Safety Is Sexy?
Anyone thats watched 'Whip It' will know what I mean. Is safety sexy? Well maybe? But using your noggin & looking after your body & protecting yourself from injury is definitely sensible. Plus if your broken you cant really skate which is definitely no fun! We’ve answered some common questions when it comes to buying & fitting pads.
]]>Anyone thats watched 'Whip It' will know what I mean. Is safety sexy? Well maybe? But using your noggin & looking after your body & protecting yourself from injury is definitely sensible. Plus if your broken you cant really skate which is definitely no fun! We’ve answered some common questions when it comes to buying & fitting pads.
Do skaters really wear this stuff, won’t I look stupid?
Nah, most people wear pads these days, especially with the growing popularity of roller derby its become second nature for many skaters to wear pads all the time (skating not around the house!) You also become braver when you’re wearing them so it’s easier to chuck yourself into learning new skills.
You have to think long term also, do you want to be active when you’re older? Looking after your body now will make life easier when you get there. Humans aren’t made very well, we break & bruise & we have a tendency to malfunction quite often, so look after your body before shit happens to it. Let’s face it, self preservation is a thing & it just makes sense to look after yourself.
Ok so do I have to spend a fortune & are the pricey ones worth it?
In a nutshell no you don’t have to spend a fortune if you can't afford it, cheap pads are better than no pads, but investing in good pads is definitely worth it. Generally they will last you much longer than cheaper pads will & the more expensive ones go through a better design process & have far better padding & technology to make them which ultimately protects you better when you fall, which keeps you skating far longer. Remember you can't skate & have fun if your broken!
Cheap triple pad sets are ok for the money & are essentially better than wearing nothing but they don’t offer a very good level of protection & rarely fit well either. People aren't often the same size throughout the body so you often find some of the pads don’t fit particularly well. If you like the colours of some of the triple pad sets make sure to invest in some of the decent brands like 187 Killer, Smith Scabs & Triple8.
Which pads should I avoid?
Thats an easy one, mainly cheap ones & the super basic pads that come from sports chain stores, they fit terribly & don’t have good padding & usually way too much elastic causing them to fit badly & slip down. The worst culprits are the 'pads', if you can call them that, that have kids tv characters on, they’re usually incredibly thin & no better than a bit of cardboard with a plastic cap on them, they might protect you from scrapes & grazes - if by some miracle they stay in place, but won’t protect from serious internal joint injuries & your never too young to do serious damage to yourself. Also try not to buy second hand & NEVER buy a second hand helmet, with each impact you have the padding compresses & you won't know how many falls they have taken before you use them, but your knees will notice when you land on them & they aren't as protected as they should be.
Ok so I’ve got knee pads, elbow pads & wrist guards, which are the most important pads?
To be honest its fairly close between your knees & wrists. You don’t tend to go down on your elbows so much but thats not to say it doesn’t or won't happen. Your wrists & knees tend to be what makes the most contact with the floor when you fall & will certainly take the most weight of any impact, so its really important to wear good pads to protect them well. It varies depending on what sort of skating you are doing, derby skaters tend to invest in knees & wrist guards more than anything as there are a lot of knee falls
How should they fit when I first get them?
Pads should feel tight/snug when they’re new & probably stiff for a while too. As you sweat in them they will loosen up so its important they fit tight enough when they are new so that they don’t end up too big once they have broken in.
Won’t the bulky knee pads hinder my skating?
No, but they will protect your knees amazingly. Derby skaters often say they're like 'landing on kittens'. *insert laughing/horrified face here ;)
Newer skaters worry that they won’t be able to do crossovers with thick pads but it’s very unlikely. As you crossover the back leg does the under push so you have plenty of room no matter your pad size to crossover well. If anything they might encourage you to do wider crossovers which will give you more power & speed.
What about my head? What should I be looking for in a helmet?
Helmets are super important. Think of it this way, you only have one brain & you can't have a new one.
Ideally your skate helmet should be at least dual certified to bike & skateboard standards, CPSC for bicycle helmet standard & ASTM F1492 for skateboard helmet standard. The dual certification means they are designed to be used for more than one sport & means they have undergone rigorous testing in the development stage to make sure thgey are safe for those activities. By law bicycle helmets MUST meet the CPSC standard to be sold in the USA, if they meet this standard they can be sold for skating & cycling, but the same law does not apply to just skate helmets, there currently isn't a law that says skateboarding helmets must meet any standard at all. But when its your brain at risk we suggest making sure your helmet has all the bells & whistles.
The advatage to getting a dual certified helmet is that the CPSC bycicle helmet standard test line is lower in the front than the F1492 skateboard standard which has a lower test lione in the back, so a dual certified helmet will have to protect your head more overall to meet both these test requirements.
