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Posted-By: auto-faq 3.1.1.2 Archive-name: rec-skate-faq/part4 Rec.skate Frequently Asked Questions: Part 4 _________________________________________________________________ What and Where to Buy * REC.SKATE FAQ - PART 4: WHAT AND WHERE TO BUY Table of Contents * List of skate-related manufacturers * list of in-line mail-order places * Guide to Buying Inline Skates * After-market Add-ons * poles * ski buckle modification _________________________________________________________________ LIST OF IN-LINE MAIL-ORDER PLACES (plus some regular shops) (last changed Mar 1, 1995) The following list is here thanks to Joe Clark (joeclark@scilink.org). Most of the manufacturers do not sell skates direct over the phone. They will most likely point you to a sales rep to talk to in your area. Manufacturers: BAUER Canstar Sports USA Inc. 50 Jonergin Drive Swanton, VT 05488 800 750 1713 in VT 800 362 3146 800 451 5120 802 868 2711 802 868 4713 fax Canstar Sports Group, Inc. 6500 Millcreek Drive Mississauga, ON L5N 2W6 905 821 4600 905 821 1860 fax Canstar Sports AG Talgut-Zentrum 19 CH-3060 Ittigen Switzerland/Suisse/Schweiz +41 585886/585887 +41 31 586375 fax (this number is suspicious, but I'm reporting it verbatim) ROCES Exel Marketing, Inc. 1 Second Street Peabody, MA 01960 800 343 5200 508 532 2226 508 532 3728 fax Exel Marketing, Ltd. 56 Churchill Drive Barrie, ON L4M 6E7 705 739 7690 705 739 7684 fax [also the following] 9 rue Plateau Pointe Claire, QC H9R 5W1 514 694 1077 514 694 3284 fax Roces srl Via G. Ferraris 36 31044 Montebelluna Italia +39 423 609974 r.a. (r.a. means automatic searching of a free line (when there are multiple lines with the same number) +39 423 303193 fax ROLLERBLADE Rollerblade, Inc. 5101 Shady Oak Road Minnetonka, MN 55343 800 232 ROLL 800 68 BLADE (?) 612 930 7000 612 930 7030 fax Benetton Sportsystem Inc. 3520 Alphonse-Gariepy Lachine, QC H8T 3M2 800 661 ROLL 514 631 6331 514 631 1005 ULTRA-WHEELS First Team Sports, Inc. 2274 Woodale Drive Mounds View, MN 55112-4900 800 458 2250 612 780 4454 612 780 8908 fax OXYGEN Atomic for Sport (Atomic Ski USA) 9 Columbia Drive Amherst, NH 03031 800 258 5020 603 880 6143 603 880 6099 fax Atomic Ski Canada Somewhere in Mississauga, ON 905 569 2300 (U.S. 800 number works in Canada) CCM Maska U.S. Inc. Box 381 Pierson Industrial Park Bradford, VT 05033 phone numbers unknown Sport Maska Inc. 7405 Trans-Canada Highway, Suite 300 St.-Laurent, QC H4T 1Z2 514 331 5150 514 331 7061 K2 K2 Corp. - (800)345-2754 ROLLER HOCKEY INTERNATIONAL [Day-to-day office] 5182 Katella Ave., Suite 106 Los Alamitos, CA 90720 310 430 2423 310 431 2928 fax [Executive office] 13070 Fawn Hill Drive Grass Valley, CA 95945 916 274 0923 916 274 1115 fax NATIONAL INLINE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION (an amateur governing and organizing body) 800 358 NIHA 305 358 8988 305 358 0046 fax WORLD ROLLER HOCKEY LEAGUE 6358 N. College Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46220 317 283 2900 INTERNATIONAL IN-LINE SKATING ASSOCIATION (this could be an incorrect address-- as of January 1994, I had heard they were moving to Atlanta) 5101 Shady Oak Road Minnetonka, MN 55343 800 for iisa KRYPTONICS Kryptonics, Inc. 5660 Central Avenue Boulder, CO 80301 800 766 9146, orders only 303 665 5353 303 665 1318 fax HYPER WHEELS 15241 Transistor Lane Huntington Beach, CA 92649 714 373 3300 713 373 2525 fax N&Co. (Benetton Sportsystem/Rollerblade apparel organ) Princeton Pike Corporate Centre, Building 3 997 Lennox Drive Lawrenceville, NH 08648 800 688 2288 609 896 3800 609 896 3244 fax KARHU Karhu Canada Inc 1200 55th Avenue Lachine, QC H8T 3J8 514 636 5858 514 636 5751 fax Karhu USA Inc. Box 4249 55 Green Mountain Drive South Burlington, VT 05406 802 864 4519 802 864 6774 fax STREET LINE (accessories) Charlie Parcells 313 331 7371 Charlie3@Delphi.com BORDER PATROL (portable rollerhockey rink perimeter) In-Line Sport Systems, Inc. 821 Marquette Ave., Suite 2300 Minneapolis, MN 55402 800 809 RINK 612 342 2337 612 338 2302 fax A VERY GOOD HOCKEY-GEAR STORE Just Hockey Pro Shops 900 Don Mills Road Don Mills, ON M3C 1V6 416 445 3300 416 445 3500 team sales 416 445 4564 fax _________________________________________________________________ GENERAL MAIL ORDER SHOPS * D-WING: 1-800-44D-WING * Great Skate Hockey Supply: 1-800-828-7496 * Grind Zone Skates: 1-800-322-3851, P.O. Box 524, Albertville, AL 35950 * Hard-line: 1-310-306-5376 * Inline USA: 1-800-685-6806, http://www.terminus.com/inline/skate.htm * In-line Skate Accessories (ISA): 1-800-766-5851, 1800 Commerce St., Boulder, CO 80301 * Inline Sports: (408) 252-5233, 19998 Homestead Rd., Cupertino, CA 95014 * Millenium: 1-800-M-INLINE * Ocean Hockey Supply: 1-800-631-2159 * Performance Bicycle: 1-800-727-2433 * Riedell: 612-388-8616 * Rainbow Sport Shop: 1-312-275-5500, 4836 