Inline skates

[Wildtim]

Broke the strap on my pair of inline skates yesterday. It's ok they were 15 years old, I can't expect them to last forever. It does mean that I am a little out of touch with whats available though. If anyone can update me on the state of the art I would appreciate it. Feel free to suggest models as well, just please tell me why that model is better than another.


I am an experienced skater with a hockey background who would be using the skates for recreation/fitness. I do like a lot of support. I haven't tried a soft boot though my wife uses one so I am open to the idea.

[jnich67]

I think LX Emergency is a skater. You might want to see if he has any info.

Jordan

[LX_Emergency]

I do, I'll get into it a little later today. Don't have time this minute (gonna be late for work)

[LX_Emergency]

Allright. You want a decent allround skate with solid support but still wheels big enough that you can keep up with your wife without having a heart attack.

There's a number of reputable brands on the market at the moment in the area of recreation/fitness skating:

Technica, Salomon, Rollerblade, K2, Roces are all good brands. Recently Powerslide has been a bit of an up-and-comer as well. I'd trust them as well since I know they make good blades for the agressive market (ramps and harcore stuntskating and such).

Since you're quite firm on support I'd say get a "freeskate". It's a newer branch in the sport that does jumps, speed and such but doesn't do much grinding. This way the need for small frames and wheels is eliminated while the weight is kept down as well (better jumps with less weight).

I know powerslide makes one it can be found here but in other places as well I'm sure. Basically this is one of the lightest agressive skates on the market (agressive means durable, comfortable, supporting and slow wear) with a new aftermarket frame already mounted. It's not too expensive and should fit your needs.

Now if you're looking for something that doesn't look like that and has to be purely a fitness skate I'd say get Rollerblade or Roces if you're going for durability and support but K2 if you're going for comfort.

and...(and this is the most important thing of all) make sure it fits well. Even when ordering from an online shop you can send it back and trade for a different size if it doesn't fit (at least every online shop I've ever seen).

If possible buy one from a brick and mortar shop (or fit a skate from the brand you want before ordering) so you know exactly what size it is you should be wearing. It can be snug...just don't let it cut off the blood or cramp your toes.

Goodluck and have fun.

(ps and let me know what you got just because I'm curious)
(ps2 to be honest I've been tempted to buy the skate I linked to myself but haven't. Maybe I'll just buy the frames and wheels sometime later.)

[Wildtim]

To tell the truth I went cheep. Bladrunner Precepts to be exact. Went to the best skate shop in town and tried on about half a dozen pairs from K2 Rollerblade and Roces. You are right the K2's fit me most comfortably. Then I went home and thought for a while and talked with my wife. She has never been all that comfortable on her skates (they were a present from me) so we really don't get out that often or for that long. She committed to some lessons and practicing with me. I in turn decided to look for a more economical skate for this year. If she gets into it or I choose a discipline where better skates would be worth while I will then spend the bucks for the right pair for my focus. Then I went to the discount sporting goods retailers and tried on bargain pairs until I found one that fits me as well as the K2's did. They still come with ABEC 5 bearings and 76mm wheels upgradeable to 78mm with nice ankle support. I think they will do me for a while as I get back into the sport.

P.S. My old ones were Rollerblade 608's originally ABEC 3's in it when I got them and I think 72mm 84A wheels. I used to bomb around in those things all day long.

P.P.S. Someone else suggested Rollerblade Twisters to me. I wonder if freestyle Slalom might not be my calling LOL

[rtaylor61]

I'm too old to take up any type of sport that ain't "stable". My son was showing me his new longboard today, and he is fired up. So I showed him this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOKhe9k4eg4

[pilothaz]

I love my K2 inline skates. They are amazing and I have the binding like on a ski boot with a velcro strap over the arch of the foot. They seem to be amazing for me and for what I need.

I might have to ask another question here to LX though, I want to rotate my wheels which is the correct pattern for them (inner to outer, left skate to right skate....)?

[LX_Emergency]

Yup, that IS the correct way to rotate wheels. As long as you've got four on each foot anyway.

As for the blades Wildtim got. As long as they fit well and they're reasonably comfy then you've done just fine. I don't know the brand Bladerunner. But if you're happy with them then no-one can complain right?

[Wildtim]

considering they were $130.00 less than the K2's I really liked, I think I did well. They held up to an hour of parking lot playing last night and did fine no soreness, no hot spots. For the price I got them for the wheels could outlast the bindings and I wouldn't lose money, heck the bearings alone are worth more than I paid While I save for that dream pair these will serve well as practice skates to get me back into the groove.

[LX_Emergency]

I'd like to also mention that you shouldn't pay too much attention to the ABEC rating of bearings. A good brand abec 3 will serioulsy outlast and outrun a cheap abec7 bearing. This because the rating are given in ideal circumstances....and blading over tiles, concrete etc is far from ideal. So while a cheap fast bearing might be faster in the beginning they usually don't last.

Same goes for wheels. Bigger doesn't mean better or that they will last longer.

Skates are just like (almost) anything...you get what you invest in.

But for a little horsing around they should be just fine for quite a while.