What's wrong with Ultra-Wheels?
Chris Patten
In article <4stnqp$b...@ave.net>, Satoshi Doi <sat...@ave.net> wrote:
>> I'm looking to buy a pair of in-line skates, specifically Ultra-Wheels,
>> but the local stores in my area do not carry them. One "Pro-shop" said
>> that you can't get replacement parts for the Ultra-Wheels. Does anyone
>> know any truth to this, or any other truth about the
>> Ultra-Wheels(especially "The Great One")?
>>
>> By the way I live in Santa Clara, Ca.; in the heart of Silicon Valley.
>>
>> I appriciate any input to this matter. Thanks
Funny...I live in Ottawa Canada and I've received the same advice from
local dealers: replacement parts for Ultra-Wheels are next to impossible
to get. (that from the local "Pro" ice & inline skate shop) Other stores
carry the UltraWheels (including the high end "Millenium") Further, I
HAVE seen parts around and other stores...
I ended up buying K2's however as the fit seemed to agree with my feet
better than the UltraWheels...
___________________________
Ottawa, Canada
Gita Enders
Satoshi Doi (sat...@ave.net) wrote:
: I'm looking to buy a pair of in-line skates, specifically Ultra-Wheels,
: but the local stores in my area do not carry them. One "Pro-shop" said
: that you can't get replacement parts for the Ultra-Wheels. Does anyone
: know any truth to this, or any other truth about the
: Ultra-Wheels(especially "The Great One")?
Here in New York I have no trouble getting replacement parts for my
"Great Ones"; I also find UltraWheels customer support excellent both
over the phone and over the web.
Incidentally, some replacement parts, such as bearings, need not be
UltraWheels; they'll tell you what's compatible.
G.
Satoshi Doi
I'm looking to buy a pair of in-line skates, specifically Ultra-Wheels,
but the local stores in my area do not carry them. One "Pro-shop" said
that you can't get replacement parts for the Ultra-Wheels. Does anyone
know any truth to this, or any other truth about the
Ultra-Wheels(especially "The Great One")?
By the way I live in Santa Clara, Ca.; in the heart of Silicon Valley.
M.P. Manning
I have a pair of Ultra Wheels Spectrum, and have been happy with them so
far. They came equiped with Kryptonics Turbo Racer 76mm/78A wheels on
ABEC 5 bearings, with aluminum spacers... all standard parts. The brake
system is unique to Ultra Wheels, being a height-adjustable roller with
an adjustable friction hub. It stops very smoothly, but I think not as
quickly as the typical non-rolling rubber friction block will. The
roller is supposed to out-last the fixed type, but at $10 for a
replacement kit, I doubt it's any cheaper to operate.
I have heard from a local (Rollerblade) dealer that Ultra Wheels skates
used to be largely non-standard, and generally a low end skate. I am
new to in line skating, but I think I am capable of spoting a well made
product. For $190, I'd say they are an excellent value.
What do others think about Ultra Wheels?
Martin Manning
Jim Omura
In article <4sttr8$5...@panix2.panix.com>,
gen...@panix.com (Gita Enders) wrote:
>Satoshi Doi (sat...@ave.net) wrote:
>
>: I'm looking to buy a pair of in-line skates, specifically Ultra-Wheels,
>: but the local stores in my area do not carry them. . .
Inline skates distribution is generally shakey right now. It'll vary
from brand to brand and region to region. Where are you?
. .
>: Ultra-Wheels(especially "The Great One")?
For the most part, "The Great One" are the same skates as
the UltraExtreme and the UltraElite, and the Katerina Witt.
The boot was essentially the same. The liners for the top line
were supposed to be better but I believe it was only a matter of
having a better insole. I might be wrong about that, but the
parts list seems to imply this. As Gita says, any standard
bearings and wheels for most other inline skates will fit.
