LondonSkaters Speed Team - Speed Skating & Rollerblading Club in London

TheGinger1 · Joined: 07 Jul 2009 Posts: 86

Right, it's time to stop playing around on little 90mm Bont Alphas. I could see the way that the 110mm would just ease away from me as they carried their momentum from the downhill. If I'm going to make big moves forward, I need to start my training for the 2012 Le Mans on the skates that I'll be competing with, bring on the 110mm. No more excuses.

So, I need some advice on what I should get. I think my budget would be somewhere around £500-600 ish. What should I look for? Where can you buy them (I'll make a trip to the Blue Room but what about online/abroad etc). I would have liked to have tried on some at Le Mans but was trying to spend as little time in the sun as possible.

Would anyone have anything I could try? I currently use a Bont Euro 45 but my cycling shoes are Euro 46 (or 45.5 if I can get them). I also have relatively wide feet.

Any advice would be really appreciated.

Ben

Barrie · Joined: 21 May 2006 Posts: 1380 Location: Putney

Can try mine if they'll fit, but might be too small ( I'm normally a 9.5 )

I tried Ed's Jets before getting mine, fitted fine, so I ordered the same, easy!

Remember that they'll all be heat moulded to someone else's foot though...

4x110 from 4x90 is a fair jump IMO...

Maybe consider 4x100, 1x100 frame? Shorter and lower...
I'd get one if the cost didn't make me squirm, and I'm relatively OK on 4x100... albeit I suspect it'd be better for Tatem more than Le Mans/Marathons ( my ankles complain towards the ends of marathons, but probably wouldn't if I actually did enough training Embarassed

).

dan_b · Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 2428

Doesn't the Alpha take a standard(sic) 3 point frame? If you're happy with the boot you could just change that

EdP · Joined: 05 Aug 2009 Posts: 481

Good stuff!

My only real suggestion is that to make the transition as easy as possible you fit 100mm wheels to your 110mm frame for the first month or so.

Are you sure you want 4x110 and not 3x110 1x100? I wish I'd gone for the latter in hindsight, but you're of course much taller than me and mine get used for marshalling.

The Bont website is cheap and you presumably know already that their fit works well for you. Perhaps look at the 2010 Jets on closeout?

Barrie · Joined: 21 May 2006 Posts: 1380 Location: Putney

peterc · Joined: 10 Mar 2004 Posts: 1284 Location: M3 somewhere

I have "spare" 100mm frame, if yours are not on those already, and I think the capability to knock up some spacers if you come down to the garage.

Barrie · Joined: 21 May 2006 Posts: 1380 Location: Putney

RichardH · Joined: 02 Sep 2009 Posts: 210

Plenty of examples around for a quick visual check at a training session sometime.

EdP · Joined: 05 Aug 2009 Posts: 481

TheGinger1 · Joined: 07 Jul 2009 Posts: 86

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I'd have to run a spacer between the frame and the boot to run anything bigger on the current boots. But I want to move on from the Alpha with the slightly higher support (I'll kepp using them as my street skates). I've been trying to start the transition by lacing them up lower down and running the upper Velcro strap very lose and I've got a year to get used to the big wheels (I'm not worried about being super fast out of the box).

I'm interested in the HiLo 3x110 1x100 set up. As I'm making a big jump up, the lower stack might be handy. Obviously this wouldn't be Bont so which manufactures should I look at for this option?

RichardH · Joined: 02 Sep 2009 Posts: 210

Umm ... Bont? They do have a hi lo option, even in 3-point, although I seem to recall something about needing a slightly different boot (different wheel arch heights or something?).

http://www.bont.com/inline/products/frame/sframe7.html

RichardH · Joined: 02 Sep 2009 Posts: 210

Ah no, it wasn't wheel arch height, it was this (from my email conversation with Glenn Koshi when I was buying my Jets, 18 months ago):

Barrie · Joined: 21 May 2006 Posts: 1380 Location: Putney

They are now doing a 195mm spaced 3 point, so do make sure it's the right one!

4x110 frame on my Jets has literally zero fore-aft movement or the 2nd or 3rd wheels foul the arches, to say it has to be millimeter perfect is an understatement, but I think they changed the Jets slightly on later models ( so suggested Ed! I think ).

Fred_Paris · Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:42 am Subject:

If you have the option to get a 3*110 it wiould be better (assuming that's an option).

Moving from 90 to 110 in one go is a big change. To some extend you would probably be better off trying 100 through the winter and movig up early 2012 to 110.

Barrie · Joined: 21 May 2006 Posts: 1380 Location: Putney

What's the relative wheel wear like? Do you just change all 4 in one go?