Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.

Dismiss

Rec.skate Frequently-Asked Questions: General Info (1/11)

93 views

Skip to first unread message

Tony Chen

unread,

May 1, 1994, 11:44:57 PM5/1/94

Posted-By: auto-faq 1.24
Archive-name: rec-skate-faq/part1

REC.SKATE FAQ - PART 1: GENERAL Q&A

[NOTE: If you are reading a copy of this FAQ on paper, on CD-ROM, or other
"permanent" media, this file is very likely out-of-date already.

Most portions of this FAQ are copyrighted, but freely distributable
under the conditions that 1) no charge is levied for a copy of this
file, other than that for the cost of the media used and 2) the
copyright notices are kept intact.

You should not be paying more than cost for a copy of this file.

To obtain the latest copy, read the rec.skate, news.answers, or
rec.answers newsgroups on USENET; or you can download it via
anonymous ftp from rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/rec.skate.]

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR REC.SKATE
========================================

(last changed Feb 6, 1994)

Compiled and authored by Tony Chen, Phil Earnhardt, and George Robbins.

Q: WHO IS THIS NEWSGROUP FOR?

A: The charter for rec.skate is for all kinds of skating: traditional roller
skating, in-line skating (although often called "rollerblading", Rollerblade
is the trademarked name of a particular brand of in-line skates) figure
skating, speed skating, and participants in hockey. Skating-related
discussions not held in rec.skate include pro and college hockey (held in
rec.sport.hockey) and skateboarding (held in alt.skate-board).
Cross-country skating skiing may be discussed either here or in rec.skiing.

Within the various disciplines of skating discussed here, most anything
goes: discussions about equipment, maintenance, technique, competetions,
access to skating areas, etc. are all welcome.

At this point, the majority of the discussion in rec.skate (and virtually
all of this FAQ) is about in-line skating due to the currently fast growth
of the in-line sport. If you want to discuss something else, feel free to
discuss it.

Q: WHY DON'T WE SPLIT REC.SKATE INTO SEPARATE GROUP FOR ICE, QUADS, AND
IN-LINES?

A: Rec.skate is still a fairly low-traffic group. We normally get less
than 30 posts a day (the Harding-Kerrigan incident is the primary
exception).

Additionally, it's not at all obvious how to split the group. One way
is to split into ice, quad and in-lines. But many skaters skate on
more than one kind of skate. Another way would be to split into
speed, hockey, and figure/dance. But again, many skaters participate in
all kinds of skating.

Rec.skate tends to go through a seasonal cycle. Usually in the
winter, while ice-skating articles are common, in-line related articles
drop dramatically. If we had separate newsgroups, we'd end up with two
or more groups, all of which would be "dead" at different times of the
year.

Q: WHAT ARE THE ORIGINS OF IN-LINE SKATES?

A: (Merged paraphrased text from Wheel Excitement, The Complete Blader,
and Blazing Bladers)

The first in-line model was developed in the early 1700s by a Dutchman
who wanted to simulate ice skating in the summer by nailing wooden spools
to strips of wood and attaching them to his shoes.

The next version appeared in 1760 when a London instrument maker, Joseph
Merlin, decided to make an entrance to a masquerade party by skating
in on metal-wheeled boots while playing a violin. He ended up skating into
a huge mirror at the end of the ballroom, not having learned to stop or
steer.

In 1823, Robert John Tyers of London designed a skate called a "rolito"
by placing five wheels in a row on the bottom of a shoe. The rolito was
not take seriously at the time.

In 1863, an American, James Plimpton, found a way to make a workable
skate. He came up with a four-wheel skate with two pairs of wheels side by
side, and so the modern four-wheel roller skate was created. Roller skates
allowed turns, and also forwards and backwards skating. The invention of
ball bearing wheels in 1884 helped the sport even more.

Tyers' desgin did not go entirely unnoticed however. In the Netherlands,
after the canals had melted, "skeelers" (5's) were used as a means of
dry-land cross training, competition and transportation for over two
decades.

Finally, in 1980 when two brothers from Minneapolis were rummaging
through a pile of equipment at a sporting goods store, they found an old
in-line skate. Scott and Brennan Olson were ice hockey players and so they
realized the cross-training potential of the in-line skate.

They redesigned the skate, using a hockey boot, polyurethane wheels
and adding a rubber heel brake, and found they could skate as they did on
ice. Soon after, they began selling skates out of their home and
eventually Rollerblade Inc. was born.

(end paraphrased text)

There were also some Soviet in-lines from around the same time. These
in-lines were being developed for Speed Skating dryland training. Besides
having inferior wheel material, they only had a single bearing cartridge
in each wheel.

The first mass-produced Rollerblade skates had two-part metal runners.
The smaller skates had more overlap between the two metal parts; the
large skates had less. The "bushings" were 4 plain vanilla washers per
wheel; they were cumbersome to assemble/remove and mechanically flawed:
dirt/sand would get between the inner washer and the bearing. Also, there
was just a washer's worth of clearance between the rail and the wheel: it
was very easy to trash a wheel by rubbing it against a rail. The holes
along the side of the runners were oval; the rock of the skate was
determined by how much you slid the bolt up or down when you tightened it.
Finally, the brakes were old roller skate toe stops -- they were not very
efficient.

The first massively successful Rollerblade skate was the Lightning. It had
a robust fiberglass runner for each size of skate. The bushings fit into
oval holes in the runners -- rock was set by whether you put the bushing
in up or down. The linkage between the wheel and runner was far more
mechanically efficient and there was no way to rub wheels on the runners.
Wheel removal/insertion was far easier. And Rollerblade's brake, while far
smaller than the old "toe stop" brake, was much more efficient and lasted
longer.

Needless to say, the Lightning was mondo faster.

Q: I'M INTERESTED IN GETTING A PAIR OF IN-LINES FOR OUTDOOR SKATING. I WANT TO
GET DECENT STUFF, BUT I'D RATHER NOT SPEND A LOT OF MONEY. WHAT DO I NEED
TO GET?

A: First off, your budget should include protection: knee pads, wrist guards,
and a helmet. Elbow pads are optional. These "pads" should have a hard
plastic shell -- they should slide on the asphalt when you fall. Good
brands of protection are the Rollerblade TRS or the Dr. Bone Savers (DBS)
set of accesories. For helmets, any well-fitting ANSI/Snell approved
bicycle helmet should be fine.

The in-line industry is a lot like the bicycle industry -- specialty shops
generally sell and support more expensive functional skate brands and
department stores generally sell inexpensive lines that will never work
well. Also, there's usually a much greater chance of getting spare parts
and service from a specialty shop than a department store.

Rollerblade is the best-known brand of in-line skate; they make a whole
family of different in-line skates. Any skate in Rollerblade's line at or
above the Lightning skate should work well and last a long time. Other
reputable manufacturers are Ultra Wheels, Riedell, and Bauer. The
higher-end skates in the California Pro line are functional and relatively
inexpensive. Performance Bike is introducing a line of skates at a low
price; quality of these skates is unknown at this point.

You may wish to rent a model of skates before buying. Some shops will
discount part of the rental from purchase price if you buy skates later.

Fit of skates should be comfortable but snug. Unlike hiking or running
shoes, it's OK for your toes to be loosely in contact with the front of
the boot.

Unless you have a background of speed skating, beginning skaters should
avoid the 5-wheel skates. The problem with isn't the inherent speed of
the skates, but since manueverability and flexibility are sacrificed for
the sake of racing performance, so turns and other maneuvers require more
commitment. The 5-wheelers are great fun, but master the fundamentals
on a shorter wheelbase first.

Q: ARE BUCKLES BETTER THAN LACES?

A: If you're looking to buy skates nowadays, you'll notice a wide variety of
support systems: laces only, laces with one buckle, one buckle (rear-entry
skates so far offered only by Ultra-Wheels models), two buckles (old
SwitcHits, Bauer women's model, Roces London), three buckles (all other
skates).

Hockey skates are laces only (Bauer). 5-wheelers come in laces only
(serious racing skates) and laces with one buckle (long-distance commuting
skates such as the Rollerblade RacerBlade, and citizen racing skates).

The issue of buckles vs. laces is still a fairly often debated subject, and
the bottom line is whatever works for you. Anyway, here are some good and
bad points of each support system (recreational skates only).

Buckles:
PROs
1) Faster to put on.
2) More durable.
3) Adjustable on the fly.
4) Allows for vented shells.
5) Maintain their hold, no loosening.
6) Possible to adjust support in separate areas.

CONs
1) More expensive (in general).
2) Can cause too much pressure on parts of the foot.

Laces:
PROs
1) Cheaper (in general)
2) Much less prone to point-loading pressure on specific spots,
pressure is distributed evenly.

CONs
1) Slower to lace up than to buckle up.
2) Prone to breakage.
3) Cannot easily adjust tension without stopping and re-doing the
whole thing.
4) Laces don't allow for much venting in the shells.
5) They eventually loosen while you skate.
6) Not very easy to adjust support in sparate areas.

Laces & buckles:
PROs
1) Support adjustment is easy (if you normally only adjust the ankle).

CONs
1) Laces don't allow for much venting in the shells.

NEITHER
1) Mid-range pricing.

Buckles may seem like they've got a lot of good points going for them, and
they do. However, the two bad points can be big ones. Cost is the most
obvious factor. If you can't afford buckle skates, you'll likely have to
settle for laces only, and/or add your own. The other factor is fit. If
the skates don't fit you quite right, the buckles can cause over-pressure
on certain parts of your feet. Fit is one of more important aspects of
choosing a skate, and while liners of most skates eliminate this point-
loading problem to a good extent, it may not be enough for some people.

So what can you do if you've got lace-only skates and want to have the
convenience of buckles but can't afford to buy a new pair? You might
consider adding buckles. Either adding one buckle at the ankle or doing
away with laces altogether and adding two or three buckles. Many
ski shops will be willing to do this for you. Or you can add your own.

To fit buckles:

From: holr...@student.tc.umn.edu (James A Holroyd-1)

Need:
1) Buckles: can be obtained at ski shops, snowboarding shops, or from
an old pair of ski boots. I got mine from a snowboard shop, sold as
an extra buckle kit for snowboard binding ankle straps.

** NOTE **
Make *sure* the mounting surfaces of the buckle are only slightly
curved. Too much curvature in this area (the bit that touches the
boot) will pull your boot out of shape and be very uncomfortable.

2) Drill with various bits.
3) Mounting hardware for buckles: you can rivet them, or use T-bolts.
I used T-bolts with loctite on the threads, and they stay on well.

Step 1.
Put your skates on and figure out where you want to put the buckles.
I would recommend leaving the eyelets for the laces accessible. This way,
you can still lace up your skates, then tighten the cuffs with your buckles
The laces sit behind the strap, and don't loosen up as much as if you leave
them tied off below the cuff. Remember to place the buckles far enough
apart so you can tighten them, but not so far that you can't get the tongue
into the ratchet.

*** IMPORTANT ***
The buckle levers go on the *outside* of the skate :) This is very
embarrassing when you get it wrong (I did, first time), as every time your
skates get close together, they either catch on each other or unlatch the
lever, or some combination of the two. Not pretty.

Step 2.
Mark where you will have to drill holes to mount the buckles.

Step 3.
Take the liners out of the boots and drill the holes. Start with
a small, sharp bit (that boot plastic is *tough*, it could take a while)
and work up to the size that accomodates the mounting hardware you're using.

Step 4.
Mount the buckles. If you are using the snowboard buckles, the
mounting hardware that came with them should work. Just make sure that
nothing sharp is sticking into your liner, as it could chew up the liner
and/or your ankle. Don't forget the loctite (although it's really not
critical until you've got the placement right, or until you're 10 miles
from home :) )

This method works great with my lightnings. I got a pair of skates that,
IMHO, are as good as those costing a lot more. However, I would not try
this trick with any of the skates with flimsier liners. The Zetra's are
pretty uncomfy after a while, as the edges of the cuff do tend to dig in.
I ended up putting extra foam padding (ensolite) around the ankle area
before I sold them to a friend. He took it out, and apparently has no
comfort problems. Your mileage may vary.

Buckle add-on kits are now being sold in skate shops specifically for
in-lines. They run about $20 or so per pair of buckles. Ask your local
skate shop or call up one of the mail-order shops in the FAQ.

Q: I WANT TO GET GOOD IN-LINES, BUT I CAN ONLY AFFORD $150.

A: At this price point, you'll have to be pretty resourceful. First, note that
the in-line "season" begins somewhere around the end of March. You'll
probably find some good bargains in stores in the Jan-Mar time frame. Like
many sports, the in-line market is style-oriented: you may find last year's
style at a huge discount.

Even at this price level, you should avoid "department store" skates
(unless you want to buy skates that you won't use). You're far better off
buying a pair of used Rollerblade Lightning skates. If you don't see
anyone selling your size, consider putting an ad advertising that you want
to buy skates. The going rate for used Lightnings in good condition is
around $80-100. If wheels and bearings are shot, cut that to about $40 --
you'll need the other $50-60 or so to get new wheels and bearings.

Use the other $50 to buy protection. Don't skimp on protection! A knee is a
terrible thing to waste. Used protection in good condition is fine.

Q: HOW DO I STOP ON IN-LINES?
(see also, the stopping file following this file, for more details)

A: Good question. You've taken the most important step -- realizing that there
is a need to be able to slow down. The rest is just practice.

There are several general techniques for stopping while remaining on your
skates: generating friction by dragging your brake pad, generating friction
by sliding your wheels laterally against the ground, jumping onto grass and
killing your speed by running out, and pushing against a slower-moving or
stationary object with your hands. There's also falling, which is a valid
last-ditch technique that's a good to learn.

Here's the section on using the brake:

I finally learned how to brake well when someone described this image: your
brake foot has just slipped on a banana peel. Whoops! Your brake foot will
be about a foot in front of your body. The leg will have a slight bend. The
rear wheel and the brake will be in contact with the ground.

At first, your non-brake foot will be bearing almost all your weight. That
leg will be directly under your body, and the knee will be bent. The amount
of bend in your knee will determine how much braking force you can apply.

Your feet should be very close to your centerline. This should help keep
you going straight forward when braking (pretty important!).

There should be a slight forward bend in the waist. It may also help to
keep the hands at waist height or so. This keeps your center of gravity
lower. Try to keep your hands (and your whole upper body) loose; clenched
fists do not make the brakes work any better! Relax.

After you've tried a dozen or so stops, add one more refinement: drive your
back knee into the back of the front knee while braking. This creates a
triangle with your lower legs and the pavement between your skates. As all
the Buckminster Fuller fans out there know, triangles provide structural
stability. This triangle should enhance your braking power and ability to
run smooth, straight, and true while stopping.

As you master braking, begin to shift more of your weight to your front
foot. The Masters of Speed Control can actually decelerate while standing
only on their front foot. Good trick, that.

Q: I'VE LEARNED HOW TO SLOW DOWN. HOW DO I GO FASTER?

A: First off, keep learning how to slow down! Learn new techniques; refine the
ones you already know. Until you master slowing down, your mind will limit
how fast it will let you go on skates.

Watch good skaters. Notice that they rarely have both skates on the ground
at the same time. This independent leg action is something you'll master
over time; you can practice by seeing now long you can glide on a single
skate. When you can glide on a single skate for more than 30 seconds (both
left and right legs!), you're well on the way.

Notice that almost all of the side-to-side motion is happening below the
waist. Eliminate any twisting motion in your shoulders -- keep your
shoulders square to your direction of travel. If you want to move your
arms, move them forward and back -- crossing patterns may have you twist
your shoulders. Relax the muscles in your lower back to allow your upper
body to remain quiet.

Watch your stride. Are you pushing more to the side or to the back? Shift
your stride to be pushing almost exclusively to the side.

Where do you set your skate down at the start of your stride? Shoulder
width? Start setting your skate down on the centerline of your body. After
you're comfortable with that, start setting your skate further in beyond
your centerline.

Do you flick your toe at the end of your stride? If so, stop. Instead,
flick your heel -- drive your heel out at the end of the stroke. This will
feel very strange for the first 10,000 or so times.

Relax. Then relax some more. Discover levels with levels of relaxation.
Travel fast while moving your skates slowly -- your body is swimming
through air. Consider beginning to practice T'ai Chi Ch'aun postures daily.
Relax some more.

Q: WHAT SORT OF MAINTENANCE DO I HAVE TO DO ON MY IN-LINES?
(See also: the FAQ part 2)

A: Things that need maintaining are the wheels, bearings, and brakes.

Rotate wheels every 50-100 miles. To rotate a set of wheels, remove the
frontmost wheel, stash it away, move all the other wheels up one position,
and place the front wheel in the rearmost position. Flip each wheel as
you're rotating it, swapping the inside and outside edges.

With each wheel off the skate, clean around the bearings. Spin the wheel to
see if the bearings are in good shape. If bearings are bad, replace them.

Replace the brake pad when it's worn out (there's a "wear-line" on the new
brake pads if you don't intuit this).

Practice preventative maintenance: avoid sand, dirt, and water as much as
possible. These guys are what cause bearing failure. If you want bearings
to last, vacuum in/around your runners with an upholstery accessory after
every day. If you do want to skate in sand/dirt/water/mud, get a set of
sealed bearings.

Rotate your wheels often. It can be done in about 30 minutes tops.

Buy a Rollerblade "Y" tool to remove bearings from spacers, or buy one of
the aftermarket bearing spacer kits. These make bearing removal much
easier.

Q: WHAT OTHER INFORMATION IS OUT THERE TO HELP ME WITH IN-LINE SKATING?

A: There are two magazine that exist for in-line skating: In-line
Magazine and the Speed Skating Times. Speed Skating Times is more
race-oriented.

InLine Subscriptions Dept.
P.O. Box 527
Mt. Morris, IL 61054
or call customer service at 1-800-877-5281

Speedskating Times
2910 NE 11 Ave
Pompano Beach, FL 33064
(305) 782-5928

There are several videos that are marginally good at training. One
of these is the Rollerblade/Ski Magazine Skate to Ski video. Your
local Rollerblade dealer should have training videos available for
viewing in the store and/or rental.

Reading list: (mini-reviews by George Robbins)

_Blazing Bladers_ by Bill Gutman
A Tom Doherty Associates Book, 1992.
Cover price: $6.99 ($7.99 CAN)
ISBN 0-812-51939-6

One of the two easier to find books, this provides a reaonsable
overview of the sport, but suffers somewhat from "generic how-to"
publishing. The author tends to recite what "experts" have told
him without much conviction and some of the photographs don't fit
well with the text. Still has a good section on "street tricks".

_The Complete Blader_ by Joel Rappelfeld
St. Martin's Press, NY, New York, 1992.
Cover price: $8.95
ISBN 0-312-06936-7

This book is nearly as good as _Inline Skating_, but is more oriented
towards fitness/health aspects. There seems to be as much space
allocated to stretching and conditioning as skating. One useful
section describes construction and use of a slide-board for off
season training.

_The Complete Guide and Resource to In-line Skating_
by Stephen Christopher Joyner
Betterway Books, Cincinnati OH - 1993
Trade Paperback, 176 pages, $12.95
ISBN 1-55870-289-X

As a resource guide, this is a useful book, the appendices list
Magazines, Manufacturers, Retailers, Organizations, Roller Hockey
Leagues, IISA certified instructors and also a rather eclectic
bibliography. The rest of the text is OK and has a few interesting
features, but either of the first two in-line books (The Complete
Blader and Inline Skating) mentioned above would be more useful,
especially for the beginning skater. Some Specific irritations are
only the briefest mention of roller hockey where I would exepect at
least an information presentation of rules, equipment and game play,
and a strong anti-quad bias including a history of skating which leaps
from Plimpton's error (a steerable truck quad skate) to Scott Olson's
Rollerblade as if no-one enjoyed skating in the interiem.

_Inline Skating_ by Mark Powell & John Svenson
Human Kinetics Publising, 1993
Trade Paperback, 134 PP, $12.95
ISBN 0-87322-399-3

Of the recent rash of in-line skating "how to" books, this is
probably best and most balanced one. It has good coverage of
equipment and basic skating skills, mention of dance and fun
skating, and doesn't suffer from any fitness obsession.

_Laura Stamm's Power Skating_ by Laura Stamm
Leisure Press, 1989
Cover price: $17.95
ISBN 0-88011-331-6

_Wheel Excitement_ by Neil Feineman with Team Rollerblade(R)
Hearst Books, New York, NY 1991.
Cover price: $9.00
ISBN 0-688-10814-8

At one point, this was the only book on in-line skating and it
still serves as a decent introduction to the sport. Lots of
pictures of California kids having a good time. The actual
text is a little thin and any of the above books are better if
you can find them in your area.

================================================================================

The In-line Stopping Techniques File
------------------------------------
(written February 1992)
(lasted changed Jan 24, 1994)

[ This file is Copyright 1994 by Anthony D. Chen. It may be freely
redistributed in its entirety provided that this copyright notice
is not removed.

License is hereby granted to republish on electronic or other media
for which no fees are charged (except for the media used), so long
as the text of this copyright notice and license are attached intact
to any and all republished portion or portions.

It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents
without the written permission of the copyright holder.

Permission is expressly granted for this document to be made available
for file transfer from installations offering unrestricted anonymous
file transfer on the Internet.

This file is provided as is without any express or implied warranty.
Nothing in this file represents the views of Florida State University.]

This document is written for rec.skate, one of the many hundreds of
newsgroups under USENET, the international electronic news
network which reaches millions of readers. You will see "8-)" in use
throughout the text and if you look at it with your head tilted to the
left the intent should be obvious 8-)

This list is arranged in order of increasing difficulty, but skaters
have all sorts of different backgrounds so your shredding may vary.

Good luck, and skate smart.

-Tony Chen
adc...@cs.fsu.edu
(4643 High Grove Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308)

List of stops:
- runouts - backward stepping stop
- wall stop - forward stepping stop
- windbraking - reverse stop (forwards snow-plow)
- the brake-pad - backwards heel drag
- V-stop/snowplow - toe-drag spinouts
- (regular) spinout/lunge stop - heel-drag spinouts
- spread eagle spinout - curb ramming
- crossover stop - power stop/power slide
- slaloming/parallel turns - chop-stop
- T-stop - New York stop
- toe drag - "Wile E. Coyote" stops
- backwards T-stop - combination stops

Related topics:
- falling
- collisions with stationary objects

While the basic repretoire of stopping techniques includes the
brake-pad, the T-stop, spinouts, and the power stop, this file is
meant to go one step beyond merely teaching the basics. The
basics are crucial, but once skaters progress beyond them, they
often need some guidance for further learning. One cannot expect
each skater to discovery techniques on their own, hence this file.

BEGINNER LEVEL

The following set of stopping methods, most beginner skaters
should be able to handle. They keep both feet on the ground
throughout the stop, and don't require as much independent leg
action as more advanced stops.

* RUNOUTS: Assuming the path you're skating on has grass or
packed dirt (or some other hard-to-roll-on surface), you can just
skate off the path and reduce your speed by running onto the grass
(hop-hop-hop-hop-hop). In the worst case scenario, you can
tumble and hopefully you won't take any damage.

* WALL STOP: This stop is simply to skate towards a wall (or any
reasonably stationary object, really) and use your arms to absorb
the impact. At low speeds, this should be quite safe (make sure you
turn your head to the side so as not to smash your face). You may
or may not bang your skates, depending on your speed and how
you hit. The key is to use your arms as cushioning springs (like
doing a standing push-up.) One way to practice this is to stand a
few feet from a wall (with your skates on). Now fall on your hands
against the wall, and you should be able to bounce a little, while still
avoiding banging your head. The faster your approach, the less
bounce will result.

A variation on the wall stop is the billiard ball stop. Instead of
stopping against an object, use a fellow skater to push off and
transfer your momentum to them. To be safe, warn the receiving
person about your approach. It works well on flat surfaces and at
low to moderate speeds. It's not recommended at high speeds and
especially on people you don't know 8-)

See the collision section for more extreme cases.

* WIND-BRAKING: Wind-braking is more for speed-control than
to stop (although on windy days, this can stop you). Just stand up,
spread your arms out and catch the air like a sail. You'll probably
need to lean forwards slightly, to counter the force of the wind.

* THE BRAKE-PAD:

The brake-pad is subject to much debate amongst skaters. Many
people with ice skating and rollerskating backgrounds find the
brake in the way, in the wrong place, or simply ineffective.
However, used proficiently, the brake-pad becomes a very versatile
piece of equipment because:

1) you can use it to stop, even at very high speeds;
2) it allows you to keep both skates on the ground while
stopping (good for keeping your balance);
3) you can maintain a narrow profile (good for high traffic
areas where cars or bicycles might be passing you);
4) you can still steer yourself;
5) the sound of braking can often alert others to your presence;
6) the brake-pad is the most cost-effective technique there is so
far for in-lines.

To learn how to use the brake-pad, first coast with both skates
shoulder-width apart. As you coast, scissor your feet back and
forth a few times to get used to the weight shift. To apply the brake
then, scissor your skate so your braking skate is out front. Lift the
toe of your brake skate and press with the heel too. Your body
weight is centered and even slightly on your back skate when you're
just learning it. The key is a straight back and bent knees.

If you have trouble balancing or find your braking ankle a little
weak, you can try the following trick: form a triangle with your
legs (from the knee down to your skates) and the ground. This
means putting your back knee either right behind or next to, the
brake-foot knee to form that triangle.

Eventually you'll want to stop at high speeds. Basically, the more
pressure you use on the brake pad the faster you stop. Maximum
stopping power is achieved by putting your entire body weight onto
the brake by lifting your back foot, and leaning onto the brake.
This takes some practice but is very effective. It is possible to stop
within 15-20 ft even when going over 20 mph. Practically
speaking, you may still want to keep the other skate on the ground
for balance.

Note that the amount of leverage, and therefore the amount of
stopping power you have, is dependent on how worn your brake is.
A half-worn brake will provide better leverage than either a new
brake or a worn-out brake. Some people sand or saw off part of
new brakes to avoid the annoying breaking-in period.

One important point to keep in mind when using the brake-pad:
You can still steer while braking. Just keep the brake-pad on the
ground and pivot on your heel wheel slightly to go the direction
you want. This is very useful while going down a very narrow and
curvy path or while trying to avoid curbs, pedestrians, parked cars,
trees, and the like.

A brake-pad generally runs from $3 to $6 depending on what type
you buy. Compare this with wheels which are $5.50 or more each
and the freebie stops: runouts, wind-braking, billiard ball stop
(freebies since you're not wearing anything down). Wheels are
expensive, and the freebie stops are infrequently available, if at all,
for the large majority of skating situations. The brake can be your
standard stop, provided that you learn it well.

(see "Wile E. Coyote" stops for a rather interesting variation)

* V-STOP/SNOWPLOW: For a low-speed rolling stop, point your
heels inward (for backwards) or your toes together (for forwards)
and let your skates bang into each other. This might throw you in
the direction you're going (depending on your speed), so take care
to be prepared to lean forward or backwards to compensate.

You can do a more exaggerated snowplow by spreading your legs
out past shoulder-width and pointing your skates inward or
outwards as before (and you won't bang your skates together.)
Here, use leg strength to press your inner edges against the ground,
and you'll slow down appreciably. This can work even at very high
speeds.

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL

* ADVANCED RUNOUTS: Skating off pavement onto
grass. You can weave from pavement to grass and back to
pavement to control your speed, especially when going downhill.
To stop completely just stay on the grass.

As you hit the grass, knees are kept bent, and one foot is ahead of
the other. Nearly all weight is distributed on the foot that will hit
the grass first, and you keep that leg real stiff, as if plowing a path
for the trailing leg to follow. Very little weight is on the trailing
leg. Muscles in the trailing leg are relaxed. The only function of
the trailing leg is stability and balance. The leading leg does most
of the work.

Beginners are often intimidated by this procedure, but it is really a
very simple physical feat. The hard part, if any, is simply
understanding mentally what it is you are trying to do, as I
explained.

This is a lot of fun, too. I like to hit the grass full speed, and then
skate as far down a slope as possible before the grass stops me.

One important requirement is that the ground should be dry. Wet
dirt or grass will clog your wheels and your skates will also sink
into mud (yuck).

* (REGULAR) SPINOUTS/LUNGE STOP: This is where you
skate into a spin to transfer your linear momentum into angular
momentum. To do this, you sort of stop-n-hold one skate at an
angle to act as the pivot foot and the other traces a circle around it
(and you). It may help to think of having each skate trace
concentric circles, with the pivot skate tracing the much smaller
inner one. The pivot skate will be turning on its outside edge, while
the outer skate will be on its inside edge.

* SPREAD EAGLE SPINOUTS: A spinout with your skates in a
bent spread eagle position (i.e., heels pointed towards each other,
skates at slightly less than 180 degrees). There is no pivot foot
here, instead both your skates trace the arc.

There are inside and outside spread eagles, where you skate on both
inside or both outside edges. The above paragraph describes the
inside spread eagle.

A sustained outside spread eagle is more of an artistic skating move
than a practical stop, although I use it occasionally to stop on flat
surfaces.

NOTE that all types of spinouts require a fair amount of room.
Your forward motion is quite suddenly changed to angular motion
so I'd recommend this mainly for low traffic areas where you won't
have people running into you from behind when you do the
spinout.

* CROSSOVER STOP: This stop works both forwards and
backwards at higher speeds. I call this the crossover stop because
your feet are held in the position of a spread-out crossover. In this
stop, you're going to be arcing to one side. The harder and sharper
you turn, the faster you stop. If you tend to trip on your skates,
spread your skates farther apart (forwards-backwards).

The braking pressure comes from the turn. The harder you press
with the outer edge of your back skate, the faster you stop. So if
you're turning left, your right skate is in front, the left skate is
almost right behind it (so that all your wheels are in line). Press on
the outer edge of your left skate (your back skate) and on the inner
edge of your right skate.

There is also the inverted crossover stop where your feet positions
are reversed: so you turn left with your left foot forward and right
foot back (and vice versa for right turns). Watch ice hockey players
just after play has stopped. More often than not, the circle around
in the inverted crossover position.

Both crossover stops are good for high speed stops but make sure
you have plenty of open space.

* SLALOMING/PARALLEL TURNS: For skiers, this maps over
very nicely. This is more of a speed control technique rather than a
stop, but it's very useful to know. Explaining slalom turns can take
an entire book in itself, so I will merely suggest that you find a skier
or a ski book to show you how.

One way to practice this is to find a nice gentle slope with plenty of
space at the bottom, set up cones in a line, and weave through the
cones.

ADVANCED LEVEL

This next set of stops require good independent leg control. These
advanced stops will require you to be skating only one foot for
some portion of the technique.

* T-STOP: This stop uses your wheels as a source of friction. To
do the T-stop, place one skate behind you, nearly perpendicular to
your direction of travel. Bend a little in both knees to drag your
wheels. You should think more of dragging the heel than the toe.
Apply the braking pressure to your heel. If you drag the toe too
much, you will end up spinning around. Keep your weight mainly
on your skating (front) foot. As you learn to stop at higher speeds
you will apply more downward pressure to the back skate (but your
weight is still on the front skate).

NOTE: One particular phenomenon to avoid in the T-stop, or any
wheel-dragging stop (such as the toe drag) is the "flats". If you T-
stop or toe drag such that the wheels do not roll as your drag, you
will end up with a flattened wheel which will not roll smoothly at all.
In effect, ruining your wheel(s).

* TOE DRAG: Similar to the T-stop except you drag only the toe
wheel instead of all four or five wheels. Unlike the T-stop it's not
critical to keep the skate perpendicular to your line of travel. In
fact, you're free to drag the wheel anywhere in a 180+ degree arc
behind you. Also, your toe can be pointed into the ground at
pretty much any angle. (If you have old wheels, the toe position is
a good place to put them if you want to avoid shredding your good
wheels.)

The toe drag is better than the T-stop in that you wear down only
one wheel, and more importantly, you are also allowed much better
control over steering, since you can still stop effectively even if the
drag wheel rolls too much. The toe drag can stop you even when at
cruising speeds, although at significantly longer breaking distance
than the brake-pad or the T-stop since you are dragging only one
wheel.

* BACKWARDS T-STOP: This is a T-stop when you're rolling
backwards. There are two ways to perform this stop. The first way
is to stop by dragging the outside edge of your skate (i.e., toe
pointed outward). The harder way is to point your toe inward,
much like a reverse New York stop (see New York stop).

STEPPING STOPS

These three stepping stops are essentially advanced low-speed stops
("advanced" since they require good independent control over each
skate). They could also be called "pushing" stops, since most of the
braking action is done by pushing a skate against your motion.
Many advanced skaters will do this intuitively, but I will detail them
here for completeness.

* BACKWARD STEPPING STOP: This is like while wearing
shoes, and someone pushes you from the front. One foot
automatically steps back to keep you from falling backwards. On
skates then, while rolling backwards, you simply put one skate
behind you, 90 degrees to the other skate, and hold it there so that
your body doesn't roll any further. This is basically a very low-
speed power stop, and so without the sliding and scraping action of
the wheels (see the Power Stop).

The faster you are moving, the closer you are to doing a true power
stop. This may be a good method to learn the power stop,
gradually building up speed.

* FORWARD STEPPING STOP: A low-speed stop very similar
to the backwards stepping stop except you're rolling forwards, of
course. This time you plant your skate 90 degrees out in front of
or right next to the rolling skate. Your front heel will be pointing
inwards (it's probably easier for most people to keep the toe pointed
outward here). This is especially useful at curbs, like just before
you accidentally roll into an intersection, in crowded indoor places,
or if you just want to get a little closer to people you're talking
with.

This stop should halt you immediately. Once you plant your foot,
your body should stop moving forward. You may find it easier if
you bend slightly at the waist and knee to give your skate a better
angle to grab.

You can also use this stop in a sort of shuffling fashion: stop, roll a
little, stop, roll a little, etc., until you get to precisely where you
want
to be.

* REVERSE STOP (FORWARDS SNOW-PLOW): While
rolling, point one skate (only) inward, lift and set it back down.
Roll on it and push off slightly at the heel. Now lift the other skate,
and do the same.

Essentially you are skating backwards even though moving
forwards. Keep doing it and you will eventually start skating
backwards. This can be done even at high speeds.

* BACKWARDS HEEL DRAG: This is for rolling backwards.
Similar to the toe drag except you drag your heel wheel. If you
find your drag skate rolling sideways, apply more pressure to your
heel wheel.

Now that you can do toe-drags, heel-drags and spinouts...

* TOE-DRAG SPINOUTS: This is a one-footed spinout with an
accompanying toe-drag on the other foot. The toe drag will be in
the inside of the spinout. So for a right-foot toe-drag spinout, you
will be carving a right turn. It takes a bit more balance and strength
and will shred your toe wheel a lot. The more pressure on the toe,
and the sharper/harder you carve your turn, the faster you stop.

At maximum effectiveness, it can stop you very quickly. The
skating foot will be nearly doing a power slide (see Power Stop)
and the dragging foot will be doing a very hard toe-drag. Done
correctly at low to medium speeds, it takes up at most a sidewalk's
width. At downhill speeds, expect to take up most of a car lane.

NOTE that hitting a crack or rock during this stop really bites since
you've got most of your weight on one skating foot. Look for any
debris or holes ahead of you and be prepared.

* HEEL-DRAG SPINOUTS: For this spinout, just plant one of
your heel wheels on the ground out in front of you and spin
around it. The only tricky part is that the pivot heel wheel may roll
a little, so keep some downward pressure on it. It probably helps to
keep your pivot leg straight and slightly locked to help stabilize the
pivot.

A variation on heel-drag spinouts is to use your brake-pad as the
pivot.

This stop looks pretty neat when going backwards, although you
should be careful to protect your knees if you have to abort. To
perform this backwards, start a heel-drag stop (you're skating
backwards), carve the skating foot behind and to the inside, and you
should spin around the heel wheel/brake.

* CURB RAMMING: You approach the curb at around 90
degrees (i.e., straight on) and lift your toes enough to clear the
curb. This should jam your wheels and runners into the curb. You
should be prepared to compensate for the sudden change in your
motion.

An alternative curb ramming stop is to do a spinout near the curb
and ram the back of your skate into the curb.

Both these techniques cause quite a bit of shock to your skates
(especially at high speeds) so if you really love your skates you
may not want to do this stop too often 8-)

* POWER STOP/POWER SLIDE: This is one of the most
effective stops, and also one of the hardest. To do this stop, you
should be able to skate forwards and backwards well, and also be
able to flip front-to-back quickly.

There appear different approaches to learning the power stop. The
end result should be the same, or nearly so, but both are detailed
below. It is left to the reader to decide which one is easier to
follow.

One way:

You can piece the power stop together by combining two things:
1) flip front to backward.
2) place one foot behind you and push the entire row of
wheels at a very sharp angle into the ground.

You can practice this by skating backwards, gliding, and then with
nearly all your weight on one foot, bring the other foot behind you,
perpendicular to your direction of travel (see the Backward
Stepping stop).

You should start out doing this while traveling slowly. Your wheels
should scrape a little. If they catch, you need to hold your braking
skate at a sharper angle. Once you get this down, you can practice
flipping front-to-back, coast a little, and then stop. Eventually, the
combination becomes one smooth move: just get the braking leg
extended as soon as you flip.

You can use any flip (mohawk, 3-turn, toe-pivot, etc.) for this stop.
This stop is good for hockey, and a good stop when going
backwards (especially at higher speeds). A power-stop using a
jump turn is called a chop stop (see following section).

The other way:

The second method involves one continuous motion instead of
two: Skate forward on an outside edge, while extending the free
leg to the side. All weight is on the skating leg. The free leg is
dragged along the ground. Now sharpen the turn on the outside
edge of the skating leg (with its knee greatly bent), and swing the
free leg in front. This continuous transition causes the skating leg
to turn, so it's now skating in reverse.

The key is to have all the weight on the skating leg. If you place
any weight on the free leg, you will go into a spin and lose
control.

Some prefer this method because you do not need to go into a
complete power slide to stop. At any point in the continuous
motion, you can abort if something is going wrong. Only at
higher speeds is it necessary to completely turn the skating foot.
There is less risk of catching the free leg on an uneven surface
because it is already extended and dragging before you swing
around.

* CHOP-STOP: For skating forward or backward at low to
moderate speeds. This is much like the hockey stops done on ice
except, since you can't shave asphalt, you need to jump and turn
both skates and hips perpendicular to the direction of travel. Land
with the skates at an angle (like in the power stop) and push your
wheels against the ground. To maintain balance you can keep one
skate mainly beneath you, while the other goes out forward to stop
you.

Most of the shredding will be done on the lead skate, where the
inside of your lead leg should make a sharp angle against the
ground.

Basically what this is, is a power stop using a jump turn.

The jump isn't so much for air time as for lifting your skates off the
ground so you can reposition them sideways. The lower the jump
you can get away with, the less off balance you should be when you
land. However, if you don't jump high enough you may not be able
to place your lead skate at a sufficient angle. Caution should be
used even more so in this stop than in others.

The particulars of the jump aren't crucial. You can lead with one
foot followed by the other, and land in that order; or jump and land
with both feet at once. Pick whatever style you're most comfortable
with.

* NEW YORK STOP: Harder than even the power stop, the New York stop is
mainly a power stop but you don't turn your gliding foot! It doesn't
appear that just anyone can perform this stop, since it seems to
require quite a bit of knee flexibility.

L = the track left by the left skate, R = ditto by the right skate

------ direction of travel --- >

L---------------------- | <- slide with skate, scraping edges of
/ |---all the wheels like the power-slide
R--- / <-
\ /
\ / (A NY stop with the right foot)
\ /
\_____/

This stop requires your knee to be twisted inward (not a natural
position, by far), so if you can't do it, I wouldn't say it's a big loss
since it seems to have above average potential to cause injury if
done wrong.

* "WILE E. COYOTE" STOPS

This stop requires brakes on both skates and is very reminiscent of
cartoon charaters, Wile E. Coyote in particular 8-), when they stop
on their heels after going very, very, VERY fast (meep meep! 8-).

* COMBINATION/SEQUENCE STOPS

Once you've got some stops perfected, the next thing you might want to
try is a sequence or combination of several stops. These are
definitely more fun and a bit more showy. These are some of the
random combination stops that I do. You can easily make up your own.
(Sequences are denoted with "->" and combos with "+")

S-stop: Crossover stop -> turn opposite direction -> toe-drag
spinout. So for example, you can crossover stop to the left,
ride your left skate and do a toe drag (right toe pivot)
while turning to the right to complete the S-pattern.

Double crossover stop: crossover stop -> inverted crossover
stop (or vice versa). This also traces out an S-pattern.

Braking T-stop: T-stop with non-brake foot + brake with brake-pad

Braking toe-drag: Brake with brake-pad + toe-drag on other skate The
braking toe-drag and the braking T-stop are the two of the
most effective ways to stop that I know of when cruising.

Braking spread-eagle: Spread-eagle (follow w/ spinout optional) with
braking skate in front + braking with brake-pad

Braking glide stop: glide -> reverse feet positions -> brake-pad. The
effect is that of shuffling your feet quickly and stopping.
(Glide: a heel-toe glide, one skate out, and one skate back;
use only the back toe and front heel wheels. The back skate
should be the one with the brake since the assembly gets in
the way on the front skate)

Tony Chen

unread,

May 1, 1994, 11:44:57 PM5/1/94

Posted-By: auto-faq 1.24
Archive-name: rec-skate-faq/part2

REC.SKATE FAQ - PART 2: WHEELS, BEARINGS, AND BRAKES

Inline Wheels
-------------
(written May 17, 1992)
(last changed July 19, 1993)

TECHNICAL INFO

Inline wheels are made of polyurethane. Although wheels are classified
on three criteria: diameter, durometer (hardness), and rebound, you will
usually see only the diameter and durometer marked on the wheels
(e.g.,76mm 78A, or 70mm 82A, etc.).

DIAMETER

The diameter of the wheel is basically how tall the wheel is. The usual
diameters are 80mm, 77mm, 76mm, 72.5mm, 72mm, and 70mm. More recently,
82mm wheels have been introduced. Also new are short stunt wheels, 52mm
in diameter, with a high durometer to allow for rail slides and other
tricks.

Generally, racing skates will fit up to 82mm wheels, high-end skates up to
77mm, and the rest of the models up to 72.5mm. Although these are the
designed ranges, skates can take slightly taller wheels than what they're
supposed to. For instance, the Bauer XF/3's, with the front and heel wheel
spacers moved in (for a shortened wheelbase), can use 76mm wheels for all
four positions. Extension modification (i.e., scraping down) of skates are
need for wheels much larger than the intended size.

Although still subject to some technical debate, in general, taller
wheels will let you go faster (i.e., 76mm are faster than 70mm) but
there is a point where taller wheels will only make you go slower with
added weight (harder to start rolling) and less manueverability.

Shorter wheels are cheaper, but in general don't last as long since they
have less material to wear down overall.

DUROMETER (hardness):

Durometer is a relative hardness measure frequently used for rubber and
plastic products. There are several scales, with the "A" scale (hence
the 78A, etc.) used for wheels. The number is the rating from 0-100,
with 0 being no resistance and 100 being very hard plastic.

Inline wheels generally run from 74A to 93A, with 78A, 82A, and 85A
being the most common. For outdoors, the softer the wheel, the better
the shock absorption on bumps, cracks, pebbles and other vibrations.
The trade-off is that softer wheels last a shorter time. Harder wheels,
since they have less drag, are preferred on indoor surfaces which are
usually very smooth.

Hockey players may prefer harder wheels because it allows them to slide
somewhat.

Rebound:
This is how much the wheel will return the energy when your wheels are
compressed. So a higher rebound, will provide more response on each
stroke. There doesn't seem to be a rebound scale (is there?) as there
is for durometer.

HUBS

The hubs are very important to the overall performance of the wheel.
Hubs which are too large will not hold the bearings tightly enough.
This can allow the wheel to become "cocked" so that it rubs against the
frame. Only one wheel needs to be out of alignment to mess things up.

Misalignment is a serious problem, not only because it causes drag, but
because it heats up the wheel. This will soon cause it to seperate from
the hub and expand, and eventually destroy the wheel.

I have noticed this on several sets of Kryptonics Turbo-cores. The
first sign is that the wheels creak as you switch your weight on the
skate. If you remove the wheel from the frame, you can see an arc
clear of dirt and dust where the wheel was rubbing.

If you notice this, put your hands on your wheels after a long fast
skate and see if any of them are much warmer than the others. If so,
they are probably rubbing.

This can happen a lot easier on frames like the Mogema and the Darkstar
that have very close tolerences and the side of the frame is close to
the side of the wheel. I'm not sure if is as big as a problem (or a
problem at all) for recreational skates like the Aeroblade. The
creaking is bothersome in any event.

AXLE KITS

Another important aspect of your wheels is the axles. There are several
axle replacement/upgradd kits (such as the Hyper Hop-up Kit and the Blading
Edge Kit) designed to let your wheels roll much faster than your stock
axles will allow. These kits are usually made of aluminium and steel.
What they consist of is two axles per wheel, each screwing into the
threaded bushing in the wheel. This also prevents overtightening, which
is common with the regular axle system. When putting your wheels back,
make sure the wheels are just snug enough so they don't move around.
Anything more just increases the friction on your bearings.

MAINTENANCE

Wheels of any durometer will wear out, given enough mileage. There's
only so much polyurethane on your wheels, while there's thousands of
miles of asphalt out there. Much less wearage occurs for indoor
skating, however.

In general, your wheels are due for maintenance when your skates are much
slower and not rolling as smoothly as when new. The inside edges will wear
more quickly, which you will eventually notice:

new wheel worn wheel

There are two things you can do to get the most from your wheels: rotate
and flip. Rotating your wheels means to switch the positions of the wheels.
Different positions (like the heel or toe wheels) receive varying amounts of
wear. By rotating the wheels, you can even out the wear on each wheel.

Flipping your wheels means to turn each wheel so that the worn edge now
faces the outside. This lets you wear down the other edge of the wheels.

There are several patterns for wheel rotation. The one you use isn't
crucial, since there's no "magic" rotation formula that works for all
situations. The main point is to maintain an even wear on your wheels.
Often times you may find yourself swapping wheels at random until you
get a good wearage distribution on your skates.

Some common rotation patterns:

The front wheel is "1" and the back wheel is either "4" or "5".

For 3-wheel skates: 3->2, 2->1, 1->3

For 4-wheel skates: 4<->2, 3<->1 OR 4->3 3->2 2->1 1->4

For 5-wheel skates: 5->3, 4->2, 3->1, 2->5, 1->4
OR 5->3, 4->5, 3->2, 2->4

Whiled you're rotating and flipping your wheels, you might as well wipe
off your skates, rails, wheels and bearings with a damp cloth. Some
people wipe down their skates everytime they go out, even if they don't
do any rotation, but I recommend you do it at least everytime you rotate
your wheels. This keeps the amount of dirt on your skates and wheels to
a minimum, which helps keeps grit out of your bearings.

ROCKERING YOUR SKATES

Having skates non-rockered means the axles and wheels are all at the
same height. This is the way the skates come when you buy then (usually).
What many skates allow you to do is to change the height of some or all of
the axles, to provide a different "blade" to skate on. Rockered skates
then, have the middle two wheels lower relative to the front and heel
wheels. This is accomplished by having oval spacers with an offset
axle-hole; each spacer can have an up or down position.

Racing skates are also adjustable, but only in the horizontal direction,
allowing for a longer or shorter wheelbase.

Although subject to some disagreement, many skaters find rockering
provides much more maneuverability due to the curved "blade" of the
wheels. Whether you rocker or not is really up to you. Many hockey
players prefer to have their skates rockered for sharper turns on the
court, while racers keep their blades flat for more stability at high
speeds (rockers at high speed will produce speed wobble). Artisitic
skaters may also prefer rockered, while extreme skaters may opt to
keep them flat.

Depending on your skates, there are various rockering configurations
possible. If your skates can adjust the height of only the middle two
wheels, you can have your skates flat or rockered:

Flat : ==frame==

1 2 3 4

Rockered: ==frame==
1 4
2 3

If your skates can adjust the height of all four wheels then you have
the positions of

short even rocker: ==frame== (wheels closer to boot, for more
control)
1 4
2 3

tall even rocker: ==frame== (taller, for sharper turns)

1 4
2 3

front-lift rocker: ==frame== (a little more stable than regular
rocker)
1
2 3 4

front-lift, : ==frame== (tilts skates forward)
rear-down, rocker 1
2 3
4

Wheels generally run from $4.25 to $8.00, depending on the quality and
size of the wheel.

==============================================================================

NEW WHEELS for '93

From: p...@blackcat.stortek.com (Phil Earnhardt)
Subject: Hyper's 1993 wheel line

Here's a list of the various kinds of Hyper wheels available in 1993. Note:
this is from their marketing literature; you may or may not be able to find
all of these wheels (particularly in all colors).

I'll include selections of the "hype" from the brochure. Your mileage may
vary.

Superlite "America's #1 preferred replacement wheel for all inline skates ...
increased traction, smoother roll ... [they'll] last longer ..."

72mm 78A teal, black, yellow, clear, pink, purple
72mm 82A teal, black, yellow, clear, pink, purple
72mm 85A black, pink, purple
72mm 93A teal, pink

76mm 78A teal, black, yellow, clear, pink, purple
76mm 82A purple, black

Redline Racing Series (tm) "Developed to win [races] ... more speed ... more
gold"

76mm 75A orange
76mm 78A yellow
76mm 82A purple
82mm 75A orange
82mm 78A yellow
82mm 82A purple

The 76mm skates are available with two different types of hubs: LS and
SS. It's unclear from the brochure exactly what is different between
the two.

Hockey wheels "H-250 [wheel] compound for longer wear and increased slide
control. 'Big Foot' riding surface."

70mm 78A black, purple, clear, teal
70mm 82A black, purple, clear, teal
70mm 85A black, purple, clear, teal

"Fat Boys" "Fully tested for the ramp, pool, or street. Hubs are bonded
together with the 'Fat Boy' landing surface"

70mm 80A black, purple, yellow, silver
70mm 84A black, purple, yellow, silver

The brochure provides a fair number of guidelines for wheel choice.

The softer hockey wheels and the trick wheels are both welcome developments!

========================================================================

THE BEARING MAINTENANCE FILE
----------------------------
(written May 2, 1992)
(last changed March 6, 1994)
Compiled and edited by Tony Chen

[ This file is Copyright 1994 by Anthony D. Chen. It may be freely
redistributed in its entirety provided that this copyright notice
is not removed.

License is hereby granted to republish on electronic or other media
for which no fees are charged (except for the media used), so long
as the text of this copyright notice and license are attached intact
to any and all republished portion or portions.

It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents
without the written permission of the copyright holder.

Permission is expressly granted for this document to be made available
for file transfer from installations offering unrestricted anonymous
file transfer on the Internet.

This file is provided as is without any express or implied warranty.
Nothing in this file represents the views of Florida State University.]

Contents:
* General Info
* Sealed or Shielded?
* Bearing ratings
* How to maintain your bearings
1st method : If you don't mind taking off the seals.
2nd method : If you don't want to pry off the seals.

GENERAL INFO

Inline skates all use 608 bearings. The "608"r means that the bearings
are from the 600 series, with a 8mm inner diameter (the width of the
hole i.e., internal bore). The "6" appears to be for the 6mm difference
between the inner and outer radii (from the outside edge to the edge of
the hole).

608 bearings are also the standard size for skateboard bearings. Quad
skates use either type 608 (8mm internal bore) or type 627 (7mm internal
bore). The 608s for quads are the outdoor bearings. If your bearings
have letters following the "608" (like "S", "Z", or even "ZZ" or "SS")
it is the manufacturer's way of denoting sealed or perhaps double
shielded bearings. To make sure what they mean you should probably
check with the manufacturer, since it varies from company to company.

