Initial Thoughts CCM RBZ Skate Initial Thoughts

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

Now, another foreign skate for me...



Allow me to preface - CCM skates and I have had a checkered past. I was never one of those prototypical CCM fit guys; I had tried to skate with 952s back in 1999, which did not go well, then I got a pair of Externo E:60s back in 2001, and that didn't go that well either.CCM sent me a pair of original U+ back in 2007, and that was a bit bearable, but still not right.

I remember being shown the CCM CL under a table in the CCM booth in Vegas as it was still a secret back then, and thought that they were definitely on the right track, but alas, it didn't have enough volume.

This boot, however, is VERY interesting. As previously mentioned - it was a complete new design from the ground up.

I ended up in the same size that I was in previous CCM skates - 10.5 D. Like I said in a previous post, I know I'll always be on the short side of 296 as that number won't change.



The boot continues with the black/red scheme as its predecessor, the CL, albeit with white RBZ branding on the top of the ankle. Very good weight - they are 25% lighter than CL.



The lining is Clarino, however, nash on top of the tendon guard, which is something that has been on the Reebok skates.



The tongue is a thin felt, however, with U-Foam on the facing as well as inside, and a lace-bite pad as well.



Another new product is the SpeedBlade - once again, another new product. The holder is 4mm taller, and the balance of the holder was altered as well by shifting it back center.



They didn't stop there, though. New steel - the HyperGlide is a highly-polished runner, which can only be used with this holder - so it is not compatible with E-Pro. No honing required on these - I radiused them to 11' and then sharpened and after my final pass, did not leave a burr.



On initial fit, the skates felt a bit square - better than what the CL did, but still square nonetheless. That was one of the issues with the CL - you truly had to bake them to get them to fit well, and even made it a point to tell retailers that they can bake the skate multiple times, so to go ahead and bake it if someone were on the fence. These are better in that regard. The boots feel very soft out of the box, which I'll revisit in a bit.

No hotspots or anything on initial laceup.

I put them in the oven for 3.5 min, and then laced both of them up, and the skate instantly felt better. After the baking process, I removed them and then laced them up and kept them like that til the next day. Same as the CL did - they became considerably stiffer after the bake.

One thing to note - I shredded the top eyelet during the baking process. It was weird - pulled it out and it looked like a corkscrew - didn't break, simply shredded.

The final lacing pattern isn't very bad - it's a touch wide in the toe area for me.

It's going to be a bit crazy for me, because I will be doing two simultaneous reviews - been so busy with the move that I haven't been on the ice in 2 months. I will be skating these next Friday however. Any questions, please post in this thread.

Thanks goes out to Johanna Miller at Reebok|CCM for sending me these - much appreciated!

[mojo122 529]

Growing up I skated in Tacks, then Super Tacks when they first came out. Hoping for good things with this skate and for CCM.

[Rankin2 2]

Tried out a demo pair and had to switch back to mako's after warmup and 1 shift of shinny. Pain on all of the inside, ankle, arch, and forefoot. Lace bite was unavoidable, both tongue in & out and both these methods tried with all eyelets tied as well as one eyelet out. Just could not cross over with these, felt great after the bake though, do believe these fit quite big iCompared to my vapor x:60 I was 7EE and these were 6.5D

[Furyan 1]

Jr, could you clarify exactly weight of these ones?

And the second point - how do you describe heel lock? Is it same as CL?

Thanks!

[chippa13 1844]

Light.

[flyguy1 1]

How reactive are the molding materials (high density poron) in the skate, ankle area and throughout? How does the molding compare to the U foam in the CL?

[slapshotz44 0]

I didn't bake my RBZ's, but after having a few nights of back-to-back games I have to say I'm really starting to like these. I also have the mako skates, but have not decided which skate I'll continue to wear. Definitely a huge step up from the U+ CL, IMO. Only issue I've had, is after skating 10 hours or so, the top eyelets are ripping apart. Just like they are described here. Not pulling out, but just shredded and twisted up. Hopefully they stay intact. I have replaced my own eyelets plenty of times, but hope I don't have to do it to the RBZ's.

[Souldriver 64]

Kind of a side note here but I don't get you guys that don't bake new skates. Especially now at days with the materials used and how manufacturers pretty much tell you you need to bake them.

