New inline skate questions

[Mudd]

Hello all, and greetings from Burlington, Vermont. :)

First of all let me complement you about having such a fine web site and forum community. It's great to see both staff and customers join in to answer questions. The amount of information I have gleaned from the forum has been tremendous! And I certainly am happy to know that now I have another option to order inline skates and equipment from other than local sources which seem to be dying off.

What I have now are Salomon TR Mg-Elite DR-150 that uses 4x82mm wheels on a 289mm frame with 688 micro bearings that I'm guessing are rated at ABEC 5. They are size 9 US, and I'm using superfeet insoles in them. Unfortunately for me, I just found out that the magnesium part of the frame has cracked. In addition my wheels are almost used up, and I've foolishly not maintained my bearings at all over the past 5 years I've owned these skates. I know that sounds absurd, but this year is really the first year that I've really skated a lot and consistently since I bought them new. So up until this spring they were hardly used at all. It appears from some casual research that replacing the frames, wheels, and bearings with quality replacements would run me close to $200.00 if not more depending on what I get, which could get me a nice new set of skates instead. And I've never been all that happy with the feel and fit of these boots to want to keep using them anyway. So I'm looking to replace these inline skates entirely.

My skating routine is approximately 17 miles, 4 to 6 times a week depending on weather of course. It's mostly asphalt, ranging anywhere from smooth, to rough, to bumpy and cracked and crumbly with a good helping of randomly placed debris on the bike path thrown in for good measure. The path is mostly level, but I do have 3 areas of steep inclines that I have to traverse up and down on along the way. The path is not all straight. There are several moderate to sharp turns to navigate. I don't do any tricks with the exception of jumping to avoid water puddles, sand patches, lips of bridges or curbs. I just like to go as fast as safely possible and get a good workout.


After some thorough research, my candidates for new skates are:

K2 Radical 100, or 90
K2 V02Max

Rollerblade Lightning TF 2006
Rollerblade Crossfire 90

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My first question is about boot size, if I order size 9 US based on what I have now, and upon receiving them find they are not the correct size, am I stuck with them, or can they be returned for a different size before I go out and use them?

The next is about the difference between 90mm and 100mm size wheels. My first instinct is to go with the largest size wheel for maximum speed opportunity. But I've heard that there are some trade offs in stability and maneuverability between these two sizes. So is 4x100 really faster than 4x90? And is it true that 4x100 tend to be less stable at lower speeds and less maneuverable than 4x90? Any suggestions or thoughts based on the description of my skate course above?

How does a lower height boot and longer frame of the 4x100mm skates effect braking power? As mentioned above, I have 3 steep inclines to skate down, and I'm concerned that the lower boot height and longer frame in the K2 Radical, and the Rollerblade Lightning TF 2006, compared to the other two will make it more difficult to apply significant braking power. Is this an issue? And will a lower height boot make it riskier to make the small jumps I need to do to avoid hazardous obstacles?

I get the impression from what I have read that the K2 ILQ-9 are superior bearings to the ABEC 7's that are in the Rollerblades. Any truth to this?

The unfortunate aspect of this for me is that while I have a local source to try out the two Rollerblade models I'm considering. I do not have that option for the K2's. Which is a bummer because I am leaning towards one of the K2's as the comments I have read in the forums talk about them having a better fitting boot with better bearings than the Rollerblade models. So I'd be making a blind purchase to a certain extent if I went with the K2's. Any suggestions?

That's all I can think of for now.
Thanks.

[IW Staff]

You got a lot of stuff on there so hopefully I comment on everything.

As for returns... Anything not used can be returned for credit to your card or exchange. Once used, naturally we run into problems as we can't ship out used skates to another customer. So please try on indoors prior to skating. Ordering up 1/2 size on K2 is not uncommon but sizing is a preference. A 9.5 may be a good call. I order up a 1/2 myself on K2.

Wheels. The 100mm will be faster. Tougher to get up to speed but maintains speed a lot better and indeed faster. I enjoy the 90mm wheel size myself and recommend the Radical 90 or VO2 max skates. The difference on those being the boot is completely different. The Max has a lot more support in the ankle and is higher. The Radical more of a speed skate with low cut. Depending on your level and preference will decide that. Both are great skates. Braking isn't a problem unless you are worried about the speed you'll get on the 100mm wheels on those declines.

