Carbonlite runners from Hyperlite

[Beerleaguebumhockey 16]

For those interested in the Hyperlite, carbonlite runner have a little mid term review. A lot of people were concerned with the carbon lite runners durability long term and after having them for only 2 months the carbon broke so durability is in question. I think the concern was valid. 

Short story, full speed into the boards, tried to stop, had no runner last second just fell out, the carbon "nibs" that lock up into the skate broke off so it just slips right out of the holders. Im feeling it today. Posted to my instagram which I just started as a gear review channel and I must say Bauer was on it. I had a phone call from my local hockey shop saying Bauer wanted it dealt with asap. Its pretty crazy how fast word travels on social media. To get a personal phone call saying Bauer saw my tagged post tells me a lot. So well done there Bauer. Replacement on the way and my local hockey shop was tagged in the post so they just jumped on it. 

I really like these carbon runners, they are incredibly light and the idea behind it is solid. I just am unsure how Bauer tests this type of gear. You cant fault them for trying something new, but I feel like testing would find this problem fairly quickly in the process guys would be busting the nibs that hold the runner all over the place. My frustration yesterday to not finish a game from such a silly equipment issue is a risk on these. 

Either way, my recommendation is as follows. If you have a lot of money the performance is worth the runner. I could feel the difference in weight which is crazy and at first I was like this is the next big thing. If you can keep 2 on hand in case you have what I had where I couldn't complete the game because I had no replacement do it. If I was an NHL player ( and clearly i am not ) and was given gear I would not care how long it lasted if the performance was there. 

However, if you are not down for replacing runners, which I have never done in the life of any skate I have ( 2 ish years usually ) stick with the full steel as you will love the feel and performance and then be sad when they break.  

I really hope Bauer takes this and improves it much like they did the speed plate 2.0. Perhaps they will come with a more durable product in the next version that solves this aspect. Because the idea is solid. 

 

 

cheers

[noupf 42]

I've been waiting for a post like this and i'm pretty sure that more posts like this will begin to surface as the months go by.  As soon as i saw these blades in both picture and in video, i instantly said to myself that this wasn't going to end well for Bauer.  There is almost nothing in the world that could fuse two materials that are infinitely opposite of each other ( steel and carbon fiber ) together and have it last.  Good idea trying something new, but you are introducing points of fusion between two materials that are constantly under intese amounts of stress ( incredibly more so by higher level, professional hockey players )..........no way in hell these carbonlite blades will last all that long without breaking off.....and somebody is going to get seriously injured when one of these things fail at the wrong time.

Edited September 14, 2021 by noupf

[EBondo 232]

Dealt with our first one last week. Unfortunately, this one broke in the front of the blade. It broke off to the point we could not remove the piece from the holder, and ended up not only needing to replace the steel, but having to replace the entire holder as well.

Very disappointing if this is going to be a theme - whether common or not.

[VegasHockey 1280]

I've had some of these fail for customers. I prefer to not sell them for multiple reasons, specifically durability and longevity. 

Once you profile the steel you are left with a very small amount of workable steel left to sharpen. As someone who is part of an equipment manager and pro shop group online, there have been a lot of poor reviews on these in regards to sturdiness. 

I like the concept but I think the practical application leaves much to be desired. I would much rather skate on Flare. 

Edited September 14, 2021 by PBH

[Miller55 333]

Deja Vu all over again?

[mhein22 9]

the most hilarious part about this is people trying to lighten their skates by this little tiny bit like it makes any difference whatsoever. spend 2 extra minutes a week exercising and youll get more improvement in your legs than carrying around a couple less grams of steel.  get freaking real.

seriously i would like to know how much lighter on your legs it is if you are sloppy with your water bottle or clean.  obviously our gear and jerseys can hold alot of water.  if you overshoot your mouth all the time and get your jersey soaked, whats the weight on that?

these runners are a gimmick with no performance benefit whatsoever because equipment whores just look at the grams of something and will buy it.  theres a market for it.  take two hockey players, and if one is better than the other you can change steels between them and the one will still be better.  

this is ludicrous.  not to mention, if you believe that the steel actually weighs you down (eyes rolling out my head as i type that) then you are getting a better workout and more fit by using that steel.  you will be factually be a stronger person from it than someone who uses the carbon steel.  if it made a difference, which it doesnt.  youre legs are handling such HUGE amount of forces i wish there were a physics math guy who could tell you just how many pounds of force your legs are handling and how absolutely irrelevant your steel is compared to that.

