2008 RBK Skates at Roller Hockey Monkey

[sdcopp 1]

i don't really understand why Reebok even comes out with a skate since they own CCM and they already have that as an established hockey line.

not to mention most hockey guys could care less about a stupid pump. i thought that would have died in '93.

Because Reebok is fresh and an innovative company, Ccm (well tacks, which they are best known for) sells more on tradition. The things is, Inline hockey is a new sport with not to much tradition. Also they can offer 2 different fits with keeping the brands seperate with out to much confusion.

How do you define tradition? Sure roller hockey in it's current form (inline) hasn't been around as long as ice hockey or the other big sports, but it's been around long enough to build some traditions of it's own.

CCM and RBK lines are important to the manufacturer. By offering two distinct lines THC gets more floorspace in stores. Why did Nike start a Nike brand instead of just pushing Bauer? Why does the merged NBH offer two lines, Vapor and Supreme? In the rest of life's markets, why do companies offer dual lines like HP and Compaq? Some people love the pump, others see no point to it. Enough people will buy it instead of "just" a CCM skate or any other brand, so THC will take more floorspace in a shop to sell more.

[sdomm 0]

why don't top of the line roller hockey skates i.e. wicked 1, rbk 8k/9k, tour code carbon/code 1 come with top of the line bearings? seems like they all have less than mediocre abec 7/688 set-ups, seems kind of ridiculous to me because they are such an intricate part of performance. i'm not saying they have to have ceramic bearings, but maybe swiss bones or oust moc 9's, any insight on this? does anyone that spends $400 on a pair of skates and is most likely an advanced player ever keep these bearings on?

[Justin 1933 134]

why don't top of the line roller hockey skates i.e. wicked 1, rbk 8k/9k, tour code carbon/code 1 come with top of the line bearings? seems like they all have less than mediocre abec 7/688 set-ups, seems kind of ridiculous to me because they are such an intricate part of performance. i'm not saying they have to have ceramic bearings, but maybe swiss bones or oust moc 9's, any insight on this? does anyone that spends $400 on a pair of skates and is most likely an advanced player ever keep these bearings on?

You might want to check the specs on the skates...All Mission Skates come wtih Swiss or Titanium on the high end, ABEC 9 on Mid-High, and ABEC 7 on Mid to low...

[hockey1933 0]

Please don't be fooled by manufacturers regarding bearings.

The ABEC rating does not have any affect on your skating speed or ability.

That is marketing B.S. The truth, most of the bearings are all the same and I can almost guarantee you that the high end bearing in every company's skate is made at the same place and stamped what ever the company wants it to say.

[Spreedizzle 1]

Please don't be fooled by manufacturers regarding bearings.

The ABEC rating does not have any affect on your skating speed or ability.

That is marketing B.S. The truth, most of the bearings are all the same and I can almost guarantee you that the high end bearing in every company's skate is made at the same place and stamped what ever the company wants it to say.

Not correct. The ABEC rating does not necessarily equate to higher speed or lower rolling resistance, what it does equate to is how perfectly spherical a bearing is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABEC_scale

[sdcopp 1]

ok, so here we go (again) about the truth on bearings.

ABEC is how tight of tolerances a bearing has for mechanical application. That 608ZZ seen on some bearings is their size, thus we refer to them as 608 or standard. This sizing is for machinery that spins far faster than a set of wheels on a skate will ever go. The higher the ABEC rating is not necessarily an indicator of what quality the bearing is (and no, not all bearings come from the same bearing stork)

Swiss is a designation based on design and bearing origination (Swiss made). Companies such as Bones do not ABEC rate their bearings since they are designed solely for skating, thus skate rated. Some bearings are now designated with an ILQ instead of an ABEC rating (Twin Cam makes these bearings, and ILQ is actually a brand and not a true rating system like ABEC).

Since we will never achieve the 10,000rpms on these bearings that machinery does, it is assumed that all bearings are equal regardless of ABEC rating or manufacturer. While ABEC matters less in this light, it still does matter as an ABEC 5 from BSB is likely to be far superior to an ABEC 9 from a no name company, the same BSB Abec 5 will be inferior to a BSB Abec 9.