A little cross-reference on part numbers for bearings, the 7MM ones are
for quality indoor skates, the 8MM ones are used for in-lines, other indoor
skates and skateboards.

Double Shielded:
NTN Fafnir MRC ND SKF HCH YW
7MM 627-ZZ 37KDD 37FF 77037 R7-2Z 627Z 60027
8MM 608-ZZ 38KDD 38FF 77038 R8-2Z

Double Sealed (neoprene rubber):
NTN Fafnir MRC ND SKF
7MM 627-LL 37PP 37ZZ 99037 R7-2RS
8MM 608-LL 38PP 38ZZ 99038 R8-2RS

Single shielded/sealed bearings usually delete one of the doubled
prefix/suffix characters. (Thanks go to George for the above chart).

Bearings for in-lines generally come grease filled. Some bearings like
GMNs are sold either greased or oiled (but usually greased).

SEALED OR SHIELDED?

There are basically two types of bearings: shielded vs sealed. Most
likely you will have shielded bearings, which all stock skates come with
(as far as I know). Shields make it hard for dirt and grime to get in,
but they certainly aren't dust or watertight. For superior protection
against the elemnts, you need sealed bearings.

There are three kinds of shielded bearings: 1) two shields (metal), 2)
one metal shield & one pop-out cap for maintenance, 3) two pop-out caps.
If you have types 2 or 3, you'll have an easier time re-lubing your
bearings (see below)

Sealed bearings have a teflon or rubber lip seal that actually touches the
brace and come packed with a fairly heavy grease. These are quite impervious
to dust or water. Rollerblade sells sealed bearings under the name Max
Trainers. You may find other brands as well. The advantage is that they
should last a long time without any maintenance at all. The trade-off is that
these bearings generally cost more and you also encounter a much higher
rolling resistance. Slower bearings are not necessarily bad, since many
people like the added resistance for a better workout.

BEARING RATINGS

Bearings are rated on the ABEC (the Annular Bearing Engineering Council)
scale. The main brands are NMBs (stock ABEC-1 bearings), Powell Swiss
(ABEC-1), GMNs (ABEC-3), Fafnirs (ABEC-5) and Black-Hole (various ABECs).
Buying bearings rated any higher than ABEC-5 will probably not do any good
since they aren't be meant for use in in-lines. The higher precision will
be lost to contaminating dust and dirt anyway. (If it's speed you want,
cutting down wind-resistance and improving your technique is a better way.)

Really precise bearings are only used in high speed (read: rotational)
applications, as in machinery. The next higher grade up from in-line
bearings are in machines which are rotating at speeds of at least
10,000 rpm which is around 80+ mph. You probably won't want to go that
fast on your skates 8-) At 50,000 rpm you would be traveling 400+ mph.
So which happens first? the wheels melting, or the skin ripping off the
skater? Gives new meaning to shredding 8-)

WHEN TO CLEAN AND RE-LUBRICATE YOUR BEARINGS

Exposure to dirt and water are the main reason that your bearings slow
down. Bad bearings will be ones which don't let your wheels spin for a
respectable amount of time (the definition of "respectable" depends on
on your type of bearings). If you hear or feel the vibrations of metal
rubbing on metal, chances are your bearings are in need of some maintenance.

If some of the balls or bearing surfaces have become roughened, there's
basically nothing you can do. They won't get any better, but they may
last a long time anyway. You can always replace your bearings a few
at a time.

Take care of your bearings by cleaning and preping them as needed.
Assuming normal usage, they should last through several sets of wheels,
depending on how much skating you do.

REPLACING YOUR BEARINGS

You can replace your bearings if (1) any of your bearings have somehow
stopped spinning well, despite all the cleaning you do or (2) you want
to change to different types of bearings (racing or sealed or whatever).

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR BEARINGS

1. Remove your wheels from the skates. Each wheel has a bearing on each
side of the hub. If you look through the axle hole, you'll see the
spacer that fits between them. All you need to do is push the bearings
out from the opposite side by pushing against the spacer.

To do this, you need a tool/part that has a diameter exactly the size
of the spacer. Rollerblade sells their Blade Tool that has 3 tools in
one. The bearing tool is one, plus a screwdriver for your brake, and
an allen wrench for your axles.

Take the bearing tool (or if you can find something else that will do)
and push against the spacer between the bearings. If your hubs are
the good kind, it should take a bit of pressure to push out the bearing
on the other side. Hopefully you hear a pop and it falls out.

To get the other bearing out, just take the axle spacer (should've come
out with the first bearing) and push against the bearing from the inside
of the hub.

Now you're ready to do some maintenance.

2. Type 1) If you have shielded bearings with pop-out cages (Powell Swiss
or Black Hole brands), simply pry out the cage on each bearing.

Type 2) If you have serviceable YAKs or TwinCams or other brands that
have snap bands on them you'll need to pop the bands and the
shields off.

These second types of serviceable bearings look like regular
shielded bearings, except you should notice a very thing metal
band tracing the outer edge of the shield. You should also notice
a notch in that band. I usually use a very small screwdriver and
pry out one of the ends of the band. The shields then are free to
come off.

If you have brand new bearings and they're packed in grease, and
you find that no amount of shaking or tapping will get the shields
to fall out, one trick I use is to get a small piece of tape
(duct tape preferrably, since it has the most stick and won't rip
on you). Press the tape against the shield, and rip it off
somewhat quickly. Try it a couple times. The shield should stick
eventually.

Type 3) If have NMBs, GMNs (Germans), other brands, or sealed bearings,
FIRST make this decision: do you want to take the shields off?

Some people tell you to never pry off a shield/seal, some say it's okay.
It's really up to you. Whatever you do, lubrication always helps.

NOTE: if you have sealed bearings you might not want to pop the
covers since you'll ruin the seal integrity somewhat, which
is what you're paying extra (vs regular bearings) for in the
first place. However, if you feel they've gotten dirty
enough, try relubing just a single bearing and see if it's
any better. If so, re-lube the rest of your bearings.

If you decide "NO" then skip down to the section marked "2ND METHOD"

If you decide "YES" then carefully puncture or pry off the shield
(or seal) on one side.

When removing the covers of entire sets of bearings at once, be
careful to only take off one cover per bearing. Otherwise you'll be
left with a shieldless/sealless bearing (which won't last long
against outdoor conditions).

Once you have the cover off, you should be able to see the ball
bearings inside, held in place by a brace. You won't need the old
metal covers anymore. In Bones bearings the cap is ALSO the brace,
so you won't see a brace. Bones users should obviously keep the
plastic cap when reassembling their bearings.

NOTE: You don't want to take the ball bearings out since they aren't
meant to be removed and replaced.

3. Soak the bearings in paint thinner, naphtha, Simple Green*, or any
other handy solvent. In any case, the choice of solvent isn't
crucial so long as you can get all the dirt and old grease cleaned
out.

Avoid low-flash point solvents like gasoline, xylene, lacquer
thinner, etc. which are dangerously flammable. Also wear latex/chem
lab gloves if possible. Solvents are no fun to ingest or absorb
through your skin. An alternative is to use a pair of tongs or
tweezers to handle your bearings.

How long you soak depends on how dirty and dried out your bearings
have gotten. Previously maintained bearings won't need to soak very
long. Bearings that have gone dry and have lots of grit in them may
need to soak overnight, or even several days.

If necessary use a brush or swirl your bearings around in your
container to make sure everything breaks loose. Small coffee cans,
peanut jars, or even those little black film canisters, all make decent
containers.

You don't really need large amounts of solvent. Just enough to immerse
your bearings. You also don't need to refill with clean solvent with
each bearing unless the solvent you were using has gotten really dirty.
The essential thing is that the dirt and grease is broken up. Step 4 will
remove most of the gunk.

WD-40 is generally not recommended as a solvent since it leaves a
sticky, dust attracting film on the bearings.

Ultrasonic cleaners is ideal for cleaning bearings. If you have access
to one, you can clean your bearings en mass and avoid getting your hands
dirty.

*Simple Green. Just soak the parts in pure Simple Green and rinse
with water. Thoroughly dry everything off and lubricate immediately.
Simple Green is water soluble, so take care to dry it well, since it
can cause rust otherwise. Parts come out much cleaner and much faster
than with other solvents. You should stay cleaner and there are no nasty
fumes to inhale. Simple Green should be available in most grocery or
hardware stores.

4. Now rinse out your bearings with hot, soapy water to make sure you
clear out all the solvent. You now have some clean bearings.

Clean, unlubricated bearings appear to have the lowest amount of
unloaded friction, but don't expect them to last very long if you
skate on them. After a fairly short time, the surface of the balls
will start to flake and roughen and they won't spin very well.

5. Use a hair dryer or just air/sun dry to make sure that all traces of
water are gone. Using a hair dryer or basking in the sun also preps
the bearing nicely by heating the metal somewhat.

6. Now lubricate with your favorite lubricant. You can use Tri-flow or
one of the specialty lubricants distributed for bearings. Bones
bearings come with their own Speed Cream.

You can use grease or oil as you prefer. Oiled bearings have
slightly less resistance, but need to be maintained more often (as
often as once a week). It is very helpful to have a little
hypodermic style oiler with a long needle to let you put the oil
right where you want it.

Grease works well because after a while most of it gets shoved out of
contact with the balls and only a little bit smears onto the
workings. However, newly greased (or heavy oil) bearings, will take
a while to expel any extra grease and move the rest out of the way.

For oiling, light oil, like sewing machine oil, or 5W-20 motor oil is
a good choice. Household oils (3-in-one, etc) may gum up after a
while and the teflon-based lubricants have little particles of teflon
that are only in the way.

Some people recommend that you use a 50-50 mixture of lighter fluid
and baby oil to lubricate your bearings. This mix should result in
not having to clean them out as often, only lubricate more often.

Let the bearings sit for an hour, and wipe them off.

7. Put one bearing back into the wheel, with the open face towards the
inside of the wheel. Insert the bushing and then put on the second
bearing (with the open face towards the inside again). It is pretty
hard for contaminants to get into the bearings from the inside.

2ND METHOD (for keeping the shields on):

First do Step 1 (from 1st Method).

If your bearings are permanently sealed (or you don't want to remove
the seals) you can still soak in solvent (see step 3) for several
hours or as long as you feel necessary. Enough solvent should soak
through to remove some of the grease.

Then you can lubricate the seams and/or press some in with your
fingers. Enough oil should seep through to lubricate your bearings
(see step 6).

========================================================================

From: p...@netwise.com (Phil Earnhardt)
Message-ID: <1992Mar8.0...@netwise.com>
Date: 8 Mar 92 04:03:01 GMT

First off, note that there are 3 types of brakes available for the Rollerblade
"square" brakes (used on current Rollerblade high-end skates -- Lightning,
Aeroblade, Racerblade, etc.):

o Black Brakes. What used to come on the skates by default; what
dealers stock as replacement brakes by default. Marking and squeaky.
o TRS Brakes. They gray guys. About twice as expensive. Marking.
Somewhat squeaky, but less than the black ones.
o Polyurethane Brakes. These appeared near the end of the summer of
1991. They come in bright blue, pink, green. Priced near the price
of the TRS Brakes. No squeako at all (sometimes, they hum -- it's
kind of nice). No marking at all. By my metric, they last longer
than the Black guys but not quite as long as the TRS Brakes. The
braking action is a bit grabby; some may view this as a problem.

WRT brake life, I'm sure you'll get some subjective opinions. However, I have
never observed the Poly brakes crumbling and coming off in chunks. Remember,
the wheels are just polyurethane, too -- do you see them come off in chunks?
It might be possible to lose chunks of polyurethane on extremely rough roads;
I'd recommend avoiding such surfaces.

=END OF PART 2==================================================================

Tony Chen

unread,

May 1, 1994, 11:44:59 PM5/1/94

Posted-By: auto-faq 1.24
Archive-name: rec-skate-faq/part3

REC.SKATE FAQ - PART 3: (ROLLER)HOCKEY

(last changed Feb 5, 1994)

Contents:
- general hockey FAQ
- info on sticks

================================================================================

Inline Hockey FAQ File
----------------------

Original preface to the Hockey FAQ, by Thomas Darling:

This file reflects the observations of our small group's
trial-and-error approach to organizing and playing hockey on
inline skates, as well as advice from other rec.skate and
rec.sport.hockey readers. We've done a lot of experimenting
with gear, play, etc. and it is hoped that our experiences
will be helpful to others getting involved in this fun and
fast-paced sport.

Thomas no longer had time to maintain this portion fo the FAQ, so I've
incorporated some (long-overdue) additions from my own experience with
my local hockey club and from others who have sent e-mail to me. Sorry
about the delay folks 8-)

Feel free to send in any comments, ideas, or suggestions.

-Tony Chen
adc...@cs.fsu.edu

================================================================================

Topics:
------
o Gear
- Sticks
- Pucks
- Padding
- Helmets
- Eye Protection
- Goalie gear

o Skates
- Which type to get
- Rockering
- Wheels

o Techniques
- STICK TURNS/STOPS
- GOALIE

o Surfaces

o Rules

o Practice Techniques
- Hockeyball

o Credits

======
GEAR
======

STICKS (See also, Nancy's article below, titled "Selection of Hockey Sticks")
------

Many of our players use standard street hockey sticks, with wooden shafts
and plastic blades. These seem to survive the surface with minimal wear.
However, those more experienced players (former ice hockey players all)
prefer wooden ice hockey sticks, with taped blades, for superior puck
control. These obviously wear down a lot faster than on ice, being scraped
across concrete and leant on for power turns. Once the blade is taped, a
razor is used to trim off the bottom 1cm or so to prevent fraying.

Perhaps the benefits of wooden ice hockey sticks are predominantly
psychological, based on the familiarity factor. But to those of us who
use them, they "feel" better and therefore give us better results.

If you decide to use a plastic-bladed street hockey stick, you should
make sure to get one long enough for you to use when on your skates;
most street hockey sticks are designed to be used on foot. There are many
schools of thought on determining stick length, which like anything else,
eventually comes down to matters of personal preference and style of play.
But as a rule of thumb for beginners, try to get a stick that comes up to
somewhere between your chin and nose. You can always cut it later if you
wish.

Todd <TO...@slacvm.slac.stanford.edu> offers these additional suggestions:

"I work closely with some friends [who] own a Hockey store out here in
the San Jose/San Francisco area; we have used several different types of
sticks on the street surfaces. One of the best sticks to use on any
street surface is the KOHO 2200 Ultimate, with a poly-tech blade on the
end of a wooden hockey stick. It does not wear thin as quick as a mylec
stick... Easton makes an aluminum street hockey stick...it is a good
stick, but not better than regular hockey aluminum versions... The last
stick to try is the Bauer Street Hockey stick: all wood with a poly-tech
blade on the end, just for street hockey use."

"Mylec blades, you can go through 1-2 a month if playing 3-4 times a week.
I've gone that route too."

And this from Michael Quinn <MJQ...@pucc.princeton.edu>:"For a stick, I
used an old ice hockey stick with a plastic replacement
blade. Incidentally, I was up in Boston last week and saw a neat looking
rubber brake that screws onto the shaft of a hockey stick near the blade.
I didn't get a chance to try one out though. They sell them at Sports
Etc. on Massachusetts Avenue in Arlington."

Comments from anyone who has tried this stick-mounted brake would be
appreciated.

PUCKS
-----

Sun Hockey makes a nifty three-wheeled puck called the "Hot Puck." The
puck is hard rubber, and the "wheels" are three teflon balls that protrude
through the top and bottom.
Advantages: It appears to be regulation size and weight, and it
feels great against the stick. It's an extremely cool
design.
Disadvantage: It doesn't work. Even on the most ideal surface
(we tried it on a tennis court-type deck), it bounces,
flips, and ends up rolling on its edge more than on
the "wheels." I really wish they'd come up with a
better functioning design, because the feel and idea
are sound.

Since the Sun puck doesn't happen, we use Mylec street hockey balls. They
come in three different colours, coded for different temperatures. The
orange one works best so far; minimal bounce, but a bit light. Be
aware that the temperature type of the puck is important; we've heard
of a warm-weather ball that shattered when used in cold weather.

Also be aware that there are cheaper balls out there, and some of them
suuuuuuck. We've even encountered one that was unevenly weighted and
textured. Not good. Since the Mylec balls are only a couple of dollars,
there's no reason not to get the real thing.

Nobody's completely happy with this compromise, but it's the best option
we've seen so far for outside play.

As for inside play, Marc <mfo...@alliant.backbone.uoknor.edu> adds:

"When we play outside, we usually use an orange Mylec, but it bounces too
much for inside play so there we use a Viceroy, which also weighs about
twice as much. They are made in Canada, and I don't know where you might
get them other than a good well stocked hockey shop. We all tend to use
the Viceroy in tournaments."

From: David Aronson <pak!LARGO!d...@uunet.UU.NET>

Pucks:
In the roller hockey league that I am in. We use a plastic
Cosmo puck that is filled with a substance that is similar to little
while beads with a kind of thick petroleum jelly. They work great
indoors and outside. I have used them on wood, tennis courts, and
somewhat smooth blacktop with good results. The advantage is the weight
of the puck keeps it from getting up on edge.

From: myself

Our club uses the Jofa speed pucks exclusively. We play on an indoor roller-
rink, so the surface is very smooth, and design of the Jofa pucks makes it a
very nice puck. Stay AWAY from the pucks with plastic "bearings" inside them.
They don't work outside, they don't work inside. The Jofa pucks are spoked
with the weight on the edge and have 7 or 8 screw-in pegs on each face which
lets it glide fairly fast.

From: rick...@ucs.orst.edu (Jeremiah "Phlegm" Rickert) Message-Id:

Pucks: For indoor play, by far the best puck is the Jofa puck made for Roller
Hockey International. It has "bumps" that are screwed into the edge of the
disc that can be changed depending what surface you are on. It flies like an
Ice-hockey puck, it slides like an ice-hockey puck, if feels like an
ice-hockey puck. It resembles a wheel, it has "Spokes" in the middle that are
made of light aluminum, and the disk is made our of hard rubber that doesn't
bounce. It is ideal for roller hockey. It costs about $12 but it is worth it
in every way.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, that the becuase the majority of the weight of
the Jofa puck is on the edge, it rarely rolls ever...even on asphalt, if you
insert the pegs for asphalt, it slides just fine.

I am on a college roller-hockey team, I have played for about 5 years, so I
speak from experience.

Goalie Equipment: If you are using a puck, using baseball catchers mitts
work well only if you remove some of the padding. If you are using a ball,
you almost have to use a real hockey-catch glove, or a baseball fielder's
glove, the ball pops out of the catcher's mitt because it doesn't have enough
weight to carry it into the pocket.

Along the lines of pads. I prefer ice hockey pads. I am a goalie, I have
tried everything. Ice hockey pads, are ideal for using any kind of puck.
They are all right for using a ball, but you can't feel the ball all of the
time, so sometimes you don't know if you made the save or not. If you only
use a ball, the mylec or the cooper streets pads are fine, they are plastic
and make a huge hollow thwuuuping sound when the ball hits them. Playing in
skates is fine too. Leg Kicks are quicker, you can move from side to side
quicker, you can move forwards and backwards, without taking a stride, it's
then easier to cut down angles and move because you don't have to move your
legs much.

PADDING
-------

Checking is a bit less frequent in the inline game, which is good, because
the summer heat makes heavy padding out of the question. Hardshell knee
pads are a necessity, because everyone occasionally collides with the boards
or the ground. Elbow pads are also highly recommended.

Those nifty wristguards are probably a good idea for skating and training,
but for all practical purposes it is impossible to hold a hockey stick with
them. This is OK, because you can use the stick to break your fall in many
circumstances, and you can't build up huge speeds in a small rink anyway.

Opinions vary on hand protection. Some players prefer ice hockey gloves.
They provide superb protection against sticks, decent padding for when you
get crunched, and enough finger coverage to make hand passes safe. On the
other hand, they tend to be very hot. Many of us opt instead for
weightlifting gloves, the fingerless mesh kind with leather palms. These
allow your hands to stay cool, yet prevent the loss of skin when you're
knocked sprawling. They allow good stick control. Just don't go grabbing
the puck with 'em, lest your fingers be rolled over/chopped off.

(Note: Weightlifting gloves are difficult to dramatically throw down. So
if you get into a violent confrontation, you may incur a few bruises while
trying frantically to peel them off. If you play this way, be careful.)

Another option is to use a cheap pair of Nylon hockey gloves. They're
still a bit warm, but considerably lighter than leather gloves and you're
less apt to be concerned about beating them up.

From: mfo...@alliant.backbone.uoknor.edu (Marc Foster)
Date: Sun, 29 Nov 1992 16:02:44 GMT

On a related note, I also got a chance that night to try out the new Mylec
goalie leg pads. While they provide much better protection to the inside
of your thigh (how many of you have donut-shapped bruises there???), I thought
they were very bulky and hard to move around in. Dropping to your knees or
lieing on your side - then getting back up, seemed very difficult. I think
the reason may have to do with the hard corners of the pads, the protect, but
prevent mobility.

From: David Aronson <pak!LARGO!d...@uunet.UU.NET>

Padding:
I would highly suggest the following padding for any game,
HELMET, cup, shin pads, gloves, and elbow pads. The most inportant is
the helmet which should be a real hockey helmet. Make sure that the
helmet has been approved for hockey,( some Jofa's have a sticker
disclaiming them from any contact sport). I would suggest CCM or
Cooper. Both are about $50 new, less used. A cup is very cheap, but
very nice to have in games. A pair of shin pads will cost from $20 to
$$$. Franklin makes a pair of pads that are a hard shell knee pad with
a foam rubber shin extension for about $20(don't quote me on the price).
Easton makes a pair of hard shells pads with seperate hard shells over
foam on the knees and shins for about $35(The also have built-in
straps). All over shin pads cost require seperate velcro straps
securing them to your legs. If you are going to be skating outside make
sure not to use leather pads. A pair of hockey gloves cost from $25 to
$200. They protect your hands and wrists from sticks and the ground, I
suggest a pair of cheap hockey gloves. As far as elbow pads any will
do, I use a cheap pair of foam rubber pads. Wear a HELMET!!! You do
not need to crack your head on the ground.
For checking games you rry, we'll get to this section in the future)

GOALIE GEAR
-----------

A good mask is essential, regardless of puck type. Either a cage-type ice
hockey mask or an inexpensive Mylec mask will do. An ice hockey stick is
highly recommended, since they tend to be larger than their street hockey
counterparts. Any variety of blocker will suffice. If you're playing with
a ball of some kind rather than a puck, we've found that using a baseball
glove for a catcher will give good results.

In regards to leg pads, the cheapest Mylec ones appear to work the best.
Since they're made of hard plastic, a goalie can slide on his knees in
them, which improves effectiveness.

Marc [use...@constellation.ecn.uoknor.edu], a Texas hockey veteran, adds:
"When I goalie I usually wear a cage helmet (since I wear glasses), elbow
pads, a blocker on the right hand and a catcher's mitt in the left, a
catcher's chest protector on my chest and belly (with my Dead Wings jersey
over that), a cup and the Mylec leg pads, along with the skates. I
usually wear a t-shirt under the chest pad, also. I've suited up like
that twice a week all summer down here and have lost about 10 pounds.
Most other goalies in the Metroplex use either a large softball mitt or a
regular goalie's mitt, but I had the catcher's mitt to begin with and
find that I am used to it and can't use a regular glove very well."

========
SKATES
========

Which brand/model of skate largely depends on playing style and the ever-
important ice-hockey familiarity factor. As an ice-hockey player, I
use Bauer XS/5's with the brake removed. They're all laces, no buckles,
and are nice and light. They've got good bearings (hence decent speed)
and strong frames.

The most popular skate among our skaters is the Rollerblade Zetra 303.
It's a little heavy and clunky, but has an extremely durable boot, which is
good if you like to plant yourself in front of the goalie and get your
ankles whacked at a lot.

I also might recommend the Gretzky Ultra Wings. They're all buckles and
kind of heavy, but durable enough to stand up to hockey abuse.

The bottom line, really, is that you can make do with what you've got. One
of our best players uses el cheapo skates (Phantoms?), yet still manages to
come up with the breakaways and finesse plays.

From: myself

Yup, I agree with the above paragraph. Speed and finesse seem quite removed
from the quality of the skates. We have lots of okay players that have the
nifty Bauer ZT skates, but our best player has on the old Lightning 608's, with
wheels worn down to the hub.

Essentially, if you do lots of other types of skating, you can always use them
for hockey. I use my Aeroblades for hockey, and while they're not taking the
pounding quite as well as other skates would, they're holding up okay (so far).
Generally, I wouldn't recommend Aeros or any heavily vented skate for hockey.
With the number of collisions and rammings and taking slap shots point-blank,
you'd be better off with Lightning 608/TRSs or Bauer hockey skates.

ROCKERING
---------

None of us rocker our frames. I know that every book in the world says
that you should rocker them for hockey, but the difference in turning
ability (especially at high speeds) is negligible. All that appeared to
be seriously affected were speed, traction and stability, none for the
better.

WHEELS
------

So far, we haven't experimented greatly with different wheels. I've used both
hard and soft, and liked the hard ones better, since they last longer and feel
better on grinding stops and turns. Rollerblade makes a "Hockey Wheel" with
better perimeter width (to reflect the need for stopping/turning over
straightaway speed), but since they're hubless and generally cheap-looking,
nobody has picked any up yet. Any comments on these wheels would be welcome.

We've heard that "Turbo Core" type wheels (with spokes instead of solid
hubs) don't stand up to the stresses of hockey well. Those skaters I know
who use such wheels have reported no problems, but the net.consensus on
this is that "spoke" breakage does happen, so it bears repeating here.

From: David Aronson <pak!LARGO!d...@uunet.UU.NET>

Wheels:
I use hyper super-lites which are 72.5mm and 78a, they are fast
with good traction. I have used "Hockey-wheels" before and they seemed
to slip out from under me, but I have friends who sware by them. Just
make sure you have good bearing and axle-systems and the wheels won't
make a huge difference. I use axle systems on my skates that are made
from aircraft aluminum. You can't over-tighten the axles so all you do
is crank them down and you're ready(purchased through in-line sports)
$20.

From: myself

Opinion seem to vary a lot on which type of wheels to get. Some say the
special hockey wheels, with wider cross-sections and lower profiles give lots
of added stability. Most of rec.skaters say, heck with that, and use
Superlites or Redlines for speed. In the end, you should choose something
you're comfortable with. Don't go out and blow $50 on a set of wheels just
for hockey, unless you really want to. Our best and fastest skaters use real
crap wheels and only so-so skates. A whole lot of it is the technique, legs
and feet, believe me 8-)

============
TECHNIQUES
============

STICK TURNS/STOPS
-----------------

Many of us ice-hockey players are aggravated by the limited turning and
stopping ability of inline skates. A typical drag stop (rear foot 90
degrees against leading foot) works in most circumstances. But another
good technique is the stick stop.

In this stop, the skater begins a tight turn towards his stick side. For
this example, we'll use a right-handed skater. Right foot forward, he
makes a tight turn, putting his stick blade down (to the right) in the
process. He leans against the stick, grinding his left foot outwards,
until coming to a stop. With practice, one can even hang onto the puck
while executing this stop.

Sometimes, when going very fast, I find that I must crouch low to keep
pressure on the outer foot -- often to such a degree that the boot, instead
of the wheels, makes contact with the ground. This gets good results, but
is not recommended for less durable boots.

The same technique is used in the stick turn. The skater uses the same
combination of tight turn and stick friction, but instead of using the
stick as a mere brake, uses it as a pivot point to make a tighter turn and
continue on in a new direction.

GOALIE TECHNIQUES
-----------------

The best bet for goalies, in many cases, is simply not to wear skates. A
sneakered goalie has side-to-side mobility and backwards control that are
difficult to match on skates of any kind. As long as the goalie doesn't leave
the crease for extended periods (i.e. Ron Hextall lead-the-rush-up-ice
maneuvres), this makes for fair and fun gameplay.

As previously mentioned, hard plastic Mylec street hockey leg pads are
recommended. A good goalie can fearlessly slide about in them, making for
a more ice-like game.

==========
SURFACES
==========

Generally speaking, you're stuck with whatever your area offers. For
economical reasons, we've been playing on street-hockey decks, which have
asphalt or cement surfaces and decent boards all around. One such surface
is quite good; very smooth cement approaching tennis court quality. It's a
decent drive for most of us, but worth it; we've played on a rougher
surface and it's exhausting.

There are also commercial venues available in our area. One huge indoor
facility has a perfect surface, good nets, an electronic scoreboard, you
name it. It's also $70/hour, but with enough people playing a real game,
this can be cost-effective. I imagine similar facilities exist in most
major metropolitan areas.

=======
RULES
=======

Our goal is to be as ice hockey-like as possible. In the reduced size of
most street-hockey decks, 4 skaters per side is probably the realistic
maximum. And we'd like to someday have enough players for full 60-minute
change-on-the-fly games, but for the time being it looks like three 10
minute periods with no line changes and frequent timeouts.

When we can, we aspire to NHL rules. With 10-minute periods, half-length
penalties are probably best (1 minute or 2.5 minutes). Enforcement of
offsides and icing are a matter of taste; they make for less fluid gameplay
and are a distraction for single refs without benefit of linesmen. I'd be
interested in hearing how other players deal with this.

Best of luck to anyone getting started in the game; may you find all the
players you need and a prime surface. If you live in the Philadelphia/
South Jersey area, we invite you to join us! Interested parties can Email
me directly, or reach me on the Cellar BBS (the number is in my .sig).
We play Sundays, are still organizing for fall, and would welcome any new
participants.

From: myself

We play in an indoor rink, so we have blue lines and the creases marked
permanently, plus we have regulation goals and a good-sized rink (sorry,
don't have exact measurements). We usually play 4-on-4, and go to 5-on-5
when there's a larger than normal group that shows up. We play with
offsides, but no icing.

We self-referee, with a little help from the benches 8-) We don't play
with time limits, but we do line changes en masse (Usually we have at least
2-3 lines for offense, and 2-3 lines on defense) so everyone gets a fair
shake.

=====================
PRACTICE TECHNIQUES
=====================
Can't round up 8+ skaters and 2 goalies for a game? Here's a basic game
you can play with as few as 4 people that's fun and great practice for
basic hockey skills.

' "Hockeyball"
'
' Gear: Inline skates, sticks, pads, ball, chalk.
'
' Play Surface: Ideally, you'll want an area with clearly-defined edges.
' A low-traffic street, school driveway, or the like is ideal, since
' passes can be bounced off the curbs. With chalk, mark off end lines
' 150-200' apart (depending on skaters' respiratory health and number
' of players), as well as a faceoff mark at centre ice:
'
' curb -> ========================================================
' | |
' end line -> | x |
' | |
' ========================================================
'
' The rules are simple. To score a goal, a skater must cross his
' opponent's goal line WHILE IN CONTROL OF THE PUCK/BALL. If the
' ball goes over a team's end line with no one in control, that team
' takes the ball back into play from behind the line (the puck must
' then precede them over the line coming back into play).
'
' If the ball goes out of play, a faceoff will take place at the point
' of exit.
'
' After every score, begin again with a centre-ice faceoff.
'
' Play to a predetermined point (first to 7, for instance). No time
' limits.

Besides being a total blast (the Canadian equivalent of urban half-court
pickup basketball), this game is good practice for a variety of skills
including skating, passing, puck control, checking (the way we play it,
anyway -- this is optional) and basic strategy (crossing over and the
like).

If you want a different challenge, or to handicap a side, try playing
against a team with one or more players on sneakers instead of skates.
You'll be able to outrun them in long hauls, but they can kill you with
sudden stops/direction changes/accelleration/etc.

=========
CREDITS
=========

Thanks for the following for their field testing and other assistance in
the preparation of this file:

Anton "Slapshot" Shepps (LW), Dan Reed (LW), Chris "Nate" Collins (G),
Earl Scheib (D, no relation), Rachel MacGregor (D), Steve "Doc" Roth (D),
Rob "Franchise" Tedesco (RW), N.Y. State Assemblyman Allan K. Race (C,
Democrat), Heather "Hanover" Pfister (LW), Robert Jennings (G), and
"Pittsburgh" Bob Safier (C).

^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^\\\^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
Thomas A. Darling \\\ Fact HQ Studio * record production * dance re-mixing
dar...@cellar.org \\\ music for film * The Cellar BBS:215/654-9184 * FACT
v~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~\\\~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~v~

From: fam...@sde.mdso.vf.ge.com (Famous Jonathan)
Subject: Hockey equipment
Date: 14 Sep 93 13:04:40 GMT

Gloves:
I have small hands, so what I use are a pair of the
largest junior size Cooper ice-hockey gloves. The palms tend
to wear through really quickly, but hand protection is good
and they are easy to slide on.
Other people I know have also worn lacrosse gloves to
play. They don't usually cost as much as ice hockey gloves, but
for street play they provide good protection farther up the wrist
and arm.

Stick:
Those plastic Mylec replacement blades are trash. Don't
bother. I liked the Mylec street hockey stick with the black blade -
the stick was cheap and it worked well. I liked the shorter stick
for maneuverability and ball control, but it was tough to get a
good shot from it.
Someone had posted against a Koho Street Revolution, but I've
been using one for a while. The shaft does flex, but the blade wears
well on cement and lasts well.

Puck:
Mylec ball seems to be the best, as everyone else here seems
to agree. So why does the IRHL use one of those crappy rolling pucks
that never seem to work?
Another puck we used was a roll of black tape with a small core.
After a good break-in period, it slides well and has the fell of a
regular puck. But it is heavy and probably requires real pads -
especially for the goalie.
I saw in the stores a new puck that had 6 knobs protruding from
a disc to be used for roller-hockey. I forget who makes it or what
it was called, but if anyone has used one, what did you think?

From: mfo...@alliant.backbone.uoknor.edu (Marc Foster)
Subject: FAQ Update: Goalie gear
Date: 3 Sep 1993 16:45:54 GMT

In article <rec-skate-fa...@cs.fsu.edu> adc...@cs.fsu.edu (Tony Chen)
writes:

>REC.SKATE FAQ - PART 3: (ROLLER)HOCKEY (draft)

>______________
>Goalie Gear // A good mask is essential, regardless of puck type. Either
>___________// a cage-type ice hockey mask or an inexpensive Mylec mask
>will do. An ice hockey stick is highly recommended, since they tend to be
>larger than their street hockey counterparts. Any variety of blocker will
>suffice. If you're playing with a ball of some kind rather than a puck,
>we've found that using a baseball glove for a catcher will give good
>results.
>
>In regards to leg pads, the cheapest Mylec ones appear to work the best.
>Since they're made of hard plastic, a goalie can slide on his knees in
>them, which improves effectiveness.
>
>Marc [use...@constellation.ecn.uoknor.edu], a Texas hockey veteran, adds:
>"When I goalie I usually wear a cage helmet (since I wear glasses), elbow
>pads, a blocker on the right hand and a catcher's mitt in the left, a
>catcher's chest protector on my chest and belly (with my Dead Wings jersey
>over that), a cup and the Mylec leg pads, along with the skates. I
>usually wear a t-shirt under the chest pad, also. I've suited up like
>that twice a week all summer down here and have lost about 10 pounds.
>Most other goalies in the Metroplex use either a large softball mitt or a
>regular goalie's mitt, but I had the catcher's mitt to begin with and
>find that I am used to it and can't use a regular glove very well."

I thought I'd update my equipment list, as what I said a year ago is really
out of date (at least for me). I picked up a sponsorship down in the Metroplex
and was able to splurge on the good stuff:

The new Mylec catalog has a new blocker and goal glove in it. The blocker
(#570) is larger than the older Mylec model and can be bent up high along
the arm like real ice hockey blockers. The glove (#580) is built like an
ice-hockey glove and is much larger than the "shortstop mitt with a wrist
protector" glove they've sold in the past. After getting the glove broken
in, it snags balls just as well as pucks.

I nearly lost my teeth this summer wearing the Mylec cage mask (got kicked),
so I got a Jofa Goalie Combo helmet. Jofa takes their regular helmet, puts
a larger cage on it, and adds a throat protector. After getting popped a lot
(usually in warm-ups, when my teammates unload really hard shots on me), my
throat apprecitates this aquisition.

As for leg protection, I have found that adding a quality pair of ice hockey
pants to the Mylec leg pads does wonders for the inside thigh area. I have
a pair of Cooper pants, thought CCM and others are just as good. I also
dropped a size on those mylec leg pads, since the pants cover the upper front
thigh area now. Doing this increased my mobility a lot. I do wear some
knee pads _under_ the leg pads. The Mylec pads tend to leave the inside knee
area bare when you freeze the ball in a butterfly drop (watch Patrick Roy),
and if you play long enough, a permanent... and painfull bruise develops.

As for the chest and arms, I went with a Cooper BP9 chest protector and SA55
arm pads. However, I only wear the armpads indoors, since it's usually just
too hot to wear both pads playing outside (lost a lot more weight this summer).
Since my league up here at school is indoors, I'm padded to the max.

My stick is a Christian "Curtis Curve" goal stick. The stick handle is
S-curved at the grip for better balance. I also added a ton of weight at the
end of the handle so the center of gravity is right on your stick hand.
Works wonders.

And please, boys and girls, don't forget your cup (well, maybe not girls, I
never did ask Machelle Harris if she wears one).

>____________________
>Goalie Techniques // The best bet for goalies, in many cases, is simply
>_________________// not to wear skates. A sneakered goalie has
>side-to-side mobility and backwards control that are difficult to match on
>skates of any kind. As long as the goalie doesn't leave the crease for
>extended periods (i.e. Ron Hextall lead-the-rush-up-ice maneuvres), this
>makes for fair and fun gameplay.

Well, I have to wear skates, but I still come out of the crease a lot. I
have found that most novice to intermediate ability players can't deke very
well, hang onto the ball, and make a quality shot. So when I have a 1-on-1
or a shootout situation, I CHARGE the forward. It cuts down the shot angle,
and also intimidates the hell out of lesser players not usel, this ended up being a lot longer post than I anticipated. The bottom
line is... if yer gonna be a goalie, ya gotta get the pads. I saw a lot of
folks this summer playing more or less naked in the crease, and it just doesn't
work. 85 MPH+ slapshots aren't intimidating when you're fully loaded, and
all that gear really doesn't slow you down like you'd think.

Cheers,
Marc Foster

===========================================================================

From: pil...@ariel.lerc.nasa.gov (Nancy Piltch)
Subject: Selection of hockey sticks
Message-ID: <3DEC1991...@ariel.lerc.nasa.gov>
Date: 3 Dec 91 21:46:00 GMT

Sometime in the past Phil asked if anyone could write a guide to
selecting hockey sticks, which has apparently been met with
resounding silence. I think I can help, at least for those just
entering the sport. Bear in mind, though, that while I've played a
good deal of intramural and pick-up hockey, I've never had any
formal coaching, so I'm sure there are others more knowledgeable.
This will be especially true of the subtle differences among sticks
that will matter to expert players.

Please feel free to correct my misstatements, clarify what is unclear,
and add what I've left out.

The main criteria in selection of hockey sticks are "handedness",
lie, length, and curvature. All of these are largely a matter of
personal preference.

1. "Handedness": A hockey player will decide whether s/he prefers holding
the stick to the left side or the right. There appears to be no
strong correlation to the person's handedness. A new player should try
it both ways, and find the one that feels most natural. Sticks are
labeled either L or R, but since French-speaking Canada generates large
numbers of hockey players, the stick may be labeled G (gauche) or
D (droit). Some sticks carry both letters, i.e. L/G. A few sticks are
neutral and can be used either way.

2. Lie: This refers to the angle the stick makes with the blade. A higher
lie is closer to upright than a lower lie. While there are lots of
exceptions, a player who prefers to skate more upright will prefer a
higher lie, and a player who prefers to skate more bent over will take
a lower lie. Taller players also generally use higher lies. Again, a
new player should test several different lies to see what feels
comfortable. The most common lies are 5, 6, and 7. This is the rest
of the labeling on a hockey stick: a 6R means a lie of 6 in a right
handed stick. Exaggerating the drawings:

. .
. .
. .
____ ____

5 7

3. Length: I've been told that a stick should come up to about the
player's chin while wearing skates, but I find this uncomfortable.
I think it's more realistic to have it come to about the armpit or
a little below; again, this is preference.

4. Curvature: A more curved blade allows the puck to be flipped more
effectively for better shooting, but at the price of poorer passing
and receiving. A beginner should start with a gently curved
stick. A neutral stick, which I referred to above in the section on
handedness, has no curvature.

The blade of a stick should be taped. This helps prolong the life of
the blade and improves puck-handling capability. It's always black
tape, never white. The conventional wisdom is that a goalie can't
see the puck as well against a black blade, but my feeling is that
a good goalie will see the puck. My personal opinion is that it is
black because of tradition.

The wear pattern on the tape can show whether a skater has selected
the proper lie. If the wear is toward the heel/toe of the blade the
skater should try a lower/higher lie.

A lot of players also tape the top of the blade for better grip.

Sticks also differ in weight; again this is personal preference.

Nancy Piltch pil...@ariel.lerc.nasa.gov
NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland Ohio 44135

From: Thomas....@cs.cmu.edu
Subject: Sticks and Pucks (was Re: Selection of hockey sticks)
Message-ID: <MdDFjAO00...@cs.cmu.edu>
Date: 4 Dec 91 18:17:48 GMT

Some other stuff to augment the stick info:

I often tape my sticks with white tape! I think the tape matter is more
whether you use the friction tape (normally black) or the general
cloth tape used for taping around socks, skate tops, and equipment, which
is usually white, but comes in all colors. I prefer the smoother white
tape to the friction tape on my blade. There are a fair amount of players
on our team that like this too. It is really a matter of preference.

I had never heard that the black tape makes it hard for the goalie to
see the puck coming off of your stick, but this makes a lot of sense! I
should start buying the cloth tape in black just for my stick blades!

I use black friction tape to tape the top end of my stick, for a good
grip. This deposits black gunk on your gloves, but the grip is good.
Players will often wrap a ball of tape called a "butt-end" to the very
top of the stick to
stop it from slipping out of your hands. Another trick is to roll up a
long
piece of tape lengthwise into a long string, and wrap it around the top
handle of the stick (kind of like a barber shop pole) prior to taping up
the stick top. This gives you a spiral stripe grip underneith the flat
tape, that also helps you hold onto your stick better.

For roller hockey, I use the plastic Mylec blades (cost about $2.50)
attached to shaft from an ice hockey stick that had a broken blade. I
just saw off the broken wooden blade, and attach the plastic replacement.
Mylec (and others) sell plastic bladed sticks with wooden shafts.

The stick manufacturer "Montreal" makes a stick that is supposedly for
street and ice hockey. It is basically has a hard graphite housing
around the whole blade and lower part of the shaft of the stick. These
are expensive, and I've never seen anyone use one for ice hockey, but a
lot of the street hockey players like them because they stay stiff like
wooden blades, not flex a lot like the plastic ones.

Some other sticks that are availble for ice and street hockey are
aluminum shafts. I use an aluminum stick shaft for ice hockey now. The
blades are wooden with a glue on the top end. One heats the end of the
metal shaft and the glue end of the blade with a powerful hair dryer and
then you slide the glued end into the shaft. When it cools, the metal
contracts and the combination of this with the glue holds the blade in
place. When the blade breaks, you heat it up again to remove it, and
put on a new one. The blades themselves cost a little less than a whole
new stick, and the shaft is a one time charge. They have also come out
with these for street hockey, using blades similar to the Montreal
sticks described above.

Some players like the aluminum shafts because they are light, and can
come in more flexible or more stiff grades. This allows a player to
have a stick with the feel s/he likes and also have at least the shaft
portion of the stick be consistent, since only the blade is replaced.
Even two of the same brand and model stick can be different in weight
and flex, since the wood may be from 2 different trees, etc.

Whew, my original intention was not for this to be so long winded, Nancy
covered most of the stick stuff (very well too!) in her post, but since
I'm on a roll..........

Pucks and Balls:

In ice hockey, one uses a hard black rubber puck, 3" in diameter, and
(I think) 3/4" in thickness. The puck is usually frozen before a game
so it's temperature matches that of the ice, and it can slide better.

1) very hard plastic pucks -- These can be use for street or floor
hockey, but usually aren't as they are really hard and hurt a lot if you
get hit with one and have little protection (usually the case with
street hockey). This is
all we had when I was little, and looking back, I can't believe we used
to use these things all the time! On hard surfaces, these skip up etc.
when new, but as soon as the edges get chewed up a bit and round out,
they slide pretty well, even on asphalt.

2) soft hollow plastic pucks -- These are only good for really smooth
surfaces.. We use these on gym floors. They don't even work very well
on tennis courts, which is where we usually play roller hockey. They are
great for floor hockey in a gym though.

3) softer plastic pucks with rollers -- These were an attempt to make a
lighter puck that would slide better on rougher outdoor surfaces. They
aren't great, but are better than (2) above outdoors. They often end up
rolling on their edges, or coming apart at the seams if someone takes a
hard shot! All in all, not great.

Hockey balls:

Hockey balls are usually used for street hockey and DEK hockey (a game
played in rinks built with a special plastic surface by Mylec). The
balls are hollow flexible plastic, and work well on all types of surfaces.
They come in different hardnesses for different weather conditions,
surfaces etc. (softer for winter and less abrasive surfaces, harder for
summer and more abrasive surfaces). They require slightly different
skills than using a puck though.

=END OF PART 3=================================================================

Tony Chen

unread,

May 1, 1994, 11:44:59 PM5/1/94

Posted-By: auto-faq 1.24
Archive-name: rec-skate-faq/part4

REC.SKATE FAQ - PART 4: WHAT AND WHERE TO BUY

Table Contents
- list of in-line mail-order places and manufacturers
- After-market Add-ons
- poles
- ski buckle modification

================================================================================

LIST OF IN-LINE MAIL-ORDER PLACES
---------------------------------
(plus some regular shops)

(last changed Jan 8, 1994)

The following list is here thanks to Joe Clark (joec...@scilink.org). He's
written several skating articles (one of which will be coming out shortly in
Men's Journal).

Manufacturers:

BAUER
-----
Canstar Sports USA Inc.
50 Jonergin Drive
Swanton, VT 05488
800 750 1713 in VT
800 362 3146
800 451 5120
802 868 2711
802 868 4713 fax

Canstar Sports Group, Inc.
6500 Millcreek Drive
Mississauga, ON L5N 2W6
905 821 4600
905 821 1860 fax

Canstar Sports AG
Talgut-Zentrum 19
CH-3060 Ittigen
Switzerland/Suisse/Schweiz
+41 585886/585887
+41 31 586375 fax (this number is suspicious, but I'm reporting it
verbatim)

ROCES
----
Exel Marketing, Inc.
1 Second Street
Peabody, MA 01960
800 343 5200
508 532 2226
508 532 3728 fax

Exel Marketing, Ltd.
56 Churchill Drive
Barrie, ON L4M 6E7
705 739 7690
705 739 7684 fax

[also the following]
9 rue Plateau
Pointe Claire, QC H9R 5W1
514 694 1077
514 694 3284 fax

Roces srl
Via G. Ferraris 36
31044 Montebelluna
Italia
+39 0423 609974 r.a. (whatever r.a. means)
+39 0423 303193 fax

ROLLERBLADE
-----------
Rollerblade, Inc.
5101 Shady Oak Road
Minnetonka, MN 55343
800 232 ROLL
800 68 BLADE (?)
612 930 7000
612 930 7030 fax

Benetton Sportsystem Inc.
3520 Alphonse-Gariepy
Lachine, QC H8T 3M2
800 661 ROLL
514 631 6331
514 631 1005

ULTRA-WHEELS
------------
First Team Sports, Inc.
2274 Woodale Drive
Mounds View, MN 55112-4900
800 458 2250
612 780 4454
612 780 8908 fax

OXYGEN
------
Atomic for Sport (Atomic Ski USA)
9 Columbia Drive
Amherst, NH 03031
800 258 5020
603 880 6143
603 880 6099 fax

Atomic Ski Canada
Somewhere in Mississauga, ON
905 569 2300
(U.S. 800 number works in Canada)

CCM
---
Maska U.S. Inc.
Box 381
Pierson Industrial Park
Bradford, VT 05033
phone numbers unknown

Sport Maska Inc.
7405 Trans-Canada Highway, Suite 300
St.-Laurent, QC H4T 1Z2
514 331 5150
514 331 7061

ROLLER HOCKEY INTERNATIONAL
---------------------------
[Day-to-day office]
5182 Katella Ave., Suite 106
Los Alamitos, CA 90720
310 430 2423
310 431 2928 fax

[Executive office]
13070 Fawn Hill Drive
Grass Valley, CA 95945
916 274 0923
916 274 1115 fax

NATIONAL INLINE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION
----------------------------------
(an amateur governing and organizing body)
800 358 NIHA
305 358 8988
305 358 0046 fax

WORLD ROLLER HOCKEY LEAGUE
--------------------------
6358 N. College Avenue
Indianapolis, INJJ46220
317 283 2900

INTERNATIONAL IN-LINE SKATING ASSOCIATION
-----------------------------------------
(this could be an incorrect address-- as of January 1994, I had heard they
were moving to Atlanta)
5101 Shady Oak Road
Minnetonka, MN 55343
800 for iisa

KRYPTONICS
----------
Kryptonics, Inc.
5660 Central Avenue
Boulder, CO 80301
800 766 9146, orders only
303 665 5353
303 665 1318 fax

HYPER WHEELS
------------
15241 Transistor Lane
Huntington Beach, CA 92649
714 373 3300
713 373 2525 fax

N&Co. (Benetton Sportsystem/Rollerblade apparel organ)
-----
Princeton Pike Corporate Centre, Building 3
997 Lennox Drive
Lawrenceville, NH 08648
800 688 2288
609 896 3800
609 896 3244 fax

KARHU
-----
Karhu Canada Inc
1200 55th Avenue
Lachine, QC H8T 3J8
514 636 5858
514 636 5751 fax

Karhu USA Inc.
Box 4249
55 Green Mountain Drive
South Burlington, VT 05406
802 864 4519
802 864 6774 fax

STREET LINE (accessories)
-----------
Charlie Parcells
313 331 7371
Char...@Delphi.com

BORDER PATROL (portable rollerhockey rink perimeter)
-------------
In-Line Sport Systems, Inc.
821 Marquette Ave., Suite 2300
Minneapolis, MN 55402
800 809 RINK
612 342 2337
612 338 2302 fax

A VERY GOOD HOCKEY-GEAR STORE
-----------------------------
Just Hockey Pro Shops
900 Don Mills Road
Don Mills, ON M3C 1V6
416 445 3300
416 445 3500 team sales
416 445 4564 fax

Performance Bicycle: 1-800-727-2433
Riedell: 612-388-8616

General skating stuff:

D-WING
1-800-44D-WING

Great Skate Hockey Supply
1-800-828-7496

Grind Zone Skates
1-800-322-3851
P.O. Box 524
Albertville, AL 35950

Inline USA
2600 Main Street,
Morro Bay, CA 93442
1-800-685-6806

In-line Skate Accessories (ISA)
1800 Commerce St.
Boulder, CO 80301
1-800-766-5851

Ocean Hockey Supply
1-800-631-2159

Roll With It
920 Manhattan Ave
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
310-434-0063 (out of date?)

Skate City Supply Inc.
PO Box 379
Ceder Crest NM 87008
505-294-6699

Skates on Haight (800) 554-1235 / Skates Off Haight (415) 244-9800
P.O. Box 170010
San Francisco, CA 94117-0010

South Windsor Arena
585 John Fitch Blvd.
South Windsor, CT 06074
1-800-hockey1

Superior Inline
10510 France Ave. So. #203
Bloomington, Mn. 55431
(612) 888-3482

---

Boston area:

From: mldi...@bbn.com (Michael Dickens)

City Sports (many locations): Carries the whole line of RollerBlade,
nothing else. You can buy a 10% discount for $10 (ask them), which can
save you $20 or $30 (depending on what you REALLY want to buy).

