This guide is meant to provide you with an organized and no-nonsense approach to skate shopping. It is intended for those readers with little or no knowledge of inline skates. As with all purchases, always visit Roller-Blades.net before buying. Shopping for inline skates is much like shopping for a car.
Your best bet is to go armed with information and to know what each skate feature means for you and your skating. If you go into the store without a clear goal in mind, you could easily end up getting something you don't want. So before you put a single big toe inside the store, answer these two questions first:
1. What type of skating will I want to do?
2. What's most important to me (in a skate)?
First thing which you must be aware is type of skating you want to do. You can do all sorts of things on skates: figure skating, hockey, ramps, stair riding, hills, speed skating, commuting to work or classes, and on and on.
Most of you will probably be looking at multi-purpose skates. These are sometimes labeled by the manufacturers as "cross-training/fitness" and "recreational". Another type of multi-purpose skate that has become very popular is the "aggressive" or "street" skates which are specifically designed for grinds, railslides, and other common skating tricks. These skates usually come with grind plates plastic or metal covers that go on the runners, smaller harder wheels, and rugged shells. Hockey Inline Skates are usually made of stitched leather and/or ballistic nylon, like those you see ice hockey players wear. Very few, if any, use a foam liner (although of course many players use recreational skates for hockey). Speedskates are typically made of leather and come with a long wheelbase to accommodate 5 wheels. Hence we are here at Roller-Blades.net to guide you through each aspect of buying tips of roller blades.
