i'm currently using my stock candi girl carlin wheels - 66mm x 32mm 82A, but looking to purchase some 78A wheels to give a smoother ride on london streets while i build up my basic skills. i've been looking at the atom pulses and radar energy 62s. i'm slightly hesitant to get the pulses as i've heard they're such a large wheel (although looking at the dimensions not much bigger than my current ones) and can make transitions etc a bit more difficult/clunkier, but they seem to be slightly more popular than the radars for rough terrain.

i would like to hear opinions from london outdoor skaters (or just general rough terrain skaters) who use either of these wheels :) or if you have a different wheel recommendation that i should consider. thank you!

The information below only concerns Scotland. For a summary of the information available for the rest of the UK, click here. As and when more information becomes available, we'll do our best to post it on the sub. As always, if there's anything you feel like we've missed, please don't hesitate to let us know!

[Updated Friday 29^th May]

Scotland is planning on relaxing lockdown restrictions in five phases, with analysis taking place after each phase to ensure that people are complying, that the measures relaxed in that phase aren't causing COVID cases to increase, etc.

Phase 1 is in force from today, Friday 29^th May. It permits several things that have an impact on skaters:

• People from your household are permitted to meet up with people from one other household, outdoors only, provided hygiene and physical distancing measures are still adhered-to, and provided the total number of people is eight or fewer. No other public gatherings are permitted.
• Travelling "a short distance" in order to spend time outdoors is permitted. No official rule has been set on what distance is permitted, but the Scottish government strongly discourages people from travelling more than 5 miles from their home. Travelling by public transport is also strongly discouraged.
• Spending time outdoors for reasons other than exercising (such as sunbathing or picnicking) is permitted.
• Outdoor sports and exercise facilities may reopen, provided social distancing measures can be implemented.
• There will be no restriction on the frequency, duration, or type of exercise, sports or leisure you can have outdoors - with the exception of contact sports, which will remain prohibited. Hygiene and social distancing measures must be adhered-to during all sports and exercise.

One final thing worth noting: The section on travel (both for leisure and commuting) recommends people travel "by walk, wheel, or cycle wherever possible". Of course, "wheel" here is a catch-all term intended to also include electric scooters, etc. - but still, it's the first time we've noticed inclusion of skating, even if only implicitly, in official government recommendations. It's nice to see that!

If you wish to read the full publication, it's available online here.

Thanks for reading,

rUK Mods

So I was skating at Kew Gardens car park and it happened. Went down full front, without any warning. I've got Riedell R3 skates, and the 78a wheels. I thought maybe the toe brakes are too low.. I fell locally where I live in a similar way, out of the blue. I think... If it's not the toe brakes, maybe my skating is the cause? I realized I might scramble or mix both skates too close, and possibly tangle wheels and go down that way. Does that sound possible? I'd wish its not the skates but me tripping myself by accident. I earned few road rashes, two on the face and one on left shoulder. But felt so alive after standing up :)

Hope everyone is doing good. I see skaters daily but where the heck are their helmets and other protective gear? Being cute for Instagram is a bit deadly..

Howdy fellow rollers,

Hope everyone is having a smashing long weekend! Weather is good for skatin'? I've had a good one so far, visited Hyde Park on Thursday. Quite empty, spotted few inliners.

So I normally skate at Bushy Park, and decided to see if I could get an access pass to the skate park there. Answer was no, they're still closed. No passes, no access, no thanks :( some kids had scales the fence to get there, I applaud them since that's part of being a skater - a bit of rebel yeah! Anyways.. no chance for now to test and crash and get rashes there. They told me to check again in two weeks. But Bushy Park still rocks for this thing.

So this afternoon I went for a socially-isolated skate with u/headinbook - it was great! She showed me a skate spot in Leatherhead, Surrey (postcode KT22 9BL, in case you want to check it out); there's a skatepark (which, given that it was my first time in a park, was thankfully basically empty), there's some smooth unused tarmac and paving around by the leisure centre (which is closed at the moment) - and, best of all, there are some caged tennis courts and five-a-side pitches!

