#sure-grip

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.

The XL-55 boots did not have a stitched sole. The S-55 and S-75 do.

What probably happened to your boots was that the glue wore out. That’s a long life for glued-sole boots.

(2) Second question is if you think any of these wheels would be suitable? If so, which you’d recommend most; if not, which other wheels you’d suggest I look into? Ooh, and if the answer to Q1 is yes I would of course look into the slightly softer wheels of those lines if you think they’d be okay, e.g. 90a Fugitive Mids. (: I’m ~150lbs, 5’4”, if that helps you to comment, and currently skating in any position I’m allowed. Thanks in advance for any advice!

To answer your questions I’d need to know what type of floor you’re skating on, but is does sound like you’re on the right track. You might want to also consider aluminum hubbed wheels, as they won’t flex over time.

If the Sure Grips fit you width wise then I’d suggest you stay with a Sure-Grip boot or a Vanilla boot (or a Bont of your budget allows). So the Brass Knuckles are probably a great idea. Since you can’t try them on in person, measure your feet really well and compare to online size charts. If you are in between sizes, pick the smaller size. Completely ignore shoe sizes and just go by size chart measurements.

Sure-Grip boots are wide, Riedell tends to be narrow. For a full setup, go for the Rebel Avenger. If you just want boots, the Sure-Grip Rebel or anything higher quality than that will suit you just fine.

If you really love the Power Plus wheels, then they do make a softer version of them, but it might be too soft depending on just how slippery the floor is.

Since if seems like you like your Power Plus wheels, I’ll suggest a few with similar dimensions that you might want to try first, then I’ll suggest the more different ones. Depending on the slipperiness of the floor, go for something between 93a and 95a.

Hyper Shamans (Very sticky even in their harder durometers, but the still roll very well)

Hyper Cannibals

Aussie Scotts (these are pricy and will take some time to get to you, but they are likely the highest quality wheels on the market, and they’ll grip and roll forever, no matter your weight)

Faster Full Width wheels

Sure Grip Zombies

If you are willing to experiment a bit further and think narrower wheels might be for you, you can also look into varieties of the Zombies, Faster (Skinny Dipper), and the Aussie Scotts, as well as Rollerbones Turbos.

The Chrome Invader is the SA45 version of the Invader.

They are great, turny, durable plates, but SA45 are a bit more difficult to tune to perfection than DA45 plates.

Sure-Grip does not make Invaders anymore, and most of the chrome Invaders out there have been upgraded to DA45.