]]>A lot of people say they feel silly for asking but don't, we have ALL been there. When you first get into skating you get your skates & think great I'm all set off I go, then you start thinking about upgrading to new wheels & looking at what is available the confusion sets in with all the info like; indoor wheels & outdoor wheels, numbers (we'll get to that), sizes (& that too) little letters after the numbers (& get to this too!) Your heads in a spin & no better off than when you started! So here's some info to help explain it all.
I'm purposely trying to keep it fairly simple rather than over explain or go into hugely in depth details to try & make it easier. There is a huge amount of personal preference with wheels also, what one skater loves another may hate, hopefully this will help you choose what's right for you.
I'm just starting out & I've just bought new skates but the wheels don't spin much & seem slow, what can I do?
Not to worry this actually has an easy fix, just take your skate tool (or a spanner/socket wrench) & loosen the nut off, not too much, a quarter turn of the tool or less will be enough. If they still feel slow its likely the bearings. A lot of new & beginners recreation skates bearings come with sealed bearings which are full of thick grease. This protects them from the elements but leaves them gunky inside & they don't tend to spin freely. You can help them with bearing lubricant dripped in via the tiny gaps in the shields. Pop a couple of drops on each bearing & spin/rotate them in your fingers (or even still in the wheels will work) to help it work its way in. They should roll/spin much better after doing this.
Surely wheels are just wheels? Aren't all wheels the same?
Not really no, most recreational skates generally come with outdoor wheels on they can be used indoors as well though.
Can’t I just pick by a colour I like?
Sometimes you can depending on the type of wheel & the wheel brand & if they make multiple duro wheels in multiple colours, for outdoor wheels this is definitely possible, but for a lot of wheel brands & especially harder wheels the different colour equates to a certain duro hardness. What you don’t want to do is choose a wheel based on a colour you like & then find they are totally unsuitable for the floor you skate on.
Ok great so what do the numbers & little letter mean?
The numbers & letter is referring to the hardness or durometer or duro for short. They are measured with either a D or an A after the numbers, the D rating scale is for wheels made from rubber & the A rating scale is for wheels made from urethane. Most wheels will use the A scale. The higher the number the harder the wheel & the lower the number the softer the wheel. Quad wheels generally start around 78a & go up to around 103a.
So what's the difference between indoor & outdoor wheels?
Most beginner skate set ups come with outdoor wheels as standard. Its generally skates like roller derby skates & higher end artistic skates that come with hard indoor wheels. Most outdoor wheels will be marked 78a, some are 85a, a nice soft wheel for outdoor is best as the softness & grippyness act like a shock absorber & will give you much smoother roll outside where you skate on rougher & bumpier surfaces. You can skate inside with outdoor wheels, they will just feel quite grippy/sticky & you won't have as much speed as harder wheels will give.
Indoor wheels are harder to give you more speed & slide & also to help with giving just the right amount of grip to do different footwork skills with ease, trying to do plow stops on outdoor wheels is going to be much harder than attempting them on harder indoor wheels, hard wheels will allow you to slide & grip where you need allowing you to stop with ease. Skating outside on harder wheels will be very bumpy as they won't absorb any of the vibrations from skating on a rough surface & also may not do your nice indoor wheels any good.
Ok great, so what about the sizes? Why are there different size wheels?
Standard wheel size is generally 62mm x 44mm. The 62mm is the diameter & the 44mm is the width. Smaller wheels may be 59mm x 38mm. You can also get some wheels in 62mm x 38mm, they'll usually be sold as a slim wheel. They are poplar with newer roller derby skaters who are doing contact for the first time & are concerned about wheels clashing with other close by skaters on track. Some outdoor wheels may be around 65mm. Wheels for skate park skating are usually around 55mm - 59mm. Some children skates come with smaller wheels to fit the frames so the wheels don't make contact with the sole of the boots, so its good to check what size your skates came fitted with before you buy. Most wheels are universal so you don't need to stick with the same brand.
There are advantages to either size & again its personal preference & what suits your skating style & needs. Larger wheels can give more stability as with the larger size they make more contact, they will give you more roll with least amount of effort as they cover a larger surface area. Larger wheels are preferable for very rough or uneven surfaces & will give you a much easier & smoother roll.
On the other hand smaller wheels are good for speed as the wheel makes more rotations than a larger wheel, smaller wheels are also good for agility.
Small & hard wheels are generally preferred for skate park skating as they are faster & slidier which enables you to ride the ramps easier, as they'll help you build your speed & get air between you & the top of the ramp.
So what about the wheel hubs? Why are some nylon & some metal?
The hubs are made from a different material than the wheel & hold the bearings in place. Some are made from nylon & some are aluminum.