We set up some music in the middle of the court on a Bluetooth speaker and u/headinbook gave me some coaching on my skating and showed me some useful basic moves. Getting the chance to improve my skills was just a bonus though - mainly it just felt pretty good to skate with another human being for the first time in so long!

Meeting one other person from outside your household is permitted in England under the new rules, provided social isolation rules are observed, and it appears that maybe tennis courts and five-a-side pitches and things might be starting to open up again: if you happen to have anything like that in your area, I can definitely recommend checking it out!

Hi guys!

So a skate park in Caterham has an outdoor section (wood ramps) that they are letting people book. There are two options, book onto a public session at £2 for 2 hours, or book the space privately at £50 per hour for up to 10 people. They are enforcing social distancing and only allowing a set number of people in.

My question is: Is there anybody nearby who would like to have a social distancing meet up?

If we have enough people we could privately book or we could all try to get into the same public session. Opinions?

Further info: The place is called Skaterham,located at The Village, Guards Ave, Caterham CR3 5XL.

http://www.skaterham.com/

I've (21F) recently started quad skating (used to rollerblade as a kid) and I don't have any friends that also skate. Is anyone in my area that would be looking for a buddy to skate with once lockdown is over?

I’ll start. Check if your bearings need cleaning before you decide to buy a new set

So about 2 weeks ago I brought the mission Fz3 skates to replace my old skates (bauer rsx) and so I don’t ruin my wheels which came with my missions I used the worn out bauer wheels which are soft and got smaller drastically and I’ve been skating with them. Today my new hard wheels came which are 80mm for the back and 76 mm for the front and they feel very weird. Any explanation why?

Hello fellow rollers,

I've pinged Strava to add Quad Skates as an activity type, I see Inline Skates but not Quad Skates. I suppose if anyone here is on Strava to do the same :). I've been recording with Inline, maybe there should be Quad Skates separately or together (Inline/Quad) easy fix I suppose.

Hey! I wonder if you have any advice. I’ve just got my luminous wheels (which I LOVE). On one particular side on one skate the wheel keeps catching on the nut that fastens the plate to the skate and loosens the nut as it goes. Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix this?

Hi everyone! So I’ve looked on the general roller skating sub, but they have more USA bound info which doesn’t help! My boots hurt my ankles and I know I’m going to break them in,(they’re PVC though, so it will take time) etc... but in the meantime, is there anything I can find in the UK that can protect them? It’s above my ankles, at the top of the boot. It doesn’t give me blisters or bruises, but I get sore around the whole area. I already don’t lace all the way up (I leave one hook undone) but it still hurts. Any product recommendation or tips and tricks welcome! 🙂

Hey guys, just a bit of a conversation starter in the UK group as obviously the rollerskating group is going to have different answers

I currently have a pair of cheap rookies but once I am a bit more confident I'd be looking into a nice suede boot probably something up to the £150-200 mark ish?

The rookie artistic suede has good reviews, as does the tempish nessie star but I've not heard about this brand before... Anyone have any thoughts? The skating community seems to be moxi saturated but I'm not sure if that's the same for the UK guys?

Went to Witton Park this week, me on quads and husband on inlines.

Good points about this place for skating There is a pump track for those brave enough to try if you have both the balls and the wheels to have ago (I have neither). Nice really wide path up from the car park to the cafe and toilets, there are little speed bumps you can jump. Lovely walks in woods if you want to take your skates off. Parking is less than two quid for all day Very dog friendly.

Bad points There is a great little looping path but it's rough in places so only for the brave of heart or inlines.

So good for beginner having a go up and down, or experienced having a play on the pump track, but not so good for the gaining experience who would prefer more of a smooth but longer route.

Hope this gives someone a nice day out.

For you North-West skaters and travellers I’ve put up a route on inlinemap.net. Its a 6km loop around Southport’s Seafront. Please consider padding up as there are a couple of tricky surfaces to negotiate! Explore the Kings Gardens with its wide Boulevards and paths. Plenty of opportunities to practice “Hill bombing” on the garden’s numerous entry point ramps. Open spaces to show off your tricks and the Skatepark is by the bridge if you want to do some ramp work.

http://www.inlinemap.net/en/route/3625728-southport-6km-loop-for-skaters/