If you’re new to roller or street hockey, or if you’re a parent shopping for inline skates for your child, you might find yourself overwhelmed by the number of skate manufacturers and models on offer. When shopping for inline skates, look for the same characteristics you would find in ice hockey skates: support, durability, comfort, performance, and affordability. Let’s take a closer look at these considerations so you can buy the right pair of inline skates for you or your child.
What are inline skates made of?
All inline skates have three parts: the boot (or quarter package), the chassis, and the wheels. Starter skates or lower-priced recreational skates will have softer boots and less durable chassis while more advanced and higher-priced inline skates feature composite materials for stiffer boots, comfort and performance features, and more durable chassis.
- Inline Skate Boot/Quarter Package: The “shoe” part of the skate, the boot is the part into which you insert your foot. This component is usually single or dual-layered to provide protection and stiffness.
- Chassis: The chassis on a roller hockey skate is the same as a holder on an ice hockey skate. Chassis are usually constructed out of lightweight, durable aluminum although higher-end skates will have a steel or tech material chassis. They attach to the bottom of the skate boot and hold the wheels.
- Wheels: Possibly the most important component of roller hockey skates for performance, inline wheels come in a variety of sizes and hardness levels to accommodate the specific type of speed, power, and grip each skater needs. Choosing the perfect pair of inline skate wheels depends on the surface type, your skating style, and skill level. Most inline skate wheels are polyurethane or some form of hard rubber.
How do I choose a pair of inline skates?
Roller hockey skates offer different features in a wide array of price points; choose the skates that match your budget and game. When you’re shopping for inline skates, consider size, fit, performance level, and price.
Entry-level inline skates suit beginning players as they learn hockey basics. Higher-end skates are made with better quality materials to enhance the performance of developed or elite-level skaters. Once you know your price range, you should be able to find the inline offering with the maximum comfort and performance your budget allows.
If you're new to the sport, you may not need the best inline skates available. And that's no insult! You're just not likely to push them as hard as an experienced skater, and inexpensive offerings have features more appropriate to the beginner—like a more forgiving boot and fewer performance features. The boots on recreational inline skates use softer materials for the extra give you’ll need as a novice developing your stride.
As your experience improves and you get more comfortable on wheels, you need skates that are more performance focused, with more durable boots, bearings, and inline wheels. Professional-quality inline skates feature stiff boots and better materials for the chassis, wheels, and bearings, helping to maximize the transfer of energy. Better quality inline hockey skates also weigh less, keeping legs fresher in the third period when the score is tied.
What size inline skates should I get?
The first step in selecting the right roller hockey skate is knowing your foot size and foot shape. If you don't know your foot size, use a pair of shoes to get an idea. Dress shoes—or another pair of tight-fitting shoes—are preferable since they replicate the snug fit you want in a skate more closely than boots or sneakers. If you fall between sizes, round the size down, as inline skates are typically sized smaller than shoes.
The general rule of thumb for sizing inline skates is to go down 1.5 sizes from your shoe size for Senior skates. For adults or bigger adolescents, if you wear a size 10 shoe, you’ll start at an 8.5 inline hockey skate size. For Junior and Youth skates, go down one size from your shoe size. Manufacturers size their skates differently, so if you have a brand that you know fits you, use the appropriate chart to find your size:
How to fit inline skates
In addition to size, also note whether you have a high or low arch and the width of your feet—narrow, medium, or wide. This information is important because it directs you toward the specific fit you need. When shopping for new inline hockey skates, find out how the skate is sized for forefoot, instep, and heel lock. Forefoot is how the end cap fits around your toes; instep supports high/low/medium arches; and heel lock accommodates the volume of your heel for a snug fit.
Generally, foot width is designated the following way:
- C = Narrow
- D = Standard
- R = Slightly wider than D
- E = Wide
- EE = Widest
Medium profile is a good place to start if you aren’t sure about your foot volume or instep. For the best skates for wide or narrow feet, Mission and Bauer tend to make great skates for wide feet, and Bauer, CCM, and Tour all have excellent models suited for narrow profiles.
How much do inline skates cost?
A solid pair of Junior or Senior rec league skates will start in the $160-170 range while elite-level Senior skates top out around $1200. High-end Junior skates with advanced performance features run about $500. Youth skates range from about $90-$140.
How do I buy inline skates for my kid?
Plenty of young players benefit from Youth skates designed to help them get comfortable on wheels. Look for skate boots that provide enough stiffness to support the foot and ankle, yet enough flexibility to help the player feel comfortable as they get used to their stride. Youth inline skates often come equipped with a removable brake arm to give kids control and security as they learn balance and speed. Later, when the plow stop is second nature to your child, just remove the brake arm and now you have big kids’ inline skates.
Remember that your child’s inline skate size will be at least one size down from your child’s dress shoe size. Some Youth skates adjust to keep up with a kid’s growing foot, so you don’t have to buy two pairs of skates in one season.
For more information on buying hockey gear for your child, check out our Youth Hockey Gear Guide.
How to break in inline skates
The traditional method of breaking in new inline skates is to make sure they're laced or snapped snug, and then to simply skate a lot. Eventually, your new skates will be as comfortable as your old ones.
For high-end skates only, you can speed up the break-in process by baking them like you would ice hockey skates since the boot construction is basically the same. We recommend visiting your local Pure Hockey retailer to have your new inline skates baked in-house by the professionals, rather than run the risk of ruining them at home.
Inline Skates vs. Ice Hockey Skates vs. Regular Roller Skates
The most obvious equipment difference between inline and ice hockey is the skates, where inline skates have a chassis and wheels instead of a blade and blade holder. That said, the boots are almost exactly the same, so much so that ice hockey skates are often converted into inline skates. Of course, traditional roller skates have a “quad skate” design with wheels in the four corners of the skate, not aligned in the chassis like inline skates. Regular quad skates are an unacceptable substitute for roller hockey as they won’t give you the speed, power, or maneuverability of inline skates designed for the sport.
With your inline skates, you need to make sure the stock wheels are appropriate for the surface you plan to play on—wheels come with durometer ratings that indicate their hardness. You’ll need harder wheels for rough surfaces like asphalt and concrete and softer wheels for indoor wood or painted surfaces. Note that part of your inline skate maintenance includes cleaning your inline skate bearings and rotating your wheels.
Pure Hockey carries a wide selection of inline hockey skates for players of every age and at every level of play. And our Low-Price Guarantee promises the most competitive prices available. If you're a parent or first-time buyer, buying inline skates online can be tricky. Contact our experts at Pure Hockey or find a retail location near you—they're ready to help!