Gear/Wear FAQ (merge here)

So, I've been trying to research padded derby shorts to protect our pretty asses, er...tailbones and whatnot and found these:
http://www.xsportsprotective.com/mcdavid-roller-derby-shorts.html

I really want the ones above, but the xsports website says they are out. boo.

The next ones 'up' (the crash pads 2700) are pricery, and look more bulky, The few Missfits that do have padded shorts, how did you size them? what sizes did you end up getting? I can't decide to go by the measurements or the sizing... any and all help is appreciated.

I would like to get them asap so I would only have one more practice without them, I don't wanna go boom-boom on my botton any more. Which also means I need to practice grasping my center of balance when I feel like I'm going down instead of flailing back like I did (Leaning forward and centering myself rather than giving up, muscle memory, gotta tighten that core!)

K, I'll stop.

Why didn't you say so?! You know I"m a investigative research queen.
I've been eyeing these as well, found a few different sites that have them....

http://www.derbysmack.com/padded-shorts.html
http://www.fastgirlskates.com/roller-derby-skates/pc/McDavid-Derby-Padded-Shorts-Short-11p17167.htm

http://www.theskateauthority.com/Padded-Roller-Derby-Shorts-p/9018.htm


I also agree with Admin...LHZ you are adorable! I'm swooning over your profile pic.

How often do you wash your gear?
What's the best way to do it?
What tips do you have?
What dire warnings do you have?
What other questions do you have?

Please share.

I have ordered "Get the Funk Out" cleaner..Great price and great reviews from derby babes everywhere.

I hand washed mine in the tub with my regular detergent and let em dry on my back patio. worked great!

they say sit them outside for 24 hrs after washing is the best (sunlight and air in those babies)

My son use to be in mixed martial arts and we always use to Lysol his gear after we took it off. Im planning on doing that with my gear. Right after I take it off I spray it and put it in my bag. Kills 99.9% of germs! Kill that bacteria before it gets a chance to grow

I have and have been using Get The Funk Out, and it works really well. Just remember that it takes longer, you have to spray your gear, let it do it's magic, and then rinse it. It's a bacterial enzyme cleaner, which means that if you don't rinse the gear you're probably going to get a little red and itchy.

I was also told that regular detergent can wear down the pads in your gear. I can also say from trying this that the GTFO works much better for really cleaning out the smells!

http://tufftoe.com/

Check out the link...Has anyone ever tried using anything like this on your skates? My husband's friend has it on his work boots and it occurred to me that this might be something we could use. My only concern would be if it would mark up the floor...although it does say it's abrasion resistant. Just curious if anyone has tried it before?

Yetta and I got bearings from Shockwaves today...well the ones they have are 7" and I guess our axels are 8". I had no clue there was a dif until I called the customer service # for Red's. I am going to go back tomorrow and let them know that there is a dif.
He said there is a # on the red part of the bearing if its 627 that fits 7" we need the ones that say 608. So yeah I had no clue but now we know.

What length should I get for replacement laces for my skates?

After my laces broke, I got 72 inchers for mine and they are just fine...I think they were pretty standard on the site I got them from.

Anything over 55 inches will be fine

Thank ya' kindly!

Freshie here , I want to upgrade my wheels and have no idea what to go with or what to look for. I thought the best place to start would be with you gals, any suggestions?!

Thanks

WHat do you have now, and what are you hoping to change? FWIW EVERYTHING slips in the BJ floor, so until we move to the Armory, you might not find that "better" wheels are any better.

I have Radar Zens that are pretty grippy and nice all-around outdoor (bumpy) and slippy-surface skating. I'll probably keep my Jukes on the skates tonight, if you'd like to try the Zens to compare to what you have.

Not sure what I have now, I got the Riedell R3 skates They have grooves in the wheels and I feel like stuff is getting stuck in them. Do you want your wheels smooth?

Probably Caymans - they're weirdly bad on many levels. Wider than I like (bc they can lock up w/ other skaters' wheels), slippy but not fast. You might need to clean them if you're picking up gunk, though. Radar wheels often have a big groove, which supposedly makes them faster.

I'd say look for something that's recommended for slick surfaces, and you'll probably be happier with anything other than the Caymans. A lot of the price of wheels is about their longterm durability under scrimmage/bout conditions, but it's hard to pony up a couple hundred $$ when you're not sure what kind of surfaces you'll be skating on most often.

Not sure what you're looking to spend, but Atom Pulse might be a decent but affordable upgrade given the surfaces we have now: http://www.atomwheels.com/Quad/wheelspread.html. I really like the Zens for outside wheels, but we're getting past that season now.

Thanks, this is exactly what I needed

I'm gonna check out some prices now, I appreciate your time

Hey all! I have butt pads and padded bras that Reads is letting me have for a bit so we can sample some sizes and place an order. Once we get a list going they will order them for us as a group! The butt pads are $45 and the bras are $25. Which are great discounted prices. I will be taking orders till the the week after the bout. Holla if there are any questions or if you want to order! I know some of you already have. Protect those asses! <3

I was looking at heartless, but I read many ppl don't like them narrow, although some say wide get caught up with other skaters easier. So...I am looking at atoms now. I really really want Strokers but they are so dang hard. So, I was thinking some G Rods with maybe Poison for pushers. But maybe 84 is TOO soft. Maybe G rods for pushers, I can't see 93s for pushers but it is done, what do the girls use as far as hardness on the floors you skate on? I won't be ordering until after the holidays, but the suspense is killing me. I want to figure this out once and for all

I was skating on grippy 88's lastnight and slidding like a mofo. Its all about the floor. If you are mainly blocking they say to use a grippier wheel, but if you are gonna jam they say to go with a harder wheel...i still have not upgraded to a harder wheel because of the floors we have been on are all slick.

Camp Rockurass wrote:I was skating on grippy 88's lastnight and slidding like a mofo. Its all about the floor. If you are mainly blocking they say to use a grippier wheel, but if you are gonna jam they say to go with a harder wheel...i still have not upgraded to a harder wheel because of the floors we have been on are all slick.

Thanks this helps a lot. Grippier it is!! xoxo

Two more things to consider: that durometer number is NOT standardized, so different manufacturers apply it differently, to different lines of wheels. You can use it to differentiate between wheels of the same make/model, but that's kinda it.

Also, your mass figures into the stickiness of the wheel on a surface. I can get a bit of grip out of my Juke 95s on the Y floor, though I wouldn't recommend them to anyone else.

You're welcome to try the jukes at skate n place sometime if you're going on a non-practice night (I wouldn't bother on the BJ floor).