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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS);faqs.499



[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==================================================================
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From: [e-mail] (Tony Chen)
Subject: rec.skate Frequently Asked Questions (Part 5 of 7)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Followup-To: rec.skate
Sender: [e-mail] (Tony Chen)
Supersedes: <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Tony Chen)
Organization: University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
References: <[e-mail]>
Date: Sun, 6 Dec 1992 21:24:06 GMT
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Expires: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 06:00:00 GMT
Lines: 1050

Posted-By: auto-faq 1.23
Archive-name: rec-skate-faq/part5


REC.SKATE FAQ - PART 5:  SKATE REVIEWS

Table Contents
  - In-line skate reviews

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

                              IN-LINE SKATE REVIEWS
                              ---------------------
                         (as compiled from alt/rec.skate)

NOTE: This collection of "reviews" was culled from articles posted in
alt.skate (now defunct) and rec.skate, dating from May 1991.  While these
articles include many facts and first-hand experience, much of the text here
is necessarily opinion. Also realize that the in-line market is changing
rapidly, so prices and specifications are likely to be out of date.


Table of contents
-----------------
 Zetras, Riedell, other low-end skates
 Roller Derbys
 Bauers
 California Pro
 Ultra Wheels Gretzky Wings
 Switch-It
 Aeroblade (Rollerblade)
 Racing skates


I'd at least consider getting the "Reidell 601 Extreme!" skates (or possibly
other Reidell models) over the R-blade Lightnings.  Although I haven't tried
on a pair, their wheels (Hypers) appear to be far superior to the slow,
spongy, Rollerblade Kryptonics 608s that come on the lightnings (though I've
heard the version on the TRS are a bit better than those on the regular
lightning due to a bigger hub).  The one local store I know of here that
carries the Reidells (Beacon Hill Skate) sells them for about $175.  They
look like pretty decent skates.

David B Rosen, Cognitive & Neural Systems         Internet: [e-mail]

-----

Riedell 601 Extremes from Skates On Haight, San Francisco. $175.

These have the top clasp/buckle like the Lightning TSR's.
The design of the boot was aided by Olson (the founder of Rollerblades).
You cannot adjust the height of the wheels like you can on the Lightnings.
The wheels are supposedly fast (I say supposedly because I as a beginner
can't really say that fer-sure, I can say I did move fair distances without a
lot of effort).

The boot is supposed to breath better and be better designed than the 608's.
I found both the Reidell boot and the 608 to feel the same (in terms of
comfort)(standing in the store)

I also brought wrist/hand guards (slammers(?)) and knees pads (~$17 ea) and
they have already paid for themselves (I've only fallen once so far but
when I did it was hard).

The help I got in making the decision from SOH was very good. Another place
was nice to me was Courtesy Sports in Los Altos ( $179.99 with a 10% back if
you find them advertised cheaper). The worst place was Big-5, Stevens Creek,
San Jose ("They're more expensive so they have to be better.") Everybodyelse
(where I went in person) was imbetween.
Nuevo Color (San Mateo) were very nice on the phone (608's $179)

Any Mountain and Tri City are not cheap (608's: $185-$199) (even with their
sale price)

Nobody in this area tended to stock the Baur(?) or the Ultra Wheels Classics
mentioned in August Consumer Reports (A lot of people have the Ultra Wheels
Skate Attrck 2000's which compared to the Lightnings and the Reidell is *very*
uncomfortable), and nobody had their price for the RollerBlade Lightnings.

On the personal side, I found the orthopedic pads for my flat feet do help, and
that because of my 'knocked-knees' my stance is slightly wider than that of
most people I've seen skating, but it really has affected my balance like I
thought it would (sometimes I do find myself pushing the outside edges of my
feet against the boot).

Anyway, all I have to do now is learn how to turn quickly enough to avoid the
oncoming brick wall (that probably won't make the Skate boarders happy :))
(SOH also has skate boards).

If I didn't get back to you personally, sorry, thanks for all you help and
answers,

Winston.

-----

SonH is still alive and well. SoffH is just their mail-order branch.

The only warning about SoH is that there appears to be some bad blood between
them and Rollerblade. They will steer you away from Rollerblade products (and,
mostly, toward SwitcHit products). They bash Rollerblade's Aeroblade, calling
it technically inferior, which is wrong.

>I've only ice skated a little, but I've been thinking about buying ice
>skates, then I saw SwitcHits.  Anybody know if they're OK as ice skates?
>I guess they're hockey blades, which I'm not sure I'd want if I'm into
>figure skating.

