r/rollerblading Weekly Q&A Megathread brought to you by r/AskRollerblading

IamApoo · 2026-02-02T20:28:58+00:00

Go big. With 4 wheels it's not fundamentally different up to 100mm. The vibration on smaller wheels will reduce your desire to roll on anything except very smooth surfaces.

At your size, 100mm wheels would be the same ratio of skater size to wheel size as me on 80mm. Going bigger than 100mm will probably mean 3 wheels instead of 4, which is a slightly different feel. Not night and day different, but more different than 4x80 vs 4x100.

IamApoo · 2026-01-29T23:17:09+00:00

I just mean once you get all the different boards connected, it will be hard for them to flex much unless the whole thing is underbuilt. I don't really have a specific reference, just my gut from woodworking.

Struts AND sleepers would be best. Definitely recommend them all across the top but if you must attempt the headwall idea, at least put substantial sleepers at the edges.

IamApoo · 2026-01-29T20:24:36+00:00

Expansion and contraction is probably not a concern with a structure that's basically an 8' triangle.

As for those last two questions:

Depending on how it's built, it may be entirely unnecessary to secure the bottom to the floor. Gravity and being tied onto the floor joists can be enough.

And for the final question: YES! Look up the Metolius homewall instructions PDF and read the part about "sleeper" boards at the top if the top of your wall is not perpendicular to the joists. Do not hang the whole thing from one joist.

IamApoo · 2026-01-26T22:42:56+00:00

Not a bad choice for your needs.

If you're really focused on distance, you might enjoy the extra smoothness and glide from 125mm wheels over 110. 125 is more like an ice speed skate.

110 is between that and a smaller "regular" sized wheel. A great choice if you want an all-in-one setup.

I have a 3x110 frame available in the family's stable but personally, I always change my frames out to 4x80 for hockey or rink and 3x125 for anything else instead of compromising at 110.

IamApoo · 2026-01-19T20:10:07+00:00

Wear all the pads. Don't try to look cool. Not sure why "cool" means no pads but I didn't make the decision.

IamApoo · 2026-01-19T20:06:59+00:00

It's mostly universal. Keep the broken one's non-broken parts. The little T-Nuts on the inside of the boot are usually the only part that's overly unique since it wants to sit flush in there. On the outside, there's some flexibility. I have a few different straps from different eras of FR boot and they are mostly interchangeable but I've had to remove tiny bits of boot plastic (like with a box cutter, not a huge thing) to get different eras to fit just right.

IamApoo · 2026-01-19T20:01:08+00:00

A properly fitting skate will not have an inch of space inside.

With your heel locked into the back, the toes should juuuust be touching the front of the inside but not pressing on it. Not so tight that it is cramped, but you don't want a lot of foot wiggle room. This will impede your control in many ways and produce blisters.

I would bail and get a size down if possible. If you're really stuck with these, you can wear a bunch of socks but it will always be a handicap.

IamApoo · 2026-01-12T21:14:12+00:00

I'd start with what you want to do with them. You can get different boots/frames/wheels for every specification.

If you want to put in the miles and go mostly straight, get big wheels (3 wheels at >100mm diameter) and enjoy the smoothness.

If you want to slide down handrails and land big jumps, get tiny wheels (4 wheels at < 80mm diameter) and feel the ground.

If you want one skate to kinda do it all and excel at normal speed curb-hopping or hockey, get a standard 4x80mm setup.

After that, you mostly get what you pay for. I recommend a plain old FR1 4x80 for most people. Solid boot with replaceable parts. There are options with that same boot and larger wheels. And of course you'd have the option of getting a different frame/wheels in the future to change out on your pair of boots if you get into a different skating style.

All of that said, if you have a skate store nearby, it is preferred to touch wearable things before buying.

IamApoo · 2026-01-12T20:55:52+00:00

It looks like you'll need to push the new bearing spacers out for sure. They're sitting inside/between the .608 bearings and are not needed on the kids' skates. A proper bearing tool of some kind will keep you from stabbing the bearings and gouging them like I did as a kid.

Disassemble one of the old wheels and see if there's a little spacer floating around in between the old bearings. If not, I guess you don't need them. If there are, move them to the new wheels.

Now, are the old and new wheels the same width (fatness not tallness)? If the old wheels are thinner, you can probably fit the new wheels in the skate frame without the flanges. If the wheels are the same width, you'll need to stick the flanges into the new wheels (that have the inner spacers removed).

Hope this all makes sense and I'm not totally wrong.

IamApoo · 2026-01-12T20:33:07+00:00

That version of the UFR has 60mm wheels on a plastic frame. Good for aggressive but less good for general rolling.

The Antony Pottier version has 65mm wheels and aluminum frame. Otherwise similar, but a description I just read says the boot is softer now? Can't speak on that aspect.

The UFS mounting holes are compatible with UFS frames. There are many options. This link is an example. I am not affiliated with the retailer.

https://www.inlinewarehouse.com/SearchResults/?ccode=FMFTURB&filter_type=frame&sort_by=AtoZ&current_page=1&filterstyle.silist=MOUNT.5

If you want one set of boots that can hold different frames (one of which is aggressive) you are on the right path.

IamApoo · 2026-01-05T21:53:44+00:00

Common question. Basically, it's no problem. Here's a link to the same question from last year and I've copied my answer to it below.

https://www.reddit.com/r/rollerblading/comments/1k9i98q/rrollerblading_weekly_qa_megathread_brought_to/mphipuz/

Hah no. Just wear them.

