Powerslide Next 80 Pro Mery Munoz Inline Skates

The Powerslide NEXT set new standards in the field of freeskating and urban skating back when they released. For the first time in a history, a hardboot has been equipped with innovative Trinity frame mounting, drastically changing the skating experience. This three point mounting has allowed engineers to lower the center of gravity in a way which was simply not possible with standard 165mm mounting and make skate as a whole more rigid. Thanks to these qualities, NEXT give you a superior control and energy transfer, on levels which up to this point were simply not possible to achieve with plastic composite boots.

The German brand continues their recent trend of releasing freeskating products signed by sponsored riders. After the very popular Zoom Pro Nick Lomax skate (do not forget Undercover Czapla Team wheels either!), Mery Munoz is the next person to receive the honour. She is not only one of the most talented “bladies” in history, she is also among elite of skaters worldwide, putting gender matters completely aside. This girl can put up a fair fight in competition with men and that’s why she has received her very own USD Aeon 60 pro-model recently.

Her new “big wheel” skate shares the same visual design as aggressive model and comes with the same MyFit 2nd Skin liner. She’s consistent, you have to give her that. Apart from these two differences, as well as the fact that by choosing Mery’s skates you are also supporting her financially in a direct way (as she gets a cut from each pair sold), these are Next just like any other, meaning that what we have here is a piece of solid urban skate.

Powerslide took great care in making the NEXT boot as customizable as possible, allowing you to adjust it to your anatomy and preferences. High laced boot (hockey-style) with two buckles holds your feet firmly in place. Cuff is equipped with canting system allowing for four different positions, which can be used to counter unwanted bending of your ankles to the sides, or simply give more or less ankle movement freedom depending on the height. Moreover, both cuff and the shell can be cut along factory made marking lines, to give skate more flexibility for those who prefer it. Front part of the shell is protected by a replaceable plastic strip which covers not only the sides of the skates, like traditional sliders, but also the tip.

The MyFit 2nd Skin liner makes these feel like almost a different skate than rest of the Next range. First of all, the liner is slimmer and thinner, leaving more room inside the boot – thus, if you’ve bounced off Next skates before, after finding them too tight, it is still worth giving this version a go. Secondly, this is a performance-oriented liner, designed to give you best responsiveness and control over skate. The foams used here are more dense and rigid when compared to highly popular MyFit Fat Boy (which can be taken as reference point for other MyFit liners) which results in superior ankle support. It also comes with a pre-shaped tongue with flex cuts – it is relatively thin, but adjusts to the foot very well. On a side note – it is basically the same tongue as one in excellent USD Carbon aggressive skates.

Coupled with lacing in the upper part, the fit is very snug. In addition, even though 2nd Skin is heatmouldable just like other MyFit liners, it comes with something unique. Powerslide call it a “custom heel fit” and in practice this means that heel part of the foams is one injection moulded piece made of EVA foam. If you decide to “bake” this liner, there’s zero chance for any heel lift whatsoever.

What makes the skate special, apart from the above? Well, lets start with saying that most freeskates out there come with 4x80mm frames for a reason. Not that long ago, there were times when you would have a hard time to find freeskates not coming with this wheel setup. Among four wheeled skates, it’s the most versatile of setups – a great compromise between speed, agility, low centre of gravity and weight. Millions of skaters still hold it as their “go for” setup for urban skating, slides and even freestyle slalom.

It comes as no surprise then, that Mery has chosen this setup. Oldschoolers may remember that she has skated for Rollerblade in the past. These were the times of Fusion and Solo models and you could meet Mery on the streets of sunny Barcelona while she was skating one of those. Her freeskate of choice back then was Fusion X5 LE, also coming with 4x80mm setup. Furthermore, there’s something nostalgic seeing her riding Next, as they share a lot of design choices with Rollerblade’s Fusion boot.

Even though NEXT have been build for dynamic, demanding ride in urban environment, they will do well between the cones if you’ll swap the outer wheels for 76mm ones. The 4x80 mm version is also a great point of start for newcomers to skating, being easy to handle and learn on. Of course, seeing that skates accept all Trinity compatible frames, it’s possible to swap undercarriage for something different in the future.

Four 80 mm Spinner wheels give this skate a dynamic character and thanks to Super High Rebound urethane compound rolling on them is a breeze. These wheels will held up well in demanding urban environment and during jumps and slides. Four wheels down result in very good agility but also nice level of grip. ABEC9 Wicked bearings complete the package.

NEXT is a true revolution in category of hardboots made for urban skating – it is a perfect skate for demanding users who value customization options, but thanks to low setup height and outstanding level of comfort, newcomers to urban skating love it too. One of Powerslide’s best, without a shadow of doubt. The personalized pro-skate of Mery Munoz is one of the top editions of this iconic skate to ever come out and thanks to sleek and high quality 2nd Skin liner, it may win over people who were considering the Next too narrow for them.