by Mel aka @troubleon8wheels
Disco Plugz have landed and they are a seamless hybrid of jam plugs and toe stops.
What is a jam plug?
It is a small piece of nylon, plastic, rubber or even metal that replaces the toe stop on your roller skates. It is there to protect your plate from damage and also the floor from any scrapes your plate could cause. No-toe stop (NTS) plates also exist, for when you are committed to skating without toe stops!
Why would you want to take out your toe stop?
When you are roller dancing, rhythm or jam skating, it is much easier to perform certain movements if you really raise your ankle so your weight is more on the ball of your foot. A toe stop can really get in the way of this, so it is a good idea to swap out your toe stop once you start kicking the floor with it or tripping over it.
If you have adjustable toe stops, you can screw these all the way in or select a 'short stem' toe stop, which will allow more room to skate on your toes, without removing your toe stop as an interim measure.
How are Disco Plugz different?
Disco Plugz are a similar size to some of the smaller toe stops on the market, for example the standard black Powerdyne one that is fitted in Moxi roller skates or the toe stop that is fitted in Rookie Artistic roller skates. Instead of being made from a rubber or urethane compound though, they are nylon, providing less friction. If you were to kick the floor, you would be less likely to trip over.
I have only tested them inside, but even at this early stage, I can tell they will allow some movements, like a toe stop spin to still be performed easily (an actual toe stop will grip the floor a bit), while still allowing lots of room to skate on my toes. For a skater new to roller dance or skating without toe stops, it is the ideal product for making the transition. I can imagine there will be some cool backwards Disco Plugz slides! (I need to find a bigger space to test this out.)
I also like the sort of faceted flat faces - it really appeals to the mathematician side of me!
Quote from Disco's IG page "I had the stability of a stopper but the ability to harness the slide."
Also thanks Disco for including a whole heap of delicious Tim Tam's with our order! ;)
These are in stock now! As a small business, we do our best to support other small businesses both at home and around the world, and always strive to choose the best products at the best price we can get. We pay the customs and import charges so you don't have to, but it does mean that some of our products seem expensive. As a community interest company, any profits will go back to supporting our skate community, both locally and online. Thank you for reading. xoxo