>Here in New York I have no trouble getting replacement parts for my
>"Great Ones";
In Toronto, I found 1 store that had upgrade kit for
the top line DBS. A couple of stores had the service parts
for the DBS (brake wheel and spring kit). None of the other
stores had them nor would they order them. This will probably
change over time as UltraWheels distribution becomes more solid
in this region. Being in Canada, UltraWheels seemed to be
reluctant to sell me parts directly, I suppose because they don't
want to undermine local distribution contracts. But if things
don't get better up here in Canada, I expect US UltraWheels will
probably eventually sell direct to me if I really need something
that I can't get "here". But that day hasn't come yet, so I'm
only guessing.
steven young
Jim Omura (jimo...@pathcom.com) wrote:
: In article <4sttr8$5...@panix2.panix.com>,
: gen...@panix.com (Gita Enders) wrote:
: >Satoshi Doi (sat...@ave.net) wrote:
: >
: >: I'm looking to buy a pair of in-line skates, specifically Ultra-Wheels,
: >: but the local stores in my area do not carry them. . .
I've never actually tried Ultra Wheels. In one of the more recent issues
of Consumer Reports, they rate the Ultra WHeels Extreme as the best buy.
As for the company itself I don't know... From what I hear around the
way (Boston area), there aren't many replacement parts.
On a seperate note, my friend just bought a pair of UW Infinity from MVP
sports last week. After the first night of skating, his frame was so
warped in relation to the boot. I I looked like he was bo-legged on his
left foot. Just ONE time out... not even 2 hours. He's a beginner, never
been on skates. Not an overweight guy either. I think the boot was just
made of weak plastic. Now he can't return em to MVP cuz he skated on
them already. He's working on getting in touch with UW. He's totally
dissatisfied. He should have listened to me... I suggested Lightnings by
Rollerblade. Now there's a nice strong boot.
Steve
Jim Omura
In article <4t1tqd$7...@chaos.dac.neu.edu>,
syo...@lynx.dac.neu.edu (steven young) wrote:
>Jim Omura (jimo...@pathcom.com) wrote:
>: In article <4sttr8$5...@panix2.panix.com>,
>: gen...@panix.com (Gita Enders) wrote:
>: >Satoshi Doi (sat...@ave.net) wrote:
>: >
>: >: I'm looking to buy a pair of in-line skates, specifically Ultra-Wheels,
>: >: but the local stores in my area do not carry them. . .
. .
>On a seperate note, my friend just bought a pair of UW Infinity from MVP
>sports last week. After the first night of skating, his frame was so
>warped in relation to the boot. I I looked like he was bo-legged on his
>left foot. Just ONE time out... not even 2 hours. He's a beginner, never
>been on skates. Not an overweight guy either. I think the boot was just
>made of weak plastic. Now he can't return em to MVP cuz he skated on
>them already. He's working on getting in touch with UW. He's totally
>dissatisfied. He should have listened to me... I suggested Lightnings by
>Rollerblade. Now there's a nice strong boot.
I've seen the infinity and the frames don't look particularly
weak. If only 1 skate "warped", then I think it's most likely that
it was warped in the first place. What size was it?
At any rate, if it was a defect, then there are two things that
can be said. First, I would expect UltraWheels will replace the defective
frame. The Infinity frame is replaceable, so it's no big deal. But the
store gets "a strike against them." There's NO reason for the store
not to handle this situation for their customer. From your description
of the problem -- no abuse, the simple fact that they were "skated in"
is not sufficient for a good store not to at the very least, handle
shipping the return back to UltraWheels. Better stores *will* refund a
return. As far as I know, even Sears would take a return in a case
like this. Where is the "MVP" store? Is it a chain store?
Chris Rockwood
steven young wrote:
> ...my friend just bought a pair of UW Infinity from MVP
> sports last week. After the first night of skating, his frame was so
> warped in relation to the boot. I I looked like he was bo-legged on his
> left foot. Just ONE time out... not even 2 hours. He's a beginner, never
> been on skates. Not an overweight guy either. I think the boot was just
> made of weak plastic. Now he can't return em to MVP cuz he skated on
> them already. He's working on getting in touch with UW. He's totally
> dissatisfied. He should have listened to me... I suggested Lightnings by
> Rollerblade. Now there's a nice strong boot.
