My converted RBK Pumps

[Clark12 0]

Have been looking around here for a while but have not posted until now. Anyway I thought I would start off things by posting up an image of my new skates.

They are RBK 5K Pump Ice Skates which I have converted by taking the Labeda Hum'er chassis off my Tour Blue Max skates and getting it attached to the 5Ks at my LHS.

So far Ive only used them once but Im liking them so far.

Just thought I'd share

[OhMyGodImOnFire 0]

what wheels are those? looks pretty cool.

[Clark12 0]

They are Labeda Genesis wheels which I have set up in 72-76-80-80 (which is necessary for all four wheels to touch the ground when not using all 80's with the Hum'er chassis)

[the_game 452]

Hey Clark,

I don't understand your wheel setup on the Hum'mr. why are you not going with all 80? Did you not dremmel out the bottom of the boot so all 80's could fit?

[Clark12 0]

I have not modified the boot in anyway (Im not even sure if it would be possible to do so) which is why I have went with that setup.

I had also considering going with an all 76 or a 72-76-76-80 setup.

Would it be a difficult process to alter the boot so that it could facilitate for an all 80 setup? and would it affect the lifespan and durability of the boot?

[sdcopp 1]

it shouldn't be a huge deal to do, just a little bit of dremeling out the bottom. You don't need to take huge chunks off of the sole, just enough to allow clearance, a couple mm or so in a space wide enough for the wheels.

[Clark12 0]

When I took the blades off the skates there was already a slight bevel in the bottom of the boot which is slightly wider than a wheel. There is very little clearance on the 76 wheel.

I would be interested in using all 80s again but Im not a dab hand when it comes to DIY.

[sdcopp 1]

When I took the blades off the skates there was already a slight bevel in the bottom of the boot which is slightly wider than a wheel. There is very little clearance on the 76 wheel.

I would be interested in using all 80s again but Im not a dab hand when it comes to DIY.

Do you have a good LHS in your area? Chances are, if they're good and they've done a good deal of conversion work/ generally knowledgeable about it, they can dremel some for you. It help some that there is already a groove there though if you do want to DIY. It would take a little patience and some time to do the work slowly and right, but you'd need to make another 2-3mm to fit the 80's in. it's really not as much as one would think, but working slowly to do it right would be key.

[Clark12 0]

There are 2 LHS in my area, one of which converted the skates for me. They have done a bit of conversion work but I dont think they have after done any dremmel work on skates before.

[the_game 452]

Hey Clark,

you can dremmel out the bottom, one of my teammates had it done on a pair of 9k's. He had the local hockey store do it for him and he has the all 80 setup working fine.

I was also able to do this on a Bauer/Nike One70 boot with the Hum'mr setup. The dremmeling is minimal and doesn't hurt the skate.

[Clark12 0]

thanks the_game, I will have a word at my LHS and see what they can do for me. :D

[sdcopp 1]

Hey Clark,

you can dremmel out the bottom, one of my teammates had it done on a pair of 9k's. He had the local hockey store do it for him and he has the all 80 setup working fine.

I was also able to do this on a Bauer/Nike One70 boot with the Hum'mr setup. The dremmeling is minimal and doesn't hurt the skate.

Exactly, just a little time to do it right yourself and you're fine. If the LHS has done conversion work for a while they probably understand how to do it without being damaging. If you really look at how small 2-3mm is, you'll see it's not a ton of work, and there's already a groove to work with. I prefer paying someone else to do things like this for me since I don't want the headache of making a mess and cleaning it up myself.

[wk_style 0]

Those look sick! How do you like the RBK boots with the pumps, I havent gotten a chance to get them on or try them out as of yet.

[Clark12 0]

Those look sick! How do you like the RBK boots with the pumps, I havent gotten a chance to get them on or try them out as of yet.

Having only skated in them once I only have my first impressions to go by. Dispite feeling very different to my Tour skates I do like them, they do feel a bit heavy but the support is excellent. Looking forward to wearing them again on Friday.

[wk_style 0]

Very interesting. Best of luck. Thanks for the reply.

[SlapshotHockey 0]

Hey Clark, Boots look great!

My guess is you're from an ice hockey background?

Something I've always felt was the hummer was too long (well for a size 8). In fact I've aways hatted the feel of inline blades since they are not round line ice. :( Can't cut in the turns as well.

Have you seen the thread about spungs? Just slapped some of those on a new pair of Beamers. Would post a picture but my website is offline for update. First thing I found was the great turning. Though I felt the stop was not a good.

Back to yours though, what are the pumps like, are they any good? :0) I mean do they kill your feet first time around?

Take care,

Shaun.

PS: The one thing I love about Xmas is, most sports halls revarnish their floors!!!! Boy do I love that grip! Kills the wheels though.