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60640 * Roll With It: 310-434-0063 (out of date?), 920 Manhattan Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 * Skate City Supply Inc.: 505-294-6699, PO Box 379, Ceder Crest NM 87008 * Skates on Haight (800) 554-1235 / Skates Off Haight (415) 244-9800, P.O. Box 170010, San Francisco, CA 94117-0010 * South Windsor Arena: 1-800-hockey1, 585 John Fitch Blvd., South Windsor, CT 06074 * Superior Inline: (612) 888-3482, 10510 France Ave. So. #203, Bloomington, Mn. 55431 * Team Paradise : 1-714-969-3427, tmprdise@ix.netcom.com Grind plates: CDS Detroit - 1-313-331-7371 Bearings manufacturers: * Blackhole - 1-800-327-9393 * Powell Swiss "Bones" - 1-805-964-1330 * Boss - 1-714-890-7236 * Grizzly Gear - 1-612-535-2035 Wheels: FR Progressors - 1-212-691-1237 (grinding wheels) Pads: Rector: 800 248 5633 Boneless: 801 627 3292 Pro Designed: 713 957 0341 Videos: Anywhere Sports - 1-310-825-5464 (NISS '94 video) Videogroove - 1-800-960-8486 Ramp plans: Ramptech Design and Construction 7015 Westmoreland Road Falls Church, VA 22042 703-573-RAMP 703-560-VERT fax Professional skaters: Team Adventures - 1-408-646-5378 (inline stunt team and can be hired) _________________________________________________________________ Boston area: From damon@osf.org Mon Jan 10 17:38:29 1994 Eric Flame's Motion Sports, located on Newbury Street across from Tower Records, specializes in in-line skates. From: mldickens@bbn.com (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. California: Hudson Bay Inline (800) 447-0400 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 415-968-4609 Ohio: Northland Ice Center in Cincinnati Ohio (513) 563 - 0008. --- More speed-skating oriented: Skate Pro in S.F. (415) 752-8776 Built for Speed (315) 492-6620 SMR Sports (708) 387-0283 Competition Skates (205) 854-9617 c/o John Skelton 501 Springville Cr. Birmingham AL 35215 Trailways Skate Rental (813) 461-9736 c/o Tom Sehlhorst 611 Palm Bluff Clearwater FL 33515 Montrose Skate (713) 528-6102 c/o John McKay 1406 Stanford Houston TX 77019 Shop Skate Escape (404) 892-1292 c/o Janice Phillips 1086 Piedmont Ave Atlanta GA 30309 _________________________________________________________________ Guide to Buying In-line Skates * (last changed Feb. 10, 1995) What This Guide Is This guide to buying in-line skates is to provide an organized method for skate shopping. It is intended for those readers with little or no knowledge of in-line skates. This guide is not review-oriented and any specific skate manufacturers and models shown or mentioned is only for use in examples. (See part 5 of the FAQ for skate reviews.) As with all things bought and sold, read the fine print before buying. Make sure you can return the merchandise if it is found to be broken or otherwise defective after you purchase it. Warning: this guide may be offensive to salespeople who pretend they know what's going on when they sell skates in stores. Tough noogies. If you really want to thank me for writing this article, do me a favor and wear your helmet. Wear your helmet, your knee pads, and skate under control. Learn to brake. Be courteous to pedestrians, bikers and other skaters. If you've already done all that, then send me your old worn out wheels. I use 'em to prop up my desktop 8-) -Tony Chen adchen@garnet.acns.fsu.edu 700 N. Woodward Ave., Apt C7-3, Tallahassee, FL 32304 (904) 224-0230 [ This document is Copyright 1994 by Anthony D. Chen. It may be freely redistributed in its entirety provided that this copyright notice is not removed. License is hereby granted to republish on electronic or other media for which no fees are charged (except for the media used), so long as the text of this copyright notice and license are attached intact to any and all republished portion or portions. It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents without the written permission of the copyright holder. Permission is expressly granted for this document to be made available for file transfer from installations offering unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet. This file is provided as is without any express or implied warranty. Nothing in this file represents the views of Florida State University.] *This image is Copyrighted 1994 (c) by Anthony D. Chen. Permission is granted to use this logo in World Wide Web HTML files so long as this copyright notice is included as either an HTML comment alongside the invokation (IMG SRC or HREF or otherwise) of the logo, or in the visible text. The image may not be sold for profit, nor incorporated in commercial documents or merchandise without prior written permission of the copyright holder. _________________________________________________________________ Table of Contents: 1. Before you go to the store + Deciding on your skating needs o What type of skating will I want to do? o What's most important to