Equipment
When you sign up for a Adventure, we'll send you a Pre-Departure Packet
full of information about the local area and the tour itself. We will
include a suggested Packing List of clothes and other items. Here we
only discuss the actual equipment you should have on a tour. Equipment
we include in the trip price:
Bicycles
On our
biking tours you have the choice of bringing your own bike or renting
one from us. The bikes we rent are generally cross bikes with upright
handlebars and sturdy frames, suitable for both paved and unpaved
roads. These bikes rent for $25 per day (25 Euros per day in Europe and
$40 per day for a road bike) and most participants prefer to rent a
bike unless they are within driving distance of the tour. Road bikes
(sleeker frame and dropdown handlebars) are available for a higher
rental fee at some tour locations. We also have bikes available for
rent on most skating tours and the skating days of Multisport
Adventures. This allows you to bring your non-skating friends
with you on a skate tour.
Skates
We do
not provide inline skates on our Skating Adventures because you are
more likely to have a pair that fits if you buy and try them in
advance. Unless you race, the most important aspect in choosing a pair
of skates is comfort. This is doubly true for an inline skating tour
where you will be spending long periods of time in your skates. Skate
technology has improved drastically since 1994, when soft boots
replaced the old plastic shell ski boots on wheels.
The first question to ask yourself: Do you need new skates? If you are currently using skates that are more than six years old, our initial answer is "yes". You will likely find greater comfort and performance in a new pair of skates because the technology has changed. We hear all the time how someone's "original pair of 19XX skates are the most comfortable" and this can be true. Most of the time, though, when we get these people on new skates they are convinced.
Let's assume you are going to purchase a new pair of skates. Go to a good retailer, one where the skating staff actually knows something about skates. Try on several different brands of skates and skate on them in the store's aisles. If they won't let you do this, go somewhere else. Pick the skate that feels best on your foot. How much should you pay? Any skate over about $150 should have good performance, although often sales can bring prices of good skates down to $100 or so. Higher prices usually translate into increased performance. (If your son or daughter is joining you on a tour and has "aggressive" skates with smaller wheels, you might think about upgrading. These are just no fun on a skate tour.)
Our guides use and we recommend Rollerblade brand skates. Rollerblade
was the original company creating the inline skating boom and is still,
by far, the market leader. Our 2005 recommendations for Rollerblade
skates are as follows:
Is it advisable to purchase inline skates online? On the one hand,
buying skates online does not allow you to try them first. On the
other, you can often get much better prices and much better selection
online. Our recommendation: if you know what type of skates you
want and your shoe size doesn't vary much across different types of
foot ware, buying online can be a great deal. Make sure you use a
respectable online retailer, such as Inline
Warehouse.
Most skates are recreational four-wheel skates. For those of you who own or are interested to purchase five-wheel fitness/speed skates, you need to clearly identify why you are getting them. If your goal is to race, you should probably get the tight-fitting and less-comfortable leather speed boots. You might even want to buy custom-fitted skates from an expert such as Adam's Inline. However, if you are just out to have fun but at a high speed, we suggest you look at off-the-rack five-wheel skates available in better stores. Please note racing skates are not made for long-distance touring.
Skate Footbeds
Any skate you buy will come with a thin footbed. If you generally have no problems
with your feet, this will probably be fine. However, if the bottoms of your feet become sore or if
you currently wear orthotics or special liners in your everyday walking or running shoes, you
should put similar footbeds in your skates. You can get off-the-shelf footbeds for about $30 at
your skate retailer and a custom-molded version for about $100.
Skate Wheels
Wheels
are described by their diameter (size) and durometer (hardness). A
large wheel rolls faster. A harder wheel generally wears more slowly
but has less shock absorption. On a skate tour, we recommend you have
larger and softer wheels, so that you roll more easily and with more
comfort. Your wheel size should be between 76 mm and 90 mm and your
durometer between 78a and 80a (lower is softer).
Skate Bearings
Bearings are rated in their precision from ABEC 1 to ABEC 5 and higher.
To be honest, there is not a lot of data out there about the
performance of bearings. To be equally honest, you will probably be
able to tell little difference between most quality bearings. So,
unless you are into racing, we suggest you not worry about this too
much. Any skate over $140 will probably come with a good set of
bearings, usually ABEC 5s. You can find bearings many places online.
Our guides use and we recommend 608ZZ ABEC 7 bearings from www.skatebearings.com, which generally has excellent prices.
Maintenance of bearings is a whole 'nother ballgame. The best maintenance is prevention - avoid skating in the rain. Rain gets in the bearings, washes away the oil or grease, and allows the bearing to freeze up. However, sometimes you can't or don't want to avoid the rain. (We have certainly skated in the rain many times and it doesn't hurt.) In this case, have a separate set of "rain" bearings, spin them when you are done, and replace any that freeze up. It costs a little money but saves a lot of time. The alternative is to clean and oil your bearings when you are done, which can take from one to two hours. Which to do? It depends on how much you value your bearings versus your time. Remember that bearings lubricated with grease (standard in new skates) are a bit slower but much more rain resistant than bearings lubricated with oil.
Skate &
Bike Protective Gear
You are required to wear wrist guards and a helmet on all Zephyr
Inline Skating Adventures. Why these
two? Wrist injuries are the most common skate injuries and head injuries are, obviously, the most
serious. Wearing knee and elbow pads is up to you but we certainly recommend them. Why wear
protection at all? Two good reasons. First, any time you put eight wheels under your feet you are
increasing your risk of falling. Second, many accidents occur not because you are out of
control but because the skater, biker, or car next to you is. Third, it is a good example for kids.
These last two reasons make it seem a bit absurd to see a family skating (or biking) down the path,
the kids with helmets and the parents without. The assumption is the kids have less control. This
misses the point. Wear your gear, especially for your kids' sake.
Helmets are required on all Bicycling Adventures and all bicycle days
of other adventures.
Other Equipment
If you need to purchase
other equipment for our trips such as trekking poles, rain gear, or
hiking boots, we suggest you visit a reputable outdoor sporting goods
store such as REI. 
If
you know a brand and style of a product you like, you can often
purchase equipment online with less hassle and at a lower cost. Be sure
to understand the return policy and only choose a reputable online
retailer. We recommend backcountry.com , where you will receive 10% off any purchases just for coming from the Zephyr Adventures site and clicking on this link.