 K2 VO2 Max inline skate review
June 2005
Comfort and Handling
The skate is very comfortable, of course that's to be expected since it's a
soft boot recreational/fitness skate. For the last few years I've skated
pretty much exclusively on carbon fibre speedskates and occasionally carbon
fibre hockey skates, and whilst those fit me well and are comfortable enough to
spend all day in, they
don't have quite the plushness of a trainer-like skate. Carbon fibre boots
definitely lose out on the shock-absorbing abilities of a soft boot too, and
it's this, together with the large 90mm wheels, that make the K2 VO2 Max so good
for skating on the very rough
roads we have in London.
The boot padding is comfortable, but firm in just about the right mix to
reduce any slop. I tend to notice this more than most having spent so much
time in hard carbon fibre boots where there is practically no slop. By
this I mean loss of skate control where in some skates you move your foot, which
then moves inside the padding without the skate following your control input
directly, and then the skate only moves a little later after some further foot
movement.
One minor niggle with the boot is that secret socks don't work so well.
I like to have the buckle loose to allow for more ankle movement and control,
and that resulted in the back top of the ankle cuff wearing away at the skin of
my calf. Wearing longer socks easily cured this, and of course it's partly
because I skate almost exclusively on low cut race boots which doesn't toughen
up my calf.
K2 Womens' version of the VO2 Max
K2 also do a women's version of the VO2 max, with a narrower forefoot and
heel/achilles area, higher instep and a lower cuff.
Frame
The frame is fairly stiff given its construction, nice and short at about
276mm axle to axle. (45mm + 90mm + 90mm + 45mm + 6mm, 2mm gap between
wheels)
A minor niggle here is that there is no side-to-side adjustment on the frame.
It's probably not necessary given the relatively tall ankle cuff on the boot,
but 90mm wheels do place your foot a fair bit higher above the ground than 80mm
so this would be nice to have. Frame adjustment like this is especially
necessary on low cut race boots to centre your foot above the frames and make it
easier to get proper balance and edge control, which is crucial for good
technique and skating fast.
Boot
A super comfortable standard K2 Exotech boot, which is essentially a trainer
type soft boot with a rigid skeleton to provide the necessary support.
Fastening is via laces, a velcro strap at the ankle joint, and a good buckle
at the top of the ankle cuff. It all worked well for my foot, holding it
in place nicely and making for easy control of the skate. I like the
generous loop at the top rear of the ankle cuff, which makes for easy carrying
of both skates in one hand, though I'd personally prefer the thick round profile
string that K2 used on some earlier skates rather than this flat strap material.
Wheels and Bearings
I was very pleased to see
Twincam ILQ9 bearings installed, they have been favourites of mine for some
time. Of course I should declare my own interest here, since I now work
for Eddy Matzger, who is sponsored by Twincam, and thus I get plenty of free
Twincams. Still, I've liked these bearings for years now, they have bullet
proof weather resistance, and roll super well. The bearings in these
skates are the ILQ9 classics, with gel, rather than the ILQ9 pros, lubricated
with oil. Good choice given the intended use of these as fitness and
general runabout skates.
The wheels look to be K2 rebadged Star Grip wheels, 90mm, 83a, and have a
good feel to them. Plenty of roll and rebound, and a bite test seems to
confirm the 83a rating to me. This is my first skate on Star Grip wheels,
and I'm suitably impressed. They seem to have a fairly good reputation on
RaceReports.net too.
Conclusion
I particularly like this skate, it's very well made, handles easily, and
beautifully smoothes out rough pavement. Of course I'm a little biased
since the skate matches the type of skating I do rather well.
The skate is exceptionally good at dealing with rough roads, and cruising at
speed. In fact the roll on this skate is so good I can only just feel the
difference when compared with my Bont Zeros with 5 x 84mm. I'd have no
hesitation in skating a marathon on these skates, nor in using them as my
general purpose skates.
Links
http://www.k2skates.com/ - K2 Skates
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