What's out there in the Land of Inline Skating

Popular brands include Rollerblade, K2, Salomon, Roller Derby and Nike to name a few. Here is a list of different options and features available:

• Kinds of inline skates: Most people want recreational or fitness inline skates. However, it is important to note that there are specialty skates for different types of skating. Aggressive skates are designed for trick skating, such as skating on half-pipes or ramps. They usually have metal or plastic plates called “grind plates” that allow the skater to grind or do rail slides. These skating tricks are quite appealing to a certain crowd and also the sort of thing some communities are enacting ordinances to prohibit in public places for fear of damaging public property. Besides aggressive skates, there are also speed skates for racing, skates designed specifically for beginners or more advanced skaters, skates with long distance racing in mind and so forth.
• The type of boot: Inline skate boots can be found in a soft boot design, a hard boot design and most commonly in more recent models, a combination of soft boot with hard boot –like supports. Soft boots are usually made of some sort of nylon. They are more flexible, lightweight and cooler. The negative of soft boot is that they may not offer the ankle support you desire. This would be especially true for larger individuals. Hard boots are made out of a plastic shell. They provide excellent support and protection, but are heavier and have little or no ventilation for your feet. This is important because excessive sweating can lead to blistering. The hard/ soft combo boots aim to provide the best of both worlds: good support and protection, good ventilation, and lightweight design.
• Fastening mechanisms: Inline skates can be fastened a variety of ways: quick lace, buckles, power straps and the traditional laces (usually for racing skates). Most boots have two different types of mechanisms, some have all three. The issue at stake with how you fasten your boots is ease of getting in and out of your skates, durability and the support that the fasteners provide.
• Wheels: Inline skate wheels come in a variety of sizes, though most of the wheels on recreational or fitness skates have a diameter of 78 to 84 mm. Shorter wheels are more stable and are easier to maneuver. As expected, aggressive or trick skates have smaller wheels. But, the smaller the wheel, the slower the skate tends to be. Racing skates, therefore, generally have larger wheels, and these skates usually have five wheels instead of four. The bearings in the wheel are rated on an ABEC scale, with the higher number representing a higher precision in the bearings. A discount store skate might have an ABEC rating of 5 whereas a better skate would have a rating of 7 of higher. The quality of precision in the bearing doesn’t necessarily equate with greater speed if the bearings are not kept clean and well lubricated.
• Braking systems were basically all the same on inline skates until about 1994. Now days, each company has their own design. Some brakes can be elevated if you desire. Some brakes have the reputation of wearing out faster than others. The rate of wear is a good question to ask when purchasing brakes.
• Miscellaneous details: In line skates can have different features on the cuff of the boot as well as special features for ankle support or heel retention. The inside of the skates will have some sort of foam liner, and several companies now use Coolmax in the fabric of these liners. These are all related to better comfort or fit. Most skate frames are made of some sort of aluminum alloy. Higher end skates may be made of lighter weight composites. There are some interesting skates available on the market, such as ones with detachable wheels for the commuting skater or inline skates with very large diameter wheels. Some companies offer heat moldable boots which offer a one-of-a kind custom fit.