Roller Wheel Sizing

[icedevil82 0]

To preface my post) I don't really play much roller, but just skate to for fun and because its cheaper to train than ice time. Anyway, haven't skated since last year. Was using a pair of a Vapor 6 (I think) with rocker chassis. I got a pair of Tour Blue Max's as a gift and skated in them once, they were the most awful experiences of my life...they were my size and it felt like I was skating in a pair of slippers, plus the pitch was way back on the heels. Anyway, to get to the point, I boght a pair of lightly used Nike Quest 3's that fit like a glove. The problem is with the hi-lo wheel setup, I want to say that they use two 80mm in the back and two 72's in the front...but the front may not be that small.

Anyway, I just tested them out a bit and fell flat on my face like twice..just skating down the hall mind you. I'm coming from a pair of easton ice hockey skates, which have a moderate forward pitch. I changed out the bearings and all that stuff already, but what do you guys recommend I do for the wheels so I can get the same feel as the pitch on my ice skates? I'm using them mainly for recreational skating and playing around in a parking lot, so top end performance is not really key.

BTW, anybody actually like the setup on the Blue Max Low Boys from Tour?, they felt like the worst skate I've ever been in my life...the boot was shallow and wide as a pair of garden shoes (and I have pretty wide feet...not to mention that I felt like I was skating on my heels the whole time and was completely unable to get more than four good strides in....thanks and sorry for my inexperience and long-windedness.

[gee2626 0]

I don't believe there's any real way to change the pitch, unless you took it to your LHS and put some shims in the heel of the chassis. The Hi-Lo is only meant for 72mm in the front and 80mm's in the back, otherwise the skate might not function properly. I guess if you're really desperate, you could put 68mm's in the front, but I'm sure it won't work very well. I use to use the all 80mm setup of the tour skates, you just have to skate on them a few times to get use to setup. However, it appears the tours don't fit you properly, so that could be the main problem there.

[icedevil82 0]

I'm sorry, I probably was just unclear. I don't have a problem with the pitch of the boot/chassis. Its just the setup of the wheels that I'm not comfortable with. I just didn't know if using all 76's or all 80's would work well or if I should go with maybe just 80's in the back or 76's instead of 72's in the front? And then I've heard of some people using like three different sizes for each wheel. I love the boot, thats not the problem. So, do you guys think maybe I should just play around with different wheel setups or just get used to what I've got. I still have the relatively new wheels from my old Vapors, its just that the boot was broke down...

[DamnLocust 0]

I think the problems you're having stem from the rocker chassis on your vapors. You need to get acquainted with a normal straight line chassis again, as the feel of a rocker is unique- different from any "normal" chassis,

You've got a couple of options here: Skate a few times and get used to the regular frames, put the rocker on one of the newer boots (whichever one fits you better), or check out the sprung frames, which, like the rocker, were designed to mimic your ice hockey stride/feel on the rink.

[icedevil82 0]

I think you got it there. Thanks

[icedevil82 0]

I'll probably just end up playing around with the wheels of my current skate, I think I'll be able to adapt, I used non-rockered skates before...there's just an adjustment period to go through. Plus, I'm lazy and changing bearings and wheels is already enough work for me. The most important part is that the boot fits beautifully. Thanks though