Tour Goalie Skates?

[Leaferguy]

http://img223.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tourgoalhs7.jpg

http://img257.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tour2ji8.jpg

Just saw these pics. Is there any info about them? I've heard late Spring release, but the more news the better :D


Also, if there's already a thread on this or I'm not supposed to post this here, I apologize.

[literacola]

wow that's really cool. im not a goalie but hey im glad tour's doing that for you guys. personally im looking forward to the new player skates coming out...anyone heard any news on the Code Carbons?

[STLtour8510]

Brian Coleman, our goalie for lindenwood, got them a week or so ago and said theyre great... the Code Carbons dont have a set release date yet... theyre arguably the best skates that Tour has rolled out yet though.. Id say to expect them in stores sometime early or mid summer though

[Leaferguy]

Thanks! I'm so desperate to get a pair just to have a backup Predator chassis. My purple ones have seen better days :D The Carbons look sweet as hell. I'm guessing they'll cost as much as my pads, so I'll have to buy them on an installment plan.

[literacola]

Ya the Carbons look sick....the Tour bus was up here in Colorado and the driver (i dont know his name, and i really should by now) said they would come out April. I can't wait! but ya they'll be expensive....

[RichardGraham]

Hi Justin,

This is just the place to put your post. Thanks!

[whalercane]

Fellow goaltenders-

The latest word on the new Tour goalie skates is that they're due for a May release and will cost in the rough ballpark of $350 to $375. They're called Tour Redline 5000's.

If I hear anything else, I'll let you guys know...

[Leaferguy]

I'm an idiot and never updated here!

I saw the Tour skates at Total Hockey in STL when I was there for the college nationals. I forget the gentleman-from-Tour's name, but he informed me that the "lower" end one would be $200 and the one with the Predator chassis would be $300. I'm assuming these will go up once they're on the market for a little (gotta get them out there ;)). This is in line with what a local retailer was ballparked.

The high-end one looks great. It's got a built-in lacebite protector through the front of the tongue with padding around the ankles and a really nice, stiff boot. The Predator chassis is beefed up, which it needed (I can post pics of mine showing the dents from shots :D). It's also slightly lowered, which I'm worried about because of the way I tie my toe ties. They're the red Bonvie wheels with the slanted profile. It comes with Labeda goalie wheels and either ABEC 7s or 9s. I'm interested in trying them, but I'll likely switch to my Rink Rat Crossbars with Swiss bearings again. The skate felt about the same weight as my Bauer 7000s with a Predator chassis on them (my skate's a 10.5 and the one I saw was an 8).

Expect to see them in stores by June 1st at the latest. Hope that helps!

[brettleggat]

Hey guys...

I received my tour goalie skates Carbon GX last week (with the blue plastic outer part and carbon boot), as I got on our bus to head out for the weekend games. I wore these skates on our bus for about an hour as I slept, and decided to wear them that night in our games in York. These things are really comfortable, and the transition was easy from my former skates to these ones. My feet didn't hurt at all, and no blisters or anything. They were so nice that I wore them all weekend for our 7 games.

If any goalie is looking for a pair of goalie skates, I strongly recommend you take a look at these ones. They may not be out for a bit, but the Tour booths have them on display as well. Im sure you'll love them as much as I do, and I already know 4 goalies personally who have put early orders in on them.

If you have any questions about them, feel free to email me, [email protected]

Thanks...
Brett

[whalercane]

I just preordered a pair of the Tour Redlines for $180. I won't get them until June which is driving me nuts, but that's another issue for a different time! At any rate, does anyone know anything about these skates structurally-speaking and whether I paid a good price for them or got fleeced??

Any comments/advice would be appreciated...

[Leaferguy]

I preordered the GXs from Inline Warehouse. Honestly, I think you're getting something of a steal for the price of the GXs. Is the price difference impossible to make up for you? If not, I'd say go for the higher-end ones. I know the GXs have a very stiff boot, but I think it'd be too early for anyone (outside of the testers) to comment on the durability of either skate.

[whalercane]

Does anyone know why Tour keeps pushing back the release date of both their new goal skates???? I ordered mine back in mid-April and first, they were said to be due out by 6/18. Then about 2 weeks ago, the release date was moved to 6/29. Now, as of today, I'm told it's 7/9!!! What gives? The Redline 5000's have been available in the UK for over 3 weeks now so I really don't get what the hold up is here in the states...

Any help would be much appreciated-

Ryan

[Leaferguy]

I got the same email from Inline Warehouse. No clue, either.

The only good thing is it gives me more time to return a helmet I bought from them for store credit. Other than that, it's getting annoying.

[whalercane]

The Redlines and Carbon GX goal skates have officially shipped, if you've ordered them from Inlinewarehouse. The initial holdup was apparently on Tour's end because they had trouble bringing in the right size shipping carton from overseas.

Needless to say, if these skates aren't the best things since sliced bread, I won't be ordering any Tour stuff again any time soon.

[Leaferguy]

They really better do my homework and tuck me in at night.

[BKLYNNetminder]

Pics Are here (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v301/BKLYNNetminder/hockey/Skates/Tour%20Redline/)

I decided to post in the roller doctor forum rather than the equipment forum because this where anyone who cares would hang out. Mods, feel free to move if this is inappropriate.

Anyway, I just got them so no formal review yet. My overall first impression is that these are quite possibly the best budget skates on the market, ice or roller. For comparison, I've worn CCM 452s, Bauer 1000s, Graf 750s, various Mission forward models and RBK 6K (forward inline skates). The boot out of the box is as stiff as my Grafs were when they were new. There is a surprising amount of support throughout the boot. MUCH better quality than any other lower end skate. I would even venture to say that this boot is of equal quality to many of the mid range skates you see today.

