Ground clearance issue
Quad skating out side. I have an old graf GTX 175 with pro8 plate no issues with kingpin nut catching on bumps in pavement. It has 15mm clearance running 60mm wheels, Boot just too big and heavy for me.
I have just got a new pilot falcon plate mounted to a old boot temporary for now but upon first skate outside king pin nuts are catching on bumps in pavement 😔 also on 62mm wheels but only 8mm clearance.
I've got a couple of options I think:
▪︎bigger wheels so kingpin nut doesnt catch bumps, spacer plate between plate an boot so wheels don't rub on boot. Looking at king pin height to ground difference I'm looking at least 75mm wheels minimum to give 14.5mm clearance. This will cause loss of agility and acceleration but more top speed I believe.
▪︎change to another plate with bigger clearances to ground.
Anyone had got tips, ideas, information on plate clearances or suggestions much appreciated.....decisions decisions. Not easy, so many variables.
On a side note the effort required to make pilot falcons turn an respond is so so easy...too easy infact i may change to hard cushions if I keep them. I'm use to a pro8 nylon 10° plates that's on a boot too big for feet...that required a lot of effort. Hence why I changed plate an got an old temporary boot that fits better till I can get to shop to try new boots.
Comments
Is it too late to send them back & get a set of arius plates instead. The arius don't have that protrusion of the kingpin & nut as there isn't one. I've recently purchased a set that have 57mm softish crappy wheels lol & there is 24mm clearance i.e highest point on axle (closest point of truck to ground) to farthest part of wheel.
Ok other option is get that set of 75 (that's frak'n tall man) & use a lathe to mill them down if stability is an issue. If you have an old set of wheels you don't need test run them on the lathe & see if you can get milled down. I don't see why it wouldn't work if you take fractions off at a time. Or is there other wheel sizes in between even if 2nd hand that have worn down you can buy
Obviously the plate you have is meant for rinks. The weird thing is i used to have a set of sure grip figure skating plates from back in the 70's however they were 45 degree angle which may explain why the nut never hit the ground even on shallow wheels.
Can you get a gutter bolt in there instead by removing the stud
gutter bolts are are very shallow dome screw with a slot in the end for a flat head screw driver
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/CF8AAOSw7TReQZV1/s-l300.jpg
Faking it till i make it
Thanks for reply scorp.....very late reply from me, what with work cov locking down etc lol
Yes too late to send back...little chunks out of the king pin nut an lot of time passed now. Gonna have to put that down to experience i guess.
The gutter bolt idea may save a few MM's But think ill make them indoor skates, can't see anyone wanting indoor plates given how indoor things shut down tight in UK. So ill sit on them for now.
I asked a skate shops advice too for good plate to be used on street, but think they are more Derby skate knowledge. They do feel nice to skate but just not for out doors.
I've been trawling pics of skate park set ups an see a lot of sunlight and avanti plates used with the grind block mounted in middle. So those plates have plenty of ground clearance an clearance from wheel to boot. So save time an nonsense trying to make some thing work that not correct in first place I'm going to give one of them plates a try.
Your a lucky bugger since your UK based i'd look at boen. I had a set of boen speed skates around mid to late 80's they were fine for outdoor use & a bonus was quick release axles (those axles apparently can fit other branded skates according to some youtube vids). I tried contacting them back in April however i got no reply, hence the arius i bought. Although it's a really nice plate (arius) those QR axles really are something else than having stink'n nylocks, given the choice i'd rather have the boens. Dam the price of the speed plate from boen now lol. They have cheaper plates
http://www.boen.it/en/13-quad-skates
Faking it till i make it
I actually don't love Pilot plates for outdoors for that reason. The shorter wheelbase makes them very responsive almost to the point of being too squirrely, which makes them very fun, but that low kingpin catches on everything and I hate it. I have Sure Grip Avengers that have way better ground clearance, even with 70mm wheels, but also have some great responsiveness, especially with softer cushions, and prefer those plates over Pilots because they're way more outdoor friendly.
I’m looking for a plate for outside skating, but not fast, dancing/rhythm/slalom. Would this be a problem with this plate? How about Roll Line Variant/Mistral? Chaya plates look good but not sure if they would be ideal for me. I need a more squirrelly plate then plastic probes which work fine for recreational skating for me.