Custom Skates / Ice to Inline Conversion

[sjs0433 15]

I ended up snagging some Bauer Vapor X5.0 for pretty cheap on eBay. Initial feel is much better than the Tours I'm currently skating and a much stiffer boot. I got the blade holders off and now just waiting on the Vanguard chassis I ordered. I'm very anxious to try these out. Overall investment will be just north of $200 all said and done between boots, chassis, new wheels. This is going to be my trial run at doing the conversion. If all goes well I'll skate these for a while and probably start keeping any eye out for something slightly higher end on the boot and then likely some kind of magnesium chassis.

Edited September 3, 2013 by sjs0433

[EBondo 233]

Posted these in the Show it Off thread already, but my beasts-to-be arrived yesterday.

[CommodoreColt 19]

Has any run into issues long term with skates that don't have a composite outsole?

I've skated on a pair of conversions that has a molded outsole for over a year without any problems to date. It has to be mentioned that while I'm a pretty strong skater and I really stress them out, I'm not heavy at all, weighting around 135 lbs. The mileage of a heavier skater is likely worse with a molded outsole.

I'd say try skating in a store-bought pair with molded outsoles and pay attention to whether or not you are able to visibly flex the outsole as you shift your weight on the skate. Best to make a decision for your particular case.

[sjs0433 15]

The skates I ended up grabbing have a composite outsole so I'm not too worried anymore.

[Sjoerd 7]

Parts finally arrived now its just getting over worrying about wrecking them before i start.

[sjs0433 15]

My vanguard chassis should come in tomorrow and I'm wondering if I shouldn't give the Hummer chassis a shot. I have the chance to pick one up real cheap. Needs axles but even afterwards it's still real cheap. Only concern is having to dremel out a channel in my Bauers to make the wheels clear. I've got Vapor X5.0 boots.

I really like the idea of only having to buy one size wheel and getting a little more ability to rotate them.

I'll be coming off the older 72/80 hi-lo setup.

[sjs0433 15]

If I marked the centerline for the blade that came off the boots is that the same centerline I want the wheels to fall on?

[sjs0433 15]

My chassis came in today so I bit the bullet and decided to get started on my conversion. Ran out to Lowes at lunch to get the t-nuts and bolts I needed. Would have been cheaper to order online but I didn't feel like waiting. I think I might need a few shorter and a few longer in a couple spots. I also didn't do my math right and got enough for one skate. Good news is I didn't have time to do any more than one skate.

Bauer Vapor X5.0 Boots and Mission Vanguard chassis

Fully assembled! Currently on cheap outdoor wheels. I play about as much outdoor pick-up hockey as I do indoor so a second set of wheels is always a must. Stole the laces off my other skates just for the sake of completing them for a picture. I'll pick up fresh gold/yellow laces on my next trip to my hockey store. I also need to decide which wheels I'm going to run for indoor.

Only thing I wish I had gotten nailed down a little better was getting the chassis mounted just a hair farther forward. It's just about centered but the wheels stick out in the back just barely more than the front.....oddly enough my current Tours are like this too from the factory. I also need to pull the chassis back off and make a few of the holes bigger so the t-nuts will sit more flush with the insole. There are a few spots I can feel them under my foot too much. Now I hope I can repeat and get both skates lined up exactly the same. For my first shot at it I'm pretty darn happy. Hoping to get the other one done in order to try them out this weekend.

[TeamBlue96 3]

Is the picture playing tricks on my eyes or does it look like there's a bit of reverse rake? Looks like you may feel like you're on your heels when skating around. That's the one regret i had when converting my X60's -- should've used shims.

[sjs0433 15]

Not sure to be honest. I only have one skate done. Hoping to get the other done by the weekend so I can go out Saturday morning to try them out. Good thing is I used t-nuts and screws so it wouldn't be hard to go back after the fact and add a lift in the rear. I might actually just go ahead and try to make a lift so I can try it out to feel the difference.

Where are most people getting the material used to make the lift?

[EBondo 233]

Ta-daaaa.

[sjs0433 15]

Looks great! Those same wheels are up there on my list of maybes. One of the guys at my local hockey shop highly recommended them. Said he had better luck with them not chunking than he did with the addictions.

[EBondo 233]

This is my first go-around with the Hot Shots. I was a loyal Millenium user, but wanted to go another route this time, and Chris (kovalchuk71 on here) said the Hot Shots were a solid option

[sjs0433 15]

Millenniums were another choice of mine. I stopped playing for years but before I did the millenium was the wheel to have. I wish labeda would remake them the way they used to look where the wheel was more of a solid color vs the much more clear wheel they are today.

[sjs0433 15]

I finally got both skates done yesterday afternoon. Much more work than I originally anticipated but I'm happy with the overall result. I got to try them out last night and they feel pretty darn good. They'll take a little bit of time to get used to but nothing some time in them won't fix. They definitely feel more on the heels than my previous skates which felt a little awkward at times, mostly when trying to get momentum going quickly. Wondering if I should have mounted the boot a little more over the front wheels. I'm tempted to try adding a small heel lift. Despite the odd feel they feel faster already and I can tell more of my energy used is actually getting me going somewhere. Only complaint is there is some spot in the heel pocket that is starting to give me a blister. If I feel inside there is a definite hard spot where the liner itself is pretty darn worn through. Not sure what I can do about that? I haven't tried baking them yet which might help but this spot feels like something baking won't get rid of.

