# Inline skates or roller skates for commuting

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inline-skates-or-roller-skates-for-commuting/401317>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [April 23, 2007, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inline-skates-or-roller-skates-for-commuting/401317 "2007-04-23T15:15:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![conurepete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@conurepete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/conurepete)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2007, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inline-skates-or-roller-skates-for-commuting/401317/1 "2007-04-23T15:15:46Z")

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I want some skates to go to and from work. Its is about 5 miles each way, all paved, but a little uneven and sometimes tore up. I know there are many different skates in the universe, I am trying to decide between inline or roller, clamp-ons like the scorpion skates, giant wheel off-roady types. I intend to wear a helmet, knee, elbow and wrist guards, and possibly any blinky or flashy things they have at the store I go to. What opions do you have about good skate choices? Or bad ones, so I can avoid them? How should I learn?

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**Author:** ![4.66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/2bfe46/32.png) [@4.66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/4.66)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2007, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inline-skates-or-roller-skates-for-commuting/401317/2 "2007-04-23T16:31:26Z")

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Here’s a previous [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=401959) on the subject of learning to skate. The important thing is to learn to balance on one skate so that _you_ get to decide when to put the other foot down. Beginners usually have no choice but to let gravity make that decion for them. Considering that the skating-motion is a bit counterintuitive, especially the pushing off to the sides part, a few lessons will be well worth the money.

I don’t have much to say on the equipment part of your question, except that you probably shouldn’t go for the 5-wheelers. They are considered advanced stuff, unless you have a background in speedskating, trading off manoeuvrability for speed. Though once you know what you’re doing that trade-off might be a pretty good one on your commute.