V8 Lift Speed 125 Nordic Skate with Heel Lift and Speed Wheels

The V8 Lift Speed and Cross use the same chassis, a binding connected to the roller base by four _very weak_ rivets - all four failed at once on mine, causing a nasty crash as if slipping on a banana peel. There was no warning beforehand, it just simply broke - a couple of weeks of joyful rolling about, always in protective gear, always averaging 3mph, just up and down the home hills. I don't even weigh half of the declared weight limit of 120 kg, and I am a conservative user in the truest sense. Also, my first pair arrived with only three axle pins, one of them broken - simply returned, not expecting any bigger issues. Also noteworthy, the 125mm wheels of this model make engaging the brakes much more difficult, you have to practically hyperextend your knee, even with maximal adjustment in the back for early brake engagement. The Cross model has 150mm wheels, no such issue. Regardless, both have that chassis with the underpowered, failing rivets. I feel compelled to post this warning given the impendin g shopping wave, i would hate to learn of other crashes of potentially much worse outcome because I kept mum too long. I had a team of guardian angeks on my side and still have to sit out Thanksgiving with motionsickness from a concussion and heavy meds for the body pain. I am grateful It was not a broken neck or worse. Caveat emptor! I reported the problem right after it happened, suggesting a recall.

I am thoroughly enjoying my new Skikes. I mainly got them because I can no longer run due to knee issues and want something I can do outside to get exercise. While I have occasionally cross-country skied, I am not a serious XC skier.The Skikes are like rollerblades but are more flexible in what surfaces they can run on - they can go up and down very steep hills as long as the pavement is not horrible. They definitely need poles, not only do they help to get a good XC skate ski kind of stroke going, they help catch you if you lose your balance or your wheel catches on something. The brakes take some getting used to, so don't just start down a steep hill right away, but with practice they are very easy and reliable to use. They advertise the Skikes as similar to XC skate skiing and I would agree it has a very similar feel. They are fast, but not as fast as a bicycle. The v8s are lighter than earlier models but still weigh a fair amount - they feel a bit heavier than your standard XC skating setup. It is not really noticeable once you get going on them.Here are a few things I learned in teaching myself. Go slow at first, the balancing and braking is not quite like anything you have done and you want to get the basics down before trying harder terrain. Make sure the brakes are adjusted properly, you want it to not be too hard to lean back to engage the brakes. Get your shoes set as far back as is reasonable to make the brakes easier to engage. It can help to think about pushing on the fronts of your feet soles to engage the brakes - sometimes they will not engage, you get anxious and stand up which makes things worse, etc. Pushing on the soles of the feet gets you out of that spot. For turns you need to hop-hop-hop to get around them, watch a few videos of roller skiing and you will get the idea. Keep low and forward, they have the standard skiing problem of when you get nervous you stand up and trouble ensues. All of my near-wrecks have occurred when I am trying to skike around other people and I get nervous.The main downside is while I can get around on any pavement, it is a lot easier to get a strong consistent stroke on good pavement and I don't have a lot of that right around where I live. I am hoping as I get better I will be able to go faster on less good pavement. I may also get a set of the inflatable tires for rougher roads, this Skike accommodates either PU or inflatable tires. The brake mechanism was not perfectly aligned when I got the Skikes, they were hitting mostly one side of the wheel. But it was not hard to bend into place. It takes some practice to get the bindings on properly, you want them fairly tight so you have good control. Tall socks are in order if you are wearing short pants, the ankle straps rub your skin if there is nothing under them.

Awesome product. Very fast skate and the heal lift makes it like x country skiing.