Hello everyone,
As a former ice hockey player, I’m considering getting inline skates for my commute to work. However, I’m a bit unsure about which type to choose, especially since the pavement and roads in my area vary in quality.
Could you please recommend a suitable type of skate?
Thanks!
How much are you willing to spend?
Boot: If you’re skating on roads, there’s no ambiguity - get a hard boot. The adjustment from ice skates won’t take long and it’s a much more pleasant experience.
Mounting system: id say avoid trinity mount if you can. It reduces your options for changing your frames later on - 165 and UFS are more common
Wheel configuration: this is the Goldilocks decision for all skaters. Every config has pros/cons and there’s no “right” choice. If you’re planning to rec skate on roads, get at least 80mm wheels and dont get a slalom rocker. Beyond that it’s up to you. Your main options are (1) 4x flat, (2) 3x flat and (3) 4x “wizard rocker”. 4x flat is the classic. feels the most stable, but takes more work to manuver if you get 84mm or above size wheels. 3x flat let’s you get big wheels and still be manuverable, but puts you higher off the ground which makes it harder to balance. 4x “wizard rocker” means your front and back wheels are about 1mm off the ground, which let’s you get bigger wheels but still maneuver very easily, however these are slightly less stable at high speed.
I stret skate in a big city. I started with flat 4x84 then moved to 4x90 wizard (endless 90 frames). I skate my endless frames exclusively now, but i have had to adapt how I carve at high speed going downhill.
As for wheels and bearings: tldr bearings don’t really matter, and for wheels get 85A hardness and buy good expensive ones. You’ll notice a big feel and speed difference and they will last longer.
If you lmk your price range I can give some specific product recs! Happy skating!