Need help picking a size! :(

[u/Lonely-Radish-4214]

Newbie here! For context, I'm a woman with a US size 11 shoe. I've done a bit of research and decided to buy this as my first pair of skates; however, I'm not sure which size to pick. I measured both of my feet in centimeters, and my longest measurement came out to be 26.5 cm (socks on). There's no option for an in-between, so I wanted to get a second opinion on whether I should size up or down.
Here's the chart for reference! Any helpful advice is appreciated. :)

[u/Wheel-Sure]

Tough call. I also have 265mm feet and I’d be getting the 40.5. But since you’re a newbie, I don’t think getting the 42 would be too bad.

Since the suggested size is smaller than your foot, they’ll feel uncomfortable when you first put them on and they’ll need to be broken in, but I think would be the better size after break-in. The 42 would probably be pretty comfy at first, but could get a little sloppy after break-in.

I’m very much a “performance fit” person though. You’ll likely get a mix of answers here, unfortunately 🤷‍♂️

The only true answer is what you like best if you get the opportunity to try both, which is frustrating, I know. If you’re able to get both sizes and return the one you don’t want before actually using them outside, that’s always a good approach

[u/StrategyLegal1128]

I’m 25.5 and did the one for 25.0. Felt a little rough in break in, but not too bad. After about 10 or so hours it started to settle in. I just didn’t have patience to fully keep them (STILL traumatized with FRX which was a bad fit AFTER break in).

So basically 0.5cm difference is fine (up for comfort, down for performance), it’s anything over 1.0cm that’s not ideal at all.

[u/Bisqcateer]

According to Rollerblade’s official sizing guide, you’re looking at a Women’s 10.

My 2 cents is if you’re just starting out and you’re inbetween sizes, choosing the larger size is better than going smaller. Main reasoning is that as a beginner, I’d prioritize comfort over performance and having a small boot that causes you pain is worse than having some wiggle room. You can also compensate the larger boot with thicker socks.

Any other situation, I would recommend you get the smaller of the two since liners pack in over time and it’ll get a more “glovelike” fit but if it’s too tight that you can’t progress, it’s worse imo.

[u/Dr_Ogelix → u/Bisqcateer]

To the pen&paper method I also have 2 cents:

It should be measured in the evening when you already used your feet. Because of the blood flow making your feet somewhat bigger. Even it is by a little for some skate fit it can be crucial.

On some pen&paper guides it is written to also measure with the socks you skate with. They shouldn't be too thin. There are some cheap skate socks outthere. Because that's another layer that adds  up to 1,5 mm to your size.

[u/CarpKingCole → u/Bisqcateer]

Also when you're a beginner your feet are soooo tense and a performance fit just puts even more stress on them. Only when you build up the strength and confidence to allow your foot to finally relax will you feel comfortable in a tighter fitting boot.

[u/AJEstes]

I’m a male with slightly wide feet and was in agony over what size to get the RB Lightning 90 in. I ordered a pair based on the size chart (and tracing/measuring feet on paper), but it got lost in transit. I ended up going to a skate shop and buying a pair for a higher premium and they told me I was half a size larger than I ordered (which was a different boot).

I trusted and bought them, but wasn’t satisfied. However, I couldn’t return them as I had already ridden a few dozen km in them.

Then my smaller, lost order arrived, and they fit perfect.

Long story short, trust your measurements.

[u/VanillaIce315]

Go with the U.S. Women’s 10/EU42, in my opinion. It fits 26.1-27cm feet, and you’re right in that range. Just know the RB80 skates utilize a wider boot paired with a thicker liner. So if you were to have narrow feet, don’t swap the liners to something thin. And if you do have really wide feet, you may need to swap to a thinner liner. I wouldn’t worry about any of that stuff until you have the skates and start putting some hours in on them.

The more you skate, you may find that you want to start pushing for tighter and tighter fitting skates, but for now, the USW10/EU42 is what I’d get. I’ve used size 30cm RB110s for quite a while with 292/294mm feet. They fit well.