PetterErlandsson

On our Roller hockey Instagram @marsblade_rollerhockey we have posted several quotes and reviews from world class players about the R1 chassis. Obviously I am not the most objective person to answer this question, but we have now specifically sent chassis to at least 30 of the best players in the world and more or less everyone has changed to R1 with overwhelming feedback. In addition to the above mentioned players, it includes top national team players from around the world like Martin Fiala Czech Republic, Travis Noe and PJ Kavaya USA, Karl Gabillet France, Marcus Fajardo Spain, Juan Pablo Triviño Colombia, Luiz Koenen Brazil, Martin Uhnak Slovakia and many moore 👑

Hi, R1 comes with Swiss Bearings. /Petter

We definitely have plans to offer a bigger variation of settings. And which settings we choose to go ahead with is determined by what you, the players, demand. What I can add from a product development perspective is that the scale of different settings is not linear. The difference between 4 and 5 is quite large, while the difference between for example 14 and 15 is significantly smaller, So inbetween 4 and 5 it is a quite wide range of different skate feels. See image example below. Just to give you a better feeling of the setting numbers 🙂

R1 size large starts shipping today!

Hi Kyle, It sounds difficult since our mounting holes are in the edges of the chassis / boots while the mounting plates on speed skates appear is placed directly under the heel and directly under the toe. It is possible that you can mount them with your own creative solution, for example by drilling your own mounting holes through the chassis. Of course we can not guarantee that it works out in a good way, but if it would be interesting to hear how the chassis works for speed skating, so if you are interested in testing anyway, feel free to contact me in a DM.

Hi Miller, No scientific biomechanical studies have been conducted on this yet, but we are absolutely convinced that the answer is yes - it will help relieve the stress on the legs and knees! Since your foot can have a range of positions while still have full contact with the surface, you can have a much more natural movement during a stride than when your feet are limited to one specific position. I think a relevant comparison is when you run in a pair of running shoes. Since they are rounded and soft, you can land on your heel, "rock" over the foot, and puch away with your toe. If the shoe were completely stiff and flat, like the wheelbase of a traditional inline chassis, it would have a significant limitation on your running technique and natural movement pattern.

Hi Westside, We had no problem during testing with the durability of the inserts. We do not expect that you need to change the insert because it becomes too worn, but in near future we plan to offer a larger range of different inserts with different settings to make sure all kind of players can find their perfect setting. Spare parts will be available in our webshop.

You are absolutely right. We have so far produced a series of four different settings that we think match each other and cover a good range of different players' preferences, but this is of course only a minor part of what variations can be made. And in addition to different radii, you can also change things such as balance point, starting position, adding stops, use non-symmetric curves, and so on. What ultimately determines which settings we make is what you players demand. Further on we have a vision to have a whole library of different settings. Another idea is to release open source 3D-files for creative players with some knowledge in 3D modelling to create their own insert settings, for themselves or for sharing with the roller hockey world. To answer your questions: with the current construction of R1 it is no problem to make a 5-5 or higher, but technically a little more challenging to go lower than 5-5 and reach O1 movement. But it can definitely be done, and we will work on it if we see a big demand for it. Making an insert with no, or very little movement is technically no problem at all. /Petter, Product developer at Marsblade

Not before the package is sent and we can provide a tracking number. For pre-orders there is still uncertain times because of the Covid-19 situation, but so far everything looks good and we are on schedule. For more detailed questions about an order you can contact the customer service of Marsblade, store@marsblade.com. /Petter, Product developer at Marsblade

Its not the same hole pattern as Mission, new holes need to be drilled, but having two sets of holes in the boot is normally not a problem at all. Technically it is no problem to take of the R1s and mount back your old chassis again. BUT if you once get used to Flow Motion, going back to your old chassis will feel like putting on a pair of alpine boot 😏

When we speak about something is optimized we mean that we have started with a wide range of settings, tested it over and over again, ourself and with our test players, before we narrowing it down and iterate it until we reach the best possible results for what we want to achieve. That is: as ice-like feeling as possible when we developed O1, and maximum performance in roller hockey when we developed R1. We work a lot with 3D printers and can then adjust the settings down one tenth of a millimeter at a time between the tests. Parameters we work with are mainly: size of the radius in the toe and in the heel, what angle the chassis should have in the starting position, where the balance point should be, how hard the spring should be, how much pre-tension the spring should have, and so on. /Petter, Product developer at Marsblade

Its definitely coming, biggest problem is that the Covid-19 made it hard for the test players to get their skates mounted and to get access to rinks. Here is a few though: More is comming!

