Roller skiing

On 25/09/2012 14:33, wrote:
In article ,
Peter Clinch wrote:

Should be easier to stop on rollerblades is my guess. If you have to
stop skates in a hurry a hockey-stop is the way and that won't work as
well (at best!) on roller skis because you're only bound at the toe and
they're longer and heavier.

That is what concerns me, but I doubt VERY much that I could handle
such a stop, even with weeks of practice.

For less dramatic stops blades are usually equipped with a simple drag
brake (weight on one skate, toe up on the other and a brake-block drags
against the ground), but roller skis aren't.

Yes, but I couldn't handle that, either. I absolutely HAVE to use
both feet to maintain balance.

In that case you're pretty much snookered if you want any sort of XC ski
effect glide, because you need to commit all your weight to the gliding
ski (or skate) for almost the full duration of the glide for any sort of
effective technique, be it either classic striding or skate.

If you can't commit weight to one foot for a long glide you'd be doing a
rather inefficient shuffle. Probably better off walking, TBH.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

On Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:30:53 +0100 (BST)
wrote:

In article 20120925133406.7cf42563@hyperion,
Rob Morley wrote:
On Tue, 25 Sep 2012 11:04:55 +0100 (BST)
wrote:

What I am not sure about is whether I could maintain my balance,
given that they do not slip sideways at all (unlike skis) and
the length is very short. It's primarily stopping in an emergency
that concerns me.

Power slide: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DfLx1sKTSE

Perhaps I should have said "they do not slip sideways at all while
your weight is on them". I cannot balance on one and use the other
as a variable-friction device - you need functioning semicircular
canals to do that.

How about balancing on one and a half feet?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T428Hb-4TBI

"Peter Clinch" wrote in message
...
On 25/09/12 11:04, wrote:
In article ,
Peter Clinch wrote:

35 years ago, I used to be a good cross-country skier by UK standards
of the day (i.e. dire), but an age of 65 means that I need a lot more
getting fit before doing anything new than I did then. And balancing
and stopping on rollerskis is clearly very different from on real
cross-country skis, because they can't be used in a snowplough.

It only works with skate technique rather than "classic" striding, but
roller blades used with poles is a good bit of the way there. Carbide
road spikes on the poles will give you grip.

What I am not sure about is whether I could maintain my balance,
given that they do not slip sideways at all (unlike skis) and
the length is very short. It's primarily stopping in an emergency
that concerns me.

Should be easier to stop on rollerblades is my guess. If you have to stop
skates in a hurry a hockey-stop is the way and that won't work as well (at
best!) on roller skis because you're only bound at the toe and they're
longer and heavier.


As I do speak with some experience on hockey stopping on roller skates ( I
used to play in the national street hockey league), I would agree that I
doubt very much that this would be possible with roller skis.
You need to make a 90° turn very quickly indeed to initiate the skid, I
doubt this would be possible with the length of roller skis.
The easiest way to learn to hockey stop is with an ice hockey stick in your
hands to balance yourself with.

For less dramatic stops blades are usually equipped with a simple drag
brake (weight on one skate, toe up on the other and a brake-block drags
against the ground), but roller skis aren't.


Braking like this is less effective than a rear brake on a bicycle.

If this is just for fitness/strength and not for transport have you
considered the off road/grass ones with big wheels?

D.

"David B" wrote in message ...
If this is just for fitness/strength and not for transport have you
considered the off road/grass ones with big wheels?

This sort of thing (look at second video down) :
http://www.powerkiteshop.com/boards/trailgateskates.htm

On Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:15:00 +0100
"David B" wrote:

"Peter Clinch" wrote in message
...

For less dramatic stops blades are usually equipped with a simple
drag brake (weight on one skate, toe up on the other and a
brake-block drags against the ground), but roller skis aren't.


Braking like this is less effective than a rear brake on a bicycle.

If this is just for fitness/strength and not for transport have you
considered the off road/grass ones with big wheels?

Check these out: manually operated hydraulic brakes!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/120987311860

In article ,
Peter Clinch wrote:

Yes, but I couldn't handle that, either. I absolutely HAVE to use
both feet to maintain balance.

In that case you're pretty much snookered if you want any sort of XC ski
effect glide, because you need to commit all your weight to the gliding
ski (or skate) for almost the full duration of the glide for any sort of
effective technique, be it either classic striding or skate.

If you can't commit weight to one foot for a long glide you'd be doing a
rather inefficient shuffle. Probably better off walking, TBH.

No - it's not like that. I can do that, PROVIDED that I can use
the other ski for balance. What I can't do is to rely on the
sense I don't have for balance while using them for braking.
In a proper snowplough, you are about as stable as you can get
on skis, and can balance by merely shifting weight.

If you are sliding sideways, start to tip forward, and place
more weight on the forward whatsit to restore position, it
will immediately lock, and you will go arse over tit. People
who have vestibular function can (often) shift their weight in
time to stop that happening. I can't.

I can ride a bicycle, and ski in both downhill and cross-country
skis, but I can't do any of them in quite the same way that most
people do. But I am pretty lucky in that respect.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article , David B wrote:

If this is just for fitness/strength and not for transport have you
considered the off road/grass ones with big wheels?

Yes. But what I need to do is to try some out, to see exactly
what I can handle. As this thread indicates, that's not easily
predictable in the abstract, because virtually nobody who does
this sort of activity has my handicap!


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
Peter Clinch wrote:

I see in my diary I have the ski club AGM this evening. I'll try and
remember to ask the roller-skiers their thoughts.

My roller-skiing correspondents recommend the pneumatic-tyred ones.
While touted as "off-road" it's more "off-smooth-tarmac" and they work
fine on tarmac. Lower the tyre pressure and it's immediately more
forgiving. AIUI brakes and/or speed limiters are available.

Euroski seems to be the place to get them.
http://www.crosscountryskis.co.uk/ won't win any web awards but I think
if you give them a call you'll talk to someone who ought to Know Their
Stuff.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

In article ,
Peter Clinch wrote:

My roller-skiing correspondents recommend the pneumatic-tyred ones.
While touted as "off-road" it's more "off-smooth-tarmac" and they work
fine on tarmac. Lower the tyre pressure and it's immediately more
forgiving. AIUI brakes and/or speed limiters are available.

Euroski seems to be the place to get them.
http://www.crosscountryskis.co.uk/ won't win any web awards but I think
if you give them a call you'll talk to someone who ought to Know Their
Stuff.

Thank you very much. I will definitely take a look, and it may
be easier just to take a risk - at worst, I have written off an
affordable amount of money.

I have an ancient but functional deepish cycling helmet around,
and the rest of the plate armour can wait - where I would do it
is the Cambridge Misguided Bus track, which has large concrete
rails to fall onto.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 26/09/2012 13:03, wrote:

I have an ancient but functional deepish cycling helmet around,
and the rest of the plate armour can wait - where I would do it
is the Cambridge Misguided Bus track, which has large concrete
rails to fall onto.

When I'm skating the only protection I use is wrist guards, but I've
been glad of those more than once. Falls tend to be arms out front to
break the fall and the wrist guards spread the load and take the graze.
Slightly awkward with poles, but doable.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/