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As we approach the holiday seasons, here are details on the UPS schedule. Remember, the best way to get the skates on time is to order as early as possible.

Nov 27 – Thurs – Thanksgiving – UPS Closed
Nov 28 – Fri – Black Friday – UPS Is Open, Normal Service
Dec 24 – Wed – Christmas Eve – Normal Delivery, But No Pickups
Dec 25 – Thurs – Christmas – UPS Closed
Dec 31 – Wed – NYE – No Ground Service
Jan 1 – Thurs – New Year’s – UPS Closed

This is the first time in many years that UPS has delivered the day after Thanksgiving. This will make it a little easier to get the last minute orders out for the big weekend after Thanksgiving, but please order early if at all possible. Remember that Black Friday is the day the parents go shopping. This means that they’re asking their children for suggestions several weeks before Thanksgiving. If the kids see the product, they’r more likely to be putting it at the top of their Christmas list.

Our huge post-tradeshow clearance sale is going on. If you haven’t received a copy of the clearance flyer, please ask for one with your next order. We have huge savings on products from several different manufacturers.

Several new products are in stock now, including Sure-Grip’s Avanti plates, Royal wheels, and new colors for the Fame wheels.

Vanilla is coming out with two new versions of their Junior package. The Altitude and the Denim are both on the way, we hope to get them by November 10. If you’re interested in either, we will certainly accept pre-orders. It sounds like we’ll get a good supply of the Altitude, but the Denim might be a smaller shipment at first, so they might sell out quickly. The Altitude is shown below, we hope to have Denim pics soon.

Our annual tradeshow is Oct 6 and 7. We will be taking notes and sending out an update after the show with details about any new products that are shown. We will also probably have a new closeout flyer available after the show with any older items that are left over after the show. So be looking for that soon.

Several new Sure-Grip products are now in stock. The Fame wheel now has several new clear colors. They have clear red, clear pink, clear purple, and clear teal. These are in addition to the previous colors.

Sure-Grip has two new quad outdoor wheels. The Boardwalk comes in purple, pink, black, clear, red, or blue. They also have a Gravity Glitter outdoor wheel with a distinctive glitter look to it. Each of these are 62mm.

Sure-Grip’s Royal wheel is a clear golden wheel. It is available in 63mm or 57mm and has a 101A hardness. This wheel is getting great reviews from some early testers who say it is a great quality wheel for this price point.

Sure-Grip also has a new quad plate called the Avanti. This plate comes in two versions, a white magnesium or a silver aluminum version. Both versions have 10 degree double-action trucks, a hollow design to reduce weight, and Sure-Grip super cushions. The white magnesium version also has an adjustable pivot pin.

Our annual tradeshow is coming up on October 6 and 7, 2014 (Mon and Tues). You’ll see many of the leading skate vendors here showing off their new products. You’ll be the first to see some great closeout opportunities. The local RSA Chapter will be hosting meetings at the hotel, they’ll be electing new officers, and Steve Earley from Sure-Grip will be doing a presentation on what he’s seen travelling the country visiting skating rinks. Plus this is a great opportunity to meet with other rink operators in person and learn from your peers. For more info, or to fill out a registration form, please visit www.seskate.com/tradeshow or call us with any questions you might have.

Vanilla will have several new items coming out this fall. None of these are in stock now, but we’re hoping they’ll start arriving soon. Among the new items:

Junior Package – Two new colors, Denim (blue) and Altitude (black and grey with green highlights, shown below)

X1 – Entry level inline race skate

Carbon – Inline race skate, now also in green

360 Boots – Black with red, slightly lower priced than the Freestyle

Backspin Wheels – Many new color and hardness combos coming

Roll-On has a new line of floor coating products available called Traction Coating. We mentioned these in last month’s Skate Update. The new system goes down quicker, with less fumes and odor, and is perfectly clear. They’re legal in all 50 states and they’re available now. Please visit https://seskate.com/technical/RollOn.html for a complete set of instruction sheets.

