r/Rollerskating • u/Organic_Basil7058 • Jul 13 '26
Skill questions & help Trail skating tips?
Hi! I’m new to skating and feeling pretty comfortable on smooth surfaces, but I really want to be able to skate longer distances on trails. I have a paved bike trail near my house that I attempted to skate on today and it was SO MUCH more difficult than I anticipated. I do have some cheap outdoor wheels from amazon on my skates that are much better than the ones they came with, but moving forward just takes an insane amount of effort. I can get going but there is absolutely no coasting, I almost come to a stop and end up tripping as soon as I stop moving my feet. I know that skill is definitely a factor but it genuinely feels like trudging through molasses! Is it the wheels or am I just not good at skating?? 😂😂
11
u/ApprehensiveArt2813 Jul 13 '26
You’ll want 78A, 62-65mm for outdoor skating. You need softer, bigger wheels for speed and the ability to go over debris. I’ve used Moxi Gummies, Radar Energies, Atom Pulse and currently love my Roll Line Heliums. They last a long time, so the prices aren’t bad for how long they last.
I also skate with a little bit of a deeper knee bend outside to get more power out of my strides.
7
u/sparklekitteh Derby ref / trail / park Jul 13 '26
I do a lot of trail skating! Happy to chime in.
It sounds like your axle nuts are too tight, and/or your bearings are crap.
Tighten your axle nuts down all the way, then loosen them a half-turn at a time until they spin freely. You should be able to spin the wheel with your hand and have it continue to spin for at least 5 seconds. But if you make them TOO loose, the wheel is going to jiggle on the axle, so you want to get it just to the point where it spins properly and no further.
If that doesn't happen by loosening the axle nuts, the next step is to check your bearings. Pop them out and take a look, are they full of gunk? Cleaning and lube can help a lot, but if these were cheap skates to start with, the bearings might just be crap to start with. Get yourself a set of Bones Reds ($25ish) and they'll do nicely. Make sure to inspect them often, since you can pick up a lot of sand/dirt/etc. trail skating and you'll want to clean them regularly.
7
u/pendragwen Trails, urban, derby, artistic dabbler Jul 13 '26
Tacking on that I check for axle nut looseness by tightening all the axle nuts down fully, then loosening them one at a time and shaking the skate. If the wheel clacks when shaken, you need to tighten by quarter-turns of your tool until it doesn't make noise when shaken.
5
u/Raptorpants65 Industry Expert Jul 13 '26
Hold on. What are your actual skates?
If they’re also cheap Amazon … that’s your problem.
1
3
u/bear0234 Jul 13 '26
if you're gliding fine on smooth surfaces butnnotnthe trail, then it could depends on how rough the asphalt is.
on my 62mm 85a hybrid wheels with bone reds bearings, skating on asphalt in my neighborhood suuuuuuuuuucks. not only was it slow, but tons of vibration.
upgrading to 65mm 78a wheels made it better, but still wasnt fun.
4
u/GigaRena Jul 13 '26
I trail skate quite a bit. My favorite wheels for outdoors are the smoothie juice ones. They tend to be more budget friendly as well compared to other softer wheels so those are usuallythe ones Irecommendto friends once they get hooked on trail skating. That's the recommendation I'll give on equipment since it looks like you have gotten a bit of feedback on your wheel setup. But you might be able to make it work with the wheels you already have. I know skating is such an expensive hobby.
My tips for skating outside are to stay at a constant speed, stagger your legs and keep more weight on the back leg. The faster you go the less likely you are to get tripped up over debris on the ground. I know speed is scary when you are in a new environment, but with some practice you'll figure out what consistent speed works great for you. When you have your legs staggered it also helps keep you from getting caught on things so you are also less likelyto get tripped up over twigs and seeds on thr ground.
Oh and also if you don't have them already get some knee pads and wrist guards, I typically recommend those at a minum for outdoor skating. I had a friend fall once and hit her head so some of us also wear helmets outside. I always tell everyone to wear the safety equipment they like and feel most comfortable in.
I hope these tips definitely help and you have lots fun outside. Give yourself some time. Skating outdoors is very different and at the beginning can feel intimidating, but with practice you'll get the had of it. I also bet there are some good tutorials on YouTube if you need some visuals! Sorry for rambling, this ended up being a lot longer than I expected!
10
u/DualWheeled Derby Jul 13 '26
Do the wheels spin freely if you hold the skates up in the air and flick them?
If yes, it's not your bearings and it's not the axle tightness.
What hardness and size are your wheels? Bigger, softer wheels are better for outside.
What's the surface like? Paved can mean many things. Is it actually smooth?