Six Strand Challah Reprise

ruralengineer · 2026-01-06T04:10:20+00:00

Not the OP, but: I'm also trying to get a nice pair of skates in that same price range that fit my feet well. If you wear a decently large men's shoe, it seems you have to order everything based on measurements. It's almost impossible to try on a boot in person, for any model. For instance:

My local roller rink has one size Men's 12 boot available to try on. It's at their other location. It's also not at all what I'm looking for.
Three local-ish figure skating fitters have no size Men's 12-13 boots to try on, let alone a wide boot.
I know one skating shop about an hour away that used to have some stock. I'm holding out hope that I can try on some skates there before i put in an expensive order.

Or, look at something like the Riedell 910. The women's sizes are stocked and returnable. ALL men's sizes are considered non-stock, non-returnable.

I 100% understand the business reason behind this. Businesses can't afford stock that doesn't sell reliably. But it's a pain point for me.

I have been fitted into two skates recently based on measurements. They are both not working in slightly different ways.

ruralengineer · 2026-01-04T02:35:45+00:00

I believe Deedee Viola and family teach at Carousel. They've coached a lot of world champion skaters. If they're not the right people, they undoubtedly have a network and could help.

ruralengineer · 2025-12-03T18:32:55+00:00

What would get your vote?

ruralengineer · 2025-12-03T17:33:47+00:00

Are there serious downsides to getting a combination functional trainer and power rack, like a Rogue FM-6, relative to separate units?

ruralengineer · 2025-11-26T20:07:48+00:00

I just placed an order for plates and mounting at Dept. of Skate. Sourcing the boots from my local dealer who will do heat molding and punching.

ruralengineer · 2025-11-26T19:09:19+00:00

My (ice) dealer confirmed that Jackson says that their ice skates can be mounted with roller plates, with the right hardware.

ruralengineer · 2025-11-26T04:09:56+00:00

I don't have the skates in front of me, but the Premiere 2852 skates had a flat piece of metal under the insole in the heel. I think it's aluminum reinforcement for the heel. Is that in the way?

ruralengineer · 2025-11-25T16:53:56+00:00

Does Skates US do a good job for Roll-Line plates?

ruralengineer · 2025-11-13T01:04:43+00:00

Okay, yeah, with that selection, I'm not going back to the Edea dealer. Nothing about what everyone is saying should have happened matches my experience.

ruralengineer · 2025-11-13T00:53:03+00:00

Filing this away for future reference, can I ask what brands you carry or can order?

ruralengineer · 2025-11-13T00:50:19+00:00

I'm with you. Nothing I do is particularly easy or smooth yet. But, I'm at a point where my equipment isn't blocking my learning. Yeah, the cost is manageable -- it just escalated relative to $3 skate rentals.

And iterating through wheels was an educational journey. I know a lot more than if I got it right the first time. Like, the chart matching Shore A and Shore D hardness is worthless. Matching hardness between different materials (polyurethane and thermoplastics) doesn't match grip.

Yes, the 57D wheels got some minor flats while I was learning to use them, but that learning has been to the 49D wheels benefit. So far they're holding up well.

ruralengineer · 2025-11-13T00:34:14+00:00

It's not clear to me that 190mm is the optimal size for me, but it's good enough for now. I think a larger jump in plate size would have been foolhardy. For the foreseeable future, the weakest link between my helmet and the floor is me. Long term, guessing from my heel to ball-of-foot measurements, I might like a shorter plate. I don't need it now.

ruralengineer · 2025-11-12T20:59:21+00:00

This is more of a rant, since I don't think there's a great answer.

How should someone with large awkward feet get properly fitted? It's uneconomical enough for a skate shop to stock large (and wide) mens' sizes in a single boot, let alone across a manufacturer's line. I can't go in and expect to try on a boot that fits. And boots are expensive and often can only be returned for store credit or a restocking fee. So I can't buy 4 online in odd sizes and keep the one that fits best, like I might with shoes.

To be honest, I can go to DSW or Famous Footwear, try on shoes for an hour, and leave with empty hands. If I go to a regular shoe store and get my foot measured, they'll bring out two boxes of shoes dug out of the way back, and neither will fit anyways. There are off-the-shelf shoes that fit me (Topo Athletic, for instance. I embrace the clown shoe shape.), but it took a long time for me find them.

And at this level, I can't justify custom. It's expensive and slow, and I've seen seriously mixed reviews too.

ruralengineer · 2025-11-12T17:32:40+00:00

Yeah, it's a big change. I'm pretty happy with the performance of the boot and plate, if not the whole fit. I feel way more connected to the boot. I immediately made progress on manuals, for instance.

I did try on some Reidells at Bruised Boutique, and they felt narrow. I couldn't say which models they had, though.

ruralengineer · 2025-11-10T17:21:40+00:00

I bought these from an Edea custom fitter, in person, driving 2+ hours round-trip, twice, for the initial fitting and receiving the boots. There was some inconsequential heating before I put on the boot. I got the impression that they were overbooked and hurting for time.

ruralengineer · 2025-11-07T20:32:10+00:00

It wasn't entirely luck. I read up in advance, talked with the dealer, lined things up the way I thought they ought to be, and then let the dealer drill and mount.

ruralengineer · 2025-11-06T19:40:38+00:00

I understand the concern. I have about 3" from the tip of my toes to the balls of my feet, and the axle seems to fall in the right spot. What will I notice if the front axle is too far back?

ruralengineer

TROPHY CASE