I owned a pair of the Micron hockey skates back around '80. I grew up on
Bauer skates (Black Panthers, 92's, etc.). When I got into my 20's my feet
were too wide for Bauer's anymore (to much trouble with in-grown toenails).
The Microns are the urethane (plastic) boot with an ICM blade. They were a
nice skate except that motion side to side was too restrictive. The boot
didn't pivot enough in that direction so I would "often" lose an edge and
wind up on my butt. This finally happened once during a game where I got
hurt, I went head first into the boards. The skates were retired just after
that.
Other than that the boot was great. It provided many advantages over a
leather boot. One I didn't see you mention was that it distributes the
shock from a puck much better than leather. Again this is speaking from
experience since I had some toes broken in this fashion.
After experimenting with different skates I'd buy leather because it is
still the best all around. The only real disadvantages to leather are the
break in and down aspects. They provide the most control. The next problem
is in finding a leather skate. I stay away from synthetics as much as
possible. I prefer GRAF skates. The break in period is very short. The
break down period is also short (downside). It is a very comfortable boot
and provides the most control I've found. They are rather expensive 200+
for a hockey skate, considering they won't last 3 years. An active high
school type player may only get one year out of them. For someone my age
they're perfect, I get 3 years out of a pair. It's about time for my third.
MACRO BLADES EQ/ES
From: gwm@spl1.spl.loral.com (Gary W. Mahan)
Subject: MacroBlade Equipes Review
I recently bought a pair of Macroblade Equipes(the new model). I thought I would give a little review on them as I have not seen any yet.
My main reason for buying the Equipe was shoe size. I really wanted the AeroBlades (for weight savings) but the biggest size was a 12.5 and I have a size 13 foot. Several people in this group recommended that I try the Aeros. Well I did and they were way too narrow. The Equipe boot will accomodate wider feet much better. I ended up getting the Equipe in a 30.5 (biggest size available).
I have seen several postings comparing Aeros to Equipes. From what I have read, most seem to think that Equipes are not rockerable like the Aeros. Well the Equipes I have seem to have the same rockering combinations as the Aeros. Also the Equipes have ratcheting buckles like the Aeros. The buckles on the Equipes seemed a little better.
The largest wheel that will fit is supposedly a 77 mm as opposed to 80 for the Aeros(Supposedly). The skates were equipped with 76mm 76A hyper wheels (Small hub). The bearings were ABEC1 made in singapore (same as on my lightning TRS's).
The Equipes have a cuff which allows some forward movement. However it is not hinged like a Aero. This is still hard to get use to. I almost fell backward several times because of this (although this may have been for other reasons (wheel positioning)). I consider the ankle support to be excellent compared to my lightnings.
The Equipes also seem to have wheel positioning similar to the Aeros (i.e the front whell is more forward). The front axle is lined up with the front of the boot.
The liners are very comfortable although memory foam is not used. There are holes in the liners for ventilation but these do not extend all the way through the foam.
The skates are vented like Aero's although not as much.
The skates have tremendously increased my skating ability (as opposed to lightning TRS's). I seem to be able to go much faster now. At high speeds I do not seem to have the skates wobble as much (eventhough the wheelbase difference is less than an inch). My gliding ability (1 foot) has also increased dramatically, allowing more efficient strokes.
The price on the Macroblades was $279 (Aeros were $289).
METROBLADES
-----------
From: gt0258f@prism.gatech.EDU (James Garvey)
Subject: Re: MetroBlades - review requested
In article <1993May11.221207.731@news.uiowa.edu> thieleke@icaen.uiowa.edu (Jeffrey Ray Thieleke) writes:
>
>I'm looking for people's opinions on MetroBlades - good and bad. Specifically,
>I'm interested in performance and comfort.
>
I sent out a request for info on metroblades about 2 months ago and really
didn't get much of a response. My friend is getting ready to buy a pair in
New York City and he told me that the big problem is support around the
ankles. Rollerblade puts them in their "sport" category which is supposed to
be for "thrashing". I'm not sure how much trashing you want to do in a boot
like the Metroblade. Anyway, the general consensus was get a pair of sandals
or lightweight shoes and buy a pair of skates with buckles. Then buy a
fanny pack or something like that to carry your shoes while you skate. Get
yourself a ski boot strap (handle with a loop of nylon) and carry your skates
like ski boots. Most sports stores will give you a ski boot handle for free.
Here's a few of the replies regarding the Metroblade. (Tony, I'm not sure if
you'd want to include these or not, but here they are for your review).
(original post)
>I have a friend that is getting ready to buy a pair of inline skates and is
>considering buying Rollerblade Metroblades. This is the skate that has a
>built in boot inside of it that lets you "walk" out of the skate. He's
>not planning on doing a lot of heavy duty skating, just to and from work.
>I would say that stalling and rail sliding would definitely be out!
>
>His main concern is not having to carry around a pair of shoes when he
>skates. Does anyone know anything about these skates?
I own a pair and am very happy with them, commuting to and from university
and generally around town. _I_ might recommend them, but they're the only
skates I've used for extended amounts of time (i.e., non-rentals), so I
don't have much to compare them with. I've heard other skaters (on this
board, in person, and in Inline magazine) complain that they're not really
up to snuff... that Rollerblade made too many performance degradations to
get the design to work. The design _does_ work, though. The shoes are
comfortable both inside the skates (though it hurts for a few days getting
used to how tight it needs to be to minimize wobble) and outside them (I've
hiked in the shoes.. no problem. They look like they'll last quite a while
too). Getting into and out of the skates is fast and easy.
On the other hand, even folded up the skate shell is heavy and
unwieldy, perhaps not as much as whole blades, but they can't be stuffed in
a backpack unless the backpack's pretty empty (btw, Rollerblade is offering
a free backpack -- a $50 value! *snort* -- to purchasers of Metroblades. I
haven't gotten mine yet, but I suppose the pack could be designed to carry
the blade shell easily).
If your friend is planning to use the skates for organized
recreation (i.e. hockey or half-pipes), or even for getting a bit radical
during the commute, probably a one-piece skate and a light pair of shoes
would be a better idea. I'm happy with my pair, and wouldn't trade them in
for anything, but then I always wished I had a pair of key-roller-skates or
a fold-up-bike when I was younger. I like to be portable.