Zwicker's: Somewhere North of Boston, near route 3 and 128. Best prices
but not easy to get to. Carries RollerBlade and others; but is being
limited by RollerBlade's new policy (requiring dealers to limit
themselves to ONLY RollerBlade products or not sell the whole line).

Bob Smith's: Near Downtown Crossing, Boston. Average prices, but
the staff Skates & is reasonably knowledgeable.

Lechmere: CambridgeSide Galleria, Cambridge. Carries the bottom line
models; average prices; staff is unhelpful and unknowledgeable.

NOTE: For what you buy, you will get NO warranty (except the usual
Manufacturer's warranty). Mail order is probably going to be as cheap
if not cheaper than the best price you can find around town, and with
the same warranty. IMHO a good way to buy skates is to go to City
Sports and try on all the models you might want to try; possibly rent
(for $10 or $15) the skates to make sure the model and size are correct.

Then call around to the In-Line 800-number Mail Order places (see FAQ 4)
to get the best price (including shipping & time), and compare this with
the price and delay you'd pay in you local area. Go with the one that
suits you better.

Murray Sandler's on Concord Ave in Belmont 484-5100 has inlines, quads, and ice
Ice House in Wellesley 237-6707 has quads and ice as fas as I know.
Beacon Hill skates, 482-7400 has inlines quads and ice. Ask for Chris.

California:

Hudson Bay Inline (800) 447-0400
5405 College Avenue
Oakland, CA 94618

Courtesy Sports
4856 El Camino Real,
Los Altos, CA 94022
415-968-7970
Orders 1-800-729-1771
FAX 415-968-4609

Ohio:

Northland Ice Center in Cincinnati Ohio (513) 563 - 0008.

---

More speed-skating oriented:

Skate Pro in S.F. (415) 752-8776
Built for Speed (315) 492-6620
SMR Sports (708) 387-0283

Competition Skates (205) 854-9617
c/o John Skelton
501 Springville Cr.
Birmingham AL 35215

Trailways Skate Rental (813) 461-9736
c/o Tom Sehlhorst
611 Palm Bluff
Clearwater FL 33515

Montrose Skate (713) 528-6102
c/o John McKay
1406 Stanford
Houston TX 77019

Shop Skate Escape (404) 892-1292
c/o Janice Phillips
1086 Piedmont Ave
Atlanta GA 30309

================================================================================

After-market Products for In-Line Skates
----------------------------------------
Copyright (C) 1991 Philip A. Earnhardt

Permission is granted to copy and distribute verbatim copies this document,
provided that copies are distributed freely or with a nominal charge for the
copying medium. This copyright notice must remain attached to the document.

This document will be updated in the future; comments are welcome. Please
send comments to: Phil Earnhardt, PO Box 7174, Boulder, CO 80306-7174.
Electronic mail can be sent to p...@netwise.com

OUTLINE

Introduction -- why to buy
Safety
Parts wear out
Retrofit indoor compatibility
Better performance -- NOT necessarily faster

Drive Train
Bearings
Wheels
Spacers
Brake Kits
Brake Pads

Support
Orthotics
Removable/Permanent Ankle Support
Laces and Boot Liners

Non-skate Products
Protection
Hockey Sticks
Poles
Packs and Water Bottle Carriers
Night Lighting
Tools for Maintenance

Introduction -- why to buy
Safety

Many of the in-line After-market products will increase your safety. There's
the traditional protection: helmets, knee pads, wrist guards, elbow pads.
Adding a second brake to your other skate may help improve your safety -- it
may be dangerous to wear out your only brake completely at certain points.
Getting reflectors and night lights can make dawn/dusk/night riding safer.
Carrying spare parts, tools, and other supplies with you in a pack adds a
safety margin to those long-distance trips.

Parts wear out

If you keep using your in-lines, parts will start wearing out. Depending on
use, brakes can wear out rapidly. Wheels and bearings will start showing signs
of wear and tear. Eventually, laces and boot liners may need replacing.

Retrofit indoor compatibility

The newest in-line skates are "indoor compatible" -- they should cause no
damage to the floors of Skating Rinks. Kits are available to make some
existing skates rink-ready. Non-marking brakes are also becoming available.

Better performance -- NOT necessarily faster

New wheels can give you better cornering, shock absorption, and more speed.
New bearings can make your skates faster, too. On the other hand, some new
bearings will be slower, but they will work maintenance-free for a long time.
Retrofitting old skates with ankle support may make them more comfortable for
long distances.

Drive Train
Bearings

There is one size of bearing that's used in all in-lines: the 608 bearing.
This same bearing is used by skateboarders and in many industrial
applications; they should not be difficult to find. Traditional
in-line/skateboard bearings lines are GMN, NMB, Peer, Powell "Bones". These
are all shielded bearings -- they resist contamination, but are not sealed
against it. All of these bearings are around an "A" grade bearing -- good
speed. Of the bunch, the Powells are the most precise, they may deserve an
"AA" grade. The Powells are the easiest to maintain, since they are shielded
on only one side. They are also more expensive.

Powell manufacturers a bearing lubricant, Speed Cream. It's an emulsion with
an oil component and a grease-like component. Speed Cream gives good speed and
lasts for a long time; one small bottle will easily last for a season.
[Comments? Any oil-only recommendations? Any other grease recommendations?]

[Does someone have the information about the industrial bearing grades?]

Industrial bearings are generally more precise than the stuff used on skates.
They are also much more expensive and may not be suited for an outdoor
environment. Completely unshielded bearings are also available; they should
only be used in very clean environments.

There are also sealed bearings available: GMN, NMB and other bearings with
seals and a fairly heavy grease. These are slow bearings -- wheels will not
spin a complete revolution with sealed bearings in place. On the other hand,
they appear to be waterproof and dirt-proof. Rollerblade sells sealed bearings
under the Max Trainer name [who is Max?]. They are more expensive in the
Powell bearings, but should enjoy a long, maintenance-free life.

Wheels

As near as I can determine, there are 2 mainline manufacturers of wheels:
Hyper and Kryptonics. These manufacturers will create custom runs of wheels
for in-line manufacturers, but they're still made by one of these guys. Jenex,
a company making roller ski products, makes a specialty wheel; see the bottom
of this section for details.

Many of the original equipment in-line wheels are inferior: they use
lower-grade wheel material and/or inferior hub design. Specifically, I don't
like the Rollerblade 608 wheels, which are also distributed as an after-market
wheel. Since these wheels are often more expensive than other recreational
replacement wheels, they should be easy to avoid.

Generally, skate runners have enough clearance for a certain maximum diameter
of wheel. Some racing skates (e.g., Zandstra Skeelers) will take wheels up to
80mm. Rollerblade's Racerblade and Aeroblade will take wheels up to 77mm --
it's expected that non-Rollerblade models will soon appear in this size. Most
everything else will take wheels up to a 72.5mm diameter.

Wheels are available in a variety of hardnesses; these are described by a
100-point "A" scale where 100 is the hardest wheel. In general, the fastest
speeds will be attained on a smooth track with the hardest wheels.
Unfortunately, most surfaces are not smooth enough for hard wheels; the softer
wheels will give a much smoother ride on rougher surfaces. A reasonable
hardness tradeoff is around a 78A wheel; some may prefer an 82A wheel. Some
skaters will use slightly harder wheels on the front and back of the skate
with softer wheels in the middle.

Currently, Kryptonics markets 3 lines of wheels: recreational, hockey, and
racing. The recreational wheels are 70mm in diameter; 78A, 82A, and 85A
hardness are available. These are good all-around recreational wheels; they
are also the cheapest in the Kryptonics line.

The hockey wheels are available only in 70mm 82A. Besides being good hockey
wheels, they have good cornering because there's a large surface in contact
with the surface. These are the widest wheels that are available for in-lines.

The racing, or Turbo Core, wheels are available in 3 sizes: 72.5mm, 77mm, and
80mm. They're available in 3 hardnesses 74A, 78A, and 82A. (Note: availability
of the 72.5mm wheels is currently very limited; the first runs were only
distributed in an 78A hardness). These are great wheels for most anything --
the hub design minimizes mass, but gives a good connection between the outer
wheel and the bearing. These are the wheels that most racers used in 1991.
They are a bit more expensive.

Hyper makes "normal" and "ultralight" wheels. As near as I can tell, there's
never a reason to go with the "normal" wheels; the "ultralight" guys are
plenty strong. Hyper wheels are available in 72mm, 76mm, and 80mm. The 80mm
wheels are available in 75A, 78A, and 82A. The 72mm and 76mm wheels are
available in 78A, 82A, 85A, and 93A. Unless under another label (e.g., Bauer
wheels are made by Hyper), these wheels are fairly difficult to find; some
mail-order shops carry them. The one obvious advantage over the Krypto skates
would be to use the hard 93A wheels on banked speed-skating tracks (of which
there are 2 in the whole USA! Sigh.).

Jenex, Inc., a company that makes roller ski products, is selling in-line
wheels intended for cross-country ski training. The wheels are 70mm 82A nylon
reinforced with glass fibers. The company has been successful with this wheel
chemistry on roller skis; it should work well for in-lines.

Included with each wheel is a pair of "dual contact type" seals "the most
effective seals available" (from their glossy). These sound like the Max
Trainer bearings available from Rollerblade. A pair of 2 wheels with bearings
has a MSRP of $28.95. This is a bit steep, but not completely outrageous if
they significantly outlast normal wheels and bearings.

Jenex recommends using only 2 of these wheels on each skate, leaving normal
wheels in the inner positions. For folks who like to maximize their workout
(i.e. outrageously slow skates), put a set of 4 on each skate.

The number for Jenex is (603) 672-2600. (Amherst, NH, USA).

Spacers

Most skates have a solid axle -- typically, a bolt -- running through the
center of the wheel. The axle should have a tight fit with the wheel's spacer
-- the small plastic tube that's sandwiched between the two bearings.

Several companies are manufacturing integrated axle/spacer systems. The
spacers are machined aluminum shaped like a plastic spacer on the outside.
Inside, they are threaded; the kits include pairs of bolts that screw into
each side of the kits. Some of the kits include replacement parts to the
Rollerblade oval spacers.

The spacer kits appear to make wheels spin a bit better; this may be because
the metal spacer cannot be compressed, eliminating a pre-load on the bearings.
[Alternate theories are welcomed.] The kits generally have much smaller bolt
heads; such heads should make the skates much more acceptable to indoor rink
operators. [Question: are bolts on the Blading Edge kit somehow mounted flush
to the runners? (i.e. no possibility of the bolt heads damaging rink
surfaces).]

Spacer kits are available from some mail-order shops and some skating
retailers. These kits cost anywhere from $20 to $40.

Brake Kits

Virtually all in-line skates come with at least one brake. Some come with two.
All Rollerblade skates and some other brands sell a brake kit. These allow you
to mount a brake on the other skate.

A second brake gives an added margin of safety -- if the first brake fails
(e.g., wears out, etc.), the second is available. Aesthetically, a second
brake makes braking a symmetrical activity. If you're adept at using a single
brake, you will have an interesting experience teaching yourself how to
effectively use the "other" brake.

Brake Pads

For Rollerblade skates, there are 3 types of brake pads available: standard,
TRS, and polyurethane. Standard brakes tend to be fairly screechy and wear out
the fastest. TRS brakes, which come in gray, last much longer and don't
screech as much. They're more expensive than standard brakes. Polyurethane
brakes, which come in bright blue and pink, last about as long as TRS brakes.
They don't screech at all. They're also non-marking. This may be a feature if
you use your skates at rinks; it may be a non-feature if you're into macho
brake marks. Poly brakes are about the same price as TRS brakes.

Rollerblade brakes sell anywhere from $3-$5 each.

[I don't know anything about non-rollerblade brake pads.]

Support
Orthotics

Generally, orthotics are used to neutralize any sideways lean in your feet.
When in a neutral stance, boots should be nvertical. For most people their
feet are slightly angled inwards or outwards.

For edging sports like skiing, it's vital that a neutral position yields a
flat ski; a proper orthotic can make a huge difference. Since in-lines lack
distinct edges, their value is a bit less on skates. On the other hand, a
ski-boot orthotic may well serve double-duty in your in-line skates.

Ski shops and some footwear shops sell orthotics; good ones will cost anywhere
from $50 - $150. These are a serious investment, but the payback for better
improvement may be large.

Removable/Permanent Ankle Support

Newer in-line skates (e.g. Rollerblade TRS Lightning, Bauer XT-7, etc.) have a
ski-like buckle at the ankle. Such support usually gives recreational skaters
added support and control.

Rollerblade markets a pair of nylon straps with velcro connectors; give good
support, but they are a bit expensive. Equally effective are nylon straps with
holes and a simple buckle design. If you really want buckles, there's a brand
of ratcheting toe straps available from Performance bike. Other types of
bicycle toe straps may work too, provided they're long enough.

Many of these straps will fit in-between the two lace guides on the top of the
boot. Remember to put the fastening device for the strap on the outside of the
boot. This will minimize the possibility of hitting the other boot.

Some companies are selling After-market ratchet kits for lace-only skates. The
advantage over the removable straps is that they won't be lost. Unfortunately,
these work poorly. First, the pawl must be put on the inside of the boot --
there's no boot shell in front. This increases the chance of hitting the other
boot while skating. The ratchet lever must also be farther forward, increasing
the chance that it will spontaneously open while skating. Without radical boot
surgery, an add-on ratchet kit will perform poorly.

Laces and Boot Liners

I've had good experience with thicker laces -- they allow you to crank tighter
and seem to more resistant to failure. The Crazy Legs brand works very well
and is available in a variety of bright colors.

Eventually, the springy material in boot liners will become permanently
compressed. Rollerblade sells boot liners for their skates; other
manufacturers probably do, too. [Any info??]

Non-skate Products
Protection

There are three pieces of "primary" protection: helmets, wrist guards, and
knee pads. Head injuries are relatively rare, but their consequences are often
extreme. An ANSI- or snell-approved bike helmet will give proper projection.
Make sure to have the straps properly adjusted and have the helmet "flat" on
the head -- most of your forehead should be covered by the helmet.

Wrist guards will keep the wrist from bending too far backwards during a fall.
The Rollerblade TRS guards are excellent wrist guards. There are many other
brands of wrist guards available from the Skateboard manufacturers -- Dr. Bone
Savers (or DBS), Rector, etc.

Knee pads will allow your knee to slide if it hits the ground during a fall;
they can also distribute the force of impact somewhat. Again, the Rollerblade
TRS and DBS knee pads are very good -- they have a large, smooth, riveted
surface. Avoid the waffle-shaped Rollerblade Bladerunner knee pads -- they
will fail after a few dozen falls.

There are several types of "secondary" protection: elbow pads, gloves, a thick
pair of pants, a rear-view mirror.

Hockey Sticks

(see the Hockey FAQ)

Poles

Using skating skiing poles can add an upper-body workout to your skate
sessions. Double-poling without skating can make your profile quite narrow, a
possible safety enhancement on narrow sections of road. On the other hand,
poles only work well on asphalt surfaces -- the tips will skid on concrete
trails. Also, poles greatly increase your length and are poorly-understood by
other path users. I recommend their usage only on low-volume paved
trails/roads.

Since in-line skates increase your height more than x-c skis, a slightly
longer pole may be needed. Also, remove the pole's basket and replace it with
a ferrule specially made for road use -- both Swix and Excel make these for
their poles.

Sharp tips and good form are crucial. If the wrist is bent backwards on each
stroke, it's possible to aggravate the hand ligaments running through the
Carpal Tunnel. Some of the new ski pole handles -- particularly the Swix "T"
handle -- can help minimize this danger.

Packs and Water Bottle Carriers

Around 1985, Ultimate Direction began marketing the first waist belt water
bottle carriers. These are available in a variety of sizes -- from a tiny
8-ounce bottle carrier to a 2500 cubic inch backpack. Several of the packs'
bottle carriers can be zipped completely shut, which helps to keep fluids hot
or cold longer. UD's water bottles are waterproof when closed.

At 1500 cubic inches, UD's Voyager pack is an excellent pack for the
commuting/long-distance skater. The suspension of the pack keeps the load low
and minimizes interferance with the skating stroke. A clever layout of the
shoulder straps prevents chafing under the arms when using poles. Skates can
be lashed to the bottom of the pack when you get where you're going. Finally,
this pack is useful for all types of other activities -- day hikes, downhill
skiing, x-c skiing, biking, etc.

There are many other brands of fanny packs with water bottle carriers. Many
of these brands have reasonable quality; almost all cost less than the UD
fanny packs. For a fanny pack, the Mountainsmith day packs have a large
capacity, but they lack a water bottle holster.

Night Lighting

Two companies make first-class helmet headlights for night skating: Night Sun
and Night Rider. These two-bulb systems both have halogen lights with a
variety of wattages (5-30) available. They qualify as "see lights" -- they
output enough light to allow you to see with no other lighting source.
Typical bulb selection is for a high and low beam.

The Night Sun system uses a custom battery that's manufactured in a standard
bicycle watter bottle case; this works well with the water bottle carriers
described above. The Night Rider system's battery has a molded shell that fits
against the back. It comes with a custom fanny pack that holds the battery.
Both systems are around $200.

A much lower-cost option is the Underwater Kinetics mini-Q40 flashlight. This
light uses 4 AA batteries in a 2x2 configuration and a very efficient xenon
bulb; it almost qualifies as a "see" light. It fits comfortably in the hand or
can be mounted on a wrist with a nylon strap. This light sells for about $20
at SCUBA shops. Consider carrying a backup set of batteries with you.

For tail lights, the clip-on version of the Vistalight works fairly well. It
has 4 LEDs that flash several times a second; the light will work for several
hundred hours (!) on a pair of AA batteries. There's also a Sanyo leg-strap
light with a low-efficiency incandescent bulb and a single non-flashing LED to
the rear. This light can be turned into a high-efficiency tail light by
removing (or just unscrewing) the bulb. A solid LED strapped to a leg
probably gives a better sense of distance than flashing LEDs clipped to the
waist. Both the Vistalight and the Sanyo light are available from Performance
Bike Shops.

Bike stores sell a variety of reflective vests, triangles, and self-adhesive
reflector kits. Reflective patches can be added to helmets, and skates, and
poles.

Tools for Maintenance

For skates with one or two hex bolts per axle, a socket wrench can make wheel
maintenance easier; shops generally use battery-powered tools for speed.

Running a vacuum cleaner around the wheels after each use can remove dirt
before it gets into the bearings.

For skating poles, a DMT diamond whetstone will keep the ferrules nice and
sharp.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Phil Earnhardt p...@netwise.com
Netwise, Inc. Boulder, CO (303) 442-8280

================================================================================

POLES
-----

From: p...@netwise.com (Phil Earnhardt)
Message-ID: <1992Feb6....@netwise.com>
Date: 6 Feb 92 21:14:02 GMT

There are two main issues with using poles. First, if you're using poles on
"bike trails," I recommend against their use if there is any appreciable
amount of other traffic. Pedestrians, cyclists, and other skaters don't
understand the motion of poles and won't know how to safely interact with you.
High traffic also limits a full-commit-asymmetrical-pole-plant style -- the
*real* fun stuff to be doing with poles.

If you're on a "bike lane" or are mixing it up with regular automobile
traffic, I had no problem with the use of poles.

The second issue is a technical one -- you can't effectively use ski pole tips
on concrete surfaces. They work great on asphalt, but poorly on harder stuff.
They skid off the surface unless you're using an unnatural amount of force on
the tips. This excessive force is poor technique and can lead to injury. From
someone who skated real close to having CTS, I recommend avoiding hard
surfaces.

I used poles for years in Boston. After I moved to Boulder, I use them rarely.
In Boulder, the major trails are all concrete. Also, the human density on
those trails is prohibitively high. I use my poles when I'm not skating
locally.

Poles are fairly durable. The only time I lost one was when I did a pole plant
into a storm drain. Aluminum ones are OK; composite poles will transmit a bit
less of the road vibration back to you. I really like the Swix "T" handles --
I have a pair of the Swix Skatelite Aluminum poles for on-snow (and occasional
in-line) skating.

Never ever attempt to use the poles for slowing down -- either you will fail,
or bad things will happen when you succeed.

If you need some instruction on pole technique, pick up Lee Borowsky's booklet
_The Simple Secrets of Skating_. 'Tis an excellent book on x-c skate skiing.

Benefits? Besides the obvious upper-body conditioning stuff, you also get much
more variety in your skating. You can mix up all sorts of poling patterns with
your normal skate strokes. If you want to go into gorilla mode, you can glide
with your skates, pushing yourself solely with your poles. This is a good
technique if you encounter some terrain that requires you to have a narrow
profile. As noted earlier, going full-out with asymmetrical pole plants is a
sport unto itself.

From: babi...@bnr.ca (Michael Babineau)
Subject: Re: Rollerblade Ski Poles?
Message-ID: <1992Apr25.0...@bnr.ca>
Date: 25 Apr 92 02:48:11 GMT

In article <1992Apr22....@csc.canterbury.ac.nz>,
co...@elec.canterbury.ac.nz (DAve.) writes:
|> Does anyone who uses the Rollerblade Ski Pole like things have any comments
|> to make regarding:

1) I assume that you are referring to XC Ski Skating practice.
Rollerblades provide a good simulation of XC Ski Skating however
you'll find that you go somewhat faster with less effort than you
will on snow. To ensure you get a good workout, find someplace
with lots of nice paved hills.

2) When skating with poles on the local recreation paths I normally
don't pole when overtaking or meeting pedestrians or cyclists,
the sight of poles going up and down seems to strike fear in
the hearts of many.

3) Like XC-ski skating you shouldn't find that your arms are sore
at the end of the day. If they are you are relying on your poles too
much ... remember that all the power is in your legs.
Also be carefull of how hard you pole, otherwise you'll find that
your elbows get sore, you don't get the same sort of cushoning
effect that you do on snow.

You will find that you do get a better workout with poles because
of the arm action.

4) Personally, I don't use the Rollerblade poles. I just take the tips
off of my regular Skating poles by softening up the glue under hot
running water, then I glue on carbide tips (should be available
in your local XC-Ski shop) using a glue gun. The carbide tips give a
good grip on pavement and won't get dull like normal steel tips.
Polling can be tricky on concrete.

BUCKLES
-------

From: f...@fusbal.zk3.dec.com (Daniel Fay)
Subject: Buckles for MacroBlades...finally
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 14:11:27 GMT

I have been finally able to find buckles to replace my velcro straps....
they are the same as the ones on the TRS. They are available from
Skate City Supply Inc., PO Box 379, Ceder Crest NM 87008...505-294-6699
No catalog...but they seem to carry everything and anything.

It is about $19 for a pair...and they even send all the rivets and washers.
The guy on the phone said they import the buckles into the country, and most
everone else gets the buckles from them. For the MacroBlades all you have
to do is pop the rivets out on the current buckles and use the same holes
for the new buckles and rivets. On the other side you have to drill a hole
in the plastic for the other rivet. Pretty simple...as long as you have a
rivet gun.

Also, Skate City said they were going to be moving away from carrying
Rollerblades and move to Roces (the company that manufactures RB's stuff).
One of the main reasons was that they are cheaper and come with Hyper wheels
instead of the 608's.

=END OF PART 4==================================================================

Tony Chen

unread,

May 1, 1994, 11:45:00 PM5/1/94

Posted-By: auto-faq 1.24
Archive-name: rec-skate-faq/part5

REC.SKATE FAQ - PART 5: SKATE REVIEWS

IN-LINE SKATE REVIEWS
---------------------

(last changed Mar 30, 1994)

NOTE: This collection of "reviews" was culled from articles posted in
alt.skate (now defunct) and rec.skate, dating from May 1991. While these
articles include many facts and first-hand experience, much of the text here
is necessarily opinion. Also realize that the in-line market is changing
rapidly, so prices and specifications are likely to be out of date.

Table of contents
-----------------
Performance skates
Ultra Wheels
Metroblades
Macroblades EQ/ES
Aeroblade (Rollerblade)
Racing skates

Performance
-----------
From: gva...@netcom.com (Jerrold Comm/GI)
Subject: Re: deciding between Performance brand in-lines

Douglas V Roberts (Doug) (dvro...@npmo.pc.ingr.com) wrote:
: Howdy All,

: I've decided to decide between the Performance brand of in-lines for my
: first pair of skates. They offer the Attack and the Vector-II models.
: I intend to use them primarily for recreation and exercise and have
: no particular desire to learn stair-bashing or other "fancy" stuff. The
: difference between the two boots appears to be that the Attacks have
: ABEC-3 bearing, a slightly higher boot, and 3 buckles. The Vector-II's
: have ABEC-1 bearings and one buckle + laces. Both boots appear to be
: well-ventilated. My question is: for my intended use, and being a first-
: time in-line skater, should I shell out the additional $30 for the Attack
: model?? Any and all opinions welcome (as long as they're constructive!!).

: Thanks!
: Doug

--
I chose Vector-II's because the lower buckles on the Attacks were
uncomfortable and the Attack boots were too high for my ice hockey-
accustomed calves. I am only one week into this sport, but offer these
comments:

1) Changing wheels is difficult. Instead of a through bolt with nut,
there is a threaded insert inside the bearing. Wheel bolts are inserted
from each side of the frame. When I tried to remove the bolts to
rock the wheels (like my ice hockey skates), the first bolt came out
easily, but the one on the other side just spun. I had to tighten
the one I just removed enough to allow the stuck one to come off, then
hope the original one would come out. ugh! I called the store (retail)
and they said "We never have that problem!" Anyone else?

2) The buckles seem a bit flimsy, but are attached with screws for
easy replacement.

3) I have nothing else to compare them to, but in the 3 hours I have
spent on them here in Phoenix where I am traveling, they have been
quite comfortable. I managed to learn how to use the brake, and they
seem to stop adequately even on some pretty steep roads here at
South Mountain.

4) I got some wobble on high speed descents. Could this be a
consequence of rockering them?

5) For $110, they seem like a pretty good way to get introduced to
this sport.

From: kev...@pheenixe.win.net (Kevin C. Brown)
Date: Tue, 07 Sep 1993 23:37:38 GMT
Subject: Re: One-buckle UltraWheel skates -- Impressions ?

In article <1993Sep4.1...@cs.cornell.edu>, Benjamin Werner (wer...@cs.cornell.edu) writes:
>Has anybody tried out the UltraWheel skates with only one buckle and
>rear-entry ? What are you're impressions ? There is at least one model
>("Zephyr" I think) and the boot seems to be made in Austria.

I have the Zephyr's, I got them from Damark ( a mail order
catalog) for about $90.00. They are really cool looking.
When I skate by everyone looks down at my skates because
they are so different looking. They pretty comfortable but
you should try them on first if you can. They tend to be
slightly narrow in my opinion but I bought them a half
size larger than my shoe size 9.5. (they don't come in half
sizes. The chart on the box says that men should pick
their shoe size. If you are a 9.5 like me than you go to
the next full size. When I wore the skates for the first
time I wore socks that were too thick and I tightened the
buckle to tight and lost some skin on my lower shin just
an inch above were the foot starts. There is also a rivet
on the inside of the shell that can give you a nasty blister
if your inside ankle rubs on it. But otherwise they are OK
skates for the price I paid. I think they retail for about
189.00. My two buddies who also have this skate have no
problem whatsoever.

-----

From: v077...@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu COMPUTER BLUE
Subject: Re: One-buckle UltraWheel skates -- Impressions ?

In article <2...@pheenixe.win.net>, kev...@pheenixe.win.net (Kevin C. Brown) writes...
>In article <1993Sep4.1...@cs.cornell.edu>, Benjamin Werner (wer...@cs.cornell.edu) writes:
>>Has anybody tried out the UltraWheel skates with only one buckle and
>>rear-entry ? What are you're impressions ? There is at least one model
>>("Zephyr" I think) and the boot seems to be made in Austria.

I have serious reservations about rear-entry, one buckle boots.
IMO, they will only give good fit for a minority of people.
One buckle doesn't provide much adjustment (alone) and what
about the rest of your foot? Npt all people have the same width
or shape foot. Although /I have never tried on a rear-entry
boot, I can make some comments on other types.

All lace: Good fit for many different feet. Hard to compromise
between ankle tightness and lower boot tightness. Tend to loosen
after extended skates, may tend to break laces often.

Lace & Buckle (on upper cuff): My favortie type. goo d comfort,
Fits a wide variety of feet, and provides independent adjustment
of ankle tightness and boot snugness.

3 Buckle: No laces to break, fast on/off time. Independent
adjustment of ankle and lower boot. Downside:
uneven pressure due to only 2 buckles on lower boot. Has a
"pinching" effect.

My advice: try on many different types of nboots to see what you
find most comfortable. If you like the rear entry, then fine,
but just be sure to try out all your other options before
deciding.

-----

From: Thomas....@cs.cmu.edu
Date: 25 Nov 91 13:09:38 GMT
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

I test drove my new Gretzky Wings this past Saturday in a hockey game.
They roll very smoothly and the boot is quite comfortable. The lower part
of the skate laces and the upper part has the ski boot style buckle. This
makes for a very snug ankle fit. I would recommend these buckle styles
for any skaters that really like a snug fit. One of the things I didn't
like about my last pair of skates was that it was hard to pull the laces
very tight with the plastic boots. I like my hockey (ice) skates very
tight and snug (like they're a part of my feet), and the buckle really
allows for that feel on the inline.

Since I'm still pretty much a greenhorn at inline skating, I've got a few
things to learn about stopping in a hockey game! Especially now with
skates with very fast bearings. I love the fact that I can corner much
better with the Wings than my older skates, and the speed and
smoothness is much closer to ice now too, but ya just can't hockey stop
in an inline like you do on ice (and I keep forgetting that!). Any other
inline hockey players have comments on stopping style?

I also removed the brake from my skate about midway through the game,
and it made turning around to skate backwards much easier. I kept
catching the brake sometimes when I'd turn around. I don't recommend
skating without a brake around town (hills and such) but on a flat surface
during a hockey game, not a bad idea. I also found that I could turn more
easily by pivoting on the front wheels instead of the whole skate. Might
be able to retain the brake if I perfect this technique more.

The liner in the Wings is also very comfortable. Pretty thick foam so
even when the skate is tight, you don't feel like it is digging into your
foot. I'm pretty happy with the skate so far.

Oh yeah, we were playing hockey on a tennis court. Great surface, pretty
smooth (although ours here at Carnegie Mellon have some major cracks
in them) so you roll nicely, and don't shred yourself when you fall, but
rough enough that you can really hug the surface on turns.

--Tom

P.S. The Wings are also on sale now at the Great Skate for $170. This
is a *GREAT* price. I paid $183 at Sabreland for mine, which is
the best "regular" price I found. I didn't get my Great Skate
sale catalog until a few days after I had already ordered them
from Sabreland. If anyone is interested in a fast, comfortable
skate, I'd recommend looking into these. Enjoy!

P.P.S. They also give you this really cheezy video of them making an
UltraWheels video with Gretzky. A real selling point! (HA)

-----

The Reviews section of the October issue of Outside has an excellent article
about in-lines. The writer reviews skates he likes from Ultra Wheels,
SwitcHit, Bauer, Riedell, and Rollerblade.

He also describes the nature of learning new things on skates: you often will
find that you learn new skills instantly -- or will find that you already know
how to do something, but won't discover it until The Moment of Trial. I won't
spoil the stories he tells, but I do think he embellished his Boulder Creek
Trail story a bit--I don't think I've ever hit 40MPH on the section of trail
mentioned on my Racers. Perhaps 30. That's fast enough. It is a fun little
section of trail, provided that few other users are around.

The writer strongly states that lateral support is mandatory. This is not
necessarily true. Good racers prefer to have their ankles free for more power
on the stroke. World-class skaters -- both quad and in-line -- will use
boots that are cut very low. However, substantial lateral support is very
useful for almost all non-racing types.

My other gripe, a small one, is that I view the RacerBlade as an excellent
commuting skate, not necessarily as only a beginner's racing skate. If you're
mainly interested in getting from Point A to B and already have some
experience, don't ignore the "Racer".

All in all, an excellent article. Some good ideas for folks who want to try
something other than Rollerblade skates. Check it out.

Phil Earnhardt p...@netwise.com
Netwise, Inc. Boulder, CO (303) 442-8280

From: ri...@gambln.enet.dec.com (Tim Rice)
Message-ID: <1992Jan17.1...@ryn.mro4.dec.com>
Date: Fri, 17 Jan 1992 15:15:42 GMT

I owned a pair of the Micron hockey skates back around '80. I grew up on
Bauer skates (Black Panthers, 92's, etc.). When I got into my 20's my feet
were too wide for Bauer's anymore (to much trouble with in-grown toenails).
The Microns are the urethane (plastic) boot with an ICM blade. They were a
nice skate except that motion side to side was too restrictive. The boot
didn't pivot enough in that direction so I would "often" lose an edge and
wind up on my butt. This finally happened once during a game where I got
hurt, I went head first into the boards. The skates were retired just after
that.

Other than that the boot was great. It provided many advantages over a
leather boot. One I didn't see you mention was that it distributes the
shock from a puck much better than leather. Again this is speaking from
experience since I had some toes broken in this fashion.

After experimenting with different skates I'd buy leather because it is
still the best all around. The only real disadvantages to leather are the
break in and down aspects. They provide the most control. The next problem
is in finding a leather skate. I stay away from synthetics as much as
possible. I prefer GRAF skates. The break in period is very short. The
break down period is also short (downside). It is a very comfortable boot
and provides the most control I've found. They are rather expensive 200+
for a hockey skate, considering they won't last 3 years. An active high
school type player may only get one year out of them. For someone my age
they're perfect, I get 3 years out of a pair. It's about time for my third.

MACRO BLADES EQ/ES

From: g...@spl1.spl.loral.com (Gary W. Mahan)
Subject: MacroBlade Equipes Review

I recently bought a pair of Macroblade Equipes(the new model). I thought I would give a little review on them as I have not seen any yet.

My main reason for buying the Equipe was shoe size. I really wanted the AeroBlades (for weight savings) but the biggest size was a 12.5 and I have a size 13 foot. Several people in this group recommended that I try the Aeros. Well I did and they were way too narrow. The Equipe boot will accomodate wider feet much better. I ended up getting the Equipe in a 30.5 (biggest size available).

I have seen several postings comparing Aeros to Equipes. From what I have read, most seem to think that Equipes are not rockerable like the Aeros. Well the Equipes I have seem to have the same rockering combinations as the Aeros. Also the Equipes have ratcheting buckles like the Aeros. The buckles on the Equipes seemed a little better.

The largest wheel that will fit is supposedly a 77 mm as opposed to 80 for the Aeros(Supposedly). The skates were equipped with 76mm 76A hyper wheels (Small hub). The bearings were ABEC1 made in singapore (same as on my lightning TRS's).

The Equipes have a cuff which allows some forward movement. However it is not hinged like a Aero. This is still hard to get use to. I almost fell backward several times because of this (although this may have been for other reasons (wheel positioning)). I consider the ankle support to be excellent compared to my lightnings.

The Equipes also seem to have wheel positioning similar to the Aeros (i.e the front whell is more forward). The front axle is lined up with the front of the boot.

The liners are very comfortable although memory foam is not used. There are holes in the liners for ventilation but these do not extend all the way through the foam.

The skates are vented like Aero's although not as much.

The skates have tremendously increased my skating ability (as opposed to lightning TRS's). I seem to be able to go much faster now. At high speeds I do not seem to have the skates wobble as much (eventhough the wheelbase difference is less than an inch). My gliding ability (1 foot) has also increased dramatically, allowing more efficient strokes.

The price on the Macroblades was $279 (Aeros were $289).

METROBLADES
-----------

From: gt0...@prism.gatech.EDU (James Garvey)
Subject: Re: MetroBlades - review requested

In article <1993May11....@news.uiowa.edu> thie...@icaen.uiowa.edu (Jeffrey Ray Thieleke) writes:
>
>I'm looking for people's opinions on MetroBlades - good and bad. Specifically,
>I'm interested in performance and comfort.
>
I sent out a request for info on metroblades about 2 months ago and really
didn't get much of a response. My friend is getting ready to buy a pair in
New York City and he told me that the big problem is support around the
ankles. Rollerblade puts them in their "sport" category which is supposed to
be for "thrashing". I'm not sure how much trashing you want to do in a boot
like the Metroblade. Anyway, the general consensus was get a pair of sandals
or lightweight shoes and buy a pair of skates with buckles. Then buy a
fanny pack or something like that to carry your shoes while you skate. Get
yourself a ski boot strap (handle with a loop of nylon) and carry your skates
like ski boots. Most sports stores will give you a ski boot handle for free.

Here's a few of the replies regarding the Metroblade. (Tony, I'm not sure if
you'd want to include these or not, but here they are for your review).

(original post)
>I have a friend that is getting ready to buy a pair of inline skates and is
>considering buying Rollerblade Metroblades. This is the skate that has a
>built in boot inside of it that lets you "walk" out of the skate. He's
>not planning on doing a lot of heavy duty skating, just to and from work.
>I would say that stalling and rail sliding would definitely be out!
>
>His main concern is not having to carry around a pair of shoes when he
>skates. Does anyone know anything about these skates?

I own a pair and am very happy with them, commuting to and from university
and generally around town. _I_ might recommend them, but they're the only
skates I've used for extended amounts of time (i.e., non-rentals), so I
don't have much to compare them with. I've heard other skaters (on this
board, in person, and in Inline magazine) complain that they're not really
up to snuff... that Rollerblade made too many performance degradations to
get the design to work. The design _does_ work, though. The shoes are
comfortable both inside the skates (though it hurts for a few days getting
used to how tight it needs to be to minimize wobble) and outside them (I've
hiked in the shoes.. no problem. They look like they'll last quite a while
too). Getting into and out of the skates is fast and easy.
On the other hand, even folded up the skate shell is heavy and
unwieldy, perhaps not as much as whole blades, but they can't be stuffed in
a backpack unless the backpack's pretty empty (btw, Rollerblade is offering
a free backpack -- a $50 value! *snort* -- to purchasers of Metroblades. I
haven't gotten mine yet, but I suppose the pack could be designed to carry
the blade shell easily).
If your friend is planning to use the skates for organized
recreation (i.e. hockey or half-pipes), or even for getting a bit radical
during the commute, probably a one-piece skate and a light pair of shoes
would be a better idea. I'm happy with my pair, and wouldn't trade them in
for anything, but then I always wished I had a pair of key-roller-skates or
a fold-up-bike when I was younger. I like to be portable.

-eh

------------------------------------------------------------------
erik hilsdale e...@cs.columbia.edu

Word is that these are a clever idea, but the compromise is that you
may not get the best skate for the money you pay. It they guys is fixed
on it it's probably survivable. Is he an experienced skater, or just a
beginner trying to plan his fate?

The alternative would be a good 3-buckle skate that is very quick to
pop on/off and pair of really lightweight shoes he can carry in a fanny
pack or other tote. There are some lightweight (soft sole) cycle shoes
and some that are even lighter for swimmers or something like that.

George Robbins - now working for, work: to be avoided at all costs...

>The alternative would be a good 3-buckle skate that is very quick to
>pop on/off and pair of really lightweight shoes he can carry in a fanny
>pack or other tote. There are some lightweight (soft sole) cycle shoes
>and some that are even lighter for swimmers or something like that.

This has been my solution - I have a pair of Teva sandals that I wear
when I'm off the blades, and they work pretty well - I carry them
around in my fanny pack. I also have a loop of nylon cord with a
handle on it for carrying the skates when I'm wearing the sandals.
There's also an over-the-shoulder carry strap that you can get for
rollerblades, but I haven't tried it, so I don't know how well it
works...

_MelloN_
--
mel...@ncd.com uunet!lupine!mellon
Member of the League for Programming Freedom. To find out how software
patents may cost you your right to program, contact l...@uunet.uu.net

From: e...@cs.columbia.edu (Erik Hilsdale)
Subject: Re: RB Metroblades: good, bad, or ugly?

In article <91...@hydra.gatech.EDU> gt0...@prism.gatech.EDU (James Andrew Garvey) writes:
>I have a friend that is getting ready to buy a pair of inline skates and is
>considering buying Rollerblade Metroblades. This is the skate that has a
>built in boot inside of it that lets you "walk" out of the skate. He's
>not planning on doing a lot of heavy duty skating, just to and from work.
>I would say that stalling and rail sliding would definitely be out!
>
>His main concern is not having to carry around a pair of shoes when he
>skates. Does anyone know anything about these skates?

From: ALI0...@UNCCVM.UNCC.EDU (Dailene Wilson)
Subject: lots of info

I have things to say to Matthew, Bill, Stephen, Koop, and Chris...

Matthew: Yes the Roces have good standard features but their frames (the
part of the skate on which you should base your purchasing decisions) are
terrible. Their plastic frames leave much to desire compared with the
glass reinforced nylon frames the Rollerblade Lightnings (and up) give you.
I skated on the Paris skate and the steel (yes, steel) frame bent in at
a strong angle.I haven't seen any RollerBlade frames bend! They saw this
potential problem years ago when they redesigned the ZetraBlades! I would
rather feel comfortable and safe with a strong frame than worry about
the color of the buckes/liner/boot. Also, the liner of the Paris was
awful. It moved around and was no where near as comfortable as the liners
in my TRS or RacerBlades. Some people say that not everything makes a
difference when buying skates. Not true. The frame should be a one-piece
frame (for stability and rigidity), not to mention the bearings, wheels,
liner, boot, wheel kits. About the only thing that does not make a
difference is the color. You can change that and be creative at the same
time. I don't trust the Roces frames, but the rest of the skate seems
pretty good, especially for the price. But what a price to pay for plastic
frames!

Bill: The MetroBlades are very sturdy considering the flex factor at the
ankle. Whoever said that the sole of the shoe would wear out is probably
right. If you did get these, I would walk on the shoe as little as possible.
Good comfy skate nevertheless.

Stephen: To get buckles on lace up skates, go to your local ski shop.
Any ski shop that does repairs in skis and boots should be able to rivot
some buckles onto your skates..

Koop: The IISA has worked with several cities to reverse the bans on
in-line skating and they should be able to help you out too. Call them
at 1-800-FOR-IISA. Good luck!

Chris: Right on with your comment on the best all around 4-wheel skate
on the market- the Lightning TRS! While you can make some modifications
on this skate, it still provides you with a very strong frame and the
durability to outlast even the craziest skater out there (that's what Chris
Edwards wears!). If you want some more ventilation, drill some holes in
the boot and go crazy! Avoid the seams though, just in case. You can
probably cut holes in the liner where you drilled the holes to give you
the "Aeroblade" effect.
I have tried the Rollerderby Shadow (my 1st pair, I know, really bad), the
MacroBlades, the TRS, the AeroBlades, the CoolBlades, the Macro ES and EQ,
the Racerblades (toughest 5-wheel on the market!), the Bauer XR10 (liner
wore out before anything else and cannot be replaced- bad move on Bauer's
part), Roces Paris (bad), Roces Atlanta (bad!), and the Problade. The
best ones in this group are the TRS, the RacerBlade, and the ProBlade
(leather). You have to not only consider ones options available on the
skates, but to remember that everyone has different feet and one skate
that fits terribly for one person may be the answer to another person.
My main point is look at the hardware after you found a skate that fits
your foot well. If the hardware is poor, go to another skate or you'll
be sorry later.

--Dailene Wilson ali0...@unccvm.uncc.edu RollerBlade!!
--UNCCharlotte Skate Safe, Skate Smart

AEROBLADE REVIEWS
-----------------

From: bi...@cs.uiuc.edu (Todd Biske)
Subject: Re: AeroBlades vs. Roces Barcelona model

shan...@leland.Stanford.EDU (Simon Handley) writes:

>Does anyone know what the difference is between Aeroblades and the
>Roces "Barcelona" model?

The Barcelona and the Aeros are actually quite a bit different. Roces used
to manufacture all RollerBlade boots, but this is no longer the case.
RollerBlade boots are now made my Nordica. Anyways, here goes:

Similarities:
Both boots are vented
Both have Memory Foam liners
Both use a three buckle system on the boots
Both come with 76mm 78A wheels

Differences:
Aeroblade boot is vented much better. The vents are larger and more
numerous.
The Aeroblade boot is made from BladeLite (tm) while the Barcelona
uses the same material as the CoolBlade (polyurethane?) which
results in a 15% heavier boot.
Aeros have a graduated brake, can also accept older style RollerBlade
brakes.
Barcelona uses a custom Roces brake, not commonly available for people
in the cornfields of the midwest like myself.
Barcelona tends to run $30-$40 cheaper than the Aeros.

I just purchased a pair of Aeros from Courtesy Sports in Los Altos (before I
drove back to Illinois for school) and did a lot of research on the Roces vs.
RollerBlade debate, and I think I bought the better skate. That's an
opinion however. My final decision was made when I tried on BOTH skates at
Courtesy. Then my mind was made up.

-----

By the way, I love my new Aeros. Much better glide than the Lightnings I had
been using (rental loaners).

Something I thought was extra neat, although I haven't taken advantage of it
yet, is that the rockering SLOTS are offset. This allows a flat blade, a
shallow rocker, a deep rocker, and combinations.

What do I mean? This is the flat blade setup.

--- ---
| | --- --- | |
|x| |x| |x| |x|
--- | | | | ---
--- ---

I don't know, maybe this is an old idea, and the Aeros aren't first, but I
*love* this kind of design detail!

-----

I have a pair of Aeroblades. Here are my comments:

On the plus side:

* Boots very lightweight as mentioned.
* Ventilation good.
* Allows you to bend forward a lot. (And not side to side, fortunately.)
* Boot positions shin tilted forward more than some other skates --
encourages you to bend knees more -- a good position for skating
* Big wheels (76mm)
* ratchet buckles are pretty good
* lightweight but strong frames (runners)

End-on view of frames (very schematic):
Aero Other
_______ _______
\# #/ | |
\ / | |
| | | |

Cons:

* The buckles don't "remember" your previous setting when you remove them
like the Macroblade ones do. But you can always mark it with a felt tip
pen I suppose.

* The brake is like that on the lightnings and macroblade, but it is made
of "a new composite material" that SQUEALS LIKE HELL WHEN YOU BRAKE.
Scares the daylights out of unsuspecting pedestrians. Rollerblade told me
this would stop when the brake pad was broken in, but it hasn't. I just
bought a lightning replacement pad -- I hope this cures the problem.

* I've had some trouble with the fit to my feet. These seem to be narrower
than my old rollerblades. They should really offer both D and E widths
like Bauer does. It may also be that three buckles and a very thin boot
can't support the whole foot all that well.

* The place where the tongue overlaps with the rest of the liner digs two
ridges into my foot. Also the footbed (insole) they come with is fairly
uncomfortable and non-anatomically-shaped.

* They seem to have missed some places that need ventilation. the areas under
the tongue and and the front and back of my ankles still get quite sweaty.

* On some skates the two parts of some of the buckles do not line up quite
parallel -- this could lead to premature wear or slipping.

* Some were shipped with wobbly wheels (non-true) -- but your Rollerblade
dealer should replace them for you if you bring them back in. Also
the wheels are not centered with respect to the bearings, and they
have a cheap-looking part on where I guess they were cut out of their
mold during manufacturing. Makes me want Hyper Wheels.

* Wheels aren't as light as the newer wheels from Hyper and Kryptonics.

* I've decided I like softer wheels, to handle those bumps more gracefully.
Aeros are 78A so maybe my old Zetra 608s had 74A? But I don't know of any
inlines that come with softer than 78A nowadays. Maybe I'll splurge on
some new wheels.

* Front wheel is further forward than on other skates. This is okay for
the experienced skater but I don't recommend it for a beginner because
this can make the skate unstable if you put your weight forward onto it.
This may make the skate faster for racing, but it also makes more leverage
that tends to lift your heel inside the boot, so proper fit becomes even
more important. I think they should have moved all four wheels back a
little (maybe 1/4 inch), since having the back wheel back a little improves
stability.

* I don't like the color options -- can't they offer something more low key so
people outside of California aren't embarrassed to be seen in it? :-)

* NMB 608Z bearings (made in singapore). I have heard that these are not as
good as the GMN 608Z german bearings that at least used to come in the
Lightnings. Not that I've noticed any difference in performance myself.

* Back of the brake sticks out a little more than I think is necessary, which
can get in the way of crossovers if you're not careful.

* The frame spacer / bearing spacer / axle system is poorly designed. It does
not hold the wheel quite straight, and it seems to bind the bearings a little
when you tighten the bolts a lot, which you have to do to prevent the wheel
from slipping up and down a little during skating. Before tightening there
is too much play and the frame spacer does not properly meet the bearing --
one of them starts to slide off of the the other on one side. I don't know
why, but the one pair of Lightnings I looked at were better than the Aeros in
this respect, even though they *appear* to have the same parts for this.
Phil Earnhardt says Reidell has a superior spacer system. I used to have the
old metal-runner Zetra 608, which held the center of the bearing via metal
washers and spacers, and worked much better in that way. They should make
the inner diameter of the frame and bearing spacers smaller to match the
axle, and the frame spacers and the inner part of the bearing spacers (which
holds the two bearings apart) should be made of aluminum instead of plastic.

I hope somebody at Rollerblade reads this.

David B Rosen, Cognitive & Neural Systems Internet: ro...@cns.bu.edu

-----

David B. Rosen writes:
>I have a pair of Aeroblades. Here are my comments:
>
>* The brake is like that on the lightnings and macroblade, but it is
>made of "a new composite material" that SQUEALS LIKE HELL WHEN YOU
>BRAKE. Scares the daylights out of unsuspecting pedestrians.

It is pretty effective, though, at getting those dim-wits who don't
know what "on your left" means to move off the path... :-)

>* I've had some trouble with the fit to my feet. These seem to be
>narrower than my old rollerblades. They should really offer both D
>and E widths like Bauer does. It may also be that three buckles and a
>very thin boot can't support the whole foot all that well.

Same here. I've got relatively wide feet, and I'm just hoping that,
over time, my liners will compress a bit and my boots will stretch just
a bit to fit my feet better.

>* The place where the tongue overlaps with the rest of the liner digs
>two ridges into my foot. Also the footbed (insole) they come with is
>fairly uncomfortable and non-anatomically-shaped.

Of all things, my heels are uncomfortable in my Aeroblades. It feels
as though I'm putting far too much pressure on them. Has anyone else
experienced this?

>* I don't like the color options -- can't they offer something more
>low key so people outside of California aren't embarrassed to be seen
>in it? :-)

Ditto! I'm all for basic black...

-JC, j...@msc.edu

-----

The only suggestion I have is buy the best skates you can possibly
afford--and maybe even a pair that you can't REALLY afford, but by
scrimping somewhere else you can do it. Or, alternatively, buy
a cheaper pair of skates but outfit them with high performance
wheels and A-grade bearings before you even hit the pavement (that
is probably the best solution, if you haven't got a lot of money).

I bought a pair of Rollerblade Zetra 303s in May on a whim. They
cost $150, and I didn't want to "spend to much on something I might
not stick with." Well, I didn't know it at the time but those skates
were inhibiting me, and within 20-30 miles the el-cheapo C-grade
bearings had melted down and left me with an inoperative pair of
blades. Two months later I finally got around to calling the shop
where I got the skates to find out about getting them repaired under
warrantee. They said it would take 8-10 weeks while they shipped
them to Minnesota, determined if it was really a warantee repair,
and then shipped them back--and there was no guarantee they wouldn't
charge me for the repair if they thought it was "my own fault."