My recommendation is a 90mm skate. I like skating the VO2 Max as I prefer the added support up top so I can be lazy. I don't go out and skate as long you or others that will probably comment on your post. Those that skate 15-25+ miles are ones that use lower cut boots and are able to do so. Myself, I just prefer the taller boot and do not skate as long.

Hope this helps and thanks for the great post.

IW

[SubyRS]

I can comment on a couple of things. I wear all size 10 1/2 shoes, size 10 1/2 Rollerblade Lightning 09, and size 10 1/2 Radical 100. So you should just order the same size that has been fitting you well all along.

Your general goal should be to move toward a low cuff boot if you skate allot or would like to. The Rollerblades mentioned are a benchmark mid cuff with lots of support for a soft boot. The Rad's are the lowest cuff's available in a soft boot and are very well designed including the heat moldable option. I'll be buy them for years to come.

The various wheel sizes and frame lengths have more to do with adjusting your form to fit the skates abilities. When I went from 4x80s three years ago to 5x84's my uphill abilities suffered a bit at first, but went right back up after a coulpe months of adjustment to the taller wheels and longer frames.

Going to the 4x100's last week from the 5x84's was not nearly as bad as I thought. After only four workout sessions I am flying up hills in the Rad 100's. So you just need to realize that with a change in wheel/frame configuration comes a change in your form. I would deffinitely not recommend jumping to the 4x100's from your 4x82's. The 4x90's will be a big step for you in the low cuff Rad's, but should be good on a mid cuff boot.

The 4x100 are not any less stable by design, it's your ankle and leg strenght that will need to catch up to use them. There is no difference at all in braking ability of the Rad boots. The Rad100's do fly down hills though.

[Mudd]

Thank you IW Staff and SubyRS for your replies. I really appreciate you both taking the time to answer my questions.

So since my first post, I've had a chance to get down to the local shop that sells inline skates and try what they had from my list of candidates. Which happened to be the Rollerblade Lightning TF 2006, and Crossfire 4D. They didn't have the Crossfire 90, but I figured the Crossfire 4D is most likely the exact same boot with a different frame, so it was worth trying to get the feel of the boot and what a 4x90mm wheel skate is like.
I tried a size 9 in both models. And they both fit my foot correctly. The Crossfire 4D was very quick and easy to get in and out of the boot once you got the hang of the two mechanisms. I found the boot to be a lot more comfortable of a fit than my old Salomon's. It was a little snug around the top and front sides of the foot, but in a very good way. It felt like I had much better control of the skates because of that snugness. Although I did notice the height difference being on larger diameter wheels. I found that their was no adjustment time to get used to them. Technique wise, in both propelling and braking it felt much the same as my old skates. I didn't try extending the frame to it's longer setting as I felt it was irrelevant for me as I'm interested in the Crossfire 90, not the 4D.
As far as the Lightning TF 2006, I found the boot to not be as comfortable as the Crossfire 4D, nor as easy to lace up and get snug around my feet since the lacing is all manual like a sneaker or shoe.
The boot cuff height is much lower also and did not provide the support that I'm used to in a higher boot cuff. While this is not necessarily bad and is probably a personal preference, I found that the one major problem for me is that it really made it next to impossible to apply the brake very forcefully because of the lack of boot height on the back of the calf to help give me more leverage on the brake.
While the added height from the 100mm wheels didn't seem to bother me, I found the frame length to be a bit awkward. I repeatedly kept tripping on the brake and the rear wheel when propelling, and most especially did so when crossing over on turns. And I think in conjunction with the lower boot cuff it, just made it all seem really ungainly to manage. While it's possible that I could eventually adjust my technique and get used to a skate like this, it's not what I'm looking for. I find that I need more upper support for the type of inline skating that I do.

