well, my current skates aren't going to break any time soon so I have a while before i'll get them. probably end of the year?

I also wear jr size skates so its a lot cheaper then buying sr size skates.

they make the 60's in JR? is that what u tried on?

ya. i wear size 5ee

Me:

helmet: 8K
pants: Tackla 951 custom mod
shin pads: stealth 777
skates: Graf G5 w/ custom footbed
gloves: 9K
stick: stealth CNT, S17, '07 & Synergy SL
underwear: nike pro ss top & underarmour compression short, nike pro anatomic socks

^^ You play without shoulders and elbows?

I'm a man, I do. Don't you?

But I'm not man enough to play without a cup like him.

oh here we go again....the discussion that implies you're a pussy if you play/don't play with shoulder pads, elbow pads, and roller hockey girdles.

Strange, all the players in the NHL are men and they all wear shoulder pads.

....and willie mitchell, steve yzerman, joe thornton wore full face shields at one point....

...so thats what makes em pussies.

bauer 9000 'stripped' shoulder pads, 6k elbow pads... didnt think those two were worth mentioning ;)
under armour compression short has a built in cup holder. again, didnt think it was worth mentioning.

Have you seen some of the man bras that they wear as "shoulder" pads? ;)

its true. they only wear them because they have to. google brendan shanahan shoulder pads.

A junior B guy that plays with us sunday nights said shoulder pads are not manditory in Juniors and the NHL.

But either way, there are quite a few players besides Brendan Shanahan who is still wearing their Cooper sholder bra's from when they were 14. I think Brad May is one.

im not 100% certain on the rules, but i'd assume that shoulder pads are mandatory equipment... which is why guys like shanny and may wear those 'vintage' ones. they offer zero protection, but still qualify... just like the 'gretzky' helmet

You're actually ABSOLUTELY RIGHT....

Shoulder pads are MANDATORY in Juniour Hockey. Theres is a huge major injury liability behind it......age base of juniour is not adult/minors.

Question for a newbie!

what size wheels should i get for a new roller hockey player?

i'm thinking 72mm or 74mm right?

but when i was looking at some blades at Sportcheck they went

74 74 80 76 Front to back.. a bit confused, was looking for some clarification

thanks!

EDIT: btw, any suggestions for what type of wheels to get? i have a small budget.

well generally the bigger the wheel size the more speed you will have
the smaller the wheel size the more control you will have

all skate brands have different sized wheel setups
ie. mission = 76/76/80/80 bauer = 72/72/80/78 ccm/rbk = 72, 76, 76, 80

in terms of types of wheels if your playing indoor, the softer the wheel the better, there will be ratings on the wheels such as : 74a, 76a, 78a, 80a, 82a, 84a, 94a

the lower the number the softer it is so it is a lot stickier on an indoor surface.
the higher the number the harder the wheel so it lasts longer outdoors.

What chassis are you using? (ex. a rocker chassis would have a much different wheel setup than a Hi-Lo.)

the roller blades that i'm buying say it has this

ONEUP performace anodized chassis

they're Bauers, i do plan on using 74a softness.


edit: i'm considering rink rat wheels, they have good reviews, what do guys think?

rink rat what?

the vt333 series are brutal
the hotshots and the hornets are where you want to be.

and with your oneup chassis, you can sub out the last wheel which is a 78mm and put a 80mm there and have it as a classic high lo which is a 72 72 80 80

My stuff:

Helmet : RBK 6k w/ Oakley modified aviator
Shins: NikeBauer Supreme 50
Elbows: NikeBauer Apollo
Pants/girdle : RBK 4k
Gloves : Bauer Supreme One95
Skates : RBK 8k
Sticks : Mission Titanium, NikeBauer Supreme One95, Easton S17

thanks! i'll do that.

edit: the site i'm buying it from only carries 68mm wheels. they seem a bit small.

i was thinking Rink Rats TB822,

hey if you can wait until june 6th / 7th
this site is pretty money for their wheels plus you get free bearings that will last a solid season.

http://hockeywheels.com/index_SOFT.html

i've ordered from them before and they are pretty solid. the labeda wheels, the grippers and the millenniums are a good deal. might want to check it out

i'm gonna probably go for the grippers. thanks for the site.

You can start with 72/80. It will help you because new players tend to ride on their heels. As you get more into advance skating, you can start to change out your back wheels. I started out with 72/80. Just this yr, I started with 72/76, but in sharper turns, this combo allows you to carry your speed into your turns, I couldn't keep up, so I switched out my last wheel to a 80. So now I'm on 72/72/76/80. So far it's working good for me.

Yup, vt333 isn't good at all. I have the VT333, which is a cheaper alternative to the hotshot/hornets. How heavy you are will also play on which wheels to get. Lighter players won't really benefit on the dual compound hotshot/hornets as a heavier player would. Just because you simply don't have the weight to expand the outer compound to maximize the full dual compound technology. The VT333's are pretty good. I had my doubts, but after I broke them in during the 1st period, they've been sticking since then.