The SwitcHit blades indeed have a hockey blade rock. I don't know why they
couldn't do figure skate blades, though. You might want to call SwitcHit
and ask. They have an 800 number.

SwitcHit says that several NHL players have gone with SwitcHit. What these
players have done is put SwitcHit blade mounts on their boots. These players
don't use SwitcHit's boots.

The Consumer Reports one-page article is very good. I think virtually all of
their comments are right on target. The main problems were in coverage -- they
didn't include Riedell or SwitcHit skates or Rollerblade's Aeroblade in the
evaluation.  Also, they just mentioned replacement wheels in passing, but
didn't mention any particular brands.

I believe this thread started with a query about inexpensive Rollerblade
mail-order sources. First off, it appears as if most mail-order operations
cannot sell the upper part of the Rollerblade line. The dividing line appears
to be at the Lightning TRS. If you want the Aero, Racer, or TRS, you may not
be able to find it via mail-order. There are limitations on what shops can
discount these upper skates, too.

I like to support local shops that give good service. You may be able to do
some bargaining with a local shop on accessories that you buy along with your
skates, etc. Just remember that it costs money to provide good service!  If a
local shop charges high prices but doesn't give good service, don't support
them. It may be useful to tell them why you're going elsewhere. The best ways
to get support for local skating is to vote with your $$$ at shops that are
doing good things.

Phil Earnhardt          [e-mail]

-----

Just for the sake of expanding our inline horizons 8-) a friend and I
headed out to a Pelican sports/pool store out on Rt.22 (in NJ) to scout
the non-Rollerblade inline skates. Two main non-RB lines they had
available were RollerDerby and Bauer.

First the RollerDerbys

Sonic2000's ($150 list):
   Boots cut low in front, but high in back, with laces and a buckle (ala the
Lightning TRS) and small wheels (didn't say anywhere, but looked like 70mm,80A)
My friend and I didn't even bother trying on these skates after we noticed
that the plastic runners with their plastic connecting pins going from the
left runner to the right weren't holding the runners very well.  We could
press each runner inward and the pins would snap in where they should've.

South Coast ($250 list):
   A three-buckle skate, looks lots like the Macroblade, but in a hideous
hot-pink (liner)/black (boot)/yellow-n-orange (trim/accents) color combo.
Wheels weren't marked again, but looked like 70mm 80A.  Spinning the wheels
with the skates upside-down gave about 3 or 4 turns, which was pretty
surprising.  Anyway, the liner was okay, but for some reason in the bottom
they were packed with a rubbery insole.  After taking them out, we felt much
more comfortable in the skates.  I'd rate the liners comparable to the TRS's.
Although this was an all-buckle skate the buckles looked like they were cast
from a cheap mold.  A far cry from the buckles on the Aeroblade.  But all in
all, the buckles held pretty snug.

TK4000's ($300 list):
   Also a three-buckle skate, all black.  I assumed the wheels were like those
of the other Rollerderbys.  Bearings much better than the Sonic2000's.  The
liners were again packed with the rubber insole, but after removing those, we
found that the liners were pretty good, much like the Macros.  The buckles
still looked cheaply made though.  Good snug fit, but still short of the Macros.
A moderate skate, but definitely not worth $300.

All the Rollerderby skates have a really small brake pad on the right
skate.  It's only about 3/4 inches thick!  The material was really, really
hard plastic though, not the rubber kind.  As a whole, I'd recommend against
buying this brand, if only for the reason that your money would be much better
spent on other brands (isn't that the only reason? 8-)  The store did have the
RD skates marked down pretty low though.  The sonics were going for $99,
the SCoast for $170ish, and the TK4000s for like $240.


The next brand was Bauer

The Bauer naming is kinda confusing with all those X's 8-) but anyway...

X/3 ($120 list):
   All laces, shiny grey boot with black in places.  70mm wheels.  Probably
78A.  We didn't try these on, but hey, they're the low end skates, go figure.

XF/3,Freestyle ($180 list):
   All laces, shiny grey boot with black, 72mm 78A wheels.  Again we didn't
try these out, but looks like it was comparable to the Lightning 608s or
Zetra303s (I know, there's a difference, but just as a guess.)

XS/5,Street ($200 list):
  All laces again, with a shiny black boot.  Came with neon yellow 72mm 78A
wheels too.  My friend tried them out.  Good liner, but laces are laces
and they take time so my friend kinda said "nah..." 8-)  Anyway, a good
skate,  good bearings, good fit.

