New Skates

[BucksAway 16]

Hi

I'm in the market for a new pair of skates but i have no idea where to start looking. I currently have a pair of Mission BSX 9.00 EE and i really have to crank the laces to make it feel tight and they are falling apart, the bottom plate holding the chassis has started to crack and rivets are starting to fall out, i think i can get a few more weeks out of them but after that there pretty well busted.

I have tried on a pair of tour skates but i don't like the fact it doesn't have the "forward" lean which seems to reflect on my acceleration and i hate the all 80 setup.

I am looking at pretty much anything now besides Tour skates, i don't want to spend anymore then ~$500-600 and it been that price range i want the best i can get, the only problem is as i live in Australia trying on these top of the line skates its literally impossible as nobody stocks them or has never heard of them before. I made the mistake of buying my current skates here which set me back $350 only to find they where $80 online and im not doing that again.

Anyway i have no idea what to look for :S and since sizing is different now i have no idea what size i am, im guessing a 8.00 D or 7.5 D or E since its 1.5 sizes down or 1 whatever the skates are. I play forward if that says anything and i need skates that are super comfy and that will last a decent amount of time, i do prefer the hi-lo which leads me to stay along the lines of mission and bauer but have never tried the tri-di setup before. I play on smooth painted concrete and also on orb court at and sports court once in a blue moon, wheels wont really be an issue as i can always buy more anyway and im used to do that since the concrete chews through wheels and stick blades like you wouldn't believe. I'm about 5"9 and weigh about 75kg and i don't see that changing any time soon.

http://www.hockeymonkey.com/bauer-roller-hockey-skates-vapor-rx60-sr.html

looking at those mostly as they seem to have the most $$$ off or the new Mission Axiom

Any help will be appreciated

Thanks

[henryb 4]

The Bauer RX:60's are an awesome skate, take a look on this forum for my "Full Review" of them. To get an close approximation of your sizing, you could try on a Bauer X:60 ice skate to get close. Although they are not exactly the same, but it would be a good place to start. My review has an update on sizing as well. These skates will probably require you to heat mold them for a really comfortable fit. There is a very good YouTube video by Inlinewarehouse that shows you how to bake your skates at home safely.

[Vet88 674]

If you have the BSX then they are in the new mission sizings, same as Bauer, Reebok etc. Use your current boot as a reference, does it fit you properly? Take the laces out, wear a thin pair of socks, put foot in boot and push your foot forward till the toes feather the cap. How much space do you have between your heel and the back of the boot? For every cm it is 1 size difference. If you have 1/2cm room you could go down 1/2 a size.

Note that if you are looking at RX60's they do fit differently than other Bauer / Mission / Rbk skates. RX60's are around 1/2 a size smaller. eg my kids have Rbk 9ks size 6 and RX60's size 6, the RX60's are 1/2 a size smaller. I've also seen this between RX60's and T9's, RX60's were 8.5 and T9's size 8. If you are looking at any Mission boots prior to the BSX / CSX etc range (2009 range) then these used the old Mission sizing, eg a size 10 1/2 Mission Boss would equal your size 9 Mission BSX. So a range of similar boot sizes would be Rbk size 6 = RX60 size 6.5 = Mission Boss size 7.5 = Mission BSX size 6.

Of course there are subtle differences in everyones foot (I don't like the shape of the Bauer toe cap) so what fits one perfectly may be slightly off in another. What about your team mates, everyone I have ever talked to is happy to let you try on a boot for sizing? Ask them what size boot they are using and try them on, get a range of what fits and doesn't as size 9 is reasonably common.

With the budget you have indicated you should be able to get an excellent pair of skates. You may want to drop fatwabbit a line (find him here or on the Inline Warehouse message board), he lives in Australia and is around your foot size and might even have something to sell. If not he can give you a heap of advice about boot sizings.

Once you finally get a size that fits you then classifieds like eBay, Craigslist, Inline Warehouse message board etc are good places to find excellent condition lightly used boots. It often takes a while so if you don't want to wait and hunt then buying new is the next best bet. Some places will not ship direct to you because of dealer agreements. You then need a virtual address in the States like Bongo, shipit, etc. For Australia, be careful about who you select as sometimes the freight rates can be hugely excessive, a pair of skates weighs and volumes to around 7lbs and most these virtual addresses will have a shipping calculator to tell you how much it will cost. And before you select one to trust your gear to, research it online to make sure they operate ok.

[BucksAway 16]

hopefully i can go try on a pair as i think a store close to me might stock them or something along the lines of bauer.

although anything bauer RX would work as i would be able to work of that i guess. but at the moment the RX60's look the way to go but if they don't fit well hopefully i can try on a pair of the Axiom T10's 9's or 8's

As for shipping, none of that will be a problem as i will use priceUSA if they will not ship directly to me but as they are in clearance at hockeymonkey there might be a slight chance they will ship directly to me as they did before for my dad with a pair of Mission T6 but either way shipping to me wont be an issue thank god.

I looked at that review Henryb and a few others and they seem to be a very very good pair of skates so may be worth it even if i cant try them on as i have never really had any issues at all with shoes etc fitting on my foot. although i noticed you used them on smooth concrete, how did the wheels turn out after a month or so? I chew threw wheels like no end playing on concrete.but i will also be playing on orb court and sports court every so often.

[Vet88 674]

Bottom line is you have to get different wheels for different surfaces. If you want wheels to last on a concrete surface you have to up the hardness and sacrifice some grip, 78A or 80A for your weight. Anything else just means you chew through them really fast. For orb and sports court at your weight you should be fine with 72A or 74A wheels, max gip and reasonable speed. If you have the money then you might want to look at some Labeda Addictions (Reds) or Rink Rat splits for these surfaces and get grip and speed.

I can't emphasise how important it is to have proper fitting skates. Skating in something that is a size too big will forever hold you back. Try them on as I suggested and get the right size. A top end boot can always be stretched for width (and length) so I always suggest players go for a narrower boot than a wider fitting one, with a stretch or two in the right place and the end fit is almost a custom boot.

[fatwabbit 93]

kyle, got a pair of brand new Mission T8's, can have them mounted on hummers or sprungs, and loaded with some brand new rink rat hornets.

let me know.

Am also in Melbourne week after next, I can bring my skates down for you to try out if you are interested.

[henryb 4]

Looks like the wheels are turning for you! To coin a phrase!!! Anyways, I think Vet88 hit the nail on the head regarding wheels. For concrete, I use Labeda Yellow Grippers, and for Sportcourt I use Labeda Orange Addictions. I have white Grippers as backup for concrete, and red Addictions for backup on Sportcourt, these are both a bit softer, but also a bit slower. There is always a trade off.

Regarding a chassis set up, I would strongly recommend giving the Sprungs a shot, they are really the best thing on the market! You will never go back once you give them try.

[BucksAway 16]

i went ahead and ordered the RX60's i couldn't pass up the cheap price as it was then hockeymonkey had the LABOR11 code for a further 20% off

$425 for them, came in a lot under budget (:

[Vet88 674]

That was a really good price, hard to go past a deal like that for a pair of quality skates.

[henryb 4]

Wow, great deal! I thought I had a great deal when I bought mine for $480! Nice!

Maybe with your extra cash from going under budget, you could upgrade them with a set of Sprung's?

[BucksAway 16]

what are the advantages of sprungs? compared to the hi lo already on the RX60

[henryb 4]

Great question... Not sure I can give that topic justice! So I will try to hit the highlights. The whole idea is that they should feel like ice skates, smooth rocker. If you look at the mechanics of the stride, it offers the ability of a longer smoother, and a more powerful stride. This in itself translates into quicker acceleration and top speed.

There are a few other things that work in your favor as well... Most people report that you can use a harder wheel durometer with Sprung's and get the same grip as a softer wheel, there again you get more speed.

Turning is the real big advantage, because you gradually go from 4 to 3 to 2 wheels you can turn faster and carry more speed.

Now I have heard that on quick starts when you compress the "spring", it can give you a bit of a boost when the spring kicks back. Personally I have not felt this specifically, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen!

On their website they have a really good YouTube video that illustrates most of this. Check it out.