RollerCon 2013 Virgin Recommendations

One of my favorite things about my G Spot is that I get to give away goodies to my readers.  This is only made possible because I have amazing followers who share the blog with their Roller Derby family, spreading the Derby Love.  This time, I get to give away a goodie pack of Bones stuff:  Bones Bearing Washer Bottle, Speed Cream, 8-pack of Super Reds (or 16-pack of Reds), Bones Bearing Tool, and Bones Stickers!  But wait, that's not all!  I also have a purple CSPC Triple 8 helmet to give to anyone the winner chooses. 

So without further ado, the winner is...HardKore Lena from Athens Ohio Roller Derby who submitted the name "Kitty Liquorbottom." 

Congratulations!  Have fun with your goodies!

Craziness at the Black and Blue Ball

I have been working on a blog post about how to keep your toe stops from coming loose and falling out, but with RollerCon coming up next week I don't think I will be able to post it until after the festivities.  If you are having this issue and would like me to send you the article, send me an e-mail at 2N1SkateShoppe@gmail.com.  The article is complete, I just need to take some photos to include to enhance the verbiage.

This will be my 5th RollerCon in a row and I'm just as excited as my first one.  I don't have any recommendations specifically relating to gear, so this is just general advice:

1. Keep your schedule loose!  There is nothing worse than having your heart set on a specific class, only to find out that it already filled up, was cancelled, or you got drunk the night before and woke up too late to attend.  If something like that happens, brush it off and don't give it another thought.  There is so much going on at all times during the convention, you won't have trouble finding something else to occupy your time.  Come on, it's Vegas!

2. Don't go crazy!  It's amazing to be amongst so many fellow Roller Derby fanatics, and it can be quite overwhelming, but that doesn't mean you have to keep up drink-for-drink with your new buddy and wind up puking into the pool during the Black and Blue ball (yes, that supposedly happened.)  It's okay (and expected) to have fun, but if you overdo it, you may not be able to put your skates on the next day or two due to a nasty hangover.

3) Have a battle buddy!  This one comes from my time in the Army.  A battle buddy is someone who is supposed to look out for you and keep you out of trouble, and you are to do the same for them.  This may mean you take turns getting trashed, find a way to keep your buddy from going over their limit (booze, gambling, staying up late, etc.), or making sure they don't go back to some random person's hotel room when they may not be able to make the best decisions for themselves.  If you pick the right battle buddy, they will not only keep you out of trouble, but also will encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and into situations you wouldn't have thought to get yourself info if you were alone.

If you follow those 3 rules, you should have no problem staying happy and out of trouble while experiencing new adventures.  If you have an interesting story from a past RollerCon, whether it be a tale of woe, humor, or just plain strange, please feel free to share it with us in the comments.  If you are heading to RollerCon next week and happen to see me, flash me the shocker...it will make my day.

Until we skate again!
Shocker

Travel Light, Travel Often

Luigino 2013 Backpack

 There are only a few more days to enter your haiku in the comments section!  Get yours entered quickly to be eligible to win a new set of Heartless wheels! *This contest has ended, thank you for all the entries! -Shocker*

Atom Skate Bag

Today we are talking all about traveling.  If you are on a league in a "remote" area like mine and have to travel quite a bit to play other leagues or put on training camps, the Antik Roller Bag and Luigino 2013 Backpack are perfect for carrying your gear.  When packing for long weekenders, I will pack my uniform, a few pairs of socks, a pair of comfy pants, and a couple shirts along with a few Wisp travel tooth brushes and floss.  If I need anything else, I will just borrow it or hope the place I'm staying has it.  Normally, I only need to check bags when I'm bringing stuff to sell or on my return trip.  I like to be able to check my skate bag on my way home since it's not as important to have my skates immediately when I land and can risk my bag being delayed.   A plus for the Antik Roller Bag is that all you have to do to air out your gear is open it up!  It has mesh zippered over two compartments inside the bag so when you open it, everything stays in place.  Genius.

When I am trying not to check a bag and don't have room for all my gear, I will carry my skates on a Bruised Skate Noose and have never had an issue having my Antik Roller Bag, laptop bag, and skates as carry-ons. Plus, the skates are a great conversation starter!

PowerDyne Y Tool

Reflex Skate Tool

Something to keep in mind: TSA will confiscate tools longer than 7".



Some tools under 7" to add to your arsenal include the Y Tool, Reflex Skate Tool,  and  Bones Bearing Tool. 

Bones Bearing Tool

Stink Out!

If you have a bottle of Stink Out, which I hope you do because it is a miracle for stinky pads, make sure you have it in a plastic bag or somehow protected so it doesn't seep out when pressure causes it to swell.  If you are carrying it on the plane with you, remember it is one of those items TSA wants to see in a Ziploc bag with the rest of your liquid items.  Stink out comes in 2 sizes, 2 oz and 4 oz.  Currently, TSA allows up to 4 oz for each liquid container, so you should be good as long as they don't freak out about something else (we can only hope!).