To get the best possible ride, get the best bearing you can afford from a reputable manufacturer such as Bones, BSB, Bevo, etc

[trajik78 0]

i found there to be a vast difference in speed going from the ABEC 5's that were in my (cruddy) Vector 4.0's to the Swiss ABEC 9's in my Wicked 5's.

But from what sdcopp says it's not really the ABEC rating that makes the Mission bearings much faster, but more that they're just a higher quality bearing?

i also heard from my local hockey shop guy that it's not even worth buying an ABEC 9 for outdoors since as soon as you get a touch of gim in there your engin up with more of a ABEC 7 anyways.

[Spreedizzle 1]

i found there to be a vast difference in speed going from the ABEC 5's that were in my (cruddy) Vector 4.0's to the Swiss ABEC 9's in my Wicked 5's.

But from what sdcopp says it's not really the ABEC rating that makes the Mission bearings much faster, but more that they're just a higher quality bearing?

i also heard from my local hockey shop guy that it's not even worth buying an ABEC 9 for outdoors since as soon as you get a touch of gim in there your engin up with more of a ABEC 7 anyways.

It is nothing more than a manufacturing tolerance. ABEC 9's are what Borg Warner Turbo Systems uses on their Turbo Chargers in cars and truck.....bare in mind that these shafts are rotating at 6,000-15,000 rpm. Nothing any of us will ever see on our skates.

Your LHS assimilating a higher ABEC rating to not being able to handle grit is crap also. The dust seals and wipers on the leading edges of the bearings are what keep your bearings clean. It is possible that some manufacturers put lower quality (with regards to keeping grit out) seals on their higher ABEC rated bearings to reduce drag, but it is not the fault of the actual ball bearing itself.

[trajik78 0]

i wasn't discounting what you stated previously, only what my own experience was.

from what your saying, if the Swiss bearings in my Wicked 5's were ABEC 5's they'd skate just as smooth as if they were 9's. guess that CCM's doesn't put as high of quality bearing in their skates.

[coyote1991 0]

Those skates are the sickest things i have ever seen. November eh?

[Abilectic 0]

Thought you guys might like to hear my RBK experience.

I just picked up a pair of 7ks for a decent price at HockeyX in Oakland, a 3 hour drive one way from my home. I'm a lifelong CCM guy but since my last pair of skates were RH970s I bought about 7 years ago, I really wanted to spend some time trying on skates before buying. Long story short I was not exactly pleased with the initial fit of the CCM 6, 8, or 10 series in my size, the last three pairs of CCMs I have owned all fit great with almost zero break-in, and those did not have that feel to them when I tried them on. The rep suggested the RBKs and I was instantly pleased with the 7k fit, even before baking them.

The pump feature was not a factor in my decision, its a small added bonus. Nor was the color a factor, but I admit I do like the mostly black skate with the blue band, I could care less about wheel color since they will soon end up with orange Millenium Grippers.

I can tell you that I took the wheels off as soon as I got home and found ABEC 9 bearings inside, I don't care about that either as I'll be swapping out some fairly new Swiss bearings from my 970s. Also I stripped two allan heads since they seem have been tightened way too tight to begin with, I already have a hardware kit coming for that. I'm a little wary of the chassis, they seem to flex a little and I'm a big guy (6"4"- 220) I will skate a while on them and see how they hold up and how they feel, but I already have a plan in mind to replace the chassis with some Magnesium Vanguards I might be getting from a buddy. I hope to do the swap after Christmas and post some pics.

Sorry about resurecting and old thread but I thought you might like to read someones RBK experience.

[Ray 0]

It is nothing more than a manufacturing tolerance. ABEC 9's are what Borg Warner Turbo Systems uses on their Turbo Chargers in cars and truck.....bare in mind that these shafts are rotating at 6,000-15,000 rpm. Nothing any of us will ever see on our skates.

pretty sure turbos are spinning much faster than that....but your point is still the same and I agree that for the most part, bearing ratings proliferate a placebo effect.

back to the topic, I just picked up a pair of 5k ice skates and a buddy gave me a barely used pair of 6k roller boots. The ice boots are quite a bit stiffer (yet very comfy). I think I would prefer putting a chassis on the 5k's if it were me. It just doesn't seem like there is much comparison between rbk ice and roller boots unless the 8k/9k roller is really a lot different. For $250 or less you can have the 5k ice boot and put the chassis of your choice on it for less than the price of the 9k. I personally like the 07 style better than the 08, but then again I would never buy skates based on style.

