In 2006 BlueSeventy added the Reaction Sleeveless Triathlon wetsuit to its range of water sport equipment. For almost a decade now this model has remained in the top wetsuits of choice for the competitive triathlete. The BlueSeventy Reaction Sleeveless Wetsuit is sculpted from premium 39 cell Yamamoto rubber, offering very good comfort and excellent all-round performance.
The suit offers good buoyancy, thanks to the cleverly designed format of panel placement in the suit. BlueSeventy use 5mm neoprene panels on the hips and lower torso, centralizing the core buoyancy and thereby elevating the position of the swimmers hips in relation to the rest of the body. (To learn why that’s important, checkout our article on Body Position.) The resulting lift helps maintain a good body position, minimizing drag as the swimmer cuts through the water. This is further supported by 5mm side panels placed laterally along the rear hip section, which again create lift, this time to aid the swimmer’s body rotation and balance.
BlueSeventy uses slightly thinner neoprene panels for the upper half of the body. Bilateral 4mm chest side panels support the swimmer’s upper body, while 3mm “VO2” panels cover the swimmer’s central chest. These thinner panels make sure that the arms and shoulders aren’t too high in the water to be effective.
The Reaction Sleeveless Wetsuit features patented Reactive Stretch Technology (RST) which combines with Yamamoto’s Super Composite Skin (SCS) coating to create good mobility and flex. This allows the body joints to move freely. The Super Composite Skin coating repels the water, which also adds to the drag reduction qualities of this suit.
The single seam tube construction of the legs not only gives freedom of motion during swimming but also allows for rapid release during the first transition. The 2mm knee panels ensure no nasty uncomfortable behind knee bunching and gives great freedom of movement on the transition run. The Reaction Sleeveless Wetsuit is also customer adjustable. The legs are internally taped giving you the option to cut the legs to the required height without damaging suit functionality in anyway.
Over the last 20 years, BlueSeventy have made a big effort to use buyer feedback to make changes where needed and this suit is a perfect example as it includes their Lowered Collar feature, which has now been adopted as an industry standard. The closing flap curves away from the neck, creating less height, in turn creating less chaffing and irritation.
The side panels, chest panels and Aquaseal silicone cuff technology combine to offer an excellent seal, to prevent water from filling the suit. Overall it is easy to see why this is such a popular choice. The suit is available in mens sizes, X-Small, Small, Small Tall, Medium, Medium Tall, Medium/Large, Large, X-Large.
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