Detachable wheels?
Sweet Pea
I'm a newbie who's keen to purchase inline skates. I've seen some inline
skates whose wheels are detachable from the boot. Is it wise to purchase
such skates? I think they are more practical than the conventional inline
skates.
Sweet Pea
Sweet Pea
detachable wheels. Looks pretty cool. Can any skating experts let me know if
this brand of skates is reliable?
Thanks!
Sweet Pea
"Sweet Pea" <swee...@home.com> wrote in message
news:3afc0bcf$1...@news.starhub.net.sg...
Robert Joshua Chen
known as the Nature, which I skated in a few years ago as a rec skate. If
the Derbies are anything like the Natures, they should be fairly
comfortable (softboot) and pretty sturdy (enough to do light aggro stuff).
On the minus side, they might be a a bit heavier and clunkier than some of
the streamlined fitness skates, and not as well-ventilated. Compared to
some of the cool quick-lace systems now available on most skates, the old
style lacings may seem slow and time-consuming also...though my fingers
always got a good work-out too...
As for the Hypnos, I would have liked to try them out, but there's a
Rollerblade retailer near where I live, so...path of least resistance and
so forth. I'd wait to see what other ppl have to say, though the Derby has
my recommendation.
-Robert
--
Marc Zirnheld
dans le forum rec.sport.skating.inline...
Hypnos are ok for recreationnal skating, but not so comfortable for
walking. Choose a model with metal or metal/plastic frames, not the one
with full-plastic frames (be carefull: some are made out of
metal-painted plastic material).
Bill Fuhrmann
They are good for their purpose, but they are a compromise between a shoe
and a skate and excel at neither.
The boots are stiffer and clunkier than a normal shoe but do not give as
much support as a good rec/fitness skate. The frames are not as solid (on
the ones that I have seen) as a good skate.
If you are going to do something like skate commute where you need to walk
through buildings that don't allow skates or ride a bus, they make a lot of
sense with their ability to switch in a few seconds.
Most people who skate trails will give up the minute or so to change into
dedicated skates worth the difference. Some (who expect to occasionally
enter non skating areas) carry a pair of light weight beach shoes in a fanny
pack.
I would love to see and try out a pair of the Bont version
(http://www.bont.com). They are designed as an aluminum frame that acts as
a shell outside your shoe. Bont makes very high quality boots and frames
for inline and ice racing. The frame part of the skate should be top notch.
The only questions I would have are how well the support parts work with a
normal shoe and how expensive they are.
dcrts
getting to work and quite good enough to go jumping round in the park.
The most comfortable is the Rollerblade Nature, though the boots I have
are slightly too large for me. However they no longer make these. Derby
rubs a little on the back of one ankle but otherwise are fine. Both
models I wear all day at work for days at a time. The Hypnos I bought
because I thought the boot might fit slightly better to give better
control of jumps. I bought the ones with the metal frame. They are great
for jumps and stunts (after replacing the end wheels with slightly
smaller ones). However I was doing them up very tightly and they were
uncomfortable after a couple of hours jumping. However they are brand
new and I didn't do them so tight yesterday and I think maybe that is no
longer goign to be any problem.
I strongly recommend detachable wheels. I don't believe any performance
problems are going to be relevant unless you get into serious long
distance or speed skating. They are far more convenient. Also, it is
much easier to skate when you have nothing on your back (like a bag with
shoes) - it's surprising how much difference even a small bag makes.
I'm afraid Rollerblade are running down this line. They used to do three
models and now only one, and they are unobtainable in UK. Does anybody
know where I can get any mail order?
--
Dave Curtis mailing from home - please reply to:
dcu...@hgmp.mrc.ac.uk
Sweet Pea
I went to Bont's website and saw the Bont Commuter. According to the
specifications, it's quite solid as a commuting skate. However I couldn't
find the price so I've no idea how much it costs. Does anyone know?
Sweet Pea
"Bill Fuhrmann" <bfuh...@isd.UNKNOWN.net> wrote in message
news:tfqc7gq...@corp.supernews.com...
Sweet Pea
skates with detachable wheels don't sell as well as the non-detachable
counterparts. According to the retailer, those with detachable wheels have
inferior foot support as compared to the non-detachable ones. In detachable
skates, the straps grasp tightly to your shoe, while in conventional inline
skates, the buckle straps fasten the frame tightly around the boot which
holds your foot. Don't know how far that is true. Do you agree with this?
