Christoph Gasche tests the Quego Classic Rollerski CX1

Christoph Gasche tests the Quego Classic Rollerski CX1, evaluating its performance, stability, and ride quality to provide insights for both beginners and seasoned rollerski enthusiasts. Read his impressions below.

The Quego Classic Rollerski CX1 features a spring-based backslide mechanism, which is pretty unique to the roller ski market. I was given this classic model for testing.

This report is divided into three parts: (a) the backslide mechanism, (b) the wheels, (c) the frame. Throughout the test, the Quego model is compared to some other roller skis I’ve been using.

The tests took place on a roller ski track, A+ surface, with dry conditions between +4 and +8 degree air temperature, partly cloudy.

Backslide mechanism

Quego’s backslide mechanism is quite unique to the market. The system uses a spring for repulsion and aims to simulate the ski-snow-feeling. Indeed, when starting to push the roller skis backwards, you do not feel an instant stop, to the contrary, you start sliding a bit backwards in the beginning. This doesn’t fully correspond to the grip wax/klister characteristics, but gives a much more ski-alike kick than experienced with other models on the market.

Whereas Quego’s spring is designed to be mounted on the front wheel, with other products on the market, there is always the option to have the stopping wheel either on the front or on the back of the ski. Whereas former offers better grip (kick), the latter imitates the snow-feeling a bit better. To my knowledge there are no other products on the market featuring a similar spring-based mechanism.

The length of the spring, however, offers room for experimentation, I was explained. As soon as the maximum spring length is achieved, the slide would come to an instant stop. This was unexpected and somewhat disruptive because the sequence of motion would be interrupted. Clearly, the optimum length is subject to personal technique (strong, fast, quick kick versus rolling, long smooth kick) as well as to training speed. It would be interesting to try a different, in my case a bit longer, length of spring.

Wheels

Quego offers different types of wheels. My roller ski had a Classic-flex Rollerski Wheel with holes (equally spaced) drilled into the wheel. The wheels went almost perfectly straight. No lateral movement was experienced; thus, no alignment was needed. A lot other brands (Marwe, Hosprintg have caused me issues in that regard and ultimately forced me to sell those models. Moreover, Quego’s wheels stayed stable during the downhills (vmax = 31km/h) and no up-down “swimming” movement was noticed (like with e.g. Swix, Pro-Ski C2).

Handling the turns was a bit tricky; maybe because the side edge of the wheel was straight. Apparently, Quego offer different models and design options better suitable for technical courses. Lately, the experienced speed was rather slow, slower than most of the standard “C2”-wheels. So, a good impact of your workout is guaranteed.

Frame

The durable construction of the frame comes together with extreme high stiffness making the frame ideal for strong, quick-short movements. Maybe best for sprint, interval or race situations. For everyday training, a softer frame would be more beneficial as this imitates the ski flex better. Lots of roller skis come with construction offering some notion of rebounce. Usually there are two weight-dependent variants (e.g. stiff and medium). Wood core constructions (as Marwe, Swenor) are said to be vibration absorbing, which is highly desirable on “bad” surfaces.

The relatively high weight of the frames affects the ski-alike sensation, because you need to lift your feet more than usual. Moreover, the heavier the skis, the more challenging to handle they become when doing quick precise movements. In that regard, a carbon fibre frame (like e.g. Fischer Speedmax) offers much more comfort.

Limitations

The roller ski (wheels) were not tested on slippery or “bad” surface and were in use only for a couple of kilometres. Therefore, no conclusions on durability.

Conclusion

Clearly, the spring-based backslide mechanism is unique and should be promoted most. With additional adjustments of the length of the spring, Quego’s backslide system might convince. The wheels went straight, felt highly stable, but rather slow and difficult to handle in technical turns. The frame needs more work to achieve better snow-like feeling.

Perhaps a collaboration with some other manufacturer that offers roller skis, but not as its only primary product, would be something? I’m thinking of Kaestle, for example. They sell roller with their branding, but that’s not their main business. Also, a friend of mine developed his own roller skis, https://www.skiroll.ch/ . That was some years ago; don’t know whether he is still into it.

A big thank you for providing the roller skis to test. I am looking forward to passing the pair to my colleagues and partners to give additional feedback in 2025.