#da45

Unfortunately (and also fortunately) the skaters around you are wrong.

A lot of misinformation gets spread around about gear, and a lot of skaters believe it.

This myth stems from speed skaters that have been skating for years and years on DA10 degree trucks that switch over to a DA45 and have trouble keeping their feet under themselves because they skate so differently. They came to the conclusion that if they can’t skate on them, then definitely no beginner can. All of the companies that do not sell DA45 plates jumped on to this story.

In reality, the BEST time to start using a DA45 plate is right when you are starting, since they do skate very differently and are much harder to get used to further down the line.

They will feel a bit wobbly at first, but start out with tour trucks fairly tight and some hard cushions. As you get comfortable, loosen your trucks and switch your cushions out for a softer set.

Whats your name, team, and what position(s) do you play?

Jammer, Oil City All-stars and Co-Captain of OCDG's Alice Capones (house team)

What kind of boots/plates are you on?

Bont semi custom hybrid boot with Avenger DA45 magnesium plates on a short-forward mount, Sure-grip purple cushions and Rollergirl's Boom wheels.

How does your current setup differ from your last? What improved?

Riedell Diablo boots on standard nylon plate, standard mounting, Sure-grip yellow cushions and Rollergirl Boom or Atom Juke (wide version) wheels.

The bont/avenger upgrade has been great, and I'm really liking the short-forward mount. I was initially paranoid that I'd be falling over backwards a lot, but adapting was quicker than I expected and I've only overbalanced backwards a couple of times (usually when trying a powerslide and putting too much force into the heel). With the old nylon plate, I could feel it flex when doing a strong toestop push, and although the boots fits well the flexing contributed to a sloppy feeling. This didn't bother me for some time but as I improved ( and the skates got worn) I began to notice it more and more. And despite all efforts to secure them, my toestops would eventually loosen off. With the avenger plate's toe stop screw, I've set them once and haven't had to re-tighten in two months (I still double check them though!)

What is your 'holy grail' perfect skate?

So far I'd say my current setup, but I plan to upgrade my worn-out Booms to the Atom Juke 2.0 (thin version) I never feel like I have enough grip on the floors I play on.

What are your favourite wheels?

I've been really happy with the Rollergirl Booms as the slim profile works well in packs and they were quite sticky. I often use Atom Jukes though as they have just a little more grip (although the wide version feels clunky after using slims for a while)

What kind of safety gear are you using, and how do you feel about it?

Triple 8 park kneepads and elbow pads, S-one CPSC certified helmet, Triple * hired hand wristguard (the knuckle coverage has saved a few skinned knuckles and is worth the tradeoff for sweaty hands, in my opinion). Pro-tec boil'n'bite standard mouthguard. The pads have worked great and survived almost 2 years of heavy use, just bought a replacement set actually. I was initially using a non-certified S-one helmet but upgraded after reading the information on how little testing is done with them, and at that point it had already been a year and it needed replacement due to compression of the soft foam anyway. The CPSC version is just as comfy - almost identical really, and was only 5$ more. I think my head is worth at LEAST 5$.

What advice would you give new or intermediate skaters about their impending gear upgrades?

For skate upgrades, I'd agree that tweaking the cushions give a lot of bang for the buck. When I started out I had tried a few different sets of wheels looking for more grip (our practice floor is slick and as a jammer there's nothing more frustrating than sliding out when you're trying to juke) but changing the cushions made a bigger difference. With the added flexibility of the truck, the front wheels sort of 'knuckle under' when doing s strong cut and push, and seems to help convey that power to the track. That said, I still go for the grippiest wheels I can find

Oh, and get a certified helmet. Lots of people aren't fond of the hockey-style helmets but there's a growing number of skate-style ones that have passed testing, so there's no reason to risk using an untested helmet anymore. Check closely when purchasing as many of the helmet brands using frustratingly similar names for both non-certified and certified helmet lines.

You are correct that building your own skate is a much better arrangement than a package.

The Avenger, which is a DA45 plate, is worlds above the Rival as it is strong, turns well, and is very light.Other DA45 plates are great, too, but most aren’t nearly as light as an Avenger.

Your weak ankles won’t last long in derby, so I wouldn’t be too concerned there. You should start ankle workouts to strengthen them up, as if you don’t you are risking broken bones.

Lastly, you can put any boot on any plate.

Reactor plates are very expensive for what you get. They do break less than other Powerdyne plates but they still break, and their turnability is only slightly better than a Revenge.

The Rivals seem ok but they are fairly heavy and are also new to the market.