Yes, but not in the near future. /Petter, Product developer at Marsblade

No, 76 is the biggest possible wheel size on large. And I would personally suggest that testing with a looser centre bolt, or testing with advanced wheel setup, is better ways to go to get more imbalance. /Petter, Product developer at Marsblade

Short answer on your first question is that O1 was not made for performance, which means we can have a smaller radius than what is optimal for maximum performance. And a smaller radius means more movement and in the end a more ice-like skate feel. What we found out during the development of the R1 was that optimal for maximum performance is to still have a significant amount of movement, but not as much as in O1. We also found out that two different players can have very different preferences for what settings they prefer, even if they are both top elite players, why we decided to make it customizeable. I mainly leave the advance wheel-setup question for Per, but what i can say is that it put higher demands on the player's balance and gives an even more ice-like feel. Waiting until you feel comfortable with the standard wheel setup sounds sensible, but beyond that, we definitely recommend testing it! /Petter, Product developer at Marsblade

Per is off work for a while but ill do my best.

Hi, Yes we have that kind of plans. Our steels need a different shape from what other brands have to fit our technology, but we have plans to have steels from different brands in the future. Unfortunately, I have no more concrete message than that to give at this point. Best regards, Petter, Product Developer at Marsblade

Hi Rob, No you will not have that problem. Their is a clear diffrence between O1 and R1, and it is a clear difference between the different settings in R1, but they are all based upon the same technology so going back and forth between R1 and O1, or back and forth between R1/O1 and ice skates will not be a problem. Stay safe, /Petter, Product Developer at Marsblade

If you don´t have any retailer near by you can always order from marsblade.com

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.

Hi Stewie, I have no information at the moment if they have that kind of plans, I think the best way is to ask the question directly to True. The player who probably has the most test hours on the R1, John Schiavo, uses the R1 chassis with a custom True boot, and he really praises the combination. /Petter, Developing Engineer at Marsblade

I would claim that different wheel setups is barely comparable to the Flow Motion Technology that Marsblade uses. Flow Motion Technology is completely stepless while for example a 72, 76, 80, 76 wheel setups is based on jumping between three steps and always balancing on maximum two wheels at the time. I think this short film visualize it in a good way: When it comes to the feel of being locked in one direction you will notice a big difference with Flow Motion Technology. When you, for example, put the weight on the heel in a tight turn you will notice that the turning radius can be significantly reduced. However, of course, inlines have some limitation as they have another grip with the surface than a steel has with the ice. /Petter, Product Developing Engineer at Marsblade?

Your boot will fit well with any of Medium or Large, so it is primarily a matter of personal preference. The Medium size weighs less, the Large size has larger wheels which is good for speed. /Petter, Developing Engineer at Marsblade

Not at the moment, but you will be updated when we know more about exact delivery. Unexpected delays will of course be announced, but given the precarious situation in the world, we have tried to take potential delays into account when estimating the delivery date. So of course we hope to be able to deliver faster rather than having delays. /Petter, Developing Engineer at Marsblade

Yes and no. R1 has much more of an ice like feel than a traditional inline chassis, but not as much as the O1. The difference is the rocker setting where the O1 rocker is design to mimic the ice hockey steel while the R1 rocker is designed for maximum performance. The insert is attached to the upper part by a snap fit. It is easy to change but you need to remove the lower part (with one bolt) to reach it. The feeling of different inserts is of course a question of personal preferences, but by testing them ourselves and listen to the players who have tested them my impression is: H5-T8: Most similar to ice hockey H5-T15: A lot of heel movement but full contact during push offs H8-T8: Smoother feeling H8-T15: Most controlled feeling, less movement i general but still clear benefits from the rocker The blue colour is anodized. Valid point, it's definitely a potential alternative, in the end it's a matter of how many players we see demands it. /Petter, Development Engineer at Marsblade