Now that we have talked about things you should do/carry when traveling, here are a couple tips of things NOT to do.  Don't check your skates if you need them for the trip, they could get lost or delayed and while you can usually borrow or purchase new gear, you probably don't want to break in new skates at a bout.

Don't have a carry-on bag that is too large or too heavy.  Not only do other travelers find it quite annoying to wait for you to attempt to squeeze your bag into the overhead, but flight attendants will end up taking your bag and check in in the belly of the plane, for which many airlines now charge you.  Stay on the flight attendants' good side by knowing the limits and you might just get an extra bag of nuts for your effort.

Lastly, Zuca Bags have become more popular and I even had one for a while, but I gave it away.  It was nice to be able to sit on it the couple times I found myself without a chair and wanting to give my legs a break, but that wasn't worth the stinky gear which couldn't dry inside the bag or having to play Tetris to get all my gear inside.  The regular Zuca Bags don't fit into most airline overhead compartments or under the seat in front of you, however it will fit under the center seat on certain airlines.  If you want to keep your leg room and choice of aisle or window, you could spring $295 for a special travel bag, but why would you do that when you can get other bags that work better for much less?  Just stick with the Antik bag or Luigino backpack and you will save money and have a more enjoyable travel experience.

Well, that's about all I can think of right now.  What are your travel secrets?  Post them in the comments and remember to post your haiku as well so you can be entered to win a set of Heartless wheels!


Until we skate again and safe travels!
Shocker

A Vacation for Your Bearings

Before I get into this week's product review, I'd like to show what happens if you mistreat your bearings...

Photo courtesy of Matt Powell

Note how the metal dust covers are bent inward on these otherwise brand new bearings.  I would bet $100 that the person who owned these used something other than a Bones Bearing Tool or other proper device to put the bearings into or pull them out of their wheel.  Then they wondered why these brand new bearings aren't helping them go faster.  Now, these bearings were salvageable, I just had to remove the metal ring and pop out the dust covers and now they are working just fine, but I couldn't put the covers back on so I'll have to clean/lube them more often than if they still had the dust covers on them.  Which brings us to our featured products:

The Happy Place for Bearings

I used to clean my bearings in a mason jar...not anymore or ever again!  I recently discovered the Qube Bearing Spa and I'm never looking back.  What makes the spa different from using a mason jar or other bearing cleaning devices?

Well, the first major difference is that the spa cleans all 16 bearings at once, which is super convenient for us roller skaters.  The other difference is that the spa comes with Qube Bearing Wash Cleaner which is environmentally safe and you only have to soak bearings for about 5 minutes before agitating them to get the gunk out.  The spa fits either 7mm or 8mm bearings and comes with easy-to-understand instructions complete with nifty pictures.

The instructions say to remove dust covers from the bearings prior to cleaning them, but I've found that many times, even when you are super careful, it's pretty easy to bend the dust covers.  Sometimes they bend so slightly you don't know anything is wrong until you go to change out your bearings after doing a half-hour of suicide drills and end up burning your fingers on your super-hot-due-to-friction bearing (yes, this has happened to me).  If your bearings are sealed with dust covers on both sides, I recommend you remove one of the covers (doesn't matter which one), clean them, then install the bearings in your wheels with the dust cover side facing out.  If, after cleaning them once, they are still making strange noises or not spinning as they should, take the other dust cover off and repeat the cleaning process.  If you still have some unsavory bearings after doing all that, I recommend tossing them...Or, you could always send them to me to make ShockerKnot jewelry.  Usually, if they are not working well after 2 cleanings, it's going to take a lot of work to get them to the point where they are worth putting in your wheels.

When your bearing wash gets nasty, all you have to do is filter the wash through a coffee filter or toss it and purchase more cleaner.  Each time you clean your bearings or filter your solution you will end up with less cleaner than before, so eventually you will need to purchase more cleaning solution anyway.

Moto Bearing Oil

After cleaning your bearings, just put them on a towel and pat them dry.  If you're impatient, you can use some canned air or an air compressor to dry them quicker.  If you live in a humid area, I don't suggest letting them drip dry as it will take forever and rust is highly likely.

I like to spin them at this time just to see if there are any that may need further attention then place ONE drop of lube in each bearing and give it a quick spin.  I like using Moto Bearing Oil because the needle applicator doesn't get lube all over the place.  After lubing up each bearing, I let them sit for a few minutes before giving them another spin to make sure they are all good-to-go (clean again if not).

I recommend cleaning your bearings about every other month, but if you have taken your dust covers off or skate in an extra dusty environment, you will need to clean them more often.  Proper care of bearings makes them last longer and work better.  In the long run, it costs a lot less to purchase a bearing tool, wash/spa, and lube than most sets of bearings.

If you were anxious about cleaning your bearings for the first time, I hope I have given you the tools to be able to tackle this task with confidence.

Until we skate again!
Shocker