sss1987

I was an early bird on the first batch of the full R1 skates last year (got the insanely priced early bird price of 50% off). My back ground is primarily roller hockey only. I was using Alkali RPD Shift+ skates previously, so purchasing the R1 skate was an easy choice, in regard to the fitment of the boot is the same (just a lot stiffer) as what i was used to. This meant the only real thing i had to get used to was rocker. The first skate was weird, the rocker is subtle, but can catch you off guard at first. However, as you get used to feeling over having a rocker (remember- ive only played roller), its fantastic, my skating felt incredibly smooth. Transitions from forward to backwards, feel awesome. Its almost hard to put your finger on, but the skating feels enhanced, and buttery smooth. Its hard to put into words. The grip is insane too ( i know a contributing factor is the wheels) but the extra contact through the rocker, really does enhance grip ( i actually want to run some harder wheels and see how they fair). A friend of mine bought a pair too. His experience has been positive. His background is more ice then roller, and he admitted he felt much more at home on the R1s.

How do you tie your skates?

A shorter P02... like one where you take a standard P02 and cut like 3/4" off and do nothing else to the blade!

I must say..i love inlinewarehouse's descriptions. Dont stop doing this as its actually so handy! From the Zenith skate: " General fit aspects of the Alkali boot are high volume, narrow-med heel pocket, wide across top of foot and forefoot and toe box. Aggressive stance. " The RPD Max skate: " General fit aspects of the Alkali boot are med-high volume, narrow-med heel pocket, medium-wide across top of foot and forefoot and toe box. Aggressive stance. " I'm hoping someone can "quantify" somehow how much more room there is in the RPE skates. What is promising, is that "narrow-med heel" seems to be across both skates...im hoping that means they are about the same in this area! Secondly..are these skates coming to the UK?

Regarding the new line. I know that they are built on the wider last. How much wider is the boot compared to the RPD+ range? Is the heel pocket much wider? I like sound of the low pro tongue. I find that in my shift+, the laces from the instep up dig into some boney parts of my ankle. I also have a wide forefoot and find that the first 3-4 lace i keep "medium" tight..and if i go too tight i get cramp. However i feel the heel pock itself fits nice. wondering if the new boots might give me a little extra room in these areas without losing the snug fit.

I recently popped into a friend's store, and he had a pair of the new bauer x500 LE skates in my size..so i thought id try them on for sh*ts and giggles. They fit my foot really well, but damn the toe cap is huge in terms of its height...i was like if i ever got bauers i'd defo put the powerfeet inserts in! I also noticed how much more natural it is having the powerfoot insert in vs a skate without!

I bought some for my Alkali roller hockey skates a couple of months ago here in the UK. The Alkalis in general are a really heat moldable boot...adding the powerfoot insert made the boot feel even snugger in the toe box. At first it was a little strange, but in a good way. One of the things i noticed was i feel a bit more "at one" with the boot- all round now. I feel a lot more on my toes whilst turning (which is always helpful as inline skates have no rocker) I personally think they are worth it.

ditto!

you and me both bud

WHAT???? bought by who?!

I really want to try some marsblades! I think the are a brilliant concept, because the combine how inline skates work and provide the rocker you get on ice skates. What i mean is.. on inline skates..youve got the most grip when all wheels are in contact with the ground..which is what marsblade maintains..and allowing some rockerage!

Anyone using and Alkali RPD Max+ stick? How you guys liking them? Can anyone let me know how the A33 pattern stacks up against the sakic equivalents (easton E3/CCM P19/P29, Bauer P92, etc). Sorry for the whole thread, but these sticks arent readily available in the UK and would be a special order through my distributor via my local shop.

Just bought a Alkali RPD Backpack... As im 5'5 and my kit consists of size 6 Alkalis, size 13" gloves and shins..i opted for the JR size bag (also coupled with the fact i drive a small 2 seat roadster). The bag is awesome! Love the vent features, and the material! Really feels like a quality bag. Good job guys!

Ditto! I would have loved the Max+ just for bragging rights... but budget constraints hampered me. However..the shift+ is best described as Max+ light... ;) i am extremely happy with mine too.

Page 40 on the Alkali thread..ive left my review... in short..i absolutely love my RPD Shift+. The skates a mega comfy, and there has been a tonne of thought which has been put into the skates. Im not sure about the bigger sizes..but in bauer i would wear a 6, and in alkalis i wear a 6.5. However everyones feet are different. Might be worth stenciling around your feet and measuring the length (its basically what i had to do). You get a lot of skate for the money, and i have no hesitation in recommending these skates.

