Fitness and recreational skates

When fitness skates make sense

Choose fitness skates for smooth bike paths and routes of a dozen kilometres or more, once you’ve mastered the basics. A soft, ventilated boot is lighter and keeps your feet cooler, and bigger wheels hold their speed longer and roll more smoothly over uneven tarmac.

For learning from scratch and skating in the city, the hard boot of urban skates works better. A soft cuff gives the ankle less support, so the foot rolls inwards more easily. A comparison of both designs: urban or fitness skates.

Wheel diameter

A bigger wheel means a higher centre of gravity and a longer braking distance. For your first season, 80–84 mm is enough.

What to look at

Check what the frame is made of (aluminium is stiffer than composite), whether it can be unbolted and the largest wheel diameter it takes. In fitness skates the frame is sometimes riveted on permanently, so switching to bigger wheels later isn’t always possible. Choose the size as with any inline skates: by foot length in millimetres.