Professionals, street or recreational skaters require the best rollerblades. However, to choose the correct rollerblade, you have to know the categories of inline skates available.
Only then can you pick the right rollerblade that matches your purpose for an inline skate. Besides, that will enable you to showcase your best skills.
On that note, here are the common inline skate types you need to know:
Inline Skate Types
Recreational Inline Skates
Recreational skates form one of the most common types of inline skates. The rollerblades target the usual casual skater. In design, the recreational skate majors on comfort and stability. For that reason, it offers a relaxed feeling and fits the skater.
However, their construction employs a variety of materials. Therefore you can find both soft and stiff boots. Recreational rollerblades differ in material from one type to the next.
So if you need to do some quick inline skating around your neighborhood, it’s a promising option to consider. Besides varying in material, their closure design also differs. Some of the common closure designs to expect are power-assisted, standard lacing, or ratchet buckles.
Fitness Inline Skates
The current fitness inline skates all trace their roots to the initial skates designed and used by hockey players for training. And therefore, fitness inline skates are for those individuals that often skate to be in shape.
And to help an individual in fitness training, fitness rollerblades offer enhanced performance. Generally, they possess large wheels and faster ball bearings. Accordingly, they can hence deliver high speed and prolonged inline skating.
Moreover, the fitness skates boast soft liners for enhanced comfort in protracted skating. Therefore if you need the rollerblade that can burn more calories[How Many Calories Does Rollerblading Burn], go for the fitness inline skates.
Speed Inline Skates
The speed inline skates are adapted for navigating long distances at top speed. Accordingly, the rollerblades have a low cuff and are very light in weight. Besides employing the advanced inline skating technology, the rollerblades have every part designed to deliver in speed.
The skates also tap on large wheels and bearings with a high rating on the ABEC scale. For that reason, the rollerblades find ideal use in skating at the competition level.
Often the racing skates employ light and firm ceramic or titanium frames. That firmness help in the efficient energy transfer to the wheels. And to further cut on weight, the skates feature very minimal padding.
Aggressive skates
The aggressive skates have a design that makes them ideal for sliding, jumping, and grinding. For instance, these skates feature a low center of gravity, firm and heavy boot construction. Aggressive inline skates comprise molded plastic or its composite.
Also, they possess a smaller wheel size. That gives aggressive skates enhanced stability when making top rollerblade tricks[Best Rollerblade Tricks] and landing.
Urban inline skates
Urban inline skates are also known as street rollerblades. These types of skates have gained popularity in recent parts. Their structure blends the features of aggressive and recreational inline skates.
The rollerblades present a look that’s similar to the aggressive inline skates. However, they can take on long hours of skating like their recreational counterparts.
Besides possessing a wheel size of at least 82mm, the skates have boots that tolerate jumps, tricks, and other widespread street moves.
Their short frames make up for quick and easy cornering. Often the skates come with the brakes in the package box unassembled.
Hockey Inline Skates
Just like the name suggests, hockey rollerblades have a design that fits inline hockey skating. For that reason, the skates employ wheels of varying sizes. For example, the full rocker type has a different wheel combination such that it assumes a banana shape (full rocker).
On the other hand, you can also have a setup that offers larger hind wheels than the front. Such an arrangement pushes more weight to the tip. As a result, the skater enjoys enhanced acceleration and stability.
Hockey inline skates are of two types. That is indoor and outdoor type. The main difference is that the indoor skates feature soft wheels while the outdoor ones have hard wheels.
Conclusion
That gives you the major types of inline skates. So whether you want to shop for a second-hand inline skate[How to Buy a Second Hand Inline Skate] or a brand new one, the knowledge of rollerblade types is vital.