How to choose roller skates

Choosing the right roller skates depends on various factors. The most important one is choosing correct boot type, next is quality/performance level and also the purpose for what you will be using the skates. We will take a deep dive and take a look on these factors, so you will be able to make a much better informed decision. 

Choosing rollerskates based on boot type

Its obvious that the most important part of choosing your new rollerskates will be the boot type. Same as with inline skates, the boot can affect the way the whole skate is reacting, how stable it is and it can also affect the overall performance.

Rollerskating with figure skating boot

Raised heel of figure skating boots makes the lean forward much mure and that makes them more agile. With this type of skate it is much easier to dance on skates, do turns and other tricks. On the other hand, it is OK to use these skates also for recreational skating. They will serve you very good also if you are not a deep-rooted dancer. 

You also get much more possibilities regarding how you actually tighten the boot thanks to the higher cut. Ankle support is compared to a regular sneaker boot much higher. On the other hand, ankle suport is not necessary. As the wheels are in two rows, there is no risk of your ankles falling inside, which usually happens with inline skates. 

Rollerskates equipped with figure skating boots are made from different materials, for example from PU leather or also from real leather and they also differ based on the stiffness and the amount of support, but we will dig deep later in this article.

Roller Skates, those are the ones that clip on to a sneaker? Do you have similar memories when it comes to roller skates? Or do you belong to the younger generation that thinks roller skates are the cool part of retro? Be it as it may, the selecion is extra wide and it may not be easy to find your way around it. Sit back, fasten your seat belts and get ready. We will take you and roller skates on a journey with a real time machine.

Rollerskates with sneaker style or low cut boot

Sneaker style boot has a lower cut than a figure skating boot. You will not get so much support as with figure skating boots, but thanks to wheels being placed in two rows, extra support is not so necessary. Lower cut makes them ideal for regular and recreational skating. This type of boot is usually also wider. More performance oriented boots are always stiffer for much better energy transfer. Leather boots tend to be able to adjust to the foot shape after braking in much better too. 

Rollerskates with an adjustable boot

Adjustable boots are with rollerskates much less usual and we don't recommend them in general. They tend to be too cheap combining a plastic boot with a plasticlow quality plate  or they include a sketchy functioning adjustable system. A better compromise in this case would be going for larger boot size which will be still wearable for a child and they could grow in the skates gradually. 

 

Choosing rollerskates based on quality and performance

Category for less than 150EUR  

Basic rollerskates which are ideal for all beginners, juniors and less advanced riders. They will also serve to everyone who does not want to spend too much on new skates.  Basically all major brands have dipped their toes in this category. You can get them from Moxi, Rio Roller, Chaya or Impala. Level of stiffness and material of boot differs from brand to brand and important factor in skate performance is often also material of which trucks and plates are made. 

Skate category with plate made of nylon and aluminium trucks 

The most popular and reliable category. Thanks to nylon material, the skates offer good shock absorption and also optimal power transfer. Higher quality skates have usually plate with fiberglass reinforced materials for more durability and stifness. On top of  that, aluminium trucks just add more rigidity and power transfer. Combination of aluminium trucks and nylon plates has also great weight / performance ratio. 

Skate category with aluminium plate and trucks

Performance wise this category is pretty similar to the one above. Especially if the first category has a fiberglass reinforced plate. Rollerskates equiped with aluminium plate and trucks should have better power transfer and the other hand, they will weigh more.

Skate category with  nylon/plastic trucks and plates (basic category)

Least stiffness and least performance oriented skate category. They can look pretty similar to the other categories, but usually they are meant for juniors and kids. They will not serve adult skaters for long and because of the lack of stiffnes, the power transfer will be not sufficient for adult skaters. On the other hand, they are much lighter which makes the skates even better for junior / kid skaters. 

Category for more than 150EUR  

You can find much higher quality skates in this category. Higher budget makes them much more suitable for adults, who want to take on rollerskating more seriosly. You can find here skates equipped with nylon plates and aliminium trucks and also aluminium trucks with aluminium plates combination. Some higher end model can be even equiped with a titanium plate for extra stiffnes and lightness. Most popular brands which represent this category are Riedell, Moxi or Jackson.  There might be differences base on boot type/material too. 

Boots made of PU leather

This type of boot usually do not need any "break-in" time and it does not tend to adjust through time too much. For this reason, they are usually more stiff, so they give skaters extra suppport. Great example is Moxi Brand with their Beach Bunny model. The boot itself does not tend to adjust over time that much, so to give optimal support, it has to be a bit stiffer. PU boots are not that scratch resistant too. But on the other hand the overal quality of this type is pretty similar to the leather type. 

Boots made of real leather

Real leather rollerskating boots can be less stiff as they tend to adjust over time. Some break in time is required also. Good example is Moxi Lolly, which is extra soft around the ankle area. The boot itself has a narower shape, which is not a problem as it will adjust overtime. Different scenario might be Moxi Jack, which is durable, made of real leather but as it is meant for skatepark, its much stiffer for that extra support. Real leather is much more durable against regular scratches. 

Choosing the skates based on purpose of use

Beside the quality, material and boot type, in the end choosing the skates based on what you are going to use them for, is pretty important too. Thats why you should notice the skates technical specifications too. 

Rollerskates for dancing

If you want to dance on your skates, you will do best, if you will go for a skate boot with a raised heel (figure skating boot). Thanks to it, the skates will be much more agile and dance tricks will be much easier. When buying new skates, you can consider going for jam plugs instead of regular toe stops, as those tend to get in the way when dancing.

Roller derby rollerskates

They usually have lowe cut boot. You should notice also their wheel type, which depends from the surface which you will be skating on. If you are just starting your rollerskating journey, a basic model such as Riedell R3 will be sufficient for you. If you will serious about this sport, you can upgrade with some of the leather boots equiped with higher quality plates and trucks. 

Skatepark rollerskates

For this type of rollerskates, there is no specific boot type. In general, the boot should be stiffer. Good example might be Moxi Jack model, which combines stiff and raised heel figure skating boot.  Pretty popular are also sneaker type boots. 

Good adition can be also sliding blocks like CIB blocks, which will allow you to grind rails and obstacles. 

Recreational rollerskates

In general, here its not important. You can use also sneaker type and also figure skating boot for recreational skating. If you have no specific needs, its also probable, that you will not need real leather boots. On the other hand, dont go for the extra cheap skates as adult, as those are usually meant just for kids and juniors and you will not have as much fun skating, as you could have.  

Choosing the skates based on the wheel size

If you are choosing your new skates, you obviously do not have to modify your choice based on the wheels size, as you can switch them later, but in general, its pretty good to know how the wheel size will affect the skating propertioes of the skates. The hardness of the wheels affectrs also the riding properties. In general most of our models come with outdoor wheels, as there are no indoor rinks available and the extra hard ones are usually meant for the US roller rinks. 

65mm diameter

Biggest diameter available. Works the same as with inline skates, so the bigger the wheel the faster and also less agile. 

62mm diameter

Good compromise between agility and speed. A lot of rollerskates come equiped with 62mm.

57mm and 58mm diameter

Belongs to smaller diamets. Ideal when you want to take on dancing on skates.