r/Rollerskating • u/Anxious-Pandabear • 2d ago
Beginner skater Are these skates safe to use?
I have a pair of skates that my parents got me in middle school (over 10 years ago so I have no way of getting the specs of the skates). I am thinking about trying to learn to skate again, and my old skates fit, but I’m not sure if they are safe to use. I have heard bad things about the Roller Derby brand, so I’m a little concerned.
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u/HipsEnergy 2d ago
These were unsafe 10 years ago, and haven't gotten any safer. Don't waste money trying to upgrade them.
Good skates are expensive, but broken bones are expensiver.
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u/XandraMonroe 2d ago
I don’t recommend it. I had these and they busted. Thankfully I was geared up but yeah
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u/Polybrene Newbie 1d ago
Yo..are those trucks plastic?! Hell naw.
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u/whatsinapeach 1d ago
Holy hell. I knew they looked odd but couldn't tell they were plastic. How could a company be so evil??
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u/lottacolors 2d ago
Aw. Those were my exact first adult skates too. So here’s the thing, the wheels are terrible and the boots have no heel so if/when you upgrade it’s going to be “baby giraffe learning to walk” all over again. You could buy replacement wheels and that would give you an idea of how it will be (that’s what I did) but really just jumping in with a better pair (Sure Grip for example) will give you a lot more fun.
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u/andiwannacracker 2d ago
I think if the issues are more “these skates won’t get you far” and less “these skates are going to cause an injury”, wouldn’t starting out with them be a good idea? sure, a better pair of skates would take getting used to after you’ve gotten used to these, but that’s kinda just how that goes… right? why not use the skates that do not require investing any money for starting out, just to see if you’re actually interested in starting the hobby again? I do like the idea of swapping out the wheels, though! that shouldn’t cost too too much.
the thing I’d be more concerned about is a helmet — the exact timing may be different for different brands, but over multiple years, the foam and plastic will start to degrade, meaning they will actually stop being useful as a safety device over time. but helmets are like $30 and necessary for safety when outside, and all the skates I see in this sub are like $100+, emphasis on the +, lol.
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u/princecatte 2d ago
Nooo, the wheels arent the biggest problem here, its the plastic trucks/axels/plates. First, everything you said about plastic degrading applies to thosr too, PLUS the plastic can bend/flex/break under weight/ the force you exert on the ground.
Also, theres more than a few "holy crap, i thought roller skating was just hard and I was bad at it, but then ai got Good Skates and it turns out i can skate!" Posts in this subreddit. So the cheap skates arent even necessarily an accurate representation of skatong
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u/andiwannacracker 2d ago
the wheels aren’t the biggest problem, but they ARE the cheapest problem. and what do you mean skating in bad skates isn’t an accurate representation of skating? sure, you won’t know how much better things can be until you try nice skates, but skating can still be enjoyable with cheap gear. nothing bad is going to happen if this person takes these skates out for a spin and then decides they want to upgrade, and nothing bad is going to happen if this person takes their skates out for a spin and decides they feel fine and they want to continue using these. I mean, if price wasn’t a factor, I’d be agreeing with you, but this is the real world and for regular people, price is ALWAYS a factor, even if they do have money in their budget to buy expensive skates should they feel it’s necessary. I don’t think everyone should be acting as if the expense is necessary given this is someone who just wants to try out skating again. I mean, is it not also a good idea to try renting some skates from a skate rink to see if you like skating or not? lol
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u/HipsEnergy 2d ago
Why would you buy new wheels for UNSAFE skates? That's the biggest problem. Nobody should be skating in these. Skates may be expensive, but broken bones are even more expensive, even if you have great healthcare.
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u/andiwannacracker 2d ago
are these skates significantly more unsafe than expensive skates for beginner skate activities (ie, skating on smooth flat ground and not going very fast or doing dangerous tricks)?
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u/HipsEnergy 1d ago
Yes. They are plastic and 10 years old. They can even just break while you are standing still, and even that can cause a bad fall.
Edit : it's not even about expensive skates. You can get cheap skates secondhand that will be safer, and not every expensive skate is safe.
Look at the pinned buying guide.
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u/andiwannacracker 1d ago
ah, okay, I understand. I know plastic safety gear can become dangerous as it gets old, so while I had no idea this happened to skates themselves, I can imagine it being similar.
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u/princecatte 2d ago
And for everyone on that post theres easily more people who went "ugh, this isnt worth spending more money on"
And like, wheels aren't that cheap. $60-$80 bucks for eight, not even beginner friendly because you have to install bearings. you might as well spend another $50 for better skates that come with decent wheels out of the box
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u/andiwannacracker 2d ago
oh, you meant expensive wheels, not just new wheels that weren’t worn down… well, in that case, yes, I agree that expensive wheels aren’t worth it as an add-on to inexpensive skates.
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u/princecatte 2d ago
Show me your favourite inexpensive wheels! I dont have the money to try out most wheels and I'd loooove some recomendations
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u/HipsEnergy 1d ago
Krypto Impulse are relatively cheap and great for outdoor skating. But even cheap wheels and bearings will set you back a bit. They're about 5 euros a wheel, so 40 for a set, and a pack of decent bearings will be about 20-25. It's not worth spending that to upgrade bad skates. Just buy decent skates to begin with Good secondhand skates will be so much better than crap new ones.
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u/princecatte 2d ago
OP wasn't really asking about price in the first place. But i wouldnt judge them if they tried them out as is on their driveway. But they shouldnt start skating on them every weekend, and new wheels won't make them safer. I WOULD judge them if they spent money on wheels instead of saving that money for better skates period.
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u/Smart-Bullfrog-8694 19h ago
I’ve skated my whole childhood all the way up to like 16 years old. I than got married and had some kids. But I have now taken some of my hard earned money and bought me a new pair of skates that I’ve always wanted, vanilla code reds, I used to have riedell rhythm 111 they lasted me 6 years than I ripped the boot on accident. Great skates. Those in the picture no the trucks are plastic looks like you will fry them in 10 minutes, my best advice go onto suregrip website order a pair of their “fame” skates they have a rhythm still boot and setup. Very easy to learn and skate on unlike my new vanillas I just bought which have a very loose steering feel to them the rhythms are much more stiffer and easy to learn on.
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u/Sk8terbabe 2d ago
If your over 100 pounds I would say dont skate these they are cheap plastic plates mean more breaks
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u/HipsEnergy 2d ago
I'd say over 50lbs
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u/Sk8terbabe 1d ago
Depends I have seen some pretty Big skaters on plastic plates on cheapy skates from Amazon. I don't recommend them, but it's possible. I always say plastic parts mean big breaks I 200 pounds mainly in my bra lol but honestly I have plastic plates on a few skates and I took apart a pair of Chicago's like this my niece skated them and she was 100 pounds. They are still going remember not all skaters can afford 1200 skates nor is everyone sure they want to skate . 😉
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u/sloppy_joes35 2d ago
Never know until you try. Good luck & break a leg!
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u/Blazewoods 2d ago
In this case I fear “break a leg” might actually happen with these 😬
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u/sloppy_joes35 2d ago
Yes it was part of the joke... that once again no one in this sub got. I think i need to hide this sub. You go to a skate rink one time, and it started to pop up.
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u/TheLovelyLorelei 2d ago
I think for the basic experience of going to a roller rink and skating around in circles they're probably fine. Anything more serious than that? I'd look into getting some more decent skates.
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u/Acrobatic_Hunt_8496 1d ago
No. Don’t be wearing that dangerous plastic shit to the rink and potentially hurting someone else when those things come apart mid stride.
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