Bont Tracer Plate Review

[Gorilla]

I just built up a set of skates with the new Bont Tracer plate. I gotta say, I am impressed with the build quality. Sadly, I can not report on how they skate because they were built for someone else and are and inch and 1/2 longer than plates that I skate.

Be clear... this is not a super lightweight high-end ego-enhancing wonder plate. For many of us on Skatelog, this will be of little interest for our dream builds. It is a plate that retails for $99. Judge it accordingly.

It is less than half the cost of the Bont Athena plate and should be a competitor with Sure-Grip Avaanti Aluminum, and Crazy Venus. The weight seems similar to those plates, but I didn't have a similar size for comparing. In short, if you want an aluminum plate at a plastic price, this is one to consider.

Details:

Plate Material - 6061 Aluminum.

Trucks - Cast One-piece aluminum. Steel Axles (8mm). Delrin or similar material pivot cups. 20 degree action.

King Pin - Steel bolt style very similar to Sure Grip Probe/ Rock. Threads are same as sure-Grip making finding spare parts easy.

Cushions - standard (like Sure-Grip Super) 88A Urethane.

Toe Stops - Similar to Sure-Grip RX in size. Grey... BUT THEY ARE METRIC THREADS. I do not understand this! Maybe they are intended for the European market or something. Luckily, it is surer easy to retap the threads to english threads... which I did so the person could use big bionic toe stops for derby.

Why I like these: Quality seems good. Price is great for an aluminum plate. For many roller derby players, having the same sized bearings, nuts, and bolts is a big plus.

My one and only dislike is the metric toe stop threading. It is an easy fix, but I can absolutely see skaters forcing their Gumball (or SAE threaded) toe stops in a creating a big mess. My Athena and Ignite plates used SAE threads, so I am confused why this one is different.

This may very well become my "go to" entry level aluminum plate. I will update you on how they hold up. The person using them is a size 13 (11 Bont) and is notorious for tearing stuff up.

[rufusprime99]

Nice setup. good review. What a test. Someone who tear stuff up. Well we'll see how the first few months go by.

[Mort]

Looks like the spot between the toestop and the pivot cup could be a weak point.

Are the kingpins different angles? How long of a shoulder does the axle have from the truck face before hitting the threaded area? Prime would be about 21 to 22mm.

[Gorilla]

Originally Posted by Mort

Looks like the spot between the toestop and the pivot cup could be a weak point.

Are the kingpins different angles? How long of a shoulder does the axle have from the truck face before hitting the threaded area? Prime would be about 21 to 22mm.

sorry I didn't measure before I sent out. But kp angles are both at a 20 degree. I didn't measure amount of threading on axle, but no problem with getting atom wheels on with a washer nearest the truck.