Any rollerbladers here?

[ItsMandy227]

I have a couple of questions if anyone with some rollerblade experience can help I'd be extremely grateful.

I've been rollerblading for a few months now and have a pair of Bauer skates. After about 2 or 3 miles my back starts to hurt and my feet are killing me. I have to wear compeed to protect my feet from blisters which I guess I'm prone to. It's a 2 mile trail with no stops unless someone steps out in front of you and I usually can go about 8 miles in 35 minutes. I'm not trying to build speed really just doing it for cardiovascular exercise. So on to my questions....

What skates would you recommend? I'm going to be purchasing a new pair in the very near future. I don't want to spend more than $100 if possible.

Will my feet eventually toughen up? Is it my skates that are the problem with blisters? Are there some special socks I should buy?

How in the heck do you stop? I usually end up slowing down right before I get to my car and use it to stop. I've tried to use the brake on the back and I always feel like I'm going to fall. Are there any tricks?

I think that's all for now. If I think of anything else I'll try and add it ASAP! Thanks so much in advance for all the info!

 

[Hockeynut]

I think skates are going to be individual, so I'd suggest going and trying on several different kinds. I have bauer's and they're great for me.

As far as stopping goes, I have no brakes, I do a real tight turn, so it almost appears to be an ice skating stop. It's easier than it sounds. Start slow on that because you will wipe out if you go too fast at first.

Wow, there was something on this board I knew something about!

 

[neil]

Mandy,
You're going to have to try on a few different pairs of skates to see which are the most comfortable. At $100 you it doesn't matter what brand you get, that's not a lot of $ for blades. Try getting a footbed inner sole designed for sports to increase comfort. Also, thin sox with a good snug-fitting boot is better than thick sox with sloppy boots. The boot should be quite snug but not painful, that's the best way to describe it. I would guess that your blisters are because of rubbing in a boot that's too big, at least in some areas.

Learn to stop with the heel brake. Take a lesson if you are unsure how to do it, it's worth it. Don't listen to the skaters who insist that heel brakes are for beginners and dorks. It's a very fast way to stop, easy to learn and won't wear your wheels down like T-stops will. A $5 dollar brake shoe is cheaper than a new set of wheels.

As for your back hurting, that's common and I think it's due to bad form, like arching your back, and not bending your knees enough. Even when leaning forward your back should be straight. There's all kinds of info on the net about skating technique including some vides that will show you good form.
Just Google "rollerblading" and stand back!
Hope that's some good info for you.
Neil

 

[FrankF]

Knee highs (as in stockings) were always the answer when I...uh, I mean some guy I knew...was breaking in skates. That might help alleviate blisters if you wear them underneath your socks. If you still get blisters you can just put a band-aid over them and then keep skating. When they heal the skin will be tougher and more resistant.

I don't know about the heel brake. That just seems like a good way for a beginner to fall backwards and crack their head open. I would rather tell you to put your weight on your front leg and drag the other foot behind you to create friction and slow your momentum. Until you get better control on your skates the best thing to do would probably be to just anticipate more. Plan your stop well in advance of your endpoint--it will save the paint job on your car (although envisioning you slamming into your car to stop is pretty funny!). If you have to go down a hill you could try to go back and forth like a skier. (Hard to explain, basically just alternating left and right turns) It is so much easier to learn on ice, though--you can't be afraid to fall and there is less flesh ripping involved when you fall on ice!

Best of Luck!

Frank

 

[mk57nato]

i have been skateing on some pos skates for years, finally found out that you want to buy a good pair. finally just got me some salomons tr mag elite2 and i can not belive the differance. i always figured i would just have to get my feet tougher, then i got these and its unbelievable how much of a differance it makes. Like wearing comfy gloves... all the pain is gone and skating improves dramaticly.
i cant stress how much it really is worth getting better gear, you dont have to get the best but you really do get what you pay for in blades

even though they are overseas a really good website to ask questions about blades is
www.serpentineroad.com
lots of nice people and all the info you could want on blades.
also there is nothing wrong with buying last years model, it will allow you to get a much better product for less than a new model pos i.e. my salomon tr mag elite2 were salomons absolute top of the line 2 years ago for $300 i just got them for $140. i could have gotten the tr mag elite 3 which is only last years model but it's the exact same as the elite 2 and i liked the color on the 2 better..
hope this helps

 

[pipedope]

Even in rollerblading.

