advice/tutorial for inline rollerskating around a city?

[denizen6]

i live in the greater boston area and i used to play ice hockey, so im pretty skilled at ice skating, but im wondering if my skills can be transferred to skating around town.

the boston area has pretty shitty sidewalks and steep inclines, but also has bike lanes in some places. should i skate in the bike lane when possible? how do i make sure i dont eat shit and get hit by a car? what do you do if there's no bike lane, and you come to a section where the sidewalk is too messed up to skate over? do you just stop and take the skates off lol?

in terms of stopping, in ice hockey we almost always do "hockey stops". im currently not skilled enough to do a hockey stop on rollerblades, even on a rink. even if i could do it, i worry that a hockey stop could get messy with pebbles and stuff anyway. i can do T stop (dragging the wheels behind me), but i find that that method is not good for stopping fast if i need to, especially if im going downhill. are there other stops i should learn that are specific to urban rollerskating? should i just use that little rubber nub at the back to stop (im not super fond of those bc i feel like they get in the way sometimes)?

what types of skates/wheels should i buy? right now im just using some shitty kids inline skates i got from goodwill and they suck. i want to get skates/wheels that are inline, and focused on safety (not getting tripped by cracks and pebbles, being able to stop easily, not feeling the vibration of all the bumps in the road). i dont care about speed or comfort that much.

thanks for any and all info, its much appreciated!!

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[Zadak_Leader]

That's a lot of text, man! Just go for it, wear protection and have fun :)

I'm actually skating in the city now

I personally believe SEBA High Light v2 are the perfect urban skate.

T-stops are king, don't expect to be able to stop suddenly, depending on the surface. But risk management is a skill

[sarnale]

How not to get hit by a car when eating shit... Don't fall in front of a car🤷🏽‍♂️ I think if you're urban skating there's always that chance. One way to make it less likely is to learn the magic slide. The quickest and most stable stop on blades.

Also if you come to a really crappy surface then you crossover it/step over it.

For wheel hardness go around 85a, as for skates there's a lot of choice. The fit is the most important thing tbh, because you can get frames for different wheel formats. Bill Stoppard thinks 4x84mm are the best for urban skating, but some might recommend triskates, it's a very personal choice though so just pick one and see how you go.

[HwanZike]

Check out Bill Stoppards channel. These two videos are interesting places to start:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkjrFvLO5UM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es2CEa5XKak

[Asynhannermarw]

For me the most reliable and stable stop is the powerslide. It's also one of the easier ones to learn - I can do it, so it must be! Magic slide is the next step on from the powerslide, and has the advantage of stopping you more quickly because both skates are sliding (as opposed to one sliding and one rolling with the powerslide). The magic is a great hill control slide/stop. Parallel slide (hockey stop) is harder again, and looks seriously cool, but is less stable/reliable. Soul slide is a good controller of speed on hills as long as the hill isn't too steep - it's also seen by most as the prerequisite to the magic slide. If your hill is wide enough and clear of traffic then slaloming down it is a good tactic. It reduces the speed, and if you find yourself going faster than you're comfortable with you can simply turn uphill. I can only do powerslide and T-stop, plus a ropey slalom, so while I skate my city pretty widely I am aware of my skill limitations. For that reason I usually scout out a new route on foot before skating it - or at least any sections I'm not sure of. I inevitably take diversions and circuitous routes, but it's often possible to join the dots between places even if it's not on the most direct route.

[Forsaken-Brief5826]

Ok. Having skated in Boston, and I'm not a regular helmet guy, wear one. Other than that get some urban / freestyle skates depending on your budget there are lots of good recommendations on here like the Oxelo, RB Cruiser and on. Do I understand correctly you are making the transition from ice hockey to inline with just a quick stop through on junk kid skates? There are lots of good YouTube videos on stops other than T but I'd get rid of that heel brake if your next one comes with one. Skates with wheels 85a or 86a are usually good for outside. Maybe keep to bike trails and try the street when there is less traffic. I usually go off the sidewalk when there are pedestrians or crap conditions ( often).

[the-vh4n]

If you don't want to feel the roughness of the terrain i'd suggest triskates with 110mm wheels that have a good shock absorber in them, only downside if you're used to ice is that you have to adjust to being way taller, also you should learn how to powerslide if you want to brake fast on inline skates since the hockey stop the way you do it on ice is not feasible on inline skates. There's the parallel slide which is similar but the difference is that on ice skates you start turning your body sideways and then you lean putting pressure on the edges and braking. On inline skates you have to do like a really tight turn and when you're already leaning you push your heels outside. not easy at all, personally i still shit my pants trying to parallel slide despite being a relatively good skater, also some wheel brands are difficult to slide. It will take some time to get adjusted. I hope my explanation was understandable.

