If you’re a beginner, it can be quite daunting when choosing a pair of best roller skates for beginners that suit your budget, and more importantly, are easy to ride on.
The good news is, we have done several research and analyses to provide you with all the newbie-friendly roller skates, as well as how to choose the best roller skates and some tips to stay balanced with your new footwear.
Best Roller Skates for Beginners
Roller Derby Boy: Best Overall
The Roller Derby Adjustable Roller Skate is our top pick today for the best overall.
For some adults, the adjustable feature might not make that much of a difference, but it does for teenagers and little kids. We all know how fast they grow, and a pair of adjustable roller skates can really come in handy as they can adjust up to 4 sizes within the push of a button.
What is more, the buckles are quick and easy to secure, unlike laces, which usually take you some extra time with the tying.
This is why the Roller Derby Adjustable Roller Skate makes a great gift to introduce your kids to roller skating.
The 54mm urethane wheels are ideal for traveling both indoors and outdoors on these skates, with non-markings toe breaks on each side.
The only significant downside to these skaters is you’ll have to make some re-adjustments every time you put them on as well as when you skate because the inner shoe is removable.
This can be a pain in the neck for some people, but the Roller Derby Adjustable Roller Skate is still a reliable pair of shoes, and they work great for little kids as well as teenagers.
Pros
- Budget-friendly
- Solid trucks for controlled turnings
- Great for both indoors and outdoors travel
- Adjustable up to 4 sizes
Cons
- Requires adjusting quite often
- Relatively hard to put your feet in and out
Roller Derby 47928: Best Design
Next, it is another product from Roller Derby – the 47928 Candi Girl Roller Skates.
As you can tell by the name, these skates are great options for girls because of the retro color combination.
They’re available in purple x yellow, blue x red plum, and many more, which is perfect for ladies who want to stand out from the other skaters while skating with true classic retro styles of the 90s.
These skates feature special polyurethane wheels that give you full control on a variety of surfaces. What is more, you can speed up and turn at ease thanks to the Bevo Silver-5 Race rated bearings.
47928 is one of the few roller skates that work decently to provide you with the best operation possible.
What we like best about this product is the suede material that lines the inside as well as outside to create a well-designed look, along with the deluxe tongue padding for even more comfort and support.
Strolling down the streets or the beach with your friends in these skates – isn’t it such a wonderful experience that words fail to describe?.?
However, some customers are not pleased to find that 47928 is made in China.
Even though that doesn’t say anything about the quality of the shoes, it is still something that customers don’t appreciate, crossing them off these skates from the list.
Pros
- Retro design
- Runs true to size
- Ideal for skaters of all levels, especially beginners
- Deluxe tongue padding for extra support
Cons
- Made in China
- Quite pricey
- No skate tools included
C SEVEN Leather Quad: Best Value of Money
C Seven has always been one of the leading brands in the roller skates making industry, and the C Seven Soft Faux Leather Quad Roller Skates is undoubtedly another outstanding product from them.
You think we’re lying? Check out these features!
At first glance, you’ll be impressed with the design of these skates – the classic look, the faux leather material, and more! The heeled boots provide extra support for your ankles, which is just what you need as a beginner.
We love that it comes with two main colors: black and white, yet a variety of color options for the laces to add a pop of playfulness to your skates.
The material is lightweight and comfortable to wear, and the 95a wheels are great for indoor use as they absorb shocks for smoother rides with firm grips.
Plus, ABEC 6 bearings are sturdy and durable enough for you to make smooth turns as well as tricks (for professionals).
Surprise your kids or any other family member this Christmas with the C7 roller skates. They make an excellent option for newbies who just got started in roller skating.
But this does not mean the product is perfect. The plastic plate, wheels, and toe stops are all made of plastic, which gives a flimsy and easy to wear down feel. This is also why you should only use them for indoor skating.
