I got a Powerslide 2007 R2 in today to review. Being told it was mostly the same as the 2005 R2 I wasn't that excited to try it but just trying it on in the office I could see it wasn't going to be like the 2005 R2. It felt more C4, C6 like then the old R2. It felt like it had more support then the old R2, again more like the C series. It seemed to be hitting me in the right places and open in the correct places where the old R2 hit me all over which isn't a good thing. (review continued below)
While first skating on it I could instantly feel the increased support over the old R2. I could crazy run on it for some reason. Every step felt sure and I didn't have to worry about setting down wrong. Definitely a good off the line boot. Same at high speed, very stable. Much better then the old R2 for putting a 90mm or 100mm frame on this boot. No complaints here.
It is now almost identical to the C4 and C6 boots other then the fact the shell is plastic and the C4 is carbon and the C6 is fiberglass. I have no problem skating on a plastic shelled boot, in fact if I wasn't told it had a plastic shell I would have had no idea while skating. Oh, the bottom looks cool with it's blue carbon look instead of the standard black carbon look.
I'm happy to see you can get the 2007 R2 with a 5x80 frame. Have you seen 5x84 or a 90mm or 100mm frame on a size 3 boot? It's not pretty. The 5x80 is also a great frame to keep the ankles strong for distance skating. It's also a good frame for beginners to practice getting an outside edge without the high amount of torque a 90mm or 100mm frame puts on an ankle.
Powerslide now has a Matter 80mm 83a wheel to complement their 80mm frame. The Matter 80mm 83a wheel will now be able to replace the Hyper Bankrobber 80mm 82a, 80mm 84a and +G 80mm 83a, 80mm 85a wheels that have been discontinued. Being that I still enjoy skating on 80mm wheels for ultra distance I am very happy to see Powwerslide offer an 80mm 83a wheel to replace Hypers discontinued 80mm wheels. I haven't found a wheel to equal Hypers Bankrobber and +G wheels but the Matter wheel is the first wheel that does. Thank you Powerslide.
Getting back to the 2007 R2 or should I say the 2007 C2. Again the new R2 is much more like the C4 and C6 then the old R2. I currently skate on the C4, C6 and there was quite a gap between these and the old R2 but now I can say that I would easily skate on the C4, C6 or the new 2007 R2.
Addition: When Powerslide released the 2007 R2 they were not going to offer it as a boot only but as of 10-02-06 we were informed they will now be selling it as a boot only (good news).
Addition: Just like the C4 and C6 the R2 also needs to be tabbed. The tabbing article is Here.
I just want to let you know that I love the R2 skates I purchused this fall. Your on the phone help was right on the money. My dad bought most of my Christmas gifts from you. I haven't seen any other skate shop like yours. My compliments. Josh
#2
Richard, I am really enjoying the R2's I purchased from you. Compared to my old recreational roller blades it like going from a mini van to a Ferrari! I'm using your video's and learning to use my outside edges. I'm doing pretty well just having to learn to allow my weight to shift once my ankle breaks and holding that weight shift on the ankle. Now I can skate each day and it's amazing how much more efficient I am using the outside edges. I'm skating faster than I ever have and I'm just taking it easy and now pushing things as I learn the outside edges. I figure it will take me 2-3 months to learn to speed skate because I want to get the form correct more than I want to just go fast. I'm blowing by everyone where I skate and I'm just learning, heck I might even race a few cars in the future! Thanks for your service and support. Thanks for the videos because without them I never would have known how to begin the process. I would have pronated like before thinking I was learning to speed skate without the video. It's good to know in a country where service and support seem to fall way behind making a buck there are still people who are passionate about what they love and willing to help others. I'll be 50 in September and who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks! You've got a customer for life! Thanks Richard. Barre W
#3
Good morning Richard, thanks again for your assistance over the phone to walk me through the R2 skate assembly process. I have been teaching myself the outside edge thanks to your video. Results are fantastic. I skate a 13 mile trail and have taken 10 minutes off my time. Better still, when I finish the loop, instead of being exhausted I am ready to skate it again. I notice the difference most on long gradual inclines, which used to really wear me down. Instead of lifting and setting down and pushing with my feet, I now feel a sweeping motion when I skate - much more relaxed and sustainable. It is not yet second nature, but will be by summers end. Thanks again for all your help, Mike
#4
Dollar for dollar, the Powerslide R2 boot is, without a doubt, the absolute best value on the market today. Greg O.
