So it’s time to get your little one a pair of skates. There is nothing like it. Playing around all day, the wind through their hair and the sun on their back. A good pair of skates means giving your child the means to take on a fun activity that gives them a lot of exercise, and lots of fresh air. However, finding the right one is not easy.
In this article, we’ll explain how to buy the best inline skates for your kids. There is a lot out there on the market, and making the right choice can be rather tricky.
Photo by Michael Prewett on Unsplash
Type of skates
If you want your child to absorb all of the many benefits of skating, then you need to find the right kind of skates first. You can roughly categorize the types of skates into:
- Recreational skates
- Fitness skates
- Urban skates
- Skates for racing
How you use these specific skates is pretty clear through the names. Racing skates have a stiff boot design, allowing you to go as fast as possible. However, they tend to be somewhat uncomfortable. On the other hand, recreational skates are the most popular type for beginners and intermediates. They are pretty comfortable, putting softness before performance. These represent a great stepping stone for something a bit more specialized.
Fitness skates are excellent for greater distances and can tire you out. They are faster and a bit harder to use than recreational skates but also more comfortable than the racing type.
Finally, urban skates are great for city streets. They have nimble, short frame designs, allowing you to stay agile and mobile. They are great for racing around sidewalks and other urban obstacles.
Liners
Liners are pretty important as well. An ill-fitting liner that doesn’t conform to your kid’s leg will annoy your child, and make it not want to skate anymore.
There are several types of liners – standard, memory fit, auto fit, and heat-moldable. All of them are made in such a way as to best conform to your child’s feet.
Standard provides you with essential comfort and padding and allows beginners to get used to their skates. Autoftis gives extra comfort and support, made from gels. Memory fit slowly and over time conforms to your child’s foot. Heat moldable liners are liners that are heated up, placed along your child’s feet, and allowed to contour around them.
Skill and gender
The skill level should influence your choice of skates as well. Still, we assume your child does not have previous experience with skates.
Gender matters a lot, as well. Boys usually have broader, wider feet. Furthermore, sizes vary between genders. Girl’s calves usually sit lower, and will most likely need a lower cuff height.
Closure systems
Three are many closure systems. If you have a very young child that is still having trouble with tying and untying his or her shoes, don’t worry. Some skates allow for standard lacing, where you tie everything up. However, you can also get skates with Velcro straps, as well as special quick laces.
Kids Ride Wild explains that finding the best inline skates for kids involves considering many factors such as comfort, stability and materials. They recommend picking a skate for your child that features a soft boot support system that is crafted to protect your child’s ankles and feet and explain that a good closure option is BOA closure which is a snug, comfortable fit for your child’s feet without requiring laces.
Frames and cuffs
The important thing about frames is what they are made out of. Plastic frames, for example, are cheaper, but are also too malleable and not nearly as durable as other types. Aluminum frames are better than plastic in every way carbon is better than aluminum. It’s lighter, stiffer, more durable.
Then cuffs. Cuffs give you support when you wear your skates. They vary based on the materials used. They can be plastic, carbon, or aluminum. Plastic is the least durable and the heaviest, while carbon is the strongest and lightest, with aluminum falling in-between.
The brakes
Good brakes are vital for the safety of your children. Not being able to stop on time can be very dangerous. Your kids could fall and hurt themselves. The last thing you want is getting your child hurt while he or she is learning a new skill.
There are skates with and without breaks, and we warmly suggest you get those that do have them. Brake-less skates allow for better performance but are obviously more dangerous.
Conclusion
And there you have it, a short guide on getting the inline skates for your kids. In order to make a proper purchase, you need to understand how important various elements of inline skates are. This means the frames, the breaks. Understand what types of skates exist, as well as the fact that you need to get the right skates for the right skill level.
