How to buy roller skates

Most grownups today probably think of rollerskating as a fond childhood memory, or maybe associate it with an old Melanie song. But skating remains a thriving hobby/sport, and to get back into it, you’ll need to buy some new skates. Many advancements in rollerskate design have been made since you were a kid. You have a wide variety of choices depending on what kind of skater you are: speed skates, outdoor skates, artistic skates and children’s skates.

Speed skates

Young people favor speed skates for social skating at the local roller rink. Skaters remove their toe stops and replace them with jam plugs. The complete flap over the front of the skate and laces is a big hit with jam skaters. Fashion colors and designs are popular. Speed skates come in quad and inline skates. Quad skates are regaining popularity after years of taking a backseat to inline skates. They are easier to maneuver and more comfortable for casual skating, as opposed to the inline skate, which is built for covering ground fast, in a straight line.

Some Quad Speed Skates

Artistic skates

Artistic or figure skates, are for dance skating. Freestyle skates offer the same type of boots and models as freestyle ice skates, providing both freedom and support for dance skaters’ jumps and spins. Some skaters prefer leather boots for the ankle support they provide in athletic maneuvers. With their more advanced technology and wheels, freestyle skates can cost several hundred dollars.

Some Freestyle Roller Skates

The dance roller skate is similar to the freestyle skate but allows the skater more flexibility so as to make deeper edges in turns. The toe stop will often be replaced with a dance plug when necessary. Special wheels are required for dance skates. Figure skates should be more rigid and tight, so as not to allow any movement in the skate during the action, and will be set up to roll as far as possible with ease.

Some Aristic Roller Skates

Outdoor skates

Outdoor skates can be either high-top or low-top like tennis shoe or sneaker skates and are especially popular among women for the fashion chocies they offer. But any roller skate will be able to adapt to outdoor skating when you have an outdoor wheel. You’ll need to change wheels for a move to indoor skating, or else you’ll find you’re not going as far or as fast as you’d like in the rink. Another skate which is definitely gaining popularity with many adults is the outdoor quad skate, which can be used on a variety of surfaces.

Some Outdoor Skates

Children’s skates

Children’s skates are made to go slower so that kids can learn to skate without moving faster than their skills. You can buy children’s skates your local rink or online, but don’t expect to find good quality skates in retail stores. Children’s roller skates should cost between $45 to $65. As with any other shoe purchase, you should buy one size larger than your child’s shoe size to allow their feet to grow.