Using Fo-Mac Harmony/clays in general
I put 8 Fo-Mac Harmony (FMH) wheels on my quads yesterday on a [not-so-nice] hard surface to test them out. They rolled nicely thanks to the bearings [and spacers] but I had the hardest time determining how to approach actually skating with them on. It felt like I could move in every direction, not just roll backwards and forwards because I would slide in other directions. I don't fall very often but I definitely reached the floor several times when rolling the FMHs.
Has anyone else sussed out techniques or control processes that are effective when rolling clay wheels?
Are there wheel configurations that are good for freestyle dancing that include FMHs or clay wheels in general?
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I broke my ass on those things! Turns out I'm not as good as I thought! They sounded like a low flying airplane at the rinks. I thought I was the sliding queen and slid into the wall. My knee hurt for a year. Then someone wanted to trade some All American Plus for my Harmony's and he broke his ankle on them. Damn... you gotta be good on those!
How good are you on normal wheels, and what type of wheels did you come from before getting your Harmony's? Dance skater I'm assuming???
!! A broken ankle; that's no joke.
I did experience a fall out of apparently nowhere after a song came on that I thought I just had to dance to. At the time, I had two Fo-Mac Harmony (FMH) wheels occupying the front positions on both skates. I was trying to figure out if there were less risky configurations that I could use which would help me ease into using the wheels. I slipped [out of nowhere] when I took a corner while rockin' to the beat. This is one of the times where I wish I had a recording of the event becasue I have a hard time thinking of how I actually fell. The surface I was on at the time that this happened was also very bad for skating. That definitely masked what was going on when I was going down. 😑
How good am I? I'm not bad at skating in general but I still can't translate the motions I imagine seamlessly. When I practice I fall about three times per session; they're not dangerous falls like how it is in the FMH's, they're the kind of falls where you are very much aware that you're going down and it feels like falling in slow-motion [if you know what I mean]. I use Rollerbones Team Logo 57mm 101A wheels regularly.
Given the All American +'s you got were vintage, I'd say that you're pretty lucky. 😄
Nah they weren't vintage wheels. People say the old ones lasted longer? Not sure. Going fast around corners on FMH's! 😂Been there! Oh god, the pain!! have friends that swear by Rollerbones, but for some reason I really didn't like them. I wish I could remember why. I sold them along with my old skates on E-bay. My next wheel was Radar Varsity Plus. I loved those, but for some reason don't use them. The All American Plus on my plate feels like an extension of my body. I've been stuck on them for some time.
Anyway skating style and love is so different from one person to the next. It's like asking people, "What is the best shirt?" You'll get about 8 million different answers. However, it sounds like you're really enjoying the roll. It's such an addiction. It forces you to be present.
I actually use Fo Macs on one pair of skates, and I have some old Centennial clay wheels that are much slicker than the Fo Macs, and those are the ones I use every time I skate. I actually LOVE the wheels, because I do a lot of sliding and spins. All I can say is that your balance has to be on point, as well as taking your time to get on the skate floor. You can't push off on the wheels, since they have no grip, so you have to somewhat sideways slide onto the floor. LOL...I generally skate mid to slow speed, and on occasion, I will skate fast. I don't have any problems on the corners, either. Just have to make sure you have ankle support and good balance.😎
Centennial clay wheels, I haven't heard of them. Care to share a photo?
Do you roll all 8 or a combination with any other types of wheels?
I have to find a pic of the wheels. I roll on all 8 of them. I put my skates in my storage last year, due to the fact that I fractured my foot, and couldn't skate for about a year. Once I pull them out, I will take a picture of them. I bought them from a fellow skater and skate vendor. They are vintage wheels and have not let me down.
I went to a proper rink (for the first time in recall-able memory) and slowly transitioned from all 8 101a Team Bones to all 8 Fo-Mac Harmony (FMH) wheels.
With 2 clays/FMHs occupying the rear-wheel positions on my quads, I was able to "invert pivot drift/slide" and "pivot drift/slide" to take turns in a rink. These can be done with all 8 clays on your quads however, it will be more challenging to correct balance mistakes since off-angle clay wheels slide very easily.
[Inverted pivot drift/slide] Moving counterclockwise (CCW), all 4 wheels on the left foot/boot are on the surface. The two rear wheels on the right foot (clays/FMHs) are on the surface. Enter at med -> high speed, lean into the left boot's outer edge. Treat it almost like a T-stopping while turning. I tended to start the drift/slide with the right hip open, a little over 90° and closing it up as I make it around the bend.
[Pivot drift/slide] Very similar to the previous one. Moving CCW, all 4 wheels on the right foot/boot are on the surface. The two clays/FMHs are on the surface. Enter at high speed and lean into the right boot's inner edge. I would enter at high speed since this pivot seems to sap more speed from the skater in my experience. Since the foot is at around a 90° angle the clays/FMHs will break from the surface and initiate the slide almost instantly. It is possible to kill more speed by pressing into the pivoting heel. You can chain this into a heel-heel spin to take off even more speed. [Hopefully you're around the middle section when you execute the spin. 😅]
I will try to get footage when I am proficient with the tech.
I FINALLY found my skates. I stand corrected. The clay wheels I have aren't Continentals. They are Free-Style Command wheels. They are much slicker than my Fo-Macs
@Enigma, Interesting, I haven't seen those before. What are they made of?Do you have a link for those somewhere?
The wheels are clay. They are older model wheels. I can contact the guy I bought them from to see if he has any others, or can give me the history on the wheels. All I know is since I do a lot of slides and spins, I LOVE these wheels. The only thing that sucks is trying to get on the floor, since they have NO grip whatsoever, but I'm used to it now. Was a bear to deal with when I first started skating on them, but I love the feel of the wheels.
I stay far far away from anything with that little grip. Same with fibers. Good luck though, skate your own skate. Some people are "sliders" and they love that feel.