XT/7,Trainer ($300 list):
  This skate was amazing. (Well, after trying the Rollerderby skates,
these were relatively amazing 8-).  The boot is shiny black, cut low with
laces and a great buckle on the cuff.  Wheels were 72mm 78A, the
bearings were Germans I believe.  The liner was like sinking your feet
into a pillow.  Very cushy, very snug.  As much as I hate to admit
it 8-), the liners were probably better than my Aeroblade liners.  Even
rolling around on the carpeted floor, the skates felt *very* fast.  If
they weren't so durn expensive, I'd grab a pair.  One important thing to
notice is that the front wheel is set a good deal forward, even farther
than the Aeroblade front wheel is.  The front wheel's bolt is practically
under the front end of the boot.  Good for speed I suppose, but definitely
a different feel from all the other skates.  It was really too bad this
Pelican store didn't have Racers (like the another one did) so I could
compare.

The Bauer skates all had rubbery brakes, slanted at an angle so that you
could effectively lift your brake foot to lift.  Rollerblade brakes,
when new are parallel to the ground, which makes it a tad bit harder to
brake easily.  The Bauer brakes were a little thin though.  About half
as thick as Rollerblade brakes, so they might wear faster.

Anyway, hope this little review is useful to people looking to buy skates.

Note: the prices above are probably on the high side.  Pelican is
notorious for outrageous prices, so you'd probably be able to get a
pretty good deal at other stores.

(When we have time, we'll head out to the other and better Pelican store.
They not only have the entire Rollerblade line-up, in every color, but they
also have Ultra Wheels and SwitcHits skates.)

-Tony Chen
 [e-mail]

-----

Y'all ready for some Bauer hype and jargon? 8-)  I got the Bauer brochure a
couple of weeks ago.  Why didn't I think of copying every word down for you
folks to read? (NO comments 8-) 8-)

I'll provide a quick chart on the XF/3, XS/5, XT/7 and XR/10s.

SKATE : WHEEL/BRNGS : CHASSIS      : LINER          : SHELL MATERIAL
      :             :              :                :
XF/3  : 70mm82A/NMB : superlight   : high density   : molded polyurethane
      : Bauer       : glass-filled :   foam         :
      :             :              :                :
XS/5  : 72mm78A/NMB : superlight   : Evazote/Volara : molded polyurethane
      : Hypers      : glassfilled  : Foam (don't    :
      :             :              : ask me)        :
      :             :              :                :
XT/7  : 72mm78A/GMN : superlight   : Evazote/Volara : molded polyurethane
      : Hypers      : glassfilled  : Foam           :
      :             :              :                :
XR/10 : 76mm78A/GMN : Zandstra     : Memory foam    : molded polyurethane
      : Hypers      :  6000        :                :

So the verdict is...if you're comparing the XF/3 and the XS/5, the only
real difference are the wheels and bearings!  I don't know about Bauer's
penchant for over-hyped-marketing names for their liners.  Is there a major
difference in liner qualities between the XF/3 and XS/5?  Probably only
a minimal amount.  If you find XF/3s for a good deal less than XS/5s
you're probably getting a good bargain.

-Tony Chen, [e-mail]

-----

From: [e-mail] (Mark Burnham)
Date: Wed, 6 Nov 1991 23:25:00 GMT


I recently purchased a pair of  CaliforniaPro Inline skates.  I have the
"top" model called the "Nitroline".  I only paid $150 for them
at Nordstrum's (NOT the cheapest place around) in San Francisco.  They are
basically a RollerBlade Lightning TRS clone.  They have laces and a single
buckle at the top of the boot.  The wheels are 70mm/78A very similar to the
TRS wheels.  I've skated in them now for probably about 16 hours (not all at
once!) and I'm really happy with them.  A friend of mine has the TRS's and I
seem to be able to roll just as quickly as him. I think they are the best value
on the market (that I've seen). The only difference I can see between the
Nitroline and the TRS is that the TRS boot may be slightly stiffer, and a
bit more plush.


I called CaliforniaPro about using 72mm wheels and they said it was no problem
(that's the largest you can go however).   The phone rang about 3 times and
someone answered and gave me the information I was looking for.  I was really
impressed. That sort of response is pretty rare.  I don't know about other
places in the country, but 72mm wheels are much more common than 70mm around
here. Also, according to a friend who knows, the bearings in the wheels (NMB
608's) are "pretty good".  I don't know nothing 'bout bearings, so I'll take
his word for it.