r/inline_skating

Which of these are really good

Hi. I started skating 4 weeks ago. My first long session I think I overtightened the top strap and I had an intense pressure pain and sore aligning with the top of the collar 2inches above my ankle, on the outside of my leg. It is strangely only on my right ankle and no pain at all on the other foot. I find loosening the top laces and strap relieves some of the pain (making it all more flexible and compromising some control). But not completely. Am I doing something wrong, and can I make any adjustments? The boots are FRX80. The collar does not appear to be height adjustable. Maybe these boots are just wrong for me?

I started inline skating about 16 years ago and had purchased hard boots from Dicks Sporting Goods. I wish I remembered the brand because they were very sturdy. I think they were mens and they were gray and blue. I only went skating a handful of times and then 2 years after that I decided to “upgrade” to something prettier and got myself the K2 Alexis 84 BOA. I thought they were awesome but…. As it turns out they were not doing me any favors…. The boa system is nice though. I hadn’t researched anything about hard/soft or wheel sizes.

To be clear I am still at “beginner” level and I am fine with that.
I stopped skating at some point until the other day (fourteen years later) I took the K2 out for a spin. Over 2 weeks I went skating but felt like I was rolling out of control on slight downhill inclines, and also did not feel they were responsive. I would do only flat parts of the loop at the local park because i was scared of any hills even small. Also the heel brake was so awkward to engage because of how far back the wheel base extended. So after much research I got myself the Roces 1992. (Sized up)

Wow! What a difference!! 76mm wheels and #5 bearings vs 84mm and #7. Hard boots vs soft. I only have to lift my toes slightly and the heel brake engages. I wanted to feel a little more grounded and a little less momentum and that’s exactly the outcome. Love my new skates soooo much. I went skating in them three times and I feel like I have already improved.

Hello! I'm a complete beginner and sizing has really been a challenge for me while looking for skates. Im looking at a pair of inline skates and was wondering if they'd be okay? I wear a size 9.5 in women's but my foot is 25 cm. Would these fit or be too small? I want to Make sure before committing to anything.

I'm on a tight budget, very very tight. (I know that's not ideal) I found these on eBay and they come with knee and elbow pads as well as the bag. I want to try something like this before spending $100s on skates in case I don't stick with it. I want to but who knows.

I have noticed however that they don't have the hard boot which I've seen people say makes it easier as a beginner? Would it make a big difference? They also need a new strap on one skate, is that a simple fix or should I I just try to find a whole different pair?

You can be upright and brutally honest with me as I know absolutely nothing and would appreciate the help and advice :D

Assuming you already have a snug/ideal fit with a stock liner/shell, would using an intuition skate premium liner allow you to go down 1 size number?

I dont have fancy skates or frames because ive just gotten into this hobby. I make do with what I have though and was starting to wonder if I save my worn wheels can I make my own rockers with them?

I feel like when I do the soul slide my hip kinda feels discomfort! I don’t feel injured or anything but my hip definitely feels a lil weird when I try and do it!

Does anyone have any tips or techniques on how to maybe fix this? I added a picture for reference of my posture / stance

EDIT: I added images in the comments, thanks fredhsu for the suggestion. (also, I am a beginner (these are my first skates), so that could play a role in something)

Disclaimer: I have watched that one video of a guy suggesting to use floor protectors inside the shell, didn't work for me.

I would appreciate any help or opinions

The pain is not on the center of the big ankle bone bump. It is slightly diagonal and forward/above it (anterior and superior), right in the soft tissue crease where the front tendons run (random ankle image from google, pain area is circled)

There is absolutely no pain when standing, walking, or just wearing the skates, pain only occurs while skating, and seems to be triggered by forward flexion/dorsiflexion or really any skating movement. Cruising on rough asphalt also trigger the pain due to vibrations.

I can comfortably skate for 1-2 hours before the ankle area starts hurting. After that I need to wait for it to fully heal until I can skate again. Right side/foot always starts hurting before the left side and always hurts more.

Also the skates were bought used, so I don't think "breaking in" is an issue.

WHAT I HAVE TESTED/OBSERVED:

- my heel is completely locked by the 45° buckle, there is no heel lift or forward sliding

- with the liner removed there is a surprisingly large gap between my ankle and the shell, (*EDIT: so turns out this isn't true. I used to unintentionally push my foot forward so there was a large gap. But now when I tried the shell on without the liner, with my heel fully seated at the back, there isn't a large gap around my ankle. There is plenty of space around the outside of the ankle, but the medial/inside of my ankle, the side where it hurts, actually sits much closer to the shell. So there is significantly less space than I initially thought).
I can move my foot in every direction with zero pain, the pain only appears if I manually press my ankle against one specific spot on the inside of the shell.
-->based on this correction, is it possible that since my inside ankle already sits very close to the shell, the liner will occupy the remaining space, tightening the cuff compresses the liner and my foot even more, during movement, my soft tissues expand slightly, and the tissue is trapped against the shell

-sitting down, if I simply pull my toes upward inside the skate (dorsiflex), I can reproduce the exact pain. However, with the liner removed and no contact with the shell, dorsiflexion is completely painless. With the liner in, even dragging my foot backwards reproduces the pain

- adding felt, cotton pads, thicker socks, etc. (in different areas, from my socks to the shell) does not help

WHERE THE SHELL HURTS:
https://imgur.com/eizfDrD (left image is left foot/skate, right image is the right foot/skate)

LEFT SIDE - if my heel is fully seated back, pressing my ankle against the shell doesn't hurt much, if I slide my foot/fingers all the way into the shell (my heel is no longer in the back) and press my foot against the shell, it will start hurting against the orange circled area

RIGHT SIDE - it hurts in the orange circled spot even with my heel fully back (my right foot also hurts sooner while skating). Also, when I push my foot to the front of the boot, same thing happens as with the left image, same spot as the left skate

CUFF ISSUE?

One thing that seems strange is that I have to tighten the upper cuff buckle almost to the end of the ladder just to get decent ankle support. Instead of wrapping evenly around my lower leg, it feels like tightening the cuff mainly flattens the boot from side to side, almost like squeezing an oval into a narrower shape. That seems to clamp directly on the sides/front of my ankles while still leaving empty space between my shin and the tongue.

If I loosen the cuff, the pain becomes less, but then I lose too much lateral support

My question is, is this a shell geometry issue, cuff geometry that doesn't match my lower leg, a liner problem, or something else?