Pros
- Good value of money
- Sleek design
- Lightweight and comfort to wear material
- Consistent sizing
Cons
- Only good for indoor use
- Gives a flimsy feel
Infinity Skates Roller Skates: Best for Both Indoor and Outdoor Use
As we’re coming to the end of today’s list, we want to introduce you to the Infinity Skates Adjustable Roller Skates.
They’re available in 7 colors, with laces of a similar color but with white stripes to add a little emphasis to the skates.
What is more, the adjustment systems allow you to regulate up to 4 sizes to best fit your feet and even others!
The urethane wheels are durable enough for both indoor and outdoor use. The high-cut feature and lifted heels give you extra stability, especially if you’re a beginner.
These skates work both ways, either you’re looking for a new pair of skates to get into your new interest of roller skating, or petite skates to get around the city.
However, even though the wheels are said to be urethane, they look more like hard plastic.
Some customers even reported that they encountered fall-overs when skating on hardwood because there was no grip on the wheels. Other people find it hard to stop with the hard plastic stopper.
Pros
- Affordable
- Urethane wheels for both indoors and outdoors use
- 7 colors available
- Suitable for boys and girls, especially beginners
Cons
- Hard plastic brake makes it hard to stop
VNLA Mint Jam Skate: Best Performance
Finally, we have here the VNLA Mint Jam Skate Mens and Womens Skates.
Roller skates enthusiasts must be familiar with the brand VNLA as they’re known for making one of the best roller skates.
You can say this brand is quite ‘casual luxury,’ which means the brand has some sort of prestige, but still affordable.
Anyway, this model only comes in one color, which you can already tell by the name and is equipped with a low profile stopper, so it doesn’t get in your way when making turnings or tricks. That being said, these skates are also beginner-friendly.
What makes this model stand out from the others is the premium nylon plate with upgraded aluminium trucks for agile moves.
What is more, you won’t ever have to put these skates down for a break-in thanks to the super comfortable soft padded interior.
However, customers don’t seem to like the nylon plate as a lot of them have replaced it with an aluminium one. Also, the price is quite high, but we promise it’s worth every penny you pay.
Pros
- Change from indoors to outdoors skatings within a single swap
- Low profile stopper
- Good looking design
- Aluminium trucks for slick moves
Cons
- Nylon plate
- Pricey
How To Select The Best Roller Skate For Beginners
Now that we’ve led you through some of the best roller skates on the market, let’s all find out how to select the best roller skate for beginners.
It is best to go with quad skates if you’re a beginner, and if you can, go for those high-top ones.
There’s another type you could try, called inline skates. We must warn you, they are quite hard to maneuver, especially beginners and kids.
Quad Skates
Quad skates are those with two wheels in front and two other one the back, which can be resembled to a car. This type of construction makes it easy for beginners to balance and move around on the skates.
The brake, also known as the stopper, can be found near the two front wheels; it is used to slow down or stop the trip altogether.
The thing about quad skates is, they don’t target speed, so beginners or amateurs can steer and get rolling around on surfaces with great stability thanks to the front and back wheel configuration.
The short distance between the two pairs of wheels allows you to make turns on small corners at ease.
What is more, quad skates offer a variety of design styles, from the chic retro 80s 90s looks with combinations of several pastel colors to more basic and simple yet sporty designs.
The vivid and quite kaleidoscopic color combinations are what attract not only kids but also adults alike.
Nonetheless, if you prefer minimalism, the roller derby skates are just what to choose as the colors are more basic; this line of roller skates mainly target sporty components rather than prominent designs.
Another reason why beginners should choose quad skates is the price. You can find a decent pair of quad skates at the price range of $40-100.
Of course, professional quad skates for competing in roller derby or roller hockey is a different story. You’ll be overwhelmed to know some pairs can cost up to three-digit numbers, or even thousands!
Inline Skates
You can already tell by the name, inline skates, also known as rollerblades, have 3 to 5 wheels which are put in line within a frame.
In contrast to quad skates, the break of inline skates can be found at the rear end of the wheel row, near the heel. There are also exceptions for inline skates that have no brake pads, e.g the Speed skates.
