To Triskate or not to Triskate.....

[JohnRC]

Hi Everyone.

I am getting back into inline skating and am very attracted to the various triskates. However, because they are somewhat expensive I am hesitating.
Factors: Age 71, Very fit. I got some K2 fit 84 skates to get going again but want larger wheels to smooth out the pavement a bit more. And a better boot. I will be trying the Seba Trix 2 90 this afternoon. I am trying to finds some Tri's to try.

My skating is going to be mainly going places. In Vancouver BC we have a couple of new paved trails so we can go some long distances. I won't be jumping off small buildings or spending hours at the skate park. But I want to be agile and able to more around, slalom on small hills. I like light skates too. Everything has to get lighter as you get older!

I have watched a lot of videos and read all I can find on Triskates but and still not sure they are good for me. But I like the idea. I would prefer to go with 100mm and not the 110.

Do the Triskates "rocker" pretty quickly? One video shows how to wear the front and back wheels so you have more rocker. Then someone in a shop said they will develop rocker and I might not like that.
Some say there is less pushing off surface area some say it is ok.
I guess so much of this depends on how you are skating, where, and what your surface is.

If any of you older skaters or even younger ones can share your experience and how you use them, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks,
John

[phicoh]

Originally Posted by JohnRC

I have watched a lot of videos and read all I can find on Triskates but and still not sure they are good for me. But I like the idea. I would prefer to go with 100mm and not the 110.

My experience with 3x110 is that they are not good if you are mainly going in a straight line. They are fine on a very smooth surface. But beyond that, 4 wheels is better, even 4x80.

That said, the 3x110 frame I have is extremely compact. So if you spend your time mostly turning (on a smooth surface) then it is a good option.

[WJCIV]

For most trail skaters rockering on 3 wheels doesn't make sense. It means that at most 2 of your wheels will be on the ground at a time, which increases maneuverability at the expense of stability. Rockering on 3 wheel skates is more severe than on 4 wheel skates because you cannot have weight on the front and back of your foot at the same time, and if you try to center your weight on the center of your foot you will be pivoting around on one point because both ends will be in the air. Wheel wear, unaddressed, will create a natural rockering over time because you will not put equal power through each wheel. However, it is very easy to rotate your wheels every few dozen miles to prevent that from happening.

3x100 will feel slower than a 4x90, and probably even a 4x84, so be prepared to work a bit harder. As far as maneuverability goes, that is a personal preference that you will have to determine for yourself. There's also going to be an increased deck height which will put more torque on your ankles.

[BladeWolf]

Originally Posted by phicoh

My experience with 3x110 is that they are not good if you are mainly going in a straight line. They are fine on a very smooth surface. But beyond that, 4 wheels is better, even 4x80.

That said, the 3x110 frame I have is extremely compact. So if you spend your time mostly turning (on a smooth surface) then it is a good option.

That is a great explanation.

[nickajshelden]

I've spent a lot of time on various numbers of wheels. My go to skates are Reign Helios (tri-skates with the trinity mounting). They are responsive and glide well. However, you really have to buckle down on that ankle to keep them safe. Vancouver is [relatively] flat (I skate around in the south puget sound, and love to go up and down hills), but you still might want a bit of low end power. 4 (or 5!) smaller wheels is like a smaller gear. you'll be more stable, accelerate off of standstill quicker, and stop more sturdily. However, the big wheels are good for glide. You say you're 71 (congrats). At 71, you will likely not be going fast enough to make good use of large wheels, unless you're very fit....which you also mentioned. All in all, if you want a comfortable and safe city journey, go with 4x84 or 4x90. I can keep pace with the bikes on those no problem. if you're a speed demon with no care in the world for safety or comfort, go with 4x100,4x110,3x110+. I've seen a couple guys zooming around here on 125's. I'm not sure I'd want to stop on those. through town, I generally am the fastest thing on the road on my 3x105's. The cost? yeah, they cost me most of a grand. but I've had them for a year and they are as rock solid as day one, no matter me beating them up all over. Buy a good boot and the money will pay you back. buy a frame that you feel is the right combination of speed and safe...and then learn to initiate a hockey stop or fakie slide at 50kph
(sorry for my rambling style)