Nylon hub wheels tend to be cheaper & will be lighter but they will also flex more as you put your weight on each skate, this is more of an issue for bigger skaters. Hub flexing means it can reduce your speed & feel more grippy than an aluminium wheel in the same duro might.
Aluminium hubs will be heavier but do not flex as you skate so you do not lose speed or have extra unwanted grip. Alloy hub wheels tend to be more expensive than nylon hub wheels, so they generally will be a better quality wheel.
Just to keep you on your toes, so to speak! You can get some wheels that are a mix of the two. Some brands have a nylon hub with a aluminium insert at the front for reduced flex, this gives you the best of both wheels! (ba-dum-boom-tshh!) (sorry! Terrible pun I know)
I keep seeing 'hybrid wheels' what on earth are those?
Hybrid wheels are wheels you can use indoors & outdoors. They won't be as smooth as a 78a wheel but they can be skated on outside unlike an indoor wheel. Hybrid wheels are also very good if you need a little more grip in your indoor wheels set up. You can just add one wheel to each skate, two wheels or go for the full set up, its very much about personal preference. The only thing that matters is your wheels are the same size. Another way to get extra grip inside is to opt for a 'pusher set up'.
Say what now?? What on earth is a pusher set up?
A pusher set up is when you have 4 wheels of a lower duro & 4 wheels of a harder duro, the grippy/softer wheels are usually on the left side of each skate & the slidy/harder wheels are on the right. This is generally used in roller derby where you skate anti clockwise around a oval shaped track. The grippy wheels in the left wheels of each skate will give grip on the turns to stop you from sliding out. This picture demonstrates the various wheel set ups you can use for whatever your need may be.
(Apologies I don't know who the artwork is by, if anyone knows please let me know s I'd love to credit them.)
What about double duro wheels?
Double duro or mixed duro wheels, for example the Reckless Morph wheels, are poured with two different durometers in the same wheel. They have an advantage over a traditional set up in that all the wheels are identical with half the wheel side softer & the other half harder, so if you are skating clockwise then the wheels won’t be working against you like a pusher set up might, as a traditional pusher set up the wheels are positioned on the skates to aid with anti-clockwise skating.
Ok its my first wheel upgrade & I want something harder, what a good duro to go for?
For first time upgrades a middle of the range duro around 91a - 93a is generally a good place to start, depending on the type of floor you skate on. Weight can affect it somewhat, as a smaller skater using very hard wheels is going to have a harder time getting grip than a bigger skater would. Different brands can also affect the overall feel of the wheel depending on the quality of urethane they use.
What? Even the floor makes a difference?
Yes it does, indoor sports floor can vary quite a bit.
Some floors have a fairly similar feel & will be fine for various harnesses of wheels. Some floors, like wooden floors, can tend to have a more slippy feel so a grippier/softer/lower number duro may be better. In the summer the weather can also affect the stickiness of the floor, if it's humid it will feel hella grippy. If you’re not sure don’t be afraid to ask other skaters what wheels they use & their preferences for particular venues.
Cool so are more expensive wheels better? Are they really worth paying more for?
As with a lot of things, with wheels a higher price tag generally does mean better quality. More expensive brands use higher quality urethane to pour their wheels. Because of the urethane quality, some high end wheels will still give you a better level of grip & slide with a much higher duro wheel than you might usually skate on. With lower quality urethane wheels a higher duro rated wheel might be too slippy & give very little grip for your needs. A decent quality wheel will last longer & be less prone to flat spots, something which is the bane of skate park skaters lives as concrete will destroy cheaper wheels.
Some skaters might have a several sets of wheels in a range of duros of a certain wheel brand/model to suit different floors, whereas with some of the high end wheels you don't tend to need a range of wheel duros as the high quality urethane will adapt to various floors, so really in the long run it will save you money. Its worth investing in a good set & always buy the best quality items your budget will allow. Like your grandma says (ok & me) "if you buy cheap, you buy twice".
By George I think I've got it! So talk maintenance to me? How can I look after my wheels?
Looking after your wheels is pretty easy & straightforward, you'll need to check them now & then & clean off any signs of dirt & grime, particularly if you skate outside a lot. Indoor floors seem to be incredibly hairy places for some reason - literally I'm not kidding! Hair will wind its way from the floor onto your skate axles (& even into your bearings) as you're whizzing around the room so needs removing as it can gather more debris & eventually slow you down.
Just a damp cloth will do the job. Really the bearings will take more maintenance than the wheels will. You'll need to check your wheels are spinning freely & rotate them around every so often to reduce flat spots & encourage them to wear evenly. If you skate outside a lot then cleaning off any debris will prolong the life of your bearings & reduce the amount of dirt that gets under the bearing shields. You can also get Bones speed cream (other lubricants may be available) which will revive even the crunchiest of bearings! Just a couple of drops in each bearing will keep them rolling for a long time.
