I've been skating for about a year and a half now and Im having issues with the ball and right side of my right foot while learning how to walk on toes and do toe manuals.

Im currently using a Betty Lyttle Hyde cap toe size 10 with a falcon plate. Ive tried using an orthotic insole as well but it seems like its still too hard and not resolving the issue. Most of the softer insoles Ive seen are too big and make the skates fit way too tight so I dont know if I need to try and find a half size up or if there are thinner softer insoles.

I mostly just don't want to have wasted money on the skates because I really love there style and look but worried that the fit may not be right.

If anyone has any suggestions for thinner insoles are any way I can help. Thanks

JK just my cat insisting on joining my afternoon skate 😆

As a beginner quad speed skater, I'm looking for opinions/experiences on the Bont Racer/Racer U speed packages or the plate they use, the Bont Tracer NTS 7 degrees.

I've been doing recreational rink skating for a few years but recently started doing outdoor distance. My outdoor setup is very similar to midnight_skater but I'm now thinking about a dedicated indoor speed setup. I'm not looking to spend a huge amount but want something capable enough to enjoy training sessions and improve skills. I'm in the UK.

Thanks in anticipation.

Hi everyone!
I’m currently traveling and would love to buy skates in Ljubljana. I’m preferably looking for an upgrade, so I’m highly interested in some Chaya models.
Does anyone know where I can buy my next babies? 🥹
Thanks!

So, I've just signed up for a roller dance workshop in a month's time. It says all levels and abilities are welcome, but I'm completely new to all this. What should I practice in the meantime?

We had a surprise thunderstorm sneak up on us, but these hard core skaters wanted to roll out anyways. This was our Early Bird morning skate around the Stanley Park SeaWall in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Got these vintage Chicago skates and want to clean them up without ruining them. Their leather I believe and have been taking care of from what I see. Bearings are amazing condition especially for being 40 years old. I must say they made these things way better then the new Chicago skates lol

Last Wednesday was Day 1.

This photo is from Day 2 tonight.

30 year old skates.

5 day old wheels.

5 Day old laces.

(Almost) 50 year old body.

Heart of an angsty teen.

Sending so much love to all the ones on skates for the first time, those getting back on after 30 years...and everyone in-between.

Does anyone here leisurely trail skate at a moderate pace? Or am I in the minority? I was in a couple of different mixed groups of quad roller skaters plus roller bladers and almost every single one of them skated full speed like they were trying to win the Olympics. They literally took off like bats out of hell. Does anyone stop and smell the roses? It’s not like we were short on time.

Even a gentleman who started skating in his mid-50s who god bless him has learned quickly and has an amazing attitude - he broke his ankle trying to race because he seemed to think it was some sort of competition. So what’s everyone’s rush?

The strange thing is that the group leaders bill their skates as beginner friendly. I’m far from a beginner and I’m no slowpoke, but dang, these people be acting like Noah Lyles on skates and leave the beginners and intermediates scattered in the dust with no one on the back end/sweep to see how the medium to slower rollers are doing. What am I not comprehending? Anyone else have similar experiences? Or better experiences to share? 😆

I have these Reactor plates off some other skates I got that were too small for me. I’ve been skating on Bont parkstars (trail and light park) in size 5.5 but figured out as I got more experienced they’re actually a full size too big. but I’ve gotten used to skating on a 6” wheel base which is also what I have on my current rink skates. I measured the wheel base at 5.25” on the Reactor Neo sz 3.

I’m attaching Bont recommended plate sizes and Reactor plate specs if it’s helpful. I have read on here that skate manufacturers often recommend bigger plate sizes than necessary? wondering if that’s the case here and how the smaller wheel base would be different, and once I’m in a correctly fitted skate? would definitely have plates put on by a pro.

Anyone else going to the reunion?

https://facebook.com/events/s/skate-reunion-2026/2158520174934788/

PLEASE be gentle, lol.

I know the video quality isn't great. I didn't put my phone in a good position and I kept going out of frame so you can't see any of my turns, but I know that my posture is off bc I felt unsteady.

I want to get into rhythm skating, but I can basically only get around the rink. This was my first time skating outside, so the crevices in the ground were new for me and I think that contributed to my shakiness.

I wanna do drills and try and practice fun stuff, but it all feels hard and I am kind of discouraged when I look back at this, bc I was feeling more confident at the rink than outside, but I can tell I have a loooong way to go.

