From: grr@cbmvax.commodore.com (George Robbins)
Newsgroups: rec.skate
Subject: Re: Anybody prefer blading on worn wheels?
Date: 30 Jul 92 17:52:43 GMT
Reply-To: grr@cbmvax.commodore.com (George Robbins)
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA

In article <1992Jul29.234129.969@miavx2.ham.muohio.edu> ndliles@miavx2.ham.muohio.edu writes:
> In article <33757@cbmvax.commodore.com>, grr@cbmvax.commodore.com (George Robbins) writes:
> > In article <8eR49iS00WCsA22VpA@andrew.cmu.edu> jp45+@andrew.cmu.edu (Jim Thomas Park , Jr.) writes:
> >> 
> 	Bullshit deleted
>  
> >> At this rink there are people that do blade but they seem to be working
> >> there asses off to keep going. Is this because of the wooden floor and
> >> the softer wheels on blades or is there another reason? I would like to
> >> know if it is possible. Thanks.
> > 
> > I think the biggest reason is simply that the bladers you see at rinks
> > are generally not very proficient.  Skating with real ease, efficiency
> > and confidence whatever the medium seems to require at least a hundred
> > hours (or two) on skates, be it a year of sessions or whatever (luckily
> > it's plenty fun getting there!)
> 
> 	Well George ya stepped in it again. The reason bladers are slow
> at the rink (even good ones) has everything to do with bearings, the way
> you have your skates rockered, and ability. I wish you would go out and
> get a pair yourself and get first hand experience instead of trying to
> speculate on every aspect of roller blading.

Look friend, if you wanna be an nice polite asshole, why don't you explain
that you have some superior personal knowledge based on both conventional
and in-line skating - if not, your assertions are about of the same value
as mine.  Meanwhile, please note that two of the three points you cite
are the same as mine...

Please note that you are/were perfectly free to respond to the original
question.  If someone more obviously knowledgable steps forth on something
where I feel insecure, I'll remain eloquently silent.

> 	Rocker affects your speed due to the amount of friction on each
> individual bearing on the skate. In other words if you have more wheels
> on the floor, the less friction on each bearing and the more speed.

>  
> 	More bullshit deleted

Frankly, I think your explanation is bullshit.  Do you have a clue about
mechanical engineering?  Bearings have several friction components, some
of which are load related, some are not.  Not one of the in-line skaters
here has ever claimed that more bearings reduce drag.   The increase in
speed with more wheels is due to reducing friction losses due to wheel
deformation, slippage and the longer effective contact area "leveling out"
small bumps.  By your argument, shortening the spacer and inserting an
extra pair of bearing on each axle would make the skates faster...right.

> > As far as mechanical efficiency, there should be no real problem with
> > the in-lines, but if they are not set up with rockered wheels, any arc
> > involves a dragging component (relative of the individual wheel contact
> > patch not normal to the axle).  This means that in-lines either have to
> > work on the turns or cope with walking straight segments with cross-overs
> > like ice speed skates.
> 
> 	The above should be deleted or at least ignored.

<<< slightly resequenced>>>

>                                                                     How-
> ever if the front wheel is not higher than the others you will have
> problems with the skating motion notably your stride and crossing over.
> No speed skater could ever skate like a hockey player for that reason.

Where have you been for the discussions of 5-wheel skates vs ice speed skates
and the importance of cross-overs on turns?  The N>2 wheels (on the ground)
in-line skate shares the linear contact problem with the flat bladed speed
skates (ice), that rockered in-lines, conventional roller skates and rockered
hockey/dance/figure blades (and skis for that matter) avoid by having efficient
turning mechanisms built in.

> > The other factor is that with a good in-line skater (should you be so
> > lucky as to encounter one), once the novelty factor wears off, you
> > simply cease to note that they are skating on in-lines!

> Nice try George. Skating on in lines is nothing like quads.

Do any of the dual-mode skaters care to comment on this?

> Stick with
> what you know about and stop arguing about what you don't.

Argument, what argument?

From your last posting on "no such thing as weak ankles", it appears that
despite considerable experience, you tend to confuse opinions with facts and
prefer one simple "fact" to any intelligent discussion of the issues involved.

In that case, I let others address your assertions from their own experience,
and ignored the discourteous nature of your response.  At this point, I'd
politely suggest you mend your ways and concentrate on positive contributions
to this newgroup instead of just sniping at whatever you disagree with.

-- 
George Robbins - now working for,     uucp:   {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing:   domain: grr@cbmvax.commodore.com
Commodore, Engineering Department     phone:  215-431-9349 (only by moonlite)
Newsgroups: rec.skate