Purchasing Roller Derby Skates

Are you preparing for the "minimum skills" exam or simply require your first set of roller derby skates? Whichever the case, it’s crucial to pay attention to sizing and select wheels that suit the environment; considering factors like floor texture and the user’s weight. Consult this guide to ascertain what you need to examine when buying fresh derby skates.

Roller derby functions as both a contact and social team sport played indoors. Selecting the correct skates is vital for agility, significantly influencing your performance. As you accumulate more experience, you'll edge closer to identifying personal preferences.

Derby Wheels - Floor Surface, Hardness, and Player

Within roller derby, indoor wheels are exclusively used due to the indoor nature of the sport. Certainly, if outdoor play is anticipated, wheels should be adjusted accordingly. The quality of your wheels is indispensable for performance and involves striking the perfect harmonisation between the floor, the wheels, and oneself as the player.

For floors that are slippery, we suggest a wheel hardness between 88-92A. Using these softer wheels enhances grip on the surface, preventing slips.
For floors with grip, opt for a hardness of 93-99A. In sports venues, people commonly use 92-95A, offering a versatile wheel hardness.

Concerning user weight:

You should select harder wheels if you have more weight.
If you weigh less, go for softer wheels.

If significantly uncertain about the wheel choice, borrowing wheels from a fellow team player can be beneficial.

Bearings

In the realm of derby, bearings don’t considerably influence decision-making and they enjoy increased longevity due to indoor usage.

Bearings influence wheel rotation efficiency. Greater precision in the bearing results in easier rolling, thus granting more speed. Precision levels are determined using various scales. At SkatePro, we usually apply the ABEC scale along with a numeral, for example, ABEC 7, where a higher rating signifies enhanced precision. However, instead of fixating solely on the ABEC rating, we advise purchasing from a reputable brand since, say, an ABEC 7 bearing might outperform an ABEC 9 regarding speed. Note that ABEC ratings don't indicate a bearing's durability.

If detailed understanding is desired, refer to our bearings guide.

Derby Skate Plates - Nylon vs. Aluminium

The options for plates are nylon or aluminium. Aluminium is favoured by most derby enthusiasts; however, beginners seeking affordable plates might find nylon adequate. Nonetheless, nylon plates, being lightweight, have a shorter duration and cannot support as much weight as aluminium.

Choosing aluminium pays dividends long-term as they are more robust and responsive compared to nylon. These qualities are crucial in derby, a contact sport subject to significant impacts, necessitating skates that can adeptly mirror your agile manoeuvres.

Truck Angle and Cushions for Agile Derby Skates

The truck angle greatly influences the agility of your roller derby quad skates. Typically, truck angles range between 10-45 degrees, though various angles are available.

A smaller angle degree results in more directionally stable skates.
Larger angle degrees lead to lively, more agile skates.

The cushions on your trucks also define skate agility. Generally, manufacturers supply trucks with hard cushions, enhancing directional stability yet reducing manoeuvrability. However, swapping them for softer cushions easily results in lively skates that enhance responsiveness to your movements and ease sharp turns.

Cushion Arrangement

Two cushion types exist: cone and barrel. Cones increase the skate's liveliness. The cushions adopted for your setup are contingent on what your derby skates accommodate.

Skates come with four cushions—two barrels on top, and two bottom cushions of your choice—it can be a blend of barrels and cones. The configuration of your bottom cushions influences your skate accordingly:

For a lively skate with enhanced turning ability and a stable back—position a cone at the front and a barrel at the back.

For an amplified lively skate—place cones both at the front and back.

Toe Stops for Derby Roller Skates

Stopping on derby quad skates involves using the front-placed toe stop or specific braking methods, as they lack a rear brake pad like inline skates.

Select a non-marking toe stop to ensure no marks are left on the floor.

Stem Lengths: Short vs. Long

Toe stops are available with either a long or short stem. The stem length impacts how much you need to lift your foot whilst walking on toes. It's adjustable, and length choice boils down to personal preference. Typically:

Long stems are paired with larger wheels.
Short stems are paired with smaller wheels.

Tip: Determine your toe stop size by lifting the skate’s rear with the toe stop facing down, ensuring three fingers fit between the rear wheel and floor.

Derby Boots

Choosing the right boots involves ensuring a tight fit for optimal skate control, aiding mobility. Although derby boots are typically low-cut, high-cut options exist. High-cut boots offer enhanced ankle support, while low-cut versions ease manoeuvrability, facilitating sharp turns—crucial in derby. Some models permit heat-moulding to shape them better to your foot.

Fitment of Derby Skates

A common guideline is choosing the same size as your shoe or half a size larger.
Review the specific product’s size chart on the website.

Skates should snugly encase your feet without squeezing, providing increased control, reducing injury risks during angular foot manoeuvres essential in roller derby.

Skate Protection

Given roller derby's status as a contact sport, wearing great-quality protection is crucial—opting for durable equipment covering extensive areas. In derby, protection caters for when, not if, you fall unlike fitness skating.

Knee protection is paramount given frequent impacts. Besides that, use wrist guards and a helmet, which is mandatory alongside mouth guards—safeguard your smile!

Explore our roller derby skates selection.

Should you have lingering questions, please contact us.