So im two and half months into skating in my Shift+ skates...i fricking love putting these on. Love thats theres so many guys on here buying the new shifts.. and having similar experiences!

Hey guys, Thought id post a review about some insoles i tried. Background: I have previously been using Superfeet yellow in my skates (Mission Assassins). They were great when I was using them, offered good support and removed some unwanted volume I had in the skate. When I upgraded to some new Alkali RPD Shift+, I wanted some more support then the standard insoles were given me. So i switched them out to the old superfeet. The issue i had was, where the alkali fit soo well, the reduction in volume the superfeet cause, meant i was getting chronic lace bite on my instep. So i searched for some new insoles which would be supportive yet not take up any volume in my skates. I looked at superfeet carbons, but when i contacted superfeet, they only recommended the yellows, due to them being shaped for skates (ie they follow the profile of the boot where there is a elevation change between the heel and the forefoot. At this point I would like to mention superfeet have good customer service. The search continued when i stumbled upon the SOLE sport thins, which were designed for the requirements I needed (being thin and supportive). A couple of retailers had mentioned they worked in "skates" (not mentioning what kind of skates). So I emailed SOLE and they responded pretty much immediately letting me know that they should work in skates as they were also designed to work in ski boots etc and were heat moldable. They also have a guarantee like superfeet (if you dont like just return them for money back). After firing a couple of emails back and forth, I ordered some. Similar price to superfeet so wasnt too bad. https://secure.yoursole.com/ca/mens/footbeds/thin-sport/ The Insoles: At first i was a bit sceptical as to how much support an insole which is super thin could give you. When they arrived however...that was all put to bed. The best way i can describe these is, they are like a cross between superfeet and the ccm curex insoles. The benefits of these SOLE insoles is that they are heat moldable. So whereas with CCM ones you choose out of three the most appropriate arch "fitment", with the SOLE ones you simply put them in the oven (after you have trimmed them appropriately), into your skates and then boom the arch and heel will mold to your feet individually. Its like having a custom arch support which isnt overly aggressive, and feels very natural. Basically they offered more support for my arches. They didnt take up any space in my skates, so it was a win win. The customer service is great, so overall they were a really good buy, and complimented my new skates really well.

Glad to be part of it Justin!