Well, in 8-10 weeks there will be snow on the ground up here,
so I was a little upset. I went out and bought a pair of AeroBlades
($300) in a fit of pique, and man I should have done that in the
first place! All I can say is, for twice the money you get three
times the blade. The fast wheels and bearings have a lot to do with
it, but the buckle (as opposed to lace) closure system is a dream.
A medium-priced alternative are the Lightnings, which have
buckle closures but not the fancy chassis.

I'll shut up and let someone who really knows what they're talking
about advise you, but I'll stick by the "best you can afford"
recommendation.

Andy, AN...@MAINE.MAINE.EDU

END AEROBLADE REVIEWS

= RACING SKATES REVIEWS =

From: ki...@orac.holonet.net (Kimon Papahadjopulos)
Subject: Re: Performance 5-wheelers

ca...@bunny.gte.com (Carl Castrogiovanni) writes:

>I'm considering Performance Bike Shop's 5 wheel high tops (alternative to
>Racerblades). Anyone have experience with these (and can share opinions)?

I happened to be in a Performance Bike shop the other day, and I must say
I was not impressed by either their high end bikes, or their high end
skates.

The 5 wheelers were a high top plastic boot with an I-5 frame.
Ick. I didn't check to the weight, but for that set up it had better
be pretty cheap. Reasons?

1. There is not much point in getting hightops with 5 wheels unless you have
some sort of ankle problem. It's sort of like getting a racing road bike
with mountain bike tires.

2. The I-V frame is a bargain basement frame (costs about $45 for the
frames alone, I think). Superior Skate Co. has made improvements since I
had a pair, but when I used them they bent very easily and were a royal
pain when it came to switching wheels.

> Any other high top 5 wheelers out there besides these two brands?

Take a look at the Baur 5-wheeler. It seems to be one of the better
cruiser skates.

Kimon

In article <13...@aggie.ucdavis.edu> bu...@jade.ucdavis.edu writes:
>Can anyone give me information on brands of 5-wheel skates, besides
>racerblades, that are available? I'd very much appreciate any info at
>all.
>
>M. P. Bunds, U. C. Davis

The good news is that there are models from many different manufacturers. I
have heard of models from Bauer, SwitcHit, Riedell, Rollerblade (Racerblade
plus the Pro Racer), Viking (A very good European ice speed-skating
manufacturer), Bont (Australian ice), etc. There also is a movement for
manufacturers to sell racing boots with a pair of threaded bolts to attach
either blades or runners for wheels. Yeah! Standardization!

The bad news is that I've never seen anything other than the Racer in retail
markets.You're going to have to either travel to someone who sells the skates
or do it via mail-order. Marty Hill of Built for Speed sells stuff out of his
house in Syracuse, NY. Dave of SMR sports ((708) 387-0283) does the same out
of Riverside, IL. SoH ((800) 554-1235) was planning to sell the SwitcHit
5-wheeler when it became available.

If at all possible, I'd go in person to one of these stores and make sure you
find someone knowledgable about the long skates. You might be leary of SoH,
since they appear to have a pretty cozy arrangement with SwitcHit.

Have you tried the Racer? It's a bit on the heavy end for a 5-wheeler, but is
very robust and probably a good skate to start out on racing. (Heck, any of
the faster 4-wheelers are fine, too!) Some Rollerblade demo vans have the
Racer available; you can try a pair there. Some very good racers are winning
races on the Racerblade.

One other piece of good news: Rod Murillo, a member of Team Krypto, is now
reading alt.skate. Welcome! He's far more qualified to talk about racing
than I am; he might have some suggestions for you.

Phil Earnhardt p...@netwise.com

-----

From: be...@alf.sybase.com
Date: 13 Nov 91 23:06:25 GMT

I got some new racing skates about 2 months ago. I love them!!! I tryed
on Zanstras and Racerblades. Looked into Bauer and leather boots (from
Built for Speed). After all my looking...I bought Ultras from Sventech
in Seattle (sold by Ultra).

Here are thoughts that might help others who are looking at racing skates.

Zanstras

There are three problems with Zanstras, from my point of view. Firstly,
the bearings "seem" really cheap. They aren't as smooth as I would like
and they make too much noise. Secondly, the boot is really
uncomfortable. A number of racers have complained that they bind the top
of their feet too much. In fact, some people cut out the sizes of their
boots. I found this true when I tryed them on. Finally, my size (6-6
1/2) only comes with four wheels....great why buy racing skates. The
good thing about Zanstras is that they are pretty light.

Racerblades

The Racerblades are really comfortable! It's like riding in pillows.
However, it's also like using a limo in a road race. They felt too
big and heavy (though I don't really remember their weight). Once I felt
the weight, I knocked them off the list...so I can't comment on the
bearings or wheels.

Bauer

As with the Zanstras, the Bauers don't have 5 wheels in my size.
However, the boot looked really comfortable. I knocked them out as soon
as I heard about the wheel limit.

Leather Boots

Sorry...I may be into skating....but I would like to try and stay out of
the poor house. I was looking at spending $700 to $800 for leather
boots. Maybe if I ever get close to beating Karen Edwards or the other
top women skaters, I'll think about it...but I think that will take more
than just new skates.

Ultras

The Ultras have a titanium frame. The lengths come in 13, 14 and 15
inches. The boots are very comfortable (I can usually keep them on for
three hours before they bother me). The boot fit is like the Racerblades
with a buckle and wide fit, but the shell is very light. The boot can be
molded to your foot with a dryer or hot water. In a rough estimate,
with 5 wheels they are about the same weight as my 4 wheel
Rollerblade 608s.

I guess what finally made the sale..was Bancroft hill in Berkeley. I can
jam down Bancroft without any shaking. The ride is very smooth. The
bearings are smooth and fast. By the by...they come with Hyper Wheeles.

The only problem is...no brake. So, I may not need it for racing....but
I would like one for working out. Berkeley drivers don't know what to do
with a skater.

I guess my advise is...try on everything (in your price range). Some
people swear by skates I rejected. What everyone is looking for in a
skate is different. I wanted good low weight racing skates.

Still plowing down hills....

betsy

By-the-by, does anyone know of something to put on road rash (second
skin or the likes)?

-----

From: Donn Baumgartner, do...@dell.dell.com

I can recommend the Xandstra Skeelers, which are available locally from
Riedel, without hesitation. I have used these skates on the OMRA circuit
for the last two years and am very pleased with them.

I have the Xandstra 6000 - but got it directly from Walter Xandstra a few
years ago when he came to the New York race. I use the Hyper 80mm wheels...
and prefer the harder (82A) wheels, but many racers prefer the 78A's and
even the 75A's. Personal preference... but the harder wheels hold up a
little longer.

There are many shops nationally that carry this (and many more) inline
skates... such as:

Competition Skates Trailways Skate Rental
c/o John Skelton c/o Tom Sehlhorst
501 Springville Cr. 611 Palm Bluff
Birmingham AL 35215 Clearwater FL 33515
(205) 854-9617 (813) 461-9736

Montrose Skate Shop Skate Escape
c/o John McKay c/o Janice Phillips
1406 Stanford 1086 Piedmont Ave
Houston TX 77019 Atlanta GA 30309
(713) 528-6102 (404) 892-1292

I've done phone/mail/direct business with every one of these shops... they
are all reputable. Competition Skates and Trailways Skate are both run by
active members of OMRA (Outdoor Marathon Rollerskating Association), and both
John and Tom are racing 'experts' (in some sense).

And a final comment... get a subscription to Speedskating Times... for $15/year
it's the best thing going. Dave Cooper, Eddy Matzger, and Marty Hill regularly
write articles in it.

-----

From: mpe...@wtcp.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (Michael Peters)
Message-ID: <11...@wtcp.DaytonOH.NCR.COM>
Date: 10 Mar 92 13:41:32 GMT

las writes:
>I'm planning to buy a pair of speed inline skates. Need advice as
>to which brand I should purchase. Would like a skate under $350.00.

For under $350.00, if it's a racing skate you want, I would check
out the Bont skate packages that Special Equipment C0. has to offer.
(Phone:508-266-1612) They have Bont Sharkie boots with Zandstra
frames, wheels and German bearings for $315. These are leather
boots with fiberglass counters that you heat and mold to your foot.
This is a much hotter setup for speed than buying a citizen racing
skate, that has gobs of padding inside, i.e. Racerblade or Bauer
XR-10, besides they're cheaper too. The last I heard the XR-10 may
go for $385 and the Rollerblade Pro-Blade $450. The Rollerblade
Racerblade is in your range, but it's a bit heavy, though if you
don't skate that much, you may like the additional support that the
Racerblade gives.

Mike....@wtcp.DaytonOH.NCR.COM ...!uunet!ncrcom!wtcp!mpeters

From: mi...@hgc.edu
Subject: re: Racing Boot/Frame questions
Date: Tue, 16 Nov 1993 12:39:21 GMT

In article <grammer.2...@lobby.ti.com> gra...@lobby.ti.com (Shawn Grammer) writes:
>I'm gonna get into racing and I have the following questions:
>
>1) What is the net opinion of the Bont Bluebottom/Powerline frame combination?
>2) What is a good price for each of these items?
>3) I was recently talking to a racer who had this combination, and she was
>showing me how her boot is angled slightly on the frame. That is, if her left
>frame is pointing straight up, her boot is pointing slightly off center to the
>left (relative to the frame). She said that it improved power. To me it
>would seem to decrease the power. What is the opinion of orienting the boot
>this way?

My son used the Bont Bluebottom for 1/2 a season of indoor racing, the boot
broke down before the end of the season. He bought it used, which could be
the problem. I've seen a lot of racers using the PowerLine and they like
it. You may want to check into the new suregrip frames....

On the offset.... she is an indoor racer right????? they will offset that
for the power ... they get a better edge on the corners... both my
son's and the vast majority of our team do this.... They skate for
the Waterbury Skate Club in CT.

From: (lo...@iris1.sb.fsu.edu) David Lowe
Subject: Re: Inlines: Aspiring racer wants 5-wheeler info
Date: 17 Nov 1993 18:48:58 GMT

I find your questions much the same as some of mine but I can tell
you what I have found out and believe in. First about the bearings issue.
I have found that a bearing contructed with a solid outer face as
hartfords tend to resist the buildup of dirt a dust much better than an
open face bearing like most fafners. I beleive that bones make a fairly
well selled bearing which is considered one of the best for durability
in the speed skating community. Hartfords are usually found in low end
or rentals and are durable but probably not a good competitive bearing.

For plates I have found that most skaters perfer the extend 5 wheel
plate which will accomodate wheels larger than a 76mm. Most people I
have talked with find little difference perforance wise between the
availible inline plates.

For boots I can only tell you what ive seen. I personally have found that
about half of the top skaters I know of skate on bonts. Most do not
get the blue bottom bonts because they seem more likely to crack
under pressure. Most are skating on the yellow bottom huster boot by bonts

I have the yellow hustler bont boot, labeda extreme edge plate, bones
bearings and a soft hockey wheel for training purposes. I have yet to
purchase wheels but am likely to get the green ones comprable to
cherry bombs.

From: lo...@iris1.sb.fsu.edu (David Lowe)
Subject: Re: Racing Boot/Frame questions
Date: 17 Nov 1993 19:18:36 GMT

>From: gra...@lobby.ti.com (Shawn Grammer)
>Subject: Racing Boot/Frame questions
>Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1993 19:00:28 GMT

>I'm gonna get into racing and I have the following questions:
>1) What is the net opinion of the Bont Bluebottom/Powerline frame combination?

Bont Bluebottoms have been known to crack due to stress over a peroid of time.
The Bont Hustler boot (yellow bottoms) seem to be stronger and less likely
to crack. They also usually cost less and come predrilled ( a big plus).

>2) What is a good price for each of these items?

Shop around you can usually get the best deal buy buy all your parts at once.
rember that if you purchase your skates non-local then don't expect your local
dealers to help you much if you have problems. Your best bet is to find
the best price then ask your local dealers to match it if you can.

>3) I was recently talking to a racer who had this combination, and she was
>showing me how her boot is angled slightly on the frame. That is, if her left
>frame is pointing straight up, her boot is pointing slightly off center to the
>left (relative to the frame). She said that it improved power. To me it
>would seem to decrease the power. What is the opinion of orienting the boot
>this way?

I think she is right on the money. By moving the right foot plate left of
center you but your center of gravity on the ball of the right. So when
you are stroking in a tight corner your can step easier and further with your
left foot before having to but it down. With the right plate in the center it
seems that the right skate trys to get out from under you before you can
step out with you left foot. Most everyone I skate with has their right plate
adjusted as your friend does :-)

David Lowe lo...@neuro.fsu.edu

From: ki...@orac.holonet.net (Kimon Papahadjopulos)
Subject: Re: Racing Boot/Frame questions
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 1993 03:59:39 GMT

gra...@lobby.ti.com (Shawn Grammer) writes:

>1) What is the net opinion of the Bont Bluebottom/Powerline frame combination?

Acceptible for competitive racing.

>2) What is a good price for each of these items?

Off the top of my head, $200-$250 for the frames, $300-$350 for the boots.

Its personal preference. Some people like their frames inset. I personally
think inseting your frames unevenly is usually to compensate for bad form,
but there are some pretty good racers (Steve Carr for one) who do it.

Kimon

From: cer...@ait.com (Joseph P. Cernada)
Subject: Review: Performance Competition Skate

Well, I finally got tired of waiting for someone else to order these
skates so I figured I'd order them and see if they were worth keeping.

So, here's the long awaited review of the Performance Bicyling
5-wheel racing skate:

Low cut leather boot, glove leather in the ankle area, ankle stiffener, padded
tongue, laces. Seems like a typical Performance brand item: well
made, attention to function, but not cosmetically pretty.

76mm, 78A wheels (look like Hypers). Long wheelbase I-5 frame
(13.375" ?).

Too many parts to the Axles: bolt, nut, metal tube, small tubular
spacer, and two washers (go between the frame and the bearing).

GMN ABEC-3 bearings. I think they're oiled (either that or they're
using real low temp grease, since it seems to be dribbling out of the
bearings :).

I also got the brake since I do a lot of hills and don't like trashing
my wheels to stop. The brake frame seems fine, but the stopper itself
seems pretty lame. Made out of very soft rubber and looks like it
belongs on the bottom of a piece of furniture. Also, when taking long
strides/strokes, the side of the brake would scrape on the ground.

Weight: 2 7/8 lbs for a size 9. For comparison, my Ultrawheels
Gretzky Wings weigh 3 3/16 lbs with the same type of wheels. This is
for one skate, without the brake.

My Gretzkys are the only other skates I've ever used, so I don't have
a lot of reference points.

Took me a day to really get used to skating on these things. The
weight positioning is very different. I can put my weight much
further forward than with my 4-wheelers. Great traction on the turns.
That brake sticks waaaay out; have to be careful on the cross-overs.
The low boot is taking some getting used to. I have to consciously
think about keeping my ankles straight.

Turning is pretty slow. I did some cone slaloming (one foot, two
foot, and spread-eagle; 6 foot cone spacings) and maneuverability was
way down. Tried to do some short stairs, and mostly tripped my way
down.

--
--
Joseph P. Cernada AIT, Inc.
914/347-6860 50 Executive Blvd.
cer...@ait.com Elmsford, New York 10523

From: g...@spl1.spl.loral.com (Gary W. Mahan)
Subject: Perf. Comp Skate Review

I bought a pair of Performance Competition skates about three months ago
and would like to present a review of these:

I was in the market for a pair of speed skates. Prices ranged consideribly
from ~300 on up. As I was not completely sure if I would like speed
skates, I opted to target the lower price range. I also required a brake.

Last but not least I needed a size 13 (this is always a problem!) and
I wanted to try them on before purchasing.

So I went out and purchased a set of Performance Competition skates:

Price $299 for the skate (Seen on sale for $249)
$19 for the brake pad assembly

Wheels: Performance Brand (look EXACTLY like hyper 76mm 78A's to me).

Bearings: ABEC3 Nonservicable (unless you remove a shield).
They really used a light grease or oil on these as
they spun forever right out of the box.

Frame: I-5 (adjustable positioning) one of the lower priced frames
but to be expected in this price range.

Axle: 2-piece Aluminium spacers/axle retainers with one long bolt going
through the center. This system is comparable to the
axle kits/hopup kits available. No reduction in bearing
spin if the axles are too tight (I really tested this one!)

Boot: Leather, some ventilation, all laces, plastic inserts/liner in boot for
ankle support and lower foot support.

Brake: Metal assembly which bolts to frame. Repacement pads are
ONLY available through mail order and are ~$5 a piece.
Toe stops from Quad skates may also be used is one
so chooses (they bolt right on).
The original brake SEEMS to last forever.

Initial Problems: Wrench supplied was not correct size.
The bolt and nut supplied with the Brake assembly were
mismatched causing me to stip both. I went down to
the local hardware store and bought replacements (Cost $1).

My initial skating sessions with these skates were very painful. The boots
did not fit quite perfectly to my feet eventhough the seemed fine in the
store. A hair dryer was used to soften the plastic liner in the appropriate
places. This worked very well.

The lack of ankle support took a while to get used to (compared to my Macro
EQ's). Once my ankles strenghtened, this was not a problem. I initially
compensated for this ankle problem by adjusting the chassis to the outside
of the skate (so my skates would angle inward). This provided some added
stability. I have slowly moved the chassis inward as my ankles and
technique improved. Ankle support straps (Lazy Legs) could be used to help
with the ankle support.

The brake for this skate works quite well once it is broken it. It can be
really scary before it is broken it (as most brakes are). The Pad seems
to last a VERY long time compared to my RB pad on my macros. I think I don't
brake quite as much as I used to so this might be the reason. The overall
braking performance is not as good as my macros but still acceptable.
Because of the lack of ankle support and longer wheelbase, braking required
more ankle muscle than with my macros.

Overall, the transition to the skates was tough (for me) but well worth the
effort. These type skates REALLY force you to use good technique which has
trickled down to skating on my macros. The added flexibility at the ankle
is actually much more comfortable once you get used to it.

As a side note, the bearings never seem to get dirty on these skates. I
guess this is because the open frame chassis allow lots of air circulation.
The washer used between the wheel and the frame might also limit dirt
accumulation around the bearing.

From: adc...@grep.cs.fsu.edu (Anthony Chen)
Subject: INLINE: difference between frames? boots, wheels, etc.
Date: 18 Feb 1994 06:48:01 GMT

Okay, hope this post provides some break from the olympic traffic.
Should be enough questions here to generate a few in-line posts
hopefully 8-)

1) What's the main difference between all the tiered frames? Is there
any significant differences? I'm just curious, from looking at the
Raps Edgemaster, Mogemas, LaBeda Extreme Edge, and Powerline frames.
I know some of these vary in material, Al vs. Ti vs. Mg or whatever.
Is one preferrable to the others? There are various grades of
each material, I know that much.

I'm looking to get some low-end 5-wheelers, so probably I'll start
out with some cheapo I-5 frames, but eventually I may want to move
up to a better frame. Is the drilling/mounting incompatible if I
want to switch from a flat frame to a tiered one?

I'm not intending on doing competitive races (not yet anyway), mainly
long distance trips. In particular, I'd like to do the Athens-Atlanta
race/trip this upcoming October (anyone have a specific date?) so I
figure I better start getting ready right now 8-) I don't figure to be
real fast. I just wanna finish 8-)

2) Also, any opinions on the Airlite XL boots? These are molded
polyurethane boots, laces with a small cuff buckle. Low cut.

I was told the Riedell 201TS boot doesn't fit very well. The
401TS's fit very well apparently, but for much more money. Can
anyone confirm about the 201s? This is from the guys over at Inline
USA.

I'd get some Bont Sharkies or Hustlers except I was told they're not
as comfortable over fairly long distances? (Bluebottoms have a rep
for cracking under pressure, correct?)

3) One other thing, I notice Hyper Redlines come in large and small hub
versions. Is it a significant difference, the amount of cooling you
get from a bigger hub? I assume you get more wear out of the small
hub wheels, of course.

4) Also, how much diff between ABEC-3 and ABEC-5? I'm skating on ABEC-1
Bones which already seem darn fast. A good idea to jump to ABEC-5s
for the 5-wheelers? I do have some cushion money wise, so if I can gain
some significant performance I'm willing to pay for it.

5) One last thing, how do the varying axle types vary? I notice that
Mogema style axles are apparently different enough to warrant Airlite
frames to have a specific model for those type of axles. The racing
axles are similar to hop-up kits, no?

From: mpe...@wtcd.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (Michael Peters)
Subject: Re: INLINE: difference between frames? boots, wheels, etc.
Date: 21 Feb 94 17:49:32 GMT

In article <2k1ob1$h...@mailer.fsu.edu> adc...@nu.cs.fsu.edu writes:
> I was told the Riedell 201TS boot doesn't fit very well. The
> 401TS's fit very well apparently, but for much more money. Can
> anyone confirm about the 201s? This is from the guys over at Inline
> USA.

An acquantance of mine said that her 201's were very uncomfortable.

>3) One other thing, I notice Hyper Redlines come in large and small hub
> versions. Is it a significant difference, the amount of cooling you
> get from a bigger hub? I assume you get more wear out of the small
> hub wheels, of course.

Hyper's latest racing wheel is the 'Shock'. The top three finishers at
Athens-Atlanta were on Shocks. I just picked up some 80mm-81A Shocks
last Sunday, but I haven't had a chance to try them outside yet.

>4) Also, how much diff between ABEC-3 and ABEC-5? I'm skating on ABEC-1
> Bones which already seem darn fast. A good idea to jump to ABEC-5s
> for the 5-wheelers? I do have some cushion money wise, so if I can gain
> some significant performance I'm willing to pay for it.

Personally, I think ABEC 3's are the way to go. The ABEC-5's are pretty
expensive and after a little wear and dirt, that fine precision is gone.
At the speed that our wheels are spinning, I had heard that the 3's are
all that we really need.
>
>5) One last thing, how do the varying axle types vary? I notice that
> Mogema style axles are apparently different enough to warrant Airlite
> frames to have a specific model for those type of axles. The racing
> axles are similar to hop-up kits, no?

The Powerline axles are similar to the Mogema's (me thinks?). They are
aluminum with a slotted end that locks into a counter sunk hole on the
outside of the frame. An aluminum spacer slides over the axle between
the bearings. The aluminum axle sinks into the inside of the opposite
frame wall. They are held into place by a counter sunk allen head type
of screw. The axles are solid, other than the drilled and tapped end.

From: tr...@kla.com (Plant a tree today! ---;*] )
Subject: Re: INLINE: difference between frames? boots, wheels, etc.
Date: Tue, 22 Feb 1994 03:47:47 GMT

Anthony Chen (adc...@grep.cs.fsu.edu) wrote:
: I'm looking to get some low-end 5-wheelers, so probably I'll start
: out with some cheapo I-5 frames, but eventually I may want to move
: up to a better frame. Is the drilling/mounting incompatible if I
: want to switch from a flat frame to a tiered one?

If their prices haven't gone up much, try the suregrip airlites. When I
bought mine, they were only $30-40 more than the bendable I-5s.

: I was told the Riedell 201TS boot doesn't fit very well. The
: 401TS's fit very well apparently, but for much more money. Can
: anyone confirm about the 201s? This is from the guys over at Inline
: USA.
The fit depends on your foot type. The 201s are more forgiving if you
have a medium to wide foot. I have some good info for anyone trying to
break in a pair of 201s. I'd post, but I don't want to was bandwidth if
nobody is interested.
: I'd get some Bont Sharkies or Hustlers except I was told they're not
: as comfortable over fairly long distances? (Bluebottoms have a rep
: for cracking under pressure, correct?)
Heard the same.
: 4) Also, how much diff between ABEC-3 and ABEC-5? I'm skating on ABEC-1
: Bones which already seem darn fast. A good idea to jump to ABEC-5s
: for the 5-wheelers? I do have some cushion money wise, so if I can gain
: some significant performance I'm willing to pay for it.
You will realize more difference by packing your bones with some fancy
oil (everyone has their opinion on what works best). The difference
between ABEC-1s and ABEC-3 or 5s is measured in thousandths of an inch.
Unless you are planning do over 80 mph (has been done), you won't notice
the difference.

=END OF PART 5==================================================================

Tony Chen

unread,

May 1, 1994, 11:45:01 PM5/1/94

Posted-By: auto-faq 1.24
Archive-name: rec-skate-faq/part6

REC.SKATE FAQ - PART 6: WHERE TO SKATE (Indoors)

(last changed: Jan 8, 1994)

(The listings are not really organized in any coherent fashion. My apologies
but I don't have time to take care of this. If anyone else wants to do a
quick editing job on it though...feel free 8-) -T. Chen )

LISTING OF INDOOR SKATING RINKS
-------------------------------
(collected by Albert Boulanger)

From: Robert John Butera <rbu...@rice.edu>
Subject: Re: Good rinks in Texas

In Houston: Trade Winds Roller Rink

5006 W. 34th. Just East of highway 290 just north of
I-610.

Adult night is Thursdays, 7:30-10. Not as much dance music as I'd
like, though there is some every night. A lot of the crowd seems
to favor classic rock, but everything is played.

-----

From: "Rebecca Y. Shen" <reb...@cco.caltech.edu>
Subject: Re: Any good rink roller skaing in greater (Northern) LA?

I live in Pasadena, but I haven't ventured around the Greater LA basin, so I can
only comment on three nearby rinks: Glendale, San Gabriel, and West Covina.
Personally, I figure/freestyle skated (and am now on ice), so after the first
couple months I stopped going to the crowded adult sessions.

Stats:
Floor Size:
West Covina -- Big
Glendale -- Medium
San Gabriel -- Small

Floor type:
West Covina -- Synthetic/Plastic ??
Glendale -- Wood (good condition)
San Gabriel -- Wood (OK condition)

In-lines
West Covina -- Yes/Rent
Glendale -- NO
San Gabriel -- Yes

Time-distance (from central Pasadena -- say Lake and Colorado):
West Covina -- 20 minutes / 30+ minutes (rush hour)
Glendale -- 10 minutes
San Gabriel -- 10 minutes

-----

From: reb...@cco.caltech.edu Mark L. Fussell

My favorite is Moonlight Rollerway in Glendale: it is close, has a large enough
rink, and has nice skaters/management.

Approximate hours (I am removing the half hours, so 8 may actually be 7:30):
Wed,Fri: 3-5 -- This is a "kid" session, but is not at all crowded,
so ideal for "fancy skating".

Sat,Sun: ?1-3,3-5 -- Crowded "kid" sessions

Fri,Sat: 8-10,10-12 -- Crowded Adult/Teenage sessions, Modern music
Thu: 8-10 -- ?? A less crowded Adult/Teenage session,
possibly more Adults

Wed: 8-10 -- Dance session, Organ Music (open to everyone,
but has a lot of dance-pairs, and about
20 minutes of organised dances).

Tue: 8-10 -- Never been: think it is adult with ?? jitterbug,
disco, modern music ??

Sun: 8-10 -- Gay night, open to anyone (who doesn't mind the
couples, and a couple dances you might not want to join). I've never been, but
I know straight people who do go.

--
West Covina's hours should be similar to Glendale, although I know the rinks in
6
the area rotate some of the special adult sessions with each other. West Covina
has more people, and a big center area for spot Rexxing.
--
San Gabriel may also be similar to Glendale, but I wouldn't recommend it
because6
of the small floor, and no one that I have met ever suggested it.
--

I'll send you the exact addresses/phone numbers later.

Friends from skating have recommended North Hollywood, Reseda, and several other
places, but I don't know anything beyond that. If you go to one of the adult
sessions at Glendale there will be several people to ask.

-----

From: Erica Nowicki <k08...@hobbes.kzoo.edu>

I was a speedskater on the circut in michigan for a few years, and am
an avid rink-hopper, and worked at 1 for 4 years. Here is a record of some of
my findings :

*note these are all PERSONAL opinions given as truthfully as possible.
@= rink that hold meets.

Skateland of Woodhaven, Woodhaven, MI (homebase): Usually a friendly crowd,
but the floor needs to be redone in my opinion the speeds tend to be
kept at a reasonable pace for sessions and the crowd under control.

Music.

Dixie Skateland, Monroe MI: They need a better floor and sound system and
their regular crowd is obnoxious.

@Skatin' Station, Canton, MI: This is the place that State Meets are usually
held along with a thanksgiving invitational that usually has a pretty
good representation from a good number of states. Their floor is
excellent along with their sound system, but I tend to find that their
sessions lacking.

Riverside Arena, Livonia, MI: This rink I recommend highly, they have an
excellent floor, and their sessions are awsome. I attend these
sessions quite frequently even though it is almost an hour from my
home.

All Skate, Jackson, MI: They have a decent floor, and their crowd is one of
the friendliest that I have seen in a long time, they also have a
decent sound system, they do have very strict rules though which may
turn alot of the better skaters off.

Rollerworld, Kalamazoo, MI: Well, this rink is in a shopping mall, they do
need a new floor, they have strict rules, and need a new sound system
but their crowd is nice for the most part.

I have gone to other rinks, but have only been once mainly for competition and
cannot give an accurate impression though that only.....
Have a nice day...

-----

From: ca...@udwarf.tymnet.com (Carl Baltrunas & Cherie Marinelli 1.5)
Subject: Re: Any good rink roller skaing in greater (Northern) LA?

In article <ABOULANG.92...@pilsner.bbn.com>, abou...@bbn.com (Albert Bo
ulanger) writes:

> I have been thinking that it may be a good idea to build a
> network-wide resource of good roller skating rinks around the world.
^^^^^^
> (Any good rinks in U.K. or Australia?) I have checked out rinks in
> Denver, Silicon Valley, San Diego, LA, Ft. Lauderdale area, Daytona,
> Orlando, NYC, Boston, the Twin Cities MN, Chicago, Toronto, and
> Washington DC. I will take the time out to compile a list if people
> supply me information.
>
> Have to travel -- will skate, Albert Boulanger aboul...@bbn.com

I've not had to travel as much as I would like, but I've skated in the
Washington DC metro area (includes MD & VA), Baltimore MD, St. Louis,
Portland OR, Silicon Valley [live here] and LA with reasonable success.

I used to get "Skate" Magazine (guess I ought to renew it) and I would
look through the previous year or two to find the names of rinks that had
figure/dance/free-style tests results to find the names of rinks to look
up in the phone books when I got to a city I was visiting for more than a
couple of days.

This, of course, does NOT include all the available rinks... just ones that
have artistic/speed skating clubs... but in any given area, that's where
I'd prefer to skate anyway.

With a little work, I should be able to remember the places I've skated if
you/anyone is interested, with some critique of the place.

As for the LA area, there are at least half a dozen good rinks and probably
more with a little driving. They usually have a good showing at the SW
Regional meets and I know a few teachers from that area. SkateWay in in
the Pasadena (I think) area was ok, but I think they were a pretty small
rink. It was 6 years ago I was there.

Randall mentioned restrictions about backwards skating, et al in a lot of
rinks. That's one reason to look for a rink with a club. They are a lot
more tolerant of things like that if you show that you are a competant
skater. Having a past or current amateur card is helpful too... Also if
you get a chance to talk to the owner/mgmt and let them know you are from
out-of-state and not just a regular, they may be more apt to let you do
things they harrass other skaters about.

My wife and I were in Baltimore and went to a "practice" session and talked
to the pro there about some floor time and she hemmed and hawed a bit then
said she'd have to talk to the management. While we all walked toward the
office, we mentioned that our coach as Wayne Melton (a reasonably known SW
and US champion skater/teacher). She immediately stopped and told us to
put on our skates without even bothering to go to the office. If the rink
is truly interested in skaters and skating in general, they will try to
accomodate out-of-town skaters if you are open and honest with them about
what you want to do.

-----

From: bi...@franklin.com (bill)
Subject: Roller skating rinks (was: Any good rink roller skaing in greater (Nort
hern) LA?)
Summary: what I like near south/central NJ

In article <ABOULANG.92...@pilsner.bbn.com> aboul...@bbn.com writes:
: (Any good rinks in U.K. or Australia?) I have checked out rinks in
: Denver, Silicon Valley, San Diego, LA, Ft. Lauderdale area,

There are still good rinks in Ft. Lauderdale? That's my home turf
and the rink I started at, Gold Coast, has, I'm told, been
converted to a Salvation Army store or somesuch. Sad; it used to
be the oldest rink in the state. When I left about two years ago,
there wasn't much else in the area.

: I will take the time out to compile a list if people
: supply me information.

I'm primarily a dance skater, so my evaluations are from that
standpoint. Here are the rinks I've visited since I moved up here.

In Burlington county, New Jersey, there is the Holiday Skating
rink in Delanco, just off 130. It has a very large floor, in
pretty good shape, though not as well maintained as it used to
be. They have a competent, if uninspired, live organist on
Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday evenings. Tuesday is a crowded
session; the other two are fairly peaceful. I hear the organist
also does a late night session Friday (Saturday?) of just R&Rish
music but I've never been to that session.

Down in Gloucester county, there are two rinks. Skater's Choice,
in Hurffville (I think), on 47 near 55, has a decent Wednesday
night organ session. Dave Paden (sp?) plays and he's good. The
rink floor is average size and fairly well maintained. The rink
has a reasonable crowd but one can skate through it.

Speaking of Dave Paden, he also plays at the Cornwells rink. This
is just a bit east of Philadelphia on 13. This is on Tuesdays and
Thursdays. These sessions are not awfully crowded and the folk
are a bit older than in the other sessions I've mentioned. The
floor is average size but not quite as good as the one at
Skater's Choice. (This info is about a year old.)

Back to Gloucester county is the rink I skate out of, the
Deptford rink, just off 47 near 295. Besides having some good
pros, its main claim to fame is NO SMOKING, none at all in the
building. Since most of the other rinks tend to be smokeholes and
I'm allergic to it, I really like that. Unfortunately, it has a
small floor that has definitely seen better days. And the one
organ session they have, on Thursdays, is tapes and very poorly
attended. The tapes aren't very good, either. Sigh. (This is
likely to change; the management is letting some of the club
skaters run the session. With any luck, they'll do better. But if
you are interested in this session, you really should call the
rink instead of just going.)

Finally, there is the Rollerama rink in Levittown, Pennsylvania,
on 413 between 95 and 1. This had, a year ago anyway, a Sunday
evening session. This rink is also fairly small and the floor
could be in better shape, though it is better than Deptford's.
That session is also just tapes.

-----

Subject: Any good rink roller skaing in greater (Northern) LA?

Thanks for your input. Here is the info I had for LA (that is not on
your list -- spelling questionable):

Reseda: Sherman Square Roller Rink.
18430 Sherman Way. 818 345-6902
(Thursday 8:30-1:30)

Grand Terrace: Calif Skate
22080 Indust(?) 824-8114

San Bernadino: Stardust RR
2167 N Lugo 883-1103

Torrance: Shamrock
1851 Mullin Ave 328-7150

Riverside: Calif Skate
12710 Magnolia Ave 354-7060

Montclair: Holiday RR
9191 Central Ave 626-0501/982-9150

Saugus: Skate in Place
21616 Golden Triangle Rd 255-8453

Bakersfield:

Rollerama
1004 34th (805) 327-7859

Skateland
415 Ming Av 831-5537

Starlight
30 Kentucky 322-5661

Rollertown
2200 Wibble Rd 833-2525

-----

From: "Rebecca Y. Shen" <reb...@cco.caltech.edu>
Subject: Re: Any good rink roller skaing in greater (Northern) LA?

The following are the addresses:
Glendale -- Moonlight Rollerway, 5110 San Fernando Rd.
818.241-3630
San Gabriel -- Fiesta Roller Rink, 136 S. San Gabriel Bl.

818.287-6669
West Covina -- Skate Junction, 901 W. Service Ave.
818.960-4402

also names from the White Pages (so possibly not rinks):
Cerritos -- Skate Depot, 11113 E-183rd
310.924-0911
Whittier -- Skateland, 12520 E. Whittier Blvd.
310.693-9618

Also, I saw in an ad the Moonlight claims both Tuesday and
Wednesday are Organ Music, so I may have been wrong about Tuesday
nights, or the ad may be out of date.

-----

From: g...@shilah.Eng.Sun.COM (george atkins)
Subject: Re: Any good rink roller skaing in greater (Northern) LA?

In the Bay Area (San Francisco, not Hudson) there are a handful of skating
rinks, though not as many as one would think, probably because the weather is
mild year-round.

The closest rink to San Fracisco is the Rolladium in San Mateo, about a twenty
minute drive south from the City. Right off of Hwy 101 and real convenient to
the airport (in case you can't wait and want to skate right off the plane.)
It has a wood floor and a very nice sound system. Friendly regulars, but not
very crowded for some reason. They've played funky music the times I've been
there, but I've only been on Tuesday nights. (415) 342-2711

In Milpitas there is Cal Skate at I-680 and Hwy 237. I've never been there but
I hear Wednesday and Sunday nights are wild. I hear they play a lot of hip hop,
have a polyurethane floor and a host of excellent skating regulars to pick
things up from (big dance scene in the middle.) Milpitas is about 35 miles
south of Oakland in the East Bay, but very convenient to San Jose. (510) 946-
1366

Next up there is Golden Skate in San Ramon. I was there for adult night. The
floor is nice and they played some nice music, but too much heavy metal for
my tastes (makes everybody skate real fast and fall down a lot.) It's a good
45 minute drive from the City. Way out in the 'burbs. (510) 820-2525

I've heard nice things about the Aloha Roller Palace in San Jose at 397 Blossom
Hill Rd. off of Hwy 101. I've never been there but I've heard that it's a real
skate scene, especially on Friday nights. The place is said to be large. Not
sure what the floor is made of, but if you're going to San Jose give them a
call and you can tell me! (408) 226-1156 (message line) or 226-1155

But the ultimate skating experience in the Bay Area in my opinion is Golden
Gate Park on Sundays. the park is closed to traffic on that day (certain agents
are trying to close it on Saturdays, too.) The weather is great (actually
better in the winter than the summer it seems) And there are *tons* of skaters
cruising up and down the roads, in-line and quad, as well as skate boards,
bicycles, horses (well, okay, only the police.) There's a wild dance scene at
6th Ave from noonish until dark. (Bay Area skaters - am I right?) There are two
places I know of that rent skates that are walking distance to the park; Skates
on Haight and Magic Skate at Fulton and 6th. Be there or be square!

From: abou...@bbn.com (Albert Boulanger)
Subject: Re: Speed (Now Denver area rinks)
Date: 20 Apr 92 10:52:44

In article <1992Apr19.1...@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> pear...@isis.cs.du.edu
(Philip A. Earnhardt) writes:

You should hook up with a speed program. There are speed roller skating
programs at the rink in Longmont, CO, and a couple of rinks in Colorado
Springs. I'd guess there's at least one in Denver; ask around.

Can you post the names of the rinks you know of in the area? (For
potential roller skating visitors to the front range?)
There is a rink off of Coal Mine Rd in South Denver that I have
visited. It is called Starport as I recall. Other names that I have
for the Denver area:

Skate City -- Aurora 344-3321
Arapahoe 770-2223
Littleton 795-6109
Meadowood 690-1444
Rollerama 288-0502
Starport S Denver 972-4433
US on Wheels ???
Roller City ???

Travel, will skate,
Albert Boulanger
aboul...@bbn.com

Date: Wed, 22 Apr 92 13:12:52 -0400
From: Susan Harbour <har...@rapnet.sanders.lockheed.com>

I just read your rink-request in rec.skate. I have been to Austin Tx.
a couple of times this year and I have been to two roller rinks there. I
believe there are three in the city, but I was only able to locate two
of them (two of them are called Skateworld, I was only able to locate one of
the Skateworlds. I *think* the other is either a practice rink or an ice rink,
but I only ever got to hear their answering machine, so I don't know for sure.)
The third rink (Playland) is probably not one that you want to go to (I know
I never want to go back.) It's a pink epoxy coated concrete floor, which *can*
be a real nice skating surface, but this one is used for Bingo about five
nites a week, and has these pot holes in the epoxy that go right into the
concrete....I was afraid I'd ruin my (then new) dance wheels. It's really
pretty seedy, and it's also ridiculously hard to find.
Skateworld (the one I found) sounds like what you are looking for.
The times I've been there they've played top 40 music, but I believe they have
*adult* nites and Christian nites. The floor is wood, (a little small I think)
but set up very much like the Skate 3 rink in Tyngsboro, (though the floor is a
natural wood color and a whole lot smoother than Tyngsboro.) The crowd is
generally not very big, and most of the times I've been there the floor has
also been reasonably clean (so you're not picking up a quarter inch of goop
on your wheels, making it feel like you're skating on a washboard.) Though
at least once that I was there I left after 40 minutes because it was so
cruddy. I've seen them have a "race" now and again between songs during
certain sessions, but I guess speed skating is more popular in Texas than
dance skating.
Anyway...directions....
Take I-35 north (north of the Airport which is north
of the 'downtown' area) take the Rundberg exit and go west on Rundberg
to Lamar Blvd. Take a right on Lamar (you should see an HG supermarket)
and go just past the HG parking lot, and take a left on Rutland Dr.
The rink will be on your right. (You can see it from the HG parking lot).
I can't find my list of sesssion times, so you'll have
to call them when you get there.
I didn't go scouting outside of the city much since my stays in
Austin are generally only two or three days, and I never get a whole lot
of exploration time. But, I thought I'd tell you what I know!

-----

From: sas...@mvs.sas.com, AS...@mvs.sas.com
Subject: Re: Roller Skating vacation: Miami FL, Austin TX, Sante Fe NM

The biggest (best) rink in Austin is Playland. They are installing a brand new
floor AS WE SPEAK (write). They will be letting everyone skate on it this
Friday night for the 1st time. I tried to call and found out all I can get is a
recording until Friday when they reopen. I was going to ask when the adult
session is for you -- I'll let you know on Monday if you won't be on your
vacation yet. ??? There are only about 3 rinks in Austin and that's the best
one. It is about a block from 183 and Burnet Rd.

-----

From: Randal L. Schwartz, <mer...@iwarp.intel.com >

Someone asked about rinks... My fav was Aloha Skate Palace in South
San Jose (or something like that) on a Monday night. Great songs,
good crowd. Cal Skate in Milpitas was also good, and they had a wood
floor (not the silly blue stuff that is so prevalent now).

The rinks within 30 minutes of Portland have gone from 7 to 3 in the
last few years. Has this happened elsewhere? None of them were
because of lack of business... most were because the landlords decided
that putting in yet another discount clothes store or strip mall was a
better deal. Just what we needed. Sigh.

-----

Ok, since this seems to include all types of skating (at least with
wheels!) I will make myself know as a rollerskater. My regular indoor
rink is Christiana here in Newark Delaware. Several champion figure
skaters have come from here. I never really paid attention to that fact
until I was skating at a rink in Ohio. A woman asked me where I was
from. After I told here that I usually skate at a rink in Delaware, she
said, "Oh yeah. I have heard of Christiana. [name I don't remember] came
from there."

During the summer I perform outside at a park near the waterfront in
Philadelphia (Penn's Landing). There is a group that gets together from
around the Philly area to Jam on Sunday afternoons, and many of the
Holidays. If you are ever in Philly on a sunday come on down and see us.
The "stage" is between Society Hill towers and the waterfront. Next to
the Vietnam Memorial.

-----

From: Russell Turpin <turpin%cs.utexas...@BBN.COM>
Subject: Re: On using both feet (was: sorting it out)

I like PlayLand, which is on 183, just east of MoPac and just west
of Burnet Rd. (Coming north on MoPac, take 183 South (really east)
and then bear right on the access road. Turn right at the stop
sign and PlayLand is about a block down behind a car dealership.)

They have adult nights on Tuesdays and Sundays. Two of my coworkers
-- one of whom is pretty good -- and I skate there pretty regularly.
There is a good group of regulars.

-----

From: "Tamara Shaffer, x3222" <SAS...@mvs.sas.com>
Subject: Re: Rinks in Austin

> I thought you all would like to know about each others opoinion's
> about Austin's rinks:

> ****************************************************************
> Date: Wed, 22 Apr 92 13:12:52 -0400
> From: Susan Harbour <har...@rapnet.sanders.lockheed.com>
> To: aboul...@BBN.COM
>
> Hi Albert,
> I just read your rink-request in rec.skate. I have been to Austin Tx.
> a couple of times this year and I have been to two roller rinks there. I
> believe there are three in the city, but I was only able to locate two
> of them (two of them are called Skateworld, I was only able to locate one of
> the Skateworlds. I *think* the other is either a practice rink or an ice
rink,M
> but I only ever got to hear their answering machine, so I don't know for
sure.M)

The other Skateworld is a working skating rink. It is small. It is
located in northwest Austin in Anderson Mill. This is north on 183
about 1-1/2 miles (?) south of 620 at Anderson Mill Rd.

> The third rink (Playland) is probably not one that you want to go to (I know
> I never want to go back.) It's a pink epoxy coated concrete floor, which
*can*M
> be a real nice skating surface, but this one is used for Bingo about five
> nites a week, and has these pot holes in the epoxy that go right into the
> concrete....I was afraid I'd ruin my (then new) dance wheels. It's really
> pretty seedy, and it's also ridiculously hard to find.

A *lot* of things in Austin are hard to find. There is a lot of
road work in the area of Playland. We live with it. Oh well. I can
appreciate what she is saying, but considering their work they are
doing, and that it will be brand spanking new while you are here, I
figured it would be the best one to check out. :)

> Skateworld (the one I found) sounds like what you are looking for.
> The times I've been there they've played top 40 music, but I believe they
haveM
> *adult* nites and Christian nites. The floor is wood, (a little small I
think)M
> but set up very much like the Skate 3 rink in Tyngsboro, (though the floor is
Ma
> natural wood color and a whole lot smoother than Tyngsboro.) The crowd is
> generally not very big, and most of the times I've been there the floor has
> also been reasonably clean (so you're not picking up a quarter inch of goop
> on your wheels, making it feel like you're skating on a washboard.) Though
> at least once that I was there I left after 40 minutes because it was so
> cruddy. I've seen them have a "race" now and again between songs during
> certain sessions, but I guess speed skating is more popular in Texas than
> dance skating.
> Anyway...directions....
> Take I-35 north (north of the Airport which is north
> of the 'downtown' area) take the Rundberg exit and go west on Rundberg
> to Lamar Blvd. Take a right on Lamar (you should see an HG supermarket)
> and go just past the HG parking lot, and take a left on Rutland Dr.
> The rink will be on your right. (You can see it from the HG parking lot).

Like I said, look for the HEB. I haven't been to this one, but I know
her directions work.

> *******************************************************************
> Posted-Date: Wed, 28 Mar 90 11:00:15 CST
> From: Russell Turpin <turpin%cs.utexas...@BBN.COM>
> Date: Wed, 28 Mar 90 11:00:15 CST
> X-Mailer: Mail User's Shell (6.5.6 6/30/89)
> To: aboul...@BBN.COM
> Subject: Re: On using both feet (was: sorting it out)
>
> I like PlayLand, which is on 183, just east of MoPac and just west
> of Burnet Rd. (Coming north on MoPac, take 183 South (really east)
> and then bear right on the access road. Turn right at the stop
> sign and PlayLand is about a block down behind a car dealership.)

The street is McCann and it's a Nissan dealership. Hope that helps!

> They have adult nights on Tuesdays and Sundays. Two of my coworkers
> -- one of whom is pretty good -- and I skate there pretty regularly.
> There is a good group of regulars.
>
> Russell

-----

From: Andrew D. Abbott| <abbo...@nextwork.rose-hulman.edu>
Subject: Re: Good rink roller skating in Detroit?

In rec.skate article <ABOULANG.92...@pilsner.bbn.com> you
wrote:

> I will be traveling to Detroit and would like to know if there are
any good roller rink sessions in the general area.

On occasion there is in-line skating at the Pontiac Silverdome and at
the Joe Louis Arena. I'm not sure if these fit your idea of a good
roller rink (I've never skated there), but they may be interesting
places to skate. You may have to do some checking around, though, to
find out when the times are. Otherwise, Shores Skateland in
Mt.Clemens may have what your interested in.
I hope this has been just a bit helpful.

-----

From: abou...@bbn.com (Albert Boulanger)
Subject: Roller Skating vacation - Rinks in Florida (USA Rinks)

I went skating in several rinks/cities in Florida. Here is a breakdown
by day of adult skating session in Florida. One generalization that I
have made is: USA (United Skates of America) rinks are a cut above
the rest in general. They all seem to have a varied session schedule
to meet the tastes of a varied clientele. I have been to USA rinks in
Chicago, and Minneapolis. In addition the one in Tampa (which I
visited but did not skate at a session) has the same type of schedule.

================================================================
Adult Roller Skating (indoor) in Florida
================================================================

Sunday
****************

Semomoram Skateway Orlando, 407 834-9095, 834-9106 (manager)
8-11
Comments:OK, Speed (shuffle) oriented music. They did play some techno.

The Palace, Lantana (West Palm Beach), 407 967-0311
8-11:30
Comments: Never got to it.

Gold Coast, Ft Lauderdale, 305 523-6783
7:30-11
Comments: Dead session and they were going to cancel it. "Floating
floor" which is a floor built on wood beams so that it rebounds. These
floors are really nice!

Skate Mania, Ocala
7-10
Comments: Never got to it.

Galaxy Skateway, Palm Beach Gardens (West Palm Beach) 407 627-4554
7-10
Comments: Never got to it.

Skate Odyssey, Tampa 813 935-2000
??? (Never got hours)
Comments: Never got to it.

Monday
****************
Universal Entertainment, Orlando, 407 282-3140, 407 282-3141
8-11
Comments: OK, about the same as Semoram. Last time I was there, they
seem to have a bit better mix of music than just the "shuffle" beat
like many Florida rinks tend to lapse into.

Southland Roller Palace, Pinellas Park, 813 546 0018
9-12
Comments: So-So, mostly shuffle beat type stuff.

Hot Wheels, Miami, 305 595-3200
8-11:30
Comments: Did not go to this session, but the adult Thursday session
was the best I seen on my vacation.

Galaxy Skateway Hollywood, Davie, 305 435-3300, 432-5144
8-11
Comments: Went to this several years ago.
It was Ok -- mostly shuffle beat type stuff.

Wednesday
****************
USA, Tampa 813 876-6544, 813 876-5826
9-12
Comments: This session claims to be a Hot 100 Club mix -- I will try
to check this one out next time.

Thursday
****************

Hot Wheels, Miami, 305 595-3200
8-11:30
Comments: Best session I went to on this trip. Center is walled off from
the rest of the floor (but open for skating).

Galaxy Skateway Hollywood, Davie, 305 435-3300, 432-5144
8-11
Comments: See Monday night,

Galaxy Skateway, North Lauderdale, 305 721 0580
8-11
Comments: Never got to it.

Happy Days Skate & Putt, Davie, 305 452-2800
7-11
Comments: Never got to it.

Rainbow Roller Land, Largo, 813 585-5987, 813 586-6810
8-12?
Comments: Never got to it.

Roller Skating Center of Coral Springs, 305 755-0011
7:30-10:30
Comments: Never got to it.

Skate City, Daytona Beach, 904 788-4401
??? (8-10:30)
Comments: Several years ago they had an adult session on Thursday. The
manager said that they may be starting this session again in the summer.

-----

From: mer...@techbook.com (Randal Schwartz)
Subject: Re: Hillsboro (Oregon) Roller Rink destroys music format

In article <D215003...@udwarf.tymnet.com> carl%udw...@tymix.tymnet.com
writMes:
|Since I haven't been into a rink for a few months, I can't comment on the
|music they might be playing... but our local rink has a sunday night adult
|skate and the stuff they were playing is pretty much 70s/80s stuff with a
|few oldies and current pop (top-40) thrown in.

that'd be cool, probably. I keep thinking that "adult" music is stuff
from the 60's. I forget I'm getting older. :-)

|Hmmm... I spend a week in Oregon a year or two ago when BiiN was trying to
|make a product offering and I tried one or two of the rinks there... and I
|forget, but I don't think I made it to the Hillsboro rink because they had
|a "soul" night the night I was ready to go... but, I thought I went down
|to the Oaks (in the Oaks Amusement Park) and they had this enormous pipe
|organ... I can't imagine them playing things you can't dance to... although
|maybe pipe organ music may be a bit much if that is ALL they play. I don't
|remember, but it wasn't that crowded and I was able to practice my spins
|even though they didn't allow me to practice any jumps.
|
|Are they still open? Is that a viable rink? :-)

BiiN! Hey, I was a contractor there during its entire existance (well,
at least until they killed all the contractors in one fell swoop).