[Clark12 0]

Hi Shaun,

I wouldn't say that I'm from an ice hockey background as I've played both ice & inline as much as each other. I decided to go with an ice skate conversion simply due to the fact that I havent been able to find a inline boot that has durable support. I like to have stiff ankles in my boots and in my last 3 pairs of skates the support has gone within 6-8 months.

I have to say that ever since I got my Blue Max that I have loved the Hum'er chassis, really have no complaints with it so Ive decided to stick with it for the meatime.

With regards to the comfort, I had the skates heat moulded before I wore them so the first session was relatively pain free and generaly quite comfy. I did however made the mistake of being lazy and using the pumps when I needed to tighten my skates... not a good idea, it should really only be used to get more of a snug fit.

All in all my first impressions were good. Im off to training now, so I will report back later

[SlapshotHockey 0]

Hi Shaun,

I wouldn't say that I'm from an ice hockey background as I've played both ice & inline as much as each other. I decided to go with an ice skate conversion simply due to the fact that I havent been able to find a inline boot that has durable support. I like to have stiff ankles in my boots and in my last 3 pairs of skates the support has gone within 6-8 months.

My LHS wanted someone to try out the srung chassis for them and I declined simply due to the fact that they are so ugly. I have to say that ever since I got my Blue Max that I have loved the Hum'er chassis, really have no complaints with it so Ive decided to stick with it for the meatime.

With regards to the comfort, I had the skates heat moulded before I wore them so the first session was relatively pain free and generaly quite comfy. I did however made the mistake of being lazy and using the pumps when I needed to tighten my skates... not a good idea, it should really only be used to get more of a snug fit.

All in all my first impressions were good. Im off to training now, so I will report back later

Thanks for the reply. I know what you mean about ice boots, I think the weight loss with inlines skates got too much as the boots have become very weak. I've see many soles just tear away at the heal, & the rivets just rust off. This is why I liked beamers the boot is also stiff & quite durable. (In the right hands).

I'll have to check out the RBK Pumps for my next boot I think. They look cool.

As for the sprungs, I'm loving them... Srpung-pumps... sounds cool. I know what you mean about the look. I've gone for black & red, to my suprise they look great on the beamers B) .

Shaun.

[Clark12 0]

Right, I've now worn them for the second time so I thought Id report back.

Went to training on Friday night and tied the skates as tight as I could, then pumped them up slightly. I also replaced the F.I.T insoles with those from my Bauer Supreme 6000 ice skates. They fit tight with no gaps or slipages.

However I came across two small problems. I am getting a slight pain in the bottom of my right foot between my toes and instep, I think this is due to the depth of the slope from the instep of the skate to the toecap.

Secondly I am receiving some pain on the tops of my feet, around the lace-lock area, due to lace-bite. This could probably be sorted out by loosening my skates slightly.

Id be interested to hear anyone has any ideas on how to solve the above.

[wk_style 0]

Right, I've now worn them for the second time so I thought Id report back.

Went to training on Friday night and tied the skates as tight as I could, then pumped them up slightly. I also replaced the F.I.T insoles with those from my Bauer Supreme 6000 ice skates. The result was the snuggest fitting pair of skates I have worn to date. They fit tight with no gaps or slipages.

However I came across two small problems. I am getting a slight pain in the bottom of my right foot between my toes and instep, I think this is due to the depth of the slope from the instep of the skate to the toecap.

Secondly I am receiving some pain on the tops of my feet, around the lace-lock area, due to lace-bite. This could probably be sorted out by loosening my skates slightly.

Id be interested to hear anyone has any ideas on how to solve the above.

I generally find that the bottom laces of the skate dont do much in terms of skate comfort. I normally keep them finger tight and make sure the top 4-5 laces are tight. They are the ones that hold your ankle tight and in place, and I'm sure the pump will help too.

[Clark12 0]

Right I finally gave in and decided to go with all 80's again so I thought I would post up some images. I didn't have a dremmel so I went the old fashioned way and just used a file. It took a while but it was worth it.

The finished article

The groove

The groove with wheels

My skates with Glover14's which we also converted to all 80's

Ive skated on them for 2 training sessions and a match now and I must say that I would never go back to the way they were. I feel so much more balanced and it has really helped my stopping.

[nils 0]

mhh what you must paid for the Labeda Chassie ?? and where have you buy it ??? :(

they are very nice ;)

[Clark12 0]

The Labeda chassis came off the Tour Blue Max skates that I wore last season so it didn't cost me anything, however it is starting to get a bit beat up now.

Hopefully Mission start selling their Vanguard chassis, I wouldn't mind one of them for my next set of skates.

[DamnLocust 0]

your wishes will be answered this fall.

[sharks_34 0]

Clark12 - what floor do you play on and how are your Labeda Genesis wheels holding up? I'm just curious to hear what they are like and if they are a viable alternative to RR's....