Newbie with neumeours questions...

[Tyler Tarris]

Well i used to skate back when the trs downtown 1's first came out and i was like a 11 year old kid. I bought a pair in size 8 back then and skated them for about a year, i outgrew them and quit. After a long break from bmx i decided to get into aggressive skating instead as bmx is expensive and i break things in bmx alot. I weigh 292 lbs and am 5'8 and lift alot of weights. I ordered Rollerblade trs downtown 4's in 12.5 on clearence from roller warehouse. They were the le model with the anti rockers. First day out being nice on them i tore out chunks from the front wheel. I went to my local skate shop and bought senate 56mm wheels, and ran those, chunked out the front wheel too. Then i decided to experiment between tri rocker and flat and so far just ran flat just on the in case. I was keeping my skates really tight for break in and because i diddnt know any better. I then realized if i loosened them a bit i could royale, farf, etc. and am now progressing a tad bit quicker. At this stage now i have a few questions 1. based on my body stats are there any wheels i could get to be able to run anti rocker? 2. is there any way to get more flex out of trs so i can run my skates tighter 3. why do my wheels keep tearing out? 4. I had to buy size 12.5 skates after trying them on at my local shop mainly because after trying on many a pair the tightest fit i could get was 12.5. My actual shoe size is 10.5-11 but i have a brutally wide foot and therefore have to ride a skate a little bit bigger just for width requirements. There is only a half inch of room if that in front so its not that bad and its still snug. Now as the skate is breaking in the insole inside the liner is digging in about 1/4-1/2 inch into the inside of my foot and causing a blister/pain because the insole isnt wide enough. I was thinking stuffing a dr scholls down there would help, what do you think i should do? 5. is it just me or has the sport taken a huge popularity dive?

Thanks a ton for answering my questions sorry i wrote so much its just around here there are no skaters anymore and i dont have anybody to ask these questions. My local shop is about to quit selling skate parts because there is no market for them... Thanks a ton guys ;D

[chinojuice]

1. Buy harder rated wheels... i.e. 89A or 90A rated wheels. The senate wheels you bought are shitty for street and are best for smooth, flat concrete skate parks. And based on your size it'll be better if you buy harder wheels in general maybe 90a+
2. Bend your knees more.
3. Senate wheels suck now...they are great if you're not doing anything but skating once a week on at concrete skateparks
4. I don't understand how the insole is digging into your foot? Like at the arch of your foot it's not wide enough? But if the insole sucks, find another to use that you think will be better
5. Huge dive, but if you keep at it and do a lot of airs and flips and shit...kids will be on yo dick at the skatepark. and if you're lucky you might be able to convert some!

welcome back and keep blading!

[andreas542]

Hai and welcome back!

1. based on my body stats are there any wheels i could get to be able to run anti rocker?

Some wheels are much less durable than others, which can vary from company to company, model to model and even batch to batch. I've had some terrible wheels (Senate, old Undercover, amongst others) that haven't lasted anywhere near as long as others. The best wheels I've had have been Eulogy, I've been rolling on mine for over a year now, and I've never had a pair of wheels that long. I'm on the Jeff Dalnas model. You could experiment with different hardnesses too, if you're chunking your wheels a lot I would go for a harder wheel. It will offer slightly less grip but be more durable. 92a is probably the hardest you should go, and it will be a lot more durable than 88a.

2. is there any way to get more flex out of trs so i can run my skates tighter

The TRS shell can be cut down underneath the skin to improve flex, and this was a very common mod back when these skates were more popular. If you don't want to do that then tightening the laces right up and leaving the buckle looser should do the trick. The "correct" way of doing it, however, is to use your knees, you'll find your body becomes so much more flexible as soon as you bend your knees. Skates also get softer with time, so they will soften up the more you skate them.

3. why do my wheels keep tearing out?

If it's always the front wheels then you may be putting too much pressure forwards. Try pushing with your heels when skating.

4. I had to buy size 12.5 skates after trying them on at my local shop mainly because after trying on many a pair the tightest fit i could get was 12.5. My actual shoe size is 10.5-11 but i have a brutally wide foot and therefore have to ride a skate a little bit bigger just for width requirements. There is only a half inch of room if that in front so its not that bad and its still snug. Now as the skate is breaking in the insole inside the liner is digging in about 1/4-1/2 inch into the inside of my foot and causing a blister/pain because the insole isnt wide enough. I was thinking stuffing a dr scholls down there would help, what do you think i should do?

Changing the insole could see improvement, but I've never had a problem with wide feet so I can't offer much advice. Changing to a better liner may help.

5. is it just me or has the sport taken a huge popularity dive?

Yup, it has. What you can do is try to build a scene with impressionable young guns at the skatepark, be friendly with them and try to convince them to try rollerblading. That way your local shop might continue selling skateparts.

[DanielBond]

You might want to eventually consider XSJADO skates. They are super accommodating for wide feet and you can just use whatever shoes you feel most comfortable wearing in them if you are struggling with traditional hardboot skates. The Large shell has tons of room for your feet and you should find it does the job really well.

As for wheels, go big and hard. UC and Eulogy are getting a lot of love at the moment and all the Eulogy I have skated have lasted longer than any other brand.

[Tyler Tarris]

Thanks for all the help guys i really appreciate it. So I should be able to run anti if i get eulogys? Im thinking about get dr scholls today and sticking them in there and seeing if there is improvement. On my old skates when i used to skate i had taken a cutoff wheel and v cut the cuffs, trimmed under the skin, and cut some of the front of the cuff off where people used to, it was fine when i was lighter, but do you guys think if i did some of these things it would make the skate flop out, etc. Thanks a ton guys.

[rollerblazed]

i weigh like 230lbs and used to ride eulogy antirocker, never had problems. but you should be aware of the damage you do to wheels from doing t stops (dragging your foot to stop) and pushing off your toes. these two things are the quickest way for me to destroy wheels, but if i'm knowledgeable of how i skate they last somewhat longer.

and if you're going to v-cut your cuffs, make a very small v-cut and see how it skates, before you take off a huge amount of material. cuffs are more likely to break or flop out if you v-cut them

[andreas542]

Oh and make sure you get a smooth v-cut if you do it, or it'll cause splits in the material which grow with wear into long splits in the cuff = not what you want.

+1 on what someone said about Xsjados, they're incredible, and pretty cheap right now:
http://www.aggressivemall.com/Xsjado...e-dwii2010.htm

[Tyler Tarris]

I used to ice skate alot, etc. and i dont really know how to skate without pushing off my toes, lately ive been distributing the pressure better but even still i have no idea how to skate easy on the wheels.

[Tyler Tarris]

Well I built a p rail that is a foot and a half tall and has a 2 1/4" pipe, I managed to do well flat rocker, but tomorrow i think i might throw antis on there and see if i can get used to the idea of pushing more on the back foot, i think ideally i need to relearn how to skate correctly and buy some eulogys, wish me luck ;D