In December (2014), after much deliberation, i bought some Alkali RPD Shift +. In the end I was very glad i held out for the 2014/2015 "plus" range of Alkalis. This is just a little review for you guys. History: Previously I was using some Mission Assassins in a size which was probably half a size too long, and too wide. I think I had been previously fobbed off as being a double E width when i was actually a D. These obviously felt great in the shop, but i found in time that the skates were to wide, and I would end up with rubbish heel lock. The other thing is disliked was that in my smaller size, the wheelbase of the hilo chassis seemed a touch too long, and the positioning felt like i had too much wheel poking out from the front. Ive been back playing hockey for a year now, and in that time just gotten used to being in my skates again, so I quickly got up to speed and learnt what i disliked about the missions I had. Getting older and wiser, I knew the right fit was the main goal for me. Having gotten back into hockey after 4-5 years off, I did my research. Alkali was a new company to me, but i quickly realized the Alkali boys were definitely not new to the roller hockey scene, seeing as many had been the original mission guys. The reviews I read across all ranges on this particular thread all echoed the same thing.. how the fit and heel lock were amazing. At this point, the RPD + range had been teased in early May/June last year so I decided to hold off buying. The wait was long, in this time i tried on other skates to get a feel for what "felt right". In the end i liked the bauer vapors and the alkali rpd range. The Vapors would have caused chronic lace bite on my instep though as my feet failed the pencil test...alkalis were the clear winners. The positioning of the chassis and the all 76mm wheel choice for my size (6.5) just felt "right" compared to the hilos. So i decided to wait for the "+" range. They arrived in December just before xmas. Great timing! The skates: When i got them I gave them a bake. My friend (the owner of the shop i bought them from), did his homework, and read up on the baking process, and watched the youtube video loads. I think he was just as excited to see how it all turned out, as these were the first alkalis he was selling. The skates came out in a shockingly malleable state. So we were quite careful (especially putting them on). He tightened them (probably could have gone tighter) and i stood there remaining as still as possible as these things cooled around my feet. During my first couple of skates I found that the skates were much stiffer then I was used to. I also found I was getting cramps and my feet were getting numb. Oh Dear! If you all remember what I said earlier...my Missions were sized wrong, and were too wide. Like an idiot I had been using the same lacing method as i had on my missions on my new alkalis (crank them as hard as i could)... I quickly realized that the alkalis fit me so well, that i didnt have to crank the laces like a gorilla! With the zero wasted space inside the boot, they are awesome to tie up quickly. I adjusted my lacing pattern and BOOM no issues!! I also found after a few skates, that they really "break in" nicely. Your feet just seemed to get sucked into the boot, and give you some of the best heel lock ever! After the break in, the skate gives a lot of lateral support from the stiffness. The tongue also feels much comfier, and you have a decent range of motion. Now that they have broken in and I am 100% comfortable in them, they feel amazing. Provided you get the right length, theres no wasted space in the boot, and they feel much lighter on your feet then they do in your hands. I know some people have a big hang up on having really light skates, but I will admit that these feel light and well balance on your feet because of the way they fit. The chassis and wheels (with the all 76mm in my size) feel great. I feel like im over the front wheels rather then behind them. I also feel i'm no longer "on stilts" and my centre of gravity feels a touch lower. I find with the forward pitch, standing starts pretty much require less effort to get started and up to speed. Its hard to quantify, but i feel like i'm a stride ahead of where i would be in my old missions. Skating backwards feels good. Especially from standing starts in a backward direction. Now, the wheels that come on the skates are pretty soft so there is plenty of mechanical grip available. But the one thing i wanted to note out to you guys is during turns, the forward pitch, makes the skate feel really balanced during turns. You feel really over your wheels-centrally rather then on your heels. Theres a good balance between agility and stability. Both being helped by the stiffness in the boot. The best compliment I can make is that they have added a new confidence in my skating. Its too early to talk about durability, but I would say for now they feel like they will hold up well. The new quarter package material on these skates feels solid and "up market"...time will tell. The chassis also feels solid. Its noticeably got a meaty thickness to it. Being an engineer, Id rather have a good wall thickness for a durable chassis, rather then a flimsy one to save weight (which is never as much of a saving as you think it will be ;) ) Ive not taken any real shots to the foot. Someone half assed a shot at me in training, hit back heel part of my right skate and i didnt feel a thing. Lastly looks... best looking skate out there in the line up. Personally I think its the best looking skate in the 2014/15 market. I am biased on that though Overall I'd be happy to recommend these to anyone. The Shift+ is a really good price point for the package you get. Its basically 95% of a "topend" skate for much less the price. A friend of mine bought some too, he loves his, and didnt even bother to bake, choosing to break them in "the old fashioned way". His favorite thing on the skates is the heel lock and the comfort edge padding. I hope this review has helped anyone sitting on the fence about getting some Alkalis. Thanks: Im also happy with the customer service i got from Justin. I emailed him a few times to confirm a few sizing queries and always got a helpful reply. JoshV on here also helped me out quite a bit with advice!

Kanya, i have found the same with regard to Sticks and gloves. The only thing you can do is call the like of Puckstop/ Hockey Station etc and ask them. Puck stop has great email responses. They basically need to talk to their distributor to organise it.

My RPD Shift+ arrived yesterday. Finally part of the Alkali Family! The moldabilty of the skates is insane.in regards to sizing .. Justin (from alkali) and Josh V (who used to work for hockey monkey), helped me a great deal with ordering the right size. So a big thanks to those guys! Im sure i annoyed them loads with a flood of emails, asking for pics and measurements..Thanks guys! I wear a 6.5 in Alkalis (6 in bauers), and having the all 76mm setup is just what i was after as the wheel base is perfect. My wheels dont poke out loads, so will increase my agility compared to my old skates. Looking forward skating in them in a couple of weeks.

Finally saw the new RPD+ range in store today. Really excited to get mine now (apparently whole sizes arrived to the UK...but another 3 weeks till half sizes arrive to distributor). The Alkali guys have made a huge improvement to last years models in terms of the new materials (on shift and max), and the new liners look and feel great! The first thing a friend on mine commented on (who ive been trying to convert into getting some alkalis) was the comfort edge. I think that alone might have won him over! Anyways.. good job Alkali!

New Alkali Site is up...good job guys!

I would try some on if i was you... the boots dont come in a D or an EE fit... the boot itself is able to be heat molded out from D fit to a EE. When i tried them on, i defo found them to be on the "medium" scale more then wide.

Shift+ Newer skate, new materials...looks soo dope :P