Since release of the very first Imperial skate edition, Powerslide has a reputation of a company that makes narrow freeskating boots. Truth to be told, there is something to it – Imperials, as good as they are, indeed fall on the narrower side of hardboots. It was a similar story with notoriously narrow in ankle area Ultrons (no longer with us!) and best-seller Hardcore Evo skates which were always slimmer fit than their direct competitors, especially Seba High Light Carbon and Seba/FR Skates Igor.
More experienced skaters may recall that a German brand had some skates which were going against this trend – the Metro/Metropolis ones for example. Thing is, none of such skates were as good as their narrower counterparts and never achieved a cult status like Imperials did. The “Powerslide skates are narrow” label has been firmly attached to the brand and known among freeskating community.
The latest attempt to break this spell are Zoom skates. They have a much bigger chance of success than Metro ever had. Why? Powerslide not only made these better fitting for wide feet, they have also made sure that the design is a good alternative to other skates available on the market.
Zoom share their shell with aggressive USD Sway skates (also made by Powerslide). It has been designed to work best with bigger volume, thicker liners. The boot is used to make several versions of each skate, including pro-models for top street and urban skaters in the world. Zoom has become a favourite big wheel skate of Nick Lomax, one of the best aggressive skaters in the world, who also enjoys freeride on the streets of Barcelona. It is safe to say that if Zoom skates are good enough for Nick and are able to withstand all the abuse he puts them through, they will be good for anyone.
Before we continue with description of new models available, it’s worth to clarify something:
Zoom are in fact two lines of skates, using the same shell but targetting a different price-point.
The first one is the more basic, low budget skates line. In the past seasons, these were called Zoom One. These skates are intended as entry-level gear for less demanding users, beginners or those who look for an alternative to more flexible fitness softboots without paying premium for “proper” freeskates. A solid option, but without more advanced, quality of life features.
Their frames are riveted to the boot, the liner is a bit more simplistic, 45 degree buckle is replaced with Velcro strap and the shell is lacking a slider on the side. These low budget urban skates are in fact a successor to older Playlife Bronx line of skates, which were build around the same principles.
The second group, named Zoom Pro (at the moment, naming of Powerslide’s skates can be confusing!) are proper, modern freeskates everyone loves. The boot comes with Trinity frame mounting adapter, making it possible to adjust frame position or even swap it for a different one, have a 45 degree buckle instead of Velcro, a slider on the side and usually comes with more advanced liner, bearings and wheels. It is worth to note that Zoom Pro are one of the two Trinity-equipped hardboots in Powerslide catalogue, next to Next skates (no pun intended).
Zoom boot is not only wider and with more volume than Next, it also have a different shell sizing. For example, if you wear size EU42, in Zoom you are getting a EU41-42 shell, but in Next it is EU42-43 one. These differences between fit and sizing make these skates complementary with each other – if you cannot get along with one boot, there’s a high chance that the other one will fit you well.
No matter which Zoom skate you are getting, the shell remains the same and it must be admitted that Powerslide made a very good job here. It comes with a high, hockey-style lacing, provides excellent ankle support to the sides and have very good forward flex, making it easy to get low for jumping. Do you need anything else, really?
Below you can read a little about every new Zoom model available at our shop:
Zoom 100 – at the moment, the only skate from the before-mentioned line of Zooms with riveted frames, seeing that Zoom 80 is no longer available this season. We recommend these to everyone who’s looking for a solid first pair of skates or want a more supportive alternative to fitness skates – these are made like tanks. A triskating setup with 100 mm wheels will serve you well in urban environment, but will also allow you to cover longer distances with ease.
Zoom Pro 80 – the “classic” skate of the line, comes with a Trinity frame mounting, Elite casted frame, four 80 mm diameter wheels and heat-moldable MyFit liner. These are hard to beat when it comes to price to quality ratio. The skates have two different frame lengths depending on the boot size. The sizes up to and including EU41-42 come with shorter 243 mm frames that fit wheels of maximum diameter of 80 mm, bigger sizes have 275 mm long ones that accept up to 90 mm wheels (even though stock ones are 80 mm).
Zoom Pro 100 – when it comes to specs, this is the same skate as Zoom Pro 80 described above, although with 3x100 mm wheels frame instead. Similar to smaller wheeled sibling, the frame length of this model vary by size. Sizes up to and including EU41-42 get a 231 mm long frame, bigger ones – 250 mm long one. Both sizes are of the same height, so you won’t be able to fit bigger wheels in the bigger one, sorry! A super solid option for those who want fast&agile urban skating setup.
Zoom Rental 100 – these are basically upgraded version of Zoom Pro 100. They come with more advanced FatBoy liner, more durable Spinner wheels and higher grade bearings than their cheaper counterpart. The frame length is also a different story, as boot all sizes get the same 231 mm long, 3 x 100 mm model. These are intended for rental and thus, Powerslide tuned them to withstand frequent, prolonged use and long service period. Seeing that they are available in retail distribution chain too, these make a nice alternative for those who want a better out-of-the-box experience compared to Zoom Pro 100.
Zoom Pro Lomax 110 – entirely new skate for season 2021, a pro-model of one of the most talented, skilled and creative skaters on the planet – Nick Lomax. Without a shadow of doubt, this is the best version of Zoom skate ever made. The unique navy blue shell comes with MyFit 2nd Skin liner, one of the best liners from the MyFit line. Extruded and CNC machined 243 mm Ego SL frame is super strong, rigid and lightweight. It comes with three 110 mm Undercover RAW wheels (these use the same famous compound as other Undercovers, but are made in China, no USA) which are a step above already very good Spinners found in Zoom Rental. These are high quality, fast and agile skates for the most demanding users. This skate is also significant moment for the brand – believe it or not, this is the first time Powerslide releases a pro-model of an urban/freeride skate!
Zoom Renegade 125 – considering how super solid Zoom shell is, it was always a question of “when” not “if” when it comes to release of off-road skate based on it. The boot comes with the same specs as Zoom Pro 80 and 100 skates, but the SUV frame makes it a whole different skate. You get a 295 mm long wheelbase which fits three air pressurized 125 mm (5 inches) wheels of 25 mm width. You also get ABEC 7 Rustproof bearings by Wicked, more resistant to negative effects of moisture and protected from both sides by rubberized shields. If you are looking for a pair of SUV skates to explore forest tracks or to hit a dirt park and have some fun flying – these are for you.
Few words from inline skating geek
To end this piece, I would like to add a bit of personal insight. When I’ve first heard that Powerslide is working on a second hardboot with Trinity mounting, I was a bit disappointed to learn that these will be positioned as lower-spec, budget model in relation to Next. I held a strong belief that German company should use this opportunity to offer also a high-end version of the skate, and market it as alternative for people who did not get along well with Next. I even wrote an email to Jürgen, who is responsible for freeskating division at Powerslide, explaining why I think they should do it.The response left the case open, but it was more of "we will see how the skate is going to be received by public and decide later"
I am quite happy that after a relatively short time from initial Zoom release the company has chosen to go this path and offer higher-spec models like Zoom Rental 100 and Nick’s pro-skate. The boot has a lot of potential and I value it from my skating geek perspective, even though Next fit my feet better. Giving skaters options is important, and the fact that you can now buy a higher-spec stock setup of Zoom as an aletrnative to Next is great news.