K2 rad pro '08 or Rollerblade speedmachine 10?

[stevecrye]

Hi;

I've read some of the posts comparing these two skates, but I need more info.

Here's my situation: I'm 52, and have been using old 1996 Rollerblade AeroBlade's with 77mm 78A wheels for the last 12 years. I don't skate much, and I want to change that. I've never used or tried anything else.

When I do skate, it is mostly on those asphalt walk/jog/skate paths in city parks. They are typically rough, and covered with bits of gravel from the idiotic landscaping that borders the paths. Occasionally on holiday I like to skate the boardwalk at Malibu beach in San Diego - that boardwalk is smooth, but has tons of sand on it. I also go about 1/month with my daughter to a roller rink and cruise in circles.

I like the air-pressure system in my blades. It really helps lock down the heel; I'm very bugged by any looseness in the fit of my skates. I need LOTS of ankle support due to injury - three knee surgeries from skiing and rock-climbing accidents. The Aero's are pretty comfortable - my knees give out before I get blisters. They do seem hot.

I am fairly unskilled as a skater - can't skate backward or do anything fancy. I can cross over my turns; can also brake with the side-drag technique (no heel brake on my skates). I wear huge Rector knee pads and wrist braces 'cause I crash a lot. I'm fairly good at a smooth, even, long-distance stroke with one had in the small of my back.

I'm looking for a smoother ride, less rolling resistance, ability to go farther with less energy. I'd like to try softer wheels, but it seems like everything is 80 or higher.

The K2 rad 110s look cool, but I'm concerned about the lack of laces and possible lack of ankle support. I know I'd be giving up maneuverability with bigger wheels, but can live with that if the ride is smooth and I can run over cracks, rocks and bumps without locking up. I'd love to be able to skate on rough streets a bit, and not be confined to parks and boardwalks.

The Speed Machine's with the 104mm wheels also look tempting. They have laces and look like they might fit better, and I'm leery of the different size wheels on the K2s. For either one, I'd probably end up purchasing as soft a duro as possible along with the new skates. I can't stand a rough, vibraty ride, and am willing to replace wheels frequently if I have to.

The K2s are a lot cheaper, but I'll pay the extra $160.00 for the Rollerblades if they are better for my purposes. I don't want buyer's remorse!

I'll have to order these over the internet - no one local stocks either. I am a bit worried about stability from being higher up as a result of the larger diameter wheels. I'm also fretting over 3 vs 4 wheel skates - I want them to be light, but three wheels might tend to hang up more on rocks and cracks.

Any suggestions most welcome!

Thanks,

Steve

[Robert]

Just a couple quick thoughts:
I wouldn't go from 78mm wheels to 110s in one jump ... that might be too much. ... Instead, I'd be thinking 90mm or 100mm max.
All of these skates will have four wheels.
The bigger wheels will smooth out the ride considerably ... but you'll still have to remember to keep your weight over your heels.
You might consider the Rollerblade Platinum 8 Skates ... They might work out well for you. But the others might work out just as well.
Good luck. Please let us know what you get and how they work out.

[Mikeyb]

Larger wheels are smoother over bumps but all these skates come with slightly harder wheels to improve straight ahead speed.

If you're having this much trouble going over bumps then a bit of focus on technique will help more than equipment. When you push on these kind of skates you should feel like you're pushing thru the heel and straight out to the side. If you think about this point in an exaggerated fashion then you will see that at the end of your stroke, your toe wheels will lift up a fraction of a second before your heel wheels.

Now on a longer frame, this is easier said than done. You should consciously practice this a bit every time you skate. To really push thru the heels, you need good balance over the skate. Agreed you'll need a firm fitting skate and you'll need to properly balance the frames, too.

You're falling alot because your weight is too far toward the toes. I only can know this because it's the most likely reason for frequent falling over small obstacles. Push thru the heels and you'll stop falling and have an easier time going over rough surfaces.

While bigger wheels roll smoother, they are harder to push and harder for learning technique. I wouldn't go higher than 100mm and would even consider getting a set of 90's to learn on.

Mike B

[stevecrye]

Hi All;

Mike B said:

If you're having this much trouble going over bumps then a bit of focus on technique will help more than equipment.

It's not so much "trouble" getting over bumps as just hating the bumpy feel of rough surfaces, and negotiating the minefields of small bits of gravel that cause one to have to shift weight from the foot that has caught a rock to the other foot - and then if that foot has also simultaneously caught a rock, a hopping "dance" ensues. Roads around here are crap. No dispute that technique can always be improved! I do tend to lift my heels at the end of the stroke; front wheel wear busts me for that. (Part of this problem is due to the bad left knee - it has 4 titanium staples holding the quad' ligament to the tibia) But, in other sports such as climbing and skiing, I've always been impressed by how much things improve when one finally gets the proper gear. I fantasize about inflatable tires for skates ... Does anyone remember those old RollerBlaee AeroBlades? They at least have plenty of buckles. One thing I don't like is when I get them tight enough so that my foot is secure, there is excessive pressure on the vamp of the foot.

You're falling alot because your weight is too far toward the toes.

Perhaps I should clarify. I don't fall more than twice per year - but I count that as "a lot", because when I do crash, it is at speed, scary and painful, and it is usually into some obstacle, or at the rink when some bugger hooks my foot from behind. I almost never crash due to my own error - unless one counts speeding through gravel-coated, cracked pavement that looks like a dried mud flat as "bad technique"!