So it looks like that rules out the Rollerblade Lightning TF 2006 and the K2 Radical 100/90. I think if in the future some manufacturer comes out with a skate with a high boot cuff and 100mm wheels, I might be willing to reconsider. In the mean time that leaves me with the Rollerblade Crossfire 90 and the K2 VO2 Max. From a technical point of view the VO2 Max seems to be the better buy, as it uses ILQ-9 rated bearings which is to my understanding superior to the ABEC-7's in the Crossfire 90. And I'm definitely more interested in the VO2 Max, but without trying the boot and knowing for sure that it fits and feels as good as the Crossfire 4D did that I tried on, I'm hesitant to order them.

Does anyone know how well the manual lacing system and ankle strap on the K2 VO2 Max works in comparison to the lacing system on the Rollerblade Crossfire series? And how the fit and feel of the boots between these two model skates compare?

Thanks.

[Mudd]

Another question for Inlinewarehouse...

Are exchanges for a different size, or different make/model of inline skate subject to the 25% restocking fee as stated in the customer service section?

Thank you :)

[IW Staff]

IW does not chage anything for returns or exchanges. We provide a full credit.

The 25% you mention is if you try to send something back used. We DO NOT take used merchandise back for obvious reasons. At best, a 25% fee would be charged if we would even try to sell your used item discounted to another person.

No re-stocking fees and a full credit if wanting to return.

Stan

[Mudd]

Hello again,

I just wanted to follow up on my post. I ordered the K2 VO2 Max 2005 models from IW, and I am happy to say that I like them very much.

I ended up ordering size 9, and they fit my feet really well. I really like the soft boot design. It seems to keep my feet drier and I like that because it is soft it conforms easily to the irregularities of my feet. But it also seems much more flexible in the forward and back motion of the ankle while still giving me all the side to side ankle support.

While the boot design is not as easy to get in and out of as the Rollerblade Crossfire series. I've found that it offers just as much support and comfort, with more flexibility. The standard lacing is not as difficult as I thought at first after some practice with them. I can lace them standing up as tight as needed to by just pulling the ends of the lace without resorting to pulling each loop of the lace to get it really snug. Case in point, the first two times out I mistakenly tightened the laces to much to the point of hurting. The powerstrap is kind of subtle. It doesn't seem to be designed to be pulled super tight. So I'm not sure how much it really contributes to the overall snugness of your foot in the boot. The top buckle works as it should. Although I do find that the boots feel better and flex forward easier if I keep the buckle just lightly snug.

The interesting thing is I don't feel like I go faster than my previous Salomon inline skates. And I believe it is because my Salomon's had much harder wheels on them. I notice the difference because the ride is much smoother, and I get much better grip when pushing off using the stock 90mm 83A wheels on my K2's. I suppose it's possible that the bearings are not broken in yet either. But after today, which is my third time skating my K2's, I've gone about 45 miles in total. I'd think they'd be broken in by now, but I don't know for sure. I think that I will definately upgrade to a slightly harder wheel when these wear out. I crave the speed!!! LOL

As far as how they feel, and getting used to them...
Not a whole lot of change. I find I had to adjust my stance a bit, and there was a little bit of getting used to the balance of them when going fast downhill. It's definately slightly different sets of muscles groups, as I am sore in different spots. I don't at the moment feel that these larger 90mm wheels make rolling over road debris any easier than smaller wheels as I've read in other parts of this message board. I didn't find that there was any difference in technique needed to go uphill. I don't find them to be any less manuverable around corners than my smaller wheeled Salomon's. There is some getting used to a longer frame. I've caught my foot on debris a few times and barely recovered without falling. So I can tell that I still have some getting used to these skates and probably build up the different sets of muscles. Braking is as I would expect. No technique changes needed, or difficulties.

On the plus side, I've found that because the softer wheels provide more grip when pushing off, I've been able to push off harder and get more of a workout. Which will eventually get me to faster speeds. With my previous skates I had to be more conservative as the wheels would slip if I pushed off to hard. Also I believe that K2 must make their brake material out of something much harder and denser than my Salomon skates. After three times out, I would have burned much more brake on the Salomon's.

That's it. Thanks for the good closeout deal on my inline skates IW. And I especially want to thank you for having this great message board. This is what sets you apart from other online shops, and will keep me and others coming back to purchase here. :)