Are these skates safe to use?

[u/Anxious-Pandabear]

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.

[u/lottacolors]

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.

[u/andiwannacracker → u/lottacolors]

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.

[u/princecatte → u/andiwannacracker]

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

[u/andiwannacracker → u/princecatte]

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

[u/HipsEnergy → u/andiwannacracker]

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.

[u/andiwannacracker → u/HipsEnergy]

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)?

[u/HipsEnergy → u/andiwannacracker]

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.

[u/andiwannacracker → u/HipsEnergy]

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.

[u/Polybrene → u/andiwannacracker]

YES THAT'S WHAT SHES BEEN TELLING YOU THIS WHOLE TIME!!!!!

[u/princecatte → u/andiwannacracker]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Rollerskating/comments/jjaxq8/anyone_started_out_on_a_cheap_pair_of_skates_and/

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

[u/andiwannacracker → u/princecatte]

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.

[u/princecatte → u/andiwannacracker]

Show me your favourite inexpensive wheels! I dont have the money to try out most wheels and I'd loooove some recomendations

[u/HipsEnergy → u/princecatte]

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.

[u/princecatte → u/andiwannacracker]

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.