Our favorite gear nerd and lover of all things ramp Flammers took a look at some slide and grind blocks. If you’re unsure what hardware you want to go with, read on. The CIB team rider only reviewed what she skated!
This has been a fantastic project. It has consumed my waking thoughts for months. I will start off with thanking everyone who donated product for me to review. I am speechless with your generosity. I have learned so much on this project and I’m really happy to be able to pass it on to you readers. Here are the items I was able to skate and set up.
Chaya Grind blocks
Comes in 3 sizes and available in black or white. Each block weighs 145 grams (based on a medium)
OVERVIEW
I had the pleasure of skating the Chaya Karma roller skate. This is a first of its kind. It was designed to be a skate park set up. You can buy it with the grind block and all you need to get shredding. Or you can buy the block as an add on to any of the Chaya Shari plates.
HOW THEY FIT
You will need to open up the inside of the boot. Remove the insole and undo the blots that hold the plate in place. You then need to take the plate off and slot in a metal T shaped bracket. Bolt the plate back on and then on the outside place the block on the metal bracket and screw the bolt in place. Bit fiddly but no extra tools are required other than the allen key supplied. This block can be changed round to suit the skater, so it has a left and right side. It’s really easy to change the orientation of the block once the metal bar is through the plate.
HOW THEY SKATE
Chaya created an asymmetrical grind block. The block sits just off the centre of the middle of the plate. (not in line with the kingpins) Making this block a great advantage for all slide tricks. This block is quite different from the rest, mainly because it has a shelf (for want of a better word) on one side of the block which allows the skater access to a variety of other slide positions. This ledge offers the skater support for tricks like the ufo, royals and many more.
NOTES
Chaya Grind Blocks are only compatible with Chaya Shari plates.
DiscoBlox (Standard height)
Comes in 8 sizes and available in black or white. Each block weighs 135 grams (based on a size #4 set)
OVER VIEW
Designed by Hugh ‘Disco’ Rowland over in Australia. A true innovator and an inspiring ramp skater. The DiscoBlox developed out of trying to find an easy to install product that would fit any skate. I had these blocks fitted to my Powerdyne Reactor Neo plate. I needed a custom cushion kit to fit these plates. This can be supplied by Disco. To order these blocks you will need to measure the distance between your kingpins (two poles that stick out of your plate). Check back with Disco for sizing information.
HOW THEY FIT
Both Standard and lowrider sized blocks: You get two blocks mounted on a metal bar and you get installation instructions. One end has a hole in the metal and a fork arrangement at the other end. Simply remove the trucks and pop the Blox on the kingpins. Once you have the metal bar seated on the kingpins you simply have to put the cushions (rubbery bits) and trucks back on. Tighten up and you are good to go.
HOW THEY SKATE
These blocks sit near to the bottom of the kingpin nut. I got these Blox months ago as I saw them on a skater and I knew that it was what I was looking for. I got them set up and loved the stability of them from the outset. I scared myself with how well they wanted to slide and I have felt strong and capable on these blocks. The large surface area and lower to the floor block makes for less skate wheel catches as the wheels are further from the floor when you land on the coping!
NOTES
Lowrider and standard height Blox are compatible with all plates except Powerdyne Arius. Disco Ice blocks are built specifically for Powerdyne Arius plates.
DiscoBlox (Lowrider)
Comes in 8 sizes and available in black or white. Each block weighs 110grams (based on a size #4 set)
OVER VIEW
Measure up in the same way as the standard height Blox. These blocks are slimmer than the standard height, this means they are lighter! They sit a little bit lower to the curb than the standard height. I had these blocks fitted to my Powerdyne Reactor Neo plate.
HOW THEY FIT
Both Standard and Lowrider sized blocks fit in the same way.
HOW THEY SKATE
Having skated the standard height I was curious about the Low Rider Blox. They fit closer to the curb than the standard height Blox. I skated these pretty hard and managed to sculpt the metal bar. This gave my skating and skates a custom feel. I actually moulded the blocks to fit my skate style. I felt like I was landing my coping tricks solid! And I was also getting a great slide out of these Blox!
NOTES
Lowrider and standard height Blox are compatible with all plates except Powerdyne Arius. Disco Ice blocks are built specifically for Powerdyne Arius plates.