me? + Deciding on your price range o The Crummy Skate Threshold o Remember you'll also need safety gear o Mail order versus local stores o Some mail-order shops + Learn the terminology o Wheel terms # Diameter # Maximum wheel size # Durometer # Rockering o Bearings and ABEC ratings o Braking systems 2. At the store + Ignore the sales hype + Trying on skates + Things to look for o Liner fit o Closure systems o Shell design o Wheels and other stuff 3. After you buy + Testing out your skates _________________________________________________________________ Before You Go To The Store Okay, so you've heard about "rollerblades", you've seen the ads, you've watched rollerhockey on TV, you see skaters on the streets and on the sidewalks, and now you want a piece of the action too. Where do I go? What kind of skate should I buy? How much will it cost me? What's the best skate out there? While this guide doesn't pretend to be the expert on all skating matters, hopefully it'll help shed some light on how to go about choosing a proper skate. Shopping for in-line skates is much like shopping for a car. Your best bet is to go armed with information and to know what each skate feature means for you and your skating. Don't listen to the hype. Use your brain. About 99.5% of the salespeople in stores I've come across know less than I do about the skates they're selling. Many times I've posed as an uninformed shopper and asked the standard questions. And almost always the answers are rehashed phrases from manufacturers' brochures. They throw out buzzwords like "durometer", "ABEC", and "ABT" to sound like they actually know something. Don't be thrown off. Just show them a printout of this guide, and tell them Tony said they're full of baloney. (Bologna, for you nitpickers). DECIDE ON YOUR NEEDS If you go into the store without a clear goal in mind, you could easily end up getting something you don't want. Salespeople love it when you do this. So before you put a single big toe inside the store door, answer these questions first: 1. What type of skating will I want to do? You can do all sorts of things on skates...figure skating, hockey, ramps, stair riding, hills (both up and down), speed skating, commuting to work or classes, and on and on. The thing to decide here is mainly between three types of skates: multi-purpose, hockey, or speed. Multi-purpose skates Most of you will most likely be looking at multi-purpose skates. These are sometimes broken down into other categories like "cross-training/fitness" and "recreational". Translation: "costs more" and "costs less", respectively. Multi-purpose skates probably encompass about 90% of the general skate market (my guestimate, not a hard fact so don't quote me). These skates are usually made of plastic with a foam liner inside. Some have all laces, some all buckles, and some have combinations of both. A typical example is the Rollerblade Macroblades Equipes: [IMAGE] Hockey skates Skates made for hockey are made of stitched leather, like those you see ice hockey players wear. Most do not come with a foam liner. They'll be great on the rink, but won't stand up as well to abrasion on outdoor surfaces. Hockey skates always use laces, with some models having an additional velcro strap. For example, the Bauer H6-comps: [IMAGE] Speed skates and 5-wheelers Speed skates are also made of leather and come with a long wheelbase to accommodate 5 wheels. Usually speed skates won't be an option in most sports stores, unless it's a shop specializing in skates (in which case, ignore my previous remark about salespeople and baloney). Speed skates are cut low at the ankles, and all have laces, some with one buckle at the ankle. If you're looking at racing skates you'll either pick out your components separately like Viking Marathon Special boots and the Mogema frames: [IMAGE] [IMAGE] or buy the pre-assembled "hybrid" skates which are generally considered "recreational" speed/racing skates. These are 5-wheelers with plastic boots. Some are cut lower or higher depending on their intended usage. For example, the Roces Paris (CDG) skates: [IMAGE] Technically, it's not the extra wheel that makes these skates go faster, it's the extra length in the wheelbase. The longer wheelbase also makes the skates more stable at higher speeds. The trade-off (there's always a trade-off) is that they're much less maneuverable than 3 or 4 wheel skates. 