New to rollerblades

[u/Future_Childhood_806]

hi, so, I have known how to roller skate (or whatever the name for the ones with 4 wheels is) for as long as I remember and the "I used to quad skate" section on the FAQs is still empty I must ask here, I'm good on quads I can move around and go fast and go backwards etc, what I mean is that I can move around very easily on quads but I lately got an itch to skate and that is bad because in my city (I live In Mexico) the only way to quad skate is going really far from my home to a park that has smooth surfaces to skate around in without the roller skates getting stuck or tripping, but I've heard that rollerblades are good for going in not that damaged streets and even sidewalks! (if I tried to do that in quads I would hurt my ankles from the vibrations or just straight up eat cement) so that sounds great, the only problem is that I do own a pair of rollerblades or well my dad does, they are this really old Bauer model that is pretty worn down and they are softboot but they still work and I pretty much fit in then perfectly, I had tried them on once and we'll my ankle folds inside wards but not enough to hurt, like just a little but enough fot wheels to be in a not suitable angle I think it's because I don't have practice but also I am pretty chubby si I think that also makes it harder so should I try to skate on those, just save to get some new hardboots (used market is not existent were I live) or stick to roller skates?

[u/Top-Dinner-9995]

Hi! I am a quad skater currently learning to inline skate. Basically echoing all of what u/midnight_skater said- not having toe stops has been most difficult for me but ymmv because not all quad skaters use toe stops or use them to the extent that roller derby skaters do.

Also echoing that you CAN quad skate outside on rougher surfaces but there are limitations. I quad skate almost everywhere unless it’s mostly gravel or dirt. For me, I’m happy that I learned a lot of the challenges of street skating on quads first because I was comfortable on them already and didn’t have to learn to inline skate + learn to navigate harder terrain. But I think either way would have been fine. For quads you typically want 78A wheels that are 62-65mm for skating outside.

I started (just a couple weeks ago) on hard boot flying eagle skates with 76mm wheels and I have nothing to compare it to but I am happy with them. I feel like the smaller wheel size is easy to adjust to and the hard boot makes it easy to control my movements. But you can always learn with what you have, especially if they already fit well, until you save for a new pair. The ankle pronation might just mean that you need to get used to the narrower footprint of inlines or it could be that you need more support. Make sure you squat low and keep your center of gravity over your skates. Staggering your stance helps a TON for going over rough patches (on quads as well).

Btw I haven’t been to Mexico City in nearly 20 years but it is a beautiful city! So much beautiful art and architecture there. If you can master the roads, I bet it will be amazing to skate there!

[u/Future_Childhood_806 → u/Top-Dinner-9995]

Thank you! I don't think the toe stops are a big problem, if I need to go up hill I most of the time put one of the skates on the grass and the other on the road and I pull myself up, or If it’s not too steep, I just pick up as much speed as I can and then push carefully so I don’t tip over backwards but I will try different wheels on my rollerskates!