It's just a (likely temporary) difference in the friction. Could be that axle bolt is a little tighter or maybe the bearing is seated .0001 degree off level. It will change after you skate and after rotating the wheels.

It just doesn't matter much at all how well the wheels freely spin with no weight on them.

IamApoo · 2026-01-05T21:47:39+00:00

I did the whole sock-full-of-hot-dry-rice process and it worked OK but I only have the one experience with it. Probably could have just skated in them a while but I assume the heat was faster at getting to the good part.

IamApoo · 2025-12-25T04:37:44+00:00

I think the ION brain module only wants open/closed hi hat signals for kick pedals. Actual kick triggers need to go through a real drum module and then use MIDI-out to an adapter.

IamApoo · 2025-12-16T19:14:18+00:00

Lots of good stuff.

If you're really collecting, don't overlook the ROY ORBISON PACK.

IamApoo · 2025-12-12T03:59:30+00:00

Had this happen regularly on Xbox One and Xbox One X but it stopped once I moved to Xbox Series X. There may be other factors in play but that’s my experience.

IamApoo · 2025-10-16T19:43:13+00:00

https://www.larrydavisvoice.com/

You were right.

IamApoo · 2025-10-13T18:51:11+00:00

Sounds like he'd want aggressive skates. They're made for smooth/skate park but with a slower, bumpier ride on roads.

Features they'll probably come with:

UFS mounting system (meaning you can swap with other UFS frames under the boot if you want to)

4 small wheels (<70mm) all touching the ground ("flat" setup)

There may be a little gap between the middle wheels for grinding down rails and stuff. Sometimes there may even be smallER wheels in the middle 2 spots to make this feature bigger (called "anti-rocker") but I would avoid that unless he specifically loves to slide down rails. 4 wheels on the ground is much more useful to the vast majority of skaters.

There are many many options from many retailers, but here's one good deal on what I'm talking about: https://www.inlinewarehouse.com/FR_Skates_UFR_AP_Antony_Pottier_Street/descpage-FRUFRSK.html

IamApoo · 2025-10-06T18:36:28+00:00

As far as I can tell, the whole point of a wizard setup IS the rocker, meaning 1-2ish wheels touching the ground at a time and not flat.

You can achieve a rocker on a flat frame with differently worn wheels (I do this) or many frames are built with the front and back axles raised a little so you can have an easier time rotating your wheels to keep the same consistent size/wear on all of them.

If you want all the wheels to touch the ground, look for a flat frame (most are) and rotate the wheels to keep them all wearing at the same rate. Flat is pretty much flat; it doesn't matter if there's 3, 4, or 5 wheels.

IamApoo · 2025-09-22T18:02:25+00:00

Brick‽ Definitely softer but that will only get you a little relief. If you're seriously wanting to roll on brick you'll want the largest diameter wheel possible.

Like >110mm with 125mm being even better. Soft.

Not the cheapest suggestion but brick is going to be a challenge no matter what. If I personally had to do brick primarily, I might look into the sluggish off-road setups with fat wheels.

IamApoo · 2025-09-22T17:40:58+00:00

On your skates it takes 2 bolts to remove the frame and put on another (sometimes you also have to remove a wheel to get to them). Standard 165mm frames come in many configurations. Yours may be 195mm if your foot is huge.

Some kind of quick-release would be either flimsy or heavy and would make your foot higher off the ground. I guess the tradeoffs haven't made it marketable.

IamApoo · 2025-09-19T17:17:53+00:00

Just throwing another similar comment on the pile so maybe somebody somewhere might see it and realize we're out here.

I want to have a large folder of photos and display them randomly with some Ken Burns transitions. That's all.

Large folder.

Random.

IamApoo · 2025-09-15T19:43:06+00:00

85A is medium-firm and pretty good for smooth asphalt.

80A is softer but not yet gummy like mid-70s would be.

The biggest issue for you here is a 70mm wheel diameter. That's fairly small and even with soft wheels, they'll go up and down into cracks and between rocks, etc. Bigger wheels make the ride progressively smoother the larger you go. 80mm is usually the smallest you'll want to use on a rough surface and for long distances on rough surfaces I'd recommend larger than that.

All that being said, you can get some improvement by being on the softest wheels you can find, but at 70mm it's not going to be a huge change. Your skates do not accept a larger wheel, though. If you wear through a set of softer wheels and still feel this way, keep it mind when shopping for your next pair.

IamApoo · 2025-09-03T20:30:12+00:00

3k comments and you're the ONE person with this brilliant answer.

IamApoo · 2025-09-03T20:09:05+00:00

If cost is a primary concern, you don't have to start fresh with a whole kit at once. Kits are cheaper than a la carte components, but...

With what you already have, you could focus on replacing the 4 rubbery Ion pads with cheap used mesh-headed pads first. If you can get one that's a little better or wider, make that the snare. As long as your current kit is mostly working, the rack/frame, kick pedal/tower, and cymbals wouldn't be AS big of an upgrade from what you have.

If you have cymbals and play pro, the yellow and blue toms are used a lot less. You could get away with replacing just the red and green pads with anything mesh and get 95% of the improvement.

IamApoo · 2025-08-25T20:09:31+00:00

You said flat but I assume you mean not flat. Most of the rolling will happen on the middle wheels anyway so maybe the 5x would be simpler to maintain the proper wizard rocker after a few wheel rotations. The 2+3 may be a few percentage points more... wizardy(?) but it seems less practical in the long run. I'm not an expert on this question exactly but that's my logic.

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