When choosing the best roller skates, what makes a great pair? In this article i’m going to consider the answer to this question. The answer really ‘depends’. It really depends on what you want from your skates as the skater – what will you be doing with them, where will you be skating, what level of skater are you? Let’s get into the details!
Best roller skates – first of all what level of skater are you?
When trying to find the best roller skates, an essential question which you must answer first, and be realistic about, is what level of skater are you? Are you just starting out? Are you an experienced skater? Do you already know you love and enjoy skating or is it something you may try and put down again? If you are a beginner skater, there are some things you will need to bear in mind when choosing the best roller skates:
- The size of the wheels should not be too small or hard – small hard wheels can cause you to roll very fast and they have less grip. Grip is especially important when you are just learning as you want to have more control over turning and stopping. A softer wheel will also help you to absorb bumps as you go, like shock absorbers.
- You will likely need toe stops which are adjustable or fixed low, close to the ground. Beginner skaters will benefit from having toe stops which are low as it can give them more stability – they are able to use the toe stops very quickly in danger with them being closer to the floor. If you have a shorter wheel base this can help the skater with stabiliy too.
- You will likely want a boot which is strong and provides lots of ankle support and which is comfortable. There is no sense in trying to learn to skate in skates which are uncomfortable and provide no support to your ankles.
- More experienced skaters would be better suited to a slightly harder wheel, higher toe stops, and even more ankle support – especially if they are going to be doing tricks at the skate park!
For the details components of these beautiful skates I created with a picture editor, please see the following link:
Time for another beautiful skate set up! – Sophia Blogs
Where will you be skating?
OK, so the next thing to consider is the places you will be skating. It will definitely be necessary to determine where you will be spending most of your time skating, in order to get the best roller skates for your unique situation. For example, if you are planning to be skating long distances along beach paths and park paths, a pair of skates with larger, softer wheels, may be more suitable. However, if you are going to be spending more time at the skate park, a pair of skates with smaller wheels and slightly harder ones, may be more suitable. If you spend a lot of time dance skating in an arena, you may be less fussed about toe stops – because you may need jam plugs instead. You can find out more about jam skating here:
What types of skating will you be undertaking?
Will you be attending the skate park? You will want a pair of skates with a sturdy boot, perhaps fully adjustable in the interests of adding grinding blocks for example. If you know you want to dance in the skates, then a different style again will be needed. Perhaps you would like to learn figure skating? Figure skating has it’s own style of boot, all on it’s own. They have specialised plates and wheels to allow a skater to do specialist tricks on their skates, and very strong ankle supports.
I hope this article gave you some ideas to think about before purchasing your skates or trying to find the ‘best skates’ for your situation.
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