Purchasing Roller Derby Skates

Are you getting ready for the "minimum skills" assessment or simply require your initial roller derby skates? No matter the reason, it's crucial to focus on sizing and choose the right wheels based on factors such as floor type and the user's weight. This guide provides insights into what should be considered when acquiring new derby skates.

Watch this video where we provide a brief summary of essential knowledge before acquiring your first set of derby skates.

Roller derby, a contact sport as well as a social team sport, is played indoors. Selecting the appropriate skates is vital for your agility and greatly influences your performance. As you progress in experience, you will move closer to your personal preferences.

Derby Wheels - Surface, Hardness, and User Consideration

In roller derby, indoor wheels are always used since the game is played indoors. If you plan to play outdoors, however, you must adapt your wheels accordingly. High-quality wheels are crucial and achieving the right balance between the floor, wheels, and player is essential.

For slippery surfaces, we suggest opting for a wheel hardness of 88-92A. These softer wheels provide more grip, helping to prevent slipping.
For surfaces with more grip, a hardness of 93-99A is recommended. In sports arenas, a range of 92-95A is often chosen for its all-round performance.

Regarding the user's weight:

The greater your weight, the harder the wheels you should select.
If you weigh less, you should opt for softer wheels.

If uncertain about which wheels to choose, borrowing wheels from a teammate could be beneficial.

Bearings

Bearings in derby skates are not particularly crucial in your decision-making. Additionally, they typically last longer because derby is played indoors.

Bearings influence how efficiently the wheel spins. Higher precision in bearings means easier wheel roll, contributing to greater speed. Precision is usually measured using different scales. At SkatePro, the ABEC scale paired with a number is commonly used, such as ABEC 7; a higher number reflects higher precision. However, prioritising a reputable brand is better than focusing solely on ABEC ratings, as an ABEC 7 bearing might outperform an ABEC 9. Moreover, the ABEC scale does not address bearing durability.

For further details, you can consult our bearings guide.

Derby Skate Plates - Nylon vs. Aluminium

You have the option to choose between nylon and aluminium plates. Most derby players prefer aluminium, but beginners seeking affordable plates may consider nylon. However, nylon plates are lightweight with a shorter lifespan and cannot support as much body weight as aluminium plates.

In the long term, selecting aluminium plates is beneficial. They are more durable and responsive compared to nylon. These attributes are critical in contact sports like derby, where plates endure significant impacts, necessitating skates that adapt to your agile movements.

Truck Angle and Cushions for Agile Derby Skates

The angle of your trucks greatly influences the agility of your roller derby quad skates. Common truck angles range from 10 to 45 degrees, though various angles are available.

Lower angle degrees provide more directional stability.
Higher angle degrees offer more agile and dynamic skates.

Your skates' agility is also determined by the cushions on your trucks. Typically, manufacturers supply trucks with hard cushions. Hard cushions offer more directional stability but limit manoeuvrability. You can easily swap them for softer cushions for more dynamic skates, improving responsiveness to your movements and easing sharp turns.

Cushion Arrangement

There are two cushion types: cone and barrel. Cones enhance skate liveliness. Your choice of cushions depends on your derby skates' compatibility.

The skate is equipped with four cushions - two barrels at the top and two cushions of your preference at the bottom, potentially a mix of barrels and cones. The setup of bottom cushions affects the skate as follows:

For lively skates with improved turning and stable rear - place a cone in front and barrel at the back.

For even livelier skates - position cones at both ends.

Toe Stops for Derby Roller Skates

To halt in derby quad skates, you apply the toe stop at the front or utilise specific braking techniques as they lack the traditional rear brake pad found in inline skates.

Select a non-marking toe stop to prevent floor marks.

Short vs Long Stem

Toe stops are available with either long or short stems. The stem length influences the amount of foot lift needed when on toes. Adjustments can be made based on preference, yet usual practices include:

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

Tip: Determine the appropriate toe stop size by lifting the back of the skate with the toe stop facing downwards and ensuring three fingers fit between the rear wheel and surface.

Derby Boots

A close fit is essential for selecting the right boots, ensuring optimal skate control for fluid movement. Derby boots are typically low-cut but also available as high-cut. High-cut boots offer more ankle support, while low-cut options provide better manoeuvrability, facilitating sharp turns - crucial in derby. With some boots, heat-molding is possible to further contour the boot to your foot.

Derby Skates Sizing

A general guideline is to choose the same size as your shoe size or half a size larger.
Check the specific product's size chart on the website.

The ideal skates should fit snugly without squeezing, enhancing skate control and reducing the injury risk when manoeuvring during a roller derby game.

Skate Protection

Given the contact nature of roller derby, high-quality skate protection is imperative - durable gear protecting extensive areas is essential. Derby protection is vital for WHEN you fall, unlike in fitness skating, where it's for IF you fall.

Guarding your knees is paramount due to frequent impacts. Wrist guards and helmets are also recommended, with the latter being mandatory like mouth guards - always protect your smile!

Explore our range of roller derby skates

If you have more questions or require further clarification, please contact us.