As for the design, a majority of inline skates are found to be simple and sporty. Inline skates are designed for fast and speedy moves, which is why they don’t make a good option for beginners.
Inline skates are ideal on all surfaces, unlike quad skates, which are best to get rolling on smooth surfaces.
This is thanks to the design of one wheel being put behind another, creating enough force for the rollers to push off the ground more effectively with better pace.
It also enables you to skate on small bumps at ease without interrupting your trip.
A Roller Skate Guide for Beginner
It can be confusing and frustrating when you keep falling on your butt every time you put on your roller skates.
How am I going to get better if I can’t even keep balance or move around?
We get that question quite often, which is why we’re going to give you some guides as well as tips for beginners to keep your balance, thus improve your roller skating skill.
First things first, safety check. Make sure to have your helmet, knee pads, wrist pads on as you’re very much likely to land on your butt more than once.
More importantly, check if the wheels spin and turn properly, and you’re ready to take off!
Next, getting up. After you’ve put on the shoes, it is time to get up. A few people told us that they tried putting their feet in front to stand up, and they ended up being put back on the ground.
What you should do is to get on all fours. Put one leg up first to create a lunge position, which gives you a firm base to later stand up by pushing your hands on your other knee on the ground.
Don’t stand straight up just yet. Instead, keep your knees bent with your feet in a V-shape position to keep them from rolling. Your arms should be outstretched in front of you, and alley-oop, you’re up!
Now, get rolling. What you need to do is to keep your feet pointed out when rolling, and slowly move one foot at a time. People usually tell you to try keeping your weight ‘on top,’ which can be accomplished by leaning the upper body forward a little bit as you’re rolling.
The reason why new skaters tend to fall A LOT is because of their stiff posture. You see, you need to keep a little bounce in your steps and your knees bent at the same time.
Standing up straight when roller skating can result in some serious injuries, which can be reduced by having protection gear on.
Remember, keep your gravity low, move one foot at a time, and practice to master standing up and sitting down as well as hitting the break when you want to stop.
But, how do you stop? Good question.
As we mentioned above, quad skates have a stopper near the toe of the shoes. Now, glide so as both of your shoes are parallel to each other, and slowly put yourself in the squat position and lean forward.
After that, keep your base leg in front while slowly putting the other leg behind and press down hard. You can bend your base leg more if you can’t keep balance doing so.
If you don’t press hard enough or hesitate, you’ll end up on the ground for sure, sooner or later.
When you feel like you’re about to lose balance, try to drop your body low and keep it in the ‘getting up’ position. That should minimize the injuries if you do fall.
FAQs
How Do You Choose The Right Size Of Roller Skates?
It depends on the type you’re buying, and also the brand you’re choosing. Some brands offers sizes that are close to common shoe sizes, and some don’t.
If you’re buying inline skates, remember, the only thing that keeps you on the ground is the one line wheel. That’s why it is important to find a pair that fits perfectly to give your feet enough snug and support. Measure your feet carefully before purchasing an inline pair.
As for quad skates, it doesn’t matter what size you’re choosing. It can be one size bigger than your regular shoe size, as long as you feel comfortable because the wheels already give enough stability.
What Do Bearings For Roller Skates Do, And How Many Of Them Do I Need?
We get this question very often.
Bearings in roller skates are for the wheels to move freely and easily on the skates. The higher-rated the bearings, the better. You will need 2 bearings for each wheel, meaning quad skates will have 16 bearings in total, and the same goes to inline skates with 4 wheels.
Remember to clean your bearings each time you go roller skating to keep them under good maintenance. This, however, can be very time-consuming.
Our Final Verdict
I hope you can find yourself a suitable pair of roller skates after reading our article on the best roller skates for beginners. Roller skating is fun, and once you’ve got the hang of it, you’ll enjoy it even more! So, grab yourself a pair of roller skates, and begin a journey that will leave you with all but utter joy.
