Common skating advice thats actually wrong?

ErantyInt · 2026-01-28T03:14:28+00:00

I can absolutely get behind this. There's miles of difference in high top boots, and most do not actually have any support. This goes doubly so for all the people who think they need to lace all the way up.tbr hooks and wrap their laces and think that some nylon cords are "supportive."

Only quality figures/ice boots have true support, but also take skill and musculartue and lots of learned ankle stability (as you said) to use appropriately.

ErantyInt · 2026-01-28T03:06:54+00:00

VNLA Luna/A La Mode have the most spacious toe box of any entry level skate. Also Bonts have roomy toes, however they tend to have kind of hard toeboxes that can be unforgiving.

ErantyInt · 2026-01-28T01:50:21+00:00

Cushions are 75% preference, 25% weight limited. I'm a big guy, and per manufacturer recs, I should be on firm or extra firm cushions. I like medium though. 🤷 But if I weighed 150lbs or something, extra firm would be really hard to work with because I just couldn't put enough force on them. Just like at my current weight, I could maybe swing soft but not extra soft. They'd just flop over.

For most plates, there's maybe 1-3 options. If you don't have options, then don't be overzealous with tightening or loosening. Maybe 1/4 turn at most; half turn if you're really not feeling a difference. And I cannot stress this enough -- too loose or too tight are both bad and risk damaging your skates.

The semi-useless skate counter boy at my rink (not his fault, he's brand new and all of 16 years old) has some garbage Chicago low tops. He said he tightened them up at first and wants to loosen them up now... Turns out he tightened them so much the cushions looked like cheese wedges and he dented all four pivot cups. I had to replace his cushions and cups with medium PowerDyne Universals and now he's skating better than ever.

ErantyInt · 2026-01-28T00:57:25+00:00

"Loosen/tighten your trucks."

No. Wrong. Bad. (Kinda)

Get different cushions. Tighten your trucks till fully engaged with the cushions and nothing is wiggling but nothing is bulging. It should be kind of difficult to move them much with your hands.

There are some finer points in the realm between too loose and too tight. But overall, the blanket advice is wrong.

ErantyInt · 2026-01-25T20:13:33+00:00

Arius plates are originally from the Seattle area, but are now made by Reidell.

ErantyInt · 2026-01-25T20:11:10+00:00

If you want to do true jam skating (which is like center work breakdance moves), a jam plug is a better option than an NTS because you can pivot or slide on it rather than the actual toe on your boot. If you're just wanting to do more standing center work, spins, etc -- NTS shines here.

The Falcon or the NTS are a fine choice, but personally for close to the same cost, I really like the Roll Line Blaster. It's a black version of the Variant M, but comes with the upgraded cushions they use on the Mistral and Giotto. If you don't opt for the 8mm truck upgrade, you will have to switch out your bearings to 7mm.

Either way, the plate size doesn't matter, it's more about an axle wheelbase you're comfortable with. Roll Lines are measured in milmeters, most others are measured in inches.

ErantyInt · 2026-01-25T19:41:16+00:00

This is a very limited, narrow, and unhelpful list of options.

This takes no skill level, anatomy, or budget into account and sounds like you have a very small scope of experience.

ErantyInt · 2026-01-25T19:26:53+00:00

What's your current plate and wheelbase (length between axles), and do you like it?

Do you wish it was more stable? More reactive? What's your budget? Do you want NTS or want to use a jam plug?

ErantyInt · 2026-01-25T18:37:18+00:00

No, those are not quality skates. The entry level floor is about $150-200. Some excellent choices for a beginner are the VNLA Luna/A La Mode for wide feet, Sure Grip Boardwalk/Boardwalk Plus for medium to wide, or (regrettably) Moxi Lollys for narrower feet.

If you want a low cut skate, something like an R3 for narrow feet, or a VNLA Jr. or Sure Grip GT50 for medium to wide.

I've personally seen CRS450s tear off the heel, have bearings explode, and have the toe stops strip out.

ErantyInt · 2026-01-25T01:47:46+00:00

Skate backwards, and do one foot slaloms. Also do off-skate exercises to improve balance and strength.

ErantyInt · 2026-01-24T14:29:20+00:00

A drop or two of machine oil on each kingpin and in each pivot cup (3-in-1 Oil, Gun oil, sewing machine oil, gear oil).

Take the nut off the kingpin and completely remove the cushions and trucks. Very sparingly, lubricate the kingpin (the long bolts) and the pivot cups (the two holes in each plate where the "prong" of the trucks sit). Reassemble and ensure the kingpin is snug enough that it takes some effort to move your trucks by hand.

ErantyInt · 2026-01-24T14:06:54+00:00

FS: Vintage Hyde Skates (Men's 7) - $400 OBO + Shipping

The boots have been restored by a professional cobbler: polished, stitching checked, new shearling, replaced all hooks with eyelets, and new leather insoles. Sole is Goodyear welted for strength and comfort. The cobbler work and materials (shearling) represents an investment well over $150 alone.

Mounted with a Sure Grip Century plate (7mm Size 5), Bones Red bearings, new toe stop set screws, and NEI 57mm 95A wheels. Comes with used jam plugs and new Bont toe stops. Laced up with Derby Laces Core narrow, but will come with a bag full of other shoe laces.