Robert:

Instead, I'd be thinking 90mm or 100mm max.

Thanks, that seems reasonable. I think I can get used to 90mm wheels - I just hate the thought of 82 or higher Duro. I can feel my teeth clacking already ... I'm intrigued by the Matter "F" scale - how soft would a Matter F3 feel?

Robert said:

You might consider the Rollerblade Platinum 8 Skates

I could not find the Platinum 8's on the rollerblade USA site, but I looked at this: http://www.rollerblade.com/dynamic/product.php?idColl=247&idCat=148&idProd=466& . I'm a lttle leery of the TFS closure - I hear horror stories about cracked cables.

One way or another, I'd like to get new skates. 12 years as I long time for one pair - I suspect there have been a lot of advancements.

Thanks again for the quick responses, please keep them coming!

Steve

[chaosdsm]

Matter F3's are 83A. A bit more expensive, but a better all-around wheel with excellent grip on damp asphalt/concrete (much better than the Matter's) are the MPC Street Fight Green (62A/81A) & MPC Street Fight Gold (62A/83A), they are both "dual durometer" wheels with a small inner band of 62A hardness urethane & a firmer outer cover. The Gold's will give you more speed while the Green's will give you a slightly smoother ride. Don't be fooled by some of the online vendors who have miss-labled these wheels as 85A & 87A, their outer layers are 81A & 83A, which on 2007 model wheels was actually printed on the wheel, they've done away with the printing on the '08 wheels, but they're still the same wheels as the '07 wheels.

I'd go with the Speedmachine 10 (not Racemachine like I originally posted) & 105mm wheels, & I'd also get some 90mm wheels as well. Start with the 90's then when you get comfortable with them, move up to the 105's. Larger wheels help to smooth out the ride so the harder durometers aren't a huge issue, i.e. an 83A 100mm wheel rides like an 81A 80mm wheel. Also I would suggest Dr Schol's Memory Foam inserts to replace the foot bed insert in the Rollerblades, they'll add some arch support and give a much more comfortable ride, even with very hard (86A, 87A, etc...) outdoor wheels.

You can get used to dealing with debris on a single skate, & it's safer than doing a dance on skates It just takes time, patience, & ballance, I barely even notice when I run over debris anymore.

BTW... here's the link to the Platinum 8 skates: http://www.rollerblade.com/dynamic/prod ... dProd=325&

[gem]

I'd go with the Racemachine & 105mm wheels,

Actually the Rß 10.0 uses a 104mm wheel, a 105mm wheel won't fit as they use a 4x100 frame on that model. Ashame as that model should use the 105mm wheel which is now out to buy.

[chaosdsm]

I'd go with the Racemachine & 105mm wheels,

Actually the Rß 10.0 uses a 104mm wheel, a 105mm wheel won't fit as they use a 4x100 frame on that model. Ashame as that model should use the 105mm wheel which is now out to buy.

I meant to type "Speedmachine" not Racemachine... the Racemachine uses the 4x100 frame but can use a max wheel size of 104mm. The Speedmachine 10 supposedly uses a 4x104 frame http://www.rollerblade.com/dynamic/prod ... dProd=550& & so should theoreticly be able to utilize 105mm wheels... if not, well it's just another reason for me to dislike Rollerblade even more since Hyper is the only manufacturer currently supporting 104mm wheels to my knowledge.

[Franck.S French]

Hyper is the only manufacturer currently supporting 104mm wheels to my knowledge.


Hi, the manufacturer "Roll'x" (French) deal 104mm wheels and even 94mm (new)
for begin, frame 3x110+1x100 = 3x104+1x94

http://www.rollerenligne.com/fr/news.php?id=6034
http://www.spoconcept.com/rollers-15.html

[gem]

I'd go with the Racemachine & 105mm wheels,

Actually the Rß 10.0 uses a 104mm wheel, a 105mm wheel won't fit as they use a 4x100 frame on that model. Ashame as that model should use the 105mm wheel which is now out to buy.

I meant to type "Speedmachine" not Racemachine... the Racemachine uses the 4x100 frame but can use a max wheel size of 104mm. The Speedmachine 10 supposedly uses a 4x104 frame http://www.rollerblade.com/dynamic/prod ... dProd=550& & so should theoreticly be able to utilize 105mm wheels... if not, well it's just another reason for me to dislike Rollerblade even more since Hyper is the only manufacturer currently supporting 104mm wheels to my knowledge.

RACEMACHINE PLATINUM This is from Rß's site: still a 325mm frame so I still believe 104mm is max to fit this frame******* WTF Rß thinking with 104mm an not 105mm!

Ultralight skate with unique technical characteristics, the ultimate in terms of performance, designed for athletes of every level. Top of category components, developed in cooperation with the Rollerblade Racing Team. Asymmetrical closure for maximum wrapping.

Shell CarbonClosure Laces and 45° buckle with micro-adjustmentFrame Plus Alu 7000 4x100 (12.80”/325mm)Wheels MPC EX FIRMBearings SKF

[3degree]

You may want to take a look at the last year's model of the Rollerblade speed skate from this seller (depending on what size you take). Can't beat the price on the ProBlades. [I bought mine from him on ebay, but the price has been dropped some since.] The RB's tend to run fairly true to size.

http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/skatercale.

He also has a couple of other RB models with larger wheels and more ankle support.