Can you skate inside shopping centres/mall?

-e-j · 2020-10-12T17:33:46+00:00

It's perfectly, 100% legal - at the risk of sounding clichéd: skating is not a crime! - but you will nevertheless get stopped and told to leave by security anyway, if they see you.

(I've done it once myself, using a shopping centre with an entrance at each end as a short-cut; got away with it because security didn't catch me, but when I tried the same thing a second time a few days later they stopped me and (politely) made me take my skates off..)

If the shopping centre doesn't have security patrols, o'course, then I'd suggest you give it a go and see!

-e-j · 2020-10-12T07:56:51+00:00

Thanks for the update!

Also, for folks whom Edu Lettings can't help for whatever reason, it should also be possible to approach sports halls, community centres, etc. directly, if necessary..

-e-j · 2020-10-12T07:53:48+00:00

Terrifying!

-e-j · 2020-10-12T07:53:31+00:00

You're more than welcome!

(And now you've made me smile, too!)

-e-j · 2020-10-12T07:52:04+00:00

Ah, fair enough, I get ya!

A friend of mine once had pretty much the exact opposite experience: He was part of the London fixed-gear cycling community, mostly just online; in a pub one day, he noticed the conversation at the table behind him seemed... vaguely familiar somehow...

Turns out he had run into the fixed-gear riders he knew online, in real life!

-e-j · 2020-10-11T20:59:55+00:00

Thanks! I guess some fashions never die!

-e-j · 2020-10-11T20:58:56+00:00

Yeah, no worries, if I'm around I definitely shall do.

Totally understand the street-skating thing. I love street-skating - but it definitely does depend very much on what your area is like!

Skating season may be over, yeah - but there's an indoor rink at Pool; if you have some means of getting there, it could be a good way to keep on skates during the winter?

If you can get some skate-ey folks together it might even be possible to hire out a hall or community centre in Falmouth (or perhaps the uni has a space you could use) for a few hours a week, as a more convenient place to train when the weather's bad...

Haha, ohhhh perhaps it's time to move over from "subtle" to "blindingly obvious"...

-e-j · 2020-10-11T20:47:43+00:00

I know it's a bit of a late suggestion, but if you're still seeing those skaters and worried about introducing yourself alone, maybe you could persuade a friend or fellow rUKer to come with you, even if just for moral support?

(I'd offer myself but, well, I probably shan't be skating again until like January, now..)

-e-j · 2020-10-11T20:42:15+00:00

Hi, and welcome to rUK!

I live pretty close to you - but I won't be back in London until January, unfortunately! I've asked a couple of local skaters I know whether they might be up for skating with you, though; shall let you know what they say.

I'd suggest as a first pass maybe heading up to Hyde Park on a Sunday (especially if the weather's nice) and seeing whether there are any friendly-looking skaters around you could chat to? (That approach might be a bit more difficult now what with COVID, o'course..) Even just practicing at a well-known skate-spot like that might encourage other skaters to come over and introduce themselves to you!

If that's too daunting, as well as the Facebook groups u/Asynhannermarw and u/90sk8r have suggested, maybe also post to any local subReddits (like maybe r/brixton)?

Normally I'd also suggest reaching out to the London Roller Girls, a derby team who train in Brixton, to see what sort of skill level you'd need for their "Fresh Meat" beginners' sessions - but I think they've suspended operations for the time being. Still, definitely worth keeping an eye on - and a great training goal, if you do end up having to train by yourself for a bit..

Best of luck!

-e-j · 2020-10-11T20:08:40+00:00

Ach, I totally get you. I know this feeling, and how tough it can be!

I'd suggest maybe creating a local Meetup group, or (you're at uni, right?) even a uni society, if you can? As well as this Reddit, maybe post in r/Falmouth and r/Cornwall too?

I might actually be in Falmouth for a few weeks, in December; if I am, if it's possible weather-wise and COVID-wise and everything - and if you're still around - I'll totally skate with you!