Chicks in Bowls (Slide Block)
Comes in 4 sizes and available in white. Each slide block set weighs 200 grams (based on a medium)
OVER VIEW
Mounted these on my Powerdyne Reactor Neo plate with CIB grind trucks. The latest design from Chicks in Bowls features 2 types of mounting bar for different kingpin angles and a new shape of slide block. Fitting instructions are included in the pack.
HOW THEY FIT
These are so easy to install. You will need to remove your trucks and cushions plus the bottom (closest to the plate) washer/retainer if you have one. Select the correct mounting bar and attach the block then place it to the kingpins and put your cushions and trucks back on. There is a guide on the Chicks in Bowls website (CIBCREW) with sizing and mounting bar info for each plate tested.
HOW THEY SKATE
I have been lucky enough to have skated all the CIB slide products and this one is my personal favourite. The shape is new to CIB but we still get the double rail design. The concave curve runs all the way from the front to the back of the block. So, when it comes to sliding on the coping or a rail, the shape hugs the metal without any snagging from the front or back of the block. This also helps make stalls feel like you get a good lock on to the coping and you will feel a good stable base to pivot from when using the block to drop in. All in all, this is Chicks in Bowls slickest ride yet!
NOTES
Compatible with lots of plates, check out the CIB webpage for all sizing information.
Chicks in Bowls (universal slider)
Comes in 3 sizes and available in white. Each slider weighs 70 grams, 140g per skate, (based on a medium)
OVER VIEW
Nick Agnew over in New Zealand was the genius behind the design for the first Chicks in Bowls sliders. Lady Trample, Fink and Disco were playing around with various block designs when Nick came up with the twin fin idea.
I had these mounted on a set of roll line plates. You get a mounting kit, set up instructions and a set of four sliders. You will need to use power tools for this skate set up. The sliders will need to be drilled to match the mounting holes in your plates. Who isn’t excited about that! I mean be safe and all but you get to wield machinery.
HOW THEY FIT
You will need to take everything off your kingpins and take the boot off your plates. Measure up the holes in the plates with the sliders and drill! If you are doing a fully custom trainer skate set up with these you will need to drill through the trainers and the sliders, matching up all this with the holes in your plates. Once you have bolted it back together you will then need to remove the excess bolt length that pokes through the plate.
HOW THEY SKATE
The sliders fit neatly to your plates. The material is self-lubricating, so no need for wax. You get a lovely smooth slide with the CIB sliders. The curve shape fits all coping sizes and allows the skater to drop in and stall with nothing taken away from the skater’s ride.
NOTES
Compatible with lots of plates, check out the CIB webpage for which plates they do not fit.
Chicks in Bowls (Pro slider)
Comes in 2 sizes and available in white. Each slider weighs 80 grams, 160g per skate (based on a medium)
OVER VIEW
Mounted on a set of Sure Grip plates. The Gen ll redesigned product looks solid. The deeper rails make for a more supported stall or slide. You will need to have some wider trucks for these sliders. As with universal and pro sliders, you can keep these on your skates if you also play roller derby in the same set up. There is no need to take them off…ever!
HOW THEY FIT
Same a Universal Sliders
HOW THEY SKATE
Having skated on both the Universal and the Pro, I really enjoyed the pro slider. I’m a fan of wide trucks and the partnership was fantastic. I felt a good solid stall and drop in right from the first session. I managed some decent slides on my first session too and they felt solid and secure!
NOTES
Compatible with lots of plates, check out the CIB webpage for which plates they do not fit to. You will also need some wider than standard trucks to fit these sliders. Check the mounting kit bolts for a heeled skate set up. Some plates will need an even longer bolt to go through the heel of the boot, plate and slider.
Please also note:
Universal and Pro sliders are no longer available on the CIB website. But there might be a few distributors that still have them in stock.
These words are my own! I really hope you find this review helpful and can now confidently go and find the right product for you. There are more items on the market but I cannot review a product I have not skated. I do not doubt that there will be more innovators and creators out there working on providing us quad skaters with park apparel for the future. I am looking forward to seeing where we can take this sport.
Thanks for reading Flammers x
Words by Sam “Flammers” Kent @flammers10