Test: Freestyle and Swift Doop Skates

Dissection

A brief historical reminder

The firm Powerslide bought up the brand Xsjado to Salomon a small dozen years ago. Since then, the family of the aggressive model with removable shoes  expanded. In 2012, Powerslide launched a new brand called « Doop », which is highly inspired by that concept.The brand is in line with urban models such as Hypno and Salomon Smartskate.

Design: the spitting image of Xsjado

The boot is very similar to that of the Xsjado: a black boot on a very light structure. The main difference comes from the fact that the boot is not UFS. It is equipped with a « Beta » compact freeskate frame made of extruded aluminum.

Sizing

There are only two versions of the Doops. The first one covers sizes 36 to 43 EU, and the second 43.5 to 49. In order for the Doop to be precise when you skate, you have to adjust it to your foot size. The back of the boot slides on a rail, enabling to gain several sizes.

In order to do the adjustment, you have to:

• Take off the back wheel
• Loosen the frame (the screw holding the frame holds the back of the boot too)
• Unscrew a second small screw which prevents the support (thread of the previous screw) from turning. You have to take it off to make the adjustment.
• Once you have taken off the screw that holds the frame, the boot slides on its rail.
• To complete the adjustment, put back the small screw into one of the holes intended by the manufacturer in order for the support not to turn without tightening.
• Tighten the big screw of the frame.
• And that’s it!

A tightening system with multiple adjustments

The tightening system is quite simple:

• A velcro strap at the front of the foot
• A micrometric buckle on top of the foot
• A double velcro strap at the shin

At first use, you have to undo the whole system to put your foot into the skate, in order to make the adjustments. Then, you can keep one of the straps of the top tightened.

Put your foot with your shoe already on, into the structure from the front and set your heel at the back of it.

Then tighten it from the bottom up. First, tighten the toes with the velcro strap. Make sure that the foam padding is well centered on top of your toes. Then , tighten the top of the foot. The structure folds onto the foot from the side. You have to slide the upper side into the support. Then the micro metric buckle efficiently serves its purpose and hold the foot.

Last but not least, tighten the double velcro strap on the upper part.

On the whole, the tightening system is efficient. Efficient enough for street skating.

Note: The central part of the structure is tightened by a strap with holes, like a belt. So that depending on the notch you choose, you can adjust the length according to your size and your built. You can also move the attachment point forward or backward.

Let’s see the effect of time on the different parts… The velcro straps may lose grip and the micrometric buckle, the notches of which lack depth, may not be as efficient too, especially if you try to tighten to the max.

Comfort

The comfort will mostly depend on your shoes and your socks. Skateshoes work well with the set-up. We would advise you to wear thick socks in order to compensate the slight friction due to the fact that there is a bit of play in the skate.

A satisfying support

Here again, the precision of the adjustment of your skate length will condition the support. The heel may be a bit loose if the shoe does not fit perfectly.

If the boot is well adjusted, the overall support is totally satisfying. The front/back flexing is good.

A good quality frame

It is probably the best part of the skate! A frame made of Beta extruded aluminum for 4x80mm wheels. It is very rigid and perfect for slalom skating.

Low-end wheels

Powerslide opted for a 80mm low-end model of the Doop range with a slightly rounded profile.

They have a good grip on dry ground. Nothing extraordinary but it is enough for street skating.

Bearings

The Doops are equipped with ABEC 7 bearings. Some of them were a bit dry. Here again, that is enough for occasional street skating and urban skating.

The freeskate version with use

The Doops are relatively fast to fasten once you have set your adjustments and you are used to it. It is even faster to take them off.

The interaxial spacing of the Doops is between 165mm and 195mm. You can customize them or change the frame according to your needs or wants.

On the field, the Doops Freestyle are quite precise when they are well tightened, you can have fun without thinking too much, we did a couple of jumps, a bit of slalom, it is all fine. Given the width of the soul plates and the « aggressive » origins of the Doops, you can even do a couple soul slides on walls and bars. The frames may not love it, though…

Benchmarking the 3x100mm version

The 3-wheel frame is excellent. So that you would willingly set it up on a pair of carbons. As Powerslide says, you can use 110mm wheels with them. They provide more reactivity and speed to the skate. For an urban use, you can go everywhere, especially on damaged grounds, grooves, irregularities… with quite a good maximum speed. You can do crossovers and take tight bends without problems. Little jumps, wheelings (front/back, back/front) do not cause difficulty either. All in all, a reactive set-up that you easily forget under your feet.

Finishing

We were pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of the support, which can be totally dismantled. Thus, if Powerslide’s after-sales service is good, in case of breakage you could change any part… the only question mark is about the front strap, which is fixed directly into the platform-structure itself.

In our opinion, a carrying system would have been welcome (straps at the back of the boot)… which would have been pretty useful, especially for such urban skates. You can carry them by the front straps, but it is not made for that and it may mortgage the life expectancy of the straps.

A decisive choice of shoes

Well choosing your shoes is essential if you want to get the better out of that type of skates. At first, we had opted for running shoes with (too much) cushioning at the heel and the sole: the setting was soft, too soft and not pleasant at all. For the second try, we tried cycling shoes, comfortable, breathable, with a rigid sole and not much cushioning. You immediately have good sensations and forget about your skates. As mentioned above, skateboard shoes, if the laces are tightened, are good too.

Conclusion

Powerslide succeeded in the reconversion of the Xsjado boot. The concept is efficient and successfully completed. It is probably the best ‘step-in’ skate that we have tested so far. It is a handy and multipurpose skate for a moderate price.

The concept will be particularly useful if you are used to combine different means of transport in town (metro, skates, bus, tramway…) That kind of products stimulates alternative transportation, which is the real interest of it. Otherwise, for specific uses like street skating or freeskating, let’s turn toward other Powerslide models.

Strong points and points to be improved

Pluses + The possibility of using your own shoes + The quality of the frames + The skate can be entirely dismantled + The quality of the finishing

Minuses – Quite heavy – A bit long to adjust

Fiche technique

Photo gallery of the Doop Freestyles

Photo gallery of the Doop Swifts

Links

Doop Freestyle 2013 at Moana

By Alfathor, Motard34
Photos: Powerslide, Alfathor
Thanks to Moana