virgin skater needs help choosing skates

[kate]

Hi,
I'm looking for a pair of inline skates just for fitness/recreation. I will not be blading down stairwell banisters (at least not on purpose..) I Tried on a pair of K2 Exo 6.0s (WAY Comfortable..and way $$), but they are ABEC 5 and 78mm wheels which might be too fast, huh? Also, I was looking at a pair of K2 Z-SE's, but I can't find any reviews on them anywhere. No one seems to be selling them this year. Are they an older model? Are they "aggressive" skates? Also, their owner says they are not ABEC rated? Are they super fancy or something? Novice needs advice. thanks

Oh, also Does anyone know anything/have experience-opinions about other K2 models Impulse LS, Catalyst, Camano, or any others.
THESE ARE ALL WOMEN'S SKATES BY THE WAY. Thanks

[Robert]

Probably the best thing for you would be a good quality recreational or fitness skate. All the big skate makers make them. Any of the K2 Exos would work, and you should be able to get the Exo 6s for $1150 or less and the Exo 4 and 2 for less. (Check on line.)

Also, consider the Rollerblade Aeros and the company's beginner skate, the Zetrablade.

If you are looking for a bargain, look at the 2004 or 2003 models. You can often buy a pair for less than $100.

I can't tell you anything about the Z-SE. It must be an older model skate.

Avoid the Nike skates. They are often on discount. But they also often lack a moveable cuff and this causes problems.

And keep asking questions!

[Robert]

Kate,

I wanted to mention a couple other things.

First, make sure you budget some money for protective gear. It's a must for beginners!

And also, consider taking some lessons. It's the best way to learn.

See if an instructor in your area is connected with Rollerblade's Free lesson program:
http://freeskatelesson.com/index.htm

Or try to find an instructor in your area:
http://www.usainlinefit.com/inst_search.php

You'll enjoy skating even more if you have some skills.

Best of luck and let us know how you are doing.

Yours,
Robert

[Mr. T]

ABEC 5 is not an issue. The ABEC thing is a "mith" unless you are going at 120mph or something like that. At the speed skaters move, ABEC 1 is as fine as ABEC 7 or higher. Do not worry.
But, if you allow me to give you a piece of advise, do not get anything with wheels smaller than 80mm or, perhaps even better, 84mm. Unless, of course, what you plan to do is jump, kick, do the pipe or raiding rails.

[gatorbackskate]

I agree, ABEC Ratings for bearings are a total myth.

Top quality Swiss or ILQ bearings are much better then ABEC rating.

The best bearings brands are BSB Swiss, Bones Swiss, Bont Jesa, and Twincam ILQ9. None of these bearings are ABEC rated and people have told me that if you took one to an ABEC lab it would be rated as a low ABEC number because top quality speed bearings are built to be looser then machine bearings and the ABEC standard was based on alignment tollerences rather then speed.

The BSB, Bones, and Bont brearings are all Swiss made and not abec rated. The ILQ9 are made in China but they are also high quality bearings and not ABEC rated.

You can feel the difference in quality of the top brands especially if you skate in the rain or you want to keep your bearings for a long time. Any of these quality bearing will last for many years provided you take care of them.

I only use the BSB line because I think they are the best. They come with standard or micro bearings. The fastest setup is micro bearings because they are lighter but the downside is that the smaller bearings don't last as long as the normal sized bearings.

At most skate races, the top guys use one of the above brands and don't use ABEC rated bearings. The new thing is ceramic. Ceramic bearings that are NOT ABEC rated (i.e. Bones Ceramic). The price of ceramics is super high for a bearing that is only a billionth of a hundreth of a second faster then a good Swiss bearing.

For rec skating none of this matters and I agree with Mr. T you will do fine with ABEC 1 bearings. For speed skating I think you should go with BSB Swiss Micro for racing and BSB Swiss standard for training.

[Brian]

Hey Kate. I had a pair of Z-SE's, and they were the skates that really got me hooked. But K2 must have stopped making them 6 or more years ago, so hopefully you are getting them on the cheap. A good rec skate, IMO.

[kate]

Wow, I am so excited to get some ANSWERS! You guys are awesome!
Mr. T,.I am so glad to get your reply, because I'd been told I should be getting like 74 or 78mm wheels because I'm a beginner (and no, I won't be doing anything requiring a grind plate...way too old for that). GATOR, thanks for the backup on the bearings--I heard of ILQ also, but thought that was only for speed skating and the like. BRIAN, you are the only person on the planet who has heard of the Z-SE's! Thanks!
Minnesota is a happenin' place, huh? I'm down here in the 3rd world, (New Orleans) and I MISS ICE SKATING!!!
No such thing down here, so I'm trying to get a clue with the wheels! Keep writing, need lots of help.
kate

[kate]

p.s. to Robert about the lessons...
I told you I was in the 3rd world...There is not a single instructor listed, and we, of course, are not one of Rollerblade's participating cities for the free skate lesson. I guess I'm on my own. On the flip side, YOU guys don't get to catch beads and drink beer while skating in California and Minnesota. Re: safety equipment: I need to get knee pads, etc. but my bicycle helmet should do for this, too, huh? It's a good one.
kate

[Mr. T]

catch beads, Kate? Like at Mardi Gras? How do you get all those beads?

I am sure that neither myself in Minnesota or Robert in California catch any beads... In fact, I don't believe that either of us is very keen about pulling up his shirt or down his skinsuit

[kate]

HONESTLY! YOU HAVE YOUR MINDS IN THE GUTTER! (gutterpunks???haha) I've NEVER flashed anything but my SMILE! (Most New Orleanians DON'T...it's those nutty tourists you see in the videos!!!)

[JayC]

Seriously do yourself a favor and buy some good skates right out of the gate. Buying crappy skates are going to make your feet hurt and that alone will make you not want to skate.

The wheel size thing is sort of irrelevant but I agree that I would go at LEAST 80mm only because finding quality replacement wheels for anything smaller is going to be difficult. I started out on a skate with 78mm wheels and findind replacements was next to impossible. A 5x80 fitness skate may seem like a lot of skate for a beginner but it's also the last set of skates you'll have to buy for a long time. Which leads me to my next comment.

If you've never skated (quad or inline), take some lessons or at the very least, be VERY mindful of WHERE you skate. Skating on flat areas while you're learning to stop (and go) negates the whole "wheel size" issue. I've seen people hurt themselves just as easily on 72mm wheels as 100mm wheels. I watched a girl go tearing down a hill on 72mm wheels, no clue how to stop, ended up crashing on the side of a bike trail. It's all about working in your comfort zone. I personally quad skated for years so switching to inlines was very easy for me. Most people dont have that sort of experience to fall back on.

If you can't find any instructors in your area, my final piece of advice would be something I saw on Eddy Matzger's DVD. He recomends new skaters go to a grocery store parking lot, get a shopping cart and push it around on skates. I think that's a great way to learn as it allows you to get your feet underneath you while having something to hold on to and not kill yourself in the process.

Good luck!

[Robert]

Kate,

If you can't find an instructor, get a copy of Liz Miller's book Get Rolling or William Nealy's Inline!: A Manual for Beginning to Intermediate Inline Skating.

Both are great guides for beginners and beyond.

As for helmets, your bicycle helmet should work fine. That's what must skaters use. ... Don't forget wrist guards!

And don't get tripped up on those mardi gras beads!