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Brand freaking new at PIAS.

The True shaft seems like a great option on clearance. Some people seem to have durability issues with that Sherwood blade (snapping at the hosel) if you read the reviews. The Frontier F-Xover ABS blade seems to hold up better based on the reviews and it's only a couple bucks more, I'd probably grab that one instead: https://www.icewarehouse.com/Frontier_F-Xover_ABS_/descpage-FXABS.html

Asphalt will chew up unprotected composite blades in short order. Wood will splinter and wear quickly as well. So you want a shaft and ABS blade, a stick with an ABS blade or buy a wraparound and replace it as it wears. Personally, I use composite shaft with ABS blades when playing on asphalt or slightly gritty concrete. For Sport Court, you can use a regular one piece stick - I cut the strip of tape off the bottom of the blade so there's less drag and one piece sticks still hold up well on Sport Court. I have never had a composite blade wear down on sport court; the stick lasts until the blade or shaft breaks. Edit: If you're using inlines, you'll also want to have wheels that were designed for sport court and have another set to use on asphalt. Trying to use one set for both surfaces is a bad idea. If you use a sport court set an asphalt they'll wear out really quickly and become useless on sport court. If you use a set designed for asphalt on sport court you'll have no grip and will be sliding and falling all over the place. Some good outdoor options are Labeda or Revision Asphalts, Revision Clingers, Konixx and Red Star Rockets. Some good sport court options are Konixx Pure (my personal favourites -they're expensive, but perform and last longer than anything I have used) at the upper tiers, Revision Variant or Steel for a mid-range dual pour wheel or Labeda Grippers for a more budget friendly single pour option. Just stay away from things like the HiLo multisurface wheels that come on a lot of the low end Bauer skates (I mean, use them up if you have them, but don't buy another set when they wear out). I've seen a lot of hub separation with those in the leagues I play and ref in and the players that use them always notice a big difference when they upgrade to a better sport court wheel. If you want to cut corners somewhere; do it with the outdoor wheels. You could get a bunch of cheap unbranded outdoor wheels in the 82a to 86a durometer range and use them on asphalt. They'll probably wear down faster than the more expensive outdoor options and may be more prone to hub separation, but asphalt kills all wheels sooner or later anyway. You'll notice a bigger difference with better sport court wheels vs. the cheaper options and the sport court wheels should last much longer if you only use them on the sport court and never on asphalt.

Yes you are right that dust can end up between the upper part and the lower part which need to be cleaned out sometimes. It seems to vary a lot from rink to rink how much dust it emits, but according to our test players they have had to clean it out "once in a while", but that there has been no problem. An important note is that the dust has stuck to the insert that has been 3D printed so far during the development work, the final factory-produced insert will have a much smoother surface which will attract less dust. Except for that it should not be more maintenance than a regular chassis. Keeping the chassis reasonably clean, and putting new loctite on the wheel axles once in a while sounds good to me.

I have a shaft and just put ABS blades in it.

My high school finally cancelled the rest of the year, which, while it was obvious in retrospect, it still really sucks to lose the end of senior year and all the stuff that was lined up for the next month - an internship, HS Nationals for rugby, prom, graduation, saying goodbye to friends, etc. I'm hopeful that college won't be impacted a lot by this, especially since the county that the school I'll be attending is in has had very few cases, but that optimism feels foolish. Hope everyone's doing well though, I'm fortunate to live in a town where there hasn't been many cases.

The last 3 pictures don't apply anymore Jetspeed is now smaller than the Tacks line all around.