I have a pair of UltraWheels Infinity skates. I chose them as my first
pair of skates, and have been very happy with them. (Also, I got a
great deal--under $100.)
It is difficult to get replacement parts for UltraWheels in stores, but
I have had good luck dealing with the company directly. I called them
up because I wanted to replace the nylon frame spacers (which also serve
as the bearing spacers) that came with the skates. (This setup is
really lame, and is the worst thing about the skates.) They sent me
some different frame spacers (black plastic "hats" that work with short
aluminum bearing spacers) for free. I need to contact them again to
order some replacement components for my DBS brake, which has finally
worn out. (The brake is the best thing about the skates...I love it.)
For someone who is interested in aggro or hockey, Lightnings would be a
better choice than the UW Infinity. But I'm not, and I don't like the
heavy, non-ventilated, lace-up Lightning boot. When I bought my skates
(before the RB Lightnings had the new frame) the Lightnings only took up
to a 72 mm wheel, and I wanted to be able to upgrade the skates to go
faster. The Infinity takes up to an 80 mm wheel and has a longer
wheelbase than the Lightnings. I'm now on 77.5 mm Hyper X-360's with
ABEC-5 bearings, and my skates are pretty damn fast. I was keeping up
with a guy on RB Fusion 10K (5-wheel) skates while going down a hill
yesterday.
I will be considering another pair of UltraWheels skates (the
Millennium) as my next pair.
Tell your friend to call UltraWheels (look up the number on their web
site, http://www.ultrawheels.com) and I think they will probably be
willing to help him with his problem.
caltab...@gmail.com
>
> >> I'm looking to buy a pair of in-line skates, specifically Ultra-Wheels,
> >> that you can't get replacement parts for the Ultra-Wheels. Does anyone
> >> know any truth to this, or any other truth about the
> >>
> >>
> >> I appriciate any input to this matter. Thanks
>
>
> local dealers: replacement parts for Ultra-Wheels are next to impossible
> to get. (that from the local "Pro" ice & inline skate shop) Other stores
> carry the UltraWheels (including the high end "Millenium") Further, I
> HAVE seen parts around and other stores...
>
> I ended up buying K2's however as the fit seemed to agree with my feet
> better than the UltraWheels...
>
> ___________________________
> Ottawa, Canada
ninjanick...@gmail.com
> In article <4stnqp$b...@ave.net>, Satoshi Doi <sat...@ave.net> wrote:
>
> >> I'm looking to buy a pair of in-line skates, specifically Ultra-Wheels,
> >> but the local stores in my area do not carry them. One "Pro-shop" said
> >> that you can't get replacement parts for the Ultra-Wheels. Does anyone
> >> know any truth to this, or any other truth about the
> >> Ultra-Wheels(especially "The Great One")?
> >>
> >> By the way I live in Santa Clara, Ca.; in the heart of Silicon Valley.
> >>
> >> I appriciate any input to this matter. Thanks
>
>
> Funny...I live in Ottawa Canada and I've received the same advice from
> local dealers: replacement parts for Ultra-Wheels are next to impossible
> to get. (that from the local "Pro" ice & inline skate shop) Other stores
> carry the UltraWheels (including the high end "Millenium") Further, I
> HAVE seen parts around and other stores...
>
> I ended up buying K2's however as the fit seemed to agree with my feet
> better than the UltraWheels...
>
> ___________________________
> Ottawa, Canada
John Doe
--
ninjanickwhite1996 gmail.com wrote:
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> Subject: Re: What's wrong with Ultra-Wheels?
> From: ninjanickwhite1996 gmail.com
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> On Sunday, July 21, 1996 3:00:00 AM UTC-4, Chris Patten wrote: