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Skate Rollerskis for Novice
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I took up skate skiing last winter and love it; it's my new winter sport. I'm definitely a novice, but my technique is slowing improving.

I didn't think much about rollerskis for summer training because I bike race. However, I had back surgery two weeks ago due to a drop foot and now I'm off my bike for three months (due to bent over position). Since skiing is more upright, I'm reconsidering rollerskis for summer/fall training once my spine recovers a bit more. However, I'm very nervous about falling. So I'm looking for a rollerski that is as stable as possible. And since the trails where I live are hilly and not smooth, I probably need pneumatic wheels, speed reducers, and maybe a brake. I love the Rollersafe system, but they don't have the larger wheels. V2's are currently what I'm considering, though Elpex also makes off-road rollers.

Anyway, I'm totally new to this. Any thoughts and recommendations would be appreciated.

Michael
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [wacomme] [ In reply to ]
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I also got into skate skiing this winter and have been looking for roller skis on various classified groups, etc.

I'm looking for pavement use, but these seem like they could work ok for you: https://www.facebook.com/...em/1214804062020500/ (no connection to the seller, just saw them recently)
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [wacomme] [ In reply to ]
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I agree that the Skike skis should fit the bill for you https://varuste.net/...9+Fire+200?_tu=87157
If you want to go on trails. On tarmac they're pretty slow plus they have a brake.
I'll imagine that the ski action will develop your gluteus. Pretty useful as you recover
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [wacomme] [ In reply to ]
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for your needs, these V2's would be really nice. They have a carbon shaft so they don't buzz so much on the pavement and make your feet numb, they can be equipped with both a brake and speed reducers and you can buy slower wheels from v2 Jenex or Rollerski shop online.

https://nordicskater.com/...ariant=8193916993626

The V2 150 size pneumatic are an OK option and probably the best for speed control, but they are a bit fast rolling and heavy.

https://nordicskater.com/...riant=12115449282650

Most of the other speed reducers are not very good. Many people use the Marwe without reducers and rely on the slow wheels and careful; selection of course. It's a very nice riding ski, but no speed control

http://finnsisu.com/...620xc-rollerski.html

Anything with a wide wheel will have a fast wearing and expensive wheel, e.g. a "combi" ski, best to avoid

Don't forget to buy some carbide pole tips, have fun out there it's great exercise
Last edited by: jroden: May 8, 19 15:09
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [wacomme] [ In reply to ]
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I live in NH and my two girls do a lot of Nordic racing. Their team has a massive quiver of every brand of roller skiis and the kids all fight over who gets the Marwes. We own 2 pair of Marwes and 1 pair of V2s and the V2s never get used.

Since this is slowtwitch I will offer some unsolicited advice for roller skiing.

You need to find the newest pavement most deserted roads, my kids coach pays attention to the state highway paving schedule. You skate ski much wider than cycling, so traffic needs to be low as cars need more room to pass. Rough pavement is awful for roller skiing.

Overall roller skiing is about 20% as much fun as real skate skiing, so you might want to try it before you spend $500 on skiis. My kids hate it but their team does roller ski workouts 3X a week all summer so they are forced to do it, but it is never their choice....
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [endosch2] [ In reply to ]
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Have you heard anything about the Niflheim (http://www.niflheimnordic.com/) or Hjul skis (https://www.pioneermidwest.com/...skate-rollerski.html)?

Price is closer to what I might be willing to spend.
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [JDinMA] [ In reply to ]
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I have never heard of those two brands but I am sure they will work. Also remember you will need roller ski pole tips, or use some old beater poles and change the basket to road tips. They are a harder steel without baskets. You also should think about kneepads and elbow pads and you will wear a bike helmet. Crashing is almost guaranteed and the road rash is the same as cycling.
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [wacomme] [ In reply to ]
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I started out using a ski called "Swede Ski" but don't think they are around any longer. I then went to Roadline "Pro Skis" Combi, which is a classic/skate roller ski. Heavier & keeps you "in the track feel" on classic. I'm not up on roller skis anymore, since the NCAA days of racing, but they were great skis. They are still in my garage being unused. Although, from what I just read they are more for elite skiers but I don't see why they wouldn't work for a novice. Being heavier & fairly wide tire, I don't see anything spectacular catering to "elite" skiers.

As for falliing, can't say I've done a lot of that on roller skis, but you get a stone once in a while or plant a pole between skis here & there. I'd wear a helmet (we did not back in the day--we didn't really fall though more than a few times in the career). You just have to keep in mind it should all be about TECHNIQUE. If you don't have that, you'll fall.

Maybe get on a chat page or forum through Faster Skier dot com--lots of those still racing keep up on what's what for summer equipment. Get some good gloves too. We used our older winter gloves or bare hands & just let the blisters come as they will & then when they dry up, we had thicker skin on our hands. I'd alternate classic with skate though, work both techniques, they compliment each other.
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [wacomme] [ In reply to ]
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When I lived in MPLS, I saw a lot of people on rollerskis, and no one ever had a smile on their face. They are expensive and dangerous, and clog up the bike paths. Cross training is great, I spend most summers on MTB and roadie along with big days on foot in the Moutains in Utah. I’d consider my main event every year to be the Birkie Korteloppet, but I only train in snow for it, and use my summer sport as cross training. Don’t forget to lift weights, as Nordic is quite strength oriented compared to Tri.

"The person on top of the mountain didn't fall there." - unkown

also rule 5
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [wacomme] [ In reply to ]
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Sadly, the Faster Skier forum is kind of a dead zone. I took up xc skiing a few years ago as a middle- aged adult and love it. I have the Jenex Aero with speed reducers. The speed reducer is kind of an adjustable lever with a roller that presses onto the front wheel, the more force, the slower the wheel rolls, which can be quite a workout! I snagged a pair off eBay for a good price.

Anybody who ski raced in HS or college likely grew up on roller skis, so their rollerski skill and confidence is way beyond what any normal human picking up the sport as an adult will be able to achieve. Just look at some of the roller ski videos on YouTube and you’ll see what I mean. Their roller ski preference will be based on speed and on the snow- feel. So they will like a really fast rolling ski with a ton of feel. Maybe not ideal for the rest of us :D

Roller- skiing is a skill sport, and can be kinda sketchy to learn and do as an adult. I’m ok with going slow. Descents of any sort are not recommended. And you will fall, and some times when you fall, it will hurt, a lot. Knee pads look dorky, but for the first few times, yeah, you’ll probably scuff them. Thin gloves are a must.

I primarily classic ski, but use skate rollers with classic poles. So I can no- pole ski then double- pole only. You won’t be able to roller ski for very long at first, as the surface you are on will not give you the kind of glide snow gives you. But no pole skate style roller skiing torches the quads, which will make you a monster climber.

You could also just do nordic bounding uphill for a horrifying workout. Look for some videos online. It’s not the same as just running uphill. A pair of short poles can make the suffering even more intense.

Buy what you can afford. Get lessons or help if you can. Have fun & happy training!
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [wacomme] [ In reply to ]
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FWIW I am on Marwe and the kids are on Swenor. Everyone is satisfied. I don't doubt the other makes/ models are great too.

Personally, I would be leery of roller skiing anytime soon after back surgery. Perhaps you are looking months ahead and I am unnecessarily worried. I didn't grow up on nordic skis and it sounds like you didn't either. I am not very agile; you likely have a better starting point. Over the years, I have worked my way into wave 2 Birkie, may or may not ultimately get into wave 1. And still I am a cautious roller skier. Also, there is a good chance that you are more brave than me.

I echo the sentiment about skill over fitness. Yes, partly because finesse beats brute effort across snow. Just like swimming. But also for simple safety. If you try hard, you will fall hard.

My approach to off season ski training is to use roller skiing for technique only. Swim or use ski erg for upper body fitness. Run or bike, or use stair machine, for lower body fitness.

I count on falling every time. Usually I fall when I am really trying to prolong glide on one ski, catch a pebble, go down. These are low speed tumbles and I have never gotten more hurt than a little scrape.

You didn't ask for this advice, but here it is anyway. (These tips came from a helpful middle aged non competitive saint of a woman who educated me nicely for 30 minutes one day. It was a pivotal moment for me.)

find a small safe area of flat smooth pavement, like the corner of a quiet parking lot
--balance on one boot, no skis, reach down and touch the ground, 10x, repeat both sides
--stand on one boot without ski, put second boot into ski, return to put first boot into ski, if you sit on your butt then you are not ready
--stand on two skis, do 20x little up and down hops
--stand on two skis, do 20x little hops rotating from 11 o clock to 1 o clock, then do 9 to 3, then do 180s, then try a 360
--stand on two skis, get feet a little wider than shoulder width, turn tips in about 3-5 degrees, do 10 quick stutter steps in place, this is your basic stop technique
--now, skate about 5-10 strides slowly, and do the stutter stop, repeat many times gradually getting more speed
--now, skate about 10 strides perpendicular toward the grassy edge, transition to jog when the wheels bog down in the grass
--skate in a large figure 8 for 5 minutes, then make it smaller and tighter
--skate about 50 meters moving left and right around cones of an imaginary slalom
--learn to skate backward
--learn to do froggies

find a couple of miles of good pavement and flat terrain, enjoy yourself

winter is too short (for most of us), you can easily have a positive impact on your skiing with off-snow off-season activities
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [speedyturtle] [ In reply to ]
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Wow! What a response. Thank you everyone. However, responses are all over the map - the V2 is great/not great. Crashing will/not likely to happen. Ride anywhere/limited to smooth traffic-free pavement.

To reiterate - I'd be riding/racing my bike this summer instead of considering skate rollerskiing. However, with recent back surgery, I can't ride for 3 months. Walking/hiking is ok, but not my favorite activity. Swimming is ok too, but not my favorite activity. Thus - the idea of trying skate rollerskiing. My main limitation is no running (high impact) and limited back flexion (thus no riding sans recumbant or upright bike). So I thought rollerskiing would be appropriate fun training. But, and a big but, I'm not too keen on falling, especially when I'm recovering from spine surgery. And as a novice skate skier, I'm questioning if rollerskiing would be appropriate for this time in my life. I'd like to give it a try, but crashing makes me very nervous.

Regarding the V2 pneumatics - I like that they can roll over chip-seal and small rocks well, that they are less likely to catch on a pebble than most other rollerskis. I also like that the speed reducers work well too (not sure of a brake is needed). I think I can live with their weight, but I hear they're not as stable as the smaller, harder wheels. I hear that you need good balance to ride them (this is something I'm working on as a novice skier), more so than other rollerskis. Is this true? How significant is this?

Michael
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [wacomme] [ In reply to ]
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I started out on a traditional skate with solid rubber medium speed wheels. I train on the roads in my neighborhood. So it’s old black asphalt, with small pebbles & rocks at intersections and scattered around on road. There were spots I simply couldn’t travel through. On the skate style Jenex rollers, it got way smoother and I could go everywhere with a lot more confidence and much less road vibration. Because of that, I found it easier to balance on the Jenex skis. A lot of people don’t use them because you do have some tire inflation maintenance. There’s a small electric pump you’ll want to buy for tire inflation. I keep spare wheels around in case of a total tube blowout.
Coincidentally I too am recovering from back surgery, spinal fusion of C6-7. In the past, I’ve spent a ton of off season time on my rollerskis. But during my surgery recovery, there is no way I would have gotten on them. Not worth the risk. Most falls yeah, you’ll just kind of slowly melt to the ground. But every now and then I catch a pole or get a rock wedged in and hit the deck hard.
But do investigate rollerskiing as an off- season tool. Beginner/ intermediate skiers can get a lot of gains that carry over into the winter season. Welcome to the Nordic club !
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [speedyturtle] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for your reply. I, too, would like to train on the roads in my neighborhood. Your V2 recommendation is encouraging. However, your recommendation to not ride rollerskis after surgery is discouraging. Boy, I want to ride them badly. I don't want to be relegated to walks, hikes, and swimming for the next 3 months. My surgery was lumber - a L5 laminectory and facetectomy removing a huge ossified herniation. How long that will heal before falling on pavement would not be detrimental to my spine I don't know. A month? 3 months? A year? I guess I need to ask my doc - not that I want to fall on pavement for any reason. And it seems that falling on rollerskis "will" occur. Darn. I was really hoping to rollerski during my recovery.

Michael

speedyturtle wrote:
I started out on a traditional skate with solid rubber medium speed wheels. I train on the roads in my neighborhood. So it’s old black asphalt, with small pebbles & rocks at intersections and scattered around on road. There were spots I simply couldn’t travel through. On the skate style Jenex rollers, it got way smoother and I could go everywhere with a lot more confidence and much less road vibration. Because of that, I found it easier to balance on the Jenex skis. A lot of people don’t use them because you do have some tire inflation maintenance. There’s a small electric pump you’ll want to buy for tire inflation. I keep spare wheels around in case of a total tube blowout.
Coincidentally I too am recovering from back surgery, spinal fusion of C6-7. In the past, I’ve spent a ton of off season time on my rollerskis. But during my surgery recovery, there is no way I would have gotten on them. Not worth the risk. Most falls yeah, you’ll just kind of slowly melt to the ground. But every now and then I catch a pole or get a rock wedged in and hit the deck hard.
But do investigate rollerskiing as an off- season tool. Beginner/ intermediate skiers can get a lot of gains that carry over into the winter season. Welcome to the Nordic club !
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [wacomme] [ In reply to ]
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I feel like we chilled your enthusiasm too aggressively. Nordic skiing is great and we need to preserve your momentum. Among the myriad good things I could say about the sport, these are the most important I can think of right now: First, when you achieve flow it is magical. You already know that. Second, when you go too hard for too long, the implosion is grand. You already know that too. Finally, at least for myself, it is the only athletic endeavor that I am getting better at in middle age. That's saying a lot. This summer, do you think you could effectively channel your enthusiasm toward balance drills, dynamic power movements, strength training, ski erg (seriously), probably in that order? Then maybe come fall, 3 months after surgery, consider roller skiing without worry.
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [toddstr] [ In reply to ]
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Yes. Perhaps. And that's probably most realistic. As a road racer (not a CX racer), my road season is over. By the time I start training on the bike again it'll be too late to race. I'll be riding of course, but my focus will be base in preparation for the 2020 road season - lots of good fall riding in Colorado. And I can blend my ski and bike training. Gym work is always good, and that can be my focus now (or when my pain subsides enough to begin PT - soon). And come August/September, I suppose I can start roller skiing in addition to my cycling. Not a bad plan. Skiing is a new sport for me (at age 57), and it's something I'd like to get better at (and possibly race). Cycling is my mainstay, and I'll continue winter training (trainer - ugh), but it's the skiing that will keep me fresh and enthusiastic through winter. And for an aging person, the skiing movements will compliment my cycling, aiding injury avoidance, etc. Thanks for the encouragement!

What is ski erg?

toddstr wrote:
I feel like we chilled your enthusiasm too aggressively. Nordic skiing is great and we need to preserve your momentum. Among the myriad good things I could say about the sport, these are the most important I can think of right now: First, when you achieve flow it is magical. You already know that. Second, when you go too hard for too long, the implosion is grand. You already know that too. Finally, at least for myself, it is the only athletic endeavor that I am getting better at in middle age. That's saying a lot. This summer, do you think you could effectively channel your enthusiasm toward balance drills, dynamic power movements, strength training, ski erg (seriously), probably in that order? Then maybe come fall, 3 months after surgery, consider roller skiing without worry.
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [wacomme] [ In reply to ]
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Step one is definitely getting your surgeon's clearance. You're likely to fall occasionally, and you don't want to break whatever the surgeon fixed.

I had a partially torn tendon in my foot last summer -- no impact allowed during recovery -- so I picked up a pair of Skike V7's from Nordic Skater, an online shop. They were not cheap, but it was worthwhile to maintain my fitness for about 4 months that I didn't run. They've got inflatable tires, so they run slower than rollerblades -- that was one reason for choosing them, because to get a running-style workout on roller blades, I'd have to go so fast that a fall would be like a bike wreck. I wanted something to crank up my HR without too much speed. The Skikes did the trick -- it's the only thing that remotely mimics the cardio of running for me.

You can use your own shoe, and the V7 fits over it, so you don;t need to buy boots. Also, you won;t be buying running shoes for a while, so consider those savings when you're buying the skate-ski. They get a lot of attention, which is not something I'm especially looking for.

I hadn't been on a pair of skis in 10 years, and had never skiied cross-country, and it wasn't too hard to learn the technique from YouTube. I used to rollerblade, so I had some experience with the general idea. I only fell once on the Skikes, I think, but it was awkward -- I planted a pole on the wrong side of the skate and went endo. Embarrassing, but I saw someone do the same thing in the XC ski world championships this winter, so I felt better 8 months post-facto. I didn't use them much once I started running again, because it's just easier to thrown on a pair of shoes vs. the helmet and body armor for skating. Good luck!


<The Dew Abides>
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [wacomme] [ In reply to ]
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I've skate skied for more than 30 years, and roller skied a little.


If you want to ski at a very high level or want to be able to perform well right when the snow comes, roller skiing is important.


But if you just want to help stay in decent ski shape, I think inline skating with ski poles is fine, and quite a bit safer unless you really excellent places to roller ski. Also more fun due to feeling safer.


That said, there are three downsides to inline skating with poles:
  • If you are not really disciplined, you will pick up bad habits in terms of technique. This is not a problem for me since I've had coaching, etc. If you're new to skating and haven't done a lot of technique work, this can be a problem. You'll get over it after some workouts on snow, but be aware of this.
  • Your balance will not benefit quite as much, since inline skate balance is easier. There are guys who roller ski where I live who jump into ski races their first weekend on snow and do well. If you've only be on inlines, that's not possible - you'll need more time. On the other hand, inline can help with ski technique that might seem scary - for example I found V2/1-skating with complete weight commitment over the ski scary on roller skis, whereas I can do it really well on inlines. And that helped my technique on snow.
  • Inline skates tend to roll faster, so if maybe harder to practice climbing techniques such as V1/offset if you have mellow terrain. For sure you should use the slowest wheels you can find.

If you do get rollerskis, I'm pretty sure carbon shafts (such as Marwe) are best in general, but that's not from personal experience. I've had V2s with pneumatic wheels and a speed reducer, and didn't like them: too clunky. I've now got some aluminum-shafted ones with narrow 100mm wheels which are tolerable but I almost never use - inline skates with poles if more fun. In any case, get the slowest wheels you can find.


wacomme wrote:
Regarding the V2 pneumatics - I like that they can roll over chip-seal and small rocks well, that they are less likely to catch on a pebble than most other rollerskis. I also like that the speed reducers work well too (not sure of a brake is needed). I think I can live with their weight, but I hear they're not as stable as the smaller, harder wheels. I hear that you need good balance to ride them (this is something I'm working on as a novice skier), more so than other rollerskis. Is this true? How significant is this?
Hmmm, I think if you ski with bad technique (that is, not really committing weight over the ski) the V2 pneumatics will be safer than other skis since the wheels are less likely to jam due to pebbles, roughness on the road, etc. But the solid wheels are little easier in terms of balance. But frankly, if falling is an issue, they all suck more than cycling running hiking walking elliptical trainer etc.


http://www.jt10000.com/
Last edited by: jt10000: May 9, 19 14:25
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [wacomme] [ In reply to ]
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wacomme wrote:
What is ski erg?

Ski Erg is an indoor trainer (from Concept2) There are a few other brands, like Ercolina. You can snoop around online in general, but also here on ST, about features, utility, opinions, and so on.

I think it is as valuable for skiers as a bike trainer is for cyclists (and as a rowing machine is for rowers). For a couple of reasons. First, skiing effectively requires a lot of upper body strength. (Ski cruising, maybe not.) Many cross-over skiers, especially coming from a running or cycling background, under-appreciate this, in my opinion. Triathletes with a decent regimen in the water probably don't have the same deficit to overcome.

Second, a ski ergometer is the only "measurable" device in the whole endeavor. There are so many un quantifiable variables in nordic skiing that you are left with heart rate and RPE as your only metrics. Distance and terrain, temperature, snow humidity, grooming conditions, wax prep. So many things you cannot control and cannot measure. But a ski erg is watts. No more no less, no better no worse. At first, I modeled my workouts on swimming. Later, I switched to TR.

Third, depending on where you live (Colorado, right?), your season might be 10 weeks or 20 weeks. A ski erg, like the roller skis we have been discussing, extends your season. Additionally, there's travel for many people. I happen to live in a town with probably 50k decently groomed trail, and 2.5k world class groomed plus snow making capacity. But if I were facing 30-60 minute drive to ski, heck a ski erg suddenly sounds pretty convenient.

