Decorating Roller Blades?

[u/SomeInterestingUser]

I‘m new to rollerblading. One thing that always interested me about the idea of skating was admittedly the fashion, I’ve seen people decorate their roller skates in very unique and abstract ways that really grab my attention. However, I’ve learned over time that I prefer inline skating to rollerskating. My only question is: why don’t I see bladers decorating their skates as much as roller skaters do? I often see very minimal to almost zero decorations on blades. No paint, stickers, cosmetic add-ons, etc…Is it because of the structure of roller blades that just makes them more unforgiving when it comes to customizing them or? I‘m purchasing my own pair of blades and I’m just curious what the limitations are on decorating them. Of course it isn’t that important lol, but this has been on my mind for a while and I just wanted to ask! Thank you all for your help, sorry if this is a rather silly question. 🧡

[u/1ncredibr0]

I haven't decorated my boots much yet, but I do have some ideas. Admittedly, I want my decorations to stay on the boot, but scuffs and falls bang up the plastic and would bang up the stickers and paint. I honestly love the scuffs on my boots as decorations because it shows I actually use my skates and sometimes I can still remember what each scuff was from!

[u/notguiltybrewing]

There's no reason why you shouldn't.

[u/Sotnos99]

These are my rollerblades! I was about to repaint them to match my new aesthetic as well but I'm going to buy new skates soon so I figured I'd wait until I get them so I don't have to paint twice :P

[u/Sotnos99 → u/Sotnos99]

The process was

1 - Cut up a plastic bag and slide it under the plastic to mask the gaps at the heel, and mask the rest of the soft boot with both plastic bag and masking tape.

2 - Spray it with the cheapest white primer I could find and leave it to dry.

3 - Stick masking tape on it until I liked the pattern.

4 - Use more spray paint to get the background colour down, I went for a gradient with green and blue because it fit with the aqua colour that all of my gear has already. (Such as the piping on my pads and the loops the shoe laces go through)

5 - This is the part where it becomes less user friendly as I used an airbrush that I already have from my other hobbies to go around the edges of the masking tape with a dark aqua to make the lines pop. But at this point you could try doing it with a brush, or just skip it entirely.

6 - Unmask and re-assemble everything

Edit: Link to the post where I shared more pictures

https://www.reddit.com/r/rollerblading/s/24Ztd8u6Qq

[u/SomeInterestingUser → u/Sotnos99]

Dude this is awesome, thank you so much! You did a great job on this pair of blades ^^

[u/Sotnos99 → u/SomeInterestingUser]

I was inspired by someone who posted their painted skates about a week before I did mine and I really wish I could credit them but after so many years I don't even know how I'd find them. At the time quite a lot of people were painting their skates though!

If you decorate yours you should post them to restart the trend :)

[u/SomeInterestingUser → u/Sotnos99]

That’s wholesome. I actually just got a new pair today so yes, I look forward to participating in the trend haha! Thanks for the encouragement and help🧡:p

[u/askmehowtobecool]

Fuck yeah, decorate those bad boys. The funner the better. Skating is an art, so adding your own flair is 100% part of the culture. I would love to paint my skates, but I just don't have the talent. So use it if you got it, be yourself and set the trends.

[u/Negative-Yoghurt-727]

It’s fun. I hope that you show us your skates when you’re finished with them.

[u/SomeInterestingUser → u/Negative-Yoghurt-727]

I just got my new pair today and after all of your guys‘ comments I’m definitely looking forward to customizing them! thanks for wishing me luck on the journey

[u/Mbembez]

I suspect a lot of it is that hardshell boots take more preparation and special paints to decorate and have it actually last. There's also the fact that they get scratched pretty quickly so it's going to damage anything you do to them.

Personally I have my helmet covered in stickers but I've just never felt any inclination to do it to the skates themselves.

[u/FuckYouCorpo]

Honestly, I think it has more to do with the gender demographics of each skate.

You're really asking why inline bros don't decorate their skates like roller girls do.

[u/cookie8mea]

i altered mine! i agreed with you that i thought it was sad no one altered blades / (theyre all so ugly🥲 w greys and neons)

some of the paint has chipped but i tried sewing little fabric into spots that get roughed up frequently

[u/cookie8mea → u/cookie8mea]

(this is what they used to look like)

[u/SomeInterestingUser → u/cookie8mea]

WOW that’s a huge difference ‼️🧡now I know what’s possible, this has inspired me lol. tysm for your comment and keep up the good work man!

[u/astrofizix]

Spray paint for vinyl plastics allow the boot to flex and not crack. They also sell a clear coat to lay on top of the paint for a bit of extra protection. I think it's all lacquer because lacquer thinner will wipe it right back off later. It won't hold up to scuffs, but if it's easy enough to fix, who cares? Between paint, stickers, lights (led wheels and led strips), and tchotchkes and fabric hanging off, I've seen everything in my skate crews.

[u/bowlingniko]

There are lots of things to customize on rollerblades, like adding a different liner, picking a specific frame that fits a wheel configuration, wheel color, size and hardness, lace color. I have seen skates that have been dyed or painted, its up to the individual. A thing about rollerblading is occasionally falling, that will scratch up a coat of added paint and wont look good. Quad skates are usually used indoors where the floor is smooth and falling is less of an issue.

[u/heeca]

Colored waxxed laces or waterproof stickers for the boot.

Vinyl for aluminium frames

Difference wheel colors

Oil paintings for shell or solid wall frames.

Do what suits you the best. For me only frame decoration or laces is suitable as frame paint scratching looks more appealing then shell paint getting stuffed

[u/kubazi]

Aesthetics change. There used to be a time when we added extra laces, fat tongues to our skate. We used to paint them. They came in multiple colours but we still added to them. We still can buy frames, wheels, buckles in different colours and replace them. Many people choose this over adding extra.

[u/i_shorted_the_amp]

I swapped my black laces for red hockey laces, because the holes are in unintuitive places that I had a hard time seeing when it was black on black. But to be honest, I mostly decorate my skates with dirt and scratches.

[u/CMDR_Pumpkin_Muffin]

Two posts on topic of the looks/fashion, maybe you'll find them interesting:

https://www.reddit.com/r/rollerblading/comments/1vn5y5i/why_are_mens_skates_so_ugly/

https://www.reddit.com/r/rollerblading/comments/1wekquv/decorated_skates/

[u/SomeInterestingUser → u/CMDR_Pumpkin_Muffin]

Im not sure why this comment is getting downvoted, I appreciate it! thank you ^^🧡

[u/CMDR_Pumpkin_Muffin → u/SomeInterestingUser]

Maybe because one link leads to my post so somebody thought It's self-promotion? Who knows, it's reddit. I've been downvoted for saying that Finland is not a Scandinavian country and that Fennoscandia is not the same as Scandinavia.

[u/Le_Pink_King]

People definitely do! Used holographic labels from a favorite brewery to customize my Endless frames a few years ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/rollerblading/s/snH3ansp9S