I kind of get it putting it off if you're not close to a place to get it done/don't have the oven at home/ it fits well enough you want to just do a skate or two. But I see plenty of people on here complaining of issues that could be solved with a bake and then saying they havnt baked anything. This baking idea isn't anything new either, and it's gotten to the point that manufactures now put down specific times and temps for your "boot bake shop."

This isnt a dig at anyone just a general question. I mean the boot fits and wraps so much better after a bake.

Anyway back on track, I hope those eyelets arnt an issue and the fact one person had it happen without a bake indicates we may see some warranties for these. I would like to ccm make a legit comeback to the skateworld, their fit matches my foot very well and even though I won't be in the market for skates soon I may be in a couple of years and it could trickle down.

[Souldriver 64]

I also see the boot seems to be wide at the top ankle and then slims down a bit towards the bottom, or is this a trick of the eye in the pic of the back.

Another question, I know they have different footbeds for different arch heights, do they all come with the skate or are they sold different or what's the deal with those.

Those high polished runners look great. I wonder how they will effect performance, durability, and how water may or may not stick to them.

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

How reactive are the molding materials (high density poron) in the skate, ankle area and throughout? How does the molding compare to the U foam in the CL?

No Poron in them. Catalogue was wrong apparently.

It's composite; CL was not. The composite is at a lower melting point so it reacts really well to heat.

Jr, could you clarify exactly weight of these ones?

And the second point - how do you describe heel lock? Is it same as CL?

Thanks!

I don't have a scale here. Sorry.

I never wore CL so I can't offer a direct comparison.

I didn't bake my RBZ's, but after having a few nights of back-to-back games I have to say I'm really starting to like these. I also have the mako skates, but have not decided which skate I'll continue to wear. Definitely a huge step up from the U+ CL, IMO. Only issue I've had, is after skating 10 hours or so, the top eyelets are ripping apart. Just like they are described here. Not pulling out, but just shredded and twisted up. Hopefully they stay intact. I have replaced my own eyelets plenty of times, but hope I don't have to do it to the RBZ's.

Yeah, I've never seen an eyelet shred like that.

I also see the boot seems to be wide at the top ankle and then slims down a bit towards the bottom, or is this a trick of the eye in the pic of the back.

Another question, I know they have different footbeds for different arch heights, do they all come with the skate or are they sold different or what's the deal with those.

Those high polished runners look great. I wonder how they will effect performance, durability, and how water may or may not stick to them.

Optical illusion. Obviously when I lace up it will go by my foot, and it's a bit too wide in the toe.

You get standard CCM insoles in the skate, and Medium of the new one. Retailers will sell the Low and High insoles, and work in conjunction with the Footdisc measuring gauge to figure out which should be best for you.

[ktang 34]

Are these as thermo-formable as the Easton Mako?

Once you have had more time to skate on these, could you do a comparison among this skate, the Easton Mako, the Bauer APX2, and any other of these latest-generation skates (Graf)? Fit might be different, but in the event that somebody is equally comfortable between two brands, the comparison might help in the final decision.

[AIREAYE 248]

Light.

I like this answer. Should be this response to every question about skate weight these days, I'm serious lol

Are these as thermo-formable as the Easton Mako?

Once you have had more time to skate on these, could you do a comparison among this skate, the Easton Mako, the Bauer APX2, and any other of these latest-generation skates (Graf)? Fit might be different, but in the event that somebody is equally comfortable between two brands, the comparison might help in the final decision.

Different concept, different boot design and different stock feel/fit. Can't really compare one-on-one, let's say that they're both incredibly heat mouldable.

The top of the toebox, where the tongue meets it, is actually rather pliable as well, which makes me think that for those with high volume there, they could expand upwards to give you more space. The parts of the toebox where the boot meets them also gets noticeably soft, which makes me think that you could work around there as well, though I doubt that any changes there will be as permanent as with the core.

[t6lock 24]

these skates look great. i used to use tacks way way back when i was still in high school and havent really actually been interested in a ccm skate until this one. i saw a demo pair i wasnt supposed to see, but i remember they look super wide out of the box. hope baking them will really fix any problems if there are any.

couple of questions, does the new improved polish on the runner just help sharpening? or is it supposed to improve on ice performance?

and i see the face of the tongue has some ridges, do the laces slip into those?

[slapshotz44 0]

couple of questions, does the new improved polish on the runner just help sharpening? or is it supposed to improve on ice performance?

and i see the face of the tongue has some ridges, do the laces slip into those?

