When faced with the challenge of picking just the right inline skates for women, it may appear daunting, and this piece should hopefully provide the much-needed aid. Women’s Inline Skates are a lot similar to roller skates. However, inline skates usually have a single row of wheels attached to a metal frame on the underside of a boot.
They are generally referred to as rollerblades. The kind of inline skates that would best suit a skater depends on several factors. This includes the type of skating involved, in which case it might be artistic skating. The speed skating or hockey skating and your level of skill should as well be factored in the choice as well.
Finally, but quite remarkable is the price which plays a significant role as the skates of your choice should be cost-effective and often the most expensive skates aren't necessarily the best choice. Here is a guide on how to choose inline skates for women.
Boot
For starters, we should consider the boot. A high boot is an excellent choice as it offers adequate ankle support. This may, however, limit ankle flexion, in which case a soft boot would come in handy. Usually, more flexion is needed for recreational skating, while ankle support is vital in competitive skating, for instance, speed skating.
Additionally, in the purchase of inline skates for women, consider the type of frame the skates have. A good frame should have three essential qualities; the skate should be durable, lightweight, and stiff. You can find these vital traits in materials like aluminium or, more commonly, in carbon-aluminium frames.
Ankle support
As in all sports, the danger of injury accompanies any form of speed and agility. It is thus essential to ensure adequate ankle support during lateral movements by ensuring the cuffs hug your ankle comfortably, allowing for forward flexion with limited side-to-side movements and backward movement. You can achieve this by the use of carbon or hard plastic. Carbon cuffs are lightweight and will allow for efficient manoeuvring while hard plastic allows more or less the same comforts at an affordable price. It is vital to eliminate lateral movements in inline skating as most of the skating takes place in a straight line with minimal side-to-side movements, and such movements could cause injuries if not prevented. Finally, ensure you have all the necessary safety gear. This will prevent injuries and ensure your safety throughout the entire experience.
Size of the wheel
Another essential checkbox to tick is the size of the wheel. The preferred wheel diameters depend on whether your preference lies in attaining or maintaining high speeds. Larger diameter wheels are more useful in keeping speeds high, while smaller diameters provide increased acceleration. Recreation skaters will thus find larger diameters more suitable, while aggressive skaters would opt for much smaller diameters. The type of skating thus determines the kind of wheel diameter that will suit your needs. Also, large wheels roll over imperfections of the road, and therefore the skating is less bumpy.
Also concerning the wheel is the wheel hardness. This too, is determined by the material used to manufacture the wheels. Hard wheels allow for higher skating speeds while softer wheels allow for more rapid acceleration. Harder wheels are also long-serving compared to their softer counterparts. Hardness is determined on the A scale, and the higher the value, the harder the wheel.
Brakes
Another essential factor to consider would be whether to include brakes or not. Usually, most inline skates have a rubber pad attached to the right boot specifically for braking. Occasionally both boots may have the brakes. Breaks suit the traditional skater best, as aggressive skaters opt-out of brakes as these tend to slow their performance.
Comfort
Additionally, for comfort the boot should have extra padding to act as a shock absorber. Most linings are removable and are available in a wide array of fabrics. It is of great importance to pick a comfortable and breathable fabric that will offer ample support to the arches of your foot. The boot should also have a snug fit. This promotes ultimate control and prevents the development of blisters.
Final Words
It is important to have your intention clear on what kind of inline skating you intend to do. This might range from recreational skating, speed skating, or even competitive skating. Armed with the knowledge of the exact use of your pair of Women’s Inline Skates, the daunting challenge of which pair best suits your needs should now be easily resolved. This will ensure that your new work-out routine, professional sport, or casual hobby is both fun and well informed.
