You just bought some new skates and you can’t wait to try them out…. Wait a minute! Whether you are an expert skater or a beginner, take the time to follow these tips that will prevent you from having more than a few upsets when you first get your new skates.
Steps to follow with new skates
Check all hardware of your new skates
How? Shouldn’t new skates have everything in place?
Well, not exactly. Bear in mind that the skates are usually assembled on assembly lines and that the operators are not always perfect, so it is not a bad idea to check all the screws and bolts. That is, check the axles that hold the wheels, the screws that attach the chassis to the boot, the screws that attach the fasteners to the boot and the screws that attach the shank to the boot structure. (And, in general, any screw or nut).
When we say to tighten the screws of your skates, it is not advisable to do it with all your strength. Tighten until there is a certain resistance, otherwise, you could over tighten the screw or the female that holds it and that would be even worse.
It is also highly recommended to use quality tools as they can sometimes damage the screw head if they are too basic.
Note: Many brands offer these L-shaped wrenches, which often cause the head of the screw to become rounded. Better to use T-shaped and quality wrenches.
Try skates at home
Sometimes we put on our skates in the store and we’re in a hurry or we didn’t have the right socks on. In Inercia we allow the return of skates as long as they have not been on the street. That is why it is good to test them first at home at your leisure.
The correct way to make them is to adjust them well and standing in the basic position (knees slightly bent forward with the shins pressing on the tongues), notice that the tip of the toes very lightly touches the tip of the boot. If there is really too much pressure on the toes or too much distance from the toe of the boot, perhaps we have the wrong size and it is advisable to return the skates.
Tips when using your new skates for the first time
You’ve followed the tips above and it’s time to hit the streets and try out your new skates. Although your feet may have accumulated thousands of kilometers with other skates, new skates can always cause some discomfort. Once again, we advise you to follow these tips:
Do short skating sessions in the first few days.
It is very common for new skates to hurt or chafe during the first few days, no matter how good they are. If in our first days of new skates we do very long skating sessions, what start out as light chafing can turn into blisters that prevent us from skating for days. So the most advisable is to do short skating sessions, stopping from time to time to see how our feet are doing.
Protect the sensitive areas of your feet
The best way to prevent serious injuries when using skates for the first time is to protect the areas that feel red or sore as soon as possible. A very simple way to do this is with adhesive tape. That is to say, if after a few minutes skating we notice some pain or discomfort in any area, we should stop immediately, take off our skates and put adhesive tape over the affected area (provided there is no wound of any kind).
In pharmacies there are more sophisticated dressings, but they are also more expensive and not always worth the investment.
Moisturize your feet well
Especially in hot weather, our feet sweat more and, depending on the weather, the skin can dry out. Moisturizing the skin with moisturizer after each skating session can help us avoid injuries.
Always carry basic tools and spare parts when skating.
No matter how well you have tightened the screws of your skates, as advised in the first section, due to vibration and other factors may loosen without warning causing, in the worst case, the loss of a screw with the possibility of causing a fall. Therefore, it is a good idea to carry the tools you may need and, while you are at it, a spare screw.
Adjust fasteners carefully
Especially with beginner skaters, it is common to adjust the fasteners to the maximum in order to feel the skates more secure. The reality is that this practice is not very advisable because it can limit our movements and even cause pain or cramps. The ideal is to adjust the fasteners progressively without ever reaching the limit.
Adapt the chassis to your skating style
On somewhat technical skates, the skate frame can be adjusted laterally. This can help compensate for incorrect foot placement and, incidentally, improve our technique and prevent injuries.
In this tutorial we explain how to do it for speed skates but it can be useful for your urban skates.
Be very patient
This is the golden rule that can be applied to many situations in life. It can take weeks to adapt to new skates, both in terms of comfort and sensations. There is no hurry, so take it easy and you will see that in the end you will understand each other well.
General inline skate maintenance tips to extend the life of inline skates
Once you have your new skates tamed you have to keep in mind that, like any vehicle, they require a certain amount of maintenance.
If you follow these steps, your skates will last longer without having to invest a lot in them.
Rotate the wheels of your skates periodically.
Inline skate wheels wear out with use. Rotating them periodically is the best way to make them last longer. In this article we explain how to rotate the wheels of our inline skates.
Lubricate and clean the bearings of our skates.
The bearings are responsible for the smooth rotation of the wheels. They usually come well lubricated as standard, but over time, they can become dirty and need lubrication or even cleaning. There are very good products that allow us to both clean and lubricate bearings. Here is a selection:
https://www.inercia.com/en/skates/accessories/bearing-cleaning.html
https://www.inercia.com/en/skates/accessories/lubricants.html
Cleaning the boots
The boots are the part of the skate that is in contact with our feet, therefore, they are impregnated with our sweat and over time it is convenient to clean them, not only for hygiene reasons, but also so that they degrade less.
The best way to clean our skate boots is in the washing machine with cold water and without using fabric softener.
Store skates in a dry and dark place.
Humidity is not a good friend of our skates. Bearings can rust and boots can mildew, to name two possible problems. On the other hand, sunlight can degrade the plastic of the wheels or the boot, so it is better not to be permanently exposed to it for a long time.
Replaces damaged or worn parts with quality products
No matter how well we treat our skates, depending on the use, they may need to replace elements such as wheels, bearings, fasteners or even the boots. There are times when the economy rules and that makes us look for cheap products from non-recognized brands. In many cases, these products are of very poor quality and not only will they detract from our skating experience, but they may also endanger our integrity.
It is highly recommended that you always use original spare parts and products from recognized skating brands that offer guarantees. If in doubt, just ask us for advice.
Look for a professional skate shop if you want to have the best maintenance
All of these tips are not difficult to follow, but they require experience, the right tools and time. If you don’t have one or all of these things at the same time, at Inercia we have the best skate repair shop you can find.
Final questions for the care of our skates
As we have seen, our skates need pampering and care to last longer. This does not mean that they can last forever and we must be prepared to change parts after use or a fall.
The day may even come when it will be more economical to buy new skates than to replace several parts. This step can be costly at times as it would force us to go through an adaptation process again, but it is well worth it.
Finally, we encourage you to have more than one type of skates, as not all of them are suitable for everything and each type can give you new sensations and motivation to try new things.
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