Fourth, having a ski ergometer means you can "split" technique from fitness. What I mean is, you can go bonkers on the ski ergometer during the weekday mornings. Then hit the trails on the weekend and focus on skills without worrying about . Or whatever.

Finally, any ski ergometer is expensive. About $800. A lot of people are going to shy away from that. But that's just a nice set of wheels, or even just a single top end wheel. And top of the line skis or boots run the same price.

All that said, I think I am in the minority. Most of my ski buddies do not have ski ergometers. Or they are lying. Which is a decent possibility.
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [endosch2] [ In reply to ]
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endosch2 wrote:
Overall roller skiing is about 20% as much fun as real skate skiing, so you might want to try it before you spend $500 on skiis.

This is the best advice of the whole thread so far.

Roller skiing is similar to skiing on snow, but it isn't the same. It's really its own animal.

You should absolutely try it before spending the money, and see if it's something for you. I have roller skis and I would rather go do hill intervals running with poles vs. roller ski. That's just me, but realize that it might not be for you. If it is, then you can invest in them for sure. Don't forget pole tips for it as well since roller ski pole tips are a little different. It's worth grabbing a pair of cheap used poles and make those your roller ski specific poles.

My 2 cents. Good luck!
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [Durhamskier] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks. I do have a friend who has several roller skis. He's more than willing to let me borrow and try them out. I probably need to buy some cheap poles (with the road tips), as I don't want to use my good poles on the road. Running isn't an option for me with my back. And knowing me, I'll like roller skiing. I'll enjoy the technique honing and the training.

But I'm willing to wait a couple of months before getting on roller skis to allow my spine to heal. Not fun, but. . .

Durhamskier wrote:
endosch2 wrote:
Overall roller skiing is about 20% as much fun as real skate skiing, so you might want to try it before you spend $500 on skiis.


This is the best advice of the whole thread so far.

Roller skiing is similar to skiing on snow, but it isn't the same. It's really its own animal.

You should absolutely try it before spending the money, and see if it's something for you. I have roller skis and I would rather go do hill intervals running with poles vs. roller ski. That's just me, but realize that it might not be for you. If it is, then you can invest in them for sure. Don't forget pole tips for it as well since roller ski pole tips are a little different. It's worth grabbing a pair of cheap used poles and make those your roller ski specific poles.

My 2 cents. Good luck!
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [wacomme] [ In reply to ]
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How much do you weigh? I have a pair of V2s that have 125mm wheels. If you're under 170, they're great. I got too fat for them and blow the tubes if I try to use them and I can't seem to solve that issue 😂. If you're interested, PM ME.
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [offpiste.reese] [ In reply to ]
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Message sent. I weigh 145-150 lbs.
offpiste.reese wrote:
How much do you weigh? I have a pair of V2s that have 125mm wheels. If you're under 170, they're great. I got too fat for them and blow the tubes if I try to use them and I can't seem to solve that issue 😂. If you're interested, PM ME.
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [wacomme] [ In reply to ]
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I have these: https://www.powerslide.com/...ide-Grave-Digger-200

They are heavy but very stable. Pebbles and sticks aren't going to stop you. I've taken them on hard-packed dirt roads and gravel rail-trails. They have a brake but you won't need it since they are quite slow. The tubes can be a pain to change on the trail or road so I carry an extra wheel.

After skiing on these your skate skis will seem light as a feather!

I don't care for skating/skiing on the road so these fit the bill.
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Re: Skate Rollerskis for Novice [wacomme] [ In reply to ]
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I have been a ski racer and rollerskier for 40+ years, currently coach kids rollerskiing at my club. I actually love rollerskiing, because we have nice bike paths, and closed hilly roads to access in a nearby park (that are groomed for skiing in the winter). Based on what I have seen of parents in our club trying to learn to rollerski, I would agree with jt10000, and get inline skates with slower wheels. You could even use rollerski wheels (https://jenex.com/product/w98rm-w98rs/). Inline skates are way easier to use, and much safer since the go over holes/cracks/rocks without a sudden stop. I would also remove the rocker from the wheels. If you decide you like rollerskiing you could try real rollerskis in the future. FYI in the early 80's before modern skate skiing we used rollerblades to train marathon skating, since we only had classic rollerskis that didn't work well with the skating motion.
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