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I have inline/roller hockey equipment Q’s!


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#1 Puckhoggy

Puckhoggy

Posted 05 April 2018 - 04:14 PM

Gonna start playing inline for the first time this summer!

Need some help when it comes to selecting inline/roller hockey equipment.

Some questions that come in mind are;

Can I or do you recommend converting an ice hockey boot into roller? Any disadvantages of doing this?

If I’m doing my own setup with my own boot, what would be the top of the line brands/models for chassis, bearings, wheels?

For sticks, I read a typical composite blade would get chewed up quickly?... And it would be best to get a 2 piece stick with a different material blade?

Any brand preferences for girdles and pants as well? As the rest of the gear I would have covered from ice hockey.

And anyone know if there is a decent selection to get inline gear from in Toronto and the GTA? It’s seems as if I would have to get a majority of these pieces online and put them on myself as I don’t know where to start for quality gear...

#2 althoma1

althoma1
  • LocationToronto

Posted 05 April 2018 - 06:13 PM

I ref and play inline in Toronto. The Sport Court used for the Mississauga and Oakville leagues as well as Stephen Leacock in Scarborough (Toronto Inline uses this in the fall and winter) are fine for composites. For cement leagues like the one at Garnet in Thornhill, East End Saints in Ajax or Toronto Inline out of Oriole, then you could consider a stick or two piece with an ABS blade.

Buying discounted previous model inlines is generally the cheapest route since you don't have to pay for mounting ($30 at Just Hockey the last time I had it done) and they come with a chassis, wheels and bearings. With that said, for the ice player going to inline, I highly recommend the Sprung chassis and those aren't available stock on any skates. They provide a more ice like feeling than a flat chassis. They also happen to be on sale for $89 US plus shipping and used to sell for around $150. That may be because a new aluminum version called Fizix will be launching soon (no date).

For wheels I would recommend yellow medium Labeda Grippers for cement or Konnix pure wheels for Sport Court (blue tiles). You will have to go online for wheels. Check https://coasthockeyshop.com/ and http://www.thehockeyshop.com/, both based in BC. You can also look at shopinline.ca based out of Kitchener which has limited inventory that they are clearing out at 50% off.

I use the Tron V-pro pants and V-Elite Girdle which I like and are knock offs of the Valken versions. I got those from shopinline.ca. I also use a Mission Thorax flow girdle to ref ice hockey and picked that up from the Pickering National Sports. The Thorax is a bit beefier than the V-Elite and is heavier, but more protective.

 

For bearings, some people swear by Bones Swiss. The most expensive ones are the Bones Swiss Ceramic bearings. For Sport Court, I just have a set of cheap ceramic bearings I picked up on eBay from a seller in Hong Kong. For cement I just have a bunch of cheap Abec7 generic bearings. You can go one of two ways; buy cheap bearings that aren't serviceable (you can't remove the shields, clean them and relube them) and replace them when they start to get slow or dirty or buy more expensive bearings and clean and relube them as needed.

In person, the guy who runs the Mississauga league has some Bauer and Mission products in stock in his office at the Hershey Centre and can order products in. I have also seen pants and girdles at the Pickering National Sports location.



#3 Fooj

Fooj
  • LocationSeattle

Posted 05 April 2018 - 06:15 PM

Gonna start playing inline for the first time this summer!

Need some help when it comes to selecting inline/roller hockey equipment.

Some questions that come in mind are;

Can I or do you recommend converting an ice hockey boot into roller? Any disadvantages of doing this?

If I’m doing my own setup with my own boot, what would be the top of the line brands/models for chassis, bearings, wheels?

For sticks, I read a typical composite blade would get chewed up quickly?... And it would be best to get a 2 piece stick with a different material blade?

Any brand preferences for girdles and pants as well? As the rest of the gear I would have covered from ice hockey.

And anyone know if there is a decent selection to get inline gear from in Toronto and the GTA? It’s seems as if I would have to get a majority of these pieces online and put them on myself as I don’t know where to start for quality gear...

Main thing is are you going to be playing on a painted cement surface or sports court?

 

Im not a roller player but had to outfit a good amount of customers, if you're going to make an ice boot into roller make sure you have a really good riveter.  Its not the easiest to make sure the chassis angle is identical to the ice holder since the hole patterns are so different. Making sure you rivet centered front to back is just as important as side to side, theres no center seam like on a tuuk, not to mention not scratching the chassis.  Id probably recommend just buying new roller skates with how much riveting and chassis/bearings/wheels can be a la carte.

 

If youre gonna be on sports court an OPS will be fine, if youre on cement then it gets more tricky on the Performance vs cost/durability side of things

 

Id ask Kevin52597


IG: Fooj Media


#4 - M

- M

Posted 05 April 2018 - 11:59 PM

Gonna start playing inline for the first time this summer!

Need some help when it comes to selecting inline/roller hockey equipment.

Some questions that come in mind are;

Can I or do you recommend converting an ice hockey boot into roller? Any disadvantages of doing this?

