentiated thoughtfully in terms of its parts.
Amen.
Truthfully - my times aren’t significantly faster in the Roka vs. the Xterra. However, - it’s way more comfortable, and therefore I swim easier to get to the same spot. Saves me loads of energy in efficiency.
Went from a TYR cat5 which was VERY fragile to the Mav Pro which is a dream to swim in and super durable!
D