2. What's most important to me? (price, fit, speed, etc.) Okay, now that you've chosen the type of skate to buy, the next thing to do is to decide what's most important to you in a skate. Let me quote the all-purpose law of consumer goods: "Good, Fast, Cheap. Pick two." For skates, "good" means mostly "comfortable and durable". Basically you have to choose what's the LEAST important to you. For most people that I've counseled in skate shopping, the price usually turns out to be the least important ("What?? Is he crazy? I only have $X to spend!" you say? Read on.) In general, the more money you put up front, the less it'll cost you in the long run. But on ONE condition! This is assuming you will be using your skates, and continue to skate for years to come. If you're going to buy them and throw them in the closet, then go directly to Toys-R-Us or K-mart and buy the $35 skates with bright neon green and purple colors. Do not pass GO, and do not collect $200. Okay, since you're still reading this, you haven't gone off to Toys-R-Us, so I'll assume you're committed, or at least committed to being committed, to skating. So how does paying more up front save you more in the long run? If you buy cheapo skates, your skating experience will suck. Plain and simple. If you buy bad skates, then after a couple weeks of aches and pain, you'll say "See, Tony I told you so. Good thing I didn't spend more money." Wrong. Don't confuse cause and effect. Like most things in life, GIGO -- garbage in, garbage out. You get out of it, what you put into it. To put it another way, the better skate that you buy, the better it fits. The better they fit, the less pain you endure. The less pain you endure, the less blisters you'll get on your feet. The less blisters you have, the less blood that oozes from them. I said it'd cost you less, and it will...in terms of pain, sweat, tears, blood, time, and bandage money. On the other hand, if you enjoy the skating, you'll want to go out and skate even more. In turn, this means you'll get more for your money. Make sense? DECIDE YOUR PRICE RANGE The CST Now, in the previous section I made it seem like you should go out and spend your life savings on the best skate you can find. Only if you want to. As with most things, diminishing returns, takes effect. $150 skates are definitely 5 times better than $30 skates. But are $300 skates twice as good as $150 skates? Well, it depends. The bottom line is to stay above what I call the Crummy Skate Threshold, or CST for short (ABT, PBS, PCMCIA, PCI, CST, ATM, RISC...skate and computer acronym are one big happy family, eh?). In my experience, the CST is at around $100-120. Skates retailing under $100-120 usually aren't worth their money. You'd be a whole lot better off putting that money towards a good pair of $150-220 skates. You may find good skates on clearance sales and whatnot, but as a general rule, I stand by the CST. Safety Gear Make sure you factor in $40-$80 for protective gear, when trying to estimate your total cost. I would highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend (I'd make it mandatory if I had the power) wrist guards ($15-17) and knee pads ($17-20) for beginners. A helmet and elbow pads are also highly recommended. A bike helmet works just fine, if you already have one (if you have a really old helmet though, toss it and shell out $40 for a nice new one). Once you're bleeding at the hands and knees, it'll be too late to wish that you had spent that puny extra $40 up front. Sounds like the bloody blister scenario? That's right. Mail Order vs. Local Stores If all this sounds like you have to spend your life savings again, let me quote what Mr. Spock said to Scotty in the Galileo 7 episode of the old Star Trek series, when their shuttle crashed on a planet and Scotty exclaims that all is lost because most of their fuel was lost in the landing: "Mr. Scott, there are always alternatives." Turns out, through Star Trek magic, that Scotty could convert their phasers' energy to shuttle fuel. Amazing. Wish they would show us how to convert bullets to gasoline. In your case, the alternative is to go mail-order. Mail-order can save you a substantial amount of money without sacrificing quality. However, the trade-off is (there's that t-word again) that you can't try before you buy. You may have to ship the skates back once or more, if things aren't quite right or what you expected. And of course, you have to wait for UPS or snail-mail (USPS) or whoever, to ship it to your door. Having said that however, let me just say that my own experiences with ordering skates and other accessories through the mail have been very satisfactory. And on the plus side, almost all the salespeople at the mail-order shops know what they're talking about. For a list of mail-order shops, look at part 4 of the FAQ LEARN THE TERMINOLOGY All right, now we're on a roll, so to speak. You know what sort of skate you're looking for, you know your target price range, and you're ready to jump into that store and start trying on skates. Before you do though, go through the following terms and get an idea of what each means. Once you're beyond trying on skates for comfort and fit, you'll want to compare the other features to see what's best for you. Wheel terms: (For more in-depth wheel information, see part 2 of the FAQ.) Diameter: If you'll recall from grade school