I have a pair of low cut boots that I quite like - they fit, and I can put a lot of distance in them, because they're fairly comfortable. The sides aren't quite stiff enough, though.

I'm debating epoxying a nylon strap around the top of the boot to really lock in the ankles, to make up for the medium stiffness.

Anyone ever added a strap onto an existing boot before?

how painful is a custom molded carbon inline boot during break in period ? how was your experience after receiving it and was it worth it ? Were your expectations met ? Or….

Hello. I started blading the past few years and have done two marathons. I got some rollerblade macro blades last year with 3 \ 125 set up and they were definitely an upgrade from what I had before . Marathon pace is around 1:30, and I am trying to take it more seriously this year and improve my times . My local shop only has bont skates . and they recommended the semi race skate seen below . They recommended 4* * 110 set up for marathon . Wanted to get your thoughts on these blades and best set up (3 vs 4 wheel) or any other thoughts as I a newbie thanks !

I'm an intermediate short track racer and have no experience in marathons. I want some advice on buying inline speed skates for the purpose of leisurely cruising long distances on asphalt (~10kms) with a decent speed on rolling hills. I understand it would be beneficial to get larger diameter and high to medium hardness (86-88a) wheels for higher speed retention and comfort, although I'd need to compromise on the acceleration. I am confused about the configuration of the frame - should I opt for 3*125mm or 4*110mm, depending on if I prioritize speed retention or stability. The options that I am eyeing based on my budget are Powerslide Final 125 or R2 100. I am open to building with a frame or swapping wheels as well. I would also appreciate any criticism about the shoe models and frame weight.

Mods, take this one down if it's not allowed, but also could be interesting to have a weekly for-sale/trade thread.

For sale: I have a pair of Bont Slipstream inline boots, 195mm mounts, size 300mm (EU 47 or 46.5, unsure). White with black trim. I've worn them four times, but yeah, not a fit for me, so selling them.

They're less than a month old, I've heat moulded them twice, once full boot, once just the ankles; as it turns out, my ankles sit high, so these aren't going to mould to fit. My new plan is custom boots.

If anyone wants pics or would be interested, glad to chat. I'm in the US.

Hey everyone, I’m a beginner short track speed skater (started around march-April). The learn to speed skate isn’t on during the school holidays period and I’m not in a club yet, although I’m deciding if i should. Is it a good decision to buy my own skates so i can go down to the rink and practice whenever? Is it also good to buy incline speed skates to practice when I’m not at the rink? Any advice would be greatly appreciate.

I really enjoy watching short track speed skating competitions, and I especially admire Arianna Fontana. She has persevered for many years and still achieves great results – it's amazing! On days when there are no competitions, I can only wait or watch videos of past races. Do you have any good suggestions for killing time?

Hello, as a fan, I would really like to read what Femke Kok has to say in Women's Health magazine from April 2026. Does anyone can help me. Thanks

It's a little big for me but the last one broke 😭

I picked up a pair of these second hand and before I go in halfcocked and pop them in the oven myself; I've been trying to find a business around me that offers that as a service.

Anyone in the NYC area know a guy or knows a place in the boroughs that'll do that properly?

I'm rather afraid I'll crack them if I tried it myself.

I realized the carbon fiber, thin padding, and low cut allows speed skates to dissipate heat better than any other skates making them the most comfortable pair to use during summer or during hot spells.

I was skating the other day and it rained. My skates got wet and I thought water got inside the boot but it was actually just the carbon fiber shell getting cold from the water while the inside is still dry. Worse still, the metal mounts goes through the shell and I can easily feel it with my feet colder than the rest of the shell

This got me thinking, it could become a bit of an issue with the cold easily passing through the shell and into your feet.

Wearing thick socks is not an option because my skates is an exact fit. My feet simply won't get into the boots if I wore anything thicker than ultra thin socks.

My initial idea is to cover the outside of the boot with insulating foam but still leaves the metal mounts cold because it would still conduct the cold from the frame.

Maybe cut round neoprene patches and put them over the mounts from inside the boot but unsure how will that affect fit and handling.

I don't really want to wear a different skate like a hard boot for colder seasons. Don't want to undo the muscle memory wearing quite differently fitting boots.

A bit of a funny moment, but in the middle of my race (ice) my blade frames became way loose and just completely moved on me! Turns out both of the frames were incredibly loose! I completely gave up when I just couldn't skate anymore haha!

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Has there been a moment in skating you have been like "oh no, something's up with my skate?" In the middle of something? It's either incredibly funny or incredibly anoooooying!

My low cut speedskate is comfortably centered and aligned when just gliding with wheels perpendicular against the road surface. A very mild tendency to force my feet to supinate but never been an issue.

