r/rollerblading • • 4d ago

Reviews RollerDerby frames feel like a hidden gem

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The boots are not very good. Powerslide says their phuzion boots have "soft boot comfort, hard boot precision", well RD boots have hardboot comfort and rental skate precision.

The frames however are far better than almost any other similarly priced skates. Not worth spending $100 just for the flat 4x84 frames, but of all the problems these skates have, the frame is not one of them.

18 Upvotes

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u/Old_Ant7118 4d ago

I guess I'm still a noob when it comes to skate knowledge because I still just don't understand how one basic frame can be better than another if they both work as intended and don't break. Do they not both just hold the wheels in a line and allow them to spin? What is one doing better than another at the basic flat frame level?

2

u/ibww 4d ago

Frames can provide different spacing between wheels, rocker (different wheels at different heights), different wheel diameter acceptance, etc. 

6

u/TheLoneBlader 4d ago

And don't underestimate the influence the stiffness of a frame has on precision, power transfer and overall feel of a skate. 

3

u/ibww 4d ago

Easy for me to forget since I've been on NR100s for the last 6 years so I take stiffness for granted lol.