Hi folks,

after spending quite a bit of time boarding and buggying, I am now looking at getting into the kite skating world. I have read through the doom wheels build instructions but was wondering if any of the standard all terrain skates out there are any good for kite skating? And if so what are the pros and cons of the different makes? Or are home-made doom wheels so much better that it is not worth the agro of buying ready made skates?

I am not a small chap (6' 5" and around 250 lbs, size 14 feet) so I need something pretty stable!! My main flying terrain is grassy fields (soccer pitches etc.) so I don't need really rough terrain ability.

Currently I fly a 4m Samurai II, an 8m Access and an 11m Riot depending on wind conditions and am waiting for my 4.9m Blade to arrive any day now for those mental times in mid to high wind!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Rob

I just bought a set of Coyote Rollerblades. I'ld say they have exceeded my expectation. So far I have only had them out in low wind with my 7m bullet. ( accept today on my 4.5 for a couple of short, frustrating runs ) I have already spent a lot of time on tarmac with street blades and found the transfer very natural. I also ski / kiteski .
They ran amazingly well on the less than great grass at our park. The park was once sand dunes so is lumpy with soft sand patches. The blades stop dead in the sand and I have to run a couple steps every know and then so have not gone faster than I can sprint. :o I don't know for sure but suspect doom wheels could push through those spots. On the blades side, the footprint is short enough that I can run out a problem situation ( safer ???? ) . The shorter footprint makes them turn nice and tight + ( for me ) feel somewhat safe in a slide. On the flipside, I was suprised I didn't feel the need for more length to create stability, yet. They feeling was WAY MORE stable than I thought. It's a LOT like hanging way on the outside behind a boat on 2 waterskis. As compared to being yanked along right behind. I'm sure that like with street blades they will have too little edge with the bigger winds ( doom's will hold a better edge I suspect ) . Of course then the buggy starts to get REAL fun!

As far as the agro factor, I agree ! I paid $125 Cdn for these and the fellow kept them in A1 shape Almost like new and they'll last forever compaired the the #@%$#!e I'm capable of creating.

I'm the only one around here on blades these days so am also VERY interested in folks thoughts. If I know me, I'll end up with some doom wheels as well.

Ahh Ken, you know Brian should have his Doom Wheels up and running any day now, once he's going you'll be able to see the pro's and con's of each setup quite clearly. I suspect though that it'll come down to riding style and preferance.