Although inline skates look alike, when the salesperson starts describing features and different models shoppers are often overwhelmed by the vast amount of choices. There are several brands of inline skates for example, RollerBlade, CCM, Ultra Wheels and Franklin. There are three categories each model falls into: street skating, speed skating, and, a combination of both. When shoppers enter a store it would be a good idea to know exactly what they want from their inline skates. Knowing what they want will narrow down the selections, and make the process go more quickly.
One major point to look at when shopping for inline skates is what type of bearings come with them. The TSR Lightnings come with ABEC-1'. However CCM Intruders come with ABEC-3's. ABEC numbers denote the friction of the bearing. An ABEC-1 spins less than an ABEC-3, Therefore, CCM Intruders are faster that TSR Lightnings.
That would make sense since TSR Lightnings are rugged hard street skates, and CCM Intruders are high speed skates. The BravoBlade GL's come with ABEC-1's, and they are classified as an all around skate. All of these inline skates can have their bearings upgraded to give them more speed.
Another important specification to check are the wheels that are provided. BravoBlades and TSR Lightnings come with 72mm wheels, but CCM Intruders come with 78mm wheels. The wheel size is important, but the maximum size wheel that the inline skate can be upgraded to is not to be overlooked. BravoBlades are upgradeable to 78mm, however, TSR Lightnings can only be upgraded to 76mm. Wheels come in different hardness, 80A is standard with new blades. The higher the number the harder the wheel. The harder the wheel, the quicker it wears away on hard rough surfaces.
The rocker assembly is the part of the inline skate where the wheels are attached. The term "rockered" means that the inline skates' two middle wheels can be made lower so they are in contact with the ground more than the front and back wheels. This allows for more maneuverability for tricks and stunts. The TSR Lightnings and the BravoBlades are capable of being rockered. However due to the design of the CCM Intruders they can not be rockered. There is an advantage to the rocker assembly on the CCM Intruders though. The rocker can be removed with the flip of two latches and reversed to automatically rotate to wheels. The rocker on the TSR Lightning and BravoBlade is fixed in place so the skater would have to remove each individual wheel and flip it. This could take more than 30 minuets.
Some shoppers might find that the type of braking system is important. BravoBlades have the revolutionary (ABT) Automatic Braking Technology. That system automatically pushes the brake down when the skaters leg is at a thirty five to forty five degree angle. TSR Lightnings and CCM Intruders have standard brakes. Ultra Wheels has a new round brake that works like a disc drum brake in a car(DBS). This new brake allows the skater to stop smoothly.
After seeing some of the capabilities of a variety of inline
skates, shoppers will be better informed. They at least have a
direction and idea of what type of inline skate is for them. Hopefully
shoppers can now enter the sports shop and speak to the
salesperson with some leverage since they have this newfound
knowledge.
