Test: the SFR Cosmic quad skates

Test: the SFR Cosmic quad skates

Impressions…

Description

It’s always a pleasure to test quad skates, because just like with inline skates, there are skates to suit all practices. The ones that we present you today come from England, and are particularly destined to artistic skating… i.e. for indoor practice.

As we are outdoor skaters, we didn’t hesitate to brave the sun of Montpellier equipped with our valiant skates to give you our impressions.

SFR, the manufacturer, sent us a pair of Cosmics as well as outdoor basic skates. Let’s focus at first on the Cosmics which seem interesting given their very competitive price.

Boots

The boot is a white ankle boot wrapping the ankle up. It is not a very comfortable boot, but it supports the foot well enough (which is fortunate for an ankle boot!) It is not very padded, as expected for a skate of that price.

Skating with ankle boots conveys a very particular style, both elegant and classy. Moreover, your feet look fine and narrow! I like black better (more common for men) but white on women will look perfect!

A precise set-up

The quality of the set-up is good, the plate being neatly stapled – just like Fiberline plates.

Rigidity/support

We’ve got ankle boots here, i.e. the best support ever (even better than rigid boots) for a pair of quad skates. They give a feeling of safety, especially if you lace them from your toes to your shins.

The outsole is very rigid, and there won’t be any problems as for the stapling of the plate. But like for any new quad skate, check the screws before skating (a little checking has never hurt anybody). I would advise you to change the inner sole with a more comfortable one.

Fastening

The laces are classic, white and big. The eyelets seem to be of good quality. During our test we didn’t meet any fastening problems.

Comfort

You need a little time before breaking the boots in – for your foot and your ankle. The tong is simple, non-padded, but doesn’t impeach the flexing.

You may have the feeling you are skating on a breadboard, partly because of the very thin sole and the hard wheels (too hard for outdoor practice). But as soon as you skate on a smooth surface, the rolling is far better and you get closer to indoor skating sensations.

Frame: aluminum please!

SFR had the great idea not to set up a Fiberlite but an aluminum plate. It gives a good rigidity to the whole skate. During our tests we had to tighten the trucks. They worked loose quite quickly as soon as we started to try more technical tricks. Being tight-truck lovers (Lazer power) we found the whole a bit too soft. The tightening system for the trucks is very simple, and will probably lack precision with time. On the other hand, you still can change the plate cushions (black) with harder ones, as you sometimes do with Diker plates.

Wheels

Without any doubt, these are indoor wheels! With a diameter of 58 mm and a hardness of 82A, they are too small and too hard to skate outdoors and to do slalom. However, when the ground is smooth, the rolling is pleasant again. To be used indoor then… which remains perfectly coherent with the targeted practice: artistic skating.

Bearings

Nothing particular to mention about them, they roll properly. The bearings are Chrome ABEC 5, a quite resistant mid-range product. These skates being destined to an indoor use, the bearings shouldn’t meet the weather throes. These are 608 type bearings, exactly the same as the ones used for inline skates! They are equipped with circlips and thus may be disassembled.

Dear quad skater-friends, these are 8mm axles.

Finishing

It’s neat, particularly for €85 skates. On the other side, the skate wasn’t hand-assembled, but I insist to mention that the placing of the plate on the boot (the sole of which is very rigid) is quite good: not too much on the back or on the front.

Conclusion

For €85, this is quite a good pair to have a go at artistic skating. The rigidity is good and enables not too lose too much energy during pushes. It is quite precise when doing tricks. With harder cushions, the skate will be even more precise. The SFR Cosmics enable skaters to progress at their own pace and we invite you to try them if you have the occasion!

Strong points and points to be improved

Pluses + Attractive price + Aluminum plate + Support of the boot

Minuses – Lack of padding on the tongue – Little lack of precision of the plates

Technical facts

Brand: SFR
Model: Cosmic
Year: 2011
Boot: artistic rigid ankle boot
Upper: vinyl
Liner: Suede
Fastening: laces
Sizes: 3-9 UK
Frame: aluminum plate with aluminum trucks and polyurethane cushions
Wheels: 58 mm x 32 mm PU Cast 82A SHR
Bearings: Chrome ABEC 5
Weight: 1450 g
Public price: €85
Recommended use: introduction to artistic skating and perfecting training

Photo gallery

Useful links

Test: the SFR Rio quad skates
Artistic section on onlineskating.com
Anatomy of a pair of quad skates

By Walid and Alfathor
Photos: Alfathor