Do I need to buy new bearings for my indoor/outdoor set ups?
No its not strictly necessary, though it does make life a lot easier & quicker when you want to change your wheels. Just cheap bearings will do for outdoor skating, you don't need anything fancy for outdoor skating, then you can save your nice bearings for indoors where they're less likely to get as much grime in as they would outside.
Cool, so when I've changed my wheels, how tightly should I do the nuts up when I put them back on?
You don't want to tighten them too much or it will reduce the amount of roll your wheels have. Equally you don't want them too loose or you won't be stable at all. A good rule of thumb is to tighten the nuts all the way until you feel it 'catch', then turn the tool back to loosen approx a quarter turn. If you hold the wheels between your thumb & forefinger & try to rock them on the axle you should feel a slight clicking (& I really mean slight), this is the right amount to allow your wheels to roll/spin freely without being too loose & unstable.
I hope this has helped, if you needing more advice please drop us a message & we will get back to you.
Happy skating & stay safe!
Kate
]]>We have a handy guide for what to look & feel for when buying new skates with brand sizing advice.
]]>"Should go up one or two sizes?"
Well the answer is zero sizes, for the most part you want to stick with your own size skate, unless it requires a UK-USA conversion, then your USA size is one up from your UK size, eg. UK5 = US6.
When it comes to individual brands there are some that come up quite big for their sizes so we always recommend going one size down. Brands that are affected by this include
Some brands are more accurate if you use their EU sizing, including
If you aren't sure please do drop us a message & we can advise.
"But wait won't that be too small?"
No, they should fit perfectly! Skates should be tight fitting to begin with, this allows for the stretching that happens as part of the breaking in process. You want them to fit perfectly for the long term not just when you first buy them. Otherwise they'll end up too big & need replacing before very long.
When you buy shoes you have a little room at the ends of the shoes to allow your foot to roll as you walk, when you skate your foot doesn't roll it remains flat so needs a tight fitting skate to hold it in place, skates that are too loose, or end up too loose after they've been broken in, will lead to heel slipping, foot problems & pain, oh so much pain! All of which will hamper your skating & learning new tricks & skills.
"Erm that doesn't sound right, won't it hurt if they're tight?"
Not so much, think like breaking in new Doc Martens, tho not as bad, they may pinch a little bit at first but there are ways to speed up the breaking in process. Try wearing two pairs of thinner socks or one pair of thick socks, they'll heat up as you skate & encourage the to stretch more. By wearing two pairs of thinner socks the socks will rub against each other & not your foot enabling your feet to stay blister free.
You an also use the hairdryer method, this is traditionally meant for heat moulding skates, but we haven't met a skate yet that the hairdryer doesn't work with, as you're essentially just speeding up the sweat process.
"Ok smarty pants, but what about growing feet?"
With growing feet obviously you want to get your moneys worth out of them so depending on the brand just go one size bigger. In brands that are already big for size (Rio Roller) stick with the same UK shoe size rather than going down a size. Any more than one size bigger is bad for developing feet as the toes will end up clawing at the soles which can lead to foot problems. You can always put some thick memeory foam insoles in them to help take up the extra room until their feet finally fill them. You also find that when their toes finally do reach the ends that the skates will stretch further as their feet sweat so you'll get more use out of them than you would first think.
"How do I do this 'hairdryer method' you speak of?"
Its really simple, you put the nozzle of a hairdryer in the opening of the skates, then heat them up on a warm/hot setting for 2/3 minutes. Then put your foot inside & tie them up tightly, then get wiggling those toes! Moving about, lunging, bending up & down, have a bit of a boogie & generally anything that encourages the material to give a bit.
"Ok so what am I looking for when I try skates on?"
OK so when you try skates on you should feel the ends of the boots with your toes, your heels should also be firmly in place & there shouldn't be any room either end, a good way to check is to stand in 'rock star stance' or as if you are doing lunges & see if there is any room to fit a finger down the back of the heel *hint- there shouldn't be, if there is you may want to go smaller, if no then they are likely a good fit for you. Skates should feel snug/tight but what you want to avoid is your toes being bent out of their natural resting position as this can lead to foot deformities in some cases. Remember skates should fit like socks, NOT shoes!
"Cool I think I'm ready to skate!"
Remember all brands fit differently so its good to try on lots of different skates to find your perfect fitting pair, but equally skates will end up moulded to your feet either with time or with these handy tips so they won't always feel stiff & new.
Happy skating & stay safe!
Kate
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