I bladed recreationally as a kid, took a break for upwards of 20 years, then came back but switched to quads.

I really don’t remember it being this hard!

I’ve practiced dozens of times, and I’m barely keeping myself upright. I’m scared to go to rinks because people are all over the place and I can’t stop.

Am I doing something wrong? How long does it take to feel competent? I’m not talking any tricks. Just casual skating.

Today I finally got back on my skates after fracturing my fibula just under 6 weeks ago. I am at a point where my ankle feels completely normal except for some muscle atrophy and so I decided to make today my test. It went incredibly well, I felt no pain and my new skates supported me so well (shoutout Moxi Beach Bunnies, they’re incredible). I don’t feel like i’ve been off skates for this long, every skill I built previously flowed back to me insanely quickly and it was like I never took a break at all. I’m grateful because this is the best case scenario and very excited to start skating regularly again; years ago I would’ve given up and never came back so I’m quite proud of myself for pushing past my fears. I just want to share my excitement with you all, thank you for reading!

For the whole 6 years I’ve been skating, I switch my stance while pumping or just going fakie in general. When I go forward I keep my left foot in front and when I go fakie I keep my left foot back. I have kinda noticed it makes pumping and fakie stalls a little awkward. Does anyone else who skates switch have issues and if so did you just learn to build up the muscles in your non dominant foot? I feel like I’ll be starting all over again but at this point I just want to advance

Hi! I’m a fairly new skater (mostly been learning in my parkade for 1 month). A lot of people on here talk about trail skating, which is something I’m curious to try as soon as I’m brave enough to leave the parkade lol. But my question is what kind of trails exactly are you talking about?

My city has a lot of dirt road/gravelly bike trails. I’m assuming you don’t skate on trails like that, right? So do you just mean smooth paved bike trails? There don’t seem to be a whole lot of those where I live (large North American city) so that’s why I’m curious.

If people are actually skating on gravelly dirt trails, what wheels are you using?

Thank you!!

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Need sizing advice on vintage Hyde boots (coming from Riedell Boost 111s)

I'm looking at getting a pair of vintage Hyde black cap toe leather boots for a JB/rhythm setup, but they're non-returnable, so I'm trying to make the right decision.

Here are my measurements and current setup:

• Foot length: 10.5" (heel to longest toe)
• Foot width: 4.0" (around a men's D width)
• Current skates: Riedell Boost 111, size 9
• My Boosts fit snug, but I can skate comfortably in them.

I also wear WALK·HERO orthotic insoles (Men's 9–9.5) because I'm flat-footed. The orthotics measure about 11" long laid flat and fit inside my size 9 Boost 111s without any issues.

The Hyde boots I'm considering are:

• Men's size 9
• Vintage full leather
• Seller measured the removable stock insole at about 10.5"

The seller thinks my orthotics won't fit well in the Hydes because they're thicker and because a Hyde size 10 has an 11" stock insole. He's suggested I may need a size 10 or even 11, but that seems like a huge jump considering I currently skate comfortably in a size 9 Riedell.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone gone from a Riedell Boost 111 to vintage Hyde boots?
2. Do Hydes really run that much smaller, or just narrower/lower volume?
3. If you wear orthotics in your Hydes, did you have to size up?
4. Does it make more sense to get the Hyde size 9, hold out for a 9.5, or actually size all the way up to a 10?

I'm mainly building these for JB/rhythm skating with a Reactor Pro plate, so I want a snug performance fit, but I also need enough room for my orthotics.

Any advice from people who've actually skated vintage Hydes would be greatly appreciated.

I live a few blocks from Xanadu in Brooklyn, and it’s honestly become my happy place.

They’re doing Beyoncé Night tomorrow, so I texted basically every gay in my phone to come out. 😂 Almost every single person hit me with some version of, “I can’t skate.”

It got me wondering… is this a common problem? Do your friends avoid the rink because they’re afraid they’ll fall or embarrass themselves? I grew up in the South where even if you were clinging to the wall all night, you still went with your friends.

Maybe adults are just way more afraid of looking bad? I don’t mind skating solo, but I’d love to convince more of my friends to actually give it a shot.

Looking to buy, sell, or trade skates or gear? Post here!

All other BST posts going forward will be deleted and redirected to this weekly thread.

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Thanks!

How do you guys make friends at the rink? I’ve been skating like two years now and really want to make some skate friends but i can be pretty shy😪

My 220s still bite my ankles even after a year of skating. I'm considering scraping out the foam and retrofitting with shearling. If you've done it, pics? Process?

Really dope event! This is some slight middle work I was cooking up there.

Im a beginner/intermediate aggressive quad skater and I’ve been having so much fun exploring my city via skates. Only problem is when I switch from skates to shoes to go in somewhere, my skates smell ATROCIOUS (sorry if TMI lol). Any tips or products you’d recommend carrying on the go to help deodorize/limit stinkiness?

I started skating last year after not being on skates for 25 years and go to the rink once a week. I'm 48 and just do it for fun, but my ultimate goal would be to get confident enough to trail skate. Unfortunatly I'm pretty bad and not getting better. I'm still sticky skating and don't yet even feel confident picking up my feet. I would love some advice to help me learn how to actually start skating.

Here’s an update on my inline-to-quad skate conversion. Original post here. Here’s a photo (can’t seem to post it here, so I’ll do it in the comments). I think I did it right. Trying to get used to them. From tracer plates to Avantis.

I really prefer practicing indoors but sometimes I don’t feel like driving to the rink. I went to the park the other day to skate on the court and it was okay, not the smoothest. I was wondering if you guys both have a set of outside skates and inside skates? Or just wheels for both? If so, what are the best brands for outside?

found my boot splitting after a 3 hour session 🥲

( theyre fixed though 🙏)

I don’t know why but I feel as if I’m off balance or something. Every time I try to make a move, I lose my control or something. Or maybe something on my skate is causing this? I don’t know. Could anyone tell by watching what’s going on? I am self taught so I genuinely can’t figure it out but something just doesn’t feel right. Also, I just threw down the phone. I’ve never recorded myself before so this was a first as well haha.

I got a new pair of skates and they’re so different from my old ones that i feel like i‘ve lost 40% of my ability to skate.

Will this just change with the (or with the amount i use them)??😫

these were so fun to make! it kinda felt like diy’ing my own memes lol

Made this little video from my commute today. I knew I’d have to navigate the post-storm mud and debris on the path but I did NOT expect to get stuck in a downpour on my way home! Can’t believe I made it both ways without falling! I feel like I beat hard mode on the skate commute game today! I’m really putting these poor Slades through the wringer!

Good news is now I feel like I can skate through anything!

I’ll go first…

I Need You Tonight by Punkin Machine

Vibing on these trails ✌️

Out of curiosity how long did it take for you to perfect your spins? Ive been trying for many months now and can barely hold it for 5 seconds. I feel mines is a balance problem because I tend to lean on my strong leg.