PRO’S CORNER: INLINE SEASON

Much like ice hockey, inline hockey is a year-round sport for many. If inline hockey is not your primary sport, inline skating and inline hockey can be the perfect off-ice, between season, activity to keep your hands, feet, and lungs in check.

Whether you’re competing in a league or taking it to the street, Binnie’s offers a wide range of services to get your inline skates ready for the summer off-season.

BOOTS

Whether you have high-end skates or clearance rack specials or whether they are the same skate boot as your ice skates, Inline hockey boots should be treated with the same care as ice hockey skate boots. At the beginning of the season, and periodically throughout the season, check over your boots for common care issues. The most common in inline skates are rusted rivets and missing eyelets – both easily repairable.

CHASSIS

The chassis on an inline skate takes more abuse than one would expect. The most common material for inline skates is aluminum, but carbon fiber and ABS plastic chassis do exist. Regardless of what type of chassis you have, check them over for bends or breaks, particularly around the axle bolts. If there is an issue, don’t throw your skates away as it may be repairable or even cheaper to replace the chassis.

Another thing to consider with your chassis is if it is the right one for your playing style. While most companies now are a high-low, there are other options. Not only can you change the wheel diameters in most cases to change your balance point, but there are other chassis that may work better for you such as Mars Blade. Mars Blades are a unique hinged design that makes the transfer of energy from front to back feel more like the rocker of an ice skate. Luckily, Binnie’s is an authorized installer!

CUSTOM

Like your ice hockey skates so much you want to use them as inline skates? This isn’t an uncommon thing and is behind many of the top companies creating an inline version of their skates. Binnie’s can swap ice blade holders for any chassis set you drop off. We do, however, recommend having two pairs of skates and not swapping blades to wheels on the regular. The constant changing of the rivets can have adverse effects on the boots.

Ready to take it outside? Check out some of these accessories that can help your off-season training experience.