Usenet 1993 July/InfoMagic USENET CD-ROM July 1993.ISO/answers/rec-skate-faq/part4

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Subject: Rec.skate FAQ: What and Where to Buy (4/8)
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REC.SKATE FAQ - PART 4:  WHAT AND WHERE TO BUY

Table Contents
  - list of in-line mail-order places
  - After-market Add-ons
  - poles
  - ski buckle modification

================================================================================

                       LIST OF IN-LINE MAIL-ORDER PLACES
                       ---------------------------------
                           (plus some regular shops)

                           (last changed Apr 2, 1993)

General skating stuff:

Skates on Haight [phone] / Skates Off Haight [phone]
P.O. Box 170010
San Francisco, CA 94117-0010

Inline USA [phone]
419 Monterey St.
Morro Bay, CA 93442

In-line Skate Accessories (ISA) [phone]
1800 Commerce St.
Boulder, CO 80301

Roll With It [phone]
920 Manhattan Ave
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

South Windsor Arena (800) hockey1
585 John Fitch Blvd.
South Windsor, CT 06074

D-WING
1-800-44D-WING

Great Skate Hockey Supply
1-800-828-7496

Ocean Hockey Supply
1-800-631-2159


Boston area:

From: [e-mail] (Michael Dickens)

City Sports (many locations): Carries the whole line of RollerBlade,
nothing else.  You can buy a 10% discount for $10 (ask them), which can
save you $20 or $30 (depending on what you REALLY want to buy).

Zwicker's: Somewhere North of Boston, near route 3 and 128.  Best prices
but not easy to get to.  Carries RollerBlade and others; but is being
limited by RollerBlade's new policy (requiring dealers to limit
themselves to ONLY RollerBlade products or not sell the whole line).

Bob Smith's: Near Downtown Crossing, Boston.  Average prices, but
the staff Skates & is reasonably knowledgeable.

Lechmere:  CambridgeSide Galleria, Cambridge.  Carries the bottom line
models; average prices; staff is unhelpful and unknowledgeable.

NOTE:  For what you buy, you will get NO warranty (except the usual
Manufacturer's warranty).  Mail order is probably going to be as cheap
if not cheaper than the best price you can find around town, and with
the same warranty.  IMHO a good way to buy skates is to go to City
Sports and try on all the models you might want to try; possibly rent
(for $10 or $15) the skates to make sure the model and size are correct.

Then call around to the In-Line 800-number Mail Order places (see FAQ 4)
to get the best price (including shipping & time), and compare this with
the price and delay you'd pay in you local area.  Go with the one that
suits you better.


Murray Sandler's on Concord Ave in Belmont 484-5100 has inlines, quads, and ice
Ice House in Wellesley 237-6707 has quads and ice as fas as I know.
Beacon Hill skates, 482-7400 has inlines quads and ice. Ask for Chris.


Hudson Bay Inline [phone]
5405 College Avenue
Oakland, CA 94618

Courtesy Sports
4856 El Camino Real,
Los Altos, CA 94022
415-968-7970
Orders 1-800-729-1771
FAX [phone]

Northland Ice Center in Cincinnati Ohio (513) 563 - 0008.

More speed-skating oriented:

Skate Pro in S.F. [phone]
Built for Speed [phone]
SMR Sports [phone]

Competition Skates [phone]
c/o John Skelton
501 Springville Cr.
Birmingham AL 35215

Trailways Skate Rental [phone]
c/o Tom Sehlhorst
611 Palm Bluff
Clearwater FL 33515

Montrose Skate [phone]
c/o John McKay
1406 Stanford
Houston TX 77019

Shop Skate Escape [phone]
c/o Janice Phillips
1086 Piedmont Ave
Atlanta GA 30309


================================================================================

                       After-market Products for In-Line Skates
                       ----------------------------------------
                        Copyright (C) 1991 Philip A. Earnhardt

Permission is granted to copy and distribute verbatim copies this document,
provided that copies are distributed freely or with a nominal charge for the
copying medium. This copyright notice must remain attached to the document.

