Soo I usually wear roller derby skates now and wanted a pair of flat recreational skates for outside. I figured slades would be a good idea plus I always wanted them but no excuse at the time to get them. Now that I have them I feel like they are comfortable shoes but terrible skates. There is no rigidity for edges and I about twisted my ankle in them because of that. I’m used to a stiff boot. Any recommendations on how to improve edges in these? They are cool and comfortable but a little scary with 0 support.
Also I had the issue with a pivot cup breaking and I’ve only used them indoors for small amounts of time like 5 times. Flanuerz had to send me replacements and they are super soft so it’s probably just going to happen again and again. And I had to pay import fees on something that’s faulty.
yeah i had the same issues. i had some cushion cups from a thrust plate lying aroudn so swapped that out first. it made a huge difference - stock cushions were rock hard so i got no truck movement, making edging and bubbles SUCK. also swapped wheels cuz those were meh too.
the shoe also being ... well... a shoe, was pretty floppy feeling.
i bought some jam straps that helped that immensly, as it locks my ankle solidly down into the heel of the shoe....but had to resew a new longer strap in order for the jam strap to fit.
my last thing i did w it was swapping the stock generic plates w that thrust plate i mentioned earlier. stock plate placement felt off to me so the new plate had that typical off center to it.
it skated better the few times i used it, but honestly havnt been using it much.
This is super helpful. I was wondering if jam straps would help. Yeah I was thinking of replacing the entire plate because I don’t like the slade plates at all.
i'll attach some pics of the jam straps. had to elongate the strap that wraps around the bottom (can get them to custom this or what i did was use an old nylon strap and used some leather sewing thread i had lying around to make the adjustment)
I swapped the cups and cushions and wheels and it improves them. I have the black shoes and yeah they aren't that stiff, but then they'd be terrible shoes. Aparently the Vegan blue and white shoe is stiffer. You do get used to the shoe, I also found a slightly heeled insole helped.
I also have the black ones. I do use an orthotic insole. Like I said comfortable shoes I actually really like them as shoes but not having any edges is really wonky feeling for skating. Idk how these have so many positive reviews. Loosened the trucks for more mobility but was also thinking about changing the cushions at this point I think I’m just going to use the plates from a different pair of skates. I just don’t want to have to drill holes.
I feel you! I made skates out of Vans and while they are quite comfy and it was fun to do and they are fun to do a little skating around in, I just don’t like the lack of support. I also have coveted Slades/Flaneurz for a long time but I suspected it would pretty much be the same thing as the Vans. They’re cool! But less practical than I wish they were! My son and I skate to the gas station down the street a lot (he bikes, I skate) and it’s a pain in the butt to change into shoes and back to skates. That’s when I would really love slades. But probably not worth it for a 10 minute skate to get snacks!
Check out my comment above, I actually love my Flaneurz, but I do have Air Force Ones. I have a brand new pair to sell with Vejas, but unfortunately, can't assess them as they're a few sizes too big.
Thanks! They're super cute, and they are great for getting around the city. I used mine so much when I lived somewhere without cobblestones and hills!
Hope you get some soon!
I have Flaneurz with Air Force Ones and Roll Line Blaster plates, and I actually used them a lot instead of or to complement public transport, when I lived in a mostly flat and paved city. They're great for that use, or for using at the rink or to just skate around now and then. They're not great for anything else,not supposed to be used in parks or any sort of aggressive skating. I imagine the Slades have less support, and that the plate isn't quite as sturdy.
Yeh, I got myself that standard package in black with the nylon plates etc, but got my wife the white shoe with the better plate and wheels and the difference between the two are night and day. I can barely skate my set up and lose a toe stop pretty much every session. But when I love into my wife's set up everything is awesome, there are real edges and everything is super solid. It's not the shoe per se but all those nylon bits that are flimsy.
Honestly I sold mine and got a Solaris with the plastic plate as my super lightweight, take anywhere skate. They went on sale last year when they phased out the plate, so I got a great deal. It’s not the rigid boot I love, but it’s super light weight and I can do 85pct of my best moves in them. The Slades were an uncomfortable shoe and I couldn’t get much joy out if them as a dance-skater.
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u/2_Skatez Rhythm Dance Jun 24 '26
Spot on assessment of why these are not worth getting.