 

Roll On is introducing a new line of floor coating products that they’re pretty excited about. The new products are water based and legal in all 50 states. The big deal here is that Roll-On Water Based coatings have the same grip as Roll-On but the odor from freshly coated floors leaves the rink in hours instead of weeks. Their Traction Skate Floor Coating is absolutely clear.

Hideout White – Allows you to cover over previous colored floors and start fresh. 800 square feet per gallon. Packaged in five gallon buckets.

Traction Sealer – Used to seal new floors or floors that have been sanded down to bare wood. You apply two coats, the first one gets 400 square feet per gallon, the seond coat gets 600 square feet per gallon. Packaged in five gallon buckets.

Crimp Coat – Applying this means you can recoat floors without sanding or screening them. 2,000 square feet per gallon. Packaged in one gallon buckets.

Traction Finish – The final coat. Totally clear. Allow three to six hours between coats, then 24 to 36 hours before skating on the product. 900 square feet per gallon. Packaged in five gallon buckets.

We have uploaded instruction sheets for these products to our website. PLEASE read them carefully before proceeding, do not assume that these go down the same way as previous products, as they do not. Go to https://seskate.com/technical/RollOn.html for more details.

Roll On also has a new line of dust mops and microfiber blankets:

Dust Mops – Complete – Six foot or five foot.
Frame Only – Six foot or five foot.
Replacement Mop Head – Six foot or five foot
Handle
Microfiber Blanket – 27 x 59 Inches

Triple 8 has a new Junior Derby Tri Pack. You get a knee pad, elbow pad, and wrist guard, all designed for younger derby players.

Triple 8 also has new certified derby helmets that are now available. We’re stocking the black and white to start. Sized as XS-S, S-M, or L-XL.

Sure-Grip has a new quad plate coming out called the Avanti. They have 10 degree double actions trucks. Similar to the Avenger, the Avanti comes in two versions, a chrome aluminum version and a white magnesium version. The white one is lighter and uses an adjustable pivot pin. These are not yet in stock, but are expected very soon.

Nistevo has a new toe stop called the Bigfoot. This is designed specifically for derby skaters. They are white, and they come in two hardnesss, grip and extra-grip. The grip version is longer lasting. The extra-grip is a high performance stop, but it is not very durable. They are not designed for asphalt or concrete and they do not have a warranty. Both versions are in stock now.

Nistevo also has a line of plastic axle locknuts. The Bionic Lock Nuts are lighter than standard nuts, they won’t damage your bearings, and they’re colorful. They come in black, green, orange, pink, red, or yellow. These are in stock now.

Several new products have started to arrive.

The first is a line of floor cleaning products from Roll On. These are all made of microfiber, which is what Roll On recommends to best protect your floor investment.

Six Foot Dust Mops – Complete
Six Foot Frame Only
Six Foot Replacement Mop Head
Handle

Five Foot Dust Mop – Complete
Five Foot Frame Only
Five Foot Replacement Mop Head
Handle

Microfiber Blanket – 27 x 59 Inches
Dozen Blankets

Triple 8 has a new Junior Derby Tri Pack. You get a knee pad, elbow pad, and wrist guard, all designed for younger derby players.

Triple 8 also has new certified derby helmets. They’re not in stock yet, but should arrive any day. We’re stocking the black and white to start. Sized as XS-S, S-M, or L-XL.

Most sizes of the blue Vanilla Junior skates are now back in stock. We have 4 through 9 in stock and also 11. We do not yet have sizes 3 or 10.

The Atom Boom wheels are now in stock. We apologize for the delays, but they’re here now. They come in several different versions.

59mmx35mm extra firm white with orange hub
59mmx38mm extra firm USA version, white with red and blue
59mmx38mm extra firm white with orange hub
59mmx38mm firm white with pink hub
62mmx44mm extra firm white with orange hub
62mmx44mm extra firm USA version, white with red and blue
62mmx44mm firm white with pink hub

We have many different posters in stock. Current designs include Sure-Grip Rock and Fame skates, Nistevo Create-A-Skate, and two different Vanilla posters. They’re free, just ask for some with your next order.

