Skates

Our members roll on both 4-wheel skates and 5-wheel skates. If you have good-quality 4-wheel skates, you should be able to roll alongside skaters on 5 wheels, at least at the moderate speeds of a regular group skate. Should you decide one day to move up to faster skates, club officials (and the pages of this website) will help you make the transition. 4-wheel skates include both recreational and fitness skates, the latter giving you more speed. Apart from the comfort of your feet, you should consider: Front-to-back flexibiliy at the ankle. Lateral support mustn't restrict your ability to bend your knees -- legs that remain straight get only a short and ineffective push. The stiffness of the frame. In order for the wheels to turn freely, the frame must keep its shape without the slightest bending. The best frames are made of aluminum, the worst are made of plastic. In addition, good fitness skates will have an extended frame, conferring better stability at high speed. Diameter of the wheels. Rec skates are often sold with 76mm wheels, which give you agility at the expense of speed. 78mm wheels will let you skate along with us if they're not too worn, but you will be pushing harder. For the easiest rolling, you'll need 80mm wheels, which are the standard for fitness and speed skates. Quality of the bearings. 5-wheel skates include both fitness and speed skates. The former are characterized by comfortable boots and firm ankle-support. For real speedskates, the boot is stiffer and must conform absolutely to the contours of the foot. This is why speed boots are made to be heat-moldable. With their 5 wheels on long stiff frames, speedskates are stable at high speed, and transfer the pushing force completely into the asphalt. The boots don't move around the foot, for doing so would imply a loss of power and control. Their reduced support around the ankle lets you achieve a longer push, but does not go well with weak ankles or shaky technique. The more you improve your skating technique, the more your speedskates will reward your hard work.

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Boots

Skating with the club, you'll have many opportunities to talk about boots with other members. You'll find this an enormous help when it comes time to make a purchase. Here is some additional information: Charles Beaudoin writes on speed boots. How to heat-mold your boots in the oven. How to heat-mold your boots with a heat-gun. To have your boots adjusted by an expert, go to L'Artiste du Patin at 7825 Taschereau Blvd in Brossard, 450-678-5442. Ask for Lorraine Ostiguy. Her store is located across from a Réno-Dépot, a few blocks west of Highway 10.

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Wheels
Whether you have 4-wheel skates or 5-wheel skates, for the best skating experience you put on the right wheels, and then take care of them. Profile, Diameter, Hardness - what to look for before you buy. Rotation - how to make your wheels last longer.

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Bearings
There is surely no subject that skaters are more curious about than bearings. If you have a cleaning-method you'd like to share, or a different point of view, or experience with a particular type of bearing such as minis or ceramics, let me know and we'll add your contribution to the knowledge-base. Which ABEC? The Ideal Bearing How to clean bearings See also How to beat the rain

From the club ~ and our members
Uniforms  Roller-Montréal	New & used  March 18/07

Member discounts ~ from our sponsors
Nordic Skater  Nordic blades	SEB Skates  boots, skates	Bont  boots, skates	ZT Sports  everything for speed

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