INTRODUCTION & INTERVIEW: KEVIN LITTLE, @kevinmlittle
SKATING PHOTOS: LOGAN CLARK, @logancraigclark, NICK FORD, @nickfordnickford
Des Moines Iowa’s Bryce Orfield is one of the Mid-West’s most dedicated & motivated bladers currently skating. Having been a die-hard Razors SL rider for many years, Bryce recently picked up a pair of Rollerblade/Blank‘s newest Sean Keane pro model skates & decided to make a highlight video of the last few months testing them out. For our newest Blade Check article, we had Bryce detail the skateparts that he tends to abuse the most & he gives us a thorough breakdown of how he likes his skates setup. Peep Bryce’s newest article on our site & be sure to pick up a pair of Rollerblade/Blank’s newest skates which are in shops now!
• Boots | Rollerblade / Blank Sean Keane pro skate
• Liners | Intuition Logan liners
• Wheels | Undercover 60mm rounded profile
• Anti-Rocker wheels | Moonshine UHMW
• Bearings | Bronson Raw
• Frames | Create Originals Graphic frames
• Straps | 3:S (Skates Stay Strapped) velcro straps (Custom)
What parts do you wear through the quickest?
BO: Wheels and frames usually end up going the quickest. The Mid-West streets aren’t very smooth & neither are the ledges we skate. I’m always looking for the most quality I can get. I really like the 60mm round profile pour, the harder the better. It’s works great for park skating but also holds up nicely in the streets. As far as frames go Creates are tried and true, being manufactured stateside is an extra bonus.
What part do you break most often?
BO: I haven’t had a single issue with any hardware yet with these skates, the souls are long lasting even for someone who does a lot of cess slide and drift based tricks, the buckle protection is also substantial, I used to go through buckles pretty regularly.
Which parts are you paranoid about breaking?
BO: Initially I was pretty worried about buckles being and issue and the 45 strap, the cuff protection for the buckle is solid and hasn’t allowed for me to hit or damage the buckle once. Marqui Romero over at 3:S cooked up some prototype straps for me in very high quality leather that is holding up well to the rough ledges and falls in the streets and parks. All around, any worries I had about quality were quickly put to rest.
What spares/tools do you keep in your backpack?
Honestly speaking I don’t often have anything I need with me, I rely heavily on my group of prepared friends to save me if the time comes that I ever need a tool. Since we mostly drive from spot to spot I don’t keep a skate bag with me.
Where do your parts go once you are done with them?
Anytime I’m done with extra skates, parts, spare liners or wheels they go to local younger friends and new comers. Thankfully with the traffic flow of Lauridsen skatepark the current largest skatepark in the US there are plenty of new eyes watching and wanting to join in on our fun. It’s not often a session passes without a new face the last few years.
Anything you plan to change on your current setup?
I’m pretty stuck in my ways when it comes to my setup, it’s not often I want to try something new. Once I get it dialed in, it becomes very hard to want to stray away from it. That being said for the meantime I’ll be keeping things just as they are.
Do you skate different setups for different terrains?
There are a few options I keep around. Anti-rocker aggressive setup with always be my most utilized but I have been doing a lot more frequent group distance skating with locals in Des Moines. I picked up a pair of rollerblade 3×110 for distance and playing around with off-road type tricks.
Wheel setup: Anti-rocker, flat or freestyle?
Anti-rocker will always be my go to. I skated flat briefly to help my understanding of certain tricks and fluidity of skating itself. Once I had the idea and movements down I went back to skating anti-rocker while maintaining the movements I learned from skating flat.
What is your favorite part of the Blank boot and what, if any, would you change to improve the design?
The souls plate and direct to boot mounting is my favorite part for sure, it feels so solid and supportive while still being able to maintain that close to the foot feel and high levels of energy transfer. All around the skate is excellent, the Velcro mounted shock absorber does exactly what it’s supposed to do for me, haven’t had any trouble impact issues since I started riding these skates. Plus the single boot sizing makes for an excellent fitting skate. Sizing on skates is an issue for a lot of people and being able to get the perfect fit is super important.
Is there anyone that you would like to thank for their help or support over the years?
BO: Kevin Little for even asking me to put this together. I spent so much time as a kid just lurking back in the message board days, this is sort of a full circle moment. Thank you to the crew that embraced me and helped me develop my eye for tricks. IOWAT. Thanks to the Iowa Connection, Logan Clark, Nick Ford, Aaron Schultz, Bruce Bales & Skate Stay Strapped for the support!
FOLLOW BRYCE ORFIELD ON IG HERE