During a hockey game you are careening towards the boards and the only thing stopping you is your foot turned sideways applying ENORMOUS SHEER FORCES longitudinally to that little piece of steel connecting you to the ground.  and youre going to cut it in half and instead of a solid piece of steel youre counting on a mm wide strip of adhesive.  its ludicrous.

Not to be critical.

Edited September 14, 2021 by mhein22

[Buzz_LightBeer 969]

Didn’t need a pair of binoculars to see this problem coming. 

[caveman27 208]

1 hour ago, Buzz_LightBeer said:

Didn’t need a pair of binoculars to see this problem coming. 

Yes, Interesting that the steel hasn't separated from the carbon fiber though. Sounds like all problems are related to the carbon fiber part breaking down in some way.

 

[Buzz_LightBeer 969]

It’s only a matter of time imo before they start separating like the Fusion did

[Monty22 832]

3 hours ago, caveman27 said:

Yes, Interesting that the steel hasn't separated from the carbon fiber though. Sounds like all problems are related to the carbon fiber part breaking down in some way.

 

They should try replacing the carbon fiber with a lightweight metal. 

[Beerleaguebumhockey 16]

17 hours ago, EBondo said:

Dealt with our first one last week. Unfortunately, this one broke in the front of the blade. It broke off to the point we could not remove the piece from the holder, and ended up not only needing to replace the steel, but having to replace the entire holder as well.

Very disappointing if this is going to be a theme - whether common or not.

same spot for mine, clearly the weak area. 

[Beerleaguebumhockey 16]

1 hour ago, caveman27 said:

Yes, Interesting that the steel hasn't separated from the carbon fiber though. Sounds like all problems are related to the carbon fiber part breaking down in some way.

 

I dont think the carbon nibs that are on top of the runner will last long enough for the blade and carbon to seperate at this point

[Beerleaguebumhockey 16]

5 hours ago, mhein22 said:

the most hilarious part about this is people trying to lighten their skates by this little tiny bit like it makes any difference whatsoever. spend 2 extra minutes a week exercising and youll get more improvement in your legs than carrying around a couple less grams of steel.  get freaking real.

seriously i would like to know how much lighter on your legs it is if you are sloppy with your water bottle or clean.  obviously our gear and jerseys can hold alot of water.  if you overshoot your mouth all the time and get your jersey soaked, whats the weight on that?

these runners are a gimmick with no performance benefit whatsoever because equipment whores just look at the grams of something and will buy it.  theres a market for it.  take two hockey players, and if one is better than the other you can change steels between them and the one will still be better.  

this is ludicrous.  not to mention, if you believe that the steel actually weighs you down (eyes rolling out my head as i type that) then you are getting a better workout and more fit by using that steel.  you will be factually be a stronger person from it than someone who uses the carbon steel.  if it made a difference, which it doesnt.  youre legs are handling such HUGE amount of forces i wish there were a physics math guy who could tell you just how many pounds of force your legs are handling and how absolutely irrelevant your steel is compared to that.

During a hockey game you are careening towards the boards and the only thing stopping you is your foot turned sideways applying ENORMOUS SHEER FORCES longitudinally to that little piece of steel connecting you to the ground.  and youre going to cut it in half and instead of a solid piece of steel youre counting on a mm wide strip of adhesive.  its ludicrous.

Not to be critical.

LOL "not to be critical"

I dont disagree on the amount of force on the steel, which is now two pcs is extremely great, I do disagree that these performance benefits are not noticed. Improvement comes over time, not all at once. This will hopefully lead way to a better design and way of making it, after failure of the first. The concept is solid and works. Mistakes, if they come from progress should be celebrated. Its how we move forward. Now hopefully the mistake isnt from lack of testing however. That would say Bauer didnt do their home work. If they didnt break, the runner is amazing .

Yes of course, two players of different skill are not going to be equal because one has better equipment than the other, however when it comes to sports finding things that work and exaggerate your skill makes you far better and bumps up areas. Example, I cannot shoot well at all with a low kick stick comparatively to a mid kick. However, my shot is still better then most people with it. But, My shot is weaker, and just doesnt work with my style, I dont score as much at all. Change my stick to a mid kick and I light you up. Now go from a wood stick to composite, a 60$ price point to a 360$ price point, and my shot further improves. Now Ive taken what works for me, a mid kick stick and used the best one available, to further enhance something that already works well for me. I think people under estimate equipment that arent pros. There is a reason pros dont use junk. It exaggerates their skill further. Just some thoughts

Edited September 14, 2021 by Beerleaguebumhockey

[stick9 890]

5 hours ago, mhein22 said:

the most hilarious part about this is people trying to lighten their skates by this little tiny bit like it makes any difference whatsoever. spend 2 extra minutes a week exercising and youll get more improvement in your legs than carrying around a couple less grams of steel.  get freaking real.