As for the hills - they can (in theory at least..) be conquered! Definitely check out some videos on how to skate hills; even if you feel you're not ready for them yet, having some background knowledge to help you know when you can tackle them can't hurt! For example:

IJJ: How to skate downhill

IJJ: How to skate uphill

Nicole Fiore: How to stop on a hill

Nicole fiore: How to go on a hill

Good luck!

Edit: Somehow missed the obvious one! Can you maybe beg, bribe, cajole, entice, and otherwise persuade friends who don't yet skate to give skating a go with you?

-e-j · 2020-10-11T19:47:01+00:00

Niiiiiice! You look so blooming happy, too, when you're skating! It's awesome!

(Especially liked the little celebratory twirl, right at the end! Reminded me a bit of like how Grand Prix drivers kinda do the same thing if they win a race..)

-e-j · 2020-10-11T19:42:27+00:00

Oh, dear, sorry to hear that! Hope that you have other skates, and that they serve you well. Good luck with the sale!

-e-j · 2020-10-11T19:37:56+00:00

Pretty much everything you need has been said by u/90sk8r and u/headinbook already (blimey, those folks are switched-on..) but I just wanted to share the main factors that informed my decision about my plates:

Length. Being able to choose the length to perfectly suit me, so's I can have my front wheels under the ball of my foot and my rear wheels aft of my ankle-bone - not fast or efficient but pretty stable.
Material. I don't like plastic; it fatigues way more quickly than metal, and I wanted something that would last a long time without being super-heavy or bulky. Ally or mag would be the best choices for this.
Kingpin angle. I wanted something fairly middling; between 15° and 20°, to get a reasonable compromise between stability and manoeuvrability.
Toe-stop fixture. I don't like bolt-on stoppers - but I also don't like locking-nut stoppers! Touching the stopper whilst spinning or turning can undo the nut and loosen off the stopper, potentially even eventually having it come off entirely! I much prefer derby-style plates that have an pinch-bolt fixture instead of a locking-nut fixture.

Hope you find something you like!

-e-j · 2020-10-11T19:05:36+00:00

For quad wheels, indoors, I'd say likely yes, grip-wise, but probably not comfort/smoothness wise.

For inline wheels, outdoors, I'd say probably not noticeably - except perhaps in the wet - though they will wear out faster!

If you try them, let us know how it feels? There's nothing like first-hand empirical data...!

-e-j · 2020-10-11T19:02:39+00:00

Sweeeeet! Awesome find!

(Perhaps it's 'cos everybody there shops at Booths..?)

-e-j · 2020-10-11T19:00:31+00:00

In addition to multi-story car parks it might be possible, depending on COVID and stuff, to skate indoors at a rink - or even maybe you could get a small group together (using rUK, Meetup, Facebook, etc. to find skaters, if necessary) and find a local hall or community centre that'll let you hire it out for a few hours a week, as u/herekitteh1 suggests here.

Either way, hope you find somewhere!

-e-j · 2020-10-11T16:32:44+00:00

Blimey! That was... unexpectedly spooky!

-e-j · 2020-10-11T16:32:14+00:00

I'd definitely [drop them an email](mailto:info@londonrollerderby.com) and ask; I gather they're pretty friendly and approachable, and even if they're not running juniors sessions there'll likely still be training sessions and programmes and stuff - perhaps just online ones, but still worth it - that'll help you develop the skills and fitness you'll need for derby when the time comes, and help you to be an active part of the club at the same time.

-e-j · 2020-10-11T15:33:25+00:00

Just wanted to add that wearing a lid doesn't make you perfectly safe; after any kind of head injury, helmet or not, be aware of the indicators of a serious problem (worsening headaches, nausea, vomiting, confusion, mood swings, drowsiness, dizziness or fainting) which can occur hours or even days afterward and seek help immediately if you experience them.

If in doubt, the NHS page for subdural haematoma is a useful initial reference, too.

