LondonSkaters Speed Team - Speed Skating & Rollerblading Club in London

Beatrice

Hello everyone, i got my new wheels last Friday, very happy

but now the problem is that i am currently on 5 x 80mm and there is no 80mm wheels so i took 84mm wheels but i have to change my current frame and i was wondering what is the best step forward: shall i go for 5 x 84mm or 4 x 90 or even 4x100? I have a basic boot from Bont ( i think there is a spacing problem for 100mm wheels). Thanks!

Xia · Joined: 06 Apr 2004 Posts: 874 Location: Geneva (Suisse)

If you are happy with your boots, then ignore 4x100 as the spadcing will not be compatible (as a direct answer)

between 4x90 and 5x84.... I'm not qualified to help, but I would say that you will find loads of used 5x84 on the Market (if not in UK, at least in France) and will be a cheap upgrade.

merten · Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2005 10:41 am Subject:

It seems that the setups most used by girls this season are
100 84 100 100
100 90 100 100
and of course the good old 5x84.

From what I've seen on TV lately, 4 wheel setups are used by most pros in track races like World Games and the European champs. There is no commonplace in street races. Don't know where you usually skate Wink

I agree with Xia, you should be able to get 5x84 frames on eBay for a lot less than any other of the above options.

Rick · Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Posts: 5914

There is no spacing problem for Belotti Sento 4*100 frames if you want to go up to full hundreds. It is the equal spaced 4*100 frames that require a longer spacing. Nearly all the speed skaters in the UK, both male and female, use Belotti Sentos because it meant they didn't need to change their boots. Belotti also make a 100-84-100-100 but hardly anybody uses it.

How far and fast you want to progress? 5*84 is a pretty good length and is easier to get on with from an endurance point of view early on as they are not so high. They also force you to make better crossovers as they are rather long. 4*100 takes a bit more getting used to. The fact that most people wear 100s should be a bit of a clue that current thinking suggests they are faster but you shouldn't just switch to them and then race and expect to have good edge control for a marathon straight away.

Other than that I would say it depends on the surfaces you are going to be skating over. 5 wheels is less fatiging than 4 when skating on uneven surfaces depite 100s being bigger which are better one rougher but flat surfaces.

Can't help you more than that. I have both and like both but it took me longer to like my 100s than my 84s for marathons.

Michi · Joined: 11 Jun 2005 Posts: 658 Location: Hamburg

roger · Joined: 26 Feb 2004 Posts: 531

Your choice of frame might also be affected by your height and foot size.

FWIW Kay is very happy with her 4x90 setup. In fact she is so happy that she now has 2 4x90 setups - one for racing Verducci boots and Bont 12.4 4x90 frame, and a second, somewhat more casual setup, which is a K2 Radical 90. For the smaller woman 4x90 seems like a pretty good choice, and the frames use the traditional 165mm spacing for good measure.

I have recently gone to 4x100, but with a 195mm boot, (Bont ZX5 boot and Maple Diamond 4x100 frame) and its been a really easy transition, and I don't want to go back to 5x84.