What are the best rollerblades / inline skates for beginners?

I used to rollerskate a lot - on the old 4 wheel / front stop boots - and a few years ago decided to give blading a go. I got some really good Salomons on sale, but they were just way too fast! I%26#039;m used to having to push off to go anywhere, and these things had a life of their own...





I%26#039;m ready to get back in the saddle now... Can anyone recommend some SLOW, EASY blades / inline skates for a newbie? I want to start with something I can control easily, and work from there...





Thanks!

What are the best rollerblades / inline skates for beginners?
With a quad skating background, I doubt that it will be all that long before you are comfortable. It took me a few hours in a safe location to get comfortable. It was quite memorable when I got comfortable enough to quit thinking of the differences and accidently tried to stop by dragging my toe. Fortunately it wasn%26#039;t an emergency. The brake on inlines skates will stop you much faster than the old toe stops.





I would suggest going for some decent skates. The two major brands (in the US) are Rollerblade and K2. They both make good skates. If you really want them to be slow, there are reasonably easy ways to do that.


I recommend looking for skates that can use 80mm or larger wheels. Once you become comfortable on skates, you will enjoy that they roll better.


Aluminum frames are better than plastic ones.





Also pick up some safety gear.





Hits to the head are rare but can be quite horrible. I have known people with slight headaches, one that lasted for months, and one person who died. (those were all people without a helmet on, I have only heard of one injury of a person with a helmet on. That one was in a race, hitting a sharp corner after comming down a hill)


For normal skating (no stunts), a bicycle helmet is good.





Wrists and knees are not as drastic of injuries (primarily scrapes) but happen more often.





If you are uncomfortable with the balance at first, try standing and walking, on carpeting or dry grass. (wet grass will destroy your bearings, giving you VERY slow skates).





If you live in an area with a local club they may be able to get you started. I have taught many beginners.





If you still want to slow the skates down, the easiest way is probably to take a nail and punch in the shield on the side of a few bearings slightly. It will rub on the bearings and slow you down. It is also reversible when you don%26#039;t need the %26quot;help%26quot;. You only need one sheild on each bearing, just turn the open side to the inside.


If your bearings only have one shield (or you want to open a few up), just pack a little grease in a few bearings and they will slow way down. That is also reversible. I found some really poor bearings with heavy grease in them and used four of them to slow down skates for a friend that had skated before an auto accident injured the balance section of her brain. Just standing on skates was a problem for her and she never became comfortable. Even riding a bicycle was a problem for her.
Reply:Thank you! I%26#039;ll be looking up those makes on-line and will try out your tips : ) Report It




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