Hillsboro still has a "soul" session on Wednesday nights. I haven't
gone back to see if they've ruined that one too.

Oaks is still there. It'd better be. It's the oldest and largest rink
in the Pacific Northwest (since 1920-something, I think). They still
play the old pipe organ (the pipes hang over the center of the rink) on
some sessions, but Friday and Saturday nights are top-40 from records
(and maybe CDs). I attend a "private" session there on Sunday nights which
is mostly rap-ified soul (and some good stuff too :-). It's run by a private
group (the "Rose City Rhythm Rollers") and it's for members only, so we
can pretty much play what we want (well, OK, what the DJ wants :-).

But one nearly-good session a week isn't enough to keep me tuned up or
in shape. Sigh. Down from 10 hours a week to 2.2 hours. Not good.

-----

From: "Robert E. Brown" <robert...@quorum.com>
Subject: Re: Roll-Land

I go to sessions that play "artistic" skating dance music. In my neck of the
woods:

Riverdale Rollerworld in Warwick, RI 401-821-2595
Sunday and Tuesday, 7:30 to 10

Silver City Skateland, Taunton, MA 508-824-4866
Sunday 7:30 to 10

Highland Heights Rink in Tauton, MA 508-824-9363
Sunday 7:30 to 9:30, Thursday 7 to 9

The last of these is a small rink in a suburban neighborhood run by an elderly
couple who built the rink 40 years ago. The floor is great and the rink is
almost always empty . . . because of . . .

Silver City, probably the best competitive rink near me. I've not been to
their dance session.

Riverdale has a nice, but always dirty, floor -- the boards on the ends of
the rink are curved. The rink has a small competitive club. It has
popular rock and roll sessions, populated with local kids. I practice here,
since it's closest.

One of the earliest rinks in the country is also in RI -- since the Newport
rich of old seemed to enjoy rolling around in their mansions after dinner.
I believe this rink is near the Providence airport, but haven't found it
yet.

From: "Robert E. Brown" <robert...@quorum.com>
Subject: Re: Roll-Land

One of the earliest rinks in the country is also in RI -- since the Newport
rich of old seemed to enjoy rolling around in their mansions after dinner.
I believe this rink is near the Providence airport, but haven't found it
yet.

We found this rink (Hillsboro Country Club) during a non-session period. They ha
ve
sessions during the week starting at 7pm. It is located on US1 (2100
Post RD) in Warwick RI. Phone number is 401 737-9828
-----

From: "Robert E. Brown" <robert...@quorum.com>
Subject: friendly rinks

Of the rinks I mentioned in my note, Riverdale and Highland Heights are
the friendliest -- especially Riverdale. In your skating travels have
you run across any rinks where people do the flea hop. I suspect that
flea hopping was only done in a few rinks around Cleveland, and may be
extinct now.

Flea hopping seems to have originated at a rink in Chagrin Falls, where the
steps were: LF (hop) RB (hop). That is, alternating left forward and
right backward steps (mohawk turn transitions) with hops on each foot.
Each step is one beat of the music, with the hops giving a double-time
effect. I only saw this once or twice.

At my rink in Mayfield, Ohio (suburb of Cleveland), people omitted the hops
and skated each step to two beats of boogie music. The forward step with
a deep inside edge, the backward with a deep outside. This basic step was
used as a starting point for lots of tricks, occasionally including small
jumps, but mostly just tricky footwork.

Ahh, fond memories of Bobby Freeman on organ playing "Smoke on the Water"
(maybe the actual title is somwthing like Purple Haze) in front of a wall
of disco lights, while hundreds flea hopped at top speed . . . .

-----

From: ni...@rs733.GSFC.NASA.Gov
Subject: Re: Good indoor roller skating in the DC area?

In article <ABOULANG.92...@kariba.bbn.com> abou...@bbn.com (Albert
Boulanger) writes:

In my forays of rinks in the DC area, I have not found a really good
rink -- ideally for an area like Washington DC there would be a rink(s)
that has adult sessions with a "dance club" feel. Does any exist in the
DC/Baltimore area?

Uh...I haven't noticed any...I usually go to Columbia if I'm in an
indoor mood. They have an Adult night there that is more fun for me.
Plus they rent rollerblades ;-).

-----

To: kana...@media-lab.media.mit.edu
Subject: skating indoors boston

I noticed today you posted something in rec.skate about finding a good
place to skate with good music. Do you know of any places in the Bostong
that have good music *and* would allow me to bring my in-lines? I
looked up Roller Skating in the Yellow Pages and found two places,
but I don't know anything about either of them. Might you?

Nothing compared to NYC. The best is probably the Sunday night session
at Roller Kindgdom in Tyngsboro MA (7:30-11). They allow in-lines that
don't tear up the rink floor as far as I know. Besides Sunday night,
there is a Wednesday night session at Roller Kindgdom in *Hudson* MA
from 7:30-11 and Monday night session at the rink in Beverly (I forget
its name). There are two Thursday night sessions: Tyngsboro MA
(7:30-11) {I go to this} and Roller World in Saugus from 8:30-11. Call
the rinks up.

Phone numbers:

Tyngsboro 508 649-2440(rec)/649-3439
Hudson 508 652-3440
Saugus 617 231-1111
Beverly 508 927-4242

There are rinks south of Boston (in Tauton for example) that I have
never been to although I have saved some email on them.

-----

g...@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com (George Robbins)
Subject: Roller Rinks (Philadelphia Area)

This is a list I've been maintaining of local skate rinks that
I've visited. I'd appreciate any corrections or comments...

notes:

1) matinee/kid-oriented sessions generally omitted, some of the
schedules are fairly complete, others list just the sessions
I've attended.

2) rink sizes are hard to judge, since it's easy to be fooled by
the size/style of the building vs. the floor and the crowd.
Floors bounded by wall seem much smaller than those with a
runway. Large is something like 170'x70' - dance skaters
notice very quickly as the floor narrows.

3) shapes are approximate - oval has some kind of rounded ends
octagonal has angle clipped corners and rectangular doesn't.

4) Were multiple locations are given, the first is usually what the
rink claims, the others are better known approximations.

====

Caln/Thorndale/Downingtown PA

Caln Roller Rink
~1 mile west of Downingtown on business Rt. 30
Behind "Carpet Warehouse" on north side of road.
215-269-6229

Mon 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM Adult Escape - Lessons
Tues 7:15 PM - 8:00 PM Adult Beginner/Dance Lessons
8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Adult-18 Skate (slower) - Live Organ Music
Wed 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM Discount Nite
Thur 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Advanced Dance Lessons
8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Adult-18 Skate (faster) - Live Organ Music
Fri 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM Open - Top 40 DJ Joe Lamont
Sat 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM Open - Top 40 DJ Wobbly

Hardwood - 170'x72' Rectanglar
In-lines prohibited...

This is a full size wood rink, kept in good condition. Peripheral
areas are wood 3/4's of the way around the rink, with a couple wide
areas suitable for practice when not crowded.

Adult skates have traditional skating music by live organist Nick
Viscuso, who is good, but the skate/music schedule seems rigid with
only occasional seasonal variations. Open skates are generally crowded
with school age kids, little adult presence.

I'm kind of predjudiced, since this is my home rink, but it seems to be
one of the better managed and has relatively extended hours. The staff
is fairly strict, but tend to relax once they recognize you. No firm
rules against backwards skating, but jumps are discouraged.

The biggest problem is the lack of any Adult session other than the
traditional organ music stuff...

====

Villanova/Bryn Mawr/Radnor PA

Villanova Skate Arena (was Radnor Rolls)
Rt. 30 and 320 just west of Villanova
Behind small shopping center northwest corner of 320 intersection
215-527-9293(tape)/527-9294(info)

Monday 9:30 AM - 12:00 N Adult Artistic & Dance
Tues 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM Adult Classes
Tues 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Adult-18 Skate - Music Unknown
Fri 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM After School Skate
7:00 PM - 11:00 PM Open - Top 40 DJ
Sat 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM Open - Top 40 DJ

In-lines allowed and for rent, popular with the kids.
Hardwood - ? - rough surface

This is a mid-size rink, which suffers from a warped surface. The
worst spots are inside of the normal traffic oval, but still make for
an interesting feel as you pass over the bumps and gullies. The
peripheral area has a grungy carpet though there is a tiny, dirty
(20'x20'?) practice floor behind the DJ booth.

I've only been here during an open skates, so there were the usual
problems with erratic kids and beginners mixing with faster teens and
a few adults. Enforcement seemed lax and there were some kids doing
flips and live body/barrel jumps.

Good points are that the staff is new and friendly, and there are
informal (all ages) roller hockey games after the Saturday session.

====

Warrington PA (between Doylestown & Horsham)

Warrington Roller Skating Rink
Rt. 611 at Warrington
East side of 611

Hardwood - ? - Rectangular

I stopped in here during off hours, seems to be a long, narrow rink,
quaint but in pretty nice condition. Weekend hours only.

====

Lansdale/Hatfield PA

Spin-A-Round Skating Center
Rt 309 north of County Line Rd (Line Lexington)
on hillside overlooking east side Rt. 309

Wed 6:45 PM - 7:30 PM Beginner Dance Lessons
7:30 PM - 10:00 PM Organ Music
Fri 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM Top 40
Sat 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM Top 40
9:30 PM - 12:00 PM Top 40
Sun 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM Family Night - Organ Music

In-line skates prohibited.
Hardwood - ? - Octagonal?

This is a full size rink, but was need of resurfacing. A wood gangway
surounds the entire rink and snack bar, but isn't really wide enough
for practice.

I've only been here on an open Saturday night when it was snowing, so I
don't know much about the usual crowds. There aren't any adult nights,
so there's generally a mix of all ages, though the Wednesday night
session feautures "organ music" and may be more elderly. The Saturday
split session does result the the departure of many of the youngest
skaters at the end of the early session.

Apparently they have a rule limiting backwards skating "inside the red
line" or during backwards skates, but this wasn't being enforced when I
was there due to the small crowd.

====

Aston/Brookhaven PA

CN Skate Palace
Concord Rd. and Rt. 452
just south of the Concord Rd./Rt 452 5-points intersection
215-494-4442(tape)/494-4443

Wed 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Family Night
Fri 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM Open Session
Sat 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM Rock & Roll

In-line skates permitted.
Hardwood - 160'x60' rectangular

This is a fairly small/narrow rink in a converted suburban movie
theater. Perhaps as compensation, the floor is in excellent condition
and they even have a wheel-cleaner widget to scrub off the usual
suburban wheel crud.

An intersting feature is that since the floor is built up over a
sloping theatre floor, it's fully suspended making for a nice feel.
Unfortunatly, this doesn't quite make up for the relatively narrow
~60 foot width and kid-goo too often covering the otherwise well
maintained surface.

I've skated here mostly during "family" sessions, which are the usual
zoo-like affairs. There was a Tuesday night adult-rock session for a
while, but attendance wasn't consistant and it was canceled.

This rink is largely kid/family community oriented, but my skating
instructor calls it home and they have an atistic/dance club with
exclusive use for some time on Sunday morning and Wednesday night.

====

Northeast Philadelphia PA

Palace Roller Skating Center
11750 Roosevelt Blvd.
East Side, near N. Phila Aiport
215-698-8000

(incomplete!)
Tue 10:00AM - 12:30 Adult-18 Morning Session
Wed 6:30 - 9:00 Family
9:30 - 11:00 Adult-18
Thu ? - ?
Friday 7:30 - 11:00 10 & up - Rock
Sat 7:30 - 11:00 10 & up - Rock
11:30 - 1:30PM Adult-18

In-line skates permitted.
Hardwood - ~180'x80' Oval

This is a borderline urban rink - not downtown, but in the Northeast
section of the city. A fairly nice looking facility, but with more
security guards than skate guards. Also a nice skate shop, but it
closed early and I didn't get a chance to look closely.

I visited on a Friday night and the crowd was almost exclusively
teenaged. In addition to being fairly crowded and limited to forward
skating some shuffle/couples, some of the younger kids were doing
stupid things. I got taken down from behind once and pushed several
times - I don't mind crowds, but I prefer rolling freely to dodging
and braking.

There are some late-evening Adult sessions that are supposed to
be pretty good, so I'll have to drop in and see how they compare.

====

Shillington/Reading PA

Skateaway?
Rt 222, South of Shillington

Sun 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM Adult-Night (Live Organ)

Inlines permitted?
Hardwood - - Rectangular?

This is a medium sized rink near Reading. I've only been up there once
during the Sunday night Adult session, which was OK, with a live
organist playing fairly up-beat stuff.

===

Harrisburg PA

Hagy's Fountainbleau

Sun 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM (?) Adult-Night (Live Organ)

Hardwood - ? - Oval

This is another one I've only been to once, for their Annual "corn-roast",
since it's well over an hour from work, but I plan to get up there again
one of these days.

This is an older rink in a building that has a wonderful high ceiling.
In some ways it's kind of quaint, but it's full sized and the floor is
in good condition. Another interesting feature is a "step-up" seating
area all along one side of the rink.

The owner is apparently one of the founders of the RSROA and there is an
interesting museum aisle with pictures of old rinks, skaters and old
skates, wooden wheels and other curios.

The Sunday night session features live organ music, with at least two
different organists on different weeks.

====

Newark/Christiana/Ogletown DE

Christiana Skating Center (was Spinning Wheels)
South side Rt 273 just past I-95 intersection
366-0426

Tue 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Family Skate
Thu 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM Adult-16 Skate
Fri 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
9:00 PM - 11:30 PM
Sat 8:00 PM - 11:30 PM
Sun 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Adult-16 Skate - Top 40 DJ

In-lines allowed, but speed skates are the most popular.
Hardwood - ? - Oval

This is a mid-size rink, in good condition, but with a carpeted
peripheral area.

The ~16 Age limit for the "Adult" skates makes for a largely teen-aged
crowd with an assortement older folk. Still, it is enough to make this
perhaps one of the better top-40/dance sessions in the area.

Skating is generally moderate, fast and faster, mixed with a enough
beginners to serve as sacrificial targets. Rules relagate backwards
skating, spins and freestyle to the center of the rink, but enforcement
varies depending on the skate guard, whether the manager is watching an
whether it's a pet rink rat or whoever.

I go to the Sunday night session fairly often, it can be fun as long as
you're up for the pace, but many new skaters or drop-ins give up in
disgust before getting acclimated.

This is also on of the rinks where competitions are held, and has
yielded some winners, but apparently the club/lesson/competition
activity is quite separate from the public sesions.

====

Elsmere/Wilmington DE

Elsmere Skating Center
Rt. 2 Elsmere
Under the railroad overpass

Wed 8:00 PM - 10:30 PM Organ Night
Fri 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
9:30 PM - 11:30 PM
Sat 8:00 PM - 12:00 PM DJ G-Man
Sun 8:00 PM - 12:00 PM Adult-18 Night - DJ G-Man

Hardwood - ? - Oval?

I've only stopped by here off hours, but this appears to be a nice full
size rink. Has a bit of a reputation for being a "rough" place, but
this may be the suburban view of a rink serving both urban and
blue-collar neighborhoods.

====

Delanco/Cinaminson/Trenton NJ

Holiday Skating Center
Rt 130 at Creek Rd
Near Holiday Lake/Ice Cream Stand

Tues 8:00 - 11:00 Adult-16/Organ Night
Wed 6:30 - 9:30 DJ (Family?)
Fri 7:30 - 11:00 DJ
Sat 7:30 - 11:00 DJ
11:00 - 2:00 (AM) Rock Organ (once/month - call!)
Sun 7:30 - 10:30 Organ Night

Inlines permitted/for rent, but none seen on adult night.
Hardwood - 200'x90' - Oval w/wood surround practice area

This is perhaps the largest rink in the Area. It's a bit longer and
much wider than usual and still has a large skatable seating area at
one end and wide seating/practice lane down one side.

The Tuesday session features live organ music and is fairly well attended
by a mix of all ages. There are mid-session and after session artistic
dance skates.

George Robbins - now working for, work: to be avoided at all costs...

From harbour%merva...@rapnet.sanders.lockheed.com Fri Apr 23 08:37:14 1993

These three rinks are in northern Virginia, all three within about a
half hour of Fairfax Virginia (which is about 10 minutes east of Dulles
Airport.)

******************************************************************************

Skate City -- Mathis Rd., Manassas Virginia. 703-361-0425

From Fairfax, take 28 south to Manassas. Take a right on Liberia
then left at the next traffic light on Mathis. The rink is the third
building on the left, behind a car dealership, and across the street
from a cinema.

The floor is wood, and in fair condition, and medium to small. Public
sessions are very crowded. Backwards skating was allowed during sessions.
Roller Blades are also allowed.

There are public sessions most nites from 7 to 10 and there are
some day time sessions, such as an adult skate on Thursday from 10 to noon.
As always, it's best to call before you go to be sure.

****************************************************************************

Skate City USA -- Sudley Rd. Manassas Virginia. 703-361-7465

This rink is probably managed by the same folks who own Skate City,
because their session schedule sounds very similar. I didn't actually get
to skate here, so I don't have explicit directions, or first hand information
about the rink. However, skaters are Skate City seemed to think the floor at
Skate City USA was bigger than Skate City.

Again, call for information.

****************************************************************************

Fronconia Roller Rink -- Alexandria Virginia 703-971-3334

Take exit 3 off 495 (Franconia/Van Dorn exit.) Bear right at the
the traffic light to about the third set of lights which should be
Franconia Rd. Take a left on Franconia, and go about a half to three quarters
of a mile. You will see a Crown Gas station on the left. The rink is behind
the gas station.

Sessions are nightly 7 to 10 pm, except where there is a private
party. I went in the middle of the week and the session not well attended,
(which was great for practice.) I was told by skaters there, however, that
the weekend sessions are very popular. I don't recall if they allow roller
blades, but they do require toe stops or dance plugs, and will ask to see
your skates when you pay your admission (I wasn't hasseled about my figure
skates, though.)

The floor is wood and is in pretty nice condition, medium to to small,
but about average size from what I've seen elsewhere around the country.

****************************************************************************

From: Charlie Brett <c...@hpcfb.fc.hp.com>

There are 2 US on Wheels and Roller City rinks.
US on Wheels -- Denver (303) 423-0616
US on Wheels -- Westminster (303) 457-0220

Roller City North -- Thornton (303) 428-5061
Roller City West -- Denver (303) 237-5622

Also, in Northern Colorado there are:

Roller Land -- Ft. Collins (303) 482-0497
Particle Board with plastic floor.
Has 2 posts in the center of the floor.

Skate Castle -- Loveland (303) 667-7388
Small asphalt with plastic floor.

Warnoco West -- Greeley (303) 330-5265
Hardwood with clear plastic floor.
Large floor with mitered corners.
Adult night on Sunday (8-10:30)

Warnoco North -- Greeley (303) 353-5265
One of (if not the) oldest rinks in Colorado.
Large hardwood floor with bent corners.
Clear plastic coating.
Only open Friday and Saturday evenings.

In Colorado Springs:

Skate City -- (719) 597-6066
Large asphalt with plastic floor.
Adult night Sundays (soul night)

Skate City Austin Bluffs -- (719) 591-1016
(used to be Torchlight)
Large particle board with plastic floor.

Bosanova -- (719) 634-1222
Older hardwood with clear plastic.
Mitered corners.

It's almost impossible to find an adult night in Colorado. The rinks
that do have them, all seem to have them on Sunday. Most rinks are only
skating 2 or 3 night a week now.

Charlie Brett - Ft. Collins, CO

================================================================================
List of contributors:

abbo...@nextwork.rose-hulman.edu
abou...@bbn.com (Albert Boulanger)
bi...@franklin.com (bill)
ca...@udwarf.tymnet.com (Carl Baltrunas & Cherie Marinelli 1.5)
Charlie Brett <c...@hpcfb.fc.hp.com>
Erica Nowicki <k08...@hobbes.kzoo.edu>
g...@shilah.Eng.Sun.COM (george atkins)
g...@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com (George Robbins)
mer...@techbook.com (Randal Schwartz)
ni...@rs733.GSFC.NASA.Gov
Mark L. Fussell using <reb...@cco.caltech.edu>
Robert E. Brown <robert...@quorum.com>
Robert John Butera <rbu...@rice.edu>
Russell Turpin <turpin%cs.utexas...@BBN.COM>
sas...@mvs.sas.com, AS...@mvs.sas.com
Susan Harbour <har...@rapnet.sanders.lockheed.com>
Tamara Shaffer <SAS...@mvs.sas.com>

=END OF PART 6=================================================================

Tony Chen

unread,

May 1, 1994, 11:45:02 PM5/1/94

Posted-By: auto-faq 1.24
Archive-name: rec-skate-faq/part7

REC.SKATE FAQ - PART 7: WHERE TO SKATE (Outdoors) Section 1

Compilation of Outdoor Skating Locations Section 1
--------------------------------------------------
(last changed Jan 7, 1994)

Table of Contents
-----------------
West Coast
- Colorado
- California
- Idaho
- Phoenix
- Hawaii
Midwest
- Chicago
- Minneapolis
- Ohio
South
- Houston

WEST COAST

Colorado
--------

From: p...@blackcat.stortek.com (Phil Earnhardt)
Subject: Two primo skating trails in the Colorado Mountains

There are two primo trails in the Colorado mountains that I highly recommend:
the Breckenridge-Vail bike path and the Glenwood Canyon path.

Breck-Vail

This is a fairly old trail; it was even re-surfaced a year or two ago. It's an
asphalt trail that runs from Breckenridge, CO to Vail, CO -- somewhere around
25 miles in each direction.

The section from Breckenridge to Frisco is fairly mundane. The section from
Frisco to Copper Mountain climbs about 600 feet in 6 miles -- a fairly steep
grade. If you are experienced in braking, the descent on this trail is
absolutely fabulous. If you're an efficient climber, the climb is pretty fun,
too -- you'll be passing a lot of tourists using their Mountain Bikes in a
fairly inefficient manor.

The section from Frisco to the top of Vail Pass climbs about 1000 feet in 5
miles. Pretty steep stuff. It's a neat path -- winding switch-backs in a
"wilderness" area between the split-apart sections of I-70. There's a rest
stop at the top, so you don't have to lug lots of water with you.

The section from the top of Vail Pass to Vail drops about 2000 feet in 7
miles. This is pretty mondo steep. Some sections of the trail are just off the
EB side of I-70 and the air is filled with the smell of almost-melting truck
brakes. Not fun. Also, you *must* be a skilled braker to navigate this steep,
narrow trail. Dual brakes may be a necessity -- *I* wouldn't try it with just
one. Also, I wore out 6 brakes the last time I did this, and *still* wasn't
in town.

If you're unclear if you qualify as a skilled braker, here's my test: how many
brakes have you worn out and replaced? If it's over a dozen, you'll probably
be OK on this trail. Less than 3 is a No Pass (literally!).

Glenwood Canyon

I haven't been on this trail, but it looked absolutely marvelous. This is a
10-mile or so stretch of canyon in the far upper Colorado River.

For the past n years (5?), this section of I-70 has been upgraded from a
2-lane to a 4-lane highway. It is an absolutely breathtaking feat of
engineering! The WB lanes of I-70 are suspended up on the canyon; the Hanging
Gardens tunnels are really neat. I drove through here last weekend; I had
quite a difficult time concentrating on my driving....

The path is between the EB lanes and the Colorado River. It sometimes winds in
and around the highway and appears to shoot over to the Lakes at the tunnels.
I don't have a good judgment of the grade; I'd guess it's 3-4% from Glenwood
Springs to the Lakes. Clearly, the trick would be to get a room at the Hot
Springs hotel in Glenwood Springs, skate upstream to the lakes, cruise back,
and soak in the Hot Springs pool the rest of the night.

Why am I telling you this? Especially since both of these trails are now
impassible? No good answer. Except, if you're planning a spring/summer
vacation now, you might want to put one or both of these gems on your travel
plans. If we want *more* trails like this, it would be incredibly valuable for
the local/state governments to get the idea that tourists are going out of
their way to visit these trails.

--phil

From: ai...@hplvec.LVLD.HP.COM (Jim Aites)
Subject: Nomination for 'blade-capital'

I would like to take this time to submit my nomiation for "blade-capital"
of the the world. (what do ya' mean you didn't know we were voting?)

The city is Boulder, Colorado.

Last week-end I drove 50 miles (each way) to visit this famed area. It is
as good as the rumors have indicated. Every major road around town has a
'greenway' containing a 6 foot wide contrete bikepath on BOTH sides of the
road, and even the roads without 'greenways' still have the wide walkways.

The prettiest/best run in town is the Boulder Creek Bikepath. This path
starts (at the top) about 2 hundred yards up the mouth of the Boulder Creek
Canyon, and windes for about 7 miles along the creek to the far east side of
town. It's all contrete, mostly shaded by trees, about 5 bridges over the
creek allowing travel on both sides of the creek, and has at least 4 parks
along the way.

I didn't take the time to check out all the intersecting paths which lead
off to other parts of town. (next time!) I saw a blades hockey game in
progress, about 5 beginers (practicing in near by parking lots), almost as
many Bladers as bicyclists on the path itself, and even found some other
folks who had commuted (from Denver) to check out the turf as I was doing.

If any of you are ever in this part of the country, be SURE to bring your
blades!

From: p...@teal.csn.org (Phil Earnhardt)
Subject: Re: where to rollerblade in denver, south denver

In article <C4zq...@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com> g...@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com
(George Robbins) writes:
>Hmmm. I was in Denver a year or so ago and was suprised by the lack of
>visible skating action. The place is made for it - too big to walk, but
>flat enough for effortless skating or cycling.

True.

Cherry Creek -- from the dam to the South Platte River -- is a pretty neat
playground. The trail along the South Platte goes for many miles. Remember
the magic rule: go upstream first, so you won't run out of gas on
the return trip.

C-470 -- the 1/4 beltway -- has a bike path along about 80% of its distance.
Here, substitute "wind" for "stream" in the magic rule.

Check with Grand West Outfitters for info on hockey and more structured
activities. They're at Broadway and 6th -- right off of the Cherry Creek
Trail.

>My recollection is that there are several shops listed under skating
>equipment listed in the phone book. One of them was adjacent to a park,
>(the one with the Zoo or Washington park, not sure), which might be the
>place for public skating. Calling or visiting these shops would be a
>good source of info.

Wash Park is pretty busy and the trails are not the best.

>Apparently there's more action in Boulder, but Phil could tell you
>about that...

Yeah. Boulder Creek trail is swell. Between 1st and 30th street is
really intermediate terrain, but there are a lot of beginners there.
Between 1st and fourmile canyon turnoff is an expert trail: quite
steep with no turnouts. From 30th to 60th (or so) is a very mellow,
very pretty trail. When you come back to the west, you can see the
entire Continental Divide.

There are a lot of other good trails in town.

Both Boulder and Denver have bike maps. The Boulder one shows road/path
grades (and direction). The Denver one doesn't, but there are a lot more
trails down there. REI sells the Denver map.

I'm going to try the moby long Denver viaduct sometime this summer....

--phil

California
----------

From: Jaw...@AppleLink.Apple.COM (Ron Drake)
Re: Where to blade in South Bay Area?

The trail goes under the San Mateo Bridge all the way to the end of
Edgewater Boulevard in Foster City. As a matter of fact, the best part of the
trail is after the bridge. Makes eight miles, total. Traffic's not too bad
except for the occasional knot of cud-chewers and those kids who bike out ahead
of their parents and think nothing about turning right in front of you to see if
mom and dad are still visible. If you start and finish at Edgewater, you
can replenish your precious bodily fluids at Chevy's with a couple of cold
margaritas. From 101, take Hillsdale Blvd. or H'way 92 to Edgewater. Turn
right and follow Edgewater to its end. Park. The trail begins at the end
of the street to the right.

The best street skating I've found so far is through western Menlo Park
near the Stanford campus to downtown. There are a number of streets there
that have bike lanes and not much vehicular traffic. The streets are well-
kept so that debris and surprise bumps are at a minimum. The pavement
varies in quality from excellent to garbage. The area is bounded by
Sand Hill Road, Valparaiso Road, El Camino and Alameda de las Pulgas.

Those who go to Shoreline should be aware of the concert schedule. It's
always better to go when it's quiet. For those who want to get a real
workout, here's the prescription for doing 'laps' at Shoreline. At the
end of the stretch that parallels Moffett Field, there's that series of
double gates. Skate down the incline (WHOA!), out through the cul-de-sac
and make a right on Shoreline Boulevard.

From: bry...@apple.com (bRYgUY K. Carter)
Subject: Re: Skating locations in the SF Bay Area?

Try the Los Gatos Creek Trail from Vassona Park all the way into
San Jose.

From: hir...@northstar.asd.sgi.com (Diana Hirsch)
Subject: Bay Area Trails

I have two suggestions for skating trails in the Bay Area:

1. Sawyer Camp Trail - off 280 in San Mateo near 92. Blader heaven on Sunday's,
lessons every other Sunday. The trail is about 6 miles one-way. The last mile is
very steep but fun coming down. However, they have radar out there and they will
give you a ticket for speeding, especially in the posted 5mph zones.

2. Campbell Par Course Trail - off Campbell Ave. near 17 and the Pruneyard. The
trail can be accessed in several places between Hamilton and Campbell Aves. This
trail is fun because it goes all the way through Vasona Park into Los Gatos. The
only caution is that there are several wood bridges to cross. (Stay on your back
wheels and use short horizontal strokes, it's good for the adrenalin.)

Have fun exploring and happy skating.

From: be...@alf.sybase.com (Betsy Burton)
Subject: Re: Where's A Good Place to skate in the East Bay???

The park is a great social scene. It's a good place to meet up with other
skaters and play. However, there are some great places in the east bay for a
real work out. In addition to the places I can tell you about, there is a book
out from Karim Cycley that talks about some other places.

1) My personal favorite for a nice long run, is the back streets to Richmond.
There are a number of streets starting near Gilman and Albany. These streets go
through Albany and El Cerrito. In addition, Richmond Street goes out past the El
Norte Bart Station. This route has good small hills and allows for a good
workout.

2) The Nimitz trail takes off at the top of inspiration point and goes out about
4 miles. At the end of this path is a rather large hill, which after struggling
to the top, is great to fly down.

3) Tunnel road takes a bit of experience and some good breaking skills. I just
heard that someone biked up tunnel road the other day..so it may be open after
the fire.

4) Berkeley Marina is good for a quickie. A full lap is 2.5 miles. The only
draw-back is that the view gets a little boring after a few laps. My last and
most favorite is Bancroft Hill, next to the University. Late at night it is a
nice fast down hill.

---

From: wal...@ready.eng.ready.com (Eugene Walden)
Subject: Re: Long blading adventures in the S.F. Bay Area...

Another good place to go is Sawyer Camp Trail. It's only 6 miles long, so I
guess it doesn't qualify as really long, but there and back, you get a good
quiet 12 miles.

Take I-280 to Black Mtn Rd (just north of 92) and head west. Turn left at the
intersection and go another mile or so. It's on the right.

Follow the posted speed limits-- park rangers have radar and will give
citations for violators.

---

From: ji...@hkn.Berkeley.EDU (Jim Young)
Subject: Re: Long blading adventures in the S.F. Bay Area...

You might want to try skating around the Berkeley hills. I usually go
up Euclid or Spruce, skate across Grizzly Peak, and then down Tunnel road.
If you go early in the morning, you might see Eddy Matzger and Sandy
Snakenberg there.

Also, I know many people from SF who skate across the Golden Gate into
Marin County. They skate something called the "Paradise Loop."

On the peninsula, there are some nice, smooth trails at Crystal
Springs. I know some guys who skate from Mountain View to SF, so I think
some of the roads that parallel 280 are fairly nice.

Finally, in the south bay, I have a friend who skates on the Los Gatos
bike trail (it runs parallel to highway 17). It's sort of crowded with
joggers and runners, but it's better than skating in south bay traffic.

---

From: HQPYR1:ki...@orac.holonet.net (Kimon Papahadjopoulos)
Subject: Re: Bay area inline skating areas and paths?
Reply-To: HQPYR1:ki...@orac.holonet.net

EXPERTS ONLY! NASTY HILL CLIMB, NASTY DESCENT.

Path or area location: TUNNEL ROAD on the Berkeley/Oakland Border
Directions:

From Berkeley: Take Ashby out of Berkeley, past the Clairmont Hotel and
towards highway 13 and 24. Turn left at the stoplight (As if going towards
highway 24, not 13). When you get to the top of the hill, make a left
and Park.

Orida side of 24:
I believe you take the Tunnel Road Exit.

^
|
TheRoute...__ To 24
\ |
Tunnel Rd --> | |
|__|
| |
| |
Hiller --> | |
/ |
/ |
|
|
|
|
>From Berkeley ---S---- To 13 ->

>Parking information: On the the start of Tunnel itself
>Path length: ~6mi (I don't really know- cound be 7-8)
>Loop or non-loop: Loop: Up and Down.
>Average path width: Two lane street
>Minimum path width: Two lane street
>Average surface: Pretty good asphalt, some rough spots
>Worst surface: One very pitted rough spot for about 10 feet.
>Number of hills: Up hill all the way
>Severity of steepest hill: 8 on a scale of 1-10
>Average steepness: 7 on a scale of 1-10
>Obstacles: One very pitted spot near the bottom, cars, occasional trucks
>Weekend pedestrian and bicycle traffic: Yes
>Weekday pedestrian and bicycle traffic: Yes
>Number of roads which cross the path: It is a road. It crosses several roads,
but no stop signs or lights.
>Number of stairways on the path: None
>Distance markings: No
>Any other pertinent information:

FOR EXPERTS ONLY! IF YOU CANNOT BRAKE WELL AT HIGH SPEEDS, DON'T TRY THIS
COURSE. IF YOU ARE UNSURE, DRIVE IT FIRST .

The climb up is a great workout, and not too severe. There are also great
views of San Francisco and Oakland. Tunnel Road turns into Skyline about
half way up.

Watch for problems in the road going up so that you will be aware of them
when you come down. Take it easy coming down the first time. There are
several areas that require care!

There is a water fountain a little past the top (if you continue along
Skyline Blvd about 200 meters) at a ranger station.

This is in the burned area of Oakland, so there is construction going on
in places, some trucks coming up.

It takes between 15-30 min to get to the top, depending on ability.

There are other places you can explore when you get to the top, but Tunnel
is generally the most tame, and the safest bet to go back down. Be careful
and have fun!

---

From apu...@us.oracle.com (Tony Purmal)
Subject: Foster City Biking/Jogging/Skating path

* Path or area location

Foster City, CA

* Directions

Get to Foster City by crossing 101 on Hillsdale Blvd or Highway 92.
The path circles the city next to the following streets: Beach Park
Blvd between Compass and the San Mateo Bridge, East Third and J. Hart
Clinton Drive from the bridge to and beyond Mariner's Island Blvd.
It follows Belmont Slough and Marina Lagoon between Compass and
Fashion Island Drive passing Townhouse, Condo and Apartment complexes
bordering those waterways.

* Parking information

Park along the streets mentioned above, or park at a park along the path.

* Path length

About 10 miles

* Loop or non-loop

Can be done as a loop if you go between the path endpoints. This can
be done by taking Mariner's Island Blvd and Fashion Island Blvd between
East Third Ave and Marina slough. One can also go along the wooden
walkway (past Fashion Island Blvd) to Shoal Drive and through Mariner's
Island Park to get to Mariner's Island Blvd to complete the loop.

* Average path width

8 feet

* Minimum path width

4 feet

* Average surface

semi-smooth asphalt

* Worst surfaces

Lots of raised cracks (linear and horizontal) along bay on south side
of bridge.
Pitted rough surface on north side of bridge where the path is close
to the bay.
Uneven pavement in places along Belmont Slough.
Wooden walkway between Fashion Island and Shoal Drive (optional).

* Number of hills

Five or so very small hills.

* Severity of steepest hill

Very slight.

* Average steepness

Very slight.

* Obstacles

A wooden bridge along Marina Slough (very easy to handle)

* Weekend pedestrian and bicycle traffic

Unknown

* Weekday pedestrian and bicycle traffic

Light and well behaved.

* Number of roads which cross the path

Between Fashion Island Blvd and Mariner's Island Blvd, none. To
complete the loop along Mariner's Island Blvd and Fashion Island
Blvd there are four intersections and up to five side streets
depending on which side of the street you're on.

* Number of stairways on the path

None along the path, two if you take the optional connection along
the wooden walkway and other roads to get to Mariner's Island Blvd
to complete the loop.

* Distance markings

Beginning 1/4 mile south of the San Mateo Bridge on the inside of the
path there are markings every 1/4 mile in faded yellow/orange paint
through until Highway 92.

* Any other pertinent information

The path borders Belmont Slough where one can see various wetland
wildlife. There are also good views of the east bay along Beach
Park Blvd, and of San Francisco north of the bridge.

The wind gets pretty strong at times, especially in the afternoons,
so be prepared. I prefer to skate into the wind on the way out and
with the wind on the way back.

---

From apu...@us.oracle.com

* Path or area location

Redwood Shores, CA (across 101 from Belmont, CA)

* Directions

Take Ralston Ave. east across 101, turns into Marine World Parkway.
Turn left onto Oracle Parkway at first light after 101 overpass.

* Parking information

Park at the parking lot at the first left after getting onto Oracle
Parkway, or continue around and park in the area across from the
Oracle Fitness Center.

* Path length

1 mile

* Loop or non-loop

Loop

* Average path width

7 feet

* Minimum path width

4 feet

* Average surface

Smooth asphalt and sidewalk

* Worst surface

* Number of hills

Three short inclines.

* Severity of steepest hill

Small angle

* Average steepness

Slight

* Obstacles

Occasional hoses when the maintanence people are working.

* Weekend pedestrian and bicycle traffic

Light

* Weekday pedestrian and bicycle traffic

Light

* Number of roads which cross the path

The path crosses Oracle Parkway twice where it meets Marine World
Parkway. Cross from the path on Oracle Parkway to the sidewalk on
Marine World Parkway.

* Number of stairways on the path

None

* Distance markings

None

* Any other pertinent information

It gets very windy in Redwood Shores, especially in the afternoons.

You can go from this path to the Foster City Bike and Walkway by taking
a right onto Island Parkway at the end of the path closest to 101.
Then follow the road over the bridge until it dead ends at Concourse
Drive and take a right. At the end of Concourse there is a path
leading to the Foster City path.

From the Oracle Fitness Center to the San Mateo Bridge on the Foster
City Path is five miles. (Take a right when you get to the Foster City
path)

From the Oracle Fitness Center to Hillsdale Blvd on the Foster City
Path is three miles. (Take a left when you get to the Foster City
path)

---

From: mpe...@wtcp.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (Michael Peters)

An earlier post was asking for places to skate in the San Diego area.
Last November I enjoyed skating at Mission Bay on the walk along the beach
and at Lake Mirimar (sp?). The lake has a loop going around the lake with
lots of turns (nice for crossovers) and its about 5mi. around. Lots of
bikes and skaters. Not many cars drive on this road because automobile
traffic is not allowed to travel the entire loop. I believe there are signs
on I-15 just north og San Diego. It is located right next to the city
of Scripps Ranch. The lake is a good place for a workout, but Mission Bay
is nice for a leisurely skate.

From: t...@netcom.com (Tal Dayan)
Subject: Souh Bay Area, a skating place which I like.

I would like to share with you, south bay area skaters, a skating site
which i enjoy.

This is Cunnigham park in San Jose. The park has a lake, and a trail
around it. The Perimeter trail (a loop) is 1.9 mile long but if you use
the trail just neat the water, it a little bit shorter. The park has
several parking lots which are virtually empty in this time of the year
(including weekends) which are good for figure skating. The one I like
the most is near the Marina (just below the Raging Water entrance)
which has new pavement and it slope make it ideal for slalom (you might
find the chalk marks I made this morning ;-> ). You can feed the ducks
(millions of them), fish (or at least try to), or have Cock from the
vending machine near the entrance to Raging Water. The parking costs
one $ but there is no body to pay for or a box to leave the money so I
consider it free (probably it is different at summer).

To get there, take 101 Tully exit east (one exit south to the point were
101 and 280 met) and go on Tully all the way until you will see the
entrance on the left side (just after the airport).

BTW, I am compiling a list of skating sits in the south bay area, if you
know of an interesting place, please let me know. I will post a follow
up.

Tal Dayan

From: dvol...@hpcc01.corp.hp.com (David Volansky)
Subject: Re: Where to blade in South Bay Area?

> at Stanford. Anybody have any details on this (when, where, etc...). I
> believe this is put on by the skate shop Nuevo Colors...

The group meets at the Main Quad at about 7:15pm. The best place to locate
them is in the parking lot at the end of Palm/University Ave or on the stairs
near the lot - you can't miss them - the group usually numbers in the 30s to 40s
this time of year (more in summer, less in the rain - yes, they go in the rain).

The group is very informal and doesn't really have a starting time or leader.
As it's getting darker, they're leaving earlier and earlier.

The ride usually goes until about 9 or 9:30 and includes some favorite jumping
spots on campus and a ride in the close-by neighborhood. Be prepared for some
hills - the smell of heal brake is really something at the end of some of these
runs. The route is the same each week, so the darkness isn't too bad after a
few weeks. In the beginning, just stay behind someone who seems to know the
route and be sure to listen for the "stay to the right", "stay to the left",
"watch out for the big ditch" messages.

Let me know if you show up. Since the group is fairly young (high school and
college age) I don't think I especially fit in, but you can single me out by
my dark hair and a red beard.

From: kiw...@zeus.calpoly.edu (Kinsley Wong)

Where to Skate in San Luis Obispo (Central Coast California)
-Outdoor: Santa Rosa Parks, Perfumo Canyon Road, Palm Street Parking Structure
-Indoor: Flippo Harbor Skating Rink.
Local Club: BladeRunners.
Contact Kinsley Wong : Kiw...@iris.calpoly.edu for more information.

-----

From: el...@fitz.TC.Cornell.EDU (Doug Elias)
Subject: Long Beach Trip Report

i just got back last night from a business trip to Long Beach Ca.,
during which i was able to escape my captors a few times in order to
sample some of the beach-skating along the Strand. My Macro-EQ's
having so far been fed exclusively on a diet of Ithaca pothole-and-
gravel, this was a golden opportunity to find out how they'd perform
under something better than, shall we say "marginal", conditions.
Suffice it to say that i'll be reliving that experience in my dreams
for quite some time to come, thanks in large measure to a guy i met in
one of the beach shops dotted along the Strand.

i was stroking past this little shack with the sign "Alfredo's"
painted on it when i saw a rack of 'blading accessories, so i pulled
in to look them over (cagey folks, that's exactly why they have them
out there in plain view). While i was looking over the wheels and
pads, out rolls Dana Bergman, Alfredo's resident inline-expert and a
member of their skating team. He's wearing a pair of Reidell's
(sorry, never got the model, but it's got 3 buckles and 4 wheels, if
that's any help), and we get to talking about Macro's (he had a pair
when they first came out) and bearings (did you know that Macro's used
to come stock with German bearings, and only recently switched to
Singapore NMB's? Dana was shocked and saddened) and proper
care-and-feeding-of-same. i got a first-hand lesson in popping dust
covers off of "sealed bearings" -- i use that phrase advisedly,
because that's how Rollerblade describes them in their technical
material. i told Dana that and he just laughed: "Yeah, all they want
to do is sell you a new set when they get gritty, instead of telling
you how to clean them and loosing the sale." So he pulls out a
brand-new set of German ABEC-3's still in the wrapper, digs a little
optical screwdriver (the kind you use to tighten your temples, for all
you four-eyes like me) out of his kitbag, and twists off one of the
covers. "Ya gotta be careful with those Singapore bearings, though",
he cautioned, "the covers are on a lot tighter and you might jab the
blade through your hand, but they still pick up dirt and grit." He
put a little dab of a light grease (i didn't catch the name, but it
comes in this 6" long black cardboard cylinder) inside the bearing,
rubs it around, then adds a drop or two of this fairly high-priced oil
that comes in a nifty little pocket-clip applicator with a long
needle-tip, "Mogema In-Line Racing Oil"; when the original supply of
oil is used up, he re-fills it with Marvel Mystery Oil, which he
claims is just as good, if a little thinner, and much cheaper. If he
had had to clean them first, he would have used a tuna can full of
acetone to loosen up the junk and dissolve any grease/oil that
remained, pounded them a few times on a hard surface to knock the
loosened stuff out, then set them out for a minute or two to let the
acetone evaporate, followed by the re-greasing procedure i just
described.

My bearing are still doing fine, so i didn't buy any of his, but he
had a supply of aluminum spacers in stock, and i snapped up a full
set, and bought one of his pocket-oilers off him -- damn, you might say
i was impressed with how much better i rolled with the new spacers and
a couple of drops of oil per bearing.

Since the day was kinda cloudy and business was slack they closed
up and Dana took me back up the Strand to the Long Beach Natatorium
(where they held the swimming events in the '88 Olympics), and gave me
an introduction to stair-riding -- if only it were as simple as he
made it look. He said that there were four main points, whether
you're riding them frontwards or backwards:
1) have one foot "in front" (relative to the stairs),
2) put most of your weight on the back foot (the one coming down
last), and use the front one for balance and control,
3) have your weight forward (relative to yourself, i.e, bend over at
the waist and shift your weight to follow your upper body), and
4) keep the wheels that are going down first on both skates UP, don't
let them go DOWN, or you'll follow them.

Dana claims that backwards stair-riding is much more natural an
activity than going down frontwards, given the way our knees bend, and
that it's basically just our inbred fear of moving in a direction
opposite to the way we're facing that makes it seem otherwise. And,
as we all learned on our bikes when our training wheels came off,
you're more stable at-speed than you are going slowly. i believe him,
but i haven't worked my way up to practicing it quite yet -- now that
i have a good example of what to shoot for, it's only a matter of time
(and the obligatory case-or-two of stair-rash -- for damn-sure i'm
going to be wearing a helmet when i start practicing these moves; so
far i've gotten away with wrist-, elbow- and knee-protectors, but then
i've made it a serious point to keep my skates on the ground, and the
ground continuous rather than step-function-like).

That much would have been a nice addition to my stay in southern
California, but the next afternoon Dana took me for a guided tour of
downtown Long Beach that was little short of fantastic. Parking
ramps, waist-high walls around parking lots, 50-yard long drops down a
40% grade followed by a hairpin over a swatch of dirt and into a
parking lot...but the absolute best had to be the Long Beach Veterans
Building, with three sets of 3-4 stairs separated by about 20-30 feet
each going down, and then a set of S-curves following the handicap
ramp going back up, all this fitting inside a 30 x 80 foot rectangle:
Dana likened it to the Long Beach Gran Pri for formula-1, and gave me
a demo, taking the stairs in nonchalant jumps that looked like an
alpine downhiller catching air over a mogul, and then powering up the
ramp with fast, powerful crossovers while leaning far out over ("But
don't touch!") the hand-rails. He and his friends race this course
frequently, but i couldn't figure out where they had room to pass,
certainly not on the ramp: "Oh, I always pass on the stairs, they all
yell: 'Look out! Here comes Dana!', and I just come blasting down".

He had lots of little tips picked up over the years, stuff like:
* wear a Walkman so you can skate to music -- it helps take your mind
off your skates and lets your body start learning how to use them
without your head getting in the way;
* play little games with inanimate objects, like seeing how close you
can come to light-posts, or spinning around fire-plugs, or stoking
full-speed at a garbage-can and doing a jump-turn-around at the last
second,
* play tag and follow-the-leader with your friends,
* kick around a tennis-ball (the way he described it, it almost
sounded like one-man miniature-soccer), and, most important,
* NEVER SIT DOWN OR STOP MOVING, you get locked up and stiff -- to
rest, stay on your skates and do little things like practice
turn-arounds, or zig-zags, or crossovers, or skating inside as small
an area (a concrete rectangle on the sidewalk) as you can stay
within.

In case anyone in the LA area is interested, the Alfredo's folks are
giving serious thought to the construction of an inline park somewhere
in Long Beach, with a speed-oval surrounding an inner playground with
ramps, stairs, tubes, and a re-creation of the the Veterans Building
Formula-1 course. They're already solidly behind city efforts to
convert an unused volleyball court just across the street from the
beach into a fully-functional roller-hockey facility; this should be
done well before summer officially starts.

One last tip for the beer-loving 'blader who visits the Long Beach
Strand: be sure to stop into the Belmont Brewery, just an in-field fly
away from the Natatorium: really great service which, frankly,
wouldn't be worth mentioning if it weren't for the truly fantastic
brewed-on-premise beers (okay, okay -- the food is excellent, too,
but the beers are really exceptional).

Bottom-line:
if you have an opportunity to take your skates to Long Beach, look up
Dana and coerce him to give you a Downtown Long Beach Tour -- he's
really good company, a damn-fine skater, and an all-'round nice guy.
And don't forget the Belmont Brewery!
--

Idaho
-----
From: ah...@boi.hp.com (Andy Hill)
Sender: ne...@boi.hp.com (News Server Project)

Just got back from a work/play boondoggle in Sun Valley, Idaho. If
you ever have a chance to come through this area in the spring/summer/fall,
check out the Wood River & Sun Valley trails.

The Wood River trail is a very recent rails-to-trails conversion. It's
21 miles long (42 round trip), extremely smooth, and not much climb.
It's a cross-country ski trail in the winter (there was still quite a bit
of snow on either side of the trail this week).

The Sun Valley trail is about a 20 mile loop around Dollar mountain. Not
quite as smooth, and has some road intersections that are a bit gravelly.
Quite a bit more climb than the Wood River trail (with some screaming
downhill sections). Bring a spare brake!

Phoenix, AZ
-----------

From: kcr...@sedona.intel.com (Kenneth Creta)
Subject: Re: trail guides and the IISA clinic
Message-ID: <1992Jun23.2...@ichips.intel.com>

Here in the Phoenix area, my favorite is Indian Bend Park in Scottsdale. This
area is VERY popular with all levels of expertise around. I hear that the
paths around the Phoenix zoo is also good (I'll see this weekend).

Hawaii
-------

From: g...@cbmvax.commodore.com (George Robbins)
Subject: Re: skating in Hawaii?

In the Honolulu area, the terrain in town is pretty flat, but you can get into
some serious hill-climbing instantly if you want to head inland. Great view
though, if you work your way up the hill right behind Honolulu.

The roads in town are good, but it is a pretty dense urban area, more like
western business districts than NYC though. Expect to deal with traffic and try
to avoid getting stuck playing tag with the frequent city buses - it's hard work
to get past and stay ahead, miserable to stay behind or play leapfrog.

In the outlying areas, you have a bit of a problem. The roads are generally
good, but there is usually only one road between any two points, so traffic can
get heavy.

Also, since the general geography is a volcanic mountain, with kind of flat
shoreline skirt, you will find that everytime you circumferentially cross one of
the many radial river/streambed valleys, you go down a steep slope, over a
bridge and back up. This is especially true on the smaller roads, major ones may
have a bit more invested in grading and bridges.

Also, be prepared for hot and sunny weather. When skating you may spend more
time in the sun than the usually carefully rationed time on the beach vs. indoor
shopping and clubs. It is very easy to get dehydrated or severly sunburned.
Make sure you have light clothing that gives full body, arm and leg coverage and
a wind-proof hat/sunshade of some sort.

