Roller Blading and Inline skates

Roller skates have been around for a long time. The standard quad skate design featured two wheels in the front and two wheels in the back for a sturdy, solid ride. Brings to mind scenes of roller disco from the 70's, yikes! Inline skates, or roller blades, are different. Rollerblades, as their name suggests, are more like an ice skate in design, with thin wheels mounted in a line down the center of the skate - like a rolling ice skate. There are usually 4 wheels, but some designs have 3 or 5 wheels as well. At the rear of one skate there is normally a brake as well, which is applied by lifting your toes and scraping the heel plate on the ground for friction. The company that first popularized inline skates was Rollerblade, Inc. - and their company name has become the generic term for inline skates. Inline skates are also popular for street hockey or roller hockey. When you are ready to buy online, we recommend Amazon.com. We are always impressed by their competitive prices, selection, fast shipping, and customer service -- plus almost everyone already shops with them and trusts them. You can browse their up-to-date list of best-selling men's rollerblades, women's rollerblades, and kid's rollerblades here.

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Best Rollerblades Pictures - Diagram - Rollerblade Parts

The main part of an inline skate is the boot - you put your foot in it, just like a shoe or boot, and strap it on. The boot has a frame attached on the bottom, and the wheels are connected to the frame. The boot is normally designed to protect your ankle and provide support - balancing on an edge is tougher that on a flat foot, putting increased strain on your ankle and the surround tendons and muscles. Depending on whether your goal is just easy skating and exercise, or hard core tricks, jumps, and grinds, you will want to pick boots that are appropriate for your experience level and activity. Frames can be made from carbon composites, metal (usually aluminum), or plastic. Frames can cost from $20 to over $100 depending on maker and style. Some of the top frame makers are Able, FiftyFifty, Fiziks, Ground Control, Kizer, Razors, Salomon, Senate, USD, and Valo. Wheels can vary in size. They tend to be smaller for aggressive, trick skating (around 54mm diameter) and larger for speed skating (90+ mm). Logically enough, you usually go faster with big wheels since each revolution carries you a longer distance. Most wheels are made of polyurethane. Harder wheels go faster while softer wheels have better control and gripping ability. Some people adjust their skates by rockering their wheels, meaning you can adjust the height of the axles and wheels, normally with the middle wheels slightly lower and the outer wheels. This is supposed to increade maneuverability, as in quicker, tighter turns. For a beginner, your skates will be non-rockered right out of the box, so this is not an issue.

Rollerblade Websites

There are a lot of useful inline skating websites with information on skating techniques, supplies, and shopping information. web.skatefaq.com has tutorials on stopping, skating backwards, skating downhill, grinding, slaloms, figure skating, and more. They also offer some nice rollerblade buying guides, with information on skates, wheels, helmets, pads, etc. Good, informational site. SkatePile.com is another good site with plenty of rollerblading supplies for sale - boots, custom skates, wheels, frames, pads, etc. The Xsjado Basic Custom Black setup caught our eye - $289 with a custom black liner, Chris Farmer 2 footwraps, 59mm M1 Damien Wilson wheels. They even offer free ground shipping on orders of $200 and up. If you are looking for something more for the beginner, check out the Rollerblade Fury Skate. Just $79, these aggressive skates are a great bargain, with ABEC 5 bearings and 58mm wheels, they also feature plenty of grind space - nice! If you are looking for boots only, check out the Rollerblade A6 boot at $159 -- the Alpha 6 has great liners, perfect soul plates, and a crisp black and white design. OnlineSkateHouse.com is another good site for buying roller blades and accessories. They have good deals on cheap rollerblades for kids - $29 for Rollerblade Blade Runner Twists. They also carry all the major brands - Razor, K2, Roces, Valo, Remedyz, etc. You can pick up a basic skate helmet for $20-$30, while higher end ones will set you back closer to $75. Make sure your helmet is properly fitted before using.

Buying Roller Blades - What to look for in Inline Skates

If you are a beginner, you're probably most concerned about skate prices - you don't want to spend $200 on something you may end up not liking that will sit in your closet for 5 years. For beginner skates, look to spend $20-$30 for kids rollerblades, and $25-$50 for adult skates. But if you are into rollerblading, other qualities and skate characteristics come into play. The liner and foot beds are what make a comfortable fit for your feet - if you are skating for a few hours, you want to be comfortable. Some Salomon skates come with layer upon layer of heel pads, foot pads, liners, more pads, etc. Your feet will feel the difference in quality rollerblades like these. The cuff is also important in terms of flexibility and movement. Wheels are important - you will need to select both size and hardness if you are building custom rollerblades. Softer wheels are stickier and give you more control, while harder wheels are faster (bigger, taller wheels are also generally faster). If you are buying roller blade wheels, expect to pay $4-$15, with about $5 or $6 being average. Some of the popular inline skate wheel makers are FR Progressors, Hyper, Kryptonics, Chaos, Core, Senate, Kuzak, RollerEdge, Labeda, UFO, Cyko, Cozmo, BrakerWheel, Ultimate, Bullzeye, Kopp, and Square. If you are into aggressive skating or street skating, you'll want something more than the basic skates that come prepackaged at the sporting good store. If you are into hockey, you will want specialty hockey skates, which are usually made of leather or nylon rather than the harder plastic shells found in many other inline skates. Most hockey skates also have laces rather than velcro straps and latches.

Most Popular Roller Blades - Reviews

When it comes to the most popular roller blades and inline skates, a few names stand out. Salomon makes the Minton Pro ($249), ST Team Skate ($229), Rob Thompson 2 Skate ($199), Campbell 2 UFS ($199). These are all aggressive skates, with pro wheels and liners. The Razors Pro Shima 5 Skates are another popular model, priced at $249 -- wheels are placed as far outside as possible for maximum grinding area, but you still get the flat wheel setup ride. The USD Rachard 2 Legacy Skate at $299 is another aggressive inline skate model, with customizable cuffs, stabilizer bar, and souls. XSJADO, Razor Genesys, are other makers. Also check out the Rollerblade Crossfire TFS Inline Skates and the K2 Exo Men's Fitness Skate for a less expensive inline skate (view all Rollerblade models here).

Rollerblade Pads and Helmets - Inline Skating Safety Equipment

All skating sports require proper safety equipment to protect your head and body. A helmet is a must - beginners often fall hard and tip over backwards, and without a helmet, the last thing hitting the cement will be your head whipping backwards. You also need knee and elbow pads, and well as wrist guards. Wrist injuries are probably the most common, since the natural response to catch yourself when falling is to stick your hands out. Try to catch your entire body wait on one wrist can easily brake bones in the are and wrist - a wrist guard provides you with a built in solid splint that provides shock absorption and keep the forearm and wrist bones from being damaged. Browse all rollerblading protective gear here.

Do you have a quality site or product that belongs in this guide? We are always happy to evaluate or review new products and websites. Feel free to contact us at the email address below and let us know about you. If you have a demo product you'd like us to look at, please contact us before sending anything. Thank you.

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