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What Top Skaters Recommend for Beginners: Gear Advice, Compiled

Compiled 7 October 2026 · by Cass · written with an AI assistant

This page gathers what recognised skaters say about gear — world champions, team pros, coaches and a few industry figures — discipline by discipline, with a link to every source. On 7 October 2026 we profiled 93 skaters, coaches and industry figures across 5 discipline groups, from 156 source links (team pages, interviews, articles and 47 YouTube videos); many of them turned out to say nothing about gear, and we say so below.

It is a compilation, not a review: we have not tested the skates. Where skaters agree, we count them. Where they disagree, we show both sides. Where nobody has said anything, we leave the gap visible.

What almost every top skater agrees on

These points come up across disciplines. The count is the number of named people in our files who say or show it; a skater who stays silent on a point is not counted for or against.

1. Protective gear, helmet first — 29 people

Derby and park: Bonnie Thunders, Scald Eagle, Atomatrix, Swede Hurt, Snot Rocket Science, Satan's Little Helper, Nina Erwes, Jackie Daniels, Carolina “Caro” Hernandez, Tia Pitman, Slam, Michelle Steilen (Estro Jen). Rink and dance: Ana Coto, Marician Dedeaux Brown, Oumi Janta, Kelly (Skate Base London). Inline: Asha (Skatefresh), Jan Welch, Alex Shulgan, Dustin Werbeski, Danny Aldridge, Klaudia (Klaudia & Michał), Chloé Seyrès, Bobi Spassov, Ricardo Lino. Downhill: Etienne Herreros, Gabe Holm, Noel Jarillo, Alexandre Lebrun.

Estro Jen gives the order: helmet, then wrist guards (the most common skating injury, she says), then knees, then elbows (video, 9 Jan 2021). Bobi Spassov wore full pads, shin guards included, for his first six years of aggressive skating (video, 12 May 2024).

2. A boot that supports the ankle — 13 people

Asha (Skatefresh), Alex Shulgan, Jan Welch, Casper (Powerslide) for inline; Lisa J, Caro Hernandez, Kid Ace, Tia Pitman and Dirty Deborah Harry for quad; Viktor Thorup, Bill Begg and Alexandre Lebrun for speed and downhill; Niko Salaman for aggressive. Dirty Deborah Harry adds that ankle support exists in entry-level skates too (video, 21 Jun 2022).

3. Technique before gear — 12 people

Suzy Hotrod, Atomatrix, Smarty Pants, Swede Hurt, Jackie Daniels, Asha (Skatefresh), Casper (Powerslide), Klaudia, Joey Mantia, Ewen Fernandez, Felix Rijhnen, Viktor Thorup. Suzy Hotrod put it this way: the same gear will not make you as good, “practicing hard will” (WFTDA, Nov 2011).

4. Fit before brand — 11 people

Dominic Bruce, Andrew DiPaolo, Hazen Bell, Gabriel Talamantes, Chemi Simiyu, Nick Lomax (aggressive and urban); Casper, Klaudia, Jan Welch (inline); Dirty Deborah Harry (quad); Viktor Thorup (speed). Inline sources want it snug — heel locked, toes may touch (Casper, video, 11 Mar 2024). Dominic Bruce blames a lasting ankle injury on a boot that did not suit his foot (Be-Mag, 2 Oct 2018).

5. Wheel hardness follows the surface — 10 people

Suzy Hotrod, Scald Eagle, Estro Jen, Caro Hernandez, Lisa J, Dirty Deborah Harry, Kim Manning, Casper, Viktor Thorup, Gabriel Talamantes. The pattern: softer wheels outdoors, on rough ground and in the rain; harder wheels on smooth rink floors and in skateparks. Dirty Deborah Harry: you can keep the same skates and just change the wheels.

6. Avoid the very cheapest — 4 people

Oumi Janta (very cheap skates wear out and are risky for dancing), Dunbeezy (look for a leather boot, an aluminium plate and an adjustable toe stop), Lisa J (metal plate, never plastic), Viktor Thorup (real urethane wheels, not plastic).

Quad: rink, jam and dance

For a beginner, without brands: a supportive boot with easy-to-adjust lacing, 62–65 mm wheels and full pads, and try before you buy (Kelly, instructor at Skate Base London, 9 Sep 2024). Hard wheels indoors, a separate softer set outdoors. A cheap skate worth buying has a leather boot, an aluminium plate and an adjustable stop (Dunbeezy).

Disagreement: beginner wheel size — 62–65 mm (Kelly) versus small wheels for rhythm gliding (Dunbeezy, no figure given). High boot versus low speed boot for jam depends on the style.

Quad: park, roller derby and outdoor

For a beginner, without brands: soft wheels outdoors (Caro Hernandez, Lisa J, Dirty Deborah Harry); hard wheels from day one at the skatepark, 92A or harder, and 62 mm rather than 57 mm while you learn to pump (Estro Jen); a firm, padded boot and a metal plate, never plastic (Lisa J); an adjustable toe stop rather than a fixed “bullseye” one, and a boot that fits like a slipper (Dirty Deborah Harry).

Disagreement: leather boots (Thunders, Hotrod, Daniels, Simonis) versus carbon (Scald Eagle, Snot Rocket Science, Satan's Little Helper, Swede Hurt) in derby; heel for ramps (Caro) versus little heel for derby (Dirty).

Inline: urban, fitness and slalom

For a beginner, without brands: a rigid or clearly supportive boot; a snug fit; four wheels around 80 mm, 90 mm at most; 80–88A; keep the heel brake until you master other stops; a removable frame (165 mm standard or Trinity mount) so you can change wheels later. Sources: Asha of Skatefresh (2 Feb 2021), Jan Welch (14 Apr 2026), Alex Shulgan (NBC, 9 Sep 2024), Casper of Powerslide (11 Mar 2024).

Disagreement: three big wheels for a beginner (see below); soft boots (Asha against, Welch and Casper accept them).

Inline: aggressive

For a beginner, without brands: learn to skate before buying aggressive skates — they are not made for distance; full pads including shin guards for learning grinds; what makes an aggressive skate is the soul plate and frame; anti-rocker is easier for grinding, flat (four equal wheels) easier to turn — try both (Bobi Spassov and Ricardo Lino, 12 May 2024). Most setups we found use 56–64 mm wheels at 88–92A.

Inline: speed and downhill

For a beginner, without brands: four wheels of 100 mm for an adult starting speed skating, or a 4 × 110 frame to grow into; real urethane wheels, softer on rough roads and in the rain; ABEC 7 or 9 bearings are enough; move to a low speed boot only when ankles and technique are ready (Viktor Thorup, two-time Olympian on ice, 25 Jul 2023). Thorup: “I suggest 100 millimeters for adult beginners.” Rollerblade World Team; owns a skate shop

Where skaters disagree

How we compiled this, and what is missing

What is still missing, said plainly:

Buying guides and tools

The pages below turn this compilation into concrete picks, with prices and links.

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