On a more serious note, a parter isn't a bad idea, especially if you intend to
travel independently outside the major tourist traps. Hawaii isn't exactly
paradise when it comes to crime and delinquency. This has come up a number of
times on rec.bicycling with respect to bicycle touring, and it's not clear if
there is a real problem or just a few overworked tales.

--

From: rab...@cris.com (Rabbett)
Subject: halloo from Hawaii Nei!

11/13/93 Greetings from Hawaii...add year round In-line skating as another reas
on to come visit us....lots of places to blade and lots of scenery and warm tem
peratures...Should you come to Oahu, do yourself a favor and skate Kailua town
on the windward side...miles and miles of flat and low rise asphalt...most of i
t in primo condition. Trade winds, blue skies, quiet neighborhoods and a mere c
ouple blocks from the beach. Also, further into Kailua..is Lanikai...about 3.7
miles around, it is an oceanside residential loop with staggering beauty and co
lorful homes and people. Should you ever need more info on blading Hawaii, Ocea
n kayaking , or just where do we go for the best food and such...drop me a note
back on the 'Net...Your bladin, bicyclin, kayaking, body surfin' pal Rabbett@c
ris.com....nice to finally find this forum!

From tes...@uhunix.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu Tue Nov 30 04:05:22 1993

I don't know if your Hawaii contributor actually lives here,
but he didn't mention any specific places to rollerblade. While I
actually don't rollerblade myself, I do jog long distances so I
encounter skaters frequently.

Couple of important things, your contributor hit on already.
Residential areas on Oahu mostly radiate out from the mountain ranges.
You've got hills and valleys--means lots of steepness all around, and
not too much flat land for longer distances.

Second--Oahu is *not* conducive to non-auto traffic. While you see a
fair amount of bicycles and mopeds, you are at the mercy of the cars
when you're out on the road. Worse, there are painfully few bicycle
trails on the island--a lack of land and planning both. Worse, drivers
are not friendly toward cyclists and skaters. They will turn right
without blinking OR looking, assuming that there's no traffic to their
right because they're in the right lane--or they will parallel park on
the road and the drivers will open their doors right onto the middle
lane. I have had some friends of mine French kiss some car door
interiors this way--ouch!

The safest and most popular spot to rollerblade on the entire island
is Ala Moana Beach Park and Magic Island. Magic Island is a little
area at one end of Ala Moana Beach Park that was filled in many years
ago by the Ilikai Hotel when they realized that their customers
couldn't see Diamond Head anymore because of all the development. Ala
Moana Beach Park itself is outside of Waikiki, across the street from
the large Ala Moana Shopping Center. You'll encounter all kinds--kids
learning, adults learning, kids whirling around adults learning,
adults doing laps around a loop, etc. Basically, these "loops" around
Magic Island are wide enough to accommodate joggers and skaters both.
Nice view of Diamond Head, too.

The other (and more closer site to Waikiki) would be Kapiolani Park,
at the Diamond Head of Waikiki by the Honolulu Zoo. They have a 2.5
mile jogging loop around it that you can use--except at parts it's
cracked and not too wide--so that's a caveat.

MIDWEST

Chicago
-------

From: jkap...@lucpul.it.luc.edu (Joe Kaplenk)

>2) I go to Northwestern in Evanston, and they must have passed that
>right-of-way ordinance after I left. A friend of mine and I went to a
>meeting of the Evanston Human Services Committee and was told that there
>have been no police accident reports involving in-line skaters and there
>was probably no cause for alarm or restrictive legislation. One alderman
>was bound and determined to get something, though, and I guess he did after
>all. The ordinance applies specifically to the downtown business area
>where there is a lot of traffic, pedestrian, bicycle and in-line in nature.

Glad to hear that it wasn't worse. Some people get upset just by seeing
something that the think might cause a problem, even if no problem exists. Glad
to hear also that there have been no incidents. A little more fuel to add
to our arguments against restrictions.

>3) Are there any groups/individuals in the Chicago area who are looking to
>congregate to skate? I'm a middle-skilled skater (i.e. can stop well, do
>some backwards skating and am proficient in a forwards direction) and would
>like to progress to that next level. Joe posted something about the Odeum
>offering lessons, but I'm wondering if there's any kind of team action or
>group that gets together.

There is a club that has been listed in the Windy City Sports magazine. (I'm not
sure of the name). Rainbo carries it, it's free. It would be neat to form an
inline competition club in Chicago. USAC is getting more and more open to
inlines, inlines are fully accepted there for speed(in separate events) and
roller hockey though not yet in the artistic area because of some technical
issues on inline design. I'm not sure what IISA is doing about clubs.

I'm especially interested in artistic inlines. Rainbo rink doesn't have a USAC
club yet, so maybe they could be approached. I don't have time to help form one
because of my committments to adult ice skating currently, but I would
certainly join and support an inline club of this nature. Rainbo rink is
small, and the floor is a little warped in spots, but it is very convenient and
has the best seating of any roller rink in the Chicago area.

The director at the Odeum is going to give me a call soon when he has his class
schedule figured out, so I can have more information shortly. They might also be
approached about a club. Though he was not very interested in anything involved
in USAC. I guess because he has so much else going on in getting started and
with the WHA tryouts coming up.

There is also just outdoors skating, but I think it would be really good to
have a year round club and to have a rink to back a club up in terms of getting
members.

Minneapolis
-----------
If you want a REALLY great place to rollerblade, Minneapolis opens up the
Metrodome to rollerbladers ONLY (I'm not sure about during the summer, but they
do this all winter). It's about a half-mile (I think) circle of the smoothest
concrete you've ever been on. There are two separate levels, one for serious
rollerbladers and one for "the family." A "must-blade" if you're ever in the
area.

Ohio
----
From DE...@DESIRE.WRIGHT.EDU (Brett Kottmann)

- Dayton (OH)

The best places to skate in the Dayton area are on the bike paths.
Bike, joggers, and skaters (bladers? :) coexist as long as the cardinal rule is
followed: bike right: skate/run/walk left.

The River Corridor is approximately 13 miles long, including street
connectors (not many). Parts are in dire need of paving, but the run from W.
Carrollton to the Carillon Tower is fairly decent, and free of pedestrians for
the most part. There is a steel bridge that is best walked across near W.
Carrollton. Whitman's Bike Shop (in W. Carrollton) is a good place to meet,
get repairs, etc.

The Xenia-Yellow Springs bike path is 6 miles long, gently sloping up
to the north. It's an excellent way to build up your endurance by skating hard
north, then working on turns, spins, etc. back south. Fairly straight. Note:
there have been problems with exhabitionists on this path. Do not skate alone.
Young's Dairy is near the Yellow Springs terminus, and is a great way
to put on the pounds you just worked off :).

Planned additions to these routes include the Beavercreek connector
(connecting the River Corridor and Xenia-Yellow Springs) and the completion of
the Xenia-Yellow Springs path south to Morrow, Ohio. The N-S path would then
run from Cincinnati to Xenia. The River Corridor will eventually be extended
south to Hamilton, near Cincinnati. The bike/skate/run paths would then form a
giant H across south-west Ohio, encompassing more than a hundred miles of paved
paths! You can help speed up the process by contributing to your local/state
"Rails to Trails" organizations.

From: usr2...@tso.uc.EDU (Stewart Rowe)

OHIO (Cincinnati)

Two bike/hike trails near Cincinnati are also used by rollerbladers.

The Little Miami trail follows an old railroad bed for 22 miles, from
Milford, OH to Morrow OH, largely following the Little Miami
National Scenic River. Grades are very mild. There is a 6-8 ft.
paved trail and a parallel grass trail for horses. The best access,
with parking, plumbing, and skate rental in season, is at Loveland,
mile 9. There are similar facilities at Morrow (no rentals). Access
at Milford is difficult; one must cross a major US highway at a nasty
intersection. The Little Miami Trail is to be extended another 9 miles
north to Fort Ancient during the 1994-5 fiscal years, if the budget holds.
Weekend use is very heavy, with walkers, runners, bikers, baby carriages,
dogs etc., especially near Loveland. One would be wise to start at Morrow
during summer weekend afternoons. Better, pick a cold December morning!

On the west side of the city, the county park district has recently
opened an 8-mile paved loop, at Miami Whitewater Park (we have _two_
Miami Rivers, Great and Little). This trail is used by walkers, bicycles
and skaters. Though mostly level, it has some grades requiring reasonable
skill. The parking area has toilets, food and skate-rental concessions
in season. An overlapping inner trail loop is heavily used, but most of the
larger loop sees little foot or bike traffic. Some lightly-traveled nearby
roads are used by cyclists, but I've never seen skaters on roads in
southwest Ohio -- I expect any law officer would find some reason to tell
them to get off.

SOUTH
-----

Houston

The flattest city on earth. If you want hills, youre only choice is
to sneak into the parking decks downtown at night, This is rather
common - just skate upward until the dweeb (they all are) security
cop asks you to leave. Skate out.

Street skating is allowed in Houston. Be reasonable. I've heard from
reliable sources that street skating is now officially legal, but
can't be positive.

Downtown. VERY popular with skaters. In the spring through november,
Thursday nights are "the" skating nights downtown after the "Party on
the Plaza" (weekely free outdoor concerts downtown). There's also
a few skaters on weekend afternoons. Some of the big oil and bank
building security types don't like skaters on their marble, even if it
is a public sidewalk on a city easement.

The "skater-bar" in Houston is the Brewery Tap, on Franklin (one of
the northernmost eastwest streets downtown). Its also the major
hangout for the Urban Animals, Houston's famous "skater-gang".
The Animals organize skates on a semiregular basis - just join them on
a Thursday night at the Tap - they're a friendly bunch. In the
past, they also met at the old concention center (across from Jones
Plaza) on Wednesdays and Sundays for hockey.

Stop by the Montrose Skate Shop (on Stanford between W. Gray and
Clay). The owner is a longtime experienced skater who knows a lot
about Houston and the national skate scene. Don't let the appearance
of the house/shop scare you :) If there's any official skating event
or something sponsored by the Animals going on (like the Labor Day
pub crawl) he'll adverstise it in his shop.

Memorial park is VERY popular on weekends. Its got a smooth 1+ mile
loop. On a given weekend day, there will be 50+ skaters, maybe more.
Racers and beginners alike skate there. Lots of bike racers too, so
give them room. On weekdays the "picnic loop" (where the
skater/bikers go) is closed to automobiles, making it even better.

Rice University has a smooth loop (~1 mile) around the campus.
Several shops use Rice for lessons, and the loop is popular with
beginners. Experienced skaters often stop by for a few laps, and
grab a beer at Valhalla (grad student pub, open every day but
Saturday 5pm-2am with 50 cent draught beers and 2.50 pitchers).

Houston has LOTS of bike trails. Some are in terrible shape, others
are pretty good. I reccomend the Braeswood Bayou trail ONLY WEST
OF Buffalo Speedway. East of there it really start falling into
severe disrepair. Its not obvious where you can park to get access
to the trail, which is over 10 miles long. Some of the neighborhoods
along South Brasewood have roads along the Bayou, park at one.
The trail along Buffalo Bayou is OK, but during rainy season (late
fall and winter) the off-road portions through the park get washed
over with sand. Not fun.

On some weekend afternoons, the city of Houston closes Allen Parkway
for about a one mile stretch along the park along Buffalo Bayou.
Nice stretch of pavement just for bikers, skaters, baby carriages,
etc.

From: font...@ravl.rice.edu (Dwayne Jacques Fontenot)
Subject: places to inline skate in houston

These are the standard answers and my thoughts on them:

Rice University
---------------

To hear people talk and to read articles in the local newspapers one would
think that Rice University is some great place to skate. Well, I know a thing
or two about the Rice campus, and I simply do not understand this.
Rice possible places to skate:

The "inner loop": Sure, this is a smooth asphalt loop, but it is a *road*.
It is for *cars*. The speed limit is 15mph, but some drivers regularly
travel at up to 60mph. Traffic is not as heavy as say, main street, but
it is heavy enough. I guess if you don't mind the cars, and don't get
easily bored with the loop, and like to skate into Valhalla for a beer,
then this is for you, but it's not for me.

The sidewalks: No way. Rice sidewalks are "pebbled paths". That is,
really smooth, bumpy pebbles held in place by concrete. This stuff is
so slippery, that it is difficult to ride a bike on it (though technically
one is not allowed to bike on it, so one probably cannot skate on it
either).

The Rice Stadium lot: Please wait while I stop laughing. This lot is like
an exploded mine field. One must be very careful when driving a *car*
over this surface. There are gigantic holes everywhere, and the surface is
not smooth at all.

The Rice Bike Track: Not an option. This is a bike track. It is for
*bicycles*. It is *not* for *skaters*. *skaters* should not skate on it.
Bikers use the bike track to train on. It is extremely difficult to
ride around the track at training speeds while there are skaters on it.
Experts will tell you the worst accidents happen when there is the greatest
disparity in speed of the vehicles. That is the case with bikes and skates.
Imagine what a biker thinks when he comes up behind a skater who is
stroking his legs out to the left and right. It is only a matter of time
(IMHO) before skating becomes illegal on the bike track, if it is not
already.

The Rice stadium: This is a slight possibility. There are several concrete
ramps which could be fun, but they are quite steep. If one could get in,
it might be a fun place to skate, but once again, it is probably not
allowed.

Downtown
--------

hmmmmm. We asked one person where to skate downtown, and they said,
"anywhere is fine". Yeah, rite. Anywhere is fine as long as it is on
the sidewalks. And the sidewalks don't excite me. There are several
*cool* plazas which are the property of large corporations.
However, the security guards will not let you skate there. I guess they
don't want to be sued, and I don't blame them.

So, where do people skate downtown which is not on the streets (lots of
cars)?

Memorial Park
-------------

I have no information. Anyone out there know good places to skate in
Memorial Park?

Hermann Park
------------

This is the best place I have found so far, but that is only relatively.
There are *lots* of people with baby carriages. Most of the time people
on the sidewalks will hear you coming and move aside, but usually the
sidewalks are filled with clumps of people every 20 feet. At least there
are no cars. My current fun thing to do is to skate around the manmade
lake, including over the wooden humpback bridge :-) but, inlines are
so "new" there that everybody stares. Admittedly, things are better on
weekdays, but most people work on weekdays :-(

So, where do people skate in Houston? Specifically.

thank you for your time,

Dwayne Fontenot

rec.skate Houston skating FAQ (by Rob Butera, rbu...@rice.edu).

Last updated: 09/27/1993 (some big changes from last version)

Table of Contents

1. skating laws, safety
2. where to skate
3. skater friendly establishments
4. skate shops

1. SKATING LAWS, SAFETY

Skating is "street-legal" within the Houston city limits, barring
roads that are banned to bicycles (the only example I can think of is a
short stretch of Memorial Drive). However, don't be an idiot. Just because
you're ALLOWED to skate on a road does not mean its a good idea. A few
rules of thumb:
a. Yield to cars. It keeps street skating legal by
not pissing off motorists, and they weigh a lot
more anyway.

b. Stay off the busy roads in the daytime. Be well
lit at night (buy a Vista Lite or two at a bike
or skate shop).

c. Houston's lack of zoning is convenient for skaters.
It means that many well traveled roads have other
less traveled roads running parallel to them through
neighborhoods. Some of the "well-paved" roads used
a lot by skaters include Dunlavy (good North-South
route), Hawthorne (good connection between Montrose
and downtown), and the middle "skater lane" (i.e.
car turning lane) on W. Alabama - but only use this
after daily business hours.

d. OBEY THE SPEED LIMIT. This may sound funny, but
cops in West University have nothing better to do,
and I know bikers and skaters who have been warned.

e. The Texas Medical Center is private property and
skating is not allowed on its "interior" roads. This
has been verified with UT and TMC police. I know
of a skater who has been pulled over, by a TMC cop,
flashing lights and siren :) :) :)

f. DO NOT street-skate until you are competent in
your turning, stopping, and emergency falling
abilities.

2. WHERE TO SKATE

Technically, anywhere. However, a few favorites, but on and off-road:

Rice University

Good for beginners. The inner loop around campus is about a mile, and
a lot of newbies from West U. flock there on Saturday mornings in the Spring
and Summer. You can also skate the stadium when it is open for football
practice.

West University

A nice quiet community near Rice - most of the east-west roads were paved
in the past year. Don't speed - they'll get you. Its easy to get above
15 MPH on their smooth pavement.

Downtown and Vincinity

Downtown is fun. A lot. You can find skaters downtown almost any night
of the week, although Thursday and Saturday seem to be the most popular.
There are numerous downtown bars that skaters often meet up at (See below).
Things to do/see include:

Jones Plaza Party-on-the-Plaza (a city sponsored band party) is on
Thursday night. However, after 11 PM or so, this public
plaza and some nearby buildings is a playground for free
styling skaters and skateboarders. Watch/learn how to
skate down ramps or large flights of stairs :)

Milam/Lousiana Theses are the two most popular roads to cruise up and
down downtown. Lots of buildings to skate around. Lots
of obstacles, sculptures to skate around or play tag,
stairs/walls to jump, etc. Beginners and experienced
skaters both love the buildings with marble sidewalks.
Behave yourself, and most security guards won't mind you
being there (though there are some exceptions).

George R. Brown
Convention Center

There are hockey games here every Wednesday night, starting
at 9-9:30 until 11:00 PM or so. Beginners are welcome,
though most players are experienced and play in leagues
around the city. Skate the big ramp (parallel to I-45)
if the gate is left open.

Parking Garages

This is trespassing, and I plead the fifth :) Ask any
skater for details. The owner of a local skate shop
describes parking garages as like "fishing holes" - you
don't tell too many people, or its no good anymore (i.e.
some step up their security if they notice repeated skater
usage). HOWEVER, there are a few regular garages that are
not guarded, or the guards just don't care. BE COMPETENT
AND KNOW HOW TO BRAKE before attempting even an easy
garage, and avoid those that are still open for business
(i.e. only go late at night).

Memorial Park

The "picnic loop" is another popular spot. On weekdays, it is closed off
to car traffic. This loop is popular to bikers and skaters alike. When
skating on weekdays, stay out of the way of the bikers and skaters
"in training" - a lot of racers work out here.

Velodrome

Serious skaters skate the Velodrome out around I-10 and Highway 6. It
is open to skaters 10-2 on Saturdays, and full gear is required. I don't
have the phone # or address, but it is advertised in those free Houston
Health/Fitness magazines at sporting goods stores.

Other Neighborhoods / Hills?

Montrose has some good roads, and some terrible ones. The closest thing
to hills that you'll find is around the Heights - i.e. roads like
White Oak, Studemont, etc. all near Buffalo Bayou. The biggest "hill"
in Houston (to my knowledge) is the the Houston Ave. overpass over I-10.

Hermann Park

I used to tell people it stinks and not to waste your time. However,
there are now (relatively) new 6 foot wide cement paths throughout the
park that are great for skating, especially beginners. Still not as long
or scenic as Memorial, but good for beginners or a lazy skate on a sunny
afternoon. Watch out for pedestrians and mothers with baby carriages ...
The Miller Amphitheatre offers a sad excuse for a hill ...

Braeswood Bayou Bike Trail

Park on Lookout Court, which is off of S. Braeswood just west of
Buffalo Speedway. You can take the bike trail from Buffalo Speedway west
to Chimney Rock (about 3.5 miles). The trail actually goes west as far as
Fondren and east as far as U of H, but the pavement quality is much worse
west of Chimney Rock or east of Buffalo Speedway. Take note: if you want
to head west past Chimney Rock, the trail looks like it ends. It doesn't -
you have to cross the bridge (i.e. skate on Chimney Rock Rd.) over the
Bayou, where the trail continues on the other side of the bayou. I find
this to be a nice "6 PM workout" before heading home, and you can skate into
the sunset :)

Buffalo Bayou Trail

Good for mountain bikes. Bad for skaters. It COULD be the best outdoor
skating trail in Houston (lots of slight hills and curves), but whenever
it rains significant portions of the trail get washed over with sand.
The bike path between the parking lots along Allen Parkway and downtown
(via Tranquility Park) are in great shape, however.

Woodlands

If you actually have a reason to go way out there, the trails are pretty
fun, and there are lots of them. Beware of sharp curves with bikers coming
around them from the other direction ...

3. SKATER FRIENDLY ESTABLISHMENTS

Surprisingly, MOST restaurants and bars are skater-friendly, especially
in the downtown and Montrose areas. One big demand is for late night
food downtown. Two options are Pat's & Pete's Blues Burgers (on Market
Square) and Mai's (Vietnamese, on Milam). Both are skater-friendly
and open till 4 AM on Fri. and Sat. nights. Other known skater-friendly
bars/restaurants/clubs/coffee-houses in Houston include: Warren's,
Birraporetti's, Toads, Power Tools, Brewery Tap, Fuzzy's, Cecil's, Emo's,
Bitterman's, W. Alabama Ice House, 321 Alabama, Blue Iguana, Brazil,
Cafe Artiste, Grif's, Catal Huyuk, House of Pies, McDonald's, Gingerman,
Volcano (though I think the crowd was annoyed by our presence), Valhalla,
..... I'm sure there's MANY I'm forgetting ...

4. SKATE SHOPS

Montrose Skate Shop
1406 Stanford (b.w. Gray and Clay, 3-4 blocks east of Montrose)
528-6102
10am-8pm, everyday except Thursday

Probably the oldest operating skate shop in Houston (1986 or so), and
the ONLY place to go if you skate on quads (at least anywhere near inside
the loop). John McKay, the owner, and his staff, are great. Good service,
friendly staff. Run out of a house. Not necessarily as cheap as
some of the other places, but usually close, and I personally thing that
their service makes the little extra worth it. They also sell inlines
and will put together racing packages.

Armadillo Sports
Dream Merchant shopping center, Westheimer

This relatively new store is, IMHO, THE inline store in Houston. The
prices are competitive, but what makes the store desirable is that the
owner/manager really knows his stuff (though some of the sales staff know
next to nothing about skates, so it depends on when you go!). He can
also put together racing packages.

Sun and Ski
Westheimer, other locations

Although a chain store, the skate staff is knowledgeable, and prices
are great for retail. Highly reccomended. They sell Rollerblade,
Bauer, and Roces.

Windsurf and Gale
Rice Village

Everyone I know says the same thing - these guys are assholes. Unless you
look like you have $$$ to burn, you may wait 20 minutes before someone
even talks to you. Their prices aren't that great either. My biking and
skating friends mostly agree that they make all their money selling $1000
bikes and $300 skates to clueless yuppies in West U.

Oshmans
many locations

Prices NOT as good as Sun and Ski, and they only sell Rollerblade. Their
once/year tent sale (usually in October) has GREAT prices. Beware of the
sub-$150 Rollerblade models - bad news. As a rule of thumb, avoid any
model of Rollerblade with a number in its name :)

=END OF PART 7=================================================================

Tony Chen

unread,

May 1, 1994, 11:45:03 PM5/1/94

Posted-By: auto-faq 1.24
Archive-name: rec-skate-faq/part8

REC.SKATE FAQ - PART 8: WHERE TO SKATE (Outdoors) Section 2

Compilation of Outdoor Skating Locations Section 2
--------------------------------------------------
(last changed Feb 23, 1994)

Table of Contents
-----------------
East Coast
- New York
- Boston
- New Jersey
- Philadelphia
- Washington D.C.
- Baltimore
- Rhode Island
South
- Atlanta
Overseas
- Australia

EAST COAST

Tennessee
---------
From: mldi...@bbn.com (Michael L. Dickens)
Subject: Re: Where to skate in Oak Ridge/Knoxville TN?

I'm not sure if inlines are allowed, but there was an indoor skating rink
on the east side of town (Oak Ridge), on the Turnpike.

OR does have some nice BIG parking lots to cruise around; mainly the newly
renovated Downtown (Indoor) Mall. I'd probably stick to the Wal-Mart side
because the pavement is better (and newer). There's always the Kroger's,
K-Mart, and Family Rec parking lots.

I'm from OR, but I've never tried skaing around town. I think it is
do-able, as biking was quite possibly in town. I wouldn't recommend
blading out to the 'Labs, because the road is WAY too narrow (as of last
year, at least. Maybe they finally got their act together & did something
about it! - it had no shoulder, and had room for 2 cars and a bike).
During the summer, there are LOTS of runners and bikers. And also LOTS of
traffic.

I'm also of the opinion that blading might not pass over too well with the
natives (of OR at least). Skate boards were (and I think still are) pretty
rad.

I'll have more to say over the summer, as I'll probably be visiting home
over the 4th of July. And I'll definitely take my Blades for some downtown
action!

New York
--------

NYC (from David Madeo dma...@is.morgan.com)

Depending on how hard core you are, you can skate year round in NYC.
Windproof insulated garments help. The prime season is March though
October. The New York Road Skaters Association (NYRSA) sponsors
events throughout the season. They can be contacted at 212-534-7858.

Manhattan
---------
The most popular location in NYC is Central Park on the 6 mile loop.
Cars are barred for several hours each day during the week during the
"summer" season (which lasts until November) and all weekend
throughout the year. While you are sharing the road with bikes,
joggers, and walkers, there's usually plenty or room since there are
three lanes. When the autos are allowed back in, there's a sidewalk
for walkers, and a lane for bikes/skates. It does get a bit crowded
then.

Racing/Loops
------------
The small loop goes counter-clockwise from 59th and Broadway around
taking the left at 72'nd past Tavern on the Green and back to 59th.
This is relatively tame mild rolling hills.

The big loop is just under 10k if you're interested in racing. Go
straight at the 72`nd turnoff, you go past the Met, around a long
turning downhill and along the top of the park. Then you're on a big
winding uphill. There's a long downhill leading back to the other
side of the 72'nd crossover. While lots of people skate here, this is
the domain of the speed skaters. I'd be careful doing the big loop at
night, the top of the park isn't the nicest neighborhood.

It's important to go counter-clockwise. Most of the serious accidents
in the park have been caused by people going the wrong direction.

Salom Course
------------
Just south of the 72'nd crossover on the west side right outside the
Tavern on the Green is the cone lane. Most weekends, the cones are
out after noon. There's usually a line of people running the course
and a whole gaggle of tourists/skaters/bikes watching. There's a short
course that's usually not being used. This is where the speedskaters
hang out. They usually gather around 7pm especially on Tuesday nights
to do laps of the big loop.

Dancing
-------
Last, there's skater's way. It's a road that was blocked off and
turned into some volleyball courts and a skating area. This is *the*
place for dancers to congregate. There's a path connecting the cones
area to skater's way. The bottom of skaters way connects to the 72`nd
crossover. Typically there are three types of things going on. Some
of the skaters dance to the music of their headphones and/or the sound
system someone always sets up. Then there's the oval where people
throw their backpacks in the middle and skate around. Further down,
they alternate between hockey, jumping trashcans, and teaching skating
classes. You'll find a lot of quad skaters here as well.

Bandshell/Cherry Hill
---------------------
The newest area in the park to skate in. The is just east of Skaters
way. There's a large tiled area where people skate in a circle.
There's the occasional hockey game though it's being discouraged by
the Parks Dept. (Too many other skaters and it's not enclosed.) This
is a good safe place to learn crossovers. Cherry Hill is a bit north
of skaters way and is basically a paved circle next to a lake.
Mostly beginners here.

Wollman Rink
------------
This is where people go to learn how to skate in a safe controlled
environment. It's in the SE corner of Central Park.

Street Skating
--------------
Broadway and Fifth avenue (especially at night) all are used by
skaters fairly extensively. There's a night skate every Tuesday
night (rain date is Wednesday) 8PM at Blades West (72nd between
Columbus and Broadway). Helmets, lights, and safety gear are all
strongly recommended.

There's a lot of places to do tricks, stairs, handrails, grinds in
New York. Too many to list and probably better not to. If you're
really interested in this, you'll have to find the right crowd first.
Go on a night skate or hang out at the cones on a weekend.

Bronx
-----
Mulali Skate Park is the only accessible ramp in New York. This is a
block away from Yankee Stadium. There's a mini 1/2 with a stair
going up and a larger 1/2 that you have to pump to get up on.
There's a whole bunch of 1/4 pipes and launch ramps. Occasionally
these get demolished by the local gangs so ask around first.

Brooklyn
--------
Prospect park in Brooklyn is similiar to Central Park, but not as
crowded. It's also a lot smaller loop. Some people do a loop in one
park, skate through the city and over the Brooklyn Bridge and do a
loop in the other park. The Promenade is a good place to walk, but
contrary to what some people say, not to skate. The pavement is
extremely broken up and the pedestrians are extremely slow, hard of
hearing and erratic. Also, going over the Brooklyn Bridge is
possible, but the wooden slats will have your feet buzzing for a long
time. You will not forget skating it. Nice views though.

Long Island
-----------
Finally, there's a trail on Long Island a lot of skaters use. It's a
five mile trail along the Wantagh parkway from Cedar Shore park in
Wantagh, to Jones Beach. The cement path goes from Long Island over
several smaller islands and bridges to Jones Island fronting the
Atlantic Ocean. It's flat and there isn't much in between the two
ends. Bikes and joggers also use the trail. It's much easier to park
at Cedar Shore than Jones Beach during the summer.

From: da...@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (daniel.moran)
Subject: Re: Where to skate in NYC?

Thanks to everyone who responded to my request.

BROOKLYN: The loop around Prospect Park, The Promenade in Brooklyn
Heights, the bike path along the Narrows from Bay Parkway
to the 69th street pier and along Shore Road in Bay Ridge.

MANHATTAN: Central Park and East River Park. Also, the Roxy has
skating once a week.

I also contated the New York Road Skaters Association (NYRSA) and they are
having a trip to the NY Botanical Gardens on 2/14 at 11 AM and to the Cloisters
on 2/20 at noon.

From: scha...@mtkgc.com (Pamela A. Schaefer)

Another great place to skate is along the south west side of Manhattan.
You can start at the Hudson River Park (Chambers St.), continue to World
Financial Center, then onto Battery Park City, and end up at Battery Park.
All this, without ever having to be on a street. It is also great because
the entire route is along the water. And for people interested in "stair
jumping", there is a great set at the entrance to Hudson River Park.

From pc...@nasagiss.giss.nasa.gov Mon Dec 6 13:13:12 1993

> Another great place to skate is along the south west side of Manhattan.
> You can start at the Hudson River Park (Chambers St.), continue to World
> Financial Center, then onto Battery Park City, and end up at Battery Park.
> All this, without ever having to be on a street. It is also great because
> the entire route is along the water. And for people interested in "stair
> jumping", there is a great set at the entrance to Hudson River Park.

This is a decent place to skate, but while skaters (particularly
teenagers) can often be seen doing tricks on the steps at the north
entrance, it's a no-no. There's usually some park security folks
wandering around in little white trucks, and whenever they get to the
steps, they chase away anybody they catch skating on them. They've
chased me off twice.

Someone asked in rec.skate a couple weeks ago where the best stairs
in NYC were for skating, and somebody replied that they're all over
town. I thought that was technically true, but are they really fit
for skating. Then I happened to skate by the NY state courthouse on
Foley Square, which has a flight of about 30-40 steps leading up to it
at the usual steepness, and observed some high schools kids skating
down them, backwards. So...you can skate on any stairs.

Somebody also mentioned that Washington Square was a nice place to
skate, particularly as there were some shallow steps there. However,
the last time I skated down there, there was a security guy at the
north entrance who told me the park was closed to skaters. This may
only be temporary, as I understand there's some sort of clean-up-the-
park effort currently being pushed by neighborhood residents.

Massachusetts
-------------

Boston
------

The trails on the Charles (at least when I left in 1989) could not meet this
policy. There are plenty of places where it would be physically impossible for
one bicycle to pass another unless there was no opposing traffic. Portions of
the trail up near the Allston exit of the Mass Pike immediately come to mind.

I lived in Boston for 10 years. Fortunately, I was able to schedule my work to
avoid the crunch time on the trails--in to work after 10AM, leave work after
6PM. The most fun was skating at night along the Charles (yes, O'Leary, with
light and helmet). This may have been dangerous, but I rarely, if ever, saw any
sinister types along the park at that hour.

There are some pretty decent places to skate in Boston other than the Charles.
The linear park along the new Orange Line wasn't bad. I did a lot of my
practicing on the linear park from Davis to Alewife on the Red Line. At that
time, the nearly-empty Alewife parking lot, with its gentle ramps and not-so-
gentle spirals, was an excellent place to learn hills.

From: Damon@nomaD

Not sure where this fits in the FAQs, but here is the information anyway.

There is a skating club in Boston called the 'In-line Club of Boston'. The
hotline # is 932-5457 ( WE-B-KIKS ).

Maximus Skate Park has a half-pipe and a quarter-pipe street skating area.
576-4723.

Mass Indoor Skate Complex has a medium-sized hockey rink which is available
for open skating and hockey. 937-5577.

From: mdic...@bbn.com (Michael L. Dickens)
Subject: ABC and Boston Night Skate?

The ever popular Thursday night Night Skate was wicked crowded yesterday -
lots of good skaters, but a goodly number of beginners / intermediates as
well.

Rumor had it that there was a short clip on ABC sports about THIS night
skate, and that's why it was so crowded. Anyone see or know about this?

MLD

FYI: There are 2 Night Skates in Boston that happen on a regular basis:

one is on Tuesday night, meet at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River;
leaves around 8:30 pm (or as soon as it's reasonably dark). Your $10
covers 3 glow sticks & some soft drinks. $5 each time thereafter. This is
a leisurely skate - no tricks or racing or jumping or stairs, etc... unless
you individually want to ;-> This skate is sponsored by John Gilmore, who
is somehow related to RollerBlade.

the other is Thursday night, meet at the Trinity Church in Copley Square;
leaves around 8:30 pm (or as soon as the leaders arrive & want to go).
Free to all, but this one is fast-paced. You can do jumps, stairs, natural
ramps, bricks, and any number of these combined. You can also choose to go
around & just watch; but you'll have to skate fast to keep up. Frequent
stops to let the leaders show off. If you plan to participate, wear full
protective padding, including large knee pads, and wrist guards at a
minimum. A helmet is recommended (just in case....). The powers that lead
give a short lecture on safe, polite, respectful skating at the first stop.
This skate is TOTALLY unsponsored - skate free at your own risk.

Cambridge
---------

By the Charles River, just get to harvard.
Allston/cambridge exit off Mass Pike.

Memorial drive: nice road... 8 hours open ... 11am to 7pm..
skated on sunday... only open on sundays ...
open for "recreational vehicles" only...
pretty neat... had two sets of cones set up...
plus about 2 or 3 miles or 4 lane road to skate...
(bikes, skates, foot, unicycles, skatebvoards..)
asphalt...few cracks..no real hills ... just by the cones.. mostly flat .. by
river ... nice....straight away...no loop....not really crowded... too long to
be crowded...short wait for slalom .. one rental van ...

Bedford, MA
-----------
From: mdic...@bbn.com (Michael L. Dickens)
Subject: Re: Bike/blading path in Bedford, MA

In article <1993Aug2...@eriador.Prime.COM>, j...@eriador.Prime.COM (Joe
Scianna) wrote:
> I recently discoverd the Bike path which begins in Bedford
> and extends to Davis Square in Cambridge. It's perfect for
> blading. The surface is extremely smooth. It's well marked
> with mile markers, so there's no quessing distance travelled.
>
> It's a nice alternative to the Esplanade. Although,
> blading along the Charles River at sunset is tough to beat!

This is the "famed" Minuteman Path - ~17 Miles of ~6' wide smooth pavement.
They've finally taken out the speed bumps that existed at or near
intersections, and replaced them with ground-level slabs of rock. Much
easier to get over the slabs.

The path starts in Davis Square between the Au Bon Pain & the Theater, just
across from the T-stop. The surface begins as fairly smooth brick, and
eventually converts into smooth pavement. You have to cross a few big
streets (like Mass. Ave in Arlington) before getting to the longer
sections. Once you get to Alewife (right at the T-stop), you're away from
the large busy crossings, and can start the speed skating!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember that this is the workings
of Congressman Joe Kennedy.(?)

MLD

ps. The path is slightly inclined, allowing for some great speeds - I've
gone a few miles doing 2.5 minutes / mile pace --> 24 MPH continuous on 4
wheels!

New Jersey
----------

From: smo...@tesla.njit.edu

My husband and I recently started skating outdoors. We are looking for good
places to skate. Any suggestions?? The best place we have found so far is
Nomahegan Park in Cranford, NJ. Please let me know of any other good places.
Thanks.

-----

From: jog...@camelot.fia.dmg.ml.com (Joseph Ogulin)
Subject: Directions/description for Saddle River County Park

By popular request, here we go:

To the Fair Lawn area of Saddle River County Park (SRCP)... this is where the
slalom course is:

GSP North to exit 160. Turn left at the light at the end of the ramp.
Follow this road over Route 4. It becomes Paramus Rd. here. Follow Paramus Rd.
to the first light, turn left. Pass the signs that say things like "Welcome to
Fair Lawn" and "Say No to Drugs." On your right, after passing these signs, you
will find a small road which has signs (small ones) that say "Bike Route" and
"Parking for Bike Path and Tennis Courts." Turn right here, and park in the
lot.

To the Dunkerhook (Paramus) area of SRCP:

Follow the above directions, except go straight at the first light. Pass
the cemetery on your right. You'll see a sign on your left that says
"Dunkerhook Area, Saddle River County Park." Turn left there and follow any
other signs.

To the Ridgewood area of SRCP:

GSP North to exit 163. Follow Route 17 North to the Ridgewood Ave. exit.
Head toward Ridgewood (you'll loop back over the highway). After you pass
Paramus Rd., look on your right. When you see the duck pond (and signs
mentioning that it's the Ridgewood Wild Duck Pond of SRCP), turn right into the
area.

I can't recall how to get to the Glen Rock area. Sorry.

To Fair Lawn and Dunkerhook from the north:

If you're coming from the north on GSP South, use exit 163 (Route 17).
Exit at Century Rd. and head toward Paramus/Fair Lawn/Glen Rock (or whatever it
says). You will not cross over Route 17. Follow Century Rd. to Paramus Rd.
There will be a cemetery on your right (this is the intersection mentioned in
the Fair Lawn and Dunkerhook). To get to Fair Lawn, go straight. To get to
Dunkerhook, turn right. Follow the above directions.

To Ridgewood from the north:

Exit the GSP at the Ridgewood/Oradell exit (I may be wrong, but I believe
it is 165) and head toward Ridgewood. You are now on Ridgewood Ave. Just
follow Ridgewood Ave. as above after you cross Route 17.

Trail descriptions:

There are approximately 6-7 miles of trails there. Most of them are
quite
smooth, with a few rough spots along the way. They're about 5' wide, and
traffic is mostly walkers, joggers, bladers, and cyclists of various ages from
child to senior citizen. Adult cyclists and bladers will generally follow
courtesies and warn people in front of them when they are coming up behind you.
The whole series of trails winds along side of a brook. Bugs are rampant along
parts of the trails during summer months in the evenings. There are a few
hills, but most of them are short, or not too steep. There are a few parking
lots along the way where many newbie bladers can be seen tripping, stumbling, or
moving forward when they have their balance. There are no street lights along
the trails, as they all pass through wooded areas. The slalom course, for those
interested, is in the Fair Lawn area by the tennis courts. If there is nobody
there and you have your own cones (we tend to use cups because they're cheaper),
you'll find red dots painted on the ground. The dots are 5' apart (measured
MANY times). If someone is there, you won't be discouraged from trying. In
fact if you just stand there and watch, you're very likely to be asked to try
the cones. Just watch out for the geese and ducks in any of the parking lots
around duck ponds (Ridgewood and Glen Rock), unless you like cleaning your
bearings and wheels.

Hope to see some of you out there!

Joe

---

From commpost!opus!camelot!jog...@uu3.psi.com

Well, I know of 2 parks in my area where you can go skating...
Saddle River County Park in Fair Lawn/Paramus/Glen Rock/Ridgewood
Brookdale Park in Bloomfield

I much prefer Saddle River County Park because it has a 5+ mile trail (one way!)
which is great if you're looking for long skating runs. Most of the people
there are friendly and follow general courtesies when passing, especially when
there's a large group (this is cyclists, skaters, and runners alike!). There is
also an area where we do slaloming through cones. People in the group I usually
meet there have painted dots on the ground for the cones. They're 5' apart
(yeah, we know that competitions use 6' as the distance). Any time anyone has
cones set up, people are welcome to "try their luck." We'll never tell anyone
that they can't try it. In fact, if you stand there and watch for a long time
and you're wearing rollerblades, someone's going to ask you to try it.

Brookdale Park is ok, but I've found that many of the cyclists there are a bunch
of assholes (mostly it's the cycling club members). They might give you 3
inches clearance when they pass you while you're avoiding debris on the side of
the road. Next time I go there, I'm going to bring a hockey stick with me (even
though I don't play hockey) and swing it back and forth as I go. If the
cyclists bother me, *WHACK*... >:-) Other than that, it's got a 1 mile loop
with a rather nasty hill. The paths going through the park other than the main
road (which has a car speed limit of 30 MPH, which of course nobody follows) are
not that great and could use some repaving.

How to get to the parks:
SRCP:
The Fair Lawn area is accessed from Century Rd. Use Route 17 and
exit at Century Rd. Head toward Glen Rock/Fair Lawn. The access road
(Dunkerhook Rd) is a small road between Paramus Rd. and Saddle River Rd.
The Dunkerhook area (Paramus) is accessed from Paramus Rd. The
access road (Dunkerhook Rd.) has a sign by it and is north of Century Rd.
The Ridgewood area is on Ridgewood Ave. Use Route 17 and exit at
Ridgewood Ave. Head toward Ridgewood.
I can't exactly remember how to get to the Glen Rock area, but Saddle
River Rd. comes to mind.

BP:
There are entries on Grove St., Watchung Ave., and Bellvue Ave., all in
Bloomfield. Take Route 3 to Broad St., head toward Bloomfield.

Other things:
In SRCP, if it is nice, there are always some skaters there after 1pm on
weekends, and a varied subset of them on weeknights.

Contact me if you want to come up and skate with us on a weekend.

(h) 201-473-7606
(w) 212-449-1398 (direct to me)

If you call me at home, my father and I have the same first name.

Joe

---

From: kam...@pizzabox.dialogic.com (Kamran Vaziri)

There's a great place to skate up around the Madison, NJ area. It's the closed
(unfinished portion) of route 24. It's paved and very smooooooooth. Plenty of
room too. I'm not sure how to get to give you directions cause I don't know all
the street names around there but I'll get a friend of mine to post directions
to the place.

---

From: HQPYR1:wal...@ready.eng.ready.com

Path or area location:

Sawyer Camp Trail

Directions

Take I-280 to the Black Mtn / Hayne Rd exit-- near Half Moon Bay. Head west
after you exit, until you reach the first stop sign. There is a sign that points
left to Sawyer Camp Trail. Turn left. It is about 1-2 miles down after you turn.

Parking information

Park on the side of the road about 1-2 miles down. You'll see the entrance.

Path length

6 miles in one direction.

Loop or non-loop

Non-loop.

Average path width

Two lanes; each about sidewalk width.

Minimum path width

Same throughout course.

Average surface

Fairly smooth; no potholes; some cracks filled with black goop.

Worst surface

Some areas are cracked with the goop filling. The goop can be kind of slippery,
even when dry, so skate very gingerly on this stuff.

When there has been rain, only attempt the first half of the trail; the second
half is shady, so it dries slower. The pavement is very hard to skate on when
wet.

Number of hills

Several small hills, one huge hill on the last mile of the course.

Severity of steepest hill

If you are not *very* good at speed control, *do not skate the last mile*. If
you are good at speed control, make sure to keep your speed down. The hill is
windy, so you risk running into peds and/or bikes if you fly too fast.

Average steepness

Don't know what the grade is, but the big hill is pretty darn steep.

Obstacles

Pedestrians, bikes, skaters.

Weekend pedestrian and bicycle traffic

Saturday and Sunday afternoons see pretty heavy traffic. Most of the traffic,
though, keeps to the first mile or two of the trail. So, after you get past
that, the number of other path users drops significantly.

Weekday pedestrian and bicycle traffic

Never gone during the week-- don't know.

Number of roads which cross the path

None.

Number of stairways on the path

None.

Distance markings

Every half mile.

Any other pertinent information

There are usually two park rangers who patrol the path. Thus, it is fairly
safe. They also have radar. The first and last half mile half posted speed
limits of 5 MPH. The rest has a speed limit of 15 MPH. They do ticket violators,
so you're wise to obey the speed limit.

Park is open dawn to dusk.

- Eugene Walden (wal...@gate.ready.com)

---

Philadephia
-----------

From: mc...@VFL.Paramax.COM (Donald P McKay)
Subject: Outdoor Skating: Philadelphia Area

I've skated at two places west of Philadelphia I recommend to anyone. If you
happen to want to skate at either of these locations, give me a 'ping', I'm
looking for rollerblading companions. Also, if you use these or other places
in the Philadelphia area, I'm interested in feedback and other places to skate.

Philadelphia - Valley Forge Bike Trail
======================================

The Philadelphia - Valley Forge Bike Trail is a (mostly) marked bicycle route
from the Art Museum in Philadelphia to Valley Forge National Park. Some of the
bike route runs along an old rail bed and has been paved.

There are two paved sections I've skated. One is at the Valley Forge end of
the trail and the other is about mid-way.

The Valley Forge section runs from a little used section of the national park
located on the north side of the Schuykill River (exit off of Rte 422 at the
Trooper Rd exit; the park is to the left). The section from Valley Forge park
to Norristown is approximately 4 miles, paved, flat and level. The only
bothersome part is that you share the trail with bicyclists, walkers and
joggers. This part of the trail is decently wide and recently paved in 1992.

The Conshohoken section runs from the Spring Mill SEPTA station in Conshohoken
for 3 miles east toward Philedelphia. Except for the water treatment plant
you have to skate by, this is an enjoyable area of the Schuykill River area.

Ridley Creek State Park
=======================

Located approximately 15 miles west of Philadelphia. WRNING -- THIS IS HILLY
AND YOU MUST BE ABLE TO BRAKE AND OTHERWISE CONTROL YOURSELF ON ROLLING
HILLS, 1 MILE CLIMBS AND STEEP DESCENTS. SKATING HERE IS A GOOD WORKOUT.

In the state park, there is a paved circular path ostensibly for biking, bladingand walking. Total distance is a little over 4 miles for one lap. There is a
1 mile section along Ridley Creek which is rolling, no steep grades up or down.
The trail (no matter which way you happen to go) ascends from the creek bed
to the main part of the park which is on the top of some hills. I would guess
a few hundred feet elevation change although I've never checked a topo map.
The steepest grade is approximately .4 miles (up or down depending). The trail
is about 1 mile along the creek, 1 mile of gradual (compared to the other)
grade, 1.6 miles rolling over the main part of the park, and the .4 mile
steep grade -- there are a few level parts of the run to help slow you down, but
none at the bottom where it rejoins the creek.

There are a few residences in the park proper so there can be an occaisional
motor vehicle.

The fastest I've ever been on roller blades was going down the .4 mile grade.

Washington D.C.
---------------
From: geo...@eng.umd.edu (George B. Clark)

In article <1992Jul02.2...@eng.umd.edu> na...@eng.umd.edu (Naruhisa Takas
hima) writes:
>
>Yes NO!
>Bike paths (contrete) chunky old asphalt paths (maybe ;')

>I know this sounds like a good place, but I'm not so sure.
>For those in the D.C. area, I have skated on Rock Creek Park which is real
>nice path for joggers and slow bicyclist, but I'm not so sure if it's suited fo
r
>Bladers. The path is narrow, damp in many places, and ocassionally very steep
>which makes it very difficult for speed control, which in turn leads to bail ou
t or
>wipe out.
>

Most parts of Rock Creek Park's bike path are OK to skate, except for
one real steep place that even bike riders have trouble with.

Since the path goes through the woods, keep in mind that wet leaves on
the pavement are very slippery to skate over.

It's also fun to leave the bike path, and skate about the nice
neighbor streets adjacent to it.

Baltimore
---------
From: ha...@aplcenmp.apl.jhu.edu (Marty Hall)
Subject: Re: Skating in Baltimore

Be...@mbimail.umd.edu (Bob Belas) writes:
>
> I was wondering if there is anyone from the Baltimore-Washington
>area who might be able to provide some advice on where blade skaters skate
>in the area.

A quick summary of the few places I know, slanted toward the Baltimore side:

(A) Loch Raven Reservoir. A 1.5 mile or so stretch of smooth pavement on the
east side is closed to traffic weekends from 10AM to 5PM. Go up Dulaney Valley
Rd. along west and north sides of reservoir. Stay along the reservoir (ie
bear right) when the main road bears left at the restaurant. The next road
is where skating starts. Moderately crowded with walkers, skaters, and
bicyclers on nice days, esp after lunch. But shaded and cool.

(B) Baltimore Street Skater's Club. They meet 1st and 3rd Thursday's of
the month in the Light Rail parking lot on Deereco Rd. This runs parallel
to I83 between I83 and York Rd, halfway between Timonium and Padonia
Rds. They meet 7:30-9:30 with clinics (from raw beginners to moderately
advanced) going from 8:00-9:00. They recommend "joining" for about
20 bucks, but it is not required. Joining also gets you a T-shirt. They
also have hockey some other night. Call Hal Ashman at Baltimore Boardsailing
(666-WIND) for more info. 60+ people on a typical night. If you can
crossover backwards, do a few jumps, and do basic slaloms around cones
(backwards, 1-foot, crossing legs forwards), then you are already as
good as all but their best instructors, but can still mess around with
the better skaters. The more advanced groups generally take off into
the surrounding industrial parks.

Cancelled if there is a home Orioles game that night.

(C) Patapsco State Park. Just S of I195 off of Rt 1, near the UMBC campus.
It costs to get in, but skaters can park in the residential area outside
the park (go past the entrance up the hill), and skate in for free. It is
about 1 mile into the main park, then there is a 2 mile stretch of river
to skate along, ending in a hanging bridge over the river. One side of the
river is a road (no cars allowed most of the way), the other is a bike path.

(D) Camden Yards stadium. Huge parking lots and smooth sidewalks south
of stadium and around it. Obviously avoid game days. Guards will not let
you skate between the warehouses (inside the large gates) but will
let you skate elsewhere. On a weekday or early AM weekend, you can also
skate over to the Inner Harbor for a nice cruise.

(E) Baltimore Annapolis Trail. Nice smooth bike trail running from
Glen Burnie to Annapolis. I've never ridden it all the way into Annapolis,
and suspect that to ride into downtown Annapolis would be hard, since
I *think* you would have to cross one major bridge after the trail ends.
Anybody know?

These are the better places that I personally have skated. Any other
suggestions? If you are also interested in indoor skating, Albert Boulanger
can no doubt suggest options down in your area.

Rhode Island
------------

From: Janice...@brown.edu (J Green)

since Rhode Island isn't mentioned here yet, i'd like to add that little
Rhode Island has a beautiful rails-to-trails bike path that is about
14.5-15 miles long, almost completely flat, and wonderful to skate on! :-)
sundown along the bay at the East Providence end is quite beautiful. :-)

SOUTH
-----

Atlanta
-------

From: g...@terminus.gatech.edu (toM o. genesE)
Subject: Re: Pipes/parks

Well, I'm not quite sure what your looking for in a place to skate,
but if you are ever in Atlanta (well, it is on the East coast after
all) be sure to go to Piedmont Park. The park itself is home to quite
a few skaters, and no one minds their presence. Directly across the
street from the park is Skate Escape, the rec/speed skate shop
mentioned in the rec.skate FAQ.