seriously i would like to know how much lighter on your legs it is if you are sloppy with your water bottle or clean.  obviously our gear and jerseys can hold alot of water.  if you overshoot your mouth all the time and get your jersey soaked, whats the weight on that?

these runners are a gimmick with no performance benefit whatsoever because equipment whores just look at the grams of something and will buy it.  theres a market for it.  take two hockey players, and if one is better than the other you can change steels between them and the one will still be better.  

this is ludicrous.  not to mention, if you believe that the steel actually weighs you down (eyes rolling out my head as i type that) then you are getting a better workout and more fit by using that steel.  you will be factually be a stronger person from it than someone who uses the carbon steel.  if it made a difference, which it doesnt.  youre legs are handling such HUGE amount of forces i wish there were a physics math guy who could tell you just how many pounds of force your legs are handling and how absolutely irrelevant your steel is compared to that.

During a hockey game you are careening towards the boards and the only thing stopping you is your foot turned sideways applying ENORMOUS SHEER FORCES longitudinally to that little piece of steel connecting you to the ground.  and youre going to cut it in half and instead of a solid piece of steel youre counting on a mm wide strip of adhesive.  its ludicrous.

Not to be critical.

First, I don't think its as simple as "walk more" or "don't skip leg days". Talk about an eyeroll... Second, the benefits may come in the form of endurance, like my feet don't feel so heavy at the end of games. Look at a cars fuel economy or acceleration when it's just the driver vs the driver and passengers. Both take a hit when the car is weighed down. 

Really the only ludicrous thing here is blindly saying there is, and I quote, "no performance benefit whatsoever".

[boo10 323]

2 hours ago, Monty22 said:

They should try replacing the carbon fiber with a lightweight metal. 

If only there were some sort of material that has the strength of steel, and would be suitable to use in the upper portion of a skate runner.  /s

[Beerleaguebumhockey 16]

29 minutes ago, boo10 said:

If only there were some sort of material that has the strength of steel, and would be suitable to use in the upper portion of a skate runner.  /s

has anyone tried aluminum runners? lol

[mhein22 9]

5 hours ago, stick9 said:

First, I don't think its as simple as "walk more" or "don't skip leg days". Talk about an eyeroll... Second, the benefits may come in the form of endurance, like my feet don't feel so heavy at the end of games. Look at a cars fuel economy or acceleration when it's just the driver vs the driver and passengers. Both take a hit when the car is weighed down. 

Really the only ludicrous thing here is blindly saying there is, and I quote, "no performance benefit whatsoever".

ya cars dont improve their mpg's because they reduced the weight by 0.25 pounds.  so what are you talking about?  this is a ridiculous gimmick.  show me an actual study of skaters showing an improved time in any blind testing environment.  there isnt one, is there?

[mhein22 9]

4 hours ago, boo10 said:

If only there were some sort of material that has the strength of steel, and would be suitable to use in the upper portion of a skate runner.  /s

i dont care if they replace the runner with magically solidified air, you wont skate any better.  you could take a bathroom break before the game and lose just as much weight or more for your legs to push around.  is that really an advantage over someone who did it in the morning?  i mean wtf?  i feel like im taking crazy pills in here

[mhein22 9]

4 hours ago, Beerleaguebumhockey said:

has anyone tried aluminum runners? lol

no because they would be weak as hell, fold over, and noone would get any benefit from them whatsoever.

[mhein22 9]

5 hours ago, stick9 said:

First, I don't think its as simple as "walk more" or "don't skip leg days". Talk about an eyeroll... Second, the benefits may come in the form of endurance, like my feet don't feel so heavy at the end of games. Look at a cars fuel economy or acceleration when it's just the driver vs the driver and passengers. Both take a hit when the car is weighed down. 

Really the only ludicrous thing here is blindly saying there is, and I quote, "no performance benefit whatsoever".

oh god im not saying you have to have an entire leg day in order to beat the performance increase from losing 4 ounces from your equipment.  jeez a whole leg day per week would be like losing 30 pounds from your equipment.  hell no.  its not comparable.  im saying 2 minutes.  actually 30 seconds of a workout per week will beat the performance increase of the 4 ounces.  if there was one, which there is not.

[Westside 232]

19 minutes ago, mhein22 said:

ya cars dont improve their mpg's because they reduced the weight by 0.25 pounds.  so what are you talking about?  this is a ridiculous gimmick.  show me an actual study of skaters showing an improved time in any blind testing environment.  there isnt one, is there?

