K2 Xcelerate Inline Review

by Raul Garcia

May 2003

These are the skates that I've used for the past 5 months to re-learn skating after leaving it for many years. Although my experience for reviewing might be limited in comparison to a more experienced skater, I can certainly tell you what I know about the skates that I own. Here are my observations...

K2 Softboot

The boot of this skate is a very comfortable place for your feet to be. To illustrate this point I'll give you an example. While visiting my cousin at his apartment, I took off my skates and put on a pair of his favourite Jordan sneakers (we wear same size sneakers). I quickly noticed how my skates were more comfortable than his beloved Jordans.

Once you finally put your skates on, they're tightened with laces and an ankle buckle. They come with a pair of thin, but very strong, laces. Once you've tied these to your liking, you tighten the buckle. This gives all of the support needed to ride comfortably. The cuff is widened a few extra centimetres away from the ankle to help avoid those aching hotspots that develop after hours of skating.

There are several holes on each side of the boot to allow for ventilation. These holes resemble gills on a shark; a semi-circle that extrudes outward in order to pull air inside the boot. There are also holes on the toe cap. This is an excellent feature of the skates, and if you skate fast enough, you can literally feel a flow of air inside the boot.

In an effort to promote safety, there are two small reflective pieces on the back of each skate. They might be too small to provide great reflection, but something is probably better than nothing, and it might just be enough to alert a driver behind you on a dark night.

In addition to all this, the tongue, and the top-rear of the boot have thick loops to help you force your feet into the boot. Not only does this come in handy when you want to put them on, but also for carrying them around. You can tie a cord to these loops and hang the skates around your neck, or any other arrangement you might like.

Frames

The K2 Xcelerate comes with a contoured aluminium frame. The frame is permanently attached in place to the boot and its position can not be changed. This isn't great news for those who prefer to customize their skates, but the frame is placed appropriately and allows for a natural and balanced stance while standing on the skates. It is very sturdy, as you would see if you removed the wheels and tried to flex the frame inside or out.

Wheels and Bearings

This skate is supplied with 78A, 80 millimetre wide, wheels. They're very soft, and provide a smooth and quite ride, and are quite fast due to their narrow profile. They are also clear, adding to the coolness factor.

The bearings are rated ABEC 5, and K2 markets them as ABEC 5 Ti, suggesting that some of the metal that makes up the bearings is some sort of a titanium reinforced alloy. This property would in turn increase the toughness and durability of the bearings. The exact effect of this I cannot say, but I imagine it's for the better (or just a marketing gimmick!).

The Ride

After riding these skates for about 5 months I can say that I'm very satisfied. At first I experienced some discomfort around my ankle, but this was due simply to the skates being new and not broken in yet. Soon the discomfort disappeared and only joy remained. Extended hours of skating do not lead to any serious discomfort. I would attribute that to extended use of my feet, just as if I had been running for hours. There is only one type of discomfort that the skate directly creates. The inside texture of the boot, the cushion, is of a grainy kind. It would be uncomfortable to wear these skates without socks. If you close the buckle very tight, and keep the skates on for hours, your skin will end up looking like it has square patterns on it, and will itch a little. All this can be eliminated by simply wearing socks that cover your skin that high, in other words, don't wear ankle socks. On warm days the ventilation coming from both sides of the boot is great at keeping your feet try, but it doesn't help much for the area under the ankle buckle. I suppose some sweating is expected. All in all this is a great skate, priced around $120.00.

The Good

• Affordable ~ $120.00 (U.S.)
• Comfortable
• Great ventilation
• Includes K2 tool

The Bad

• Grainy inner texture
• If you're having reflective surfaces, make them big and visible!

Comments on this Review

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More K2 Reviews

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Disclaimer

This review is only my opinion of these skates and my experience with them. There are no guarantees that you will enjoy them and find them as comfortable as I did. You might consider reading other reviews on these skates, or reading reviews on other skates. Remember that it is also important to consider the fit and comfort of the skates, as well as the type of skating that you intend to do with them.

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