Kessel'sOversizedSuit 18 Report post Posted February 25, 2016 My 8 year old plays competitive AA hockey and is asking for rollerblades for his 9th birthday in April. I know nothing about roller and he has never been on them before. These will likely only be used on the street in front of our house for street hockey and to keep up some skating during the summer (we take a break from the ice during the summer) also mainly on asphalt. So these skates won't be used in a league or on a sports court or anything. He wears Bauer Supreme ice skates. Are there any special considerations I should keep in mind when shopping such as wheels? Since Bauer only seems to make the vapor skate boots for roller, will I need to look to another brand for fit? Thanks in advance. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
althoma1 574 Report post Posted February 25, 2016 The Mission line of skates uses the Supreme last (Bauer owns Mission). So if your son fits well in the Supremes you should be looking at the Mission line of skates. If he's using the skates on asphalt in front of the house then you should get him outdoor wheels. Most companies have wheels specifically designed for that surface. Off the top of my head Labeda Asphalt and Revision Axis are two that come to mind. Since he's only 8, I imagine he's fairly light so you may also be able to get away with a multi-surface 78a wheel (the outdoor wheels are usually either 82a or 84a...the higher the durometer number the harder the wheel) and get some decent life out of them. If the skates you buy come with softer indoor wheels meant for sport court you should either save those for the times he's going to be indoors or sell them if he's never going to play indoors - examples of wheels designed for indoor use only are Revision Variant, Labeda Addiction, Rink Rat Identity Krisis ect. - they're expensive dual durometer wheels that are great for Sport Court, but will be chewed up in very short order outdoors. Most of the standard chassis are not rockered like an ice blade. If you want to use the outdoor time for training purposes then there are two chassis that attempt to mimic and ice like feel - Sprung and Marsblade. There are long threads on both of them on this forum. They aren't cheap, but will feel more like ice than the flat or hi-lo type chassis that come standard. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vet88 673 Report post Posted February 25, 2016 Not sure what size feet your son has but I don't think Sprung or Marsblade produce a version for junior sized boots. If he fits senior size you need to buy a boot then get the chassis mounted on it, your local hockey shop should be able to help here. An ice boot is fine, you might get lucky and get the same model he is in or close off ebay etc for cheap. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
althoma1 574 Report post Posted February 25, 2016 Good point vet. It's unlikely an 8 year old would use skates big enough for even the smallest sized Sprungs or Marsblades. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kessel'sOversizedSuit 18 Report post Posted February 26, 2016 He will be in JR 1 or 1.5, so pretty small... thanks for the tip re Mission being the supreme last. I'll look into those for sure. He's 65 lbs so I take it the stock wheels will be ok? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
althoma1 574 Report post Posted February 26, 2016 It depends which model of skates you go for - if you just get a lower end Mission they'll likely have multi-surface wheels or outdoor wheels that will be OK (they're wear out, as any wheel will on asphalt, but not the first use). If you go for a mid-high end Mission then they'll likely come with indoor Sport Court wheels. Those will get trashed on asphalt - if you get those then buy some cheap wheels more appropriate for outdoors and either sell or save the better indoor wheels. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vet88 673 Report post Posted February 27, 2016 You may be limited in wheel choice, jr1 size is either a 59mm or 68mm (or combo) sized wheel, the Labeda Asphalts are good, the Tron Giga Hz outdoor are a good price. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kessel'sOversizedSuit 18 Report post Posted February 29, 2016 thanks again all. He tried on the Mission ds7 skates and liked them a lot. said they felt just like his supremes. So I think we have a winner. I noticed that there are two smaller wheels under the forefoot and larger wheels out back. I assume that this is to assist in boot pitch but is there anything else to know about that? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vet88 673 Report post Posted February 29, 2016 This is Mission's Hi-Lo chassis, standard on all of their skates. Helps with pitch and their theory that the smaller wheels at the front give you quicker turning whilst the larger wheels at the rear give you more speed. Other than that, let him strap them on and skate hard. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
althoma1 574 Report post Posted February 29, 2016 The DS7 skates also come with outdoor wheels so you won't have to worry about buying different wheels right away. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