math, the diameter is the length across the widest part of a circle. Twice the length of the radius, if you prefer. For wheels, this is measured in millimeters (mm). Most wheels come in 72 and 76mm on production skates (other sizes are available through mail-order). The shorter the wheel, the more stable and maneuverable your skates will be. However, they'll also be slower. Taller wheels will let you go faster, but are less maneuverable. Maximum wheel size: Although maximum wheel size won't seem like a big deal when you're just beginning, it will be important once you become a proficient skater. Low-end skates generally come stocked with 72mm wheels, while the higher-end skates come with 76mm wheels. This is no accident. Most skaters want speed, and taller wheels are faster, all other things being equal. Not all skates can take larger wheels though. Most every 76mm skate will take up to 80 or 82mm (plenty large for most people). 72mm skates are another story. Depending on the runner and chassis design, some can take only up to 72.5mm wheels, while others can squeeze on 76mm ones. Some people actually shave or grind down parts of their skates so that they can fit larger wheels. In any case, if you can afford it, I'd suggest going with skates that can take at least 76mm wheels. You can always switch to smaller wheels if you want. Durometer: Durometer has to do with the DURAbility of wheels. In real terms, it means how hard the wheel material is. The industry (plastic industry I guess) "A" scale is used, with 0 being softest, and 100 being hardest. (It's rumored that Rush Limbaugh's skull is rated above 500A, but like I said, it's just a rumor.) Most wheels are 78A or 82A. 78A is considered on the soft side. They don't last quite as long as 82A's, but since they're softer, they absorb bumps better giving a smoother ride. That's the primary trade-off when you go about selecting wheel hardness. For most stock skates, you won't have a choice, since they almost all come in 78A. If you want or need harder wheels, buy a harder set when your original wheels wear out. Rockering: Rockering sounds like something grandma does while knitting sweaters, doesn't it? Well, for skates, it means that you can adjust the heights of the axles (and therefore the wheels also), to approximate an ice-skate blade, which are usually curved upwards at the front and back (hockey skates anyway). The curvature allows for more maneuverability, but at the cost of stability at higher speeds. Trade-off once again? You bet. [IMAGE] Bearings and ABEC ratings: The two bearings inside each wheel are where the turning action takes place. Bearings come in various ratings, based on the ABEC scale. This acronym is pronounced "ay-beck". ABEC stands for the Annular Bearing Engineering Council (don't ask me what that means). Basically, the higher the ABEC number the more precise the bearing has been made. The ratings you'll come across are ABEC-1, ABEC-3, and ABEC-5. Generally, the more precise the bearings, the faster they'll spin, given the same conditions. (For more in-depth bearing information, see part 2 of the FAQ.) Braking systems: Before 1994 the only thing you had to worry about with brakes was learning to use them. Now, you have to decipher the SSHA, or Silly Sales Hype Acronyms. Rollerblade has the ABT and Oxygen skates has the PBS (isn't that a TV station?). Hopefully no other manufacturer will jump on the braking system bandwagon without considering what it'll do to the market. What we really need is an industry-standard for brakes. Right now, every single manufacturer has their own brake design. None are compatible (without modifications) with any other manufacturer's skates. Even Rollerblades ABT and non-ABT brakes are incompatible. In any case, Rollerblade's ABT is essentially a brake on a long screw, running up the back of your skates. You can adjust the height of your brake by turning the screw. It also means the brake can be activated if you tilt your toe up. An example is the Rollerblade Bravoblade GL ABT skate: [IMAGE] The PBS doesn't allow you to adjust the brake height, but instead it works like most conventional brakes, with the added effect of pressing the brake pad against the rear wheel when you brake. The bottom line though, is that these system are neither bad nor good. On the plus side, they help beginners brake easier and allows a good degree of adujstments (on the ABT anyway). On the down side, ABT brakes have been very hard to find, last I heard. Don't even want to think about Oxygen brakes. Also, for real power-braking, these systems are superfluous (SAT's anyone?). (See part 1 of the FAQ for braking techniques.) Learning to brake effectively under various conditions still takes practice, not three-letter acronyms. One last thing to mention. Not all brakes are equal. Bauer and Roces brakes are notorious for poor durability. Rollerblade brakes