How To Buy In-line Skates
In-line skating is a fun, healthy activity for people of all ages. The various types of in-line skates include
recreational, aggressive, speed and hockey.
Types of In-line Skates
There is a skate type for each style of skating and level of expertise. Recreational
- Designed for a leisurely rides in the park or around the neighborhood, and fitness activity
- Comfort and durability are priorities
- Usually made with a hard outer frame and a soft or hard boot
- Typically equipped with 4 wheels with a wheel size from 70-80 mm
Aggressive
- Designed for a skating style that includes stunts, jumping, riding rails, and half pipes
- Aggressive skates are designed to be very solid and sturdy
- Smaller, hard wheels provide maneuverability and durability
- Skates include special modifications to allow skaters to ride rails and ramps
Speed
- Lighter and less robust than recreational or aggressive skates
- A completely different skate designed strictly for fast skating
- Longer frames with a fifth wheel for more stability and longer strides
- Larger wheels enhance acceleration
- No braking system
Hockey
- Similar in style and construction to traditional ice hockey skates
- Very durable, with leather uppers and significant padding for protection
- Usually have a lace-up closure system
- Smaller wheels enhance turning ability
- Sometimes have--large wheels in back and smaller wheels in front--for control
- No braking system
Women's
- Designed with a wider forefoot, narrower heel, and higher instep
- Lower cut in the back accommodates a woman's calf
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Skate Construction
Each style of skate has a number of similar components.  Wheels In-line skating wheels are usually made of polyurethane, a molded compound that allows
for different thickness and wheel hardness.
- Size
- Typical wheel diameters are from 70-80 mm
- Larger wheels are designed for speed
- Smaller wheels are designed for maneuverability
- Styles
- Recreational skate wheels
- Recreational skates usually come with 70-72 mm wheels for a low, stable center of gravity
- Midsize wheels are 72-76
- Higher grade recreational skates come with larger wheels (up to 80 mm) to allow faster skating
- Hockey wheels
- The stability and maneuverability of smaller wheels are desirable to hockey players
- Hockey wheels tend to be more tapered than other wheels for better stability in a turn
- Fitness and cross-training wheels
- Agressive wheels
- Very small wheels (55-67 mm) are best for stunt skates
- Wheels this size are also very hard to withstand grinding and jumping
- Speed wheels
- These wheels are larger (78-80 mm) and to assist acceleration and energy return
- Race wheels have the thinnest profile of all wheels for more speed but less stability
- Changing your wheels
- To avoid excessive, uneven wear, they need to be rotated at least once a week, or after every use for agressive
skaters
- Wheels should be changed when they show excessive wear on all sides. Skating with worn wheels is unsafe.
- Hardness
- Wheel hardness is measured in durometers. Lower numbers indicate a softer wheel and higher
numbers indicate a harder wheel.
- Durometer is denoted by the suffix "A" (example - 80A)
- The typical recreational in-line skate wheel is 78A or 82A
- Softer wheels are good for winter and provide a softer ride.
- Harder wheels are better in the summer when the pavement is hot and the wheels tend to soften.
Frames
- Frames hold skate components in place
- Most recreational frames are made of aluminum alloy or nylon and fiberglass composites.
- Make sure the frames you select are designed for the type of skating you plan to do
- Metal frames are stiffer, faster, and lighter, but typically cost more
Uppers
- Materials
- Recreational skate uppers are usually made from synthetic materials that offer durability, comfort and
breathability
- Hockey skates are usually made of leather composites
- Liners
- Many boots contain a cushioning liner usually made of a foam material
- Sometimes reinforced along the toe and sides for protection (in hockey skates) or increased stability
- Hard shell
- Constructed of molded plastic and similar to a ski boot
- The lower half covers and protects the foot
- The upper half wraps around and supports the ankle
- The two halves are connected with a hinge system that allows the ankle and boot to flex forward naturally
- Soft boot
- Made with an external (and sometimes internal) plastic cuff to provide support, like a hiking boot
- Provide a good fit and performance
- Very breathable and lightweight
- Generally secured by laces
Bearings
- Bearings are the seven or eight balls at the center of each wheel
- Each bearing has an ABEC rating that indicates the precision of their manufacturing
- The higher the rating, the more precise the manufacture and the better the performance and speed
- The general ABEC range is ABEC-1, ABEC-3, ABEC-5
- Bearings are either serviceable or non-serviceable
-
Serviceable bearings have a metal shield with a removable "C" ring, or a plastic/rubber
type removable shield. These may be taken apart to be cleaned, lubricated or replaced.
-
Non-serviceable bearings have a metal shield that protects them. These only need to be
wiped off with a clean cloth.
- Bearings don't need to be cleaned after every use, but if they become wet, they should be cleaned and dried
- Never lubricate the outside of a bearing because that will attract dirt and contaminants
Brakes
- Most manufacturers offer different braking systems
- The most common form of braking system is a pad or cylinder on the rear wheel that stops movement by applying
pressure on the heel
- Hockey skates and speed skates normally do not include braking systems
- Most brake pads have a "wear line" that indicates how much performance is left in the brake. The brake pad
should be replaced before this wear line is reached.
- Some manufacturers do offer mechanical braking systems that make stopping easier to learn
Closures
- There are two primary forms of closure systems on in-line skates
- Buckles
- Found mostly on recreational skates
- Skates with buckle closures are the quickest to put on and take off
- The number of buckles varies from 2 to 5
- Laces
- Similar to regular shoe laces
- Less expensive than buckle closures, and offer a uniform closing
- Allows for more adjustment variations
- Usually found on hockey skates
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Determining Your Skate Size
- Determining your proper skate size is essential to a comfortable fit
- For the perfect fitting skates, see our Skate Size Chart before
making your purchase decision
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