The 2006 K2 Fatty Paris aka Fatty Ootini
Technical specs :
- UFS Fatty Boot
- 247mm UFS frames (6mm axles)
- 80mm 82A wheels
First impressions
The Fatty Paris is not an ordinary skate. It's mostly the same good old Fatty from 10 years back, and it's still a great reference. This particular model comes for the first time equipped with aluminium frames and 80mm wheels instead of the usual street frames, as it is meant for freeride. The concept isn't new, nor are the parts used : The Fatty boot has been around for years, and the frames are the same as on the Soul 7 and Soul Slide models. What happened here is that K2 has listened to the skate shop Ootini from Paris, and has offered the two together for the first time.
The Fatty boot : If you've ever put some Fatty skates on, then you'll know why so many people still use it. It's incredibly comfortable, absorbs shocks amazingly well and is very resistant. Since it's an aggressive skate from years ago, it's not as wide as today's models and won't touch the ground too easily when turning or sliding, especially when using 80mm wheels, which is why it makes it a perfect freeride boot, in direct competition with Salomon's FSK skates : Very resistant yet narrow enough.
The Soulslide frame : K2 has got a history of producing some amazing frames (MOD, anyone?), but with the Soulslide frame, they've really made some bad choices. First of all, the sides go far too low. Once the wheels will get smaller, the frame will end up touching the ground when sliding or falling... not good. Second of all, the axles aren't 8mm standard speed axles like on the MOD (well, nearly) or FSK frames, but 6mm axles which have the screw sticking out on one side. This means that you can end up not being able to take the screws out after grinding too much or even simply falling. There are no bridges, unlike the MOD and FSK which have three. So to sum up, it's not a bad frame, but it could have been a lot better with very little extra effort.
Overall this is a great freeride skate. For 250€ it's probably a little overpriced, especially since the frames aren't as good as FSK frames, but if you're looking for a real alternative to the Salomon FSK skates, this is probably the best one out there currently.
Pros :
- Comfort
- The middle strap can be ajusted
- UFS
- Effort made by K2
Cons :
- 6mm axles
- No bridges in the frames
- Non detachable liner
- Price