Review: Seba GT - A solid, high performing fitness skate

Overview
The Seba GT is a high-end fitness skate that will appeal to skaters who want top quality and responsiveness and don't mind paying extra for it. While not as cushy as other name-brand fitness skates, the GT provides a nice blend of speed, maneuverability and comfort.

Equipment

Wheels:
The GT (Gran Turismo) comes with Seba-branded 90mm wheels with a hardness of 85A. The wheels handle road and trail surfaces well without slipping. However, they wear down quickly. After my two test rides (of about 12 miles total), they had lost enough urethane that they were overdue for rotation.

Frames:
The frames are very sturdy. I imagine they would be almost imposible to break. They are made of 6000-grade extruded aluminum and are 275mm long, just long enough to fit four 90mm wheels.
The frames look heavy. But I didn't notice this as I skated. What I did notice was a nice transfer of power to the wheels. And that's typical of the whole feel of the skate: hard and responsive.
The mount spacing is 165mm, so you can swap the frame for a short freestyle frame if you want to rock the cones.

Boots:
The GT is built like most fitness skates: lower boot, upper boot with flexible cuff, and removable liner. But everything about it is a little harder (less flexible) than what you would expect from today's soft-boot inspired fitness skates.
The lower boot has two main parts: a lower section and a breathable mesh that covers the top of the foot. The lower part (you might call it the footbed) is very stiff, almost what you would expect of a racing boot. This apparently contributes to the high responsiveness of the skate.
The upper portion of the skate is the flexible cuff. It's like the cuffs on all modern fitness skates, except for one thing: you can adjust it up and down (using an allen key provided in the box) into four different positions. So, if you've got a big calf muscle that might be chaffed by the cuff, you could move it down to prevent rubbing. This is a very nice feature.
The GT's removable liner is less cushy than the ones you find in most fitness skates. As a result, the GT is not as comfortable as the fitness skates made by Rollerblade and K2. But this didn't bother me. And with less padding, you feel the road more, which is another reason these skates are so responsive.

Closure system:
The skates come with laces (in the box), a power strap over the toes, a racheting buckle over the ankle, and a large slider buckle at the cuff. What with the straps and buckles, I didn't bother with the laces. And didn't miss them. The straps and buckles seem sturdy and should last for years.

Styling:
The GT is a black skate with red and white accents. It's not bad looking, although maybe a little clunky.

Performance:
The GT's snug fit and hard shell give it a Porsche-like ride: nimble and responsive, though not as cushy and comfortable as the typical soft-boot skate. But don't get the wrong idea. The GT is not a racing skate. It won't keep up with Lance Armstrong. On the other hand, it's quick for a fitness skate and represents a nice blend of speed, maneuverability and quality.