Well, it is November 30, and the light snow of October (and Thanksgiving Day) has yielded little hope here in the Twin Cities Metro area of MN. So, the wheels are still rolling, and I can give the first part of the spiel about wheels. Please note this pertains to freestyle skis only, since classic roller skis demand the use of roller ski-specific wheels.
Main issue = Composition: Roller ski wheels are NOT made of the same material as Inline wheels. Roller ski wheels are made of a rubber compound, much like bike or car tires. Even the V2 wheels (which are pneumatic) are rubber. This makes them heavier and generally more durable--and typically slower. Inline wheels are made of varying types of polyurethane. The amalgamation will determine how long an inline wheel lasts--and they still typically don't last as long as roller ski wheels.
Durometer: Related to composition, this is another word for "hardness." Roller ski wheels are pretty much one hardness (unless you go pneumatic, of course). However, inline wheels have a lot more variation. Wheels used indoors are often a bit firmer, because one is on a uniform surface; you want to roll as fast as possible. But, when a person goes outdoors, the change in terrain means you need a mix of durable, yet stable. This means a mid-level durometer. 84A is the standard outdoor wheel. I will talk about this in more depth later.
Size: Generally speaking, the size of a roller ski wheel is around 100mm. This is a little larger than the diameter of a hockey puck. However, inline wheels can be anywhere from about 60-110mm. In fact, inline marathons have rules about how big the wheel can be--only 100mm
Shape: Yes, all wheels are round. What I am talking about is the taper of a wheel--that is, the "sharpness" of the "angle" when you look at a wheel dead-on. Think of a car tire. When you look at it from the front of the car, from left to right it looks almost "flat." There is more surface area contacting the pavement. Comparing a roller ski wheel to an inline wheel, the former looks more like a car tire, and the latter looks more like a bicycle tire. The taper from the "tip" of the wheel to the rim is more pronounced in an inline wheel.
These are the basics. What this all means I will talk about later!
Friday, November 30, 2012
Friday, November 2, 2012
(Pole) Size Matters...
If you cross country ski, you know that it is important to have the right length of pole. And, of course, there is some variation, based on personal preference. This article gives a general guide. According to that guide, I "should" be skating with 145cms. Right... When I am on snow, I prefer a longer pole. I tend to swing my arms higher and really dig into the snow. However, that being said, terrain has something to do with it, too. I can get away with 150cm+ on a flat course, since I have pretty good technique on the snow for V2. But, on hilly courses, shorter is definitely better; I am doing way more V1, and steep hills make using long poles a beast.
Then we have playing on the road. Things are a little different on roller skis, in my experience.
In the first place, there is the issue of wheels vs. snow. If you are skiing on "real" roller ski wheels, you are more likely to emulate real snow conditions. In this case, the "normal" to longer pole length is fine. However, I prefer to use inline hockey wheels most of the off-season, for a number of reasons (which I will enumerate in a later post relative to wheels). This means I am going faster. This also means I want more control.
If you are new to roller skiing, the balance on the wheels--even real roller ski wheels--is a little weird, compared to snow. Hence, I really recommend using a shorter pair of poles. You won't have these long things flailing around, with the potential to get caught in A) your skis or B) a passing cyclist's wheels, a dog's leash, or the eye of an unsuspecting runner. But there are benefits to a shorter pole for me, when I am using my inline/polyurethane wheels.
Since I get going up to speed pretty fast, it starts to outpace my roller ski technique. I said I was good on the SNOW. I never said I was as good on the asphalt. The shorter pole keeps me from getting so much power out of my upper body--and, for a girl, I have a lot of power to be had from said upper body. In addition, this lesser speed + more control means it is a lot easier to do V2 on the asphalt. I may not look like this guy...
...but I look a lot better than I otherwise would, trying to move with longer poles. And, there are times when I need to use a shorter pole; I have occasionally problematic shoulders from a genetic abnormality, so using even normal length poles causes pain. But, using the short poles keeps the tendons from pinching too much, and I can rehab and ski all at the same time.
So, when it comes to working on technique on the asphalt, do one of two things: stick to real roller ski wheels and correct pole length, or if you want to use inline wheels, go with a slightly shorter pole. That's my two cents on the topic.
Then we have playing on the road. Things are a little different on roller skis, in my experience.
In the first place, there is the issue of wheels vs. snow. If you are skiing on "real" roller ski wheels, you are more likely to emulate real snow conditions. In this case, the "normal" to longer pole length is fine. However, I prefer to use inline hockey wheels most of the off-season, for a number of reasons (which I will enumerate in a later post relative to wheels). This means I am going faster. This also means I want more control.
If you are new to roller skiing, the balance on the wheels--even real roller ski wheels--is a little weird, compared to snow. Hence, I really recommend using a shorter pair of poles. You won't have these long things flailing around, with the potential to get caught in A) your skis or B) a passing cyclist's wheels, a dog's leash, or the eye of an unsuspecting runner. But there are benefits to a shorter pole for me, when I am using my inline/polyurethane wheels.
Since I get going up to speed pretty fast, it starts to outpace my roller ski technique. I said I was good on the SNOW. I never said I was as good on the asphalt. The shorter pole keeps me from getting so much power out of my upper body--and, for a girl, I have a lot of power to be had from said upper body. In addition, this lesser speed + more control means it is a lot easier to do V2 on the asphalt. I may not look like this guy...
So, when it comes to working on technique on the asphalt, do one of two things: stick to real roller ski wheels and correct pole length, or if you want to use inline wheels, go with a slightly shorter pole. That's my two cents on the topic.
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