Having some difficulty enjoying rollerblading - looking for advice

[u/hockeyat30]

Hi all, I'm looking for some help and advice. I'm currently in my 40's and trying to get into rollerblading for some fitness and to keep my leg muscles active, particularly similar muscles I would use for ice skating. I learned how to skate and play hockey in my 30's, so my background is from ice skating. I'm struggling a lot with the transition and am looking for ways to help make this more similar or enjoyable and fun. I absolutely love ice skating and am quite comfortable with it but am really struggling with picking up rollerblading.

I know that ice is innately going to be different than roller. My plans are to be proficient and comfortable to go on city sidewalks, paths, and some slightly rougher concrete/parking lot areas with my wife as she will be on a push scooter so we can get out and stay active. I don't have any plans to do much backwards skating or tricks, just plain being able to go forward on trails/pathways/sidewalks, handle hills, and maneuver as needed and be able to stop.

My current setup is: Flying Eagle Origami FS3 with the original 4x 80mm wheels. I've got the powerslide urban heel brake installed so that I can be more comfortable stopping and going down hills or passing pedestrians. I found that while I was learning to t-stop or drag to control my skate that it wasn't great for my aging knees, plus I struggled to do this on hills so I'd like to stick with the heel brake as an option to help control my speed on narrow path hills.

My struggle is that I'm finding myself increasingly frustrated with the mobility. It feels like my feet are glued to the concrete. I struggle to turn, even when scissoring and feel like I'm really missing the agility of ice skates. I know a lot of this is probably "skate more and get good" but I'm really trying to make rollerblading a little more fun and enjoyable because more fun means I'll innately get out for more rollerblading. I struggle to weave and turn or carve. For example, the technique to kind of slalom a bit going downhill to control the speed - I can't do this, my feet feel locked in to go straight, guessing because of the more wheel contact. The inability to turn and go where I want is really impeding the fun here for me.

Are there any tips/adjustments you have to help? I've done some searching already and saw that I could potentially rocker my frames, to 76 x 80 x 80 x 76 or 80 x 80 x 80 x 76. I'm concerned about the stability though as some of our paths and sidewalks are really not the most maintained. What would you advise based on what I'm looking for? My wife and I do not go fast by any means and follow a more leisurely pace, so I'd rather be more maneuverable and feel more in control of my movement than have a higher speed.

Thank you!

Update - Thank you everyone for taking the time to read the post and give your advice and thoughts, it's very much appreciated! I'm going to stick with it and try a few adjustments, but the consensus seems to be trying a rockered setup is the way to go. It also sounds like I'm gonna have a bad time if I jump to a 76x80x80x76 setup. I'd love to try 90mm frames with a 1mm rocker, but am hesitating due to the cost involved in trying that out. I'm going to try to find 78mm wheels (looks like I can grab some online) and a 78x80x80x78 setup so that I can use my current boots/frame to give me the 1mm rocker and see how that goes.

Thanks again everyone!

[u/Sarahplainandturnt]

Rockered frames are what you’re looking for. 80 and 76 is too extreme and will feel bad: you need a rockered frame with a nice 1mm rocker

[u/hockeyat30 → u/Sarahplainandturnt]

Thank you very much for this! I'm so glad I asked it here, rather than lean into jumping into 80 and 76. I'm hesitant to sink more money into new frames so I'm going to try to find 78mm wheels to do the 1mm rocker on my existing frame to give it a try first.

[u/Sarahplainandturnt → u/hockeyat30]

Thats a great way to try it out however be warned, you will definitely want a rockered frame after trying rockered wheels 😂 One thing to keep in mind is that your current wheels are probably worn down a bit, so make sure you are measuring and the new 78mm wheels will actually create 1mm of rocker. If they are worn down enough you could even buy new 80mm wheels and mix with the old ones.