I intend to keep these for a good while but plan to sometime over the next year start collecting parts to make an even nicer skate.

Edited September 16, 2013 by sjs0433

[Rpmangual 3]

My first conversion I finished tonight. Came out great in my eyes. Chassis is a little dated but is clean and still going strong. (Although I'd love to try the 80/76 setup eventually. The hummr 80mm chassis is intriguing but it makes my wheelbase too long on my Size 7 boot. These frames were from my old 2003 mission RPM's which were always too narrow for my foot.

The holes in the chassis were kinda large so I chose a washer and lock washer combo with some loctite. Overkill Maybe. Went with slightly longer bolts than what was recommendations on here.

Ended up with 3/8" for the very front holes, 1/2" for the whole middle section and 3/4 for the last 2 rear plus an addition washer. Might have been able to swing a 1/2 incher back there with one washer but the longer bolt seemed to lock in more secure being that was the thickest spot between boot and chassis. All holes were filled (that's what I said) with epoxy. Kinda messy but the plastic syringe thingy worked well as noted on one of the threads I found here. Can't wait to skate on em!

[sjs0433 15]

Is it possible that some kind of chassis mis-alignment would be the reason I'm getting a blister/pain on the heel of my right foot? These new skates still feel a bit awkward to skate it and the pain my heel isn't helping either. Everything feels fine as far as moving around goes except for trying to get up to speed. Every push just feels funny. I've seen a lot of people mention this when moving to a Vanguard chassis from an older 72/80 hi-lo and that could be part of it. I'm going to start with some heel lifts but I'm only thinking that might help them feel more "normal" to me but the heel pain and blister is likely an issue with the boot itself. Anyone ever have luck punching out parts of the boot in the lower heel area? It's on the outside of my foot that's giving me a problem.

I'm not opposed to spending money to fix my problem but I'd like to start with the cheapest solutions first.

[gosinger 122]

Blisters would indicate movement inside the boot, that shouldn't happen if the skate is already molded to your foot (either baking or skating ~10-15 times).

[sjs0433 15]

A couple new pics with my indoor wheels. Also got heel lifts done last night. Hoping to get to try them out tomorrow.

I think I've isolated my pain in my right foot to an ankle that's not getting locked into place. Even with the skates not tied and my foot in them as soon as I start to lift my foot a little I immediately feel the spot that was giving me pain and causing the blisters. Now I need to figure out why I'm only getting it on my right foot or what I could do to help the cause.

Oddball combo of wheels but it works for now. Fronts are millennium grippers, whites are regular grippers, and rears are revision variant golds. Only had to buy the 76s for the fronts and the rears were all extra wheels I had. I'm not going to invest any more in wheels until I know these skates will work for my feet. If not I'll be looking for new boots in the near future. I think I need to find boots that are narrow in the heel and only get wider as they move towards the toe.

[Sjoerd 7]

Finally done..

Edited September 22, 2013 by Sjoerd

[romdj 26]

Gorgeous Sjoerd

[Rpmangual 3]

sjs0433 try the supreme line. Vapor didn't work for me either. Look on eBay for some used one95 or one100 to convert

[sjs0433 15]

Skated in these Saturday morning and made a few changes that helped. Heel lift was awesome and then I also put some foam tape under the heel of my insole and I think it got the pitch just right and they feel more natural.

I'd still like to reposition the chassis back so that I'm more over the front wheels but it would require putting another set of holes in the outsole and I think it's just too much. I'm making a note to do that on the next pair. These were my trial skates and started as a used pair. I'd like to get some new skates early next year and the Supreme line is on my list. They were actually higher on my list than the vapors but the deal on the vapors was too good to pass.

One other thing I tried and that seemed to fix my heel lift issue was skating barefoot. Seemed to work like a charm. No slipping heel and no real discomfort. Didn't think it would work so well but it seems to be great.

Edited September 23, 2013 by sjs0433

[sjs0433 15]

I had another game last night and while I feel like I'm a lot faster and have a much stiffer boot on my foot the discomfort in my heel is starting to bother me more. I did some looking and this seems to be what people often refer to as the "bauer bump" or Haglund's deformity. I feel like I'm already at the early stages and it's not getting any better. It seems like the boot fits my foot very well but it's something in that heel area giving me lots of irritation. My previous Tour skates did not do this at all and I was at a point where they were very comfortable and I could skate for hours in them. At this point I'm almost tempted to just stay in them. I'm loosing some performance but at least my feet aren't killing me. My concern is that even if I go try on a bunch of different skate I don't think I'll know about this irritation until I actually start to skate. Just trying the Bauer's on my feet feel great.

Could some of it simply be the pitch of the boot and and not being over my toes enough like my current skates?

[winger43 0]

got rid of my ccm rbz outsole is crap for roller chassis. Got these Bauer one.9 instead. labeda frame, 3mm heel lift in back.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/103266094@N04/9941701464/

Edited September 25, 2013 by winger43