Great Comfortable Skates
Written: Mar 22 '02 (Updated Mar 22 '02)
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Pros: Good Price, Cool looking, comfortable
Cons: Velcro straps may wear down in time
The Bottom Line: This is a great skate, very comfortable, and Ultrawheels is an awesome company with exceptional customer service.
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| dangergirl's Full Review: Ultrawheels Hockey Skates Biofit SeriesL Womens 90... |
I bought these rollerblades because I bought my boyfriend a pair for his birthday, and then decided I should get a pair too.
There are 5 different types of rollerblades: Sport/recreation, Training/fitness, Hockey, Aggressive/street, and Off-road. Sport and recreation skaters mainly skate for enjoyment and exercise, training and fitness skaters look to improve their level physical condition and technical proficiency- they are faster skaters. These skates are categorized as fitness skates, according to the box. Aggressive skates are for skaters who have mastered their technique, and off-road skates are for skating on rougher terrain.
COMFORT
They were on sale when I bought them, which was the main reason why I decided on them. I had never rollerbladed before, so they felt a bit weird, but as I got used to it, I realised that these skates were SO comfortable. Most items like these, such as shoes, or ice skates, take a while to break in, but not these skates! I've never had a blister- only aching muscles from rollerblading too much! They seem to mold to my feet. The skates are a soft boot rather then a hard boot, so this may be the reason why they are so comfortable.
The boot is made of breathable mesh and nubuck, so your feet stay as cool and dry as possible. I can not compare this to other skates because I have only rollerbladed on one pair, but my feet seem to stay for the most part, cool and comfortable. I can tell that the boot does allow air in and out.
LACING SYSTEM
The laces on these blades are easy to tighten and easy to tie up. The stay tight once you tie them, and the laces have not shown any wear and tear- I have had these blades for about a year now. The laces are still in perfect condition.
DESIGN
The frame is what connects the boot the the wheels. This frame, or "chassis" is made of nylon-glass. I dont really know what that is, but it equals enhanced rigidity and maximum power transfer, so when you push off to gain speed, you maximize your energy and you may gain more speed then if you were on other skates with a different chassis.
One thing that bugs me about the skates is the velcro straps. Some blades have those plastic things that snap, so when you put your blades on it only takes a few seconds. Well with these blades, you have to sit there and tie them up really tight, and then pull and tug at the velcro straps until its tight. The good thing is that the straps will stay once you get it to the tightness you want. It does not take long to get used to the velcro strap also.
The velcro straps however are amazing at providing excellent heel and ankle support.
The wheels so far are holding up well. In one summers worth of blading, I had to rotate the wheels once, since they get worn down- just like a cars tires. I have not yet had to change the wheels completely.
WHEEL SIZE
The wheels that come with these skates are made of polyurethane. The larger the wheel is, the faster the skate is able to go.
Aggressive wheels start at 45 MM and range up to 72 MM. A Junior skate wheel diameter’s start at 64 MM, Average adult recreational skate is 70 or 72 MM. A 76 MM diameter is used for better fitness training models and better roller hockey. 76MM will become the norm for the future. Racing skates use 80 MM diameter wheels.
The size of the wheels on these skates is 76MM.
WHEEL HARDNESS
Hardness of the wheels matters a lot too when it comes to a good skate.
Hardness is measured by durometer and is marked on the wheel. The lower a number indicated means a soft durometer (74 A) Aggressive skates use a hard wheel with durometers 100A. Hard Polyurethane is more durable against abrasion. Softer Polyurethane wears easily but delivers better adhesion or grip on the skating surface. Minor shocks will be absorbed by the softer material wheel. Indoor roller hockey skates use a softer durometer. The hardness also affects the ride. Dual Density technology is developing quickly. A softer material is used close to the core, this material can very from low Durometer PU, open cell foam, or air chamber which is encased with the harder PU. The hardness improves wear with smoother ride and adhesion is increased.
The hardness of this skates wheel is 82A.
I could go on and on, but I thought I should add the above information, because after comfort, The type of wheels on your rollerblades can really make a difference in your ride.
I won't bore you with the science of bearings, but these blades have bearings of ABEC 3, which in laymens terms, offers moderate speed and resistance.
APPEARANCE
The appearance of these skates are sporty looking. The look of the blades was actually one of the things that got me to buy them! The weight of these blades is pretty much average from what I can tell. They are not too heavy, and not too light, even in comparison with all my friends roller blades. They wiegh maybe about 1-2 lbs each (?).
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Another good thing about buying Ultrawheels is, they have a promotion where if you mail in some type of survey, they will send you 5 free brake pads per year, for 5 years! So learn how to use your brakes properly!!
For the beginner blader like me who probably won't notice the difference between low end blades and super nice ones, I would highly recommend any blades from the UltraWheels line. They really seem to be a great company.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dangergirl
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Location: Wayne, NJ, USA
Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 1 member
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