This document will be updated in the future; comments are welcome.  Please
send comments to: Phil Earnhardt, PO Box 7174, Boulder, CO 80306-7174.
Electronic mail can be sent to [e-mail]

OUTLINE

Introduction -- why to buy
   Safety
   Parts wear out
   Retrofit indoor compatibility
   Better performance -- NOT necessarily faster

Drive Train
   Bearings
   Wheels
   Spacers
   Brake Kits
   Brake Pads

Support
   Orthotics
   Removable/Permanent Ankle Support
   Laces and Boot Liners

Non-skate Products
   Protection
   Hockey Sticks
   Poles
   Packs and Water Bottle Carriers
   Night Lighting
   Tools for Maintenance


Introduction -- why to buy
   Safety

Many of the in-line After-market products will increase your safety.  There's
the traditional protection: helmets, knee pads, wrist guards, elbow pads.
Adding a second brake to your other skate may help improve your safety -- it
may be dangerous to wear out your only brake completely at certain points.
Getting reflectors and night lights can make dawn/dusk/night riding safer.
Carrying spare parts, tools, and other supplies with you in a pack adds a
safety margin to those long-distance trips.

   Parts wear out

If you keep using your in-lines, parts will start wearing out.  Depending on
use, brakes can wear out rapidly. Wheels and bearings will start showing signs
of wear and tear. Eventually, laces and boot liners may need replacing.

   Retrofit indoor compatibility

The newest in-line skates are "indoor compatible" -- they should cause no
damage to the floors of Skating Rinks. Kits are available to make some
existing skates rink-ready. Non-marking brakes are also becoming available.

   Better performance -- NOT necessarily faster

New wheels can give you better cornering, shock absorption, and more speed.
New bearings can make your skates faster, too. On the other hand, some new
bearings will be slower, but they will work maintenance-free for a long time.
Retrofitting old skates with ankle support may make them more comfortable for
long distances.

Drive Train
   Bearings

There is one size of bearing that's used in all in-lines: the 608 bearing.
This same bearing is used by skateboarders and in many industrial
applications; they should not be difficult to find. Traditional
in-line/skateboard bearings lines are GMN, NMB, Peer, Powell "Bones". These
are all shielded bearings -- they resist contamination, but are not sealed
against it. All of these bearings are around an "A" grade bearing -- good
speed. Of the bunch, the Powells are the most precise, they may deserve an
"AA" grade. The Powells are the easiest to maintain, since they are shielded
on only one side. They are also more expensive.

Powell manufacturers a bearing lubricant, Speed Cream. It's an emulsion with
an oil component and a grease-like component. Speed Cream gives good speed and
lasts for a long time; one small bottle will easily last for a season.
[Comments? Any oil-only recommendations? Any other grease recommendations?]

[Does someone have the information about the industrial bearing grades?]

Industrial bearings are generally more precise than the stuff used on skates.
They are also much more expensive and may not be suited for an outdoor
environment. Completely unshielded bearings are also available; they should
only be used in very clean environments.

There are also sealed bearings available: GMN, NMB and other bearings with
seals and a fairly heavy grease. These are slow bearings -- wheels will not
spin a complete revolution with sealed bearings in place. On the other hand,
they appear to be waterproof and dirt-proof. Rollerblade sells sealed bearings
under the Max Trainer name [who is Max?]. They are more expensive in the
Powell bearings, but should enjoy a long, maintenance-free life.

   Wheels

As near as I can determine, there are 2 mainline manufacturers of wheels:
Hyper and Kryptonics. These manufacturers will create custom runs of wheels
for in-line manufacturers, but they're still made by one of these guys. Jenex,
a company making roller ski products, makes a specialty wheel; see the bottom
of this section for details.

Many of the original equipment in-line wheels are inferior: they use
lower-grade wheel material and/or inferior hub design. Specifically, I don't
like the Rollerblade 608 wheels, which are also distributed as an after-market
wheel. Since these wheels are often more expensive than other recreational
replacement wheels, they should be easy to avoid.

Generally, skate runners have enough clearance for a certain maximum diameter
of wheel. Some racing skates (e.g., Zandstra Skeelers) will take wheels up to
80mm. Rollerblade's Racerblade and Aeroblade will take wheels up to 77mm --
it's expected that non-Rollerblade models will soon appear in this size. Most
everything else will take wheels up to a 72.5mm diameter.

