ROLLER DERBY GEAR
COMPULSORY GEAR FOR THE BEGINNERS’ COURSE:
QUAD SKATES
WHEELS
88A-95A are good hardnesses for our floors, but you’ll manage with other wheels, too. Combining different wheels is also possible, e.g. four 88A wheels with four 93A wheels is a great combo for many floors.
TOE STOPS
If your skates come with black toe stops (as they often do), change them immediately. Black toe stops leave nasty marks on our floors and we get into trouble.
Cushions
Are not compulsory, but they are a cheap upgrade that will help you control your skates better and turn more easily. Derby shops are able to help you choose the best model for you.
MOUTHGUARD
You can buy these at Tampere (e.g. Sportheavy at Prisma, Kaleva, 2nd floor)
HELMET
KNEE, WRIST, AND ELBOW PADS
SKATE TOOL (or any other similar tools)
You can get these from derby and skate stores, and some sports stores. E.g. Cartel at Koskikeskus.
LEARN TO KNOW YOUR GEAR
SAFETY GEAR
HELMET
● Get a helmet that is a perfect fit. It needs to be tight. Some skaters prefer hockey helmets, but the most popular roller derby helmet model is S1. It has both hard and soft padding. Other brands: e.g. Triple eight and TSG. Bicycle helmets are single impact helmets and therefore not suitable for roller derby. Get a new helmet everytime you drop it or fall and hit your head.
KNEE, WRIST, AND ELBOW PADS
● You’ll find the right model and size by trying on different models. Safety gear for outdoor skating is often not sturdy enough – in roller derby, bigger is better. Invest
especially in your knee and wrist guards. Brands: Smith Scabs, TSG, Triple eight,
187 Killer Pads.
● If you have hard black plastic parts on your pads, you must cover them with a tube made of socks/tights. Otherwise they will leave marks on the floors, and once again: we will get in trouble. We practice falling a lot during the beginners’ course and some venues are really uptight about this. You can remove the covers later on. White plastic does not have to be covered.
MOUTHGUARD
● Sisu mouthguard is the most popular model due to its small size and because you can keep them on for several hours, and drink and talk with them. This is impossible with traditional mouthguard models. Sisu guards have tiny little holes in them so you don’t have to keep taking them out of your mouth due to drooling. They can also be remolded. Traditional models can be molded once or thrice, but you remold your Sisu mouthguard up to 20 times.
OTHER SAFETY GEAR
● The Finnish manufacturer Steaks (and other companies) sell padded contact wear (shorts and vests to protect your hips/tailbone). Some skaters also use shin pads.
SKATES
in english http://www.derbywarehouse.com/learningcenter/skateanatomy.html - http: //www.skatelogforum.com/
0. Shoe/boot
● Plastic or leather. Riedells are more narrow than Sure Grips. More expensive models can be heat molded. Cheaper beginner skates are a good place to start. Once you are more experienced, you’ll know what features you value in your boots/skates.
● Waxed laces keep are more trustworthy. If your feet grow numb, help can be found from different lacing styles (you can find tons of them online)
● Molded sports insoles are always a great investment.
1. Plate
● Metal or nylon. Metal alloys are more durable but also more expensive and a bit heavier. The more expensive metal plates have different features that make your skates more agile and responding (e.g. 45 degree angle plates, short plates, plates with movable trucks etc). Your skating style determines the best plate style for you (agile vs stable and so on).
2. King pin
● The bolt that holds everything together
● Typical kingpin angles will range on a scale from 10-45 degrees
3. Cushions/bushings
● Help you turn on your skates
● Often stone hard on beginner skates. Turning and skating in the curves will be a lot
easier if you change your cushions to softer ones. Scale: 72A-93A. The smaller the number, the softer the cushion. The less you weigh, the softer cushions you should choose.
● Different models for different plates. In the photo above: the one on the top is called a barrel and the one on the bottom a cone. Many beginner skates only have barrels.
4. Cushion cup
● Keep your cushions in place
5. Action nut
● By adjusting your action nut, you can adjust the bounce of your cushions. A good way to start is to tighten the nut so that the parts don’t clatter and then tighten it again for a little less than a full round. Now, when you twist your skates, the truck should give in a little and the cushions should be flexible.
6. Wheels
● Indoor wheels range between 84A and 100A (durometers). On most parquet floors, skaters use 88A-93A wheels.
● Wheels vary in their width and height. They are normally 31-44 mm wide – 38 mm wide wheels are most common. Wider wheels are more stable, narrow wheels more agile.
● Common wheel heights: 59mm and 62mm. Don’t mix different sized wheels, skating on them will be a struggle.
● You can mix wheels that have different durometers to get an optimal grip. Examples above.
● Outdoor wheels: 78A-85A. The softer the wheel, the smoother the ride – but also more burdensome to skate on. Higher wheels help you keep up your pace, but they are also less agile.
7. Hub
● The larger the hub, the lower the profile (less material on your wheels). This also affects the features of your wheels (grip and so on). There are different models available (metal, plastic, hollow, solid). Plastic ones are more flexible and lighter and cheaper.
8. Bearings
● Make your wheels roll.
● There are different schools when it comes to bearings: the hi-fi people who pay tons
for ceramic bearings, the cleaners who regularly tidy and oil their bearings, and the school of “as long as they roll”. These people buy reasonably priced bearings, wipe the most visible dirt off them when they remember and change them when they stop working.
9. Axle nuts
● If you don’t use speed rings (small washers), you thighten the axle nuts just tight enough to allow for the wheel to roll freely so that it doesn’t clatter.
10. Truck
● There are “Single Action” SA and “Douple Action” DA trucks. SAs have only one cushion, DAs have two. Derby skates normally have two.
11. Axle
● Wheels are attached to the axle.
● Most skates have 8mm axles, a few 7mm models also exist. (This is relevant when
you buy bearings).
12. Pivot pin
● The more expensive models have adjustable Pivot pins. This is related to the tightening of the King pin.
13. Pivot cup
● The Pivot pin should sit inside the Pivot cup without pounding on the bottom.
14. Toestop Housing
● Check that the threads are ok!
15. Toestop set screw
● With some plate models, the stop is tightened using a hex key. With cheaper plates, you tighten the toestop by screwing it down with a nut. These toestops get loose very easily, so remember to tighten yours before coming to practice. A proper wrench is a much better tool for this compared to the skate tool which is pretty tiny and you need to use more force.
16. Toestops
● Do not use black toestops indoors, as they leave marks on the floor.
● Toestops come in many sizes, shapes, and colors. More surface means more
stability. Models we prefer: Gumball (the one with a long bolt) and Bionic.