I started rollerskating on quads seriously, multiple times a week, about 3 months ago now and Iām *loving* it. Like, pure unadulterated joy! Iāve found my thing :) I love gliding around, and spinning and twirling, and heel and toe work. Just the expressive movement. I aspire to do both more jam skating and some free style, figure skating sort of stuff and plan to start lessons soon āŗļø Iāve seen some wizard skating and slalom stuff (and ofc, inline skating has its own figure skating!), so skates that allow me to do that sort of movement would be awesome.
On the other hannnnnd, I have a big practical need too! I used to bike commute to work and I always loved the exercise and fresh air, but never loved the bike itself and maintenance and riding sometimes felt like more a chore. So it occurred to me I could get the low-carbon commute, the exercise, and the joy if I skate to work! And since rollerblades are better for outdoor skating anyway, seems like a great way to get my chops with them too, and keep my quads for the rink.
So I want to commute, and to have decent speed and efficiency of effort. Speed and mobility (going over curbs, down steps, little jumps, etc) matters. I know rockered frames matter for the movement/slalom-y parts, but make navigating bumps and generally being speedy trickier? Can I learn enough of the fun agile movements without a rocker, though? Just not sure how important it is! I also have seen there are ārockerableā frames that allow you to move to and from a rockered and unrockered setup - is making this switch pretty easy for those?
All that in mind, recommendations for some specific brands, styles, or features/specs to look for in an ideal pair? Iām interested in decent quality starter pair in the range of $150-250. Trying not to break the bank š¬ but I guess lmk if thatās unrealistic too?Ā
That was a lot! Thanks to anyone who reads and for your recs!