The Voice from the Pacific Northwest Newsletter [ Page 2 ]

If you are looking for a little more speed and stability while on the local trails, but do not plan to train or skate with a local inline speed skating club, then a 5-wheel fitness skate is your best bet. The ones I am familiar with are the K2 Mod 10.5, Salomon “Pilot” series, and RollerBlade “Lightning” series. These skates are essentially their respective top-of-the-line fitness skate with a lower cuff and a 5-wheel frame. You get the benefit of a soft boot, a lot of padding, ankle support, a heel brake, and the speed and stability of a 5-wheel skate. You do lose some power/energy in the softer boot, but it will be fast enough for the local trails.

The frames/wheels/bearings are all comparable on these skates; the big difference is in how the boot fits. From my experience, Salomon skates are very wide, K2 is narrow, and RollerBlade is in between. My advice is go with what you know, if you have been skating in a pair of RollerBlade’s for the past few years, look into a pair of Lightning’s first. Some skate shops and sporting goods stores carry these models, so you can try before you buy. If you are only going to have one pair of skates, a 5-wheel fitness skate is the way to go, the only down side is the cost, US$300 to US$450 a pair.

One step up from 5-wheel fitness skates is what I call entry-level inline speed skates. These are skates in the US$300 range, which are just low cost versions of skates that could cost over US$1000. For a novice speed skater, the differences are minor, and not worth spending the big dollars until you understand the finer points of speed skates.

Something to keep in mind before you buy, speed skates feel quite different from fitness skates and may take a person several months to get comfortable in them.

There are about a half-dozen skates which fit into this category, including skates from Tour, Riedell, and Canariam, but the two most popular skates, and the only two I would recommend are the PowerSlide R2 (2004 model) and the Bont Shark Attack 2. Here’s a quick comparison of the specifications.

Note: many online dealers will allow frame/wheel/bearing substitution for a small charge

Before comparing these skates, I have to say that I am a bit biased towards Bont boots, they’re not my sponsor - I wish - but I’m on my third pair and never had a problem with them. Bont may not make the best boots out there, I am not sure if anyone can make that claim, but I would feel comfortable recommending any Bont boot.

If you would like to see a preview of Bont's latest skate, VAYPOR click here.

If you are new to speed skating, you may not be familiar with some of the lingo. The term “7000 series” refers to the category of aluminum alloy, “single void” or “double void” refers to the construction, and “5x80mm” or “5x84mm” refers to the number and size of wheels. Most inline frames are made from 7000 series aluminum, while some are made from “6000 series” aluminum. A “dual void” frame is stronger than a “single void” frame because it has an extra set of cross bracing, making it stiffer. I would recommend the 5x84mm configuration to taller and/or larger skaters (6’0”, 175lb), and the 5x80mm for shorter and/or lighter skaters (5’4”, 125lb).

The Shark Attack 2 boot has Bont’s 20+ years of experience behind it, and has received positive reviews from several club members. PowerSlide is relatively new company, with a lot of innovative ideas. The R2 boot uses their “skeleton” concept, which moves away from the use of carbon fibre and fibreglass; thereby, reducing cost. The reviews I have read are generally positive. The “skeleton” concept may just be hype, or it could be the next innovation in skates, only time will tell. For now, I will give the advantage to the Shark Attack 2 boot. If you have extremely odd feet, speed skating boots are less forgiving than fitness boots, and you may have to move up to semi-custom or fully custom boot. I have extremely wide feet, and any stock would be too narrow for me.

In comparing the rest of the skate, the R2’s frames, wheels, and bearing are top-of-the line, comparable with anything out there. In time, you may want to get a better boot, but there is no need to get a new frame. The Shark Attack 2 has an entry-level frame, and decent wheels and bearings, on par with 5-wheel fitness skates. The R2 is clearly the winner in this category.

So what’s better? The R2 is definitely the better deal, considering everything you get, but the Shark Attack 2 fits the “entry level speed skate” description better. For a novice speed skater, the frames/wheels/bearing will not make much of a difference, the important thing is what you put your feet in, and that’s where the Shark Attack 2 has the advantage. You also save $35, almost enough for a set of wheels.

Before you buy, talk to skaters who have these skates and see what they think, and if possible, try them on. I do not have first hand experience with the R2 or the Shark Attack 2. I have already blown my budget this year on my custom skates, and no one so far has offered to give me a pair to try.

I will conclude by telling you how to become a better and faster skater. After 3 years of skating 10km in the 23min – 25min range, I improved my time by over 3 minutes in 6 months. My secret, I dropped 10lbs and decided to skate 60km a week instead of 20km a week. The change from a 5x80mm to 5x84mm may have improved my 10km time by 30secs at most. Simply put, it’s the skater, not the equipment.

I hope you enjoyed this article, I know I enjoyed writing it. You can look forward to my views on all the different frames and wheels out there in my next article. Until the next newsletter, have fun skating!

Winson Chan - winsonc@mail.com

Back to Page 1