Well if you reduced the vehicle’s unsprung weight by 35% (which is what Bauer claims the weight savings over traditional steel is), you would see a pretty dramatic difference in performance (whether that’s speed, handling, or efficiency). High performance sports cars do this all the time whether it’s using lighter weight forged wheels, carbon ceramic brakes, or replacing traditional metals with carbon fiber. 

16 minutes ago, mhein22 said:

no because they would be weak as hell, fold over, and noone would get any benefit from them whatsoever.

Pretty sure airplanes, cars, and plenty of other demanding vehicles that use lighter weight aluminum aren’t ‘weak as hell’ or don’t simply  ‘fold over’. It’s not like a runner is going to be made from a beer can. 

 

 

I’m not on the hype train of the carbon runners, but you’re digging yourself into a hole by saying some pretty stupid/easily disproved things. Stop while you’re ahead 

[boo10 323]

28 minutes ago, mhein22 said:

i dont care if they replace the runner with magically solidified air, you wont skate any better.  you could take a bathroom break before the game and lose just as much weight or more for your legs to push around.  is that really an advantage over someone who did it in the morning?  i mean wtf?  i feel like im taking crazy pills in here

Um, I think you must have missed the /s at the end of my post.  To be clear....the material with the strength of steel that I'm referring to is "steel".

[mhein22 9]

1 hour ago, Westside said:

Well if you reduced the vehicle’s unsprung weight by 35% (which is what Bauer claims the weight savings over traditional steel is), you would see a pretty dramatic difference in performance (whether that’s speed, handling, or efficiency). High performance sports cars do this all the time whether it’s using lighter weight forged wheels, carbon ceramic brakes, or replacing traditional metals with carbon fiber. 

Pretty sure airplanes, cars, and plenty of other demanding vehicles that use lighter weight aluminum aren’t ‘weak as hell’ or don’t simply  ‘fold over’. It’s not like a runner is going to be made from a beer can. 

 

 

I’m not on the hype train of the carbon runners, but you’re digging yourself into a hole by saying some pretty stupid/easily disproved things. Stop while you’re ahead 

youre not reducing the weight youre legs are carrying around by 35% by swapping out half a runner with carbon fiber, what are you talking about? they carry your entire body.  all 180+ pounds plus all the G forces going on, multiplying that force on your legs through normal skating.  4 ounces doesnt matter.

and where are these aluminum runners?  they dont exist.  because aluminum would be a horrible material for a runner.  this is simple stuff bud.

you’re digging yourself into a hole by saying some pretty stupid/easily disproved things. Stop while you’re ahead 

Edited September 15, 2021 by mhein22

[mhein22 9]

2 hours ago, mhein22 said:

oh god im not saying you have to have an entire leg day in order to beat the performance increase from losing 4 ounces from your equipment.  jeez a whole leg day per week would be like losing 30 pounds from your equipment.  hell no.  its not comparable.  im saying 2 minutes.  actually 30 seconds of a workout per week will beat the performance increase of the 4 ounces.  if there was one, which there is not.

definitely did miss it. my bad

[mhein22 9]

8 hours ago, Beerleaguebumhockey said:

LOL "not to be critical"

I dont disagree on the amount of force on the steel, which is now two pcs is extremely great, I do disagree that these performance benefits are not noticed. Improvement comes over time, not all at once. This will hopefully lead way to a better design and way of making it, after failure of the first. The concept is solid and works. Mistakes, if they come from progress should be celebrated. Its how we move forward. Now hopefully the mistake isnt from lack of testing however. That would say Bauer didnt do their home work. If they didnt break, the runner is amazing .

Yes of course, two players of different skill are not going to be equal because one has better equipment than the other, however when it comes to sports finding things that work and exaggerate your skill makes you far better and bumps up areas. Example, I cannot shoot well at all with a low kick stick comparatively to a mid kick. However, my shot is still better then most people with it. But, My shot is weaker, and just doesnt work with my style, I dont score as much at all. Change my stick to a mid kick and I light you up. Now go from a wood stick to composite, a 60$ price point to a 360$ price point, and my shot further improves. Now Ive taken what works for me, a mid kick stick and used the best one available, to further enhance something that already works well for me. I think people under estimate equipment that arent pros. There is a reason pros dont use junk. It exaggerates their skill further. Just some thoughts

noones talking about sticks. yes carbon fiber sticks are superior to wood. we know that.  we are talking about the runners.  try and stay on topic.

as far as runners go, no they dont "work".  new skates are outrageously light.  weakening your runner for a couple ounces is a horrible idea and will not do anything at all to improve your performance.  you will still be worse than anyone better than you.  its a gimmick.