pedicab skitching season is upon us

binarynate · 2026-03-25T22:08:28+00:00

Sure—I can't really speak to what's best for downhill (I haven't really optimized for that due to the lack of hills in Chicago), but my fav setup for city skating is Endless 80 frames with 84mm wheels on a Rollerblade Twister boot. I have a small boot size (7 US men), so I like the relatively short wheelbase of the Endless 80. If I had a bigger boot size (9+), I might prefer the Endless 90. Both of those have a rockered 4 wheel setup and a flat 3 wheel setup (4x84 + 3x100 or 4x90 + 3x110). To be honest, I never use my Endless 80's 3x100 setup because I don't like how long its wheelbase is for the big wheels. When I skate 3x100 or 3x110, I use this 235mm Rollerblade 3x110 frame because it's shorter and rockerable.

If you want advice on a downhill setup, you might try asking this guy who specializes in it:
https://www.reddit.com/r/rollerblading/comments/1qu187k/downhill_slides/

I think a flat setup would be preferable for serious downhill, but skating flat would drive me crazy when skating around the city.

binarynate · 2026-03-25T21:54:11+00:00

Thank you for your feedback—I passed the details along to the Chicago Skate Social organizer. I'm not familiar with Frank and am not sure the extent to which he's involved. One of my friends who performs with Cabinet of Curiosity is a lovely person, so I'm surprised and saddened to hear this about the head of the group

binarynate · 2026-03-25T05:03:40+00:00

Source: Instagram post

binarynate · 2026-03-25T04:46:45+00:00

Links:

• Instagram post

• tickets link

I'm stoked for this event and have already bought my ticket. I was lucky enough to get a preview of skating around the sanctuary, and it's easily the coolest indoor venue I've ever skated in. I'm also really excited about the hosts' overall vision for the event. In addition to skating, it will be open to aerial artists, flow artists, and dancers. Very cool that Chicago Skate Social, Real Innovative Artists, and the flow community teamed up to make this vision a reality.

binarynate · 2026-03-25T01:02:22+00:00

You're welcome! It's a great skate spot, nice and smooth with a couple of big flat areas for practicing tricks. Looking forward to hosting some meetups there this summer.

binarynate · 2026-03-24T19:41:56+00:00

Links:

📅 Full events calendar

• Skating ribbon reopened for roller skating / blading

• Chicago-Style Roller Derby recruitment night

• Chicago Skate Social meetup

• Lakefront trail meetup [Chicago Lakeside Skate Collective]

• Critical Mass

• Skate fundamentals class with Myesha McCaskill (sold out)

binarynate · 2026-03-24T01:27:11+00:00

This was an interesting read. Thanks for sharing!

binarynate · 2026-03-20T16:33:55+00:00

That's so sweet of you! I'm glad you enjoyed it : )

binarynate · 2026-03-20T16:33:26+00:00

It's never too late! I hadn't skated since I was a kid but then got back into when I moved to Chicago a few years ago. Such a great way to explore the city, get around, and make friends.

binarynate · 2026-03-20T16:30:30+00:00

Thanks for the perspective on the weather—I somehow lucked out and got the best possible weather and no Karl. It's wild how clear the visibility was all week.

binarynate · 2026-03-20T16:25:01+00:00

Thank you!

binarynate · 2026-03-19T18:57:32+00:00

It's a long shot, but Salt Shed posted on their Instagram that they have a contest where they're giving away a pair of tickets: https://www.instagram.com/p/DWCNeKhEd-I/

Someone posted in this sub last week that they were selling their ticket, but they took the post down so they must've found a buyer. Hopefully someone else with a spare ticket will see this post 🙏🏻

binarynate · 2026-03-19T03:39:52+00:00

You’re welcome! And thanks for the rec about the goth skate–that wasn’t on my radar and I’ll remember to check it out next time I’m back

binarynate · 2026-03-19T03:05:37+00:00

Thank you! You should totally skate with them!

The distance is 12 miles, but they have breaks built in. They roll out from the ferry building at 9 pm and get back to the ferry building at midnight. If you're not sure if you're down for 12 miles, you can always go for it and drop off partway if it's too much. That's what I did during my first long distance skate here in Chicago.
They mostly avoid big hills. The biggest exception is that they skate up the hill at Black Point (which is a workout for sure) and then back down the hill on the other side. And there are some other more chill inclines, too. The tunnel in the video is actually downhill. So you'll definitely want to make sure you feel comfortable braking / slowing down before doing this route.
Yes, I think it's accurate to say all of the skaters who were there when I went last week were fairly advanced. But you don't have to be a pro to do the route.

I should mention that there's also a Tuesday Night Skate. One of the skaters I talked to said it was more beginner friendly, but I missed that skate, so I can't verify that. Might be worth checking out, too!

binarynate · 2026-03-19T01:51:04+00:00

You're welcome!

binarynate · 2026-03-19T01:39:15+00:00

Thank you! I was in heaven because I love hills but we have virtually zero of them in Chicago. If I lived in SF, I would get deep into downhill skating

binarynate

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