Roller skate buying guide
Starting Roller Skating After 50: the Gear Coaches Recommend
Three recognised coaches in our compilation speak to adults starting or coming back to skating later in life — Liz Miller, Bill Begg and Dirty Deborah Harry — and the gear they agree on is protection: helmet, wrist guards and knee pads, with hip padding singled out for older skaters by Liz Miller and Bill Begg. Add good ankle support, skates that are not decades old, and, if fear holds you back, a rolling skate aid for the first sessions. A fourth voice, rink instructor Jamie L., is used as support only, and Dirty Deborah Harry’s video speaks to skaters over 40, not specifically over 50.
Gear on this page: nine products are named further down — Triple Eight Certified Sweatsaver Helmet, Triple Eight Wristsaver, Triple Eight KP 22 knee pads, Triple Eight Saver Series Pad Set, Soared 3D Hip & Butt Protection, XPE padded shorts, Moxi Beach Bunny Roller Skates, Riedell Women’s Orbit Roller Skate Outdoor Quad High-Top, Bladerunner Advantage Pro XT (men), Rollerblade Zetrablade (women). They are optional, the page works without them, and the links to them are Amazon affiliate links.
Amazon prices were read on the listing on 7 October 2026, for the size and colour Amazon shows by default; other sizes and colours can cost more or less. Price and availability are set by Amazon and can change.
What skaters and coaches recommend
Features first, brands only where a coach recommends one. This page gives no medical advice: two of our sources (Liz Miller, Jamie L.) say to talk to your doctor before you start, and we pass that on as it stands.
Who is speaking
- Liz Miller: inline skating instructor certified by IISA at levels 1 and 2, runs lessons and has written three books on skating, which she sells; no brand sponsor stated. She teaches students around 65 to 70 (Get Rolling FAQ, undated; Get Rolling blog, 6 May 2011). Limit: an inline coach, with no competition record we could find.
- Bill Begg: presented by Inline Planet as a world-renowned speed skating coach who has trained speed teams (Inline Planet, 24 Jul 2013). No sponsor stated. Limit: an article from 2013, about inline skating only.
- Dirty Deborah Harry: quad coach behind the Dirty School of Skate channel (about 299,000 subscribers), who says she has taught, coached and run sessions for years at Fountain Valley Skating Center and was 59 in the video (Dirty School of Skate, “Roller Skating Over 40 Part 1”, 24 Sep 2026). The video is sponsored by Old Bones Therapy (compression socks, soft knee braces), and it is aimed at skaters over 40. A part 2 with three skate picks was not read.
- Jamie L., support only: certified instructor with 15 years of teaching who specialises in older adults at Jellybeans Skating Center, Atlanta; no surname or competitive record given, and the rink rents skates and sells lessons (Jellybeans Skating Center, 4 Aug 2025).
Protective gear: the one point all agree on
- Helmet, wrist guards, knee pads: Liz Miller, Bill Begg and Jamie L. all list them. Liz Miller and Jamie L. add elbow pads, and Liz Miller shows how to put pads on correctly. Her line: “It's not really a matter of if you fall, but when you fall” (Get Rolling FAQ, undated).
- Hip protection for older skaters: Liz Miller suggests padded hockey shorts worn under loose shorts, or crash pads, for hips and tailbone; Bill Begg specially recommends hip crash pads for older skaters (Inline Planet, 24 Jul 2013); Jamie L. mentions padded clothing.
- Dirty Deborah Harry’s part 1 gives no pad list; her sponsor sells soft knee braces, which are not impact pads.
Boot and ankle support
- Liz Miller calls good ankle support essential for older skaters and warns against cheap plastic boots; for skaters with strong calves she suggests low-cut quad skates instead (Get Rolling FAQ, undated). Jamie L. also asks for good ankle support.
- Bill Begg says nothing on skate type, wheel size or brake.
Do not dust off the attic skates
- Dirty Deborah Harry advises against skates kept for decades: aged leather, hardened cushions, worn bearings — even if older leather boots and metal plates were often better made than today’s cheapest skates. Her phrase: “You might need to buy a pair of skates that is worthy of you” (Dirty School of Skate, “Roller Skating Over 40 Part 1”, 24 Sep 2026).
Wheels, brake, surface
- Liz Miller: soft wheels (under 78A) on rough asphalt, and a heel brake mounted on the side of your dominant hand (Get Rolling FAQ, undated). She is the only source on both points, and does not tie them to age.
- Bill Begg: start on perfectly flat ground (Inline Planet, 24 Jul 2013).
A skate aid at first, and how to progress
- Dirty Deborah Harry suggests a rolling skate aid (a walker-style trainer), touched as little as possible, to get past the fear of falling; she names one brand, which we could not confirm