V2 Gear Reviews

V2 Gear Reviews

It's hard to imagine a better way to put our products to the test than by having two top American skiers roller ski across the country, from South Carolina to California, on 4 different V2 models. That's exactly what Carolyn and Santi Ocariz did in 2015. During their amazing journey they encountered every type of terrain and surface you can imagine which allowed them to use all of the 4 models extensively. When it was all over they were kind enough to put together the following review.

Our 3,500 mile ski across the country required some specialized gear. Below is a review of the equipment we used on our trek and how it stood up to the cross country challenge.

V2 Aero XL150S Roller Skis: The V2 150 Aeros, equipped with brake and speed reducers have been the Ski Across America roller skis of choice. They provided superb performance regardless of what terrain we hit. They rolled over all the gravel that often times jams wheels, even when the entire road would turn to packed gravel. The speed reducers and brakes were also essential. Without them, there is absolutely no way we could have roller skied some of the descents safely (some were up to 14% downhill grades with 180 degree turns!). The combination of large pneumatic wheels and brakes also aided us in safely riding into the shoulder to get out of the way of logging trucks and other vehicles in questionable situations. In addition, we had ratcheting wheels for the Aero’s. These were very helpful on the long mountain climbs when we encountered a small shoulder and traffic. The ratcheting wheels allowed us to switch from skating to striding in order to take up less room on the road. All things stated, we believe the V2 150 Aeros are the most versatile ski on the market and when combined with the speed reducers and brakes, they are also the safest.

V2 XLC98RM Skate Roller Skis:These roller skis performed remarkably well on smooth and mildly rough pavement. The days I decided to do speed work, these were the skis of choice. The carbon composite shaft makes for a very smooth ride. By being lower and having harder wheels than the Aero’s, these skis are more stable and allow for more aggressive push-offs than the Aeros.

V2 XLC930 Classic Roller Skis: Short and sweet, these roller-skis make for a wonderful experience. Their smoothness and tracking while striding is unparalleled by any other classic ski I’ve ever used.

V2 XLC9848 Terra Classic Roller Skis: These roller skis are tanks!! These skis were my first pick when I wanted to double pole and stride on rougher roads, especially when there was gravel lying around. The larger wheels just barreled through the gravel that would normally jam smaller wheels. The carbon composite shafts also absorbed much of the vibration. These skis are a bit heavier than the 930’s, but I quickly became accustomed to them and forgot about it.

V2 Ferrules: We consider V2 ferrules to be hands down the best ferrules on the market. Over the entire duration of the trip, we only broke one tip. The only reason it broke is because I ran straight into it with the roller-ski while it was planted in the ground. We have yet to find another brand of ferrule that matches up to V2’s.

Listed below are comments by other users of V2 products.

  • I'm originally form Fairbanks, Alaska and my first [V2] roller skis were given to me by my high school ski coach when I was 15 [......]  I absolutely loved them and I got in all sorts of trouble using them in places I should not have because I was obsessed  with training.
    Somewhere in storage there still exists a series of hard copy ‘crime scene’ photos surreptitiously taken by various teammates - me getting reprimanded after the never smiling vice principal caught me roller skiing through the second story halls of the high school, me getting very sternly dressed down by a police officer for trespassing on private roads (“But officer! Just look at how smooth this pavement is!”), etc. etc.
    - Eventually I bought my own set of V2 very fast red shaft skate skis (can’t remember the exact model but they had three wheels on each ski, with two in the back on each one [....] and a pair of the V2 Terra classics the first year they were put on the market. The former I used off and on for a good 5 years [....] People could hear me coming about a mile away when using them because somehow tiny pebbles had gotten into the shafts and it sounded like an all-maracas and rattlesnakes marching band was coming down the road. The Terras served me in good stead for the summer between HS and college when I (very randomly) lived in Iceland for 4 months. Pretty much the entire nation’s roads there are chipsealed, so they worked very well.[....]
    - There I raced for Dartmouth for the next 4 years. The Terras got sold off before the end of my first autumn at the annual Dartmouth Ski Team ski swap [...] and I upgraded the following Spring to these same 910Ks I still have to this day! In my sophomore year I also purchased a pair of early model V2 Aeros (the very big wheels) with the red shafts for skating. [....]
    - Before I graduated I spent 6 months living in Colorado Springs, working for the US Anti-Doping Agency and training at the Olympic Training Center facilities.[....]I rollerskied all over the place in Colorado.[...]
    - After Dartmouth I went on to pursue racing full time and moved to Bend, Oregon to train there. I rollerskied all over the northwest, had a 30 months straight streak of on-snow skiing at one point, and had the pleasure of training with and racing against a lot of very good skiers for the following 4 years. Mainly I raced the American Marathon and Super Tour Series as well as various Worldloppets in Europe and Asia. Also had another good run in with the law during this time while out training in Hawaii. Middle of absolutely nowhere, police car pulls over in front of me...“Sir, it is illegal to roller skate, rollerblade, skateboard...or whatever THAT is on this island!” Tromping for several miles in calf deep mud through zero visibility sugarcane fields...in ski boots...to get back to the rental house was even less fun than you might imagine!
    - In 2010 my wife and I moved to London and we’ve been here ever since. For the first seven years or so I coached rollerskiing every weekend at the club program that Iain (who I mentioned in prior email) runs in Hyde Park (takes some getting used to rollerskiing in the park whilst the Queen’s Royal Horse Guards are out training as well, galloping alongside with the royal palaces all around you!). Since then we have moved to another part of the city so it isn’t very easy to get there, however am now near a different Royal Park and doing a bit of coaching still on the side.
    So there you have it - V2 rollerskis really have been an important part of my life for 25 years now, they’ve taken me on more than a few amazing adventures all over the world, and the 20,000km number on these 910Ks is no joke!  - Levi Hensel    UK
  • "My brother and I were using the 150's for several years and really liked them.  Then  a few years ago we switched to the 125's and we like the 125's even more than the 150's.  I get about 1 flat per year, My brother has had none yet."   R. Faltus   Canada
  • "During the last eight years of my career I always trained on V2 Roller Skis."  Vladimir Smirnov, World Champion/ Olympic Champion   Russia
  • " The smoothness and ability to negotiate pavement irregularities is so refreshing I can't imagine going back to solid wheels."  C.C.    USA
  • "The Aero's are the most forgiving roller skis I have ever used."  M.VW.   USA 
  • "I have never had a tube failure or a flat tire.  That's an incredible record considering all the crap I have skied over in the last 6  years.  I only skate on the 150's.  (I gave away my Marwe's long ago when I realized how safe the 150's are.)"  Bruce Bauer    USA    A Birkenbeiner  top 10 finisher
  • "It will never cease to amaze me that I logged thousands of kilometers and hundreds of hours without even having to change the wheels."  G.J.    Canada
  • "Unbelievable!  The Aero's are fantastic!"  J.D. Banks    USA
  • "We feel V2 is the leading roller ski in today's market."  J.N.   Finland
  • "For safety and smooth ride the Aero's are hands down the best skis on the market." - Lee Borowski, Coach USA
  • "Monday was the first time I have been on roller skis since probably 2002 and having roller skis with brakes is a game changer.  I skied on a paved camp road next to my house and went down hills I would never have dreamed I could have roller skied.  I think you have opened up opportunities for people to ski so much more and with so much less risk of injury.  The tension was perfect ..."Krisitna 'Viljanen' Sabasteanski   June 4, 2020     2002 US  Olympic Biathlete from Milford, NH      Kristina and the Milford High School ski team trained for years on Len's ski trails 
  • (English translation below Swedish review )September 2, 2019