[Sniff]

Hi John

Same dilemma here. I'm a late starter at 48 (it's great to think I might have 20+ years of skating ahead of me, to get to where you're at). I've been skating since June last year. I've just been given a long-service award of £250 to spend on a gift of my choosing for having worked in the same place for 25 years (age has a few benefits!) so it feels like the perfect excuse for a new pair of skates. I'm looking into getting some Powerslide Trinity Triskates (3x100mm - fairly low profile compared with many other similar skates) for half marathons and rougher surfaces (the roads where I live are badly maintained - patchy at best) while keeping my Seba FR2s (4x80mm) for more general skating and indoors. I'm trying to investigate the pros and cons before I go spending the council's money! For once - a nice problem to have.

Something I've not thought of asking anyone until now - what are larger wheels like for going up hills? Any advice much appreciated.

[JohnRC]

Hello People who have been reading this.

I have been moving away from buying 3 wheels. I would love to try them but I can only get to try them in a store and that is not "real world" enough. What I have found after a short skate in a Sportchek store on Rollerblade soft boot 3WD 110 is that I am very high off the ground for my 5' 5" height. On the smooth store floor they are scary fast. They just roll and roll. The boots feel good and supportive but I think they will need some time to break in.

My conclusions in deciding on number of wheels and size of wheels is now based more on where I am going to skate. We have new areas of good bike paths but they did not put down smooth asphalt so I want bigger wheels to help compensate. My 84mm still feel rough. Will 90mm be much better? I have not been able or willing to buy a set just to find out.

What I also think about is the length of the frame. I would like to stay around 273mm (I think). This is the length of the Seba 90mm deluxe frame. Longer than this for my height starts to get bulky and heavier.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj4KKXxmtkU This video is interesting and I like his thinking. Not many seem to even consider this.

I would really like to try some triskates but it is not possible. None of the K2 100mm trios are going to be for sale here. 110 is too tall and no one sells a 90mm triskate frame here in British Columbia.

My ideal skate (in my head) right now is a Seba Trix 2 90 with the Deluxe frame and maybe Oxygen wheels. Lots of money here in Canada. $675.

Yesterday tried (in the store) a K2 Fit 84 Boa (will fit 90mm wheels) and the boots felt really good on my feet. Last year's did not fit me at all-something was really messed up in production I think. I know many people dislike the Boa but they work for me. $280. Big difference!

BUT with the K2 I cannot change frames as I can with the Trix 2 IF/when some 90mm triskate frames come along.

I hope this will be helpful. It is an evolution for me. I will let you know what I get. It has to stop raining here first.
John

[wornoutwheel]

[WJCIV]

Originally Posted by JohnRC

On the smooth store floor they are scary fast. They just roll and roll.

Most new wheels will roll really well on polished concrete or linoleum, which is what I'm guessing the store has. Have you tried other size wheels on the same floor?

Originally Posted by JohnRC

We have new areas of good bike paths but they did not put down smooth asphalt so I want bigger wheels to help compensate. My 84mm still feel rough. Will 90mm be much better? I have not been able or willing to buy a set just to find out.

Which 84s do you have? If you were complaining about cracks or twigs, I would say the larger wheels are the way to go. Since you are complaining about rough asphalt you may be better served by getting softer wheels.

Originally Posted by JohnRC

I would really like to try some triskates but it is not possible. None of the K2 100mm trios are going to be for sale here. 110 is too tall and no one sells a 90mm triskate frame here in British Columbia.

Since you've stated that you like your current frame length, you might want to consider getting a 100 or 110 mm frame and just putting smaller wheels on it. You can always go smaller. It may even be less tall than the 3x90 you linked to above if the front and back wheel are outside your toe and heel instead of directly under the feet. I'd have to look at the exact models to know for sure, though.