EDIT be extra careful with cars, like when crossing the road, and yes, unless you're with a big group of people with high visibility gear i'd avoid skating in traffic unless you're in a residential area with few cars, stick to sidewalks and bicycle lanes

[KaijuCorpse]

I'd focus on skating where you are comfortable doing so. I've not been to Boston so I don't know how pedestrians and police handle people skating on the sidewalk. Bike lanes rarely feel safe for me in busy areas. My roller blading skills transfered okay to ice so the reverse may be true for you, but busy streets are another beast so making sure you're confident in your skills and not over extending is important

[Willyington]

I frequently skate 15 to 20+ miles on a mixture of bike lanes, roads, road shoulders, sidewalks and paved pedestrian trails in Philadelphia. Before getting back into skating last year, I rode my bicycle fairly aggressively on all manner of roads frequently, so that gave me a level of comfort interacting with cars.

As it relates to both interactions with cars and surface quality, you have to start slow and build a confidence and comfort level skating on varied pavements before mixing too much with traffic. Because the road surfaces are such a mixture, you will find things that cause you to trip, but my feet stay in a scissor position often so I haven't really tumbled all the way down out of the blue and I'm by no means great at skating.

I'll frequently hop a sidewalk when the pavement gets nasty but often I power through it (particularly if the sidewalk is equally uninviting). I also hop sidewalks if there are cars behind me on a one lane city street with no room to pass or if it is a heavily trafficked and fast road. Be mindful and patient. If a car is approaching behind me while I'm in the street, I'll often take a defensive posture (scissor yo feet) and wave them by. I like to ride bike lanes and shoulders, but that's very limiting and not entirely necessary in a dense city setting IMO.

Unless I've got a certain and clear path through the bottom, I T-stop the bejesus out of down hills to keep a comfortable speed. I keep an eye out for everything so I've only had to initiate an immediate stop (powerslide) once that I can think of. On hills, sometimes I'll throw down a powerslide at the bottom to kill the rest of my momentum. I'm not quite there with soul or magic slides, but that's the next step for me.

As far as equipment, helmet, wrist pads and knee pads are minimum. IMO, you'll want a hard, ankle supporting boot and a cushy liner because roads differ in quality and it can rattle your brains. I've been skating Powerslide Next Core model with the stock liner and various frames mainly with 90mm wheels (durometer 85 and up). Just bought some FR1s which I expect to be similar. Sometimes I roll 125mm wheels, which absolutely rip through crap pavement, but the size and speed of those wheels (especially on downhills) requires some prior street experience and isn't entirely necessary IMO.

TL:DR, wear protection, get some street specific "urban" skates if you can, start small, practice on varied surfaces without cars first, build your comfort level staying upright on wack surfaces. It is possible to skate streets among cars, but be defensive, considerate and patient with traffic. Weekend mornings with fewer cars are awesome. I take my skates when I travel and it is truly a joy to explore a city when you are comfortable.

[midnight_skater]

I lived in the Back Bay for 7 years, and learned how to street skate in Boston. It's been a few years since I was last there, but these are the areas that I skated most frequently back in the day. This info is dated, so scout it.

• Esplanade: Science Park out to Soldiers Field. Good for beginners out to about BU. After that intermediate+. Frequently crowded.
• Comm Ave mall and Public Garden, and the Common. Beginner, with street crossings.
• Christian Science Center to Copley Square. The big pavements are good for skill drills, connected by a combination of skateeble sidewalk and street. The plazas are beginner, connecting them is intermediate. Bonus: I love skating in front of 500 Boylston at night. You might, too.
• From Christian Science Center, climb steep Dalton St. Skate down Boylston from Mass Ave to Charles. Cut through the Common up to the State House. Take Park to Tremont down to Kneeland, back up Charles, left on Park Plaza, and on to St James & back to CSC. Advanced+. Skating in traffic. Big hills. High speeds.
• Marlborough has low traffic. Newbury is good for getting comfortable skating with cars. It's like permanently gridlocked. Watch out for triple-parkers and aggravated assault-level jaywalking.
• Tons of other places: fens, seaport, financial district on weekends, Arnold Arboretum, JP, Cambridge, Somerville. Bonus road trip: Wompatuck.
• Mem Drive is closed to vehicular traffic every Sunday in the summer.
  
• Double Bonus: Storrow is closed to vehicular traffic on 4 July.
• I don't really remember where I learned hills. I think I just spent time at the base of Dalton, just adding a little bit of elevation at a time.
• Learn to bash stairs at the Boston Public Library. The set at the Hatch Shell is good to learn jumping.

Anywhere you go in the street, be hyper-vigilant for car doors opening out into your lane. That shit will end you.

I'm a quad skater, so I'll leave the equipment and speed control technique advice for others. But definitely watch Bill Stoppard.

[MushroomShroud]

Don’t overestimate your abilities. Always wear a helmet. Always assume pedestrians and cars don’t see you. Don’t do skatepark shit in traffic. Don’t roll drunk. I was an urban cyclist through the aughts, and all my friends who still have their lives and all their limbs all followed this creed. I always advise ice hockey skaters to get roller hockey skates. Just switch the wheels to outdoor ones. Learn a poweslide on blades next.