My birthday boy turned 15 today. We bought him a pair of Ski Skett Sharks. His first trial was a little shaky. We were told to use the carbide tips to get some push from the road. It didn't work for him. Should we replace the carbide tips with rubber and remove the baskets? Anyways, he got a lot of { wow, those are neat} from all the kids in the neighborhood. It could be the new fad until the parents figure out the price. LOL
Chris
Ski pole traction on road surface
Moderators: pilkguns, m1963, Craig1956
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Levergun59
- Posts: 251
- Joined: Thu Nov 18, 2010 1:37 am
- Location: Silver Lake WI
Carbide Tips
Chris,
Hands down, carbide is the way to go if he is on training on asphalt. Its just going to take him a bit of tme to get use to them.
Hands down, carbide is the way to go if he is on training on asphalt. Its just going to take him a bit of tme to get use to them.
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jfszczygiel
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2011 12:34 pm
- Location: Upstate NY
Roller Ski Tips
I roller ski (Freestyle Skate) about 60 miles a week in the summer.
Btw - I use Ski Skett Sharks with a speed reducer with SNS Pilot boots
I always wear a helmet
If I am not pulling a tire I wear hip crash pads
Here are some things I've learned.
1. Speed reducers really help keep the skis from "rolling away" from me on
hills. Its extended my loops to roads that I used to avoid. Now my long ski day is one giant 40 mile loop rather than a bunch of 5 mile out and backs.
2. Crash pads are my friend. I feel like a dork wearing them however I am competitive in Triathlon, Bike Racing and Summer Biathlon. Road rash and bone bruises are not conducive to training or racing. I started out wearing roller skate padding on my wrists, elbows, knees and the "girdle". As I skied more I found I can let my poles take the hit for my wrists and elbows, my knees still need some light weight padding if I don't want road rash there.
The girdle is a life saver I get my from http://www.xsportsprotective.com/
They are padded shorts what you really want is coverage for the sides of
your hips and your tail bone. If your skiing correctly you should never fall
on your tailbone, however I've done it mountain biking and I can tell you
you DON'T want to risk it.
3. Always wear a brightly colored helmet it helps drivers see you and just may save your skull some day.
4. I purchased aluminum Ski Skett Poles with the carbide tip. they are fantastic. If the blacktop us extremely hard (or concrete) they can "skip" a bit however if your getting your hips and arms up and poling down I find they still bite well. I haven't played around with rubber tips they might work well enough for hard pave maybe this coming summer I will try it and update the post. Mainly there are enough roads near me that I just
pick nice quiet and scenic roads with good bite for the road tips.
One recommendation I would make is carbon/Fiberglass poles. My classic roller ski poles are carbon/fiberglass than the are so still and light that they really are worth the extra cash.
5. Ski against Traffic and watch those buggers in cars. I've likened them to modern day dinosaurs. Giant body capable of great destructive power, itty bitty brain. Often easily distracted by texting, personal grooming, talking, singing and eating, these freaks of nature can often rage at unwary skiers, walkers, runners and cyclist without provocation or warning. They only thing they seem to try to avoid is cute dogs so wearing a cocker spaniel costume may be advisable.
6. Pulling a old car tire - Good strength workout once a week simulates steeper hills without having to plan the way back down. Tire needs to be about 10 to 15 pounds for me. Too heavy and your grunting the tire along rather than having good ski form. The tire should provide enough resistance to simulate a hill. I found cutting a truck tire length gives me a low profile that pulls consistently and doesn't cavitate behind me. A Motorcycle tire may work well for this also. A long tow rope helps the tire pull more smoothly. Don't recommend small diameter tires such as off a small lawn tractor. I ended up racing one down a hill once, hoping it wouldn't beat me and swing around in front of me. Gladly I won that race and promptly exchanged that tire for a car tire at the dump.
7. Hill work. Near me we are lucky to have some excellent (although sadistically steep and long) hills. What works best here is to ski up the hill with a backpack. I use an old Lowe Mountaineering Ascent pack. Its big enough to hold my ski boots and I can bungie the skis to the out side.
We ski up the hill change to running shoes and then run down. If you lucky you can find a nice Loop. We have one with 1.5 mile climb, .5 mile descent, 1.5 mile flat back to the climb.
8. So I don't roller ski with my gun, however if there is ever a modern dinosaurs season I might consider it. (joke) however I do ski with a Hydration bladder to simulate the gun weight on skis. Thought about adding a barrel like attachment however I don't want to get pithed a pipe if I fall and I don't see that much training value there.
9. Wheels. I've used a variety of wheels. 100mm Roller skate wheels from ebay was my big find because I could get 8 wheels for $40 dollars rather than 4 for $80 however after a season on Roller Skate wheels I will go back to Roller Ski wheels. While roller skate wheels are amazingly fast (because they are harder) they transmit a lot of road vibration and tend to slide easier on slick roads.
