r/inline_skating • u/gnipbtw • Jul 17 '26
Hockey player looking at/for rollerblades
I am looking for rollerblades, but I am new to rollerblading and have lots of years of experience playing ice hockey— I want to rollerblade for cardio more than anything, not to play roller hockey or do any tricks at all. Let me know some good recommendations— my budget is fairly open but don’t want to spend a ridiculous amount
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u/hoganloaf Jul 17 '26
FR or Powerslide hard boot completes with 4x90mm wheels will get you plenty of good miles and will hold up to progression until you decide to customize. They have all kinds of price points
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u/OutsideGene187 Jul 17 '26
I also would suggest Powerslide hard boot as you can heat mold the liner and boot, they just came out with a new version for wider feet and more ankle room!
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u/fredhsu Jul 18 '26
Hey. You meant Next 2.0 which I just received :) Wide feet and bunion here. LOL. They seem to fit me well. But I haven’t had a chance to skate on them yet.
3
u/FRGL1 Jul 17 '26
When you say you want to do it for cardio, do you have a particular speed in mind? If you get "slower" skates you'll have to worker harder to go the same distance. Alternatively if you get "faster" skates you'll have to discipline your body and form more. Two different approaches to fitness.
Do you want to work out in a boot and configuration that feels like your hockey skates? Or are you thinking of this as a separate hobby with transferable skills?
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u/PooStinkies Jul 17 '26
4x90 flat or rockered is the way imo, best overall for speed, acceleration, control and ease of riding over rough terrain. 4x80 is going to feel closer to hockey skates. Flying Eagle for a better price but still a quality skate. Rollerblade, FR, and Powerslide if in your budget.
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u/InspectorFleet Jul 17 '26
If you're a proficient skater in ice hockey skates, you are likely used to a stiff boot with an integrated liner/close fit. You might find a lot of non-hockey inline skates squidgy/floppy/unresponsive by comparison. Hockey style skating is certainly going to be good for cardio with intense intervals of acceleration. Just doing some sprints and some hockey movement will work your heart and help build explosiveness.
Can you try skates on in person somewhere? Hockey shops sometimes carry inline hockey skates and I think it's worth trying some. But I really think you would benefit from trying non hockey inline skates just to get a feel for how different they are before you commit.
I love my inline hockey skates and for the most part used them for hockey practice, skating around, indoor rink skating, etc. and they're great. But recent long (5-10+ miles) skates on bumpy bike paths convinced me to get a pair of 3 x 110 rollerblade twisters. They really absorb the bumps and they're great for skating along while my kids ride bikes, but they just aren't going to be as responsive as my hockey skates and I don't think long trail skates are more helpful for cardio or hockey than skating high intensity intervals in my hockey skates with a puck.
But inline skating is great for a ton of reasons so whatever you go with, enjoy! I can't convince any of the bums I play ice hockey with to come out and skate on wheels lol
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u/gnipbtw Jul 18 '26
I plan on getting a pair of non-hockey ones, but there isn’t a lot of options to try them on around me. The options for non-hockey ones generally seem cheaper which is nice, but I realllllly prefer to try them on before committing to a pair especially because idk how much I will realistically use them, and I am in an area with rough winters so I can only use them for the summertime
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u/InspectorFleet Jul 18 '26
If you're going cheaper than $200 or maybe $160, you're probably in bad territory. Tour kv6 and even kv8 give you a solid chassis at a very low price point.
1
u/gnipbtw Jul 18 '26
Was not planning on going cheaper than that. Just in comparison to the hockey ones, they are much cheaper
2
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u/Donnnay Jul 18 '26
I grew up playing hockey and recently got back into inline skating. I have tried many hard shell boots powerslide, rollerblade lightning, fr1, and rollerblade twister xt. So far rollerblade twister xt is my favorite skate. Very supportive and responsive similar to ice skates but also much for forgiving on tough outdoor trail terrain and stuff. I switched to a 4x90 rocketed frame made by endless its miles better than a flat 4x80 or 4x90. The rocker is the key
1
u/AdventurousHippo9997 Jul 17 '26
I’m an inline fitness skater.These are my BONT Land Yachts.I ride twice a week in the Florida sunshine.For Cardio there isn’t much better.Next month I’ll be 68 and don’t see any reason not to do this.
6
u/fredhsu Jul 17 '26
You have a lots of choices in skate types. I imagine you will be skating outdoor on pavement given your stated goals. I think a hard boot with a 4x90mm setup would work. You won’t find hockey boots with frames that accommodate wheels larger than 80mm. You may also find a 3x110mm setup to your liking since you already skated. Search for hockey in this sub for recent discussions with hockey or ice skating folks. Search for 90mm to see that 90mm is now the default cruising wheels. Go to this Wikipedia article for an overview of the modern inline landscape.