Supposedly there's a performance advantage to the steel, at least that's how I've seen it advertised. Skating on them, I definitely feel comfortable and agile but it's hard to believe the steel would make that much of a difference. It's definitely high quality. I noticed the difference right away when I sharpened them. I read somewhere the steel is 10% lighter than the LS2 Fusion. Don't know if there's any truth to that.

The ridges aren't for the laces..that's the U-Foam material which helps with overall comfort and fit, I believe. The tongue sure is comfy!

[Hockeydog 8]

I ended up in the same size that I was in previous CCM skates - 10.5 D. Like I said in a previous post, I know I'll always be on the short side of 296 as that number won't change.

I have a pair of U+12's size 7D that came with 271mm ePro holders. I also have a pair of One70's size 7EE that came with 263mm tuuks, and a pair of Easton EQ50 in a size 8D with a 272mm holder. EQ50's maybe a bit longer than ideal, the One70 and U+12s fit very close lengthwise, which is almost too short.. Per the catolouge the new RBZ in a 7 comes with a 263, the 7.5 comes with a 271. Is your above quoted statement based on one mfg, or is it consistant across the mfg board?

[AIREAYE 248]

Here's the relevant sizing guide, post #77 : http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/62982-2013-ccm-catalogue/page-4#entry973576

[iceman8310 103]

Growing up I skated in Tacks, then Super Tacks when they first came out. Hoping for good things with this skate and for CCM.

I'm in the same boat. I'm hoping these continue CCMs up swing. Myself Ive been going back to CCM/Reebok from being a bauer guy for awhile. Originally a CCM guy then bauer and now back toward reebok/ccm.

Did you feel a big difference between the bauer holder and the ccm holder or was the transition easy for you?

[bigdmac 12]

I got to try these on and play with them a little bit at the CCM Skills Camp a couple days ago. The skates fit me pretty well however wasn't a huge fan of the heels. I felt that they were very wide and my heel seemed to be slipping. Other than that the skates seemed pretty good to me, not super stiff but stiff enough and pretty confortable throughout the entire boot. I liked th wider toe caps becuase that's usually where I feel the most pressure. In terms of sizing, I wear a 12 wide in my Easton SE16's, but I had to drop down to an 11.5D in these.

[mojo122 529]

Growing up I skated in Tacks, then Super Tacks when they first came out. Hoping for good things with this skate and for CCM.

I'm in the same boat. I'm hoping these continue CCMs up swing. Myself Ive been going back to CCM/Reebok from being a bauer guy for awhile. Originally a CCM guy then bauer and now back toward reebok/ccm.

Did you feel a big difference between the bauer holder and the ccm holder or was the transition easy for you?

All my Tacks and Super Tacks had either Custom Plus or ICM holders on them. The holder on the RBZ looks pretty good.

[capthockey 1]

So Im going to order a pair of the new Custom Support Insoles for my CCM CL skates. The only problem is that I do not have a LHS anywhere near me, so I can t really see what size fits my CL skates. I have read here and other places that there are some difference between the sizes on the new RBZ skates and older CCM/Reebok skates. So Im kind of on the fence weather I should go with the a size M (6-7.5) or L (8-9.5) My CL skates are a size 8 D, any input would be greatly appreciated.

[AIREAYE 248]

Probably L, as you can trim them to fit anyways.

[db1789 0]

If anyone ever used the APX and the RBZ's can i get your opinion on which skate to get. I currently have the X60s

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

First skate - http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/64084-ccm-rbz-skate/

[Drowe16 0]

Another new product is the SpeedBlade - once again, another new product. The holder is 4mm taller, and the balance of the holder was altered as well by shifting it back center.

Can you clarify the balance being shifted back to center?

The way I think I understand it is both front and back towers were both equally raised 4mm. So does it still have a traditional CCM "stance"? Will I have a similar feel of stance compared to my U+12 other than height? or more of a on the heels or toes?

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

The balance point has been shifted back, in order to balance it better. It'll put you on your toes a little more. Won't feel the same as your U+12.

The skates will hit stores tomorrow (the 19th.) There are retailers across the country that will have demo stock available for customers to rent for a few days. From the 19th to the 31st, if you try on a pair of RBZ, you'll get free soakers. If you demo them, you'll get a towel.

Also, another thing that CCM will be doing with this skate is they will offer a 30-day fit "guarantee." If you buy the skates and decide they are not for you, you can return them to the participating dealer and get a full refund.