last very well. Anecdote time: back in 1991 or 1992, my buddy Dave got some Bauer skates from the rest of us for his birthday. Boy, was he happy. That is, until he found out that Bauer brakes last about as long as a snowflake in the Sahara Desert (during the daytime anyway). He went through one brake in about 2 hours. Good thing for him, the rest of us were about ready to order some wheels and he went along for 5 brakes. So we get our stuff in a few days and it turns out the catalog meant 5 SETS of brakes, meaning 10 brakes in all. Good thing too. He needed every one of them! _________________________________________________________________ AT THE STORE Ignore the hype All righty. Now you know what you're looking for, you know all the nifty jargon that go along with skates, and you're ready to head to the stores and see what they have. Before you go though, bring two things (well, three if you want to be picky): athletic socks and a ruler with cm/mm markings (a ruler? you'll understand why later on.) Wear the socks that you'll be wearing to skate, when you try on skates. Double-layered anti-blister socks are always good. Make sure they're not too short. You want the socks to cover at least 4-5 inches or more above your ankle bone. (Some people do actually skate barefooted, but I won't judge anyone on this point. Seems to cause more chaffing though, without socks. Personally, I think my skates smell enough with me wearing socks, but hey make your own call on this one.) Okay, now you're in the store. Remember our strategy? That's right, "Ignore the sales hype." If you've prepared ahead of time as I've told you to, that should be a piece of cake. Ice cream cake. Chocolate-mint ice cream cake even (I've always been partial to chocolate-mint). Trying on skates Okay, here's one part that the salesdroids are good for and good at. Pick out a skate that is exactly at your target price (there might be several models) and ask to try one on (or all of them if you want to be really thorough; or heck, if you just want to make the salesdroids work for their money). You might find that your skate size will not be exactly your shoe size. Usually skates run a tad large (meaning you'll have a smaller skate size than shoe size), and besides, you want a snug fit -- as snug as possible without hurting. Try on skates a half-size larger and a half-size smaller than your normal shoe size to see the difference. Some manufacturers are better than other at providing skates for different shaped and sized feet. Rollerblade skates, for example, aren't really built that well for wide feet. Bauer and Roces tend to be better in this regard. After you've got the skates on, wiggle your toes. You'll want to kind of press your ankles back against the heel of the skate, while you wiggle. If your toes are crammed against the front of the skates, they're too tight. If you're foot can jiggle around inside the skates while you hold your foot up (like a clapper in a bell), then they're too large. Okay, the skates are on and snug, so now stand up (slowly!) and put your weight on each foot and see how it feels. Wiggle your toes some more if you want. Remember that most people have asymmetrical feet. If one foot feels less comfortable than the other, you might ask to try on a skate of a different size for that foot. Most stores probably won't let you buy skates sized different for both feet, but you can at least try to minimize the discomfort for both feet combined. Walk around in the store for a couple minutes (hopefully it's carpeted) and let the liners conform to your feet a little bit. Re-tighten the skates and make sure they're still snug. Now, the comparisons. Ask to try on two other skates, one in the price bracket below your target skate and one above. This is so you'll see exactly how different quality liners and boots feel. For those of you buying for kids (or if you ARE a kid, physically, not mentally), you'll know that kids' feet grow faster than the U.S. government's budget deficit. In this case, you might want to look for skates that will take multiple liner sizes, so that you can just buy larger liners instead of having to buy an entirely new skate each time. I haven't personally investigated this but if you interrogate the salesfolks, maybe they can offer some help on this. THINGS TO LOOK FOR The liners are most important! Your first criteria should be the liner quality and fit. If your skates aren't comfy, the rest of the gadgets won't mean diddly. You get better liners in more expensive skates, naturally. Closure systems Now once you've found good fitting skates, decide on whether you want laces, buckles, or both. If you want convenience, an all-buckle setup is for you. Buckles are nice in that you can adjust them while you're skating, and they're very fast to put on and to take off. Buckles also don't break nearly as much as laces do. The one trade-off