I strongly agree that skates with detachable wheels are definitely more
convenient for recreational skate commuters like me who use the skates just
to move from one place to another.
Sweet Pea
"dcrts" <dc...@netscapeonline.co.uk> wrote in message
news:3AFE2FA4...@netscapeonline.co.uk...
dcrts
> skates with detachable wheels don't sell as well as the non-detachable
> counterparts. According to the retailer, those with detachable wheels have
> inferior foot support as compared to the non-detachable ones. In detachable
> skates, the straps grasp tightly to your shoe, while in conventional inline
> skates, the buckle straps fasten the frame tightly around the boot which
> holds your foot. Don't know how far that is true. Do you agree with this?
Nah, it's rubbish. With both Hypno and Rollerblade the frame holding the
wheels grips tightly to the boot and it is the boot which holds the
foot, just like a conventional skate. Rollerblade does have an
additional velcro strap which goes from the frame round the ankle but I
took this off as it is perfectly secure without, just slows things down
and tends to rub a bit if you have it too tight. The Hypno provides
pretty solid ankle support IMHO, the Rollerblade models slightly less so
because the boot is not so rigid. However I have seen conventional
inlines with no ankle support at all - they are cut off below the ankle.
The reason these things don't sell very well is because of ignorant
retailers giving people lousy advice that they are not "real skates" and
so on.
Bill Fuhrmann
> specifications, it's quite solid as a commuting skate. However I couldn't
> find the price so I've no idea how much it costs. Does anyone know?
I would definitely ask them. Unfortunately when I went to their site to see
if they have a contact us page, they do but I cannot get it to open. Their
dealer page came up with the same problem. It could be their page or my ISP
since I occasionally get "not found" problems with other sites that I know
exist.
Alex Bont has posted in the inline racing news group so I do not feel that I
am giving away secrets by passing on the e-mail address (al...@bont.com) he
used there.
You may be able to find a local dealer that can tell you more, but it is a
new product that is not really in the mainstream of what their dealers sell.
Dealers may not have any experience with it yet or even know someone who
does.
If you cannot find a dealer in your area, we have a local racer who sells
Bont equipment along with his other racing skates and also will do mail
order via the internet. I doubt that Adam (http://www.adamsinline.com) has
experience with the skates, but if you want to buy them and cannot get them
locally, he would be a person to contact.
I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has actually tried them.
Bill Fuhrmann
> I asked a local store about Rollerblades Derby and I was told that such
> skates with detachable wheels don't sell as well as the non-detachable
> counterparts.
It is true and understandable. You can probably buy better skates plus
better shoes for less money. They are a minor part of the skate business.
>According to the retailer, those with detachable wheels have
> inferior foot support as compared to the non-detachable ones.
A friend who uses them says the same thing.
>In detachable
> skates, the straps grasp tightly to your shoe,
Wrong, as far as the Rollerblade ones I have seen go. As an engineer, I
wanted to see how they would securely attach a frame the wearing (bottom) of
a boot. They did a good job of using recessed locations that will not
change to locate the frame and a very secure clamping mechanism.
>while in conventional inline
> skates, the buckle straps fasten the frame tightly around the boot which
> holds your foot. Don't know how far that is true. Do you agree with this?
Huh? Straps fasten the frame to the boot on conventional inline skates?
Not on any that I have ever seen.
The foot is held into the boot by the laces and straps on both. Since the
boot from the detachable skates need to be more visually appealing and
comfortable while walking, they will be less supportive than a skate boot.
The only difference is in the mounting of the frame to the boot.
Conventional skates use rivets or screws to fasten the frames. The
detachables, (other than the Bonts) use a latch mechanism that appears to be
reasonably solid.
> I strongly agree that skates with detachable wheels are definitely more
> convenient for recreational skate commuters like me who use the skates
just
> to move from one place to another.
You're exactly who they want to market them to. Unfortunately (for you),
there aren't enough people like you to make the skates common.
Until a store can be reasonably sure that the skates they order will get
sold, they won't want to handle them. You may be able to get a store that
handles the proper brand to special order them for you. That way, they know
they will sell the pair that they order. It also has the downside that if
you don't like what you see, you will be stuck buying them.