The Right Skate For You

These skates embody the everyday spirit of inline skating. With this type of skate you can hit the trails, commute to and from work, explore the city, or really make the most of your imagination. These skates vary in both wheel size and boot construction.

As a general rule of thumb, smaller wheels offer superior control and maneuverability, whereas bigger wheels offer greater top-end speed and distance with every stride. Soft-boot skates are a more lightweight option, well suited to experienced casual skaters, since the majority of the boot is made from flexible fabric. Hard-boot skates are primarily constructed from plastic and/or carbon fibre, which makes these skates more supportive, responsive, and durable than their soft- boot counterpart. We like to recommend hard-boot skates for most skaters because they offer the most support and control, which in turn brings about superior performance. We do not recommend soft-boot skates for beginners or skaters over 150 lbs because of their minimal support.

Traditional Skatepark/ Aggressive skates have a higher cuff and a removable liner and they are characterized by the skate's wide base which is known as a soul plate which allows the user to grind but the added width combined with the smaller wheels on the skate makes them less suitable for recreational skating.

Two common wheel setups for aggressive skates are 'Anti-Rocker' or 'Flat'. 'Antirocker' setups come with 4 smaller plastic or harder urethane 'antirocker' grind wheels total 4 urethane wheels making grinding on rails or ledges easier. 'Flat' setups come with 8 urethane wheels all in the same size/ diameter, grinds require more precision but the overall skating experience is improved.

The inline skates falling within the Speed category combine a minimal, lightweight boot with a relatively large wheel-base in order to maximize speed and efficiency. Larger diameter wheels, typically ranging from 90mm to 110mm, are able to better carry momentum over a greater distance. Lower-profile cuffs minimalize ankle support, enhancing articulation and flex and allowing for a lower and more aerodynamic stride technique.

These skates are designed around creating a skating experience that allows you to maximize the distance traveled with each stride with minimal loss of energy. As such, these skates are neither maneuverable nor particularly supportive, making them an unsuitable option for beginners. Moreover, the larger wheels place the skater higher from the ground, further reducing stability, which requires greater ankle strength and balance.

These skates perform best on trails, paths, enclosed tracks, and open roads. On these unobstructed pathways skaters are able to experience a very rhythmic and methodical stride. Long distances can be covered with ease by simply maintaining a constant unchanging stride.

When choosing options from the Speed collection, the most important aspect is determining the appropriate wheel size. More often than not a 90mm wheel set up is more than sufficient, as this type of set up offers the best combination of speed and control, without overly limiting maneuverability. 100mm and 110mm set ups are typically best suited to experienced and specialized skaters.

Freeride skates offer a high level of support coupled with precision control and maneuverability. Generally freeride skates are hard boots with a high supportive cuff equipped with a comfortable liner, powerful shock absorber and 80-84mm wheels. The ease in which one is able to accelerate or decelerate efficiently in tight spaces makes them perfect for an urban environment. Furthermore Freeride skates allow skaters to see the city and re-imagine it as their personal playground, whether you're weaving through a sea of people or jumping over obstacles these skates are right there with you.

Freestyle slalom skating is the practice of skating through cones, often while performing intricate maneuvers while traversing the line of cones or speeding through the cones on one foot. These skates generally use a very supportive shell and a smaller wheel / shorter frame base to maximize control and maneuverability. Elements of dance and artistic expression are often involved, and these skates can be used to incorporate those elements into your skating outside the cones!

Many slalom skaters will "rocker" their wheels, putting smaller wheels in the front and back to decrease the surface area of the wheels touching the ground which increases maneuverability and allows the skates to pivot more easily. Traditionally, this will involve decreasing the size of the 1st and 4th position wheels by 4mm. Rockered Frames will have this effect built into the frame, so changing wheel size is not necessary.