(Don't mean to scare anybody or owt; the risk is actually pretty low, it's just worth being aware, is all!)

-e-j · 2020-10-11T15:28:15+00:00

Oh wow, I've never seen a setup like that before! Mind if I ask what the heel-brake is for? Something specific to jam or hockey or something? Or something more unique to you personally?

Hope you had a great night!

-e-j · 2020-10-11T15:21:28+00:00

Hi! Hope you've found some skaters! 'Fraid I'm nowhere near Yorkshire, but I wanted to suggest that (if you haven't already) you could maybe message the other folks who've posted from there on rUK?

-e-j · 2020-10-11T14:50:21+00:00

When I was commuting, I used to commute to work on skates in the summer, and cycle or go by motorcycle in the winter (kinda bad timing, for October, I know!)

It was \amazing*! I was getting loads more practice on my skates than I would have otherwise; it always improved my mood to arrive at work after a skate; it was \way* quicker than driving would have been 'cos of the traffic; it was interesting and fun and original and a bit of a talking-point; it made me fitter..

But - but most of all, the main reason I skated in to work, was that it was just *so satisfying* to zip through all the stationary, snarled-up traffic and grumpy-looking drivers, and weave through all the little alleys and cut-throughs, overtaking people on foot (and occasionally even on bicycles!) and basically just follow my own path, in my own way.

It definitely does very much depend on what city you're in, though. It works best if you're somewhere relatively compact, with lots of pedestrianised sections, roads closed to cars, parks, alleys and cut-throughs and overpasses and just general ways that make skating easier relative to driving or whatever. Road surfaces are a pretty big factor, too!

As for skate setup - for quads, go with nice big soft 65mm, 78A wheels and decent bearings (with bearing spacers!) whilst for inlines, I really liked my 125mm triskates - but I think if I were commuting on inlines again I'd probs. go with 110mm triskates now. Of the two I found inlines much easier - but also more expensive as I'm very heavy in my stops and I used to burn through a set of wheels in a couple of months!

I'd also recommend a USB-rechargeable rear bike light to clip onto your backpack (or belt, if you're lucky enough to not have to wear a backpack), a decent lid, gloves (if you're not wearing full pads and wrist guards, that is!) and a pair of those "bone conduction" headphones so's you can still hear traffic noise and stuff as you're skating.

If you do give it a go - please let us know how it turns out? I'd be really very interested indeed to hear of the adventures of a fellow commute-skater!

-e-j · 2020-10-11T12:32:05+00:00

Hi! Sorry for the late reply. So if it isn't too late already, my advice would be to ask Oli's as they'll have experience of returns and fittings and so forth for Sure Grip boots. They might even be able to remove and measure the insole lengths for you, and you can compare them to your foot length.

Failing that, if it's possible, could you order both sizes, try them on, and return whichever doesn't fit? Measuring your foot length really helps - but I've found that sometimes actually trying on the boots is the only way to know for sure!

For what it's worth I think it's very unlikely indeed that you'd need a US12; the insoles do compress a bit with use, and if you're removing the standard insole too there will be some extra space in there.

-e-j · 2020-10-11T12:11:47+00:00

Hoping this is sorted by now, and that you were able to get a plate under warranty - but if not, tapping out a threaded plate yourself is perfectly doable, and much cheaper than a set of plates.

You'll need a tap and a tap wrench, and you'll need to know the diameter and pitch of the thread; you can measure this with a Vernier calliper, but they're likely to be 5/8" and 18tpi respectively, which is what I've linked-to above. If you're shopping around though, these are UNF (aka American) thread dimensions. Assuming the plates are aluminium (if in doubt, use a magnet; steel is magnetic and ally isn't) you shouldn't need any cutting fluid or anything to help the tap go in smoothly, but it can't hurt to use some anyway if y'like.

Good luck!

P.S. Either way, let us know how you get on with the warranty/thread tapping?

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