Building My New Skates - Sure-Grip XK-4 DA45 - Review

[Reserector]

Old and busted:
I have known since I bought my Rock Flames that they were cheaply made, but were alot better than rentals. Well, the time has finally come to upgrade. I recently picked up a set of orange Twisters in very slightly used condition, and a new set of ABEC-7 bearings to replace the Speed Freaks with their 688 micro bearings.

New hotness:
I just ordered a set of Sure-Grip XK-4 DA plates in size 5. (6 7/8" wheel base). These should be a great improvement over the flexy plastic plates that came with the Rocks. They will also make me a member of the short plate club. I look forward to the improved performance that should take my skating to the next level.

I will stick with the size 12 flame boots, because they fit alright, and they look so stinkin' awesome.
I will post some pics to go along with this build.

[Reserector]

Well, I got a tracking number. The package has processed through the PO in CALIFORNIA.
I'm not so hopeful for it arriving by Saturday. :s This sucks. I want my new toy.

[Reserector]

The new plates came! It turns out that they were drop shipped from Sure-grip. That must be what caused the initial delay. All's well that ends well, because I can build them tonight, after I get done mechanic-ing on the truck and car.
I'll post some pics in a little while.

[Reserector]

OK, kids! Here they are. First a pic of the plates as they were shipped.


The only things not in the first picture are the jump bars. The plating on them was not very aesthletically pleasing, so I went ahead and painted them like my old jump bars, since I still like the look. It is an ornage/yellow fade.



It seemed to take forever to get the old plates off and figure out exactly where to position the plates. I would have shifted them forward a hair more, but the bolt holes were at the front edge of the heel, so I was at the limit for this setup.





I have not skated these yet, except in the kitchen, but my initial feeling is that they feel tons better than the toy plates.

The new Twisters were a good deal for the money, and a decent inexpensive wheel to get me by for now. My Speed Freaks that came with the skates are very worn. I may try to turn them, but they have the micro bearings, so I would have to make a mandrel just to fit them. Not sure if it is worth the bother.

Anyway, I am excited about trying them out at the rink tomorrow after church.

[Reserector]

Dudes! These DA 45 plates are KILLER! Holy cow! A night and day difference compared to the plastic skateboards that I WAS on.

I have to say that I must have mounted them right, because for the first time ever, I could track straight while gliding on either foot, forward or backward, fully extended (or whatever you call it when you lean forward with your body 90º to your leg, and the other leg lifted, and straight out from your body.)
I always tracked to one edge with the old plates, because apparently, they were not mounted quite right.

The Sure-grip XK-4 DA 45 plates are outstanding. Very turny and stable as well. They stay planted in the turns, and do everything I want them to do with no surprises.

Add me to the "Finally got good skates" list.
While you are at it, add me to the short plate club roster.
The short plates simply felt natural. I don't quite know how to describe it, but there is a solid improvement with the short plates. I, like so many others before me, will never go back.

I still have some skateboards that I use outside just for excercise that I will keep using, but for cutting loose, it is shorties for me from now on.

Thanks again for all the advice from the members at http://skatelog.com

[Reserector]

I was advised to try softer cushions in the DA 45s, so I ordered some yellows, which are the "soft" Sure-Grip urethane super cushions that are made for these plates. They come stock with purple "medium" cushions. I did well with purples, but wanted to see if they could be improved upon.

I installed the yellows and adjusted them on the soft side to start with. Just rolling around in the house, I could tell that the difference was huge. I decided to crank down on them untill they were just "a good bit" softer than what I was used to. I figure it is safest to step them down gradually.

I hit the rink today (Sunday), and they felt a bit wierd, but not bad. By the end of the session, I had forgotten about the change. They felt totally normal.

I plan to back off the tension a bit and try them a little softer next session.

I like the aditional turning ability. I don't feel like I have given up any stability, because I raced on them today, and I was SMOKIN! No problem powering out of the turns. I was tucked down low like always. No stability problems at all. They just took a little time to get used to.

Thanks to Doc Sk8 for the advice and dvw for sending me the goods.

[mudtester]

connies skate place has the da45s for $120 now. I am seriously looking at getting some.
res will you mount them for me? what size should i get for my 11 boots? you have 5s and i remember you saying that you could have gone shorter. as you know i mostly just skate around or do some truckin in the middle. do you think 4s would be too short?

[Reserector]

If you're williing to go for it, I would say go with the size 4.
I'll help you with mounting them. I'm no expert, but so far I have mounted two sets of plates for myself and one for Doug. They all turned out well.

That's a good price. I paid $135 for mine and they are worth every penny.

[Wheel Man]

You are getting my curiosity up. What is gained by using a shorter plate? From your pictures it looks like the rear axle is shifted forward? Is the front axle shifted back?

I do like the appearance of the new plates. I like the yellow/orange fade job on the jump bar, too. I have never seen that done.

[Reserector]

The shorter plates allow for better turning and better balance when rocking up on one truck. It feels more natural because the axles are under the natural weight-bearing parts of your feet.
The rear axle is situated more forward; under the middle of the heel.
The front axle is directly under the ball of the foot.
For outdoor skates, the front axle is slightly more forward; under the base of the big toe. It helps the skate roll over irregularities better.

This whole concept was developed, if not invented by Doc Sk8 of Jam-N-Speed. He hangs out on http://skatelogforum.com I highly recommend that you do some searching on that site.

That is also where I learned about the Sure-Grip XK-4 DA45 plates. Lots of good info on them on skatelog, as well.