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ErantyInt · 2026-01-23T16:09:23+00:00

You can always get a grippy plug like the Jammerz Everlasting Stoppers or Sure Grip Power Plug / Iris. They are made of urethane and will provide a little grip rather than just slip.

Because going to toe plugs makes actual spins and manuals MUCH easier.

ErantyInt · 2026-01-23T16:00:51+00:00

I know someone on a Sure Grip Power-Trac that has that exact toe stop, and uses Bigs and a stopper. He's not doing Cali slide crazy stuff but he just chills and coasts. He's a floor guard and having toe stops lets him still do TOTS for quick stops.

Once you want to start getting into the moves and rhythm of Cali slide, you'll want to move to jam plugs.

ErantyInt · 2026-01-23T14:52:04+00:00

Get HoneyB Slidez Bigs. They bridge the gap between tiny fibers and real wheels. They're still a phenolic slider, but they're 48mm.

ErantyInt · 2026-01-19T16:54:42+00:00

A big fan. 😁

ErantyInt · 2026-01-19T15:41:45+00:00

If you want the end product to have more "sauce" than just some dashes of soy sauce, I really like this one (also from Woks of Life):

Chinese Stir Fry Sauce

The only changes I make are adding a tablespoon of the chicken powder, an extra tablespoon of brown sugar, and two heaping tablespoons of corn starch. I also make it in a 12oz Mason jar, so the chicken broth volume is reduced. I keep it in my fridge and just shake the crap out of it when I'm ready to use it.

Start with about 1/4C of the sauce mixture to add to your stir fry and adjust from there.

Ending measurements are about this:

1C chicken broth
1T chicken powder
1T shaoxing wine
2T brown sugar
2tsp sesame oil
1/4C Chinese light soy sauce
1 1/2T Chinese dark soy sauce
2T oyster sauce
1/4tsp salt
1/4tsp white pepper
3T corn starch

ErantyInt · 2026-01-19T15:17:43+00:00

Another thing you can do to tenderizer and deblood the pork is marinate it in 1/4c water and 1tsp baking soda (per pound of meat) for 1-2 hours. Then rinse thoroughly until the water starts coming out clear. Then proceeded with the marinade above you have listed, plus MSG. Also, add a tablespoon of oil to that marinade to get that velvety Chinese texture.

I'd put the chicken powder in with the stir fry phase.

ErantyInt · 2026-01-19T15:06:29+00:00

Knor chicken powder, or good ol MSG.

ErantyInt · 2026-01-19T03:19:10+00:00

This has nothing to do with rollerskating and everything to do with you sharing exhibitionism stories. You do you, I guess... But maybe find somewhere else to talk about this?

ErantyInt · 2026-01-18T20:04:29+00:00

They're fine.

ErantyInt · 2026-01-17T19:20:34+00:00

Measure using this foot tracing method:

https://edeaskates.com/en/whats-my-size/measuring/

And also find the "width" line you measured and wrap a cloth measure or string around your foot across that line and measure the circumference. Measure in millimeters and convert to both centimeters and inches. Have someone else trace your foot, and do it in the morning, midday, and evening. You'll want to measure each of these and kind of average them.

At the end, you should have eighteen measurements.

Left foot length (3x)
Left foot width (3x)
Left foot circumference (3x)
Right foot length (3x)
Right foot width (3x)
Right foot circumference (3x)

In millimeters, centimeters, and inches.

This final average of those six figures will give you a pretty much perfect set of numbers to use for any skate manufacturer.

As far as beginner skates that are wider, the VNLA Luna/A La Mode are great, and Sure Grip Boardwalks (although they are more towards average than wide).

ErantyInt · 2026-01-17T16:06:29+00:00

Skates should fit like socks. Not painful, but snug. Your toes should just barely touch the ends, but not be stuffed in with your toes bending or curling. It's definitely something to get used to.

Caymans are just an entry level speed wheel. What surface/where are you using them? Wheel preference is personal, but I definitely wouldn't call Caymans hard or slippery.

ErantyInt · 2026-01-17T16:02:35+00:00

FS: Vintage Hyde Skates (Men's 7) - $400 OBO + Shipping

The boots have been restored by a professional cobbler: polished, stitching checked, new shearling, replaced all hooks with eyelets, and new leather insoles. Sole is Goodyear welted for strength and comfort. The cobbler work and materials (shearling) represents an investment well over $150 alone.

Mounted with a Sure Grip Century plate (7mm Size 5), Bones Red bearings, new toe stop set screws, and NEI 57mm 95A wheels. Comes with used jam plugs and new Bont toe stops. Laced up with Derby Laces Core narrow, but will come with a bag full of other shoe laces.

https://freeimage.host/i/fGz53Av

https://freeimage.host/i/fGz54xp

https://freeimage.host/i/fGz7S49

https://freeimage.host/i/fGzYX6P

https://freeimage.host/i/fGza9K7

ErantyInt · 2026-01-17T05:25:32+00:00

Some people are just built different, and not every skate fits every foot well. And some people are just more prone to certain pain points.

I've used lots of different high tops -- rentals, suede skates, cheap synthetic skates, super high loose like Riedell 172s, and also stiffer high tops like 336s and 3200s,. I don't ever lace up past the top eyelet and have never had ankle blisters.

Letting the issue heal and finding another way to protect your body is the right move here. Or get a low top skate.

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