is that buckles don't quite as good an all-around tightness as laces do. For most people, that trade-off is a very worthwhile one, but everyone has their own preferences. Beware of bad buckle design, however. Even the K-mart skates have 3 buckles. Part of the buckle quality will be in the quality of the shell (the plastic boot). If the shell is flimsy or poorly made, your buckles won't align very well. There are also various types of buckles. Some will feel more solid than others. Try on different types and see the difference. Many skates compromise and have both laces and an ankle buckle for added support. These types of skates usually work pretty well. Shell design You'll find many types of shell types these days. The most notable difference will be vents. Some have them, some don't. The Rollerblade Aeroblade was the first to sport such features, and they work quite well in cooling your feet and also make the skate lighter What's the trade-off, you ask? (I've taught you well, haven't I?) You trade cooling and weight-reduction for strength and durability of the shell. Normally, this isn't an issue. But for you thrasher types, who like to pound on your skates, vents make the skates a little less sturdy than their non-vented brethren. The classic Rollerblade Lightnings are about the most indestructible skates around. They're non-vented. This isn't to say vented skates aren't sturdy, but it's that they're LESS sturdy, relative to non-vented skates. Wheels and other stuff Having compared liners, buckles/laces, and shells, now you can start paying attention to the more subtle features, like rockering ability, replacement parts availability, and maximum wheel size that the runners can fit. Rockering is nice if you skate in a wide variety of situations. For hockey or slaloming through cones, many people like to rocker their skates for that added maneuverability. Then when they switch to hills or long-distance skating, they can put the wheels flat again. Although this is another one of those plan-ahead type things (like max wheel size), it can turn out to be a big one. Finding replacements, namely for brakes and sometimes axles or spacers, is not always trivial. Rollerblade, being in the market first, has it's distribution set up fairly widely so you can pretty much find RB brakes at any store that also sells RB skates. With other brands, you won't generally be so lucky. In fact, the only other brakes that I've ever even seen sold in stores is Bauer's. Even with Rollerblade, there are sometimes brake shortages. I now keep a stockpile of half a dozen brakes (Rollerblade's old pre-ABT Aeroblades, if you must know) so I don't have to worry about it and I can carry a spare brake in my fanny pack. So I should only buy a Rollerblade or Bauer skate then, you say? Nah. Mail-order to the rescue again. You can pretty much find any brand brake through catalogs. However, note that brakes tend to be around the same price, if not more, through some catalogs, and once you factor in shipping and handling, you'll most likely want to order brakes along with other equipment to defray the extra cost, as well as order more brakes at a time (4 or more should be plenty). And remember what I said about brakes and braking systems previously. Brakes are a good thing by the way. They only cost $4 or so, while wheels will cost you anywhere from $3 to $7 PER WHEEL. Sure, you got fancy-pants skaters out there doing their macho T-stops and power-slides, but at 8 times $3-$7 dollars...that's anywhere from $24 to $56 folks! Okay, so you only do T-stops with one skate, that's still $12 to $28, and you want to save your wheels for rolling on anyway, right?. Economics alone should convince you to at least learn to use the brake properly. All those other stops are good to know, but build your skills foundation from the bottom up. Learn to brake. Maximum wheel size, as I said before, will be important as you get better at skating. For the most part, unless you're stuck with really small skates (i.e., your feet are really small), then try and get a skate that will take at least up to 76mm wheels. Don't trust the spec sheets though. The officially stated max wheel sizes are sometimes just the "recommended" size, when in fact, if you actually tried larger wheels they'd fit. Easy way to tell the max wheel size: bring along a tape measure or ruler (one with centimeter and millimeter markings, unless you're a total whiz at converting English units to cgs in your head). If you want to see if a skate will take 76mm wheels, jam your ruler in there, with the 38mm mark at the axle center. If the 0mm mark doesn't rub against the frame, you're halfway there. You also want to measure the distance between axles. Can't have the wheels rubbing against each other, can we? Make sure the distance is 76mm plus a couple mm (so approximately 78mm or more). If that holds, then you know