A good instructor can in a couple of hours save you many weeks of pain and suffering.

Heel brakes work especially at slow speed.
T-stops also work and should be learned as another choice in the bag of tricks.
A quick turn or spin is another good way to slow or stop.

Boot fit is of prime importance. For any skates with plastic boots a good ski boot fitter can save you much pain. They have you wear the boots for a while then take them off and look at your feet to see the pressure points. By streaching out the parts of the boot that pinch you can tighten the boots more without cutting off curculation or causing pain. Sometimes it takes a few adjustments to get the best fit. My last pair of ski boots took 5 adjustments to get perfect. After that I had much better control and never had blisters, pain or problems of cold feet.

I can't help on the choice os skates as I am out of the loop these days. I haven't been skating lately.

 

[Spectre]

It's been a while since I've been involved in inline skating, but I was quite active at the time.

First and foremost... skates. I can't recommend a brand as 1) I focused on aggressive, and 2) my last pair of skates I got about 10 years ago [EEK! I'm getting old!]

But... cheap isn't necessarily good. You can get cheap skates, or you can get good skates, but you don't have a chance in hell of getting good cheap skates. I would guess that your blisters are possibly due to bad skates, or at least bad fitting skates. With a decent skate, your foot will form into the bladder, much like a ski boot works.

A decent light hiking sock should help as well.

As far as sore feet. If it's not just the blisters, it can be muscle pain. Standing on skates takes a lot of balance [obviously] and until you get your 'skate legs', the muscles in your foot are constantly fighting to keep your balance, all those little twitches will tire you out. If you get a sense that you can only describe as "my arches hurt", it's likely to be that. I know it takes me 2 or 3 days on skis each year to get that "arches hurt" pain to subside.

Stopping.... oh there are so many many many ways. I just drag my foot perpendicular to the line of travel. Granted it burns through your wheels faster, but it worked. also with that position to get a faster stop you can spin around so that the 'stopping' skate is in front of you, sorta like a modified hockey stop. Takes some getting used to, but it shouldn't be hard to learn.

There should still be a ton of good websites out there, and I know there are still a number of active mailing lists. I'm -sure- there is inline skating forums like this now a days, and you can also search the web for the 'rec.sport.skating.inline FAQ', which I'm sure has a lot of these answers by now.

 

[adder70]

Fit is most important. Get a good fit, wahtever the brand. The brand quality is more about bearings and overall durability, not fit.

ONe technique to reduce blisters is to wear 2 pairs of socks, although that leads to sweaty feet in hot weather (though I am sure that Largo NEVER gets hot! ) which can exacerbate blistering problems. You might try to pairs of dress socks, or a couple of companies make app. specific socks with 2 separate layers.

From my experience, when you are using proper posture, your quads and the muscles along the side of your hips will be most tired, although your back muscles will hurt like any other muscle as you build more speed and endurance.

FWIW, I would definitely wear a helmet and wrist guards. Scrapes and bruises hurt, but concussions/brain injuries and broken wrists will cause medical bills and cessation of activities. I can deal with pain, but being laid up is just torture!

 

[Gibbon]

A point on breaking (the stopping type):
Due to you getting new skates, you may try looking into a hinged rear break. My blades have this and it's very easy to use. (not lifting the toe to get the breakpad to the ground. Just extend the breaking foot in front, and press down)

Here's a pic of a skate with a higned break:
rollerblade

 

[TCooperWFI]

First and foremost, RELAX!
If you're stiff, you'll cause pains in places you won't believe.
You wouldn't walk or bike in a stiff akward position and bladeing is no different.
I wouldn't recommend brakes, they can interfer if you extreme skate or make jumps.
A simple way to practice stopping is simply to drag one of your feet or make a extremely sharp turn.