Wheels are available in a variety of hardnesses; these are described by a
100-point "A" scale where 100 is the hardest wheel. In general, the fastest
speeds will be attained on a smooth track with the hardest wheels.
Unfortunately, most surfaces are not smooth enough for hard wheels; the softer
wheels will give a much smoother ride on rougher surfaces. A reasonable
hardness tradeoff is around a 78A wheel; some may prefer an 82A wheel. Some
skaters will use slightly harder wheels on the front and back of the skate
with softer wheels in the middle.

Currently, Kryptonics markets 3 lines of wheels: recreational, hockey, and
racing. The recreational wheels are 70mm in diameter; 78A, 82A, and 85A
hardness are available. These are good all-around recreational wheels; they
are also the cheapest in the Kryptonics line.

The hockey wheels are available only in 70mm 82A. Besides being good hockey
wheels, they have good cornering because there's a large surface in contact
with the surface. These are the widest wheels that are available for in-lines.

The racing, or Turbo Core, wheels are available in 3 sizes: 72.5mm, 77mm, and
80mm. They're available in 3 hardnesses 74A, 78A, and 82A. (Note: availability
of the 72.5mm wheels is currently very limited; the first runs were only
distributed in an 78A hardness). These are great wheels for most anything --
the hub design minimizes mass, but gives a good connection between the outer
wheel and the bearing. These are the wheels that most racers used in 1991.
They are a bit more expensive.

Hyper makes "normal" and "ultralight" wheels. As near as I can tell, there's
never a reason to go with the "normal" wheels; the "ultralight" guys are
plenty strong. Hyper wheels are available in 72mm, 76mm, and 80mm. The 80mm
wheels are available in 75A, 78A, and 82A. The 72mm and 76mm wheels are
available in 78A, 82A, 85A, and 93A. Unless under another label (e.g., Bauer
wheels are made by Hyper), these wheels are fairly difficult to find; some
mail-order shops carry them. The one obvious advantage over the Krypto skates
would be to use the hard 93A wheels on banked speed-skating tracks (of which
there are 2 in the whole USA! Sigh.).

Jenex, Inc., a company that makes roller ski products, is selling in-line
wheels intended for cross-country ski training. The wheels are 70mm 82A nylon
reinforced with glass fibers. The company has been successful with this wheel
chemistry on roller skis; it should work well for in-lines.

Included with each wheel is a pair of "dual contact type" seals "the most
effective seals available" (from their glossy). These sound like the Max
Trainer bearings available from Rollerblade. A pair of 2 wheels with bearings
has a MSRP of $28.95. This is a bit steep, but not completely outrageous if
they significantly outlast normal wheels and bearings.

Jenex recommends using only 2 of these wheels on each skate, leaving normal
wheels in the inner positions. For folks who like to maximize their workout
(i.e. outrageously slow skates), put a set of 4 on each skate.

The number for Jenex is [phone]. (Amherst, NH, USA).

   Spacers

Most skates have a solid axle -- typically, a bolt -- running through the
center of the wheel. The axle should have a tight fit with the wheel's spacer
-- the small plastic tube that's sandwiched between the two bearings.

Several companies are manufacturing integrated axle/spacer systems.  The
spacers are machined aluminum shaped like a plastic spacer on the outside.
Inside, they are threaded; the kits include pairs of bolts that screw into
each side of the kits. Some of the kits include replacement parts to the
Rollerblade oval spacers.

The spacer kits appear to make wheels spin a bit better; this may be because
the metal spacer cannot be compressed, eliminating a pre-load on the bearings.
[Alternate theories are welcomed.]  The kits generally have much smaller bolt
heads; such heads should make the skates much more acceptable to indoor rink
operators. [Question: are bolts on the Blading Edge kit somehow mounted flush
to the runners?  (i.e. no possibility of the bolt heads damaging rink
surfaces).]

Spacer kits are available from some mail-order shops and some skating
retailers. These kits cost anywhere from $20 to $40.

   Brake Kits

Virtually all in-line skates come with at least one brake. Some come with two.
All Rollerblade skates and some other brands sell a brake kit. These allow you
to mount a brake on the other skate.

A second brake gives an added margin of safety -- if the first brake fails
(e.g., wears out, etc.), the second is available. Aesthetically, a second
brake makes braking a symmetrical activity. If you're adept at using a single
brake, you will have an interesting experience teaching yourself how to
effectively use the "other" brake.

