4x90 Fitness Skates

[chris101]

Hi everyone!

I was just wondering what everyone's opinion on the various 4x90 fitness skates that are out there. I've been skating on Rollerblade Aero 8's for the past year and might be wanting to step up to the 4x90 setup. My Aero's are half a size too large (9.0), but it's not a major problem, but an 8.5 would be best. 8.0's are too small (I have slightly wide feet, and it's painful to step in sneakers that are 8.0)

So, what's out there, in a complete package with a fitness boot (lower cut). The most I've heard of is the K2 Radical 90 (strangely they don't have size 8.5 at Inline Warehouse, but I sware I saw it somewhere else in 8.5). Rollerblade has the Lightning 6 and the Aero 90 (but with a higher boot). Salomon has the Pilot 9 Pro2.

They're all priced around the same (229 to 249), so what gives the best bang for the buck? What has everyone said about these skates, or if your skating on them, what do you think of them?

I do most of my skating on trails and parks. Any opinions are well noted (boot, bearings, wheels, frame, etc.) :)

[tjfratello]

Hi Chris101,

I drove up to Inline Warehouse a couple months ago and tried the Radical 90s. It is a 3 hour drive each way so I'm not going to do that very often.

I found the store was closed on Sunday but they let me try on some of the skates. The 90s were a little unstable to me. I normally wear a size 8.5 sneakers/shoes and the size 9 skates were a half size too large. But the low cut was also part of the issue. I think the 8.5 would be the right size for me but I'm not sure about the low cut.

I think they said that you can order the size 8.5 and it would take a few days. So check with them about that. Right now I am leaning towards the Rollerblade Lightning 6 skates. It looks like they have a little lower cut in the back which is the part that usually bothers me on the high cuff skates.

Note that I skate for recreation/fitness and we don't have any trails that are suitable for speed skating. Few trails and too many people to get around.

[tjfratello]

I forgot to mention that I went to try on the Salomon Pilot 9 Pro skates and they were very stable. But I kept noticing the Radical 90s on the wall and they definitely look good. I especially like the boot, of course. But I'm not used to skating on wheels larger than 78mm so the transition to 90 and the low cuff together was a concern for me.

[Brian]

The last two pair of K2s I owned I bought a half size bigger than my true, but with the Rad 90s I just purchased I needed to get a half size smaller than my true. I had some pretty nasty blisters on my ankles after my first time out, but since then they have been perfect.
Good luck.

[chris101]

Like I said, the thing I hear most about is the K2 Radical package right now. I actually recently tried on a pair of older K2 speed boots (K2 Svenbock, Size 40), however, I'm not sure if they were my size since the width of the boot was exactly the width of my feet, so, maybe they were too small? I had a lot of pain of the joints on the two small toes, but only when laced tight. When I loosely laced them, I didn't have that problem as much, but got tons of blisters since my heel was out of the heel pocket. Maybe it's my form too...

In any case, I usually skate in areas which I would prefer a little more cushion than a speed skate. I love the fact I can push off with a speed skate with much less effort than my Aero 8, but I liked the Aero 8's cushion, really made those rocky sections I skate on comfy. I'd like the in-between.

So, I'm just looking around for opinions and trying to save up money for new skates. I don't think I can make it to Inline Warehouse, it's about a 6-7 hour plane ride over there :) Not that I wouldn't mind, they seen quite helpful.

[IW Staff]

I'm a fan of the Radical 90's as well.

Sunday at IW. We are typically closed for retail on Sunday, but are open 7 days a week via the phone and internet. If you find yourself in town on a Sunday, just ring the bell and someone will come help you and shouldn't give you too tough a time. Just don't be offended if young warehouse kid that's dressed inappropriately for retail shows up at the door :)

As for not seeing a size on the site. The site is real time. So if a size sells out and it is not avaialble from the vendor any longer, you will not see it on the site to order. If you see something like '9 days', that means if ordered, it would take us 9 days to get it in and then we would ship the same day. If it says 'yes' or 2+, that means it is in stock or we have more than 2.

Hope this helps. Looks like you are getting great feedback from other customers, so I just wanted to hit on the couple things I noticed on the posts. If I missed something, let me know.

Thanks! Stan @ IW

[chris101]

Yes, I have had some great comments by the two fellows that have answered to this post (and GhostRider in other posts). I know he's on RollerBlade Lightning 10's, but I'm not willing to go all the way up to 100mm, just yet. The Lightning 6 might actually be more to my liking than the Radical 90, but I'll just keep searching around before I commit to anything. They both look pretty good though. Thanks!

Has it really been the case that people ording the Radicals have to order a half size down?

[IW Staff]

It has been the case for many. Sizing is a preference so it is tough to say what you would prefer, but a snugger boot benefits you as far as response from the skate as well as avoiding blisters.

I'm kind of funky in that I have one size 10 foot and one size 9. I felt best in a 10. Another here who wears a 10, got 9.5.

Stan

[tjfratello]

I may go with the Radical 90 after calling Inline Warehouse. I found out that they recommend getting a half size smaller than normal for the K2 Radical 90s.

I normally wear an 8.5 dress shoe size. When I visited, they did not have an 8.5 in stock so I tried the 9 but I found it a little unstable with my heel coming up. I don't think that they had an 8 in stock (if they did I really blew it by not trying it). In any case, it may be that getting an 8 will help with my concerns.

[chris101]

Good luck with the, if you go with them. Let me know how they turn out. I'm considering buying the K2 Radical 90, at size 8 (7.5 would be perfect length, but my feet would be way too large, but I've been wearing 8.5 sneakers for awhile now).

I was thinking about going with the 100's, but I don't think I'm willing to go that high up. I've also been entertaining the thought with a set of 5-wheeled skates, but, who knows...lots and lots of options out there, and a pretty limited budget here :)