    Hej!

    Det är nu över 5 år sedan jag köpte mina Jenex rullskidor och jag vill tala om att jag är otroligt nöjd och har åkt ca 12,000 kilometer på dem sedan dess.Åker numera bara på dom och jag monterade egna hemmagjorda stänkskydd fram samt satte på era stänkskydd på båda bakhjulen.Har köpt ytterligare ett par som står som reservskidor.Eftersom jag närmar mig 70 år och balansen inte blir bättre med åren tycker jag det är helt perfekt med Jenex tre-hjuliga och dom har bidragit till att jag tränar ganska mycket skidåkning såväl sommar som vinter och blev i år 4:a i klassen H65 på Kortvasan, 18 sek från pallen. Har även blivit 5:a på rätta Vasaloppet i samma klass.Jag har rekommenderat Jenex till andra pensionärer också och vill återigen tacka er för att ni tillverkar dessa rullskidor.

    MVH

    Kjell Jonsson

    Sverige

     

    Hi!

    It is now a little over 5 years since I purchased my Jenex roller skis and would like to tell you that I am extremely pleased and have skied 12,000 kilometers on them. Right now I only use these roller skis and have mounted my own homemade front fenders and also mounted your fenders on the back. Bought another pair of the same skis for a spare.

    Since I am approaching age 70 and your balance does not improve with age think the three wheel skis are perfect and is the reason I have been able to train quite seriously both in summer and winter and finished 4thin my age group in the Kortvasan, 18 seconds from making the podium. Also finished 5thin the full length Vasaloppet.

    I have recommended Jenex to other skiers and again would like to thank you for producing these roller skis.

     

    With best regards,

    Kjell Jonsson

    Sweden

  • John Chiarella

    Skis:  XL9848, purchased in 2014

    "Today I skied at 6 pm. It was sunny and the temperature was around 30 degrees. We have had muddy roads, and there is still up to 2 feet of snow in our yard, with good-sized snow banks along the road and drive. That means some firm areas of dirt, and some soupy and sandy areas as well. You need to go through these areas when exercising, as getting around the surface variations is impossible. We had 4 inches of fresh snow Tuesday night, and by the time I got out to ski it had melted down to patches on the road and in the sunny areas. So I roller skied on dirt, snow, ice, gravel, some really bad and some decent pavement, as well as pavement with sand and rocks on top. I actually think I like these skis more on the dirt and gravel then on paved roads. The speed and the resistance feels perfect for me on hard packed dirt. The speed reducers are a must with our steep hills. With them I never need to walk down hills.

    These may be the greatest roller skis that I have ever been on. What that means to me is that they fit what I want, and what I do these days perfectly. They are more touring ski than race ski, and they make it so hassle free to ski that they are a perfect fit for my life with work, family, and other time constraints. They deal with the vagaries of our weather, and the diversity of our road surfaces. I get to roller ski with no hassles, and it is fun and safe. All I am looking for is to get exercise, and since I love to ski; this is the perfect way for me to stay healthy.

    The roller ski ferrules with the shock absorbers seem to work well too. I have tried a lot of those over the years too; Kangaroo poles, moon shock absorbers, shock grips, pogo grips. They all had their good and bad aspects. Some were simple, some complex. Some were heavy, and some were light. Some worked, and some didn’t. This is a reasonable way to dampen the initial shock of the pole plant, and it is light and simple. After a week I like them. Last week I skied 210 kilometers on snow and I felt great. That was it for snow skiing for the year, but I’m tempted to go to Bear Notch before the week is up to just ski one last time. Fortunately for me I enjoy roller skiing almost as much as snow skiing."

    John Chiarella
    an elite skier who just missed making the Olympic Team.