Inline skates for beginners

Three features of good first skates

1. A boot that holds the ankle. Stand in a buckled skate and try to tilt your ankle inwards: the cuff should clearly resist.
2. 80 mm wheels. Bigger ones are faster and taller; smaller ones roll worse over uneven tarmac.
3. A brake. The heel brake is the first stopping technique; the T-stop comes later.

Hard or soft boot to start with

To start with, we recommend a hard boot. Soft fitness skates seem more comfortable in the shop, but on tarmac the ankle moves sideways in them and learning balance takes longer. You’ll find the reasoning and a comparison of both designs in the guide urban or fitness skates.

What to avoid

Steer clear of supermarket skates with a plastic frame and wheels made of hard plastic instead of polyurethane. They don’t hold the ankle, they slip on tarmac and their parts can’t be replaced, so they quickly put people off skating.

Don’t copy your size from your shoes — measure your foot in millimetres. With your first skates, add pads and a helmet, because falls are part of learning. The full checklist: which inline skates for beginners.