I use converted ice boots and they work just fine. There are a few models of inlines like the Mission Inhalers that have a bit more ventilation (and the custom True skates have a ventilated toe cap), but most inline skates don't have extra ventilation. Some inline skates have extra wear patches near the forefoot which can be helpful for durability outdoors, but a well fitting pair of ice skates converted with the chassis should work well for most people. The specs for the Revel 1 and Revel 2 are on Inlinewarehouse. Just focus on the boot specs and ignore the wheels, bearings and frame info: Revel 1: https://www.inlinewarehouse.com/Alkali_Revel_1/descpage-R1RS20.html Heritage: New Level of Play Guideline: Elite Skate Fit Guidelines: Medium Volume / standard heel pocket - standard forefoot - mid instep Quarter Package: Heatmoldable Revel IX with Pro Plus Stiffness Comfort Collar Liner: Moisture-wicking Clarino Tongue Construction: Two-Piece 9mm Pro Felt Outsole: Stiff Carbon Fiber Revel 2: https://www.inlinewarehouse.com/Alkali_Revel_2/descpage-R2RS20.html Heritage: New Level of Play Guideline: Elite Skate Fit Guidelines: Medium Volume/medium heel pocket - standard forefoot - standard instep Quarter Package: PU with Revel IX Technology Elite-level stiffness and responsiveness for higher-end hockey IX Tech provides a more anatomical, performance-focused fit with the new injection construction process Flexible tendon guard, forward boot rake (or lean) and toe spring all help promote the ideal roller hockey stride Heat moldable for a custom fit and reduced break-in time Comfort Edge collar padding to alleviate ankle irritation Liner: Brushed Tricot for comfort, moisture-management and durability Tongue Construction: Two-piece, Vented Pro Felt Thick design protects the top of the foot from impacts and lace-bite Ventilated center to promote consistent airflow Outsole: Stiff TPR Plastic with Composite Overlay Delivers a perfect balance of lateral support and forgiveness They also have a sizing chart. With previous Alkali lines, most people felt they fit a half size up from Bauer skates (meaning someone who fits and 8 Bauer would take an 8.5 Alkali), but I don't know if anything has changed with the new line. Alkali General Sizing Guidelines:Alkali Skates generally fit 1.5 sizes down from your regular shoe size SENIOR ALKALI SKATE SIZING CHART Alkali Size Length in CM US Men's Shoe US Women's Shoe 6.0 25.1 7.5 9.0 6.5 25.5 8.0 9.5 7.0 26.0 8.5 10.0 7.5 26.4 9.0 10.5 8.0 26.8 9.5 11.0 8.5 27.2 10.0 11.5 9.0 27.7 10.5 12.0 9.5 28.1 11.0 12.5 10.0 28.5 11.5 13.0 10.5 28.9 12.0 13.5 11.0 29.4 12.5 14.0 11.5 29.8 13.0 14.5 12.0 30.2 13.5 15.0 12.5 30.6 14.0 15.5 13.0 31.0 14.5 16.0

Wow congrats on being ambidextrous!

My new setup is almost complete with the jersey!

$20 Play it Again score.

I’m in the hospital and waiting to get my latest procedure. This will hopefully help get rid of my drains. Unfortunately My luck with roommates has continued. I had a private room on Monday night because they were waiting for my COVID test to come back. Once it was negative I was moved. My first roommate was clearly altered and got worse as the day progressed. So they moved me to another room. It was around 11:00 so I tried to get some sleep. At 12:30 my roommate decided it was a good time to watch Rambo 2. I finally feel asleep around 1:00. Only to wake up at 3:30 with his light on and tv blaring again. Plus the heat was turned up to 80. So I’ve been up since then. But now he’s sleeping with his tv off. Sleeping is tough enough in a hospital, but yikes.

I just found out a friend's boyfriend died last week. Not sure yet on the cause, it could have been either COVID or appendicitis/rupture. His symptoms could have indicated both. What's sad is he likely did die because of COVID either way though. He had been having abdominal pains for a few days, and twice decided to go to an Urgent Care clinic but had an anxiety attack because of the fear of getting COVID, one of those times actually turning the car around on the way. If he had gotten medical attention, they likely could have saved him either way. He ended up dying suddenly at home.