Roces' New Cruiser Goes After the Marathon Skater

The Cruiser: Roces' Brand New Fitness-Marathon Skate for 2005

Italian Skate Maker Goes After the High-end With Its Carbon-based, Customizable Cruiser

By Robert "Cruise Control" Burnson

The first thing you notice about Roces' new fitness skate, the Cruiser, is what it appears to lack.

Unlike the new top-of-the-line fitness skates from the other big inline skate makers, the Cruiser does not come standard with 100 mm wheels.

Big Wheels?

So does that mean Roces is taking a pass on the Big Wheel party?

No, not really. The Italian skate maker may be taking a more conservative approach than some of the other skate makers. But with the Cruiser, it is bringing out a skate that goes both ways ... or actually, six different ways.

If you want your Cruiser with 100 mm wheels, you can order it that way. You can also get it with five 80s, four 84s, four 90 mm, a high-lo 80-84 mm blend ... or the standard, five 84 mm wheels. (You have your choice of six different frames, all with the standard 165 mm spacing.)

The Choice Is Yours

Roces salesman Jeremy Long says the company wanted to give skaters a choice.

"An 84 mm setup is much more useful for a broader audience," he said. "If you are going to be doing the Northshore [Inline Marathon], which is a slight downhill almost all the way, then, sure, 90 or 100 mm wheels are great. But if you are going to be climbing a lot of hills, the bigger wheels are going to be a challenge. And most people are going to do better with 84 or 80 mm wheels."

The bottom line, Jeremy said, is that 84 mm wheels are more versatile. "In reality, 84 mm is what our racing team uses. And if it it's good enough for those guys, it's going to be good enough for most anybody."

High Quality Fit and Finish

Roces markets itself as the maker of the trade-up skate of choice --- and you can see how the Cruiser fits into that description. It has a high-quality fit and finish from frame mounts to laces. In fact, many of its features are borrowed from the Tsunami, Roces' high-end racing skate.

The Cruiser's frame mounts look like a series of honeycombs on the bottom of the boot. Each has a nine-hole connector. That means you have a choice of nine holes to mount your frame to. You can mount your frame farther forward or farther back; you can also mount it to the right or left of center. Whatever you prefer.

Another standout attribute of the Cruiser is its shell, which is made of 100 percent carbon fiber, just like most high-end racing boots. (In fact, the shell is identical to the one used for the Tsunami.)

Carbon Fiber Shell

Carbon fiber is preferred for racing boots because it is lightweight but still rigid enough to transmit power to the wheels. Most fitness skates have shells of fiberglass reinforced with carbon fiber, which is not as efficient at transferring power. (Rollerblade's 2005 Lightning 10 is an exception. It also has a carbon fiber shell.)

Another place where the Cruiser stands out is in its fit. It is the only fitness skate (that I know of) that comes in three different widths: narrow, regular and wide.

Many racing boots don't even come in different widths. They are usually "one width fits all." (Custom racing boots, of course, are infinitely variable.)

Other noteworthy attributes of the Cruiser include:
• a completely separate two-piece inner boot that can be heat-molded and otherwise customized
• Biomex construction, which Roces says helps you to more efficiently transfer power to your wheels
• the same fast lock buckles that are found on the Tsunami, which allow adjustments to be made while skating

How Much?

Of course, all this good stuff won't come cheap. The Cruiser is expected to have a retail price of $399 (US).

So who's going to go for this skate?

The Cruiser is aimed at the "better skater," Jeremy Long said. "The expert or the advanced intermediate. ... It's for the skater who wants the strength, speed and precision of a race skate, but who wants a comfortable boot that can be worn for hours."

Jeremy Long has been trying out a demo pair and says the Cruiser gives him an unrivaled combination of speed and comfort. "I don't like wearing race boots for too long. I prefer something that is comfortable, and these are great," said Jeremy, who skates marathons and also teaches inline skating.

The skates are expected to be available in April.

Discuss:

Talk About this Article ... Are skaters ready for Big Wheels? ... What do you think?