What's the point of inline skates?

[Kizarvexius]

@KneadToKnow

When I was a kid we used to strap these skates to our shoes!

Thanks for brightening my morning.

[KneadToKnow]

@Kizarvexius

Thanks for brightening my morning.

Happy to help.

[Tastes_of_Chocolate]

@bup

In fact, roller blades were first marketed as an alternative not to roller skating, but to cross-country skiing. People were out on trails with inline skates and ski poles.

From what I remember, inline skates were actually developed as an alternate to ice skating. Wikipedia supports that.

[the_first_supraliminal]

They are easier to turn on. And they are good for ice skaters in the summer. Same feel.
Sneaker skates of the 70s were the worst. Must have broken a lot of ankles for nothing.

[Gesturing_Mildly]

I used to rollerblade a lot, and it actually seemed to be slower than “old-school” skates. The boot part supports more of your ankle, though, which helps with agility.

[Mama_Zappa]

@bup

In fact, roller blades were first marketed as an alternative not to roller skating, but to cross-country skiing. People were out on trails with inline skates and ski poles.

They clearly haven’t completely taken over as an alternative, for true cross-country skiiers - we saw someone using roller skis on a nearby bike trail:
http://images.google.com/images?q=roller%20skis&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi

I’ve done both inline and traditional skating and I have a hell of a time maintaining control in the inline skates. This despite numerous lessons. I might do better with the inlines in a rink (though the nearest rink is now 30 miles away :(). I strongly prefer the traditional variety.

[Jormungandr]

I could never skate on either type. What really scared me about inline skates was the lack of a rubber brakes, especially after this incident, which was what I think my second exposure to them, and stopped any chance of me trying them because of my parents.

13-Year-Old Skater Dies in Collision With Bus

13-Year-Old Skater Dies in Collision With Bus

[BrandonR]

@Jormungandr

I could never skate on either type. What really scared me about inline skates was the lack of a rubber brakes, especially after this incident, which was what I think my second exposure to them, and stopped any chance of me trying them because of my parents.

Eh? Most inline skates I’ve seen include a brake on the back (which makes a LOT more sense than putting the brake on the front like on roller skates). It’s usually only the pro ones that don’t have a brake, and even those you could stop by making one of your skates perpendicular and letting the wheels act as a brake (which wears them out quicker but they’re easy enough to replace).

[TokyoBayer]

@Jormungandr

I could never skate on either type. What really scared me about inline skates was the lack of a rubber brakes, especially after this incident, which was what I think my second exposure to them, and stopped any chance of me trying them because of my parents.

There are ways of stopping which are much faster than using the brake.

[Nava]

@EinsteinsHund

Besides the easier navigation, inline skates are much lighter and more comfortable than roller skates.

Wouldn’t that be simply because the materials have gotten better? I can’t even remember the last time I saw “old” skates for sale, but those used to have metal wheels; the first time I saw plastic wheels was on skateboards.