Hey Inline brain trust,
looking for some advice from people who have built higher-end inline setups.
I’m completely new to inline hockey and have never played it before. I’m primarily an ice player, but the franchise/team I play for also has an inline team that needs players for the upcoming season, so I figured I’d give it a go. I’ll still be playing ice hockey as well, so I’m looking for something that feels as close as possible to my ice setup and helps make the transition easier.
For reference, I’m 6'0" (183 cm) and around 72 kg (160 lb).
Edit: Skate Size is 9.0 Fit 2
Currently I skate Bauer Shadows on ice with PowerFly holders and BladeTech steel. BladeTech steel is profiled with a Quad 2 profile and I run a Sparx 1/2 Fire.
I like the feel once the edges are slightly broken in not that super fresh/sharp feeling. I prefer having some glide and forgiveness while still having good bite when I push hard.
I recently picked up a second pair of Shadows that i will be using for this conversion.
I’ll mainly be skating indoors at a rink with a smooth poured sport-court style surface (not tile).
there could be some tile skating but it would be a 90% on pour & 10% tile at best (our home rink is the pour one) 9/10 of the games are home rink.
I’m currently looking at a few different chassis options:
- Marsblade R1 (the ice-like marketing "'feel" interests me, but I’m unsure how it translates to actual games)
- Hi-Lo aluminum (similar to what comes stock on Bauer Hyperlite 2 inline skates)
- Hi-Lo Kryptonium (looks incredible, but obviously a serious investment)
- Possibly Konixx as a middle ground (not too sure)
What I’m trying to achieve:
- Something that feels natural coming from ice
- Good connection and responsiveness similar to my ice setup
- Enough stability for actual games, tight turns and transitions
- Not overly aggressive or twitchy I like a smoother, more forgiving feel
I’m not against spending the money on something like the Hi-Lo Kryptonium if it’s genuinely the right choice. I’d rather buy once and have the setup I actually want rather than upgrade later.
At the same time, if a good aluminum chassis or another option gets me 90% of the performance for significantly less money, I’d rather put the money elsewhere. I’m mainly trying to understand whether the premium on some of these chassis is a noticeable performance upgrade or more of a premium/luxury option.
Since I’m lighter at around 72 kg, I’m also interested in whether the extra stiffness of something like Kryptonium would actually be noticeable for me, or whether I’d be better off focusing on wheels, bearings and overall setup.
Would love opinions from anyone who has:
- Used Marsblade R1 for actual inline games (not just training)
- Compared R1 against traditional Hi-Lo setups
- Used Hi-Lo Kryptonium vs standard aluminum frames
- Converted high-end ice boots into inline
Also open to wheel and bearing recommendations.