[Abilectic 0]

A little update on these skates. I played on them yesterday in a long pickup. Fit was great, no pain, but I think you all might like to know these skates come rockered. I felt it in the store when I tried them on, but after looking on the websites last night I noticed there is no mention of these being rockered at all and thought that was kind of important information to pass on to the consumer.

For those that dont know, the front wheel, the 72mm on an 80,76,76,72 frame doesn't touch the ground when the skate is flat, I havent skated on rockered skates for years so it took some getting used to. It also doesnt look like there is enough room between wheels to put a 76 on the front to undo the rocker. I cant speak for the other models but I have the 7k.

Thought you should know.

[DCott 0]

A little update on these skates. I played on them yesterday in a long pickup. Fit was great, no pain, but I think you all might like to know these skates come rockered. I felt it in the store when I tried them on, but after looking on the websites last night I noticed there is no mention of these being rockered at all and thought that was kind of important information to pass on to the consumer.

For those that dont know, the front wheel, the 72mm on an 80,76,76,72 frame doesn't touch the ground when the skate is flat, I havent skated on rockered skates for years so it took some getting used to. It also doesnt look like there is enough room between wheels to put a 76 on the front to undo the rocker. I cant speak for the other models but I have the 7k.

Thought you should know.

------------

pass the puck!

true. I didn't notice it on my vectors until I changed the wheels, but it does rock around that second wheel. I have heard from people on here that they also throw a 76 on the back to add a rocker, but that really just makes it banana-style.

[Bender 0]

I must say when I saw them first impression, nice looking skates, took a closer look at the picture and thought, I dont like the look of how skinny that frame is. Sure it would probebly hold up but I like peace of mind that the frames dont look like they will break

I'm a little wary of the chassis, they seem to flex a little and I'm a big guy (6"4"- 220) I will skate a while on them and see how they hold up and how they feel, but I already have a plan in mind to replace the chassis with some Magnesium Vanguards I might be getting from a buddy. I hope to do the swap after Christmas and post some pics.

Pictures definatly needed, 2008 rbk's with a mission vangaurd mag frame, that will look awesome

[rollerhockeymavin 0]

I agree. They totally crush the new Missions in looks.

As far as performance goes, I have a pair of CCM Vector 8.0s and Mission Wicked Light 5s. I like the performance and feel of the Tri Di over the Vanguard. Since the new RBKs will incorporate a more streamlined Tri Di Lite chassis for '08, there's no way I'm passing on these.

It looks like my Missions will either be mothballed or put up for auction on eBay soon. Starting bid probably around $50.

Do you feel faster in the tri-di set vs. the vanguard-what about mobility? thanks. I had a pair of the ccm pf 10's and loved them-now I am skating on the mission wicked 5's...

[KEVIN88GT 0]

For those that dont know, the front wheel, the 72mm on an 80,76,76,72 frame doesn't touch the ground when the skate is flat, I havent skated on rockered skates for years so it took some getting used to. It also doesnt look like there is enough room between wheels to put a 76 on the front to undo the rocker. I cant speak for the other models but I have the 7k.

Thought you should know.

Not cool I dont think I'd like the rockered setup where all wheels are not touching the ground.... anyone know if the 6k from last year is the same way?

[nsabino 0]

For those that dont know, the front wheel, the 72mm on an 80,76,76,72 frame doesn't touch the ground when the skate is flat, I havent skated on rockered skates for years so it took some getting used to. It also doesnt look like there is enough room between wheels to put a 76 on the front to undo the rocker. I cant speak for the other models but I have the 7k.

Thought you should know.

Not cool I dont think I'd like the rockered setup where all wheels are not touching the ground.... anyone know if the 6k from last year is the same way?

Hi, all tri-di frames (chassis') being them Rbk or CCM, being top of the line or bottom are all rockered. I fooled around a bit once putting a 76 on the back, didn't like it. Just get used to the feel and in no time you'll be skating on all 4 wheels (so you'll think you are). Bottom line: once you're used to the rocker it's better than a flat setup.

Regards, happy holidays

Nelson

[KEVIN88GT 0]

how is it better than a flat setup... there will be more friction hence grip with 4 wheels touching the ground at any one time vs 3 wheels.... right?