Update on skates, Rollerbones wheels

The new skates are still awesome, with the exception of the Bont boot's annoying tendency to not stay tightly laced. A few other people who have Bont boots on my league have had the same problem. Fewer eyelets than the Riedell boots, maybe? I should look, but it doesn't really matter at this point. I switched to waxed hockey laces and toe caps instead of my pretty, customized strap covers (the long flat ones most people use). It's helped a lot, but I still have to re-tighten once or twice a practice. The overall comfort and lightness is worth it though.
Still loving my plates, finally found the sweet spot on my trucks with the softer cushions. The Roll Line Toestops have been great for my jamming, I could walk miles on those things.

Got some Rollerbones wheels in 86A. Since I've been rolling on wide 88As I wanted to go a little softer to compensate for the smaller surface area. They are slightly cheaper than Atom wheels (about $20 cheaper for a set of 8) and come in 96A, 92A, 86A, and 80A. I was a bit skeptical when I handled them- no stinky urethane smell and they felt kinda hard. They sure as hell grip though. I was able to grip all the way around our slick-ass bumpy track without sliding and without feeling like I was skating through mud. I wasn't expecting that from a narrower wheel, but these aren't quite as narrow as most, so it was a good compromise. I'll see how well they wear, but so far I'm a fan. It's nice that these come in several durometers too, so peeps can customize their set up. 92A with 86A pushers or all 92A would be great for most surfaces.