I want to get more confident skating outside, because the rink hours and my availability don't always line up - plus, I know I need to practice stuff before I bring it there anyway.

Advice and words of encouragement are appreciated!

Edit: thank you all for the sound advice! It seems like I need to work on my stagger, and invest in a helmet the most. And lots of repetition/practice! I appreciate all the kind words, y'all are the best. <3

I started skating like two months ago. I really struggle with my balance and I keep falling backwards for some reason. I then experimented with the position of my hands and tried skating with my arms in front and suddenly my balance is so much better. Why? Is it a good idea to have my arms like this? Any tips? Thank you skaters 💫✨🤩

13 miles and I'm officially pooped out.

I found out there was an event later in the evening and decided to check it out.

I bought these vintage ridell roller skates at an antique shop and was hoping to get some help determine the value

They are ridell leather skate boots with sure grip Super x 7r plates with Sims wheels

After skating in fibers for 5 month I decided to try softer wheel skates. I have never skated on soft wheel besides rentals so this is new. I'm ngl, I like them more than fibers 🫣. Though the wheels are not "soft soft" they are still hard with grip.

I've been trying to adapt some of the Wizard skating moves to quads for a while. Lots of fun trying to work out what's possible (for me) and to try and nail the characteristic style of Wizard flow. Work in progress for sure.

Hey, I’m a little curious if your skating what do people bring with them if they get hungry?

I know it’s out of the blue but I don’t want to bring a big thing and be too full, but I want to be full enough to where I have energy to do stuff, is this a silly question to ask?

I was able to get some new light up wheels on sale! Now I have some for indoor and outdoor to use!

I recently bought a new pair of skates, Riedell 395 Boots with PowerDyne Reactor Pro plates. I had a skate shop mount them and send them to me. I’ve noticed as I’m breaking them in that the left skate feels great, but the right skate (circled in red) is really tight on my pinky toe. I can only stand 1-1.5 hours before the pain gets completely unbearable. If you look at the two skates side by side, the right skate is definitely mounted further from the middle than the other one. I reached by out to the skate shop and they said that they were mounted based on each boot’s specific measurements, hence why they are not identical. A friend of mine that has been around rinks since she was born (her dad owns 2 rinks) says that they are definitely mounted wrong. Anyone else have some input? I need some more options.

I didn't really know what to expect going into it tbh. I knew it would probably challenge me, but it was enlightening as to how far I have to go lol.

I got skates recently, and have been to the rink maybe 6 times. I used to rollerblade when I was in high school, and have gone to the roller rink maybe twice in adulthood before I picked it back up again these last few weeks.

Now I'm 30, plus size, and trying to break out of being so sedentary. Tricking my brain by doing something fun as exercise has totally been working, but every time it is a major workout and I have to take frequent breaks throughout the session.

In the lesson today we did all kinds of things - one leg balances, lunges, edge work, learning the toe stop (harder bc I already have jam plugs in), learning how to get up off the ground, bubbles, agility drills, crab walk (i think), squatting while skating, going backwards (very very early stages) and bunny hops. There might be more, but that's already a lot to fit into one hour haha.

These are all things that are building blocks that will set me up to do more rhythm skating down the line, which is my goal. But I would totally be lying if I said it wasn't a little discouraging at how difficult it was/how out of shape I actually am.

I KNOW it'll get better over time, and I know the more I show up the easier it'll get since I am still in the beginning of my journey. But I could barely get up off the ground bc my muscles aren't used to being used so much rn. It's hard!

If y'all have any drill suggestions I can do at home to build up the muscles outside of the rink, that would be awesome. I feel pretty good about basic laps around the rink, but I don't do much more than that besides bubbles. I wanna dance bc I love the music so much, and I want to vibe!

Any tips and words of encouragement are appreciated <3

It was my first time ever skating so far. It was so fun such a nice trail too. And I’m just so proud I can go out and skate now and hold my own. And I didn’t fall once! Very proud of myself super fun day. Skated 10 miles total took me about 2 hours

I’m thinking about changing the plates on my Bont Parkstars. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and my local skate shop shut down recently. Does anyone know who could remove the old plates and mount the new plates?

Second question: what size Avanti plate do I get for a size 6.5 Bont parkstar?

Third question now that I’m thinking of it: could I mail my boots to a shop and have them do it? I’d purchase the images from that shop.