Not sure if there are many inline skaters here, but I’m interested in any collective wisdom about what gear to upgrade first to improve comfort and speed on good surfaces. I have skated very occasionally but am now thinking about making it a 1-2x/week activity, at least during the summer.
I have crappy gear but decent fitness – using some old (circa 2000) rollerblade brand fitness skates with a 4x76 mm setup, wheels are old, bought from Amazon from a supplier that no longer exists, claim to be 89a hardness. Small wheels and low confidence stopping on downhills limits where I can skate but I’ve recently found a really good loop with smooth pavement, relatively flat, wide turns, low traffic – and did a marathon there in about 1:40 there this morning.
The boots still seem pretty comfortable to me, but I probably don’t know what I’m missing. Should I just upgrade to good 80mm wheels? Or wheels + bearings + axles? Or just scrap the Y2K gear and get some new tri skates with 100 or 110 mm wheels? Again, I’m looking for something that’s comfortable, a bit faster and slightly more stable when pushing 20+ mph, ideally for not too much $$.
Following to see if anyone else chimes in. I have a pair of inline speedskates from the late 90s, and your post has rejuvenated my interest. I haven’t put my skates on in years, but they are low cut race boots, with 5 x 80mm wheels. I knew that the standard for inline racing had gone to 4 x 100mm wheels, and now I see online that there are 3 x 125mm wheel setups too. My cursory online research seems to indicate that the bigger wheels are better for cracks and rough spots on pavement. Now I’m wondering if I can upgrade my old race boots with new 3 x125mm frames and wheels…
I don’t have a lot of personal experience, but my sister has done a couple of inline marathons. Her experience is that the larger wheels result in a smoother ride and a higher average speed. I asked, and she recommended nothing smaller than 100mm if I were buying now.
She recently switched from 82mm on a speed skater boot to 110mms on a similar boot, and she loves the bigger wheels. I come from k2 aggro skates, which I think had 56mm. The boot was super supportive, but the wheels were pretty harsh.
Can’t help a ton, but last year I picked up some used inline skates as my wife wanted new roller blades. 4x100mm wheels. She was scared at how fast they were. She ended up not using them and selling them to someone.
The bigger wheels roll better, roll over objects better, and last much longer. A 100mm wheel is a huge upgrade over 76mm or 80mm wheels.
Personally, I skate on 3x125. I race marathons competitively, and feel as though 3x125 is the fastest setup right now; however, they do feel a little less stable than 4x110 and in my experience they aren’t as good over cracks and rocks. That seems counter intuitive that they are worse on cracks and rocks, but that’s my experience. Some racers are going back to 110s, but I will stay on 125s. All of my personal best times in training and racing have been on 3x125, so i won’t switch back.
But, i do think that 4x110s were more “fun” because they were easier to skate in. Unless you are looking for every marginal gain, get 100s or 110s. They aren’t any more difficult to skate in than 76s, but you will be able to go faster, have a smoother ride, and you’ll probably enjoy skating more.
I’m old and 53 but I still have my original “Roller Blades” yes thats the company name I use to use them as cross training. I would wear a helmet and I also wore wrist guards. I would also probably wear knee pads, I do remember it was a great workout going up hill. I should get them out and try it again.
110 mm wheels or 125 is the way to go. I’d you’re serious about this sport, then it’s worth the money to get a good heat moldable boot. I have some Bont Vaypors and they are some of the most comfortable shoes/boots I have ever owned. Bont skate sizes are different so it takes care to get the right size.
Thanks for the suggestions, videos, and expertise! What’s your marathon PR?? Watching the pacelines and attacks in competitive inline skating is really interesting, so much like cycling.
My wife is looking into getting into inline skating for cross training. What would you recommend for an entry level pair of skates that would be good for non-recreational, aerobic, +1 long workouts?
Skating marathons? I only ever used mine for skateparks & ramps & such
I have watched some marathons. They’re like a crit. Tons of breakaways and the 5 or 6 I watched ended in bunch sprints.
I was inline skating earlier in the spring because I’m having a medical issue that is aggravated by sitting on a bike seat. I have an old pair of Salomon recreational skates, 82 mm I think. I did a 4x4 VO2 workout up a hill on the grounds of the local high school which has no traffic. It was a killer workout. Hopping back on the bike after skating a couple of weeks I felt fine.
Years ago there was group of inline skaters that would show up for cycling group rides. They would form a subgroup and work together to average 20+ MPH for more than 60 miles. They had no problem keeping up with the group.
My wife is looking into getting into inline skating for cross training. What would you recommend for an entry level pair of skates that would be good for non-recreational, aerobic, +1 long workouts?
Something like the K2 Mod is what i would recommend, which is a 4x110 skate.
Honestly, I don’t follow the cross-training type skates super closely. Just looking at a few websites, it looks like there is a big trend towards 3x110 or 3x100 instead of 4x100 and 4x110. I have a lot of experience on 4x100 and 4x110 and i liked them a lot. As i mentioned above, my 3x125s are faster but less fun and a little more difficult to skate in. It’s probably mostly because of the increased height rather than the decrease in number of wheels.
Since the major brands i trust (rollerblade, K2, and powerslide) are all trending toward the 3x110 and 3x100, i’d say that’s probably a good sign that the 3x110 and 3x100 skates are pretty easy to skate on. So that would be something like the Powerslide Swell or Rollerblade Macroblade. Sticking with one of those 3 brands and looking for something in the $200-$300 range will pretty much guarantee you get decent quality, long lasting, comfortable skates with pretty good wheels and bearings.
Something like the bont semi-race will get you into more of a speed-skate style but with a bit more ankle support. And it would be heat moldable. For most people, a higher boot will be easier to learn on. I wouldn’t trade my low cut speed boots for anything, but they are specifically built for my type of skating. If i was just out for fitness and fun and not speed, i’d buy the k2 mod.
Check out the Pro Berlin Marathon Inline Skating Videos on youtube. It’s sick.
Like olympic speed skating only no ice, and they draft and do all the normal race stuff…sprint finishes, taking pulls, big crashes. I would love to get into it, but nowhere to practice it in Japan
Just out of curiosity, how riskier is it compared to cycling? I’m just thinking you hit a rut, pothole, sand or pebble on the road and your toast. Can you really go out on country roads? Do you stay on bike trails?