The new owner of the Skate Mate company is making a few improvements on their Skate Mate Trainers. New features include:

new and better wheels

the caster sockets are now genuine PVC, so if you’re gluing them together the glue should hold better

not right away, but coming soon, stickers on the Skate Mates showing the customers where to put their hands

Your cost for the Skate Mate Trainers is going up a little (their first increase in a long time). This is still quite a bargain for an item that brings in a lot of revenue and, at the same time, helps the kids gain confidence as they skate.

We’re also going to start stocking some of the repair parts. This should speed up orders for the loose parts and let you get the repairs made quickly so the Skate Mates are back in service with minimal downtime.

horizontal pipes (S/M/L/XL)
vertical pipes (S/M/L/XL)
wheel and castor combo
elbow fitting (top corner, black or red)
three way fitting (top center, black or red)
four way fitting (bottom center, black or red)
tee fitting (bottom corner, black or red)

At the recent RSA Convention, Sure-Grip showed a new plate similar to their Avenger. This one is called the Avanti, it has 10 degree trucks and will come in a magnesium version and an aluminum version.

Sure-Grip also showed a blue version of the Shaman wheel, new patterns on their Slip Knot laces, and a new version of the Qube bearings called the Qube Teal.

Roller Derby showed several new skate prototypes, including several uniquely colored high top skates. We’ll have more details on these upcoming products, including dates and prices, as soon as they’re finalized.

We talked to Vanilla Skates, and a new shipment of their products is expected any day. This shipment will replenish our inventory of several items, including the very popular blue Vanilla Junior skates. As soon as they arrive we’ll let you know.

The Contour Lynnsoles are back. These are the original padded insoles that Mills Lynn introduced. The company is back in business, making the insoles in the USA. Ladies sizes 6-9 and men’s sizes 6-13.

We’re also doing the Duo-Tex insoles now for a lower price. Those are thinner insoles used mainly for rental skates.

There have been a lot of changes to the inline skate lineup. Here is an update on where we stand:

Currently Available – Web Stinger (boy’s version), Cheetah (boy’s and girl’s), Stingray (boy’s and girl’s), Voyager, Pro Line 900, Q60, and Ventura.

Discontinued, Limited Supply – Hornet, Rocket, and Spartan 9.9.

We will be at the RSA Convention in Vegas the first week of May. If you’re there, please stop by our booth and introduce yourself. If you’re not there, be on the lookout for a flyer when we get back with highlights on what the different skate companies are working on.

Some of the recreational inline skates have been discontinued and some new ones have been released. This is all subject to change, but here is an updated list.

Current Models:

Web Stinger – The boy’s version is still available, the girl’s version isn’t.

Cheetah – The boy’s version is in stock, we’re also adding a girl’s version soon.

Stingray – Boy’s and girl’s versions are both available.

Voyager – All sizes in stock.

Pro Line 900 – One of our best sellers.

Q60 – A newer model, most sizes are in stock now, more coming soon.

Ventura – Most sizes are still available.

Discontinued – Get Them While They Last:

Hornet – a few boy’s skates in size small are still available.

Rocket – a few boy’s skates in size small are still available.

Spartan 9.9 – sizes 6, 7, 8, and 9 still in stock, but they won’t last long.

Tour has two new hockey skates we want to let you know about.

63TA – BoneLite 425 – This model has an anatomical comfort fit system, custom lateral support stabilizer, and a lightweight tuff-skin exterior. The frames are Tour Aluminum and the bearings are Bevo Gold-9. This skate has Tour Force wheels, size 4 has 72mm wheels, size 5 and 6 have 76mm wheels, and sizes 7-12 have 80mm wheels.

86TA – BoneLite 500 – Similar to the 63TA, but with Labeda Hum’er Eviction Aluminum frames. The boot on this one is white, which is a how some of the higher end hockey skates are now coming. This skate has Labeda RPG wheels. Size 4 has 72mm wheels, size 5 and 6 have 76mm wheels, and sizes 7-12 have 80mm wheels.

On both of these skates, most sizes are in stock now; the rest should be here soon.