the skates should take 76mm wheels. The wheels and bearings, you can leave as the last detail to consider, since they'll wear out and you can pick your ideal wheels and bearings after that. Of course, if in your mind two skates are pretty much equal in all other aspects, go for the one with better wheels and bearings. Bearings usually last longer than wheels, especially with proper care, so consider the bearings above the wheel quality. ABEC-1's are standard on all skates (except maybe kid's skates), and ABEC-3's are very common amongst the high-end skates. Some even sport ABEC-5's, so check up on it. AFTER YOU BUY Okay, so you finally did it. You tried on all sorts of skates, you saw how the various models differed, you chose your skate, picked a nice color-scheme, pulled out your plastic and made the salespeople happy. Time to go out and skate down Mt. Everest, right? Time to hit the road and skate the Athens-to-Atlanta race, right? Not so fast. Testing out your skates Before you go out and go skate-crazy, unpack all the stuff that you bought in a nice orderly fashion. Put everything on slowly and snugly, and walk around your house in it. On carpet preferably. Make sure everything fits like it's supposed to and feels comfortable. Now take your gear off and visually inspect your skates. Make sure there's nothing loose that isn't supposed to be. Make sure everything moves that's supposed to. If not, you can go right back to your store and exchange them. Let's say everything looks good so far, and you finally go outside to try them out. Since you're a beginner, I'd highly recommend that you go with an advanced skater (or at least someone who has skated more than you have). The ideal place is a flat, empty parking lot with no through-traffic, smooth pavement, and grass surrounding the edges. Okay, now you're ready to join the millions of the other people who have learned to enjoy skating! For more information on technique, check part 1 of the FAQ. _________________________________________________________________ [ This file is Copyright 1994 by Anthony D. Chen. It may be freely redistributed in its entirety provided that this copyright notice is not removed. License is hereby granted to republish on electronic or other media for which no fees are charged (except for the media used), so long as the text of this copyright notice and license are attached intact to any and all republished portion or portions. It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents without the written permission of the copyright holder. Permission is expressly granted for this document to be made available for file transfer from installations offering unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet. This file is provided as is without any express or implied warranty. Nothing in this file represents the views of Florida State University.] _________________________________________________________________ *This image is Copyrighted 1994 (c) by Anthony D. Chen. Permission is granted to use this logo in World Wide Web HTML files so long as this copyright notice is included as either an HTML comment alongside the invokation (IMG SRC or HREF or otherwise) of the logo, or in the visible text. The image may not be sold for profit, nor incorporated in commercial documents or merchandise without prior written permission of the copyright holder. _________________________________________________________________ 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 pae@netwise.com 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 (603) 672-2600. (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 (see the Hockey FAQ) 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 pae@netwise.com Netwise, Inc. Boulder, CO (303) 442-8280 _________________________________________________________________ POLES From: pae@netwise.com (Phil Earnhardt) 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: babineau@bnr.ca (Michael Babineau) Date: 25 Apr 92 02:48:11 GMT In article , cowl@elec.canterbury.ac.nz (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: fay@fusbal.zk3.dec.com (Daniel Fay) Subject: Buckles for MacroBlades...finally 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. _________________________________________________________________ -Tony Chen (adchen@garnet.acns.fsu.edu) *This image is Copyrighted 1994 (c) by Anthony D. Chen. Permission is granted to use this logo in World Wide Web HTML files so long as this copyright notice is included as either an HTML comment alongside the invokation (IMG SRC or HREF or otherwise) of the logo, or in the visible text. The image may not be sold for profit, nor incorporated in commercial documents or merchandise without prior written permission of the copyright holder. _________________________________________________________________ TOC #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 PICS