I recommend wheels from http://www.rollerskishop.com/
10. Where to purchase stuff. Local is best then you can see what your buying. However Roller Skiing
retailers are exactly on every street corner.
It seems to me there are few good roller ski shops and google fills in the rest
- www.rollerskishop.com/
- Hugh Quinn at Osceola Tug Hill Ski Center www.uxcski.com
- Brian D. at High Peaks cyclery is a Snow/Roller Skier www.highpeakscyclery.com
- www.skinnyskis.com/
- www.gearwest.com
- ebay
I purchased my Skett Roller skiis, Solomon boots, Skett poles etc from http://www.nordicskater.com
however I had a problem with my classic roller ski poles from them, the carbon tip on one snapped off after about 4 miles. The good folks at Nordic Skater told me tough luck so I don't buy from them unless I absolutely have to. I like these guys yet, when you drop a few hundred dollars and break a $5 part it seems to me that working with the customer is a better way to go. BTW the poles where Excel Integra carbon with that "fancy" quick connect road tip. I replaced the tips entirely with conventional road tips and haven't had any problems. Excel doesn't seem to have any customer service folks to contact so not recommending them either.
11. Pole Length. Need to be mindful of your pole length. Your height to the Road is not the same as your height to the snow. I measured the difference in height between my skis and roller skis (road to binding -vs- snow to binding) to see how much to adjust my roller ski pole length. I went long and then used a pipe cutter to fine tune the adjust down. Skating I find if the poles are on the long side its easier to use your core however your "One Skate Double Pole - V2" pole recovery may be too slow. If the poles are on the short side, your core will need to work harder to pole and your pole recovery is quicker. Something a Ski Coach can advise you on.
12. Sharpening tips. Carbide tips need to be touched up to keep them effective. I usually do this after I finish up skiing and do some stretching in front of the idiot box. Most cost effective way to do this is to pick up a DMT Diamond Sharpening "stone" I use the Dia-Sharp Diamond Bench Stone Sharpener in Coarse, look for them on ebay or google it.
LIGHT pressure wet stone, rinse when done it will last for a long time. Dont make the mistake of high pressure you'll scrape the diamonds right off the stone and it will get dead spots in it.
Btw - I use Ski Skett Sharks with a speed reducer with SNS Pilot boots
I always wear a helmet
If I am not pulling a tire I wear hip crash pads
Here are some things I've learned.
1. Speed reducers really help keep the skis from "rolling away" from me on
hills. Its extended my loops to roads that I used to avoid. Now my long ski day is one giant 40 mile loop rather than a bunch of 5 mile out and backs.
2. Crash pads are my friend. I feel like a dork wearing them however I am competitive in Triathlon, Bike Racing and Summer Biathlon. Road rash and bone bruises are not conducive to training or racing. I started out wearing roller skate padding on my wrists, elbows, knees and the "girdle". As I skied more I found I can let my poles take the hit for my wrists and elbows, my knees still need some light weight padding if I don't want road rash there.
The girdle is a life saver I get my from http://www.xsportsprotective.com/
They are padded shorts what you really want is coverage for the sides of
your hips and your tail bone. If your skiing correctly you should never fall
on your tailbone, however I've done it mountain biking and I can tell you
you DON'T want to risk it.
3. Always wear a brightly colored helmet it helps drivers see you and just may save your skull some day.
4. I purchased aluminum Ski Skett Poles with the carbide tip. they are fantastic. If the blacktop us extremely hard (or concrete) they can "skip" a bit however if your getting your hips and arms up and poling down I find they still bite well. I haven't played around with rubber tips they might work well enough for hard pave maybe this coming summer I will try it and update the post. Mainly there are enough roads near me that I just
pick nice quiet and scenic roads with good bite for the road tips.
One recommendation I would make is carbon/Fiberglass poles. My classic roller ski poles are carbon/fiberglass than the are so still and light that they really are worth the extra cash.
5. Ski against Traffic and watch those buggers in cars. I've likened them to modern day dinosaurs. Giant body capable of great destructive power, itty bitty brain. Often easily distracted by texting, personal grooming, talking, singing and eating, these freaks of nature can often rage at unwary skiers, walkers, runners and cyclist without provocation or warning. They only thing they seem to try to avoid is cute dogs so wearing a cocker spaniel costume may be advisable.
6. Pulling a old car tire - Good strength workout once a week simulates steeper hills without having to plan the way back down. Tire needs to be about 10 to 15 pounds for me. Too heavy and your grunting the tire along rather than having good ski form. The tire should provide enough resistance to simulate a hill. I found cutting a truck tire length gives me a low profile that pulls consistently and doesn't cavitate behind me. A Motorcycle tire may work well for this also. A long tow rope helps the tire pull more smoothly. Don't recommend small diameter tires such as off a small lawn tractor. I ended up racing one down a hill once, hoping it wouldn't beat me and swing around in front of me. Gladly I won that race and promptly exchanged that tire for a car tire at the dump.
