want to get into 5-wheelers

[gman]

I have only skated stock four wheels. The vast majority of it with old ski-boot-like rollerblades. The Nike's and the Solomon's are on clearance but the Nike's are out of stock in my size. Does anyone have any suggestions on which skate to buy for my first ones and any newby advice?

Another part to this question is this: would using a four wheel skate with a longer frame and say 100mm wheels be any better/worse for long distance speed skating. I will not be playing hockey in these. I will be on the roads and streets only. I may race if I can find one.

Thanks for any input.

[IW Staff]

This is a preference thing really. I like the feel of a 4 wheel frame with 100mm over the 5 wheel frames. Just me.

Radical 100's or 90's are sweet skates that I've enjoyed quite a bit. Both are great for longer distances and the 90's are very versatile even though they have the large wheel. Pretty zippy skates even at that size. Those are the ones I skate most often.

Thanks for the pose!
Stan @ IW

[sk8blaster]

I definitely would say get the 4 wheel 100mm frames. All the speed skaters have made the switch to this setup. If you are going to be skating for distance you will get a better roll from the 100mm wheels.

I would suggest looking at a low (lower than the old plastic) boot that is a few inches above the ankle. Soloman would be a good choice. The Rollerblade Lightning is another really nice skate. If you buy the frames and the boots seperate make sure the mounting spacing is the same for both. The most common spacing is 6.5" but a lot of new 4x100mm frames have a 7.5" spacing.

Good Luck!

[DHS]

From the point of equipment, speed is not only from the size of the wheels but also the material of the frame, and the quality of the bearings. Certainly I would recommend at least aluminum frames and ABEC 5 or above bearings. The ILQ-9 bearings which claim to be equal to ABEC 9 are very good, and you can also get a teaching CD from Eddie Matzger for a total of $50. Some high-end skates come with ILQ-9.

The rollability and handling of cracks on the road is better in bigger wheels. But do not get your hope too high as they require more power and time to bring up to your maximum speed; but they stay there longer for you. Big wheels are less maneuverable, so they do not handle sharp curves/turnes as well as the smaller wheels. In another word, they are less fun to play with, but you get the speed though. That is because the frames are higher so the skater is less stable. And the high rollablity do not let you slow down as wish to do whatever tricks.

When everything is similar, the moving up from 76mm x 4 to 80mm x 5 can cut your time at least 10%. The speed of 80mm x 5 is very similar to 84mm x 4. The moving up from 80mm to 84mm is still very notable. Yet the rest of the moving up is getting lesser gain in speed; and also at the expense of having fun.

I have a feeling the mixed wheels, e.g. 100mm x 3 + 84mm is slowly getting out of trend. But it is a good place to start, and particularly Solomon has the Pilot Pro is at very good price of $245 in IW. They have the height of 84 mm frame and probably better maneuverability than 100mm x 4.

If you take inline seriously, and driven by human nature, you eventually will move into 90 or 100mm. But there is no harm to check into ebay to get some cheap deals to experiment a bit.

I got my Radical 100 this fall and I use them indoor so far. I have to say I am a bit disappointed after reading how great they are in many webs. Also those 100mm wheels are expensive - $45 for one skate.

Now I am much objective about 100mm wheels than three months ago. You can go same speed with smaller wheels, yet better handling, safer, cheaper, more fun and easier to apply dp or stride 3. To me, fun is the name of the game and you get nothing to lose in using 84mm.

Doing well in race also depends largely on strategy, your technique and physical tolerance. You do need good skates, but not necessarily the biggest wheels.