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Riedell Royal for beginners?

Started by sampaguita, August 01, 2017, 12:06:17 PM

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sampaguita

So a beginner friend is shopping for her first pair. We found a used Riedell Royal with MK Professional blades in good condition. I would have bought the blades myself if they fit mine!

Is the stiffness of a used Riedell Royal going to be a problem though? I'm thinking we could tie only up to the 3rd hook, but I'm wondering if there are any other things to consider. Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Here's are pictures of the boot.

FigureSpins

With any second-hand skates, look for:

.  no rust on the blade, an even (front-to-tail) chrome reveal stripe, intact bottom toe pick and a decent curve at the front rocker. 
.  eyelets that aren't stretched or worn, all hooks intact/not bent, sole flush against the bottom of the boot.
.  lack of deep creases at the ankle and the front of the boot.

Some ankle creasing is fine - it means the skate was properly broken in and it's probably now the right stiffness for a beginner.
If the boot has no creases whatsoever and wasn't used for very long, it might be too stiff.  The Royall was a very stiff boot.

Leaving the top hook undone helps temporarily with knee bend, but it doesn't address the issue if the boot is too stiff to allow ankle bend.  Unless she can bend her ankles/knees and extend the bent knee over the toe, it's probably too stiff.  It's probably an older skate that's been stored, so the leather may have dried out and will therefore be even more stiff until it soaks up some sweat, lol.
"If you still look good after skating practice, you didn't work hard enough."

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tstop4me

I skated with Riedell Royals for ~30 yrs.  I think they were discontinued in the early 2000's when Riedell revamped their whole line.  Prior to that, the Royals were the top freestyle model* in the Riedell line.  That generation of Riedell was very stiff (though the Royals were not as stiff as the Gold Stars, one model down from the Royals).  If the Royals are nearly broken down, they may be OK for a beginner.  If not, they will be way too stiff.

*In another thread, another poster mentioned that in the '80s there was a higher model.  I believe that's right.  It's been a long time, and I probably don't recall the details correctly after all this time, but when I was getting a new pair around then, my skate tech told me Riedell had introduced a new model above the Royals, but it was getting yanked from the market because it was so stiff even very advanced skaters were having a hard time breaking them in.

Loops

Quote from: tstop4me on August 01, 2017, 04:17:29 PM


*In another thread, another poster mentioned that in the '80s there was a higher model.  I believe that's right.  It's been a long time, and I probably don't recall the details correctly after all this time, but when I was getting a new pair around then, my skate tech told me Riedell had introduced a new model above the Royals, but it was getting yanked from the market because it was so stiff even very advanced skaters were having a hard time breaking them in.

This is true. It was called the imperial, and was reinforced with steel or some other metal, iir. They introduced the comp in 88 or 89 which I upgraded too. That was a very stiff boot but not like the imperial. The comp is the only boot I have ever had trouble breaking in. But I'm a heavy skater or something.

tstop4me

Quote from: Loops on August 02, 2017, 01:57:11 AM
This is true. It was called the imperial, and was reinforced with steel or some other metal, iir. They introduced the comp in 88 or 89 which I upgraded too. That was a very stiff boot but not like the imperial. The comp is the only boot I have ever had trouble breaking in. But I'm a heavy skater or something.
Hi Loops, thanks for that interesting tidbit. 

Maybe one day I'll come across a pair of Imperials stashed away somewhere; would be interesting to find out what beast Riedell designers had come up with.

A couple of years ago, a skate tech and I were reminiscing about the old line of Riedells (which he had grown up with too), and he pulled out a pair of new-in-the-box vintage 80's Gold Stars.  We both remembered how common it was to draw blood with them when breaking them in because they were so stiff and had a hard ridge at the top of the boots.  We were glad that boot designs have evolved since then.

sampaguita

Btw this is how the skates look like. I see some ankle creases -- would this now be good enough for a beginner? Another picture with the blade on shows some rust, but we can probably get it removed by sharpening.

I'm also asking if some waterproofing has been done. Hopefully there has.


tstop4me

Quote from: sampaguita on August 02, 2017, 07:56:08 AM
Btw this is how the skates look like. I see some ankle creases -- would this now be good enough for a beginner? Another picture with the blade on shows some rust, but we can probably get it removed by sharpening.

I'm also asking if some waterproofing has been done. Hopefully there has.

From the photos they look in reasonable shape.  But I don't think anyone can tell you from these photos how stiff they are.  Have your friend try them on and see if she can do ankle and knee bends without undue effort. 

Also check the sponge lining of the tongues.  With age, the sponge either gets brittle and crumbly, or turns goopy.  If the sponge needs to be replaced, find out much they charge.  In my area, skate techs charge $60 - $80.