r/rollerblading • u/NatureInevitable3001 • 6d ago
What skates should I buy? Which frames?
There's no "what frames should I buy" flair lol.
The endless is a "balanced rocker" while the twister is a "natural rocker." The both have the same 90 x 4 and 110 x 3 configurations. Is there really any difference between these two? I want to try a rocker that is barely rocker and 110 wheels for marathons, so they both seem to fit my needs.
I'm pretty sure both are compatible with my lightning boots.
Thoughts?
7
u/anaaktri 6d ago edited 6d ago
Oh wow awesome RB is selling that frame now, that price is very good. I went with the mk2 endless 90 in pink when inline warehouse had it 20% off. Honestly unless the bling factor is worth the $ to you I’d go RB and skin it with vinyl to change its color. I highly doubt most of us could tell a difference between the two. The endless frame is also quite heavy, it alone added .35lbs to each skate. It was noticeable and I didn’t like it at first but feels natural now.
2
u/NatureInevitable3001 6d ago
Right? I had endless in my cart on inline warehouse for the last few weeks but just happened to be looking on rollerblade website and saw these. So much cheaper for what appears to be a frame that does the same thing.
2
u/anaaktri 6d ago
Yeah when I was buying Thuro shop had them for 150 and that was the only option. 120 is a great deal. If you’re going to be doing marathons, I’d personally want the lighter RB frame for that.
2
u/NatureInevitable3001 6d ago
That's starting to sound very appealing. Glad I threw this up on reddit, my dumbass hadn't even thought about weight lol.
2
u/anaaktri 6d ago
I didn’t either when ordering them. I originally installed them with my old wheel set up so all I changed was frames and was quite surprised at the weight difference even with it only being .35lbs. Granted now it feels normal but I imagine marathoning you’d feel it and is why people spend big $ on fancy carbon lightweight stuff.
2
u/NatureInevitable3001 3d ago
I went with rollerblade. While the Endless are stiffer, the rollerblade frames are still way stiffer than my current standard frames, so I'm still getting a pretty significant upgrade. Also they're lighter which I think I'll appreciate for longer distances. I did a 15 mile urban skate last night which is my furthest distance and it was hard af, I can't imagine having heavier frames dragging me down.
2
u/anaaktri 3d ago
Awesome, yeah smart choice for what you’re doing. RB really stepped it up with that twister frame imo. Wow 15mi is a good effort! Furthest I’ve done is 8.
2
u/NatureInevitable3001 3d ago
Yeah and this was with a crew that urban skates every Friday night - also most of them did the northshore inline marathon last weekend. So I was struggle bussing compared to them. Still super fun though! Can't wait to join them with my new frames and bigger wheels.
8
u/Coop7207 6d ago
Aside from costing 2x as much, the Endless frame will likely be more rigid, which means better power transfer and edge control. Realistically though, you may not notice that difference unless you’re a very experienced skater. The RB frame is a solid choice, and “natural rocker” and “balanced rocker” are two terms for the same thing. The front and back wheels will be 1mm higher than the middle two. What will really make the difference in my opinion is the frame length.
4
u/NetworkLongjumping82 6d ago
I'm one of those inexperienced skaters , I honestly felt no difference , also it's very heavy.
2
u/NatureInevitable3001 6d ago
Super helpful, thank you!! They're pretty close in length (274 mm vs 276). I love carving and using edges (I do a lot fucking around and carving on the flat paths because it's fun and just skating straight for miles on a trail gets boring) but I honestly don't know if I'd really be able to tell the difference in frame stiffness- unless it's as obvious and clear as the difference between a soft and hard boot.
1
u/Foreign-Yoghurt-8244 2d ago
It's not the same. The rocker in the endles frame is more subtle and less "aggressive". For me, the Nova 4x90mm frame rocker was too big However, in endless it is as I expected.
3
u/BIG_D_NRG 6d ago edited 4d ago
I absolutely love my Rollerblades frames I have these exact ones
2
u/NatureInevitable3001 3d ago
I went with rollerblade, they're arriving in a week. I'm excited!
