Advice on roller conversion

[CTB 32]

Getting a new pair of True skates (for ice);and thinking about converting my current pair (Jetspeeds) to roller. I haven’t owned a pair of rollerblades since the 90s so I’m definitely not up to speed on the current products and market.  So a few questions:

1) Can my skates be converted?
2)  Is it advisable to convert?  Are current roller boots designed any differently than their ice counterparts?
3) Best brands of roller gear to use for chassis and wheels?

4) Expected price for someone to convert?

 

 

[Stewie 721]

I don’t know your skates very well, but I’d assume it’s an easy convert. 
the main differences between an ice boot and a roller boot typically are that an inline boot will have more ventilation (toe cap etc) and many times better wear resistance on the sides due to the abrasion roller skates will take. 
 

The rest of the recommendations will likely depend on what your end goal is for these skates and usage, but they should be good as long as you like how they fit 

[Isles12 8]

1) yes

2) totally fine to convert. Only difference with roller boots is the added wear patches and some have extra vents.

3)Chassis: if you want an ice like feel go marsblade or sprung. If you don’t care about that any newer chassis should do. 76-80 Hilo is the most common. Make sure you get a one piece chassis they are much stronger than a two piece.

Wheels: Depends on the surface you’re on. Labeda, revision, and konnix are all good brands.

4) usually 30-50 cad around here

[CTB 32]

Thanks guys.  I will probably be skating on asphalt, maybe the occasional tennis court or outdoor basketball court but mostly just normal streets/driveways.  

[Left Wing King 50]

Lebeda Asphalts, Bone Reds bearings I think they're called too. Deffo get Marsblades for the on ice feel.

[Stewie 721]

19 hours ago, CTB said:

Thanks guys.  I will probably be skating on asphalt, maybe the occasional tennis court or outdoor basketball court but mostly just normal streets/driveways.  

If that’s your end goal, and you are using these as a training tool, then yes, marsblade and asphalt wheels, paired with some cheaper bones bearings, or even another brand you find cheap, are ideal. You don’t want to spend too much on bearings for outdoor usage as they will get dirty and have a bit of water uptake from puddles etc, and even with cleaning will break down faster, just something decent to get you rolling. 
 If you want a good reputable person doi the conversion, JR offers the service in the pro shop portion of this site. He’s done a few conversions for me and does excellent work 

[YesLanges 127]

On 5/28/2020 at 4:19 PM, Isles12 said:

if you want an ice like feel go marsblade or sprung.

Anybody have experience with both who can offer a comparison?

[althoma1 575]

5 hours ago, YesLanges said:

Anybody have experience with both who can offer a comparison?

A couple people in that thread have/had both the O1 Marsblade and Sprungs. According to them, Marsblades feel closer to ice, but Sprungs allow for more control on turns and better stopping. 

A member on another forum used both the O1 Marsblade and Sprungs and prefered Sprungs for playing:

Having used both and playing semi pro hockey, I find the sprungs to be ultimate in terms of performance. Gives your quick feet an edge. However reliability is another issue. I go through these like a faze. (220 5’10) I’m not a huge guy but I play competitive inline in Canada and im hard on my feet. My sprungs were done after 2 seasons. I used mars for one season and I didn’t like the way there “rocker” sat. Put me on the toes of my feet too much. Preference for me is the sprungs, however it’s subjective. I know players who swear by marsblades.

Then there's the new R1 Marsblade that's not out yet. I don't believe anyone has used that and Sprungs yet.

My personal opinion based on everything I've read and using Sprungs: if you're primarily interested in training for ice outdoors then I'd go for the Marsblades over Sprungs as they more closely replicate ice skating and will be more durable outdoors. If you're looking to get the chassis that gives you the best performance when playing roller hockey then I'd either get the Sprungs (if you can - they're out of stock on the Sprung site and there are only a few A7s and A8's on ebay and Sidelineswap) or preorder the Marsblade R1. Another future option might be the Fizix chassis (they have a FB page) that the inventor of Sprungs is working on, but it's in the design stage with no ETA and no guarantee it will be released. Even though I love Sprungs, I'd probably lean toward the Marsblade R1 right now since it's currently available and you'll be able to get parts for it for the foreseeable future. 

 

[YesLanges 127]

Thanks, Man...much appreciated.