Alkali Hockey

[Vet88 674]

That is a surprise, since the last did not change in the heel area. The width was only changed on the forefoot of the skate.

I still have my old CA9's and put them side by side with the MAX. I admit it is hard to measure the internal heel area without actual design drawings but from the an outside perspective, the heel area of the CA9 is much narrower than the MAX. Measuring the back of the heel with calipers 1 1/2" up from the sole of the boot, CA9's measure 63mm, MAX's measure 72mm across the heel. Even just putting the 2 boots side by side, looking at the back and from the bottom of the skates, the MAX is visibly thicker through the heel area, especially the area between the ankle bone and the sole. Whilst the sole may have remained the same, the MAX flares outward a lot more from the sole than the CA9 and this creates the extra space in the heel area.

I'm considering baking the skates again, put the skates on and lie on the floor and have someone stand on the heel area on the inside of the boot to compress the area under the ankle bone against my foot. I don't know if this will work and if it does move inwards, how long the boot would stay in this position? If you have any other suggestions I'd be keen to give it a go.

Edited December 6, 2014 by Vet88

[vnderachiever 3]

Just got a killer deal on some Clearance RPD MAX skates. My Bauer x70's are a 10.0 D, so i'm hoping the 10.0 Alkali's will do the trick. Looking forward to trying them out!

[Justin 1933 134]

Vet88,

You can definitely reheat fit the skates and have someone help with the heal area. I wouldn't recommend standing on them, as this may mess them up. I have used a C-Clamp before to help, but you will need to be careful. You can also heat them up bit more than 9 minutes, but be careful when pulling on the eyelets.

[Stewie 721]

thanks ice warehouse, for having ridiculously low priced RPD Max clearance skates, now I have two pairs of alkali lol. Guess I can use the Teams for concrete, and wont have to switch out the wheels in between.

[sss1987 55]

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.

[beedee 227]

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.

As a fairly new member myself, welcome! I also went up a 1/2 size from my ice hockey skates (7.5 in Graf), went with an 8 in Alkali RPD Team+. I have about 4 games played with them and they are amazing. Last night before my game I swapped out my laces that came with the skates, (they were really long) for the wax laces that came with my Grafs. These were amazing, didn't over tighten them and they stayed snug the entire game.

I'm playing an Ironman tourney this coming Saturday, I know my feet will be comfortable and locked in all day long! I think we play at least 3 games?

[Stewie 721]

im thinking about throwing a pair of howies waxed in my Max skates, any idea how this will effect the tongue? should it hold up just fine?

[beedee 227]

im thinking about throwing a pair of howies waxed in my Max skates, any idea how this will effect the tongue? should it hold up just fine?

I will keep you posted on how they affect mine. Granted I had used the wax laces for nearly 10 games or so on ice, so they aren't brand new. But they still hold really well. Tonight when I get home from work I will look at the tongues of my skates and see if there is any residue/wear on them.

[Stewie 721]

yeah I used waxed for ice, but the tongue material on these roller is different and I want to make sure it would hold up as well as my ice skates do. I assume there will be some indentation of the tongue similar to my ice skates have, and residue, I just don't want any pre-mature wear

[JaniV 9]

Just curious. Has anyone converted Alkalis on ice?

[Vet88 674]

somewhere earlier in the thread I believe Justin says he has converted a pair to ice. I know I have read somewhere of an ice conversion.

[Asian Tomatoe 30]

JaniV I just found some CA9 boots in my size and basically new that I'm going to be converting to ice since I have some spare pitch holders. I'll tell you how it turns out... now I just need to find a good shop in Anaheim that mounts holders well

[Stewie 721]

I have a question about the max skates. I just received mine a few days ago, and when i try them on, they are no where near as comfortable as the team skates, mostly in the ankle/back of foot area. I am not sure if it has been covered here or not, but do they have a more aggressive angle than the team skates do? and will the comfort increase over time or with a bake? I realize they are a stiffer boot, but the amount it pushes on the backs of my foot is worrisome, granted i have only wore them for a short period of time and in the house to test out fit.

[Wicked3Aussie 68]

It's the greater stiffness of the Max skates over the teams.

just means a slightly longer break in period if you're doing it without a bake.

But once they're all nice & broken in you'll really appreciate the extra stiffness of the better boot!

:)

[Justin 1933 134]

I have converted 5 pairs of ice skates with no issues. The aggressive boot pitch is not optimal for ice, but it only took a couple of skates to get use to it.

[MThockeydad 469]

Just got a killer deal on some Clearance RPD MAX skates. My Bauer x70's are a 10.0 D, so i'm hoping the 10.0 Alkali's will do the trick. Looking forward to trying them out!

Was the fit similar to the Vapors?

I have converted 5 pairs of ice skates with no issues. The aggressive boot pitch is not optimal for ice, but it only took a couple of skates to get use to it.

What holders did you use?

A lot of forward pitch similar to Grafs?

[Justin 1933 134]

I have used Pitch holders and Tuuk Edge.

[vnderachiever 3]

Was the fit similar to the Vapors?

They fit so similarly, yet so differently at the same time. All I can say is that they are, undoubtedly, the most comfortable skates I have ever skated on. After heating them for the 9 minutes as instructed, they lace up and hug your feet like pillows (literally, this is the only analogy that fits). The next time you put them on, you're good to go. After about three skates I got used to the slight differences in pitch/wheelbase/etc. and my feet got used to the slightly different boot.

That being said, a 10.0D vapor and a 10.0 Alkali Rpd Max both had my toes feathering the toe cap until baked.

[MThockeydad 469]

Might sound bass-ackwards, but I'm tempted to try either the Teams or the Max's as an ice conversion.

Hockey Monkey has both of them in my size on ~50% clearance, plus the current 20% off.

I could get the Max's for ~$239 or the Teams for $151

Would they have decent puck protection?

I like my Vapor X7.0's. Fit is very good but not great--no lace bite, but sometimes the tongue shifts and rubs my ankle bone, sometimes the top of the boot rubs my leg, sometimes they hurt the bottoms of my feet. Sometimes they feel great and I forget they're there. Random.

[Wicked3Aussie 68]

Here's a cheaper alternative to a full ice conversion.

I'm thinking of getting a set myself.

http://www.inlineiceblades.com/photo--video-gallery.html?m

[MThockeydad 469]

I think I'd rather epoxy in t-nuts and swap between real chassis/holders.

[beedee 227]

Was the fit similar to the Vapors?What holders did you use?A lot of forward pitch similar to Grafs?

i would say the fit is more like a Supreme or Nexus. It is definitely wider than a Vapor.

I also skate Grafs and would say the forward lean is somewhat similar but a straight 80mm set up makes the wheelbase feel longer. Meaning the forward lean is still there but the straight 80mm set up kind of made it feel flat to a degree. My Grafs have a decent rocker to them so the forward lean feels more pronounced than it does in my Alkali RPD Team+.

[MikeWhy 39]

I just measured my foot and it's 9 5/8 inch., what size alkali skate would best be a fit for me?

[PETEROD85 1]

What's everyone running for wheel hardness setups? Was thinking about switching the inner 2 wheels on my shift+ to 78a 's. I ran the 78a on the rear wheel of my hilo's because I was chunking the softys all the time.

[beedee 227]

What's everyone running for wheel hardness setups? Was thinking about switching the inner 2 wheels on my shift+ to 78a 's. I ran the 78a on the rear wheel of my hilo's because I was chunking the softys all the time.

76a on the ends with a dual-pour 84a on the inside two. Edited January 10, 2015 by beedee