How to position the chassis under the boot?

[tom 0]

Hey,

I'm currently converting a pair of Torspo skates to roller hockey. Now I'm wondering, how the position of the chassis would influence my skating in terms of acceleration, push-offs, maneuverability, stops etc...

Maybe someone has experienced some differences between the different setups? Or are there any articles on this (or similar) topic which describe the physics behind it? Didn't find anything :(

Chassis in front vs. chassis at the back:

Thanks for helping.

[Balmer15 0]

I would imagine that if you were to put the chasis forward, like the top picture, you'd find yourself falling back easily because of how far forward the back wheel is..but haven't tried this myself so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

[chanxebyshev 8]

I would think that this would just shift the balance point of the skate.

Similar to how one can change the balance point of a ice hockey skate with profiling, might be easier to find research on profiling anyway.

[tom 0]

[...] you'd find yourself falling back easily [..]

Yes you might be right :) Of course the picture is showing two extreme positions which probably wouldn't make any sense. I just wanted to show what the topic is about.

[...] might be easier to find research on profiling anyway.

Haven't heard about "profiling" so far because I'm not an ice hockey player. Thanks for the hint!

[romdj 26]

I've experienced both:

Fig #1:

better top speed (longer stride) and better stability, lot of wear on your back wheels & bearings,

Fig #2

lots of maneuvrability -> better acceleration -> worse top speed, i find it better for skating backwards, and you'll have more wear on your front wheels & bearings, will feel a lil bit like a hilo setup.

[Balmer15 0]

romdj, how far further forward/back were your chasis to centre in each position?

[Justin 1933 134]

You should center the chassis/wheels in the center of the skate. You want to have equal wheel spacing on the front and back of the boot.

[hehatemefrisbee 0]

Justin, obviously, is absolutely right. To try to put it further forward, or further back, is not a good idea. You will be off balance one way or the other.

[romdj 26]

You should center the chassis/wheels in the center of the skate. You want to have equal wheel spacing on the front and back of the boot.

true but if you can't...

romdj, how far further forward/back were your chasis to centre in each position?

it was on this type of skate http://www.thespirit...ba_High-red.jpg with a 10mm shorter frame, the difference was about 1/4 of an inch.forward or backward from "center". I also like aligning them more on the inside as it gives better acceleration & longer stride imo.

[fatwabbit 93]

You'll have to eyeball it. The wheels should stick out as much in the front as compared to the back. Basically position the chassis (with front and rear wheels on), then look downwards like you were going to put the skates on. Look straight down, trying to centre the chassis front and back.

[tom 0]

I will try to centre the chassis, just wondered what the effects would be if the chassis had an offset. I think romdj explained it well:

[...]

Fig #1:

better top speed (longer stride) and better stability, lot of wear on your back wheels & bearings,

Fig #2

lots of maneuvrability -> better acceleration -> worse top speed, i find it better for skating backwards, and you'll have more wear on your front wheels & bearings, will feel a lil bit like a hilo setup.

That sounds reasonable to me.

[kerr 1]

Is there any way to mount a seba frame to a hockey boot? http://www.inlinewarehouse.com/Seba_Deluxe_Frames/descpage-DLXFRME.html

Thanks

[sdcopp 1]

You probably could cobble together a hockey boot with a Seba frame, but why would you want to? There are other hockey specific options available

[CommodoreColt 19]

For $180 you could get yourself some mighty nice Vanguards or Hummers. The mounting will be much, much easier and cleaner. Those big, cornered mounts look like they'd make a really nasty job out of a hockey boot outsole.

The general wisdom on this topic is to center the chassis to the boot as Justin said.

If you're interested in experimenting with the front-back position for the reasons romdj mentioned, I would try not to make the adjustment more than 1/8'' off-center.

[tom 0]

I decided to center my chassis with a slight offset to the front. Thanks for your replies!

[romdj 26]

I decided to center my chassis with a slight offset to the front. Thanks for your replies!

let us know how it feels :D

[bigsnake76 2]

I found this by googling this topic as I encountered this before I did my conversion. I mounted the chassis as far back as possible and I absolutely love it. This mounting suggestion is in an interview article from a pro coach RHI....I guess it all comes down to preference, I took this advice and was glad i did. I have Hi Lo Mag chassis BTW.

“The chassis should be mounted back far enough so that the front wheel is underneath the boot. The test is simply run the boot and chassis against a wall. If the boot hits first, it’s right. If the equipment is right, you can learn the edging and strides quickly. What takes time is stopping, and playing under game conditions where you’re darting left, darting right, quick spins and getting bumped in the process, especially in a full-check game like RHI. There’s no substitute for repetitious skating drills.

full article:

http://www.hockeyplayer.com/2011/03/the-word-on-converting-to-wheels/

[vince57 4]

my opinion is the longitudinal position is dictated by the back wheel axle it wants to be slightly behind the centre of the heel pocket almost in line with the back of the boot to far forward and there will be a loss of stability when transfering weight to the heels

[Schnappi 0]

my opinion is the longitudinal position is dictated by the back wheel axle it wants to be slightly behind the centre of the heel pocket almost in line with the back of the boot to far forward and there will be a loss of stability when transfering weight to the heels

I would say, that it actually depends a lot on the heel lift as well. I think that centering the chassis just to the center of the (hockey) boot should work fine for most people.