7. Hill work. Near me we are lucky to have some excellent (although sadistically steep and long) hills. What works best here is to ski up the hill with a backpack. I use an old Lowe Mountaineering Ascent pack. Its big enough to hold my ski boots and I can bungie the skis to the out side.
We ski up the hill change to running shoes and then run down. If you lucky you can find a nice Loop. We have one with 1.5 mile climb, .5 mile descent, 1.5 mile flat back to the climb.
8. So I don't roller ski with my gun, however if there is ever a modern dinosaurs season I might consider it. (joke) however I do ski with a Hydration bladder to simulate the gun weight on skis. Thought about adding a barrel like attachment however I don't want to get pithed a pipe if I fall and I don't see that much training value there.
9. Wheels. I've used a variety of wheels. 100mm Roller skate wheels from ebay was my big find because I could get 8 wheels for $40 dollars rather than 4 for $80 however after a season on Roller Skate wheels I will go back to Roller Ski wheels. While roller skate wheels are amazingly fast (because they are harder) they transmit a lot of road vibration and tend to slide easier on slick roads.
I recommend wheels from http://www.rollerskishop.com/
10. Where to purchase stuff. Local is best then you can see what your buying. However Roller Skiing
retailers are exactly on every street corner.
It seems to me there are few good roller ski shops and google fills in the rest
- www.rollerskishop.com/
- Hugh Quinn at Osceola Tug Hill Ski Center www.uxcski.com
- Brian D. at High Peaks cyclery is a Snow/Roller Skier www.highpeakscyclery.com
- www.skinnyskis.com/
- www.gearwest.com
- ebay
I purchased my Skett Roller skiis, Solomon boots, Skett poles etc from http://www.nordicskater.com
however I had a problem with my classic roller ski poles from them, the carbon tip on one snapped off after about 4 miles. The good folks at Nordic Skater told me tough luck so I don't buy from them unless I absolutely have to. I like these guys yet, when you drop a few hundred dollars and break a $5 part it seems to me that working with the customer is a better way to go. BTW the poles where Excel Integra carbon with that "fancy" quick connect road tip. I replaced the tips entirely with conventional road tips and haven't had any problems. Excel doesn't seem to have any customer service folks to contact so not recommending them either.
11. Pole Length. Need to be mindful of your pole length. Your height to the Road is not the same as your height to the snow. I measured the difference in height between my skis and roller skis (road to binding -vs- snow to binding) to see how much to adjust my roller ski pole length. I went long and then used a pipe cutter to fine tune the adjust down. Skating I find if the poles are on the long side its easier to use your core however your "One Skate Double Pole - V2" pole recovery may be too slow. If the poles are on the short side, your core will need to work harder to pole and your pole recovery is quicker. Something a Ski Coach can advise you on.
12. Sharpening tips. Carbide tips need to be touched up to keep them effective. I usually do this after I finish up skiing and do some stretching in front of the idiot box. Most cost effective way to do this is to pick up a DMT Diamond Sharpening "stone" I use the Dia-Sharp Diamond Bench Stone Sharpener in Coarse, look for them on ebay or google it.
LIGHT pressure wet stone, rinse when done it will last for a long time. Dont make the mistake of high pressure you'll scrape the diamonds right off the stone and it will get dead spots in it.
My solution on the road
I used to live in Colorado and trained for XC Skating on the concrete bike paths along I 470. Huge hills, with wind always in your face going up!
To me carbide tips are useless on concrete, they just bounce off or slide.
So, here was my solution:
First I cut off the plastic baskets on my long XC skate poles.
Next, from Home Depot I bought kitchen chair rubber feet in 2 sizes: a small 1/2" and a larger 1". The smaller rubber fits nicely inside the bigger one.
I then placed these rubber feet over the carbide tip and used a single wrap of duct tape to hold them on.
They would last for maybe 50-60 miles before I would have to turn them around.
I was a pretty cheap solution, maybe $5 for the whole setup.
No very pretty but it worked for me.
And, here's one other thing- planting ones ski pole on hard surface is different than snow. I would always consciously place the pole before a push.
To me carbide tips are useless on concrete, they just bounce off or slide.
So, here was my solution:
First I cut off the plastic baskets on my long XC skate poles.
Next, from Home Depot I bought kitchen chair rubber feet in 2 sizes: a small 1/2" and a larger 1". The smaller rubber fits nicely inside the bigger one.
I then placed these rubber feet over the carbide tip and used a single wrap of duct tape to hold them on.
They would last for maybe 50-60 miles before I would have to turn them around.
I was a pretty cheap solution, maybe $5 for the whole setup.
No very pretty but it worked for me.
And, here's one other thing- planting ones ski pole on hard surface is different than snow. I would always consciously place the pole before a push.