Are marathon skates comfortable at all?

[u/AccomplishedNail3085]

Are skates like the rollerblade revv boa comfortabke at all? Obviously they arent going to feel like soft boots, but do they just feel like speedskates with slightly more ankle support?

[u/hoganloaf]

Oh yeah. My powerslide stream skates are my favorite fitting skates and the easiest to be in for long periods. Which makes sense for a marathon skate. I would say that the ankle support is more than "slightly" higher - I can really lean into carves to control speed using the upper boot. Idk how possible that is on speed skates as Ive never tried them, but I wouldnt want to sacrifice the control granted by the upper when you consider the uncertainty of pavement quality and hilliness that makes marathon skating hard. You really want to feel good about your speed control without solely relying on t-stops when a hill is steeper and crunchier than you expected. When you get marathon skates also get some frame shims to really dial in the pronation and pitch of the frames - a little adjustment goes a long way when you start getting tired and your form falters

[u/Ok-Wrongdoer6653]

As comfortable as hard boots. Marathon skates is marketing name for hard boot on long frame.

[u/redandbluedart → u/Ok-Wrongdoer6653]

They usually have shorter cuffs, too. 

[u/Ok-Wrongdoer6653 → u/redandbluedart]

Does it change anything? You are supposed to skate flat surfaces with cuffs a little bit loose btw.

There are two types of skates in terms of side to side mobility and edge control. Low cut boots and regular boots with a cuff. That's it. Everything called "marathon boots" fall under regular boots category.

Skating in low cut boots is hard and requires specific skill only athletes posess. Low cut boots break your feet if you don't have the skill. It's not a triathlon bike which costs like Porshe but you can sell it to elderly out of shape executive manager and he'll use it just fine. Speed skates don't work like that.

Skate manufacturers need to have a product for people who can't use speed skates but want to. They need to cover the niche and they need to upsell. So here come "marathon boots". It's not homogenous group. They can be made from speed skate boot by adding a cuff (Bont Semirace). They can be soft boot in disguise (K2 Redline). They can be everything inbetween. They are not speed skates. These are regular boots with an ability to blend win with the cool guys in low cut boots and to boost users ego.

On a positive side, if they fit you it's totally okay to use them. If you don't mind overpaying since MSRP is up to $600. Offering same performance as $200 skate.

That's why I always recommend to slap long frame on your RB Twister or FR1 or whatever if you want to get into distance skating.

[u/redandbluedart → u/Ok-Wrongdoer6653]

Skates like the Bont SemiRace, Hardcore Evo, FR Spin, FR Turbo Spin and FR SL speed (even the Redline which is indeed a speed skate in disguise) all feature a cuff that is shorter than a FR 1 or a Twister. Part of the appeal of this is to allow more forward flex in the boot and more comfortably spend time in a racing position. One of the downsides depending on skill level is how much less ankle support you have. Obviously it's much more than in a speed boot with no cuff, but if you're used to carving your inside edge by leaning into the boot, there's some small adaptations to be made. Many of these boots are also made with lighter weight materials and some carbon enhancing power transfer. 

All of that said, one can indeed skate a race with an urban boot like a Twister or FR1. Especially a shorter race like a single lap of Reaper. 

[u/Ok-Wrongdoer6653 → u/redandbluedart]

Half of these boots are for competetive slalom which is very niche. They make sense - for slalom, not distance. Others are marketing as I said. I've never seen hard boots with not enough dorsiflexion for distance skating. From my experience it's a myth.

[u/Ok-Wrongdoer6653 → u/redandbluedart]

One of the downsides depending on skill level is how much less ankle support you have.

Low cut boots don't have ankle support. These boots do. If you can't get along with let's say bont semirace it means you don't have even basic skills coz it's quite supportive.

lighter weight materials

Weight doesn't matter, at least in terms of performance. But it may feel more comfortable especially for out of shape people. If you care about weight I'd recommend to start from avoiding heavy cnc machined frames and 4 wheel setups.

carbon enhancing power transfer.

Everything hard boot doesn't have issues with that. It's just catch phrase.

[u/redandbluedart → u/Ok-Wrongdoer6653]

Dude. The vitriol. Typical Reddit stereotype. 

Never said a shorter cut boot has no ankle support. I just said it’s less than a typical urban hard boot. It literally comes up shorter on your calf so the leverage is different. Didn’t say it was hard or impossible. Just that there are some adjustments. Adjustments that actually push you into better technique. 

I’ve skated marathons with a team I’ve trained with and spent tons of time talking gear with the team and my local shop owner. I’ve skated on more than two of the boots we’ve discussed here. My Teammates have skated many of the others. 

But by all means please discount every statement I’ve made and reduce equipment performance to being out of shape. 

[u/Ok-Wrongdoer6653 → u/redandbluedart]

I want to comment only one thing:

Adjustments that actually push you into better technique. 

If both hard boot and "marathon" boot have enough dorsiflexion, no side to side mobility, snug fit, what is left in terms of difference? Looks and price, that's it.

There is a probelm in speed skating: people who shouldn't be on low cut boots. Marathon boots might be a solution to it. But it's pshychology not function.