Time for a new rig .. thoughts?

[ConTrail]

Hello all,

I've decided to place this post, as after a couple of months of research, I'm still at a loss as to which skate to purchase.

A little background: I'm a pretty strong skater, presently skating on a 6 year old set of K2 Catalysts (Blue/Yellow boot, gold frame, 77.5mm). After many years of faithful service, and numerous wheel/bearing replacements, the boots are starting to wear out. I presently skate about 60 miles per week (20 miles x 3 times a week), on the not so friendly (or smooth) streets of New York City. Now, when I say skate I don't mean grinding away on curbs and what not, but I do tend to be jumping from street to sidewalk VERY often. All this in order to avoid both mindless pedestrians, as well as the highly irregular and unanticipatible movements of the moving yellow obstacles we call "Taxis". I like speed, performance, and manuverability (control).

Fully aware that inline skates have come a long way since the first few years of the K2 softboot, I know there are a fair amount of skates out there that will suit my needs and also help me push the performance envelope further than my Catalysts will presently allow. My only problem (even in NYC) is finding the skates to try!

I've managed to get my hands on the K2 Radical 90 and Salomon Pilot 9 Pro2. The Radical 90 seemed to fit very well, but I had concearns about ankle support with the low cut boot (given the tendency to be jumping street to curb). The Salomon felt more supportive in the ankle, but quite frankly I wasn't sure if the wider boot fit me well enough (though I may just be used to the K2 fit). Several folks have mentioned the K2 VO2 Max, but I have not been able to find it in my size anywhere in NYC.

As an aside, while my Catalysts are a size 7.5, the Radical90s fit much better in a 7. Did K2 resize there skates a little while back?

So, in closing I'm very curious as to what the opinions are regarding what skates fit my needs. The longer wheel bases and low cut boots (of a Radical 90 for example) tend to make me think that they wouldn't be too ideal for the city street work. However, the lower end fitness skates with the higher boot and shorter frames would probably hinder my performance too greatly. All thoughts are greatly appreaciated.

I'm looking forward to ordering a couple of skates from IW (as from what I've read you guys are top notch), as so I can get back on my skating binge now that the nice weather is here!

Thanks to all!

[IW Staff]

I think your thought process is right on track actually. The VO2 Max seems like it would be perfect for you. K2 seems to be a better fit for you than Salomon, so I would stick with K2.

The sizing has changed a bit where normally people would have to order up 1/2 size at least on K2's. They are more true to size than they were 6 years ago. My co-worker (brother as well) has the VO2 Max skates and gives them two thumbs and two big toes up. He is very pleased with them and for the type of skating you are doing I think they would serve you well.

Thanks for the post !!

IW

[tjfratello]

ConTrail, I also tried the Salomon Pilot 9 Pro2 and K2 Radical 90 skates and had the same impression as you did. I love the Radical 90 boots but I don't think they are ideal for those of us skating for fitness in an urban setting. I tried the size 9 skates (I wear size 8.5 shoes) and they were 1/2 size too large.

I think the K2 VO2 MAX is a logical choice. I briefly tried the Rollerblade Lightning 10s and they seemed like they would be very fast. They should have been called "Flash Lightning". So I am thinking that the Rollerblade Lightning 6 might be a good choice for me.

I have been skating for about 13 years averaging only once or twice a week (very few places around here). But I did play roller hockey for a number of years too. I do my fitness skating on the original Rollerblade Aeroblades at size 9 And I mostly played hockey on CCM 755 Tacks at size 7, I think.

Can anyone tell me the pros/cons between the VO2 and the Lightning 6 skates? Do the Rollerblades also now fit to size as compared to when I originally purchased my Aeroblades?

Thanks.

[IW Staff]

Wheel size of course would be the big one. In my opinion you would have better control on the VO2's.

Stan @ IW

[tjfratello]

You lost me there. The K2 VO2 MAX and Rollerblade Lightning 6 skates are both listed with 90mm wheels. The former has 83A and the latter has 84A durometer. I can see that the K2 has a higher cuff but I like the idea of having a little more flexibility.

Note that I plan to buy my skates from Inline Warehouse. I tried the skates when I was up there briefly a month ago. But I can't drive the 3 hours each way very often. I can call you guys but I figure that putting it here is better for everyone else to benefit from the discussion.

Can you tell us any other reason we might choose the K2 or the Rollerblade skates? And should I order my shoe size with Rollerblade brand skates?

[GhostRider]

I cant give any thoughts on the K2 versions.. but I know my RB 10s fit my size 12 right on the nail compared to my shoe size. The RB fitness boots seem to work quite well for the skaters I have skated with and I know I like them.

My hang up with some of the K2 boots is their poor power transfer of some of their mod series of boots due mostly to too much foot padding between the foot and the frame.

The K2 advanced fitness boots might not have this issue, you can ask Stan on that one as he knows of some skaters that use their boots.

Thanks.