After the worst winter in the history of the Canadian Prairies, it's finally warm enough to get away from the black line and begin swimming in the open water.
That said, now that I've actually done more than sit in front of the TV wearing the wetsuit I can give a review of the Roka Maverick Pro Fullsuit. But wait there's more, being trapped indoors over the winter allowed me to get very comfortable with the Roka Sim Shorts. Two reviews for the price of one, hot damn!
ROKA SIM SHORTS
These babies are to my buns as a tuxedo is to James Bond; never have I looked more dashing than I do strutting around the pool deck with my bottom half squeezed into this magical swim aid. Simply put, these shorts are a must have for any recreational swimmer looking for a little warmth on cold days, or a little lift on tired days.
During a freestyle stroke the shorts provide just enough added lift to help with body position, but not so much lift that my position became awkward. Compared to a pull buoy these shorts are light years better, your kick is not impinged at all and the lift isn't nearly as severe. They simply a nice addition to a swim on lazy days where you otherwise might not get into the pool.
Fit wise, I was in between the 30 and the 32 size with quite thick, sinky legs. I purchased a pair of each size and decided tht the 30 was ideal, so my advice is to size down on these models.
I have only two qualms I have with the shorts. The first is to be expected given the purpose of the shorts: my legs get lifted too far out of the water during breaststroke. The second issue I have is with the drawstring, it's quite substantial and can rub a sore spot into my tummy after a long swim. Not big issues, and certainly nothing that would stop me from recommending these shorts.
ROKA MAVERICK PRO FULLSUIT
Up in the Great White North the glaciers finally came off the lake about a month ago, so I've only been able to get in three open water swims averaging 6kms each, and I've done one sprint triathlon in the suit.
So far so good! I'm 5'8", 158 pounds, and have stubby legs with a 30" inseam. The medium is a grat fit for me, it fits snugly so there's very little extra water in the suit for me to lug around. After the first swim I learned where the chaffing spots were, and with some body glide on the back of the neck and backs of my arm pits I don't have any hot-spots (I did have a badass looking hicky on the back of my neck after the first sans-body glide swim however).
The open water swims were quite comfortable, but the rubber met the road with the first gruelling test of the suit: the 750m balls out sprint distance swim in the first race of the year. I lined up at the start line, well outclassed, next to a friend who had tried to race pro 70.3 races, and four or five guys on the Canadian Age Group Triathlon Team. I knew it was going to be a blistering pace if I wanted to do well. After a punch or two in the face at the start of the race I was on the heels of the super swimmers, and settled into a pace that was just one step shy of coughing up a lung in the water. I exited the swim 7 seconds in behind a guy who has been dominating local races for 20 years, and only 20 seconds in behind a local super-swimmer know for decimating the fields in the water. My swim time ended up dropping more than a minute from my previous fastest 750m race time. I was more than happy!
Bottom line, the Roka Maverick Pro Fullsuit is a comfortable, fast suit that I would recommend to anyone looking to step up to the more advanced suits in the $700-800 price category. What's more. The Roka guys are super knowledgeable and easy to access with questions, great customer service.
GO ROKA!
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