Back to the subject of frames that actually work in FLAT setting. During 2015 season, I was using Kizer Element frame – In my opinion the easiest solution for stress-free grinding on 4 wheels. However, I came to the conclusion that metal core providing high rigidity and incomparably better transfer of energy has a considerable "price" - the whole impact goes to your knees and back. After a year of skating in the Elements, the toll on my body was too big - so I started looking around for a new solution.!
Luckily around that time, the first batch of innovative CRS Suspension frames appeared on the market. The product, entirely financed by its supporters (Kickstarter), however, had major problems with the premiere. Constant problems with the Chinese contractor, missed deadlines, and the quality of the samples alone left much to be desired. If you are interested in the topic, check the Create Originals social medias where you can trace the whole story. Somehow, the final product reached stores in very limited quantities. High price (about 600 PLN) could have deterred, especially since most online opinions on the product were not so positive (but how quickly turned out to be groundless because these big "shouters" did not see the finished product, not to mention trying them on etc). In spite of all, I managed to bring 10 pairs to Hedonskate.com and to my surprise, the whole stock was sold in a matter of days...
The idea of the shock-absorbing frames was not entirely new. Fiziks frames (a very nice patent that worked, but the design itself had too many parts that wore very quickly) and several editions of the Kizer Suspension frames (withdrawn from sales due to lack of safety standards) were forerunners in the topic. Let's get back to CRS though..
How does the CRS system work? Metal frame spacers are mounted on rubber pads, which have some margin of movement in the up-down direction. Rubber pads are available in 3 different hardness’s (Soft - 80a, Medium - 90a, Hard - 120a) which gives us plenty of choices (link to configuration options). The list of available options can be a little overwhelming at first - so I decided to choose the most standard setting - all the "rubber pads" with the sane hardness of Medium 90a.
The first session (Urethane Suspension Frame Spacer 90a, Undercover Flat profile wheel 56mm/90a )
The suspension can be felt from the very first push – yet lightly, not somehow exaggerated. It definitely helps with fast turns. It seems like you're accelerating a little slower, but it's much easier to keep up the pace - just a little knee bend and you get this small "boost" with no need for repulsion. Pleasant, but not yet what Fiziks offered.
The second session (Urethane Suspension Frame Spacer - 80a, Undercover Flat profile wheel 56mm/90a)
I decided to change the frame spacers for the softest ones (White 80a). Huge difference. Now the feel was very similar to Fiziks frames. Super soft and resilient, every push is a nice speed boost. The cushion is most noticeable is when skating transitions - skatepark lovers or vert ramp enthusiasts are probably the ones who will benefit the most. All energy put into the push is “returned”, adding extra speed (so useful when skating banks or quarters).
Grinding
Initially I was skeptical about this part the most. The suspension system makes the frame a little higher than the standard aggressive frames. Its height is 4.9 CM, where the standard CO is just 4.3 CM high. One can feel a difference easily, especially with royal-based tricks which now requires more bending - it's not particularly burdensome, but definitely worth mentioning. The shape/groove depth is not very different from the standard CO – so the blading FLAT is possible, but riding on 8 wheels is NOT AS EASY and stress free as with the Kizer Elements. Seasoned blader who has already mastered grinding with the FLAT setting will easily handle 58mm or even 60mm wheels (yes! CRS frames can accommodate 4x60mm). However, if someone just started adventure with 8 wheels, he/she definitely should choose the smaller diameter (55-56mm).
We come here to the main point and the biggest advantage of the use of suspension in aggressive skates: thanks to the large cushioning that the frame itself gives us, hardness of our wheels can be very high. Hard wheels (92a and up) in standard frames can be tricky on perfect surfaces - they just slip, giving the feeling of skating with rocks. The CRS frame is a great way to solve this problem by giving us the proper "sprung" so the hardness of the wheels when landing a larger jump will not be so annoying. Not to mention how the wheels with high hardness are helping with grinds (especially skating ledges).
The tabs on the soul walls do the job. For the first time such solution did not "disappeared" (wore down) after a good handrail session - it took several months before I had to swap the frames due to wear of the soul walls. Certainly it is affected by the material itself from which the frame is made - it is not the same as common CO frames. It is much harder, more like Kizer Fluids . In addition the sidewall is further thickened in the lower part of the frame which is another gigantic pros of the design making it …
The ultimate frame for Cess slide tricks
Thickening the bottom of the sidewall significantly reduced the angle needed to position the entire skate on the ground in cess royal position - (photo of the sidewall). It`s super easy to bent the skate in such a way that it touches the ground with the soulplate and bottom edge of the frame simultaneously. As a result, the wheels do not touch the ground at all, allowing smooth cess slides with relatively little effort. A great patent, the design is carefully thought out and perfectly suits the needs of current tricks.
Disadvantages
The first batch of this product was MADE IN CHINA so the product is not free from the typical problems associated with such solution. Hardware is very poor quality quality - the threads got stripped quickly, and what’s the worst – some screws were way to long, making it impossible to tighten the wheels in the frame. As the CRS wheel axels are longer than the standard ones (additional several mm for the suspension system), we can not simply replace them with other axels from our old skates. The producer and some of the stores advise to shave them , but I used the alternative myself - I added metal pads/washers here and there and everything started to work. Even after the addition of the extra washers, the screws are so deeply embedded in the frame that we do not have to worry about slowing down our soul tricks. Actually these were the only problems I came across - I spent about 15 months on my CRS and besides the weak hardware I have no other objections.
I am aware of the fact, that we could find pictures of damaged urethane suspension frame spacers, but as we study the topic carefully, it can be said that 99% of such cases resulted from misuse - people, for example, tried to ride on them in the Anti-Rocker setup, using the 80a spacers where the overloads are simply too big. I think CRS were designed for use with 4 wheels (in one frame) and only then they work properly. On the manufacturer's website we can find exact details on what setting to choose according to your skating style or particular weight - so you should spend some time to read the manufacturer's instructions before any ranting online…
Summary
The CRS frames are a great design that will, after small adjustments, be the unrivaled premium product for anyone looking for a new, aggressive skating experience. This is not the easiest 8-wheel frame, although the combination of the suspension and the hard wheels can be very forgiving with grinds. The most fun with them - in my opinion CRS frames in such situations shows its potential.
The full potential of CRS frames can be clearly felt when skating transitions, so in my opinion the fans of such skating will gain the most out of them.
Everyone interested in the product will soon have the opportunity to try it – starting from the 2017 the production has been moved to the USA which means more availability and hopefully lower price! I keep my fingers crossed and look forward to the new delivery!
P.S. Coming back to standard frames after skating CRS is a nightmare….