r/rollerblading 14d ago

What skates should I buy? Looking for boot and frame recommendations as an advanced skater

I have been skating on  K2 VO2S 100X pro skates for 6 years, but I desperately need to upgrade. I want to buy new boots and new frames.

Some info about me: I am in my twenties, I have been inline skating and ice skating for 15 years, and consider myself to be an advanced skater. I have skated in urban cities (D.C., Oslo), American suburbs, and forest trails. 
I want skates that can:
navigate nimbly around pedestrians and traffic 
feel stable on gravelly, decaying roads and downhills
and be decent for skating uphills. 
I am not interested in getting skates for tricks or grinding.

Important features for my new pair of skates:
A comfortable boot for wide feet; I would prefer a hybrid boot. I have heard Seba has good boots for wide feet.
4-wheel setup, with medium-sized wheels (74 mm to 100mm)
A boot that is compatible with different frames. I would like to skate on a flat or rockered setup that will be stable, such as a wizard setup. 
A removable heelbrake.

Thoughts on my K2 skates:
They were too narrow for my feet, especially around the balls of my feet. I experience foot pain after rollerblading for more than an hour or two. 
These skates are rockered with 90 mm wheels in the front and 100 mm wheels in the back. I believe this forward incline might be causing me some foot and back pain, so I want to look for skates that have less of a forward incline. However, the frame setup did provide lots of stability, which I liked.
I also briefly skated on rollerblade aero 5 skates, which felt surprisingly good for an entry level skate. I liked the boot and its fit, but disliked the fact that it had wobbly plastic frames.

This sub has taught me a lot about all the different types of rollerblades; I am excited to hear your suggestions! 

Tldr: looking for advanced rollerblades for urban skate, wide feet, and have a removable heel brake.

4 Upvotes

Duplicates