   Brake Pads

For Rollerblade skates, there are 3 types of brake pads available: standard,
TRS, and polyurethane. Standard brakes tend to be fairly screechy and wear out
the fastest. TRS brakes, which come in gray, last much longer and don't
screech as much. They're more expensive than standard brakes. Polyurethane
brakes, which come in bright blue and pink, last about as long as TRS brakes.
They don't screech at all.  They're also non-marking. This may be a feature if
you use your skates at rinks; it may be a non-feature if you're into macho
brake marks.  Poly brakes are about the same price as TRS brakes.

Rollerblade brakes sell anywhere from $3-$5 each.

[I don't know anything about non-rollerblade brake pads.]


Support
   Orthotics

Generally, orthotics are used to neutralize any sideways lean in your feet.
When in a neutral stance, boots should be nvertical. For most people their
feet are slightly angled inwards or outwards.

For edging sports like skiing, it's vital that a neutral position yields a
flat ski; a proper orthotic can make a huge difference. Since in-lines lack
distinct edges, their value is a bit less on skates. On the other hand, a
ski-boot orthotic may well serve double-duty in your in-line skates.

Ski shops and some footwear shops sell orthotics; good ones will cost anywhere
from $50 - $150. These are a serious investment, but the payback for better
improvement may be large.

   Removable/Permanent Ankle Support

Newer in-line skates (e.g. Rollerblade TRS Lightning, Bauer XT-7, etc.) have a
ski-like buckle at the ankle. Such support usually gives recreational skaters
added support and control.

Rollerblade markets a pair of nylon straps with velcro connectors; give good
support, but they are a bit expensive. Equally effective are nylon straps with
holes and a simple buckle design. If you really want buckles, there's a brand
of ratcheting toe straps available from Performance bike. Other types of
bicycle toe straps may work too, provided they're long enough.

Many of these straps will fit in-between the two lace guides on the top of the
boot. Remember to put the fastening device for the strap on the outside of the
boot. This will minimize the possibility of hitting the other boot.

Some companies are selling After-market ratchet kits for lace-only skates. The
advantage over the removable straps is that they won't be lost. Unfortunately,
these work poorly. First, the pawl must be put on the inside of the boot --
there's no boot shell in front. This increases the chance of hitting the other
boot while skating. The ratchet lever must also be farther forward, increasing
the chance that it will spontaneously open while skating. Without radical boot
surgery, an add-on ratchet kit will perform poorly.

   Laces and Boot Liners

I've had good experience with thicker laces -- they allow you to crank tighter
and seem to more resistant to failure. The Crazy Legs brand works very well
and is available in a variety of bright colors.

Eventually, the springy material in boot liners will become permanently
compressed. Rollerblade sells boot liners for their skates; other
manufacturers probably do, too. [Any info??]

Non-skate Products
   Protection

There are three pieces of "primary" protection: helmets, wrist guards, and
knee pads. Head injuries are relatively rare, but their consequences are often
extreme. An ANSI- or snell-approved bike helmet will give proper projection.
Make sure to have the straps properly adjusted and have the helmet "flat" on
the head -- most of your forehead should be covered by the helmet.

Wrist guards will keep the wrist from bending too far backwards during a fall.
The Rollerblade TRS guards are excellent wrist guards. There are many other
brands of wrist guards available from the Skateboard manufacturers -- Dr. Bone
Savers (or DBS), Rector, etc.

Knee pads will allow your knee to slide if it hits the ground during a fall;
they can also distribute the force of impact somewhat. Again, the Rollerblade
TRS and DBS knee pads are very good -- they have a large, smooth, riveted
surface. Avoid the waffle-shaped Rollerblade Bladerunner knee pads -- they
will fail after a few dozen falls.

There are several types of "secondary" protection: elbow pads, gloves, a thick
pair of pants, a rear-view mirror.

   Hockey Sticks

[I haven't got a clue. Help!]

   Poles

Using skating skiing poles can add an upper-body workout to your skate
sessions. Double-poling without skating can make your profile quite narrow, a
possible safety enhancement on narrow sections of road. On the other hand,
poles only work well on asphalt surfaces -- the tips will skid on concrete
trails. Also, poles greatly increase your length and are poorly-understood by
other path users. I recommend their usage only on low-volume paved
trails/roads.