Every Monday evening, there is an introductory skate through the
midtown area, starting at a shopping center near the park. Even
though the trip is labeled as introductory, when the skaters (80+)
gather in the parking lot, you can meet advanced skaters and pick up
some tips, see some tricks, etc. If you are into speedskating, Skate
Escape has a distance skate every Wednesday night.

There is also a local skate club, the Atlanta Peachtree Road Rollers.
These are the people who put on the Monday night skate, as well as
provide introductory skate lessons.

I can get more info on the club and these events if there is some
interest.

From rbu...@owlnet.rice.edu

Atlanta
-------

GREAT skating city lots of hills and really scenic. Piedmont Park
is really popular with beginners and pros alike. Go to the entrance
near Piedmont and 12th street. There's a skate shop on that corner
(Skate Escape). They can tell you whatever you want about other
skating events in the city, regular weekly skates with the Peachtree
Rollers, etc.

Cops don't seem to mind skaters as long as you stay out of everyone's
way (i.e. use common sense).

The Georgia Tech Campus is another great place, especially for
freestyle types. Lots of stairs (the ones by the student center
are ideal for stair-riding) and ramps, great hills, and a few
parking decks to boot.

Tallahassee
-----------

From: dc...@mailer.cc.fsu.edu (Daryl S. Cain)
Subject: Tallahassee Florida| In-line

Tallahassee

A great place to skate! Its got it all - hills, flatlands, gentle slopes,
the works. Tallahassee is the capital of Florida and home to both
Florida State University and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical
University. Skating is a relatively new sport in Tallahassee. There are
few places to buy skates and none where decent accessories or compentent
help is consistently available. The law is tolerant (play it cool) but
some private properly owners can be pains.

The best place for flatlanders is the St. Marks Trail south of
Tallahassee. This is a paved railroad right of way with the
trailhead located on Highway 363 (Woodville Highway) just south of State
Road 319 (Capital Circle SE). Plenty of parking is available, however,
space does get sparce on the weekends.

The trail streches 16 miles from Tallahassee to St. Marks - a small fishing
village famed for its manatee population. The pavement is high quality
with few rough spots. Traffic is light on the weekdays, heavy on the
weekends. Most walkers quit after 1-2 miles and skaters after 2-3 miles.
From there on down its smooth sailing except for the bikers. The people
are generally polite and accidents are rare. There is a combination
bike/skate shop at the north end of the trail. They rent skates (Roces) and
bikes for reasonable rates there.

In the spring the trail is beautiful. Flowers and shrubs are in bloom and
the lucky can generally find a good blackberry bush to pick. However,
snakes also like sun themselves on the warm trail so beware the occassional
rattler when you wander. Florida is a hot place so pack plenty of water.

Speedsters will find that Tallahassee is quite hilly. Most hills are
located on the East or North sides of town. Pavement is of very high
quality, it's asphalt with a fine gravel base, but beware the ocassional
patch of shell rock. By far the best hill (in my experience) is located on
Morningside Drive just north of Highway 27 off Richview Drive on the east
side. My wife has clocked my friend and I at 45 mph near the bottom. The
hill is about 1500 yards long, straight, with a baby hill going up the
other side to slow down on.

For more radical skating work, the place to go is the Florida State
University campus. There is no telling how the campus cops would react to
skaters but mountain bikers generally get away with murder. The place is
a cornicupia of stairs, ramps, hills, sidewalks, speedbumps and parking
lots. The campus is huge and almost every type of terrain except for
mountain switchbacks are available. The only cavat is that when classes
let out during the semester the place becomes packed with pedestrians.
The best times to skate there are at night, on weekends, and during the
summer semester.

For the freestylist, parking lots are in great abundance in Tallahassee.
Most places are cool, but the rent-a-cops at the Governers Square Mall are
a pain in the ass. Its a real pity to, the parking lot covers about ten
acres and was just repaved about five months ago with the smoothest
asphalt you've ever laid eyes on. A suitable alternative is the Kroger
Center, located on the east side of town between Highway 27 and Capital
Circle.

Pick-up hockey games are held at Skate Inn East, 2563 Capital Circle N.E.
on Sunday - 7:00 pm and Wednesday - 9:30 pm. For more information contact
Steve Bohl at (904)656-2056. You gotta have your own stuff.

Be forewarned that there are few experienced skaters in Tallahassee. For
that reason there are no real "skater" hangouts. Most people have a steady
skate partner that they skate with but organized affiliations haven't
developed to any real extent yet.

There are many outdoor events in Tallahassee, such as bike-a-thons and the
like, and they're just now warming up to the idea of skaters joining their
ranks. Hopefully skaters will get off on the right foot here and become a
legitimate part of the exercise/fitness community. So if your in town and
maybe want to skate a few miles, drop me a line.

ABROAD

Australia
---------

From: kl...@captain-crunch.ai.mit.edu (Klaus B. Biggers)
Subject: Mountain Roads (was: Law Enforcement and Skating...)

My favorite skate is Royal Street in Park City, UT. It's a road that goes about
half to two-thirds of the way up Deer Valley Ski Resort. Lots of turns and
*LOTS* of new pavement. Its probably about 500 meters (~1600 ft.) vertical and
an absolute blast. There is little traffic and the police are very mellow about
the whole thing (the town does depend on tourism you know). You can either bomb
down it risking the tarmac(sp?) tickle or get thousands of turns (literally).
Its really great in the summer since the temperature is rarely over 78 degrees F
or so. Also, in the winter, a bus runs up to the top on a regular schedule and
doesn't cost a dime. I kind of like the grunt up. It is kind of strange though
watching a blader skate by a "Watch for Ice" hazard sign..

---

From: m...@posmac.UUCP (Mark Purcell)
Subject: Canberra ACT AUSTRALIA

HI I just thought I would share with all what I think is the best location in
Australia for blading.

Yes I am refering to Canberra Australia. The network of bike paths is quite
extensive, one can go from one end of the city to the other on bike paths. The
paths are all >1.5m and made from hot mix, which makes them fast and ideal for
pole work training for X-C. As Canberra is only two hours from the snow fields
a large population ofve, one can go from one end of the city to the other on bike paths. The
paths are all >1.5m and made from hot mix, which makes them fast and ideal for
pole work training for X-C. As Canberra is only two hours from the snow fields
a large population ofkm loop, all in all I would estimate
that there would be about 300-400km of trails in Canberra. IDEAL!!!

There is nothing like blading around the lake just as the sun is coming up over
the mountains, with the smallest amout of mist over the lake, and only one or
two joggers/cyclists to worry about.

There are some problems though, before most road crossings there is a section of
about 1.5 - 2 m of concrete bumps, which play like hell on the legs. It is
possible to jump these but not the easiest.

So if anyone is thinking of going to Canberra make sure you pack in your blades
or you will be sorry when you get here. See you out there.

Organization: University of Hawaii

Can't think of anymore right now! :)

--
Lani Teshima-Miller (tes...@uhunix.uhcc.Hawaii.edu) "Sea Hare" o/ /_/_/
UH School of Library & Info Studies. "Whatever the cost of our o|<0_0>------*
libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant \=^-| |_| |
nation." -Walter Cronkite [R.a.b.bit says: "Think Ink!"] \_} \_}

================================================================================
List of contributors:

ai...@hplvec.LVLD.HP.COM (Jim Aites)
be...@alf.sybase.com (Betsy Burton)
bry...@apple.com (bRYgUY K. Carter)
dc...@mailer.cc.fsu.edu (Daryl S. Cain)
DE...@DESIRE.WRIGHT.EDU (Brett Kottmann)
dma...@is.morgan.com (David Madeo)
font...@ravl.rice.edu (Dwayne Jacques Fontenot)
geo...@eng.umd.edu (George B. Clark)
g...@terminus.gatech.edu (toM o. genesE)
g...@cbmvax.commodore.com (George Robbins)
ha...@aplcenmp.apl.jhu.edu (Marty Hall)
hir...@northstar.asd.sgi.com (Diana Hirsch)
HQPYR1:ki...@orac.holonet.net (Kimon Papahadjopoulos)
HQPYR1:wal...@ready.eng.ready.com
ji...@hkn.Berkeley.EDU (Jim Young)
jkap...@lucpul.it.luc.edu (Joe Kaplenk)
jog...@camelot.fia.dmg.ml.com (Joseph Ogulin)
kam...@pizzabox.dialogic.com (Kamran Vaziri)
kcr...@sedona.intel.com (Kenneth Creta)
kl...@captain-crunch.ai.mit.edu (Klaus B. Biggers)
mldi...@bbn.com (Michael L. Dickens)
mpe...@wtcp.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (Michael Peters)
m...@posmac.UUCP (Mark Purcell)
p...@netwise.com (Phil Earnhardt)
pc...@nasagiss.giss.nasa.gov (R.B. Schmunk)
rab...@cris.com (Rabbett)
rbu...@owlnet.rice.edu (Rob Butera)
smo...@tesla.njit.edu
tes...@uhunix.uhcc.Hawaii.edu (Lani Teshima-Miller)
usr2...@tso.uc.edu (Stewart Rowe)
wal...@ready.eng.ready.com (Eugene Walden)

=END OF PART 8=================================================================

Tony Chen

unread,

May 1, 1994, 11:45:04 PM5/1/94

Posted-By: auto-faq 1.24
Archive-name: rec-skate-faq/part9

REC.SKATE FAQ - PART 9: Skating Clubs and Organizations

(last changed Mar 6, 1994)

This section of the FAQ is a list of skating organizations and clubs, for
all types of skating (although you may see an emphasis on in-line clubs).

If you don't see your local club in here, please send in as much info
about it as you can to me. Thanks.

NOTE: This section is still only very rougly organized. I will get around
to cleaning it up soon.

------------------

From da...@osf.org Wed Mar 2 16:13:30 1994
Date: Wed, 02 Mar 1994 16:13:18 -0500
From: Damon Poole <da...@osf.org>

There is a skating club in Boston called the 'In-line Club of Boston'.

The hotline # is 932-5457 ( WE-B-KIKS ).

In-line Club of Boston
Kendall Sq.
P.O. box 1195
Cambridge, MA 02142-0009

The ICB offers a newsletter, T-shirt, hotline, clinics, night skates, races,
discounts, and more.

---

From da...@osf.org Wed Mar 2 16:15:42 1994

This information should replace the earlier information on night skates.
What used to be the Thursday night skate is now the Monday night skate.

There are 3 night skates in Boston that happen on a regular basis. These
skates are seasonal. They generally start in early May and run as long
as the weather permits. Last year the Monday and Wednesday skates ran until
late November!

Monday, Extreme, 8:30pm
This is a free unsponsored & unorganized event. Skate at your own risk!
Meet at the 'frog pond' in the Boston Common. It is the large empty cement
pool on the Park St. Station side of the Common.

Tuesday, Beginner, 8:30pm
Meet at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River.

Your $10 covers 3 glow sticks & some soft drinks. $5 each time thereafter.
This is a leisurely skate - no tricks or racing or jumping or stairs, etc...

unless you individually want to ;-> This skate is sponsored by John Gilmore.

Wednesday, All levels welcome, 8:30pm
This is the In-line Club of Boston night skate.
Meet at the Trinity Church in Copley Square.
All protective gear recommended.
Call 617-932-5457 ( WE-B-KIKS ) for more info.

---

From da...@osf.org Wed Mar 2 16:16:15 1994

Maximus Skate Park has an indoor half-pipe and a quarter-pipe street skating
area located in Cambridge. 617-576-4723.

Mass Indoor Skate Complex has a good-sized hockey rink which is available
for open skating and hockey located in Ashland. 508-881-1322.

---

From ajz...@netcom.com Fri Mar 4 00:21:55 1994

You can get the ice skating info on Clubs from the US Figure Skating Assn
20 First St. Colorado Springs, CO 80906. I'm not to sure what they
charge for the booklet or if they sell it to a non-USFSA member. If not,
find an arena in your area and see if you can xerox somone's book. Any
rink has a directory of rinks thruough the ISIA - Ice Skating Inst. of Amer.
. . . ice hockey orgs from USA Hockey, 2997 Broadmoor Valley rd,
Colorado Springs CO 80906. Roller skating infor US Amateur Conf. of
roller Skating, P.O. Box 6579, Lincoln, NE 68506. Hope this helps?

---

From gr...@sce.carleton.ca Sat Mar 5 16:17:18 1994

So please send in info about all the clubs (hockey, rec, figure, whatever)
that you know about. In order to be as useful to others as possible,
please include at least the following info:

1) Name: Ottawa Pacer's Speed Skating Club
2) Location: Ottawa, ON, Canada
3) Phone # of primary contact: Greg Franks (613) 726-9594
3a) and/or e-mail address of contacts: gr...@sce.carleton.ca

4) Type of club: Speed Skating (Short&Long track), Adult and Children.
4a) Type of skate: Short and Long Track speed skating

5) Location description: Indoor: Dulude Arena, Ottawa, ON.
Outdoor: Brewer Park (Natural Ice oval)
Outdoor: Rideau Canal (winter obviously -
7km continuous ice)

6) Requirements: Must provide helmets and other saftey equipment.
Rental skates available.

7) Fees: Yes -- depends on membership catagory.

8) General skill level of the club: All. We have three time
slots: Children learning to
skate, Competitive Skaters,
and Adult recreational.

9) Any other comments:
Information on all speed skating clubs in Canada can be found by
contacting:

Canadian Amateur Speed Skating Association
1600 James Naismith Drive
Gloucester, ON K1B 5N4
Canada

fone: (613) 748 5669
fax: (613) 748 5600

---

From: pa...@lidssun1.marc.gatech.edu (Paul Lomangino)

1) Name:
Atlanta Peachtree RoadRollers

2) Location: address, City, State
Atlanta, GA

3) Phone # of primary contact: (if available)
Henry Zuver (Pres. of IISA) Forgot this one...
3a) and/or e-mail address of contacts

4) Type of club: hockey, figure, street, mixed, whatever.
STREET

4a) Type of skate: roller, in-line, ice, any kind/mixed?
Mostly In-Line

5) Location description: is it a trail? a campus? an indoor rink?
an outdoor rink? a parking lot? what?
Meet in Rio parking lot - skate through various neighborhoods, downtown Atlanta
Rio - Intersection of North Ave. and Piedmont in Atlanta
Mondays: All levels skate, Wednesdays: Intermeidate-Expert
Sundays: 32 mile endurance skate

6) Requirements: (do they need their own (hockey) equipment, skates,
pads, etc?)
Need own Equipment, Helmets Recommended

7) Fees: (some dollar amount?, free?, bring beer?, whatever 8-)
none ($5/yr "official" membership

8) General skill level of the club: (mainly novice, intermediates,
experts, or mixed)
Mixed

9) Any other comments:
Lotsa fun! We host the Athens-to-Atlanta Marathon skate

---

From Randy_...@BRYANT.VLSI.CS.CMU.EDU Thu Mar 10 22:32:20 1994

[In response to your post of 3 March 1994]

1) Pittsburgh Inline Skating Club (PISC)
2) Mailing Address:
2811 Brentwood Ave.
First Floor, Rear
Pittsburgh, PA 15227

Club president: Amy Krut (412) 885-2233
3) Email contact: Randy....@cs.cmu.edu
4) Type of club: All aspects of inline skating
5) Various activities in Pittsburgh area
6) All club skates require a helmet
7) Varies by activity
8) All skill levels

---

From Randy_...@BRYANT.VLSI.CS.CMU.EDU Thu Mar 10 22:38:24 1994

[In response to your post of 3 March 1994]

1) Greater Pittsburgh Unified Speedskating Club
2)
3) Primary Contacts:
Bob Halden (412) 744-0037
Wade Smith (412) 241-5967
4) Short Track (ice) speedskating
5) Meet at Golden Mile Ice Arena, Monroeville, PA
6) Must wear helmet.
7) Fees: Currently $10/session, but varies with club finances
8) Skill level: All levels
9) Other comments:
Programs for children, adults, and special olympians

---

From: tr...@kla.com (Plant a tree today! ---;*] )

Subject: Re: SF Skaters: Friday Night ?s
Date: Tue, 5 Apr 1994 03:35:24 GMT

Delirium (an8...@anon.penet.fi) wrote:

: After about a year of lurking I'm finally posting here.
: Last Friday night around 8:00 my girlfriend and I were near the
: Cannery. The next thing we knew a whole stream of skaters came by.
: I wanted to know if this is a weekly thing and when and where does
: everyone meet.

We meet every friday at 8pm at the ferry building below the bay bridge
and depart at 8:30pm. The course we take is about 12.5 miles with many
(too many IMHO) rest stops so skaters of all levels can come. We do go
down hills, so make sure you can stop okay while decending down hills.
On average, there's about 150 skaters. Feel free to email me for any
additional info.

BTW, I was the tall smeghead in the front of the pack making police
siren noises ---:*)

=END OF PART 9==================================================================

Tony Chen

unread,

May 1, 1994, 11:45:05 PM5/1/94

Posted-By: auto-faq 1.24
Archive-name: rec-skate-faq/part10

REC.SKATE FAQ - PART 9: Skating Tricks and Moves Section 1

Skating Tricks and Moves Section 1
----------------------------------
(last changed Nov 29, 1993)

Table of Contents
-----------------
o Stair riding
o Curb grinds and wall stalls

STAIR RIDING
------------
From: ai...@hplvec.LVLD.HP.COM (Jim Aites)

I'm pretty comfortable riding stairs (frontwards and backwards), but
discovered something which in hindsight should have been obvious, and might
be worth mentioning to those who are looking for stairs to ride.

Simply put, there are stairs worth riding and the are stairs that you'd be
nuts to do anything but jump down/over.

Dangerous stairs: Ride-able stairs: Fun/easy stairs:

|__ |____ |______
| | |
|__ |____ |______
| | |
|__ |____ |______

Too obvious you say? Yeah, me too. I durn near nailed myself going backwards
down a dangerous set the other day. I guess I figured that stairs were stairs.
Wrong thinking is punishable...via PAIN!

From: rbu...@owlnet.rice.edu (Robert John Butera)

Tonight I finally did my first competent stair bashing, doing 6-8
stairs at the Party-on-the-Plaza in downtown Houston. I thought I'd
share some of what I learned with others, since this thread comes
up a lot.

* I was surprised how EASY is was - a lot of it is overcoming
the confidence factor and being relaxed.

* It really helps to watch someone. I decided to try it when
I saw someone that I KNEW was a much less experienced skater
than me, and decided, dammit I'm going to tackle this thing.

* The BIGGEST tip I have for getting started is to constantly
remind yourself to keep one foot in fron tof the other. The
ride is a lot smoother. After about an hour of doing it,
I could get myself to do it with my skates almost
side-by-side, but your much more likely to lose your balance.

* At first I kept on tripping on the bottom stair or two (yet
miraculously I never fell!). The guy who showed me how to do
it noticed that as I progressed down the stairs, my rear foot
was moving forward and becoming more "side-by-side" with my
front foot (see the previous note). The trick was to relax
yet concentrate on foot placement.

* When I got back to campus, I tried skateing backward down
some wimpy 2-4 stair spread out stairs. The people here are
right: I think backwards stair crashing might actually be
easier. I intend to go downtown tomorrow night and try the
backwards thing on some larger stairs.

Overall, a great night for skating. I also found the "ideal parking
deck" with those two important prerequisites: no visible security and
a working elevator (its really steep, but has 6-7 levels). Such
parking decks are becoming few and far between around here as more
skaters start "invading" them, making the security dudes a lot more
testy ...

Thanks for everyone's responses on the axle kits. Those who have
made comparisons seem to prefer the one by Lazzy Legs.

From: @sedona.intel.com (Kenneth Creta)

In article <23r8i1$6...@cmcl2.NYU.EDU>, prok...@acf2.nyu.edu (Andrew) writes:
> I've been skating for about 3 month now, but still can't skate down-
> stairs. I tried to go up the stairs and it works well, very fast! I saw people
> going upstairs and did not find it difficult at all. But looking down from the
> top of even 7 step stair scares the shit out of me.

Try a smaller set first. A wouldn't advise going straight to 7 stairs.

>I tried going down from the
> fourth step of a 15 step stair, but I ended up running downstairs, not skating.

This will never work. You need some speed to prevent your skates from catching
on them. My friend and I (we do stairs all the time) have recently started
hit the stairs at a snail's pace. Not as easy when going slow.

> Do you have to keep the blades horisontally, when you go down, or at a 45 angle?

Although I don;t really think about it, I guess I'd have to say horizontal.

> It seems that if you keep the skates at an anlge, you end up running downstairs,but if you keep them horisontally, the brake would definitely get in the way on
> almost any stairs, except very flat ones. Or you have to approach the stair at
> an angle, to make the path longer?

A good way to start. Stairs are much easier at an angle. The easier way is
if your front foot is opposite the angle your going. In other words, if
your back foot is your right (mine is) try angling right to left.

If you go slow, your brake will definitely be a concern. I don't bother with
one anyway. What could make someone want to stop anyway :)

Ken

From: ma...@unidata.ucar.edu (Matt Hicks)

I saw some street freestyle on Prime Sports Network (I think it was) a
few weeks ago and I noticed that the guys doing stairs seemed to be
just dragging the toe wheels of their trailing foot (feet?). All their
weight was on the leading foot and the trailing foot seemed to be just
a rudder or for balance only. Anyone had any experience with this
technique? See the worst ASCII drawing in the world below if this is
not clear.

/ /
/ / \
/ / \
O|---------- /\ \
| | / | |
O| ----------/ | |
______ O| / | |
| |__| |----|
|_O_______ | |
| | \__
|________ | \
| |________|
|___@ @ @ @_
|
|
--

From: kcr...@sedona.intel.com (Kenneth Creta)

Hi,
I've been stair bashing for a LONG time now. However, I've always
wondered about my form and whether I was doing it right because it has always
seemed that my ride was ALOT rougher and bumpier than others I've watched.

Last night proved that something was wrong. My friend and I were
taking our favorite set of stairs REALLY SLOW. This isn't so easy. Howver,
while my friend was able to do it OK, I found that my back (right) foot kept
on catching on the steps. My friend thinks I put too much weight on the back
foot and I think he might be be right because when I listen, he sounds like
CHUNK-KA CHUNK-KA where I sound like CHUNK CHUNK. You know what I mean.

Any of you find yourself in a similar situation?

Ken
--

From: so...@cyclone.mitre.org (Stephen J. Okay)

In article <1993Aug6....@leland.Stanford.EDU> har...@leland.Stanford.EDU (Lawrence Chr-Jr Liu) writes:
>Jeff writes:
>
>Out of curiosity, do most skaters think 180's or 360's off stairs are easier?
>I'm trying to learn 360's, but I can't quite get the hang of it -- any
>suggestions? (These 360's are on flat ground for now, I don't have the full
>no fear mentality -- yet ;) )

I haven't quite gotten there either yet, so I'm going to say 180s :)

My typical approach to 180's:

Approach the stairs at a moderate speed and when I reach the first one, jump
up like I was going to do a curb jump. I usually land on the 3rd or 4th step
and stop there quite solidly and firmly. As soon as I'm sure of my purchase on
that step(about a second or so), I push back with my front wheels and turn
around to land facing forward.

is it much of a transition to make this a 270?

I think the reason I haven't done a 360 yet is that I'm not that comfortable
landing backwards. Although I am getting better with the heel-to-heels, so
I do feel more comfortablke landing and then spinning or doing wide circles.
(Thats the best I can manage with this so far...but they are getting WIDER! :) )

ObTrick: Found another cool office over the weekend. TThis one not only has
a deep curb ramp, but also a long cement one running up to the front
door. I was catching some major air off this, almost enough to start
doing tricks in midair..
For those in the area,this is the Dept. of the Interior building over in
Sir Isaac Newton Square in Reston...they've got some pretty cool stairs too..

From: kcr...@sedona.intel.com (Kenneth Creta)

In article <1r7rsi$b...@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu>, cd...@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Douglas J. Narby) writes:

> Stairs (this one not explained too well; and I haven't had the Testes to
> try it without some clues).

Remember to bend you knees and put more weight on the back foot than the
front. I put my left foot 1/2 a foot length ahead of my right (my right
leg is the stronger of the two) and bend my knees to absorb much of the
impact. When people get scared, they straighten up which winds up in a
wreck. Also, while going down, try to be light on your feet. I know that
sounds funny but picture it and "float" over the stairs. Use the force,
Luke :)

If you try backwards, put your stronger leg forward (uphill) and put your
(most of but not all) weight on your toes. Like forward, put most of the
weight on your stronger leg. Too much weight on your heels can result in
catching the foot throwing you on your back.

We have two flights of 6 steps with about 5 feet of flat in between and I
like to hit the first going forward and then switching backwards for the
next flight. Or going down the first set, and jumping into a 180 over
the second and so on.

> My best trick so far is jumping a flight of four stairs. Now I am trying
> to learn to do crossovers whilst skating backward.

I think backwards cross-overs is one of the best techniques that develops
overall skating ability. It really forces you to balance and takes quite
a bit of practice before you are really comfortable. BE SURE TO PRACTICE
BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT EQUALLY. I see alot of people who can go one way but
not the other.

New Tricks:

Work on 360 jumps off the ground (forward and backward). Once you
have those down, hit a jump and do it (again, forwards and backwards).

Try a "Dutchman". Jump off a ramp, grab both feet behind your back
while in the air and land (on your feet :)

From: co...@elec.canterbury.ac.nz (DAve.)
Subject: Re: Stair/Wall Jumps..

In article <holeC62...@netcom.com>, ho...@netcom.com (Will Leland) writes:
> RE: how to ride down stairs
> SPEED! just get going a good clip, put your weaker foot in front of
> the other for more stability, and ride down with most of your weight
> on the back skate.
> I ran into an upper limit on stairs though. When I got up to 10 steps
> I ran out of speed (and balance) and did a major face plant. Do those
> hockey helmets come with face cages :)

Speed is nice - balance is better! :-)

Once again, though, you need to be able to skate more or less one foot in front
of the other. I like to push my front foot out, almost straight so that if
it gets caught on a step it 'springs' back in front really quickly.

Then place the trailing knee really close and almost behind the leading one.
This forces one to bend that trailing leg, which takes up a lot of the bumpiness.
The more relaxed the back leg is, the smoother the ride goes.

I have managed 15 consecutive steps this way. The only reason that that is
the limit, is that I have not found more than 15 consecutive steps. :-)
It is real easy to lose your nerve after 12 or so. As soon as you stiffen or
straghten up the back leg, it is all over :-\

Anyways, this is *MY* method (MHOs only) - it is certainly not everyones.
I think one just needs to find what is most comfortable for oneself.

--

From: ki...@iat.com (Kimon Papahadjopulos)

First of all, like most everything else, this skill comes with practice,
and at first that is really hard to do since you don't know how to do
it yet.

The first thing you have to do is find is a good bunch of stairs to practice
on. On the Berkeley Campus there is an ideal sight: one of the buildings
is built on an incline so that the bottom floor is underground at the
top of the hill and completely exposed on the bottom.

Because of this, a stairway that runs the length of the building
"fades away", so that there are no stairs at one end, but it builds
up gradually to about twenty steps at the other end.

Besides being very wide, the the steps are also very long. If you
can find a set up like this, your halfway there already. This way
you can practice with one or two steps, and move up one at a time when
you get more confident.

>When skating down narrow stairs, is it easier to go straight down
>or is it easier to go at an angle? It seems like going at an
>angle might be easier because it would provide more opportunity
>to have both skates in contact simultaneously.

Can you really go down truly narrow stairs at an angle? On a wide
bunch of stairs, going down at an angle is much easier because you don't
go nearly as fast. This is essential when you are learning.

>How should your weight be distributed? Should it be equally
>distributed, shifted mostly to the leading leg, or shifted mostly
>to the trailing leg?

Almost all on the trailing leg. The front leg is mostly a guide.

>Does having a brake on one skate increase the risk of a fall?
>Since the brake extends beyond the rear of one skate, my concern
>is that it might get caught on the edge of a step. Therefore,
>should the skate with the brake lead, follow, or does it matter?

Learn how to t-stop before you learn stairs. The back break is a hazard
for any sort of trick, whether it be crossovers, skating backwards, or
going down stairs.

If you are interested in doing any of the above, it's well worth your
while to learn how to get by without the back brake. It will probably
save you a bunch of nasty falls.

IMO, anyone that is trying to learn stairs with a brake is just asking
for it. Generally, learning a t-stop is your first trick, since it's
easier to learn, and makes most other tricks easier.

It also kind of proves that you know what you are doing, and are ready
for the next level.

And you're right about the brake getting caught on the edge of
each step.

Also, when you are practicing, you often times are not in the best balance
when you finish a set of stairs. If you happen to catch your brake
when this happens, you are probaly going to end up on the pavement.

>Is there a safe, piecemeal way to learn skating down stairs, or
>should I necessarily expect to fall as part of the learning
>process?

Again, if you can find a nice set of stairs, you don't necessarily have
to murder yourself. Practive on two or three stairs and then move up.

But of course, wear full protective gear, and don't complain if your
skates break. Rollerblade Lightnings are very sturdy, and hold up fairly
well. I'm sure TRS's are good too, maybe even Macroblades and Aeroblades.
But don't use Zetra's or any skate with a metal blade. SwitchIts in my
experience are somewhat frigile for this sort of thing.

!*!*!

It should be understood that if you push beyond the level of your
abilities, and you happen to land on your head, even with a helmut,
you could kill yourself.

!*!*!

>Is stair skating always risky, even for those who have mastered
>it, or is it fairly safe once a skater understands how it is
>done?

I have not done a lot because I have concerns about my knees: going
down stairs really puts a lot of stress on your knees, as well as your
skates. From what I have done, I believe that skating stairs
becomes as easy as anything else after a while, as long as you know the
particular staircase that you are going down, and there is no one walking
up it.

From: ahe...@expert.cc.purdue.edu (Sean Ahern)

>IMO, anyone that is trying to learn stairs with a brake is just asking
>for it. Generally, learning a t-stop is your first trick, since it's
>easier to learn, and makes most other tricks easier.

No way....I learned you to skate down stairs by teaching myself to be
aware of the brake and what I was doing with it.

I have also taught other people how to do this as well.

I think leaving the brake on makes you more aware of what your skates are
doing.

>It also kind of proves that you know what you are doing, and are ready
>for the next level.

Exactly my point about leaving the brake on.

Now while I don't use the brake except when I have to do SUDDEN stops like
when a car pulls in front of me, I think it's a good thing to leave on for
safety's sake.

>And you're right about the brake getting caught on the edge of
>each step.

Well, not if you have enough speed. I have found that stairs are actually
harder at slow speeds. Going slowly, the edge of the stair will give a pivot
that can throw off your balance. If you are going moderately fast, you just
skate right down the stairs, almost as if they are one surface.

You MUST make sure that one skate is in front of the other and your knees are
bent deep. You also might crouch down a bit and lean forward. I have found
that this helps me keep my balance. Don't lean forward too far or you will
tumble forward. (not fun on stairs)

>Also, when you are practicing, you often times are not in the best balance
>when you finish a set of stairs. If you happen to catch your brake
>when this happens, you are probaly going to end up on the pavement.

Ahhhh, if you are not leaning backwards when you are going down, you shouldn't
be in a position to catch your brake anywhere.

>Again, if you can find a nice set of stairs, you don't necessarily have
>to murder yourself. Practive on two or three stairs and then move up.

Yes, this is very true. Start out on a wide set of stairs. If you can get
one stair (kinda like a curb), try to keep going and get the next one. If you
get pretty good at this, try doing them a little faster. You will learn the
basic techniques of stairs this way and will soon be able to move onto steeper
and steeper stairs.

>>Is stair skating always risky, even for those who have mastered
>>it, or is it fairly safe once a skater understands how it is
>>done?

>I have not done a lot because I have concerns about my knees: going
>down stairs really puts a lot of stress on your knees, as well as your
>skates. From what I have done, I believe that skating stairs
>becomes as easy as anything else after a while, as long as you know the
>particular staircase that you are going down, and there is no one walking
>up it.

It DOES get easy, after a while, but they are still challenging as every flight
of stairs has a different slope and width to them.

From: j...@lvld.hp.com (Jim Aites)

re: stair-riding (from an e-mail discussion...possible FAQ submital)

>For the intermediate skater who hasn't tried stairs yet, what would you
>say are the basic skills?

Practicing curbs is a good idea, specially if you 'drop off' instead of
'hop off'. The difference being one of jumping vs riding. A short set of
two or three easy stairs (with wide risers) would be the next step.

>...t-stops with either foot. Probably backwards skating, too?

180's and 380's are probably part of that as well. Not that these are
*needed* for stair bashing, but if someone is doing this level of stuff
then they could certainly handle stairs.

>Is there anything else that people should master before they begin?

No...not 'master', but there are a few things a person needs to know in
order to be relatively successful at handling stairs:

1) a 'reasonable' speed is required!

Contrary to common knowledge about the laws of physics, folks generally
lose speed when going down stairs. Backwards bashing however, will
actually cause one to GAIN speed. No, it's not 'magic'...

Many of us have started down a flight of stairs at a good speed, only to
slow to a crawl, and end up 'bailing out' before reaching the bottom. This
'leap of faith' (hoping you can reach a flat spot when you throw yourself
over the last few steps) is probably the most dangerous thing about riding
stairs. So, if going forward - hit them at speed!

The loss of speed is mostly due to that fact that folks tend to ride the
stairs 'flat', instead of leaning into it and angling the skates as though
on a hill. Riding 'flat' means that the slope isn't really affecting your
speed. While bashing backwards, however, EVERYONE lets their heels lead
the way and the foot naturally angles (er...toes up), thus restoring the
'slope' and gaining speed.

While flat-riding, it doesn't matter what style you use...but keeping
your weight on the trailing skate is relatively standard. Aggressive
bashers often use a wider front-to-back skate placement, but more
importantly, they LEAN into the slope to avoid losing speed.

Note: go easy on this folks...nobody wants to see you do a header down the
stairs.

2) they call it 'bashing' for a reason. Accept it!

Yup, bashing, bone jarring, bouncing, slamming, and in general, beating
yourself up (ok, your skates) while riding stairs is an expected part of
the game. A willingness to accept that it feels uglier than it looks is
needed. Hummm...some folks may argue that it 'looks as bad as it feels'
as well! Either way, you've got to go with it.

3) backwards *IS* easier. But more intimidating.

Honest! Because there is an extra 'shock absorber' (ie your ankle can flex
to your toes whereas your heel is pretty solid) and because your feet will
naturally angle down, the backwards ride is a heck of a lot smoother than
riding stairs frontwards. If you have trouble just 'going-for-it', then
start slow, and use a hand-rail. (normally this is NOT a good thing to do)
Keep a reasonable front-to-back stance and let everything flex!

Note: If you find that going backwards is NOT easier/smoother, then please
let me know. Not that anyone can help you at this point, but rather
because I'd be curious to hear about the 'exception to the rule'.

4) failure to wear a helmet ANYTIME you are rolling backwards or doing
stairs is (of course) enough to get you 'certified' (as insane) in most
states.

I was the first in our group to do 'killer' steps (4 flights of seven
stairs each) backwards. I started from a standing-start at the top while
clutching a hand-rail. The clutch turned into a light balancing guide
after the first three steps...and then I was free-wheeling down the rest.

CURB GRINDS AND WALL STALLS
---------------------------

From: har...@leland.Stanford.EDU (Lawrence Chr-Jr Liu)

In an effort to revive the trick thread, I was wondering if anyone out there
in netland has performed a "front-side curb grind", as described in the latest
issue of InLine. They mentioned rubbing surfboard wax on the steps to get a
better grind, but I was also wondering if the trick can be performed without
waxing.

Another question -- has anyone tried those smaller wheels for tricks, like
"Little Roxs" (I think that's what they're called). Are they necessary for
rail slides, or can one just remove the third wheel and either slide on one's
frame or add a teflon plate?

The one trick I'm thinking of learning next is the 180 into stairs and riding
the rest of the stairs the rest of the way -- how important is it to land one's
wheels on the stairs? Do I have to land both skates at the same time squarely
on the steps, or is it just jump and land and ride?

From: so...@cyclone.mitre.org (Stephen J. Okay)

In article <CBA21...@news.cso.uiuc.edu> klanac@ih-nxt05 (Chris Klanac) writes:
>har...@leland.Stanford.EDU (Lawrence Chr-Jr Liu) writes:
>
>>In an effort to revive the trick thread, I was wondering if anyone out there
>>in netland has performed a "front-side curb grind", as described in the latest
>>issue of InLine. They mentioned rubbing surfboard wax on the steps to get a
>>better grind, but I was also wondering if the trick can be performed without
>>waxing.

Saw it, haven't tried it...

On the subject of 180's though, I've been trying something new during lunch
at work the past couple days. Skate down/across a parking lot, 'till you get
to a median/island. Curb-jump, followed by a 180, landing backwards, then
do whatever...(I've also been working on heel-to-heels, so I've been going
into one of these after I land, partially to practice them, but also because
they can start from a backwards skate, so it looks pretty cool)

I've avoided curb grinds 'cause I'm not sure how well my rails would hold
up to something abrasive like your average concrete curb. I'd probably
try it on something like one thats been painted "No Parking" and more
or less sealed though. Wax? ---maybe, but modding the turf seems a little
bogus to me...

From: dma...@is.morgan.com (David Madeo)

In article <1993Aug5.0...@leland.Stanford.EDU> har...@leland.Stanford.EDU (Lawrence Chr-Jr Liu) writes:

>In an effort to revive the trick thread, I was wondering if anyone out there
>in netland has performed a "front-side curb grind", as described in the latest
>issue of InLine. They mentioned rubbing surfboard wax on the steps to get a
>better grind, but I was also wondering if the trick can be performed without
>waxing.

You'll definately want to put some wax on. Find out where the
skateboarders in your area wax the curbs and you'll be able to feel
the difference. Rub the wax all around the edge of the curb. I
suggest being precise where you start and stop the waxing. When first
learning you can do a left foot plant on non waxed curb and then bring
the right foot on to the wax, start sliding and bring the left foot
on. It's really important that you get used to skating up to a curb
and jumping onto and off of it at different speeds and angles. It
takes a while to get used to landing and balancing with a curb between
the 2nd and 3rd wheels.

A trick that people are just starting to do around here is to do a
plate/frame scrape and click into a curb grind.

Another much harder is to do a 180/360 to land on the curb for a curb
slide. Start by just trying to land, then move on to the slide.

Supposedly the "latest" is to do sole grinds, but I don't see any
great reason to try them. Stand next to a curb, put the outside edge
of your frame and the bottom of the boot (the sole) against the corner
of the curb. Put your whole weight on this, take the other foot and
out it in front in the traditional grind angle. Do this at high
speed.

I just learned how to do stairs at the courthouse. If you saw that
ABC show two weeks ago, it's the same stairs Aton tumbled on.

From: j...@kepler.unh.edu (Spectre)

The reason they suggest waxing, is because they don't suggest
taking off the 3rd wheel back. If you take off the 3rd wheel, you will
slide a lot better. I suggest that you make some type of a shield or plate
to protect your frame. If you look in the same issue of In-line, thereis
an article about people in New York. Look at the picture of the FR group's
skates...one has a shield to protect his frame, one doesn't. If you look
between the wheels on the skate that doesn't, you will see what will
happen if you do too many curb grinds without the shield (his frames are
chipped away between the 2ond and 3rd wheel, and the 3rd and 4th). When
you take off the wheel, you won't really need the wax...but it's easier
to learn with the wheel in, since your skates will 'lock' onto the stair
between the wheels, instead of having a free sliding space, and you'll
slide better with the wax. once you get good at angling your feet, you
will be able to slide on your frames without having to take off the wheel.

>Another question -- has anyone tried those smaller wheels for tricks, like
>"Little Roxs" (I think that's what they're called). Are they necessary for
>rail slides, or can one just remove the third wheel and either slide on one's
>frame or add a teflon plate?

I havn't tried the little wheels yet (actually I don't see myself
trying them at all, I don't really want the loss of speed, or the added
wear on my bearings...) Right now I have a sheet metal plate on my skate
where the 3rd wheel was, and I'm looking around for a hunk of plastic
(any suggestions in the eastern MA, southern NH area?) to make a more
sturdy and less makeshift slider.

>The one trick I'm thinking of learning next is the 180 into stairs and riding
>the rest of the stairs the rest of the way -- how important is it to land one's
>wheels on the stairs? Do I have to land both skates at the same time squarely
>on the steps, or is it just jump and land and ride?

It all depends how you bash. Do you have to keep your weight
distributed evenly, or can you pick up a skate when you are going down.
If you bash with even weight, then you will want to land pretty much im
the same position that you would be if you bashed to that point...if you
can pick up a foot, then you just need to land on the dominant foot, then
you can adjust yourself to a more comfortable position as you bash down.
One suggestion...work on just jumping into the stairt and going from there
before you start trying 180's into them....it will hurt alot less if you
screw up going forwards then going backwards (spines smacking cement stairs
isn't really my idea of a good time :)

From: holr...@student.tc.umn.edu (James A Holroyd-1)

Jeff, I noticed this, too. The frames look *really* hacked on.
Your shield sounds like a good idea, but it doesn't sound like metal would
either last too long or slide too well to be of any use... I recommend
that you use some skateboard rails (Powell-Peralta Gorilla Ribs were my
favorite, but I don't know if they still make them)... they last forever
and slide forever. Just cut one down so it fits between your wheels,
epoxy it to your shield, and slide on.
I've also been thinking about making a rail that fits between the
2nd and 3rd wheels on my skates... just a small piece of plastic that
would either clip or screw into the cross brace in my lightning should
work. Anbody seen anything like this? It would reduce the ground
clearance of the skate, but this shouldn't be a problem. I think it would
make it way easier (and less harsh on the frames) to rail-slide.

Steve: Yep, they're fun, aren't they? Haven't done them (180 jumps over
curbs) to a
heel-to-heel, but I have kept rotating and sort of spun around in a crouch
to a forward position again once I land... it's not that hard, and it
feels like a 360, 'cept you're only in the air for half of it. I still
haven't got the courage to try 360's over a curb yet.

From: kcr...@sedona.intel.com (Kenneth Creta)

In article <1ob9d7...@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu>, cd...@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Douglas J. Narby) writes:
>
> Sounds cool, Ken, but now we have three jargon terms:
>
> Stall, Curb Grind and Rail Slide.
>
> Anybody care to DEFINE them? Throw in any more us newbies are unlikely

Imagine standing in front of a wall about 3 ft high or so (on your feet).
Now imagine jumping up onto it with both feet, "stalling" there for a second,
and jumping back down. That idea except on blades is a stall. That is also
a VERY basic stall. Now try jumping off the wall to one or more other nearby
walls and doing a 360 in the air before landing. That's a cool stall. Keep
in mind that in order to land stable on the wall, you really have to land on
the corner such that the front two wheels are above the wall and the rear two
wheels are below: o
___o foot
|o
wall | o

I think a curb grind might be the same thing but on a curb instead.

A rail slide is just what it sounds like. Approach a low rail pretty much
parallel. Then jump up onto it as if you're stalling it but instead of jumping
onto it and stopping, you slide down it as far as you can. I can't seem to
find a railing that would lend itself to this (i.e., low enough).

From: so...@cyclone.mitre.org (Stephen J. Okay)

Well, after exchanging messages with some of our resident bladerats
here on the group, I went out and thought I'd try a few of the tricks
that have been described here with varying degrees of success...
The university here I usually blade around has some interesting structures,
so I used those for this.

Rail Slide: Didn't work so hot, but I think thats 'cause I'm too
worried about losing my balance, my hands won't let go of the rail,
or let me rest on my wristguards to let me slide down. A good
way to practice this is to find a "double" railing to do on.
Should look like this:

\
\ \ <--hands here(rest on your wristguards, you'll slide
skates----->\ \ easier)
on this one| \ \
|\_/ <---don't forget to jump off before you reach the end
| (top rail slide doesn't have to worry about this)

From what I understand, you should ideally be riding the top rail.
This kind works fine for just practicing though. As I said before,
the leather on my cutoffs grabbed on the rail too much, so I turned
my wrists so they were resting on my wristguards. The plastic is
much more conducive to sliding...

Wall Stall:This worked much better and was actually a lot easier than I
thought. I did two different surfaces:

/o \ /--------
/o_____ /o/
/o| | /o/
/o | | /o/
| | /
| | /
| | /
The first, as you can see was a cement wall/barrier out in the middle of a
courtyard like area. The other was an inclined cement structure that
had a row of stairs on either side.

The approach to both was pretty much the same, although the barrier/wall
was done at a lot lower speed than the incline. There's just less surface
to plant yourself on and I didn't want to flip over the side so I approached
it slower. But the launch is pretty much the same. Jump up like you were
going to jump a pavement crack or speed bump or curb or something. The mid
section of your blades should grab onto the corner, and you'll hang there
for about a second, maybe a little more, maybe a little less, depending
on what kind of purchase you have on the edge. Push back and spin around
at the same time. There ya go!

Incline:Same technique, although if you turn sideways before you land on
it, you can get a longer hangtime because you'll be perpendicular to the
grade as opposed to parallel and your wheels will grip onto the cement
and hold you there. This was cool 'cause it gave me the extra second or
so I needed to set up for a 270.

The wall felt a lot more solid for landing on than the incline, but like I
said, the incline had its own pluses. With the wall, you landed more
solidly becuase your wheels would wedge on the edge of the wall, but
you had to bail almost instantly. The incline was harder to get onto and
recover back to the ground successfully on unless you could manage a quick
90.

One final note:
This only seems to work on rough, non-painted surfaces.
I tried to stall off a painted ledge last night and nearly broke my
leg when I didn't grip and started to fall off. Fortunately I was able
to recover on the landing.

From: rbu...@owlnet.rice.edu (Robert John Butera)
Subject: Re: Inlines: Frame-Grinding Pros/Cons??

I've done it, and know others who have. The Lightnings live up to
their durable reputation- I've never heard of a ground frame
cracking - I think they were probably over-engineered (most inline
skates don't have the frame supports anyway).

I wear an 8, and can only fit up to 76 mm. However, I know a guy with
a size 10 foot who put 80 mm on - the frame is bigger.

I think a file would be too hard. I bought a conical rasp for a power
drill and used that. Generally you have to grind:

1. the horizontal frame supports between wheels
2. parts of the frame above the 2nd and 4rd wheels and below the
boot
3. (only if a small foot) the top of the front wheel will barely
rub the top of the frame. File it down a mm or so. This
didn't seem to be a problem on my friend's size 10 foot.

There really aren't any tricks to it, or things to know. Just do it.
I kept a spare wheel/axle handy, and just ground away until the wheel
spun smoothly, then ground a little extra to account for the applied
load (i.e. me) when the skates are worn.

From: CHAR...@delphi.com
Subject: Re: TRS Grind Plates

I make the non metallic CDS grind plates for Rollerblade Lightning frames.
The CDS Detroit phone number is 313-331-7371

============END OF FAQ PART 10===========================================

Tony Chen

unread,

May 1, 1994, 11:47:33 PM5/1/94

NEITHER
1) Mid-range pricing.

To fit buckles:

BEGINNER LEVEL

* THE BRAKE-PAD:

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL

ADVANCED LEVEL

STEPPING STOPS

you bend slightly at the waist and knee to give your skate a better
angle to grab.

You can also use this stop in a sort of shuffling fashion: stop, roll a

A variation on heel-drag spinouts is to use your brake-pad as the
pivot.

This stop looks pretty neat when going backwards, although you

One way:

The other way:

* COMBINATION/SEQUENCE STOPS

Tony Chen

unread,

May 1, 1994, 11:47:34 PM5/1/94

new wheel worn wheel

NEW WHEELS for '93

out with the first bearing) and push against the bearing from the inside
of the hub.

========================================================================

Tony Chen

unread,

May 1, 1994, 11:47:35 PM5/1/94

of the puck keeps it from getting up on edge.

' If the ball goes out of play, a faceoff will take place at the point
' of exit.
'

>suffice. If you're playing with a ball of some kind rather than a puck,
>we've found that using a baseball glove for a catcher will give good
>results.
>
>In regards to leg pads, the cheapest Mylec ones appear to work the best.
>Since they're made of hard plastic, a goalie can slide on his knees in
>them, which improves effectiveness.
>
>Marc [use...@constellation.ecn.uoknor.edu], a Texas hockey veteran, adds:
>"When I goalie I usually wear a cage helmet (since I wear glasses), elbow
>pads, a blocker on the right hand and a catcher's mitt in the left, a
>catcher's chest protector on my chest and belly (with my Dead Wings jersey
>over that), a cup and the Mylec leg pads, along with the skates. I
>usually wear a t-shirt under the chest pad, also. I've suited up like
>that twice a week all summer down here and have lost about 10 pounds.

skills than using a puck though.

=END OF PART 3=================================================================

Tony Chen

unread,

May 1, 1994, 11:47:36 PM5/1/94

Posted-By: auto-faq 1.24
Archive-name: rec-skate-faq/part4

REC.SKATE FAQ - PART 4: WHAT AND WHERE TO BUY

Table Contents
- list of in-line mail-order places and manufacturers
- After-market Add-ons
- poles
- ski buckle modification

================================================================================

LIST OF IN-LINE MAIL-ORDER PLACES
---------------------------------
(plus some regular shops)

(last changed Jan 8, 1994)

Manufacturers:

General skating stuff:

D-WING
1-800-44D-WING

Ocean Hockey Supply
1-800-631-2159

---

Boston area:

From: mldi...@bbn.com (Michael Dickens)

California:

Ohio:

---

More speed-skating oriented:

================================================================================

OUTLINE

Parts wear out

Retrofit indoor compatibility

Drive Train
Bearings

Wheels

Spacers

Brake Kits

Brake Pads

Support
Orthotics

Removable/Permanent Ankle Support

Laces and Boot Liners

Non-skate Products
Protection

Hockey Sticks

(see the Hockey FAQ)

Poles

Night Lighting

Tools for Maintenance

----------------------------------------------------------------

Phil Earnhardt p...@netwise.com

Netwise, Inc. Boulder, CO (303) 442-8280

================================================================================

POLES
-----

Tony Chen

unread,

May 1, 1994, 11:47:37 PM5/1/94

IN-LINE SKATE REVIEWS
---------------------

: Thanks!
: Doug

-----

Phil Earnhardt p...@netwise.com
Netwise, Inc. Boulder, CO (303) 442-8280

MACRO BLADES EQ/ES

METROBLADES
-----------

-eh

------------------------------------------------------------------
erik hilsdale e...@cs.columbia.edu

George Robbins - now working for, work: to be avoided at all costs...

>The alternative would be a good 3-buckle skate that is very quick to

>pop on/off and pair of really lightweight shoes he can carry in a fanny
>pack or other tote. There are some lightweight (soft sole) cycle shoes
>and some that are even lighter for swimmers or something like that.

_MelloN_
--
mel...@ncd.com uunet!lupine!mellon
Member of the League for Programming Freedom. To find out how software
patents may cost you your right to program, contact l...@uunet.uu.net

From: e...@cs.columbia.edu (Erik Hilsdale)
Subject: Re: RB Metroblades: good, bad, or ugly?

>His main concern is not having to carry around a pair of shoes when he
>skates. Does anyone know anything about these skates?

AEROBLADE REVIEWS
-----------------

>* I've had some trouble with the fit to my feet. These seem to be
>narrower than my old rollerblades. They should really offer both D

>and E widths like Bauer does. It may also be that three buckles and a

ca...@bunny.gte.com (Carl Castrogiovanni) writes:

Kimon

>would seem to decrease the power. What is the opinion of orienting the boot
>this way?

>left (relative to the frame). She said that it improved power. To me it

>would seem to decrease the power. What is the opinion of orienting the boot
>this way?

David Lowe lo...@neuro.fsu.edu

From: ki...@orac.holonet.net (Kimon Papahadjopulos)
Subject: Re: Racing Boot/Frame questions
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 1993 03:59:39 GMT

gra...@lobby.ti.com (Shawn Grammer) writes:

>1) What is the net opinion of the Bont Bluebottom/Powerline frame combination?