If I’m doing my own setup with my own boot, what would be the top of the line brands/models for chassis, bearings, wheels?

For sticks, I read a typical composite blade would get chewed up quickly?... And it would be best to get a 2 piece stick with a different material blade?

Any brand preferences for girdles and pants as well? As the rest of the gear I would have covered from ice hockey.

And anyone know if there is a decent selection to get inline gear from in Toronto and the GTA? It’s seems as if I would have to get a majority of these pieces online and put them on myself as I don’t know where to start for quality gear...

 

I would recommend converting an ice skate into roller if you already have an old pair available.  I had my original Total Ones converted and paid for all the parts (chassis, bearings, wheels) and the labor.  With the amount I paid I would've only been able to get a brand new lower end skate.  The biggest factor for me was being able to wear a boot that I was already familiar with instead of breaking in a new one.  Once you get used to skating in a stiff boot, it makes it difficult to go back to a softer boot too.

 

With my conversion I went with Mission's Aluminum Hi-Lo chassis, with ABEC 9 bearings and Labeda gripper wheels.  You could go higher end but for the amount I was playing, this quality was enough.

 

All of the rinks I played in were smooth concrete slab.  I exclusively used composite one piece sticks and had no issues with them breaking down.

 

What type of ice pant are you wearing?  I've been using the same Supreme girdle with a roller pant over top.  The higher end roller specific girdles will have better ventilation though. 


If your bag has wheels, you don't.


#5 Puckhoggy

Puckhoggy

Posted 06 April 2018 - 12:03 AM

Boys boys boys. Great info ! Thx

As for the type of floor, my buddy told me it’s white tiles? I’m guessing sport court then? It’s out of the Hershey centre in Mississauga.

Coming from someone who uses Easton mako 2 skates, what complete inline skate would fit my kind of foot? I was able to stop by and try a Bauer inline skate and it was just too roomy. Other than that, up to now I don’t have a clue where to try them on

#6 Puckhoggy

Puckhoggy

Posted 06 April 2018 - 12:07 AM

What type of ice pant are you wearing? I've been using the same Supreme girdle with a roller pant over top. The higher end roller specific girdles will have better ventilation though.


Reebok 9K girdle

#7 Aussiescott

Aussiescott
  • LocationBC Canada

Posted 06 April 2018 - 12:55 AM

All I can say is marsblade. And definitely recommend putting them on a pair of boots your use to

My setup is Easton mako 2 with marsblade my only negative is the already soft boot can become even softer outside in the sun I found. On the upside the skates can be picked up for an absolute steal atm if you can find your size

#8 althoma1

althoma1
  • LocationToronto

Posted 06 April 2018 - 11:36 AM

Boys boys boys. Great info ! Thx

As for the type of floor, my buddy told me it’s white tiles? I’m guessing sport court then? It’s out of the Hershey centre in Mississauga.

Coming from someone who uses Easton mako 2 skates, what complete inline skate would fit my kind of foot? I was able to stop by and try a Bauer inline skate and it was just too roomy. Other than that, up to now I don’t have a clue where to try them on

Hershey Centre in Mississauga is Sport Court - you can definitely use composite sticks without issue. The top division is also some of the best roller you'll find in the GTA and even the lower divisions are quite good. I use Mako skates with a Sprung Chassis - no retail roller boot will fit like the Mako. If you can find a lightly used or new old stock Mako in your size and convert those (I'd recommend the Sprung chassis, especially at the current price) that'd be the best option. If you can't do that then the VH/True skates will fit very similar, but you might not want to drop over a grand on a pair of boots for a sport you're just starting.

 

The owner of the league will have some skates, pants and girdles that you can try on and he has an account with Bauer/Mission and can order in wheels, pants, skates, girdles ect. Bauer Vapor inline boots use the same last as the ice skates. Mission boots are built using the Bauer Supreme last. 

 

For wheels on Sport Court, some of the high end models include Konnix Pure (my personal favourites), Labeda Addictions, Revision Flex or Variant wheels or Rink Rat Dual Identity wheels. The wheels come in different durometer levels (hardness) and the durometer you get would depend on your weight. I find with the Sprung chassis, you get a bit of extra grip so you can actually go up one hardness level (eg. if you'd use 76a wheels with a flat chassis then you could go to 78a with Sprungs).

 

Hardness Guidelines for Konnix Pure: 

+0 = Up to 170 lbs
+1 = 160 lbs - 200 lbs
+2 = 190 lbs and above

 

Hardness Guidelines for Labeda Addiction wheels: 

  • 76A (Grip) = 170 lbs and below
  • 78A (Grip +) = 170 lbs and above

 

Hardness Guidelines for Revision Variant wheels: 

78A (Black Steel wheels) = over 200lbs

76A(White) = 200 lbs and below
74A(Red) = 170 lbs and below



#9 numan

numan
  • LocationDallas

Posted 10 May 2018 - 12:40 AM

Always convert Ice to inline. I usually try to keep identical pairs

https://i.imgur.com/MVhTsIG.jpg