Since in-line skates increase your height more than x-c skis, a slightly
longer pole may be needed. Also, remove the pole's basket and replace it with
a ferrule specially made for road use -- both Swix and Excel make these for
their poles.

Sharp tips and good form are crucial. If the wrist is bent backwards on each
stroke, it's possible to aggravate the hand ligaments running through the
Carpal Tunnel. Some of the new ski pole handles -- particularly the Swix "T"
handle -- can help minimize this danger.

   Packs and Water Bottle Carriers

Around 1985, Ultimate Direction began marketing the first waist belt water
bottle carriers. These are available in a variety of sizes -- from a tiny
8-ounce bottle carrier to a 2500 cubic inch backpack.  Several of the packs'
bottle carriers can be zipped completely shut, which helps to keep fluids hot
or cold longer. UD's water bottles are waterproof when closed.

At 1500 cubic inches, UD's Voyager pack is an excellent pack for the
commuting/long-distance skater. The suspension of the pack keeps the load low
and minimizes interferance with the skating stroke. A clever layout of the
shoulder straps prevents chafing under the arms when using poles. Skates can
be lashed to the bottom of the pack when you get where you're going.  Finally,
this pack is useful for all types of other activities -- day hikes, downhill
skiing, x-c skiing, biking, etc.

There are many other brands of fanny packs with water bottle carriers.  Many
of these brands have reasonable quality; almost all cost less than the UD
fanny packs. For a fanny pack, the Mountainsmith day packs have a large
capacity, but they lack a water bottle holster.

   Night Lighting

Two companies make first-class helmet headlights for night skating: Night Sun
and Night Rider. These two-bulb systems both have halogen lights with a
variety of wattages (5-30) available. They qualify as "see lights" -- they
output enough light to allow you to see with no other lighting source.
Typical bulb selection is for a high and low beam.

The Night Sun system uses a custom battery that's manufactured in a standard
bicycle watter bottle case; this works well with the water bottle carriers
described above. The Night Rider system's battery has a molded shell that fits
against the back. It comes with a custom fanny pack that holds the battery.
Both systems are around $200.

A much lower-cost option is the Underwater Kinetics mini-Q40 flashlight.  This
light uses 4 AA batteries in a 2x2 configuration and a very efficient xenon
bulb; it almost qualifies as a "see" light. It fits comfortably in the hand or
can be mounted on a wrist with a nylon strap. This light sells for about $20
at SCUBA shops. Consider carrying a backup set of batteries with you.

For tail lights, the clip-on version of the Vistalight works fairly well. It
has 4 LEDs that flash several times a second; the light will work for several
hundred hours (!) on a pair of AA batteries. There's also a Sanyo leg-strap
light with a low-efficiency incandescent bulb and a single non-flashing LED to
the rear. This light can be turned into a high-efficiency tail light by
removing (or just unscrewing) the bulb.  A solid LED strapped to a leg
probably gives a better sense of distance than flashing LEDs clipped to the
waist.  Both the Vistalight and the Sanyo light are available from Performance
Bike Shops.

Bike stores sell a variety of reflective vests, triangles, and self-adhesive
reflector kits. Reflective patches can be added to helmets, and skates, and
poles.

   Tools for Maintenance

For skates with one or two hex bolts per axle, a socket wrench can make wheel
maintenance easier; shops generally use battery-powered tools for speed.

Running a vacuum cleaner around the wheels after each use can remove dirt
before it gets into the bearings.

For skating poles, a DMT diamond whetstone will keep the ferrules nice and
sharp.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Phil Earnhardt        [e-mail]
Netwise, Inc.         Boulder, CO  [phone]

================================================================================


POLES
-----

From: [e-mail] (Phil Earnhardt)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 6 Feb 92 21:14:02 GMT

There are two main issues with using poles. First, if you're using poles on
"bike trails," I recommend against their use if there is any appreciable
amount of other traffic. Pedestrians, cyclists, and other skaters don't
understand the motion of poles and won't know how to safely interact with you.
High traffic also limits a full-commit-asymmetrical-pole-plant style -- the
*real* fun stuff to be doing with poles.