The chassis is pretty standard fare. It's nice and sturdy, but as initially expected, there isn't enough room for the toe laces. See the pics above for my work around.

The wheels feel nice. They're soft and seem to be of good quality. That being said, they will be my back up/practice set and my Rink Rat Crossbars will be my game set.

If anyone has any questions, fire away and I will try my best to answer.

[whalercane]

I got mine yesterday too. I wore them in practice and was generally happy with the feel of the skates. I too agree that RR Cross Bar wheels would be superior to the Labeda's that come with the Redline skate but I'm not willing to fork out another $80+ for a moderately higher grade wheel.

As for the toe lace issue, I'm not sure where you're coming from on that one. I had no problem getting my toe laces through the slot that they machined through the toe of the chasis on the skate. Granted, I wear Bauer Vapor XX leg pads that come with super thin toe laces- however, that still shouldn't be an issue because a lace is a lace- they're all relatively thin when you get down to it.

While I like the general fit and feel of the skate boot, I'll need to wear them another 3 or 4 times before I can comment on their durability.3

From what I've been able to t 3fe0 ell so far, I totally agree that the Redlines are a steal for the price. I think Tour has just essentially created a new market segment for goal skates- they're for goalies who are looking for an above avg skate (albeit not top-of-the-line skate) at a below-avg price.

-Ryan

[Leaferguy]

They're also trying to get their product out there and get people to use it. If it's the same price as Bauer's, it becomes harder. I'm guessing that you'll see decent price increases for the next models of skates.


I'd gladly admit I'm wrong, though :D

[BKLYNNetminder]

As for the toe lace issue, I'm not sure where you're coming from on that one. I had no problem getting my toe laces through the slot that they machined through the toe of the chasis on the skate. Granted, I wear Bauer Vapor XX leg pads that come with super thin toe laces- however, that still shouldn't be an issue because a lace is a lace- they're all relatively thin when you get down to it.


I use CCM Blockades with skate lace. Trust me, they're too thick for that chassis.

[whalercane]

I use CCM Blockades with skate lace. Trust me, they're too thick for that chassis.


You know, after I replied to your post, I checked out the picks of how you have to rig the toe lace through the first two lace eyelets on your skate boot.

I would probably try buying a pair of thin wax laces, maybe 36" at your local sporting goods store and popping them in your leg pads in place of those skate laces. This should solve your problem by allowing you to actually use the slot in the front of the chassis instead of having to reserve two of the actual boot lace eyelets for the toe lace.

This might also let you get a tighter pull on the laces from the bottom up which may in turn give you a truer fit?? Not sure, but it sounds possible...



-Ryan

[BKLYNNetminder]

Well, I don't necessarily need a "truer" fit. The reason why my pad is so far away from the skate is that I use a ton of slack. This allows greater freedom of movement when rotating, eliminating the knee pains and under rotation I used to get. Furthermore, I need to knot the laces to get the desired amount of slack, so even if the laces them selves are thin enough to fit, the knot won't be.

So far, what I have has been working.

[GdubInCali]

hey everyone, I joined this site, just to talk about these skates, but hopefully I will be able to look around and get some more cool info. BKLYNNetminder your pics diddn't work when I tried to pull them up. Im just getting back into net after like a 8 year leave (havent played since highschool) and I want to use some goal skates instead of player skates. I remeber back when I started playing roller in like 1994 we had to take ice goalie skates and cut the blades off and drill chassis holes through. Im glad to see somone is making roller goal skates besides bauer. I have a few questions though, the boot looks alot taller than the bauer/ nike boot, the chassis looks alot taller than the tuuk chassis. Does anyone have both that can chime in?

[BKLYNNetminder]

The Chassis is only slightly taller than the Tuuk chassis to accommodatethe 59MM wheels. It doesn't feel any different to me and even if it did, I don't mind the extra height because I prefer profile of the 59mm wheels over the squarish profile of 47mm.


The boot, however, is noticeably taller and will take some adjustment for those of you who exclusively use goalie skates. It doesn't matter to me because in the time between my Bauer 1000s dying and my Redline 5000s showing up at my door, I used my RBK 6K forward skates to play net. Your mileage may vary, but I do suggest switching to the Tours despite the differences because the they are of much better quality than the Bauer skates.

[GdubInCali]

BKLYNNetminder (http://www.inlinehockeycentral.com/forums/member.php?u=6089) what site did you buy yours off of?

[whalercane]

BKLYNNetminder (http://www.inlinehockeycentral.com/forums/member.php?u=6089) what site did you buy yours off of?



For what it's worth, I'd recommend Inlinewarehouse.com. They offer free shipping on any orders over $75 and they've been very dependable, shipping-wise as well as cost-effective in their general pricing.

[RichardGraham]

Hi Whalercane,

Thanks very much for this post. It's good to hear about Inline Warehouse's great customer service. The company gives a percentage of its sales to Inline Hockey Central's readers to support my efforts with this site.

[GdubInCali]

Next check I gotta put my order in. Thanks for the feedback guys. Oh and one more question...how does the tour skate sizing run?small or big?

[whalercane]

Next check I gotta put my order in. Thanks for the feedback guys. Oh and one more question...how does the tour skate sizing run?small or big?


They're a pretty typical skate boot fit. For example, I wear a 10.5 to 11 in shoes and a 9 in skates.

BTW- I've worn these skates about 4 or 5 times now and they already feel more like my ice hockey goalie skates then any other inline skates I've ever owned. Def worth the $180.

[skooled]

Its great to hear they are going good. the tour distributor here in Australia deemed the redlines of too "poorer quality" to warrant importing them. even then, its cheaper for us (and quicker) to order from the states anyway