from How To Inline Skate on 19 Apr 2017
Playlist – Beginner’s Guide to Inline Skating
How to choose inline skates – for beginners
From these four skates, in my opinion, there’s only one that’s not suitable for beginners.
Look at the orange one. It has a really long frame. That’s good for speed but requires skill to control. Therefore I do not recommend this one.
The one with green laces has the smallest wheels and the shortest frame. That’s really good for beginners … advanced skaters too for that matter … but keep in mind a few things.
It’s got a hard boot and stiff frame, and that’s great for technical stuff .. but maybe a bit overkill for a beginner?
And the hard boot increases the chance of blisters, sweaty feet … you know .. those kind of things … so it’s not necessarily the best choice.
The yellow skate with three wheels, also called triskate, is fine. However they usually come with either 100mm wheels, 110mm or 125. I recommend 100mm as that puts you
lower to the ground and is easier to control.
The gray skate has 84mm wheels and that’s also a good choice, perhaps even better.
Now I wouldn’t obsess too much about these differences. 80mm, 84 or triskates with 100mm – all are just fine.
You may even buy hockey skates or freestyle skates with rockered wheels. …don’t worry, it’s okay…
What really IS IMPORTANT though … is the fit.
Lots of people buy skates that don’t fit their feet very well and they end up with blisters and pain.
So if anything … just choose the skate that fits your foot the best.
Before buying a pair of skates, just go the local shop, try on several skates, take your time and pick the ones that fits just perfect.
I prefer using socks that are not too thin and not too thick. Just normal socks.
Put on the skate. Make sure the heel is all the way back. Tie the laces. And buckle up.
Your toes shall not push hard against the front of the skates, nor shall there be much free space in front.
You know … it’s like trying on shoes.
But just as important. Make sure there are no pressure points. And especially no point where the skate will rub against your foot.
If this happens you may have to throw away your skates pretty soon .. so please … make sure you pick the best fit for your foot.
PRICE & QUALITY
Good news! Cheap skates may be good enough for you.
Expensive skates may actually roll so fast that a beginner cannot control speed.
What I mean is, when you first learn to skate you’ll soon be able to accelerate to high speeds. But controlling those speeds is not easy.
…
Therefore cheap skates will actually be safer because they are slower.
And don’t worry; even with the cheapest skates you’ll anyway be faster than if you were wearing shoes.
On the other hand, cheap skates are not very durable. So if you expect to skate a lot, maybe better invest in a bit more expensive skates that will last longer.
And also on cheap skates the frames and boots are softer, which reduces power transfer etc
As a beginner you may not notice that but soon you’ll reach a level where you’d benefit from higher quality.
So… to summarize … yes, you can buy cheap skates … no problem … but if you can afford it, consider going a bit up in price.
Then your skates will last longer and they’ll be fine even for more advanced stuff – which I’m sure you’ll soon be able to do.