Mini-rant (you can ignore this):
I really don't like the term tri-skate. It's just a marketing term for inline skates with 3 wheels. There's nothing special about the number of wheels which necessitates the need for a new term, and it further fragments the market in a way which is confusing for new skaters. I'm afraid that it will actually turn off potential entrants to the sport who aren't sure if they want "inline skates" or "tri-skates", and hesitate or back out of a purchase because they attach more meaning to that difference than actually exists.

That said, my issue is with Powerslide marketing. Since the term is out there, go ahead and use it.

[wornoutwheel]

[nickajshelden]

Originally Posted by wornoutwheel

I prefer term "triskates" before term "inline skates with 3 wheels" for obvious reason But I would say that Powerslide marketing is more focused on term "trinity" and this can be really confusing for people who may think that trinity=triskates=3 wheels.

I wasn't gonna mention trinity, but now I feel it has become relevant enough. the OP mentioned trying out some 3 wheeled inline skates () and feeling like he was high up. As far as I can tell, powerslide uses trinity to denote their 3-point frame mounting system (as I have on my [powerslide] reign helios skates). The three points have one centered in back, with two slightly ofset points near the front. This allows the skate to be stiffer and lower. I have found that a 3x100 with a trinity mount is negligibly higher than a 4x84 with a traditional mount. the difference is easily overcome by 10 minutes of skating circles. 4x90 or larger on a traditional mount is gonna be about the same height or even higher than a 3x100 on trinity mount.

The OP then mentioned other reasons not to use a tri-skate, so this is somewhat a mute point now

[wornoutwheel]

[Sniff]

Further to my post of 08 April I got myself a pair of Powerslide Swell trinity triskates with 100mm wheels. I didn't want to go bigger than that as I was concerned my skills might not be up to controlling them well. They're not as comfortable as my Seba FR2s (they hurt - hard and tight - around the ankle bones) but I'm hoping that's a wearing-in issue or maybe just my weird feet, because other than that I really like them. They are light and manouevrable and well-balanced. They're great for crossovers and various turns and I even did powerstops in them (something I've never managed to do before now). I can use the heel brake and turn at the same time in my Sebas, but that can't be done in the Powerslides as the brake is a different shape and has odd corners that wrap around the back wheel - I might shear those off as they tend to catch when I brake and turn simultaneously. Just been round the rink so far but taking them outside tomorrow. I'd definitely recommend them. But I'd also recommend blister plasters as a temporary measure.

[wornoutwheel]

[JohnRC]

After a lot of going in circles (in my head) went and bought a pair of Seba TRix 2 90 skates.
I upgraded them with the Seba Deluxe frame and UnderGround Chamelleon 88a wheels.

We had some sun so I could go out right away when I got home. Here are some thoughts.

The frame is 3mm shorter than my K2. I wanted this for more agility. I got it but some of this might be attributed to the harder wheels.

One of the things I have been unhappy with in my K2 skates has been the inability to work at one foot balancing. My left foot always started to tilt in and so did my right but to a less extent. I spent a lot of time practicing and trying different things. The Seba's are totally different. I can feel the difference with my feet more centred over the frame. My whole foot feels so much more "planted" in the boots and then the skates on the ground. Now I can adjust the frame in tiny amounts and have them even more aligned if necessary. This is the main reason I went ahead and spent the money on these skates.

Even though the wheels say 88a the owner of Shop/Task, Leon thinks they are less than that. Maybe 86.

I went from 84 (80a) to 90mm wheels and was expecting the ride to be a bit smoother but it is not much if at all as far as I can tell. It might be that I will need 100mm wheels to make a difference. Or softer wheels next time.

I also noticed that the hard wheels manage pebbles etc very differently. Seems like they are kicked away more easily that the softer wheels I have had on my other skates.

I was told that it might take 10 hours for these skates to break in. I wonder what they will be like then.

Oh yes, I have been skating with a brake and working at not using it but on these new Trix 2's: No Brake! I was nervous about doing this at age 72 but I thought I could do it. It feels great, just need to plan ahead as much as possible.

Many thanks to Shop/Task. The people there spent a lot of time with me and it has paid off. Great service.
John