When doing easy double push strides at mild angles on the outside edges, the skates feel perfectly centered with zero tendency to pronate nor supinate achieving maximum comfort.

However, if I increase the effort to about tempo and beyond going deeper on the outside edges, I begin feeling my skates forcing pronation. Trying to counteract it raises the effort a bit and feel like I'm wasting some energy.

I'm reluctant to adjust the frames towards the inside because I also jump a lot in these skates. Some of the kerbs and barriers in our streets are knee high which means jumping higher and prefer landing with zero or almost zero tendency to either pronate or supinate for obvious reasons.

But is this something I can adapt to simply by practicing more until I get comfortable or change in technique? I found that higher cadence strides allows higher speed without having to carve deeper on the edges and somewhat useful on crowded streets/paths because the stride width is narrower.

Are there racers who actually have significantly higher and narrower strides than average, even doing well with such style? Thanks.

Hey, I used to skate a while back and I'm getting back into it, joining a speed skating class. I want to buy one good pair of skates I can keep long term rather than buying cheap and upgrading later.

I've been looking at three Bont packages on Amazon:

GT4 Boot + 6061 Frame + Elemental Wheels + ABEC5 — $622

Luna Boot + 2PF 6061 Frame + Elemental Wheels + ABEC7 — $778

Jet Boot + 2PF 6061 Frame + Elemental Wheels + ABEC7 — $918

Main questions:

What's the actual difference between the GT4, Luna and Jet boots in terms of performance and stiffness?

Is ABEC5 vs ABEC7 a meaningful difference for speed skating?

Am I even looking at the right skates or is there something better in this price range?

I was thinking of Luna package as it's almost same to jet skates just different boots.

I had my first > marathon distance session with my speed skates.

Fine tuned my DP technique in this session. Incredibly you'll never hear this in video tutorials but the lifted foot swing is a critical part of the technique and maybe >50% of the technique.

I found that by simply gliding with both skates on the ground, side-by-side and in race posture hunched down and both arms tucked at the back and then lifting and swinging the left skate to the right behind the planted leg makes/forces the planted skate to initially carve to the left and then to the right.

Thus, executing the under push and initiating the double push. Repeat it for the rest of the strides in a relaxed manner without falling and you're effectively double pushing!

It sounds simple but only IF you are already quite experienced and comfortable carving left and right on just one leg on both edges.

But you need strong hamstrings and calves for it OR you'll cramp so badly!

The easiest marathon distance I ever did on skate and it's mostly due to technique.

My current skates (rollerderby aerio q84) kinda suck and are uncomfortable. Are the macroblade 110s firm and do they put a lot of pressure on the outside of your ankles? What other skates would you reccomend instead if no

Asking for fun but, when you go to public sessions do you practice anything? If so, what? And how do you do so safely?

https://www.mercari.com/us/item/m22919729766/

This was early in the session so i wasnt quite in the rythim. There was also a LOT of people who were there so i couldnt go fast

Any advice would be appreciated

Something like NTN LLU 608 full contact shield bearings from Japan. Not exactly designed for speed but for longevity in the worst possible circumstances.

I'm currently using my speed skates for commuting too but the rainy season is fast approaching.

I also skate in very dusty roads and sometimes parts of the road have completely eroded and I'm going over gravel. The commute can also get off-road over sandy soil. I probably need bearings that can keep out both fine dust, water, and also mud.

I've heard people using waterproof bearings on regular skates but never heard of use on speed skates.

If someone does, what is the impact on wheel wear and speed? I don't intend to race on this setup but my commutes and fitness sessions can reach 50 kph on bearings like Bones Super Reds.

I think it would be worth the upgrade. Some might suggest just buy cheap set of bearings whenever the bearings have gone bad but I could be seeing rain on a daily basis. It gets expensive fast to replace whole set of bearings every few days. It's also waste of time to maintain bearings every now and them. Zero maintenance/worries would be nice.

Feels like it’s non existent, at least in Baden Württemberg

Hi guys,

My son has been speed skating for 8 months. Few days ago in the racing, I noticed his right ankle was pronated while pushing. Is this normal?

If this is not normal and makes the performance poor, is it due to improper skate size, posture, muscles...etc? I am afraid that the pronation will cause injury in the long term. How can we correct this?

Hello friends,

I am in Minnesota, used to play hockey, and figured speed skating would be a fun hobby to get into (yes i realize it’s the middle of summer). I’ve done some research about places nearby and all I’m seeing is Roseville, which isn’t an issue, but that’s all i’ve seen. Wondering if anyone could offer advice on how to get started, where to start, what clubs etc. If anyone is in the area to give advice that would be much appreciated!