If you're on a "bike lane" or are mixing it up with regular automobile
traffic, I had no problem with the use of poles.

The second issue is a technical one -- you can't effectively use ski pole tips
on concrete surfaces. They work great on asphalt, but poorly on harder stuff.
They skid off the surface unless you're using an unnatural amount of force on
the tips. This excessive force is poor technique and can lead to injury. From
someone who skated real close to having CTS, I recommend avoiding hard
surfaces.

I used poles for years in Boston. After I moved to Boulder, I use them rarely.
In Boulder, the major trails are all concrete. Also, the human density on
those trails is prohibitively high. I use my poles when I'm not skating
locally.


Poles are fairly durable. The only time I lost one was when I did a pole plant
into a storm drain. Aluminum ones are OK; composite poles will transmit a bit
less of the road vibration back to you. I really like the Swix "T" handles --
I have a pair of the Swix Skatelite Aluminum poles for on-snow (and occasional
in-line) skating.

Never ever attempt to use the poles for slowing down -- either you will fail,
or bad things will happen when you succeed.

If you need some instruction on pole technique, pick up Lee Borowsky's booklet
_The Simple Secrets of Skating_. 'Tis an excellent book on x-c skate skiing.

Benefits? Besides the obvious upper-body conditioning stuff, you also get much
more variety in your skating. You can mix up all sorts of poling patterns with
your normal skate strokes. If you want to go into gorilla mode, you can glide
with your skates, pushing yourself solely with your poles. This is a good
technique if you encounter some terrain that requires you to have a narrow
profile. As noted earlier, going full-out with asymmetrical pole plants is a
sport unto itself.


From: [e-mail] (Michael Babineau)
Subject: Re: Rollerblade Ski Poles?
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 25 Apr 92 02:48:11 GMT

In article <[e-mail]>,
[e-mail] (DAve.) writes:
|> Does anyone who uses the Rollerblade Ski Pole like things have any comments
|> to make regarding:

1) I assume that you are referring to XC Ski Skating practice.
   Rollerblades provide a good simulation of XC Ski Skating however
   you'll find that you go somewhat faster with less effort than you
   will on snow. To ensure you get a good workout, find someplace
   with lots of nice paved hills.

2) When skating with poles on the local recreation paths I normally
   don't pole when overtaking or meeting pedestrians or cyclists,
   the sight of poles going up and down seems to strike fear in
   the hearts of many.

3) Like XC-ski skating you shouldn't find that your arms are sore
   at the end of the day. If they are you are relying on your poles too
   much ... remember that all the power is in your legs.
   Also be carefull of how hard you pole, otherwise you'll find that
   your elbows get sore, you don't get the same sort of cushoning
   effect that you do on snow.

   You will find that you do get a better workout with poles because
   of the arm action.

4) Personally, I don't use the Rollerblade poles. I just take the tips
   off of my regular Skating poles by softening up the glue under hot
   running water, then I glue on carbide tips (should be available
   in your local XC-Ski shop) using a glue gun. The carbide tips give a
   good grip on pavement and won't get dull like normal steel tips.
   Polling can be tricky on concrete.


BUCKLES
-------

From: [e-mail] (Daniel Fay)
Subject: Buckles for MacroBlades...finally
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 14:11:27 GMT

I have been finally able to find buckles to replace my velcro straps....
they are the same as the ones on the TRS.  They are available from
Skate City Supply Inc., PO Box 379, Ceder Crest NM 87008...505-294-6699
No catalog...but they seem to carry everything and anything.

It is about $19 for a pair...and they even send all the rivets and washers.
The guy on the phone said they import the buckles into the country, and most
everone else gets the buckles from them.  For the MacroBlades all you have
to do is pop the rivets out on the current buckles and use the same holes
for the new buckles and rivets.  On the other side you have to drill a hole
in the plastic for the other rivet.  Pretty simple...as long as you have a
rivet gun.

Also, Skate City said they were going to be moving away from carrying
Rollerblades and move to Roces (the company that manufactures RB's stuff).
One of the main reasons was that they are cheaper and come with Hyper wheels
instead of the 608's.

Finally I can break free from those Velcro straps....

dan


=END OF PART 4==================================================================