Inline skates (Rollerblade)

I am thinking about buying some inline skates (Rollerblade) for exercise but have no idea what to look for. I keep reading ads and details but it's hard for me to know what is just marketing and what is important when trying to compare different products. If you have specific brands or more importantly features that I should be considering then your advice will be greatly appreciated. Also anyone doing this for exercise? What do you think?

Always remember that you get what you pay for. Expect to pay a minimum of about $100 for a decent pair. Go to a sporting goods store... not KMart or Walmart... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon6.gif ... or better still, some kind of store that specializes in skateboards and "wheeled" stuff. They can best advise you. You probably don't want something that is fast. I made the mistake of getting new wheels for mine that were meant for speed. My butt suffered from that poor decision... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/oops.gif Likewise, you don't want wheels that make you struggle with each "skate". You're starting off so go for a mid-grade wheel. Believe it or not there is a muscle in front of your ankle... just above where your foot connects to your leg... above the "bend". I didn't know this until I was in severe pain from using that muscle and the front of my leg swelled up. Tightening the skate is NOT the answer!!! LOOSEN it... just a little until you are comfortable. Remember that as far as you skate in one direction, you have to skate that far to come back. So don't skate out until you're sucking wind and your ankles and legs won't go any further... 'cuz now you gotta skate back. Start slow. Work on balance. And remember that you're not on rollerskates... you're on blades. Push off to the side... use your arms in rythem... swing them back and forth... don't get ahead of yourself. And learn how to STOP! Only one skate has a "brake" on the back. Learn what it does and how it works when you apply it. WEAR KNEE PADS, ELBOW PADS AND WRIST GUARDS!!!! ... doesn't matter how goofy you think you look... you'll appreciate them when you go down... and you WILL go down! I loved rollerblading back when I had time for that and I was up to skaing 4 miles a day without sucking wind a couple years ago. It's really great cardiovascular and works wonders on the butt, thighs, calves and believe it or not... waist... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I have been blading since those things hit the streets...I'm not that old. If you are just starting out definately wear pads, or at lease wrist guards. I would look into some Salamon, Rollerblade, Roces or K2. I have owned different pairs of all those brands. I have taught a lot of friends to blade, they all used my old pair or roces and really liked them. If you are not sure on size, you can always try a pair on at a store and see where your size is with that brand. Always aim at getting ABEC 5 bearings, aluminum chassis (which are cheap now unlike they used to be). Buckles are much quicker than laces and don't untighten. Don't buy more blade than you can skate, just get something you can learn on then upgrade if you like it. I use 5 wheel skates but would steer you away from those until you have had a good amount of experience, there is no brake on 5 wheelers usually. Check out http://www.Skates.com, they always have excellent clearance deals. I would look for something in the Fitness section, they always seem to be a better skate, make sure your wheels are 76-80mm, those are for longer distance skates. Good luck.

Thanks for the advice. I went to Big 5 and bought a pair of Victor 960s. I asked the salesman some questions and he talked me into going the semi cheap route (79.00 on sale) in till I find out if this is something that I will get into. I copied and pasted a short description bellow but from what little I now know they appear to be good quality for what I'm going to use them for. If someone thinks I got ripped off please let me know before I scuff them up and I will take them back.

This looks like it could be a lot of fun but after putting the skates on I know I'm going to bust my butt. I feel like a fish out of water and trying to stop is crazy. Going up hill is just as hard as stopping; I just need to get the swing of this some how. I think professional lessons may be need before I kill myself. Sasha your right these are not the skates that I grew up with. I did buy all the pads and yes I will use them.

Description.
The Victor 960 I239. The boot is black with red and grey accents. It has laces, a powerstrap, and a buckle. The bearings are Bevo ABEC7. The wheels are 84mm Labeda Formula Z. The frame is aluminum with a recessed cavity which allows you to use 84mm wheels and still have a low center of gravity.

Just a couple of things to keep in mind before you start:

1) Small rocks and debris in your path are BIG problems for you.
2) Wet is baaaad - you have no control and usually fall if you try to change direction.
3) Small hills = BIG SPEED. I have actually passed traffic on roadways marked with 50 mph speed limits that were seemingly average downhill grades. You DON'T want to bail at that speed unless you are wearing a full body kevlar suit....and then you still don't want to do it.
4) Also keep in mind what waits at the bottom of your 'small hill' before you go down it. If there's a roadway where you don't have great visibility in both directions at the bottom, think twice about taking that hill. Trust me, you aren't going to be able to lean into the turn hard enough at 30 or 40 mph to keep from shooting out into the street by the time you hit the bottom of that hill ( it's no fun; trust me; I've done it ).

5) Have a LOT OF FUN !!! Just watch out for the few seemingly innoccuous things that can cause you to get injured or dead real quick and you can have an absolutely GREAT time ! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


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I just saw what bearings and wheels you are using - all I can say is 'hold on to your britches'. I did that 50+ mph run on 82mm wheels with measily ABEC 5's. You can get going very fast, very quickly on that setup and ABEC 7's don't generally provide enough rolling resistance to slow you down that much ( like the lower quality bearings do ). Having a good degree of rolling resistance when you get started is a good thing, as stopping on rollerblades is a lot harder an d takes a lot longer than doing so on ice skates. If you have trouble controlling your speed you might want to consider temporarily downgrading from your 'Formula 1' bearings and wheels to something a little smaller and crappier ( on purpose ). Like maybe 72 mm wheels ( if your frame can handle that size ) and the absolute crappiest bearings you can find. Once you've gotten the hang of those and have accidentally destroyed them from going through dirt and puddles you can go and slap that high performance stuff back on your blades and enjoy them the right way.

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You might also want to consider 'rockering' your wheels to make it easier to turn while you're learning. Some frames allow you to do this using the same size wheels by mounting them slightly lower in the center 2 wheel slots on your frames - others require that you simply buy two larger center, or smaller tip wheels for each skate. This allows you to produce a 'curved' rolling radius with your wheels instead of a flat one produced by a non-rocker'ed configuration and allows you to turn much easier.

best way to learn how to manuver in skates? pick up a hockey stick. it'll help you keep your knees bent, and balance forward. all while making you not think about balancing yourself.

you will fall, but wear your protective gear, and fer chrissakes - take the flashlights out of your pockets. you might end up hurting something important.