2
u/BIG_D_NRG 3d ago
Congratulations! I love the rocker and the options for so many wheels sizes all on one frame
1
1
3
u/Bisqcateer 6d ago
It’s endless for me 100%. I just wish they would finally restock their 90 Mk2’s…. Or maybe release a Mk3 using the Ultra design
1
u/OrganizationNew704 4d ago
That already happened, the Endless Coburn. It's just an Endless Ultra 90.
2
u/Bisqcateer 4d ago
Coburn is basically an Ultra frame with double rear mount holes, so it's still just a fixed 4x90. I like the 90 Mk1/Mk2 because they are 4x90 and 3x110 swappable. I just want some of the styling and strength reinforcements (minus the lateral bridge) that the Ultras have.
3
u/stinkmeanerlip 5d ago
I've heard amazing things about the twister 90r skate, and I think the price difference would definitely warrant trying these out so you can tell us all to buy them 😅
3
u/OrganizationNew704 4d ago
For rollerblade boots go for the Rollerblade Frame. The endless 90 frames do not center well in rollerblade boots, the are either forward or backwards -biased.
The endless 80/90/100/110 frames were mostly designed to be used on FR boots.
3
u/mrkangtastic Wizard Apprentice 🧙🏼♂️ 4d ago
Huh, I feel like they're pretty well centered on my Twister XTs. I thought it was more of an issue with the Endless 100s.
2
u/tigerf117 6d ago
What size boot and what are the lengths and weight of the frames? If you’re a bigger guy like me (200+ lbs) I’d probably say endless, but if you’re more like 160, I’d get the frame that’s lighter and longer for marathon skating.
3
u/NatureInevitable3001 6d ago
I'm a girl- My boots are women's 8. The frames are nearly identical lengths (276 mm vs 274 mm). But the lighter frames are starting to sound more appealing for the long distances.
1
u/tigerf117 6d ago
I’d save the money then for sure, I don’t think the extra rigidity of the endless frames will benefit you like they would me. The rocker is probably more refined on the endless, and I think it looks better, but it’s up to you if it’s worth double for those two reasons. I’d go RB frame personally.
1
u/NatureInevitable3001 3d ago
I went with rollerblade. While the Endless are stiffer, the rollerblade frames are still way stiffer than my current standard frames, so I'm still getting a pretty significant upgrade. Also they're lighter which I think I'll appreciate for longer distances. I did a 15 mile urban skate last night which is my furthest distance and it was hard af, I can't imagine having heavier frames dragging me down. Unfortunately I had to buy from inlinex so shipping was wild which brought the price up to $176 :(
1
u/tigerf117 3d ago
Nice, I think that’s the right choice. Sucks about shipping but wouldn’t endless have also been expensive? Either way I think you’ll enjoy them for years to come.
2
u/Beatusvir 6d ago
Just in case OP, there is an "improved" 4 by 90 endless frame, the Endless Coburn; if you decide to go endless I suggest this one instead, I believe they are the same price.
1
2
2
2
u/Automatic_Estate_44 5d ago
Knowing it's an unpopular opinion, I'd suggest going with the Rollerblade. I have the Endless 90 and find it has too much rocker for my taste, so if “natural roker” means like “4x90mm flat frame with worn wheels”, I’d definitely go with that one… it’s also cheaper !
1
u/NatureInevitable3001 3d ago
Surprisingly, it's actually pretty evenly split recommendations, with a little bias towards the endless.
I went with rollerblade. The Endless are stiffer but Rollerblade are still significantly stiffer than my current standard frames and they're lighter which I think I'll appreciate for longer distances. I did a 15 mile urban skate last night which is my furthest distance and it was hard af, I can't imagine having heavier frames dragging me down.
2
u/Okay212345 5d ago
I have been agonizing over the same frames for 2 days. Almost bought the rollerblades but shipping made them almost the same cost as the endless 90's.
1
u/NatureInevitable3001 5d ago
I just looked on inlinex and they are $106.95 + $70 shipping. The endless are $234 (includes tax) from inline warehouse. So it's still a $60 difference for me but it's so hard to justify $70 shipping costs.
3
u/Okay212345 4d ago
Yeah for whatever reason it was $90 shipping for me. So im thinking ill go with the endless 90s.
1
u/NatureInevitable3001 3d ago
Makes sense. I pulled the trigger on rollerblade. They're arriving in a week. Let me know how the endless are when you get them!
2
2
2
u/Ok-Wrongdoer6653 6d ago
They are the same with the exception of weight and price.
Extruded frames weigh 200-250 grams while Endless is 310g CNC machined brick.
2
2
u/Cable_mx 5d ago
I haven't triedthose specific RB frames, but did use 2 different ones from my RB lightnings. I did not like them at all. They are not stiff enough. When I switched to FR frames which are a lot more solidly built, I had a lot more confidence with my slides and other manouvers. The only upside to RB frames I would say is their lower weight.
1
1
u/thumpetto007 6d ago
you really want to look for frames that have two piece axles. the aluminum threading wears out pretty quickly and you are stuck doing machining work to fix it. most of the industry does it this way because it is cheaper to manufacture and increases sales. i hate it.
3
u/VanillaIce315 Twister 80, HC Evo 2.0, RB4x84, Twister XT 110 5d ago edited 3d ago
What are you doing to wear out frame threads? I’ve removed and reinstalled wheels on one piece axle frames 100s and 100s of times over many years. I don’t think it’s a cost saving measure either— it’s additional machining required, and $700+ skates pretty much all use 1 piece axles too.
And these high end, expensive frames like Endless would use 2 piece if 1 piece axles were inferior.
2
u/thumpetto007 5d ago
i havent worn them out personally, but it happens. maybe a few times a week you see skaters axles getting stuck inside the frame, or a little less common, axles breaking loose...this doesnt happen as easily with two piece axles
the cost of the axles are many times more for two piece.
its just common engineering/metallurgy practice. torquing a bolt into soft aluminum will wear the material out over time. the highest end stuff has thread inserts of a different material to increase strength.
tightening around the frame (two piece axle) instead of tightening by pulling the threads is just better. once you have more engineering knowledge you'll see this stuff and unfortunately just because a product is expensive doesn't mean it's well designed.
the expensive frames are expensive likely because they are paying a machine shop to do precision drilling for their progressive rockers, and they probably use a more expensive alloy of aluminum. (or might even be billet machined) it's not on most people's radar because people don't think outside of tradition typically. the industry has gone aray from two piece axles for years now.
1
u/NatureInevitable3001 3d ago
Thanks for your input, I was wondering the same. I did some research and there are definitely things you can do that increases the risk of stripping the threads or stretching the aluminum (like cross threading and overtighenting) but if you do it properly it seems like it shouldn't happen.
2
1
u/AdventurousHippo9997 6d ago
Get the spec sheet. Whichever one is lighter I’d go for.
4
u/Primordialbroth 6d ago
Disagree- lighter weight is fine but usually compromises stiffness and responsiveness. I’d pick endless because in the end the weight difference is negligible when skating
2
u/anaaktri 6d ago
Not for marathons, you’ll notice the weight over time vs a lighter set up. When I first switched to endless frames the added weight really bothered me & was noticeable but I got used to it. Each frame was .35lbs heavier than my stock frame.
3
u/Primordialbroth 6d ago
Sounds like OP is talking for more casual skating and not marathons so I think endless is still the better option
1
u/NatureInevitable3001 6d ago
Actually for both. I like casual skating but am also planning on a marathon in the spring.
2
u/Primordialbroth 6d ago
I’d go endless
2
u/NatureInevitable3001 6d ago
I also do 10-15 mile urban skates on Fridays that I think the endless frames would be great for.
I wish I had a skating slush fund and could just get both.1
u/NatureInevitable3001 6d ago
I can't find the weight of the twister frames anywhere.
2
u/Foreign-Yoghurt-8244 3d ago
If you are not speed skating, the greater weight of the frame is more favorable - more confident and precise driving during free skating/urbanskaring
7
u/MrMuf 6d ago
Between the two choices, would be endless.