Putting on the right roller skates or inline skates is the best thing for every roller, both for the fastest progress and for the feeling in the feet!

Nowadays you can buy inline skates and roller skates everywhere, even at the major sports stores. Some of these rollers are good enough for anyone who rolls occasionally. But they can greatly hinder progress if serious training is started. We always want the best for our members, hence this page!

One has a clear preference for roller skates, while another prefers inline skates. But of course you can also just be one of those who really doesn't care which of the two you wear as long as progress can be made. And then of course the question arises: which is better?

The roller lessons at KSV Haarlem are aimed at technical skating and are not aimed at covering great distances…. Although huge distances will be covered every lesson it is not the goal. Our true focus is on technical skills and our vision of skillful rolling. If you have always dreamed of disco rollers or have recently started daydreaming about dancing on rollers, roller skates (quads) are by far the best choice, simple!
If, on the other hand, you just want to roll on the street, you can actually go both ways. Below we will discuss per type of skates what you should pay attention to.

As mentioned before, we focus on agility and maneuverability when rolling. This allows you to cross the park and the streets of Haarlem and surroundings without any problems with a safe feeling because you can easily avoid all obstacles and may even use those obstacles for greater skating pleasure.

What type of skates? Let's ignore inline skates because they are mainly intended for making speed and are actually designed to get as much speed as possible, which is of course at the expense of maneuverability and agility.
Most members come to us on recreational/fitness skates. These are designed for a comfortable ride and are usually equipped with a rear brake. This rear brake often is taken off once our members are following the lessons because learning to brake with the wheels is one an important basic skill with us and you do not need a rear brake for this. And with certain exercises, a rear brake can even get in the way because it comes at the expense of agility. Fitness skates are certainly suitable for following the lessons and it may be an option to remove the brake if you are comfortable with braking. We advise you to hunt for K2 or Powerslide skates when chosing this type.
Freeskates / Urban skates are for you if you have to carry a considerable weight or if you prefer maneuverability in the city and parks. They have a shorter chassis. The advantage is that these skates often come without a rear brake anyway, which saves tinkering afterwards. We advise you to hunt for Rollerblade or FR skates with this type. We have a slight preference for this type of skate but who are we? 😄

Which shoe? A soft boot usually feels more comfortable and is often better ventilated, but a hard boot is usually more stable and gives more control.

Which wheels? For a harder surface such as the concrete on which the KSVH roller lessons take place, it is better to use harder wheels instead of softer ones. In terms of size, we recommend smaller wheels because although they offer less speed, they do give more maneuverability.

For anyone who wants to visit the roller disco soon or who watches old movies with youth sentiment, quads are of course the only way to go! They offer great maneuverability and with the right wheels, long trips through the city and parks are no problem at all.

Which brands? If you don't want to spoil yourself, Moxi's are definitely a simple choice. Even the entry-level type from Moxi, the Rainbows riders, are extremely suitable for novice roller skaters. But don't let this stop you from looking at Retro's, Lollipops or Beach's... you read it, we are a fan 😍.
Incidentally, RSI, Riedell and Sure-Grip are extremely strong brands, but a lot easier to get in America than in Europe.
The Impala brand is a good brand to start with. If you are not yet sure to what extent you will fall in love with roller skates, this is a nice entry-level brand to see if you like rolling. Chaya is also a brand that you can look at as an entry-level brand.

Which wheels? For a harder surface such as the concrete on which the KSVH roller lessons take place, it is better to use harder wheels instead of softer ones. Many roller skaters use a wheel hardness of around 78A because you can use it both indoors and outdoors. If you want more speed, sit between 88A and 94A (the higher the A, the harder the wheels). If you want more grip, you go lower, but it sometimes becomes very stiff because if the floor you roll on already gives a lot of resistance and you also go a little softer with your wheels, it may not give the optimal sliding options. For outdoor rollin' you should think of a wheel hardness below 90A because softer wheels can absorb shocks better and roll over uneven areas better as well.
On the beautiful concretewhich is the surface we roll on at the IJsbaan Haarlem it's best to be thinking about hard wheels because that gives a nicer, smoother roll.

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