Rollerskate Building 102:
Sliders

Step 1: design

Make sketches to come up with a design. Measure to figure out the size you will need.

Get some great sliding material. I used UHMW plastic from United States Plastics Corp. I got the White UHMW Rectangular Bar, size: 3/4" x 3". Next time I will get the 2" one since I would prefer to have them lower now, as shown in my original design.

Gamblin also just put his awesome diagram on how to make sliders. Please refer to this PDF for hints on dimensions.

Step 2: Ultra High Molecular Weight (UHMW) Polyethylene bar

First do outside cuts. You will need a vice for this. Start with a jigsaw using a small tooth blade, but not too small. As you cut inside, use the smallest tooth blade you can find to "sand" it. I used a sharpie to mark the markings and cut to fit. But I would recommend a paint pen since the markings easily wipe off.

Also, when you cut, you might want to use a drill to cut out the joints first. If there is a line at the joint, that increases the likelihood that it could crack and extend. I used epoxy to the joints to help keep them from cracking under stress too.

After I finished up, I realised that a better design would be more of a V with the center rounded. This faciliates inaccurate landings, otherwise the points catched on the rails. So I retrimed them. This also makes it easier to slide on/off. On the outside, round off the outsides some so you can come on/off easier. For reference, check out some of the grind plates for inlines how they round off the outside of the centers. You can do t his by making 45 degree cuts on the outside edges.

Step 3: finishing up

The holes on the sliders MUST be accurate. What I did was put them on the plate and take the drill through it where the bolts go. Then mark where to widen it. I took a smaller drill and slowly ate the sides out to make the hole 100% accurate. Otherwise, if you just push down with a larger drill, the drill can move a touch, and there isn't much room for errors on these. That's what worked for me. I had to constantly trim to fit. Don't be discouraged. This is really a 3 day job cutting the sliders! Keep eyeballing to make sure both sliders are even on both sides of the skate. Adjust as needed to get them fitting snug on the plate. And be aware to get the right length bolts too. Mine were 1 1/2 inch Khiro panhead phillips 10/32 bolts. Attach sliders, then you are ready to attach the plate.

Step 4: my HOT new skates! :-D

Equipment reviews:

Tracker plates and bases - Surprisingly lightweight for a metal plate! The plates with the bases for the trucks attached weighed in at only 2 ounces more then my plastic probe plates. VERY surprised here! They do give a more bumpy ride on rough surfaces (take note on my wheels section which made up for this!), but I can hold sidestance better and seem to skate more accurately. I made some "bumpers" instead of toe stops. I used gaffers tape on top of leather. The rear wheels went a touch further back then the probe plates, a definte plus for the ramps! So far they are fantastic. Unfortunately, these plates are not in production anymore, so they are very few and far between. I feel like an incredibly lucky girl! Otherwise, you can make your own plates using a sheet of aluminum. Cut and drill holes.

Tracker midtrack 85mm trucks - OK, didn't think I could find nicer trucks but these are really awesome! I put in extra soft 73-a Khiro bushions from So Cal Skateshop. The extra soft bushions really allow me to turn well, even with the wide trucks. I'm a lightweight, so the softest worked perfectly to give me even non reactive trucks that really do maneuver well. So Cal is my favorite skateboard shop. They seem to have all the odd bolts, skateboard only items and Smith Scabs products that I can't get from RollerGirl. Unless they are out of stock, they deliver really fast. I love these trucks for 2 reasons: 1) I can use skateboard wheels and 2) the king pin doesn't extend way beyond the hangers so its MUCH easier to do truck grinds. Otherwise, just for ramp riding the narrow ramp trucks are really all you need. The hangers are also 3 3/8" wide, so more room to grind with. They weigh 3 ounces more then my narrow ramp trucks, not too bad. But this is as wide as I will go because it took me a couple rides to get used to the new width. Just a touch of the back wheels cliping at first, but otherwise it was an easy adjustment. I added some mean stickers to the front trucks to counteract if the kids at the skatepark ask me when I'm gonna get aggressive skates again lol. So yes, these trucks are the best of the best I would say for a vert skate! At least for me.....

Powell skateboard wheels Bowl Bombers - 95a, 64mm - WOW, there isn't a better wheel to ride on outside! I was in total skater's heaven on these. They made my metal plates skate like plastic ones. VERY smooth. Went over bumps like they were nothing. If the wood was warped or I hit a bottle cap, no problem. The spin super well too since the outside edges are rounded! They skated as smooth as my 85a aerobics on the streets too, but are much harder and faster. Great rebound, great traction, no slipping on jumps at all. Same heaviness as my aerobic wheels but otherwise faster and better then any wheel I have ever ridden outdoors. A+!!

Sliders - OK, these are the bomb! Each set adds 3 ounces to the skate so they really aren't that heavy. The slide like ice. I can clasp onto onto the coping finally. I can even lean forward before dropping in now so its much easier. Amazingly I can now balance on rails whereas the flat grind bars you can only balance on them. Got them to slide on/off easily. Very stable and strong. So far seems like my set up is the best ever! The whole skate weighs now 8 ounces more but honestly, can't really tell. Total skate weight with sliders, skateboard trucks, skateboard 64mm wheels and metal plates, 4 lbs. 1 ounce. Didn't notice the weight difference much. They are the best skates ever!

Special thanks....

To Israel Gambin Salcedo for helping me out on this project! The Spanish roller skaters really know how to do things right! ;-D