Acceptible for competitive racing.

>2) What is a good price for each of these items?

Off the top of my head, $200-$250 for the frames, $300-$350 for the boots.

>left (relative to the frame). She said that it improved power. To me it

Kimon

From: tr...@kla.com (Plant a tree today! ---;*] )

Tony Chen

unread,

May 1, 1994, 11:47:37 PM5/1/94

Posted-By: auto-faq 1.24
Archive-name: rec-skate-faq/part6

REC.SKATE FAQ - PART 6: WHERE TO SKATE (Indoors)

(last changed: Jan 8, 1994)

San Gabriel -- Small

Floor type:

San Gabriel may also be similar to Glendale, but I wouldn't recommend it
because6

> nites a week, and has these pot holes in the epoxy that go right into the
> concrete....I was afraid I'd ruin my (then new) dance wheels. It's really
> pretty seedy, and it's also ridiculously hard to find.

A *lot* of things in Austin are hard to find. There is a lot of
road work in the area of Playland. We live with it. Oh well. I can
appreciate what she is saying, but considering their work they are
doing, and that it will be brand spanking new while you are here, I
figured it would be the best one to check out. :)

> Skateworld (the one I found) sounds like what you are looking for.
> The times I've been there they've played top 40 music, but I believe they
haveM
> *adult* nites and Christian nites. The floor is wood, (a little small I
think)M
> but set up very much like the Skate 3 rink in Tyngsboro, (though the floor is

> natural wood color and a whole lot smoother than Tyngsboro.) The crowd is
> generally not very big, and most of the times I've been there the floor has
> also been reasonably clean (so you're not picking up a quarter inch of goop
> on your wheels, making it feel like you're skating on a washboard.) Though
> at least once that I was there I left after 40 minutes because it was so
> cruddy. I've seen them have a "race" now and again between songs during
> certain sessions, but I guess speed skating is more popular in Texas than
> dance skating.
> Anyway...directions....
> Take I-35 north (north of the Airport which is north
> of the 'downtown' area) take the Rundberg exit and go west on Rundberg
> to Lamar Blvd. Take a right on Lamar (you should see an HG supermarket)
> and go just past the HG parking lot, and take a left on Rutland Dr.

notes:

====

Caln/Thorndale/Downingtown PA

====

Villanova/Bryn Mawr/Radnor PA

====

Lansdale/Hatfield PA

Aston/Brookhaven PA

====

Northeast Philadelphia PA

====

Shillington/Reading PA

===

Harrisburg PA

Hagy's Fountainbleau

====

Newark/Christiana/Ogletown DE

====

Elsmere/Wilmington DE

====

Delanco/Cinaminson/Trenton NJ

George Robbins - now working for, work: to be avoided at all costs...

Tony Chen

unread,

May 1, 1994, 11:47:38 PM5/1/94

Posted-By: auto-faq 1.24
Archive-name: rec-skate-faq/part7

REC.SKATE FAQ - PART 7: WHERE TO SKATE (Outdoors) Section 1

Compilation of Outdoor Skating Locations Section 1
--------------------------------------------------

(last changed Jan 7, 1994)

Table of Contents
-----------------

West Coast
- Colorado
- California
- Idaho
- Phoenix
- Hawaii
Midwest
- Chicago
- Minneapolis
- Ohio
South
- Houston

WEST COAST

Colorado
--------

Breck-Vail

Glenwood Canyon

--phil

True.

--phil

-----

I don't know if your Hawaii contributor actually lives here,

Tony Chen

unread,

May 1, 1994, 11:47:40 PM5/1/94

Posted-By: auto-faq 1.24
Archive-name: rec-skate-faq/part8

REC.SKATE FAQ - PART 8: WHERE TO SKATE (Outdoors) Section 2

Compilation of Outdoor Skating Locations Section 2
--------------------------------------------------

(last changed Feb 23, 1994)

Table of Contents
-----------------

EAST COAST

over the 4th of July. And I'll definitely take my Blades for some downtown
action!

New York
--------

Massachusetts
-------------

From: Damon@nomaD

There is a skating club in Boston called the 'In-line Club of Boston'. The

hotline # is 932-5457 ( WE-B-KIKS ).

Maximus Skate Park has a half-pipe and a quarter-pipe street skating area.
576-4723.

Mass Indoor Skate Complex has a medium-sized hockey rink which is available

for open skating and hockey. 937-5577.

From: mdic...@bbn.com (Michael L. Dickens)
Subject: ABC and Boston Night Skate?

The ever popular Thursday night Night Skate was wicked crowded yesterday -
lots of good skaters, but a goodly number of beginners / intermediates as
well.

Rumor had it that there was a short clip on ABC sports about THIS night
skate, and that's why it was so crowded. Anyone see or know about this?

MLD

FYI: There are 2 Night Skates in Boston that happen on a regular basis:

one is on Tuesday night, meet at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River;

leaves around 8:30 pm (or as soon as it's reasonably dark). Your $10
covers 3 glow sticks & some soft drinks. $5 each time thereafter. This is

a leisurely skate - no tricks or racing or jumping or stairs, etc... unless

MLD

Weekend pedestrian and bicycle traffic

Weekday pedestrian and bicycle traffic

Never gone during the week-- don't know.

Number of roads which cross the path

None.

Number of stairways on the path

Philadephia
-----------

Rhode Island
------------

From: Janice...@brown.edu (J Green)

SOUTH
-----

From rbu...@owlnet.rice.edu

Atlanta
-------

Tallahassee
-----------

Tallahassee

Organization: University of Hawaii

Can't think of anymore right now! :)

Tony Chen

unread,

May 1, 1994, 11:47:40 PM5/1/94

Posted-By: auto-faq 1.24
Archive-name: rec-skate-faq/part9

REC.SKATE FAQ - PART 9: Skating Clubs and Organizations

(last changed Mar 6, 1994)

This section of the FAQ is a list of skating organizations and clubs, for
all types of skating (although you may see an emphasis on in-line clubs).

If you don't see your local club in here, please send in as much info
about it as you can to me. Thanks.

NOTE: This section is still only very rougly organized. I will get around
to cleaning it up soon.

------------------

From da...@osf.org Wed Mar 2 16:13:30 1994
Date: Wed, 02 Mar 1994 16:13:18 -0500
From: Damon Poole <da...@osf.org>

There is a skating club in Boston called the 'In-line Club of Boston'.

The hotline # is 932-5457 ( WE-B-KIKS ).

In-line Club of Boston

Kendall Sq.
P.O. box 1195
Cambridge, MA 02142-0009

The ICB offers a newsletter, T-shirt, hotline, clinics, night skates, races,
discounts, and more.

---

From da...@osf.org Wed Mar 2 16:15:42 1994

This information should replace the earlier information on night skates.
What used to be the Thursday night skate is now the Monday night skate.

Tuesday, Beginner, 8:30pm
Meet at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River.

Your $10 covers 3 glow sticks & some soft drinks. $5 each time thereafter.
This is a leisurely skate - no tricks or racing or jumping or stairs, etc...

---

From: pa...@lidssun1.marc.gatech.edu (Paul Lomangino)

---

From: tr...@kla.com (Plant a tree today! ---;*] )

Tony Chen

unread,

May 1, 1994, 11:47:41 PM5/1/94

From: @sedona.intel.com (Kenneth Creta)

Ken

From: ma...@unidata.ucar.edu (Matt Hicks)

From: kcr...@sedona.intel.com (Kenneth Creta)

Ken
--

From: kcr...@sedona.intel.com (Kenneth Creta)

New Tricks:

From: j...@lvld.hp.com (Jim Aites)

From: dma...@is.morgan.com (David Madeo)

From: j...@kepler.unh.edu (Spectre)

Tony Chen

unread,

May 1, 1994, 11:47:42 PM5/1/94

Posted-By: auto-faq 1.24
Archive-name: rec-skate-faq/part11

REC.SKATE FAQ - PART 10: Skating Tricks and Moves Section 2

Skating Tricks and Moves Section 2

----------------------------------
(last changed Nov 29, 1993)

Table of Contents
-----------------
o Jumps (180's, 360's etc.)
o Pipes and ramps
o Rail slides
o slaloming (new section)

180-360 JUMPS
-------------

From: dc...@mailer.cc.fsu.edu (Daryl S. Cain)

dbr...@Mr-Hyde.aoc.nrao.edu (Daniel Briggs) writes:
> Suggestions for exercises on how to work towards a good 360? How high
> should I be able to jump in order to have a reasonable shot at finishing
> the 360 before landing. For that matter, how should my feet be set on
> take off and landing?

The trick is to power your rotation from your torso and just carry your
legs along for the ride. I it helps me to hold my arms out in an L shape
(one arm out to the front and one out to the side) and swing them to get
the rotation going. The best way to practice is in your shoes on the
grass (softer when you fall). Its my theory that if you can't jump and do
a 360 in your sneaks (wear heavy shoes to simulate the weight of skates)
then there's no way in hell that your going to do one in skates. Its also
my theory that the best positionl for your feet is about six feet straight
down from your head, I mean, the hardest part about spinning (on land or
in the air) is staying vertical and balanced.

From: so...@cyclone.mitre.org (Stephen J. Okay)

In article <CBCLp...@news.cis.umn.edu> holr...@student.tc.umn.edu (James A Holroyd-1) writes:
>Steve: Yep, they're fun, aren't they? Haven't done them (180 jumps over
>curbs) to a
>heel-to-heel, but I have kept rotating and sort of spun around in a crouch
>to a forward position again once I land...

Well, its not really OVER the curb so much as it is using it as a launchpad
of sorts. But yes they are fun.... :)

Crummy ASCII art follows:
____ +--------Launch into 180 here...
/ \ | _
/ \ | / \
/ ___\|/__ \ curb hop
/ / \ \/---------- skating path
Land 180 here ^^^^^^^^^
curb/traffic island

From: j...@kepler.unh.edu (Spectre)

In article <1993Aug9.1...@Mr-Hyde.aoc.nrao.edu> dbr...@Mr-Hyde.aoc.nrao.edu (Daniel Briggs) writes:
>
>Suggestions for exercises on how to work towards a good 360? How high
>should I be able to jump in order to have a reasonable shot at finishing
>the 360 before landing. For that matter, how should my feet be set on
>take off and landing?
>| Daniel Briggs (dbr...@nrao.edu) | USPA B-14993

Go back to basics. Take off your skates, stand in one place, jump
up and spin around. Concentrate on thinking on what you are doing, one
step at a time. Once you get to a point where you think you can explain
it to a crippled 12 year old, then put your skates on. Start without moving.
Just do the same thing, jump up, turn around (Pick a bail of cotton if you
really want to), and get the feel of what parts of your body emphasize the
speed and control of the spin. Then just start rolling, and doing it. Once
you get to the point where you can do it with a good speed roll, then
everything beyond (curbs, stairs, etc) is just conquering fear...it's not
any different wether you spin over a perfectly smooth pavement, grass, stairs
or a car. If you can make the jump without any of the obsticals, you can
do it with the obsticals...just close your eyes at first and you won't kno
the difference :)

From: holr...@student.tc.umn.edu (James A Holroyd-1)

Regarding 360's:
I've almost got them now... I'm spinning most of the way round,
but I keep dropping one foot too soon, so I end up landing like this:
(apologies for the ascii art)

(spinning clockwise)

This isn't really a problem, but it looks kind of stupid... I think I need
to get more of a "pop." I also need to keep my skates closer together.

The physics behind the spin is actually pretty simple:
While you're still on the ground (the wind-up phase), you give yourself
angular momentum by turning your torso in the opposite direction to the
one you're going to be spinning in, then twisting into the spin and
jumping. Hopefully, you'll give yourself enough momentum to make yourself
go some multiple of 180 degrees when you're in the air. You can make
yourself spin faster by pulling everything in closer to your axis of
rotation. I saw a TV program on PBS once about video/computer analysis of
ice skaters doing jumps... they had one skater who couldn't do a
triple-something-or-other, and they diagnosed her problem as leaving her
arms too far away from her body. They had her lift weights, which
strengthened her arms, which let her pull them closer in to her body,
which helped her finish the jump. One interesting thing to note about ice
skaters is that they usually start jumps with one leg at least partially
extended away from their body. When they pull the leg in, it reduces
their polar moment of inertia, which increases the rate of the spin (since
angular momentum is conserved, neglecting air resistance). Because most
in-liners start their jumps on 2 skates, we can't get the slingshot
effect of bringing the leg in, consequently we can't do triples on flat
ground. Anybody out there doing ice-style jumps on inlines? Any thoughts
from you ice-skaters out there?

James

From: mdic...@bbn.com (Michael L. Dickens)

In article <1993Oct11....@ait.com>, cer...@ait.com (Joseph P.
Cernada) wrote:
> I still haven't figured out how to get any height while jumping in
> this position. I get maybe 5 inches off the ground. Anybody have any
> suggestions on how to jump higher from the heel-to-heel position?

It's leg strength. And the ability to raise your legs up like an
airplane's wheels retracting.

If you're in New York, check out the now-somewhat-talked-about Victor - the
master of side-surfing. Before he moved (from Boston), I've SEEN him jump
a barrel (about 3' height & 1' radius) on it's side while side-surfing, and
have heard that he can do the same barrel standing up!

What he does highly resembles retracting his legs as he goes up, and
dropping them back as he comes down. Quite impressive.

PIPES AND RAMPS
---------------

From: Spectre <j...@kepler.unh.edu>

Re: pipes

> I'd appreciate it if you could drop me a few pointers so that if I find one
> someday I won't kill myself on the first time out...

Pointers:

START FROM THE BOTTOM!!! Never start from the top until you get
get yourself to the top from skating, and not climbing. Even if it is
a 3 foot quarter pipe...don't start from the top till you can skate up it,
turn around at the top, and come back down without falling. I was teaching
a friend of mine, he was fooling around on a 3 foot quarter...I told him
to work bottom to top. He skated up, up the ramp, and stood on the top...
the "dropped in" (Started from the top standing up), fell backwards and
sprained his wrist, now he doesn't want to skate pipes anymore.

Work your way up, get used to the transition from flat to sloped..
it's a very strange sensation going up a curved incline vs. a flat incline.
Work on getting used to going up on the transition, turning around, and
coming back down, all fluid.

Once you get comfortable with the transition, you have to learn how
to pump. Pumping is what makes you gain speed when your in the pipe, since
gravity and friction will slow you down a little... I don't know if I can
explain this well but....as you come up to the transition, bend your knees
some...When you start up the transition push your feet out...the result will
just be you standing up...but pushing against the centrifical (sp?) force
will let you get a little more speed. When you turn around at the "apex"
of your ride up...do the same...turn around, bend your knees a little, and
extend against the pipe...you will notice a BIG change in speed, since you
will be getting more speed than you would if you where just riding down the
side of the pipe. Repeat this for both sides...From the bottom, pump, up
the transition, turn around, pump, down the transition, accross the flat,
pump, up the transition, turn around, pump, down the transition. If there
are skateboarders or other skaters there, watch them, expec. their knees...
You can ask them, but a lot of skateboarders don't even realize they do it.

Pumping is the secret to riding...the better you can pump, the
higher you will go...with out pumping, you will never gain speed, and will
never get as high has you were when you turned around on the other side..
(Simple physics)

Once you think you have control over that...say you can get to a
point where you can grab onto the top of the pipe and pull yourself up
on the platform, your almost ready to drop in. At this point, you want
to start by going in sitting down. Maybe the first time, sit on the edge
and slide down, just get used to the hight and the speed when you slide...
Then sitting down, put your hands on the coping (the metal pipe that is
on the edge of the pipe) and push yourself forward...you have to go forward
enough so when you stand up, your body will be perpendicular with the pipe..
push off...and stand up...and go like you did when you started from the bottom,
except you already have some speed. That part sound dificult, but after
a couple of tries it gets really easy.

Once you feel comfortable with that, you can either 1) drop in
standing up...(put first to wheels over edge..bend your knees and touch your
toes...you'll roll into the pipe, and your legs will be perp with the pipe..
then you just need to stand up) 2) Start lifting your feet some as you go
in...lift yourself up on your hands, put your feet behind you so that your
feet are higher up with you go in sitting./..that way you get more used to
to the actual hight from the top...keeping going till your comfortable with
getting your feet all the way to the coping before you push yourself in.

If there are any other skaters there, you can ask them for tips, but
do not "drop in" until you feel comfortable...I did that once...12 foot
pipe 1 foot of vertical...dropped in...forgot to bend my knees...face plant
damn close to the flat....

Good luck...be careful....wear a helmet and knee pads at least....
let me know if anything isn't clear.

From: sav...@csu.murdoch.edu.au (Duncan Savage)

Saw a neat trick that some guys (including one who looked about 13)
are doing in Sydney, Aus. Basically, they use a standard skate
ramp, skate into it, but instead of rolling up it, catch their toes
(I don't remember if it was with one or both feet) on the front of
the ramp, flipping themselves into a forward somersalt with their
heads just about scraping the ramp. They land on the other side of the ramp.
Needless to say they had a full complement of protective gear, and given
the protection even their stuff-ups didn't look too painful. I don't think
I'll try it just yet.

--

From: holr...@gold.tc.umn.edu (batty)

Charlie, I agree wholeheartedly with your construction technique, but we
found different geometry worked better for us when we built launch ramps
for skateboarding.

When you go off a launch ramp, you are launching so that you land away
from the ramp, so the top lip of the ramp doesn't have to be perpendicular
to the ground. If you build a ramp with a radius less than 6 feet, it
feels *really* weird. We found that the ramps that were easiest to launch
off were the ones that we could go fastest on, which gave us more air
time. 8 foot radius worked well for us.. You suggested building a ramp
with a 2.5 foot radius. The distance from your center of gravity
(somewhere around your bellybutton) to the bottom of your skates is about
2.5 feet (less if you're crouching). When you hit a 2.5 foot radius ramp
that goes to vertical,
your skates will go up the ramp, but your center of gravity will stay in
one place... you'll also go straight up in the air and either have to
launch to one side, or you'll have to land back on the ramp.

Here's some really bad ascii art showing my favorite launch ramp:

____
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
*______________________________

The "launch angle" was a little more than 30 degrees, the whole ramp was
about 8 feet long, and it was about 2-3 feet tall. It was (as I remember)
about a 10 foot radius. it had a small platform at the top (which,
combined with the length of the ramp, made it very stable)
We could hit this ramp going *very* fast, and it sent us a long way.
This is what worked for us.

From: ai...@hplvec.LVLD.HP.COM (Jim Aites)

Hey, you SKATEBOARD'ers! Got any helpful hints for us fledgelings?

| found different geometry worked better for us when we built launch ramps
| 8 foot radius worked well for us.

Is it just me or are a lot of folks under the (obviously) mistaken impression
that some launch ramps use a parabolic curve? Ignoring the fact that the
previous poster indicatated that the ansi-art was poor, this STILL looks
like it isn't a radius type ramp.
____
| * |
| * |
| * |
| * |
| * |
| *______________________________

Also, I've jumped ramps where the vertical part of the ramp was MUCH closer
to 90' than it was to 45'. I'm not saying that they were better than the
above, as a matter of fact, you *have* to go fast so you don't stall at the
top of the ramp...and dribble over the top lip. <grin> Hang time (altitude)
gets outragious pretty quickly, and all without landing more than 10' from
the ramp. Does this match with anyone else?

From: j...@oin.unh.edu (Spectre)

In article <1r91ge...@chnews.intel.com> kcr...@sedona.intel.com writes:
>> Fakies
>
>What exactly is this?

Fakies are A half-pipe trick. It's actually a un-trick. You go
up the side of the pipe like you are going to do a trick, go in the air,
and do nothing...not even turn around. You then come back into the half
pipe skating backwards (Which isn't nearly as simple as street skating
backwards :)

> Work on 360 jumps off the ground (forward and backward). Once you
>have those down, hit a jump and do it (again, forwards and backwards).

My favorite: 360's clearing 6-8 stairs.

> Ken

One that I've been playing with, if you find a long bench, or low
wall, or something at least 10-20 feet long. Jump onto it with a 180,
land backwards with one skate on the bench and the other scraping along the
side of the bench, then jump off with another 180. I'm pretty sure in
half-pipe lingo, it's a backwards rail grind, but I'm not sure.

|____| - one skate
||
other skate -> |____||-------
|| | bench

Jeff Schreiber

From: adc...@cs.fsu.edu (Tony Chen)

In article <1r9dn1$l...@mozz.unh.edu> j...@oin.unh.edu (Spectre) writes:
>
> |____| - one skate
> ||
>other skate -> |____||-------
> || | bench

A more flashy version of bench riding is to jump on top of the bench (or
some kind of edge) and into a spread-eagle (I guess this would be a 90? 8-)
Ride all the way to the end and jump off with a 180 so as to land in
another spread-eagle, but with your feet reversed.

Another variation, find stairs that are sectioned with flats in between
flights. Ride the steps sideways (spread-eagle) and flip 180 in the
flats. You could also flip to backwards-bashing or whatever.

From: jnew...@ecst.csuchico.edu (Gadget)

Just to add the simple ones to the list, here goes...

Front wheels of both skates
Front wheels of both skates in parallel
Back wheels of both skates
Back wheels of both skates in parallel
One wheel (front/back/left & right)
Heel & toe
Front/back/mixed wheels while spread eagle

Of course all these can be done backwards as well.

Oh, and as a great drill. Cross over backwards while going forwards and
cross over forwards when your going backwards....

From: so...@cyclone.mitre.org (Stephen J. Okay)

Subject: Stair/Wall Jumps..

In the ever continuing chronicle of attempts to break my neck, I thought I'd
share some thoughts on my stair and wall work that I did last night.

I went over to a local high school that has some rather interesting structures
for thrashing on, so following a couple quick laps around the parking lot, I
set to work on the stairs, and while I have no problem jumping up/over up to
4 steps at a time, or back down, I still have absolutely NO clue as to how to
actually ride the damn things...any hints/ideas would be much appreciated,
esp. from our two resident thrashers on the group...

Aerials are a different story. I can now say with a good degree of confidence,
I can do a 180 (and sometimes a 270) from back off of up to 4 steps. The trick
seems to be in starting your turn when you launch. I've always fallen when I've
tried this until I realized that its just too much to think about if I try to
turn in mid-air, so its better to just start right off doing it.

Walls:

Had moderate success hurdling, getting over a couple walls/barriers.
The idea is to use head straight for the wall and use it as a vault of
sorts to propel yourself into the air with. My biggest problem with this is
that I need to remember to lift my feet higher. I kept scraping the wall and
consequently losing control, making for a really sloppy landing...
I did get over clean once or twice, which probably looks really cool, but who
knows...I was the only one there...

Another cool thing I noticed in my warmup skate: Those sloped ramps that are
often built into curbs as bike or wheel chair ramps make cool jumps. Dip down
the side closest to you and then ride up the lip of the opposite side and if you're
going fast enough, you'll clear the curb and catch some air(Just make sure no cars
are coming,as this does kind of definitely put you out in the street). So I did that
a bunch of times and liked it a lot...Kind of reminds me of one of my favorite
skiing maneuvers: dipping down into the gouges made by other skiers and popping out
into the air on them.

Oh, I also tried the dual braking thing again, but at higher speeds than before.
Balance is definitely the key to this one. Everything above your waist should
be pointing forward, and everything below should be leaning back on your
heels. Anything else throws your balance too much, IMHO.

Helmets:I have a Protec skateboarding helmet, that has the 1-impact foam core
with a hard plastic outer shell(none of this wimpy 'microshell' stuff) that
fits pretty well. Good side coverage of the side of my head down past the
ears, and covers down the back of my head.
I've gotten some skateboarding/music stickers for it, and it looks cool.
Yes, its the full combat style of helmet, but I definitely would NOT
thrash without it.

From: IO0...@MAINE.MAINE.EDU

cd...@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Douglas J. Narby) writes:

>Stalls
>Curb Grinds/Rail Slides
>Fakies

i've never seen "fakies" before. (well, i have a friend who will
occasionally "catch a fakie" but that is something _completely_
different, and not related to skating). the term comes from
skateboarding and means simply "backward". thus the usage would be
"i jumped 180 to fakie...", which tells you that the person started
facing forward. "fakie" preceding a trick name means that the
person was skating backward when the trick was started, i.e.,
a "fakie 540" would be one and a half revolutions, starting from
backward (and landing facing forward, hopefully, for a 540 :).

you haven't mentioned anything about airs in your list. that is a
large area, and as far as i know there is no standard for skate airs
(regarding the airs that aren't duplicates of jumps performed in
ice skating, like grabs). well, one thing that could fit on the
list of "not airs" is skating crouched, with most of the weight on
one skate, the other leg being bent so that the knee is close to the
ground (several inches) and only the toe wheel is rolling on the
pavement. if you can't picture it, either see it on MTV sports or
watch a man proposing to a woman, same stance. anyway, it's known
locally as a crunch, as in, "gallivan to crunch".

From: a...@dsbc.icl.co.uk (Andy Wardley)
Subject: Pipe-Dreams
Organization: International Computers Limited

Last Saturday afternoon was a sheer joy for me. I spent nearly 4 hours
skating the half-pipes in my local park and seeing as it was my first
real (i.e. more than half an hour) session and I managed to get quite
good, I thought I'd share with you my trials and tribulations and
tell you about some of the interesting places I've got bruises.

The smallest of the pipes is about 2 foot high and absolutely bloody
useless because it is so small. The next is about 3 foot high and just
about skatable with inlines. (sorry, did I mention I was skating inlines?)
The 4 foot pipe was great - high enough to get some speed, wide enough to
give some maneuvre^H^H^H^H^H^Hmanoovre^H^H^H^H^H movabilty room but not
so big as to risk neck-breaking for the uninitiated (me). Bloody good fun!

Whoever said in the FAQ that you shouldn't drop in straight away was dead
right! I skated about half an hour and pretty much got comfortable with
it before dropping in. The first two attempts, however, resulted in me
landing flat on my arse, causing the first large bruise area and a severe
jolt up the spine. Attempt three was the success and when you've done it
once, it's a piece of piss. You've just got to throw all your weight
forwards and get you body perpendicular to the wall of the pipe. Bloody
good fun!

Managing to keep my speed up was the next big task and I slowly got the
hang of it. The trick seems to be to bend your legs up towards you as
you go up into the curve and then extend them out again as you are coming
back down again. It's hard work, particularly on the stomach muscles, as
it requires a lot of trunk flexing. Bloody good fun though!

Next step was to try a few rail grinds. Easy! Trying to slide along the
rails took a bit more confidence and after limited success, I decided to
leave that for next time. Bloody good fun!

I briefly tried the BIG pipe. It's about 10 foot high and not to be skated
lightly, IMHO. I didn't drop in because they didn't have the ladder out
to get to the top platform and I didn't really fancy trying to build my
speed up to jump up onto the platform. Again, maybe next time. The other
thing was that there is a sign saying that full safety kit should be worn
on the big pipe. I didn't have a helmet and thinking about it, I don't reckon
it would have been a good idea to try it without. Bloody good fun though!

On that note actually, I really wouldn't recommend skating pipes without knee
pads and wrist guards *at the very least*. I have bruises on my knees,
elbows, shins, ribs (I landed with my arm under my chest - Ouch!) and
backside and that was with knee pads, elbow pads and wrist guards. Without
those, I would undoubtedly have plaster on at least one wrist and both
knees. I think you can safely manage without a helmet on all but the
biggest pipe but your mileage may vary. It does take a few bruises to
get the hang of pipes, but after the first couple of hours, the falls are
fewer and further between and generally much more controlled. Bloody
good fun too!

If you haven't skated pipes and get the chance - try it! It is really
good fun and doesn't hurt much. I tend to be a bit reckless when skating -
more conservative skaters may well find the experience less painful.

Anyway, I better go because this post has got very long. Just thought
I'd let you know about my skating experience. If you want to hear more,
I've got Megabytes more I can write about the afternoon :-)

More importantly, if anyone wants to make the trip to South London on
a Saturday or Sunday afternoon (I'm not sure if it's open during the week)
then I can let you know exactly where to find the place. Similarly, if
anyone knows of any other pipes or good skating places in London, let me
know. Apologies to all overseas readers - I realise it's a bit far to
come from the US or Oz or wherever, but if you ever do find yourself over
here....

From: mdic...@bbn.com (Michael L. Dickens)

Subject: Re: Pipe-Dreams

In article <CFGHu...@dsbc.icl.co.uk>, a...@dsbc.icl.co.uk (Andy Wardley)
wrote:
> Last Saturday afternoon was a sheer joy for me. I spent nearly 4 hours
> skating the half-pipes in my local park [...]

Hmmmm. So did I - at the indoor skate park in Cambridge - MA that is.
And, yes, it was (& still is) bloody good fun.

Pipes there range from a couple feet with about a 6' radius, to 10' with an
8' radius - ie: 2', 4', 6', 8', 10'. The half-pipe is 9' with a 1'
extension on one side, with a 8' radius. (I think the 8' radii are
correct; but are close enough for this discussion.)

> Whoever said in the FAQ that you shouldn't drop in straight away was dead
> right! I skated about half an hour and pretty much got comfortable with
> it before dropping in. The first two attempts, however, resulted in me
> landing flat on my arse, causing the first large bruise area and a severe
> jolt up the spine. Attempt three was the success and when you've done it
> once, it's a piece of piss. You've just got to throw all your weight
> forwards and get you body perpendicular to the wall of the pipe.

Agreed with the "don't drop in until you're comfortable" thing. I was on
the coping & doing fakies, forward & reverse 180's, and almost stalls
before I dropped in. I remember the first time I tried on ANY pipe I fell
on my arse as well. But once I got the feel down, I immediatly went up a
couple of levels.

> Managing to keep my speed up was the next big task and I slowly got the
> hang of it. The trick seems to be to bend your legs up towards you as
> you go up into the curve and then extend them out again as you are coming
> back down again. It's hard work, particularly on the stomach muscles, as
> it requires a lot of trunk flexing.

It's called "pump"ing. It's supposed to be bending the legs, not from the
waiste. But most everyone I know splits the task. As you drop in, you
start with legs bent, then "pop" them straight during the transition. As
you approach the pipe to go up, bend slightly, and "pop" the legs again
during the transition. This "pop"ing transfers potential energy into
kinetic energy & vice versa using centripetal forces, sort of (I won't get
into the physics here). So the better you get at "pop"s, the faster &
higher things will go.

> On that note actually, I really wouldn't recommend skating pipes without knee
> pads and wrist guards *at the very least*. I have bruises on my knees,
> elbows, shins, ribs (I landed with my arm under my chest - Ouch!) and
> backside and that was with knee pads, elbow pads and wrist guards. Without
> those, I would undoubtedly have plaster on at least one wrist and both
> knees. I think you can safely manage without a helmet on all but the
> biggest pipe but your mileage may vary. It does take a few bruises to
> get the hang of pipes, but after the first couple of hours, the falls are
> fewer and further between and generally much more controlled.

Definitely a good idea to wear FULL armor. This might even include
"hip-clips" - pads that clip for hip & thigh protection. Helmets & BIG
knee pads are a must. Wrist guards are good for sliding & such, but you
should be able to train yourself to fall onto your knees from ANY position.

Last Saturday I was doing stalls on the 9' pipe - and on one occasion I
pushed off too hard. I knew I was NOT going to make the whole transition,
so to save myself I pulled my legs up & fell directly onto my knees. Hit
the last foot or so of the transition & slid the rest of the way down.
Because I knew I wasn't going to make it, I automatically (w/o thinking out
it) fell onto my knees. The big cushy knee pads saved my back again!!!

From: a...@dsbc.icl.co.uk (Andy Wardley)
Subject: "Pipe Dreams 2" presented in glorious Inline-O-Rama

Another weekend of hard-hitting half-pipe skating action was had by
myself, and in a spirit of uncharacteristicly unselfish generosity,
I thought I'd share my tales of woe and joy with all you loverly
people out there. Yes, you too can experience Inline-O-Rama from
the safety and comfort of your own homes....

For those of you who read last weeks issue of "Pipe Dreams", you'll
remember my adventures on the half-pipes at my local park. Since
then I've got quite high up on the gnarly scale and even quite "rad"
according to the local sk8boarders. I'm told this is a compliment :-)

Dropping in, turning, jumping out, these are all second nature now and
bruises are certainly fewer and further between. I also junked my old
Bauer knee pads and got some serious thick pads (not cheap at #25 UK
Quids) after realising quite how much my knees were suffering even
with the pads. The new ones are infinitely better.

I've got the hang of popping/pumping to get some speed up. This means
I can catch some serious air on my way out of the pipe, 180 and drop
back in with little trouble. I reckon a 360 would be fairly easy but
I haven't attempted that yet. My pumping isn't perfect and I found that
I still can't get up and out of the 10' pipe, but practice will no doubt
make perfect. Thanks to Michael for the tips - they helped a lot. Can
anyone actually tell me what the physics are involved in the process?

Stalling on the rail is a fave of mine and easy for the novice. I
still can't get any decent slides along the coping - maybe I'm just not
going in with enough sideways velocity. Anyone got any suggestions?
I've also tried to stall, jump 180 to a forward stall in prep to drop
in forwards. Didn't work - will keep trying.

The basic fakie (i.e. don't turn and drop backwards) and the stall
to a fakie (i.e. stall on the rail and then drop backwards) are also
quite easy to master and seem to generally impress people who think
it looks inherently dangerous to skate a pipe backwards. Actually, it
can be because you have to be used to taking a transition backwards.
You can then reverse-fakie (is that the right name?) at the other side
to get going forwards again. I bit of a jump when you r-fakie can be
impressive but make sure that your skates land back inside the pipe.
One time, mine didn't, and my left skate caught the top, rolled backwards
onto the platform and I smacked my shin badly on the coping and slid
face-first into the pipe. Well-bruised my shin but it was BLOODY GOOD
FUN!

If anyone has any hints or can tell me about other good trix to try,
I'd love to hear about them. At present, I am the only inliner who skates
the pipes so I don't have anyone else to watch, discuss trix with or get
inspiration from. The sk8boarders are a good laugh and fun to watch but
I worry that I might start to sound like them, man.... :-)

From: j...@kepler.unh.edu (Spectre)
Subject: Re: "Pipe Dreams 2"

In article <mdickens-0...@armageddon.bbn.com> mdic...@bbn.com (Michael L. Dickens) writes:
>In article <CFvCu...@dsbc.icl.co.uk>, a...@dsbc.icl.co.uk (Andy Wardley)
>
>I think I'll go back and review my advanced calculus physics book to see
>what it said in the first place. After all, I never really READ the book
>for class - just did problems out of it to pass.
>

I sat down and calculated what exactly was going on about a year ago
and it is completely out of my brain now (face plants don't help physics
memory very much :). It has to to with the combination of the centrifital
force and the action/reaction principle. by pushing against the centrifital
force you are adding more force, and since the half pipe can't break (you
hope) the force has to be evened another direction, sideways, which is
influenced because of gravity, so the result is an encrease of speed.
Take a look at vectors and force.

I'll try to put in a little more thought on this and get back to
everyone.

RAIL SLIDES
-----------

From: j...@kepler.unh.edu (Spectre)

I don't know if we've gotten much into rail-slides, so I thought
I would be the one to bring it up.

For those who don't know rail-slides, they are sliding sideways along
a railing. They aren't the easiest things, unless you take off one of your
wheels. If you take the 3rd back (of the 4) out, and at least put the axle
back in for support on your frame. A lot of people have teflon or other
plates designed to go in place of the wheel so you slide on the plate rather
than the frame.

I was working on stair bashing this weekend and got a bit bored, so
I started doing rail-slides on the railings instead.

Jump up on the railing (You can stay the direction you are going,
but I like to do a 180 on the way up so I'm facing the way I'm gonna fall :)
With the wheel removed, you want to land on the gap, where the wheel was, then
you simply (Not quite :) just let your feet slide along the railing down the
stairs.

Best way to practice, find something like a railing that is about
3-12 inches off the ground, skate up, land on it, and slide as much as you
can. I don't recommend that you try it right off the bat going down a
stairway, since the sensation of sliding backwards is REALLY strange. The
skate park that I practice at has 2 railings that are about 6 inches off
the ground. One is a railing that was taking off of a wall, and the other is
just a 3 inch diameter pipe that is placed on some wood so that the pipe
sits in the wood structure with 1/2 above the wood.

Happy Skating! (I Think this immortality feeling from owning a helmet
is going to get me killed!!!!)

From: ?

Jumps:
spread-eagle
daphney/daffy
helicopter
kossack
back-scratcher

In freestyle skiing this is called a Kossak(sp):
> leap-frog - I just made this name up, since I don't know what
> ski people call it, but you do a really wide
> spread-eagle, plant your fists in between your
> legs, and lean forward a bit. Looks cooler on
> skis, I think.

From: bi...@franklin.com (bill)
Message-ID: <1992Jan28....@franklin.com>
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 1992 01:07:35 GMT

Bunny hop: stand on one foot and swing the other leg forward. Lift
up (jumping) as the free foot is passing the leg on the ground or
just after. Bring the original free foot back underneath with the
toe stop down, bounce off the stop (you can just bounce or really
jump), and land on the foot you started with.

You don't use the toe stop when taking off.

SLALOMING
---------

From: Jim Aites <j...@hpsmpk.lvld.hp.com>
Subject: Slalom_faq_maybe

I enjoy slaloming and will make a stab at introducing others to it.
Critique and alternate ideas are invited.

Slalom (Note: one of the most misspelled words known to mankind)

The movement known as a 'slalom' is normally applied to the art of dodging
in and around a series of obstacles. Being pulled by a ski-boat or weaving
thru the poles on a ski slope are two well known examples. This discussion
will try to address some of the joys and techniques used when affecting
this move on in-line skates.

There is both a natural 'swing' and a physical 'compression' that come
into play while doing a slalom. The 'swing' is durn near natural, but by
understanding and making proper use of the 'compression' it is possible to
use this technique to slow your speed, maintain, or even increase it.

NOTE: Although the slalom can be accomplished in a stylish manner by almost
any skater, the ability to use the technique to slow down should *NOT* be
considered a replacement for any of the more standard braking methods.
Also, I believe that serious slaloming is well within the scope of the
intermediate skater. Although novice skaters have more important things
to learn before slaloming...like stopping...I feel that is is something
that any skater can/should do.

Before trying to address the mode used to change your speed, let's talk
about the simplicity of the move while coasting or going down a very
slight grade.

Basics:

The slalom movement is based on the transfer of weight during a continuous
series of serpentine turns. This linking of alternating turns can be a
slow-and-easy movement, or it can be as fast as skiing a tight mogul field.

Although there is a 'classic' position for doing a slalom (crouched with
knees and feet together), it may be done with feet in an open placement or
even in the water-skiing (one foot in front) position. The most important
thing to keep in mind is your ability to handle your steering and speed.

Generally speaking, a couple of standard down-hill skiing suggestions
come to mind. The most reasonable of these is the idea of keeping your
shoulders and head facing straight down the hill (or direction of travel).
Your upper body *can* provide added stability and leverage to manage the
slalom movement itself. Giving yourself this extra stability will help
a lot in avoiding an 'over-rotation' which happens when you just ride the
turn, and then try to go the other way...only to find that your momentum
wants to carry you around even further!

Steering:

I mention this first because it is *critical* that you be able to steer
your skates without lifting them. As a point in fact, you will not be
able to do a free swinging one-footed slalom without mastering this type
of steering in one form or another. The following is a basic practice move
suitable for anyone, including novices.

One footed slalom: (suggested method - author)

One of the simplest moves and most important ideas in skating (imho) is
the ability to do small slalom movements while on one foot. Steering
with one foot is *basic* for doing stable cross-overs, free-style,
surviving a one footed recovery, or...doing slaloms.

While moving at a slow glide on one foot, simply shift your weight
comfortably onto your heel. HEY, easy there! Just lift your toes a bit.
No need to try heel-walking yet! Now, simply use your body and/or free
leg to help point your toes in the direction you want to go. Weave.

Note: I know I said one-footed, but I meant either foot. Practice BOTH!
This is *easy*, my 7 year old does it. She found that she needed
to practice it to help her do controlled T-stops.

The basics of slaloming hinge on your ability to steer in some manner
similar to this. PLEASE TAKE NOTE!

Safety thought:

The 'feet side-by-side' stance used often in slaloming is probably one
of the more dangerous (from a front-to-back balance perspective) things
about it. The one-foot forward water-skiing stance makes a great deal of
sense when moving between smooth/rough pavement. In either event, beware
sand and water! It is also suggested that your first attempts at slowing
while going downhill be done on a WIDE road with NO traffic. (nice grassy
shoulders next to the road might be a good idea as well) If you find
yourself picking up speed instead of slowing down, just continue a turn
till you are coasting back up the hill.

Changing speeds: (This is where it gets interesting.)

In the process of 'carving' a turn (with both feet), you will find that
there is a point of compression. Adding pressure before the furthest swing
of each turn will increase (or help maintain) your speed. Letting yourself
'give' just after the point will slow you down. (if this reminds you of
changing speeds while on a child's swing then you might have the idea ;')

When going down a hill, simply doing a slalom is NOT a sure way to slow
you down. It will probably keep you from going as fast as a straight
run, but that doesn't mean that you won't pick up enough speed to lose
control. Making your turns wider or 'deeper' will help shed more speed
because you are spending more time going diagonal or crossing than
heading down the fall-line. It is important that you find the give-point
(after compression) and learn to take full advantage of it.

While practicing your slaloms, you may be tempted to try 'shreading'
some of your speed during each turn by unweighting the outside foot and
then shoving your heel outward with a bit of extra force. This can help
in slowing, but it is awkward and dangerous in execution. There is a
tendency for the heel to 'catch'. Fair warning!

Other pseudo-slalom moves:

- Linked cross-overs with a slalom type one-footed glide.
- Outside leans...use the opposing foot. (counter-intuitive...looks great!)
- Catch the give-point of the compression, and use it for a 'spring' type
action. Care to try 'popping' a 360' in the middle of a hill?

Just for fun:

After you've proven to yourself that you can maintain or increase your
speed by pumping a slalom, try heading UP a narrow sidewalk. Amaze your
friends or passing motorists.

From pbr...@math.berkeley.edu Sat Sep 4 19:47:25 1993
Subject: Re: Slalom pre-FAQ, comments please...

I have a few comments to add. My skating is currently cross-training for
veldrome racing (bicycles), but I also have experience racing slalom and GS.

One of the things that you leave out is the necessity of keeping one's weight
forward. That is, imho, the main use of poles in skiing. The pole shouldn't be
planted next to you; it needs to be planted IN FRONT of you. To maintain
control in a slalom and use the "swing" properly, your weight needs to be
forward. My suggestion for practice is skating by carving turns with alternate
feet. The more you flex your boot, the more your rear wheels drag, and the more
speed you lose on each turn.

To practice pole planting, sit in a chair. Sit forward a little, and move your
feet back some, keeping your feet flat on the floor. Now, reach out with your
hand and lean forward. See how that feels? Now try it on skis at 50MPH...

From: Hank Hughes <thi...@ccs.neu.edu>
Subject: Re: Slalom pre-FAQ, comments please...

> Note: I know I said one-footed, but I meant either foot. Practice BOTH!
> This is *easy*, my 7 year old does it. She found that she needed
> to practice it to help her do controlled T-stops.
>
> The basics of slaloming hinge on your ability to steer in some manner
> similar to this. PLEASE TAKE NOTE!

Very TRUE ... but

Another approach may be too shift the weight forward (onto th
ball of your foot). Start on a patch of grass/carpet with your
feet in a v-stance. Then lunge like a classic fencing champion by
mimicing a stroke, but keep the weight on the balls of your feet.
You're more nimble with the weight on the balls of your feet.
Then lift the trailing leg slowly.

Concentrating on the final stance:

With a lot of flex into the tongue of boot and knee, try to drop
a perpendicular from behind the support leg's knee down to the
space between the 1st & 2nd wheel. Basically, if you look down
you should NOT be able to see your foot because your knee is in
the way. To balance, press on your outside toes to turn in, or
press on your inside `BIG' toe to turn out

In motion:

To steer, point your knee into the direction you wish to turn. This
rolls your ankle & center edge into the appropriate inide/outside
edge. Now you can grind through turns ( & hear the whoosh from
breaking traction).

Next week the upper body .... *grin*

One-footing for years - Hank

PS Anyone in Boston area drop bye corner of Mem drive & Western Ave
for tutoring on Sundays we set up 2 courses: straight and
staggerred... 8)

Inline Skills Development & Preservation Corp. (IISA)

From: ha...@aplcenmp.apl.jhu.edu (Marty Hall)
Subject: Re: Slalom pre-FAQ, comments please...

If you're talking about the inline "trick" type slaloming around
cones (as opposed to around taller poles and/or as training for skiiing),
I'd mention a couple of things:

o You want to get SMALL cones, both narrow and low. This is so that you
can clear when doing leg-crossing moves. Empty or partially sand-filled
soda cans substitute nicely.
o For starting, I find a gently sloping parking lot is best. Put a cone
at the end of each stripe. Move them closer together and/or move to
a steeper hill once you get the hang of it. IMHO about 15-20 cones
is a good length.

There are tons of variations beside the "normal" (to a skier) version.
I find getting very low helps on almost all:

o One foot. It is actually not very hard to do almost full-speed slaloms
this way.
o Toe to heel. Ie 1 foot behind each other.
o Backwards. Both double footed, toe-to-heel, and 1 footed. I still can't
do more than about 6 backwards 1 footed. Be SURE to wear a helmet;
I usually land on knee/wrist guards when falling going forwards, but
going backwards greatly increases your chances of hitting your head.
o Crouched down. Basically sitting on your front foot with your rear
foot just on its toe.
o Leg-crossing. Ie start with one foot on each side of the first cone.
From here, each foot slaloms independently, so they are always on
opposite sides. So one cone your legs are crossed, the next uncrossed.
IMHO it works best to always keep the same foot in the back.
o Backward leg crossing. Not as hard (for me) as backward 1 foot, but
the only other hard one of the bunch so far, IMHO.
o On the front wheels of both skates. Stagger your feet slightly.
o On the front wheel of the back skate and back wheel of front skate.
o Spread eagle (heel to heel). I can't do this one.

I'm sure there are lots of others, and would welcome seeing a collection.

From: cer...@ait.com (Joseph P. Cernada)

Subject: Slalom tricks

I'm looking for some new ideas for doing slaloms through cones. So
far I've got:

Regular slalom (skates side by side)
Backwards regular slalom

Forward crossovers
Backwards crossovers

One legged (raised leg in front or back)
One legged backwards

Side-surfing/spread-eagle
Side-surfing/spread-eagle heel-and-heel slalom
Side-surfing/spread-eagle crossover

heel-and-toe slalom
toe-and-toe slalom
heel-and-heel slalom

From: da...@nomad.osf.org (Damon Poole)
Subject: Re: Slalom tricks

In article <1993Oct7....@ait.com>, cer...@ait.com (Joseph P. Cernada) writes:
>
> I'm looking for some new ideas for doing slaloms through cones. So
> far I've got:

Anyway, how about 'tele-marking'? That's the only thing I can think of that
I didn't see on your list. That's where you kneel down so that the knee of
your trailing leg is almost touching the ground. The skate on that leg is
perpendicular to the ground:

|\
| \
| \
| \
o======== >
o /
o /
o o o o o

Another suggestion is to do everything in both orientations. One foot on left
foot or right foot, side-surfing with left foot leading or right foot leading,
etc.

From: dma...@vector.is.morgan.com (David Madeo)

>>>>> On Thu, 7 Oct 1993 16:09:27 GMT, cer...@ait.com (Joseph P. Cernada) said:

cernada> Side-surfing/spread-eagle crossover
This is called an independant. An extendended independant is
when one foot, usually the lead foot is on a heel.

cernada> heel-and-toe slalom
cernada> toe-and-toe slalom
cernada> heel-and-heel slalom

There are combinations such as forwards criss-cross with a jump 180 to
backwards criss-cross. There are ballistics which are high speed runs
of all of the above. There are the rattlesnake forwards and backwards
where you have your feet one after another.

Then there are the ones that are hard to describe in text. The
cutbacks or stepbacks, the Max-out (which the creator can't even do
anymore), the remy turns, and of course the mockery that Felix does to
the slalom course.

There was this quad skater from Paris who came in and was doing all
sorts of neat tricks including the one wheel down the course.

From: ai...@hplvec.LVLD.HP.COM (Jim Aites)

Nice list! Most of these should be included in the slalom FAQ. But...

| Side-surfing/spread-eagle
| Side-surfing/spread-eagle heel-and-heel slalom
| Side-surfing/spread-eagle crossover

What's the diff on these? Aren't spread-eagle and heel-to-heel the same
move with the only difference being the distance between the heels?

| heel-and-toe slalom
| toe-and-toe slalom
| heel-and-heel slalom

Actually, I can't see riding cones while doing 'two wheel' work.
Methinks that 2wheel stuff is best on the glide, but I guess it still
comes under the 'slalom' heading...just because it *can* be done! ;')

From: cer...@ait.com (Joseph P. Cernada)

> | Side-surfing/spread-eagle
> | Side-surfing/spread-eagle heel-and-heel slalom
> | Side-surfing/spread-eagle crossover
>
> What's the diff on these? Aren't spread-eagle and heel-to-heel the same
> move with the only difference being the distance between the heels?

Side-surfing/spread-eagle: all wheels on the ground
Side-surfing/spread-eagle heel-and-heel: TWO heel wheels on the ground
Side-surfing/spread-eagle crossover: all wheels on the ground, but
legs move side to side so each leg goes around a DIFFERENT
side of the cone.

heel-and-heel slalom: TWO heel wheels on the ground, but both skates
facing the same direction.

> Actually, I can't see riding cones while doing 'two wheel' work.
> Methinks that 2wheel stuff is best on the glide, but I guess it still
> comes under the 'slalom' heading...just because it *can* be done! ;')

I've done heel-and-toe and it seems to looks pretty good :). Haven't
done more than a 1/2 dozen cones on toe-and-toe, just a little too
unstable for my taste.

From: dun...@atri.curtin.edu.au (Duncan Savage)

In article 9...@ait.com, cer...@ait.com (Joseph P. Cernada) writes:
...
>heel-and-toe slalom
>toe-and-toe slalom
>heel-and-heel slalom

How about:

Lambourghini (one-foot plus one toe in a crouch)
Heel-Toe Lambourghini (heel-toe crouch)

Chook Steps (crossing legs over on each cone - one leg either side)

Brackets ( a bracket step alongside each cone -
bracket = one foot turn to the outside the circle,
opposite to a three-turn)

Counter/rocker - like the bracket, but between each pair of cones
instead of beside each cone.

============END OF FAQ PART 11===========================================

Sk8 Racer

unread,

Jun 2, 1994, 2:53:04 PM6/2/94

In article <rec-skate-fa...@cs.fsu.edu>, adc...@cs.fsu.edu
(Tony Chen) writes:

Team Paradise in Huntington Beach, CA has a Fun Roll open to all
levels on every Wednesday @ 6:00 PM skating from the HB pier to the
Newport Beach pier and back. The better the weather the better the
turnout.

Kevin Carothers

unread,

Jun 3, 1994, 6:08:28 PM6/3/94

Lake Balboa Skate & Kite has a beginner/intermediate class every
saturday & sunday. Cost is $5.00 for skates & pads, and 2.5 hours
of beginning/intermediate instruction by *-damn-* good street
skaturs... Most informative 5 bucks *I* ever spent. Call for details
at (818) 782-1234. They give you a free lesson (or 2 or 3... depending
on how nice you are :) if you buy your skates there.

They also have a skating club, but I don't think it meets formally
anymore.

Kevin Carothers ke...@drogges.tti.com

0 new messages