Chassis choices, need clarification

[J03Y 2]

I've been looking at chassis' for days/weeks and have finally spun in too many circles, so I figured maybe you guys could help clarify a few questions.

So I read Sprungs breakdown on each chassis and their degree of pitch, etc. Now when looking at places like hockeymonkey, inlinewarehouse realistically there's only 2 choices in frames. It's either Hum'er or Vanguard. I don;t want the Hum'er because I'm not a fan of all 80 setup.

All of these are Vanguards:

Magnesium vanguard hi-lo

Magnesium vanguard

Aluminum vanguard

Aluminum vanguard hi-lo

Aluminum vanguard

So tell me, what exactly is the difference between all of these other than aluminum vs. magnesium and weight, etc? Only price? They all run the (2) 76mm - (2) 80mm.

What exactly am I missing?

Just to add, I've been running the Reebok Tri-Di setup for the last few years, and I'm worried about switching to a hi-lo setup but with tri-di no longer available, I have little choice it would seem. Also, whichever chassis I end up with, I'm going to be powdercoating the chassis, and then mounting them to some Reebok 16k ice boots.

Thanks for any input.

[sarasch 1]

Take a look in here: http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php?/topic/62076-mission-vanguard-chassis-options/

[J03Y 2]

Thanks for the link. Being bored at work, figured I would photoshop what it might look like with the Aluminum Vanguard Hi-Lo's on Reebok 14k and White k's.

I like that 14k look

[wetwilly17 6]

all the ones you listed are exactly the same, the only difference being aluminum vs magnesium alloy. the mags are way lighter than aluminum but given the total weight of the boot with wheels and all, its not a huge difference.

the bauer xr5 and xr premier are pretty much the same skate with the main difference being the aluminum vs mag chassis. inlinewarehouse measured the xr5 with al chassis (size 9d) to weigh 1295 gram. they measured the xr premier with mag chassis (size 9d) at 1199 gram.

[ob2rescue 1]

I too went from the tri di to the vanguard(aluminum). I t will take a skate or two to get used to but i am sure you will find the speed increase and first stride better(I always found my first stride sucked with that 72 mm wheel in front on the tri di). hope that helps a bit

[J03Y 2]

I too went from the tri di to the vanguard(aluminum). I t will take a skate or two to get used to but i am sure you will find the speed increase and first stride better(I always found my first stride sucked with that 72 mm wheel in front on the tri di). hope that helps a bit

Thanks, that makes me feel a little better. Hope to have my chassis delivered to me within the next 4-5 days and then this weekend I'm going to head over to the LHS and decide which boots I like and pick them up.

Looking forward to a conversion since I go through inline specific boots like clockwork

[sharks25 9]

If you already ordered the product this response doesn't really matter, but i'll just put it anyways

The newer chassis that say Hi-Lo are a bit lighter and stronger (supposedly) compared to their older counterparts. The Magnesium is noticeably stronger in comparison to the aluminum. Everyone I know that has ever bent the aluminum switched to the mag and have had no problems.

Also, I know you didn't ask for help on skate choice, but just a little thing that may help: Reebok skates will usually be softer than other companies offerings at the same price point. Bauers are the most popular converted skates in my area and all seem to have held up good. I personally love mine, rolling on an old mission mag and rink rat splits.

Let me know if you have any questions.

[J03Y 2]

Thanks for the input. I ended up ordering the newer hi-lo aluminum chassis and a set of Labeda Gripper Millennium's. I'll probably end up at the LHS this weekend to try out some boots. I always used to use Tacks for ice. However I know the Reebok inlines have always fit my foot perfectly. So assuming Reebok's ice offerings fit similarly, that's probably the route I will go. That being said, I won't have a closed mind and will try on every brand I can in search of a good fit and finish.

After I get this conversion up and running I'll probably build another setup with the mag chassis after the holidays....assuming I like the aluminum version. Playing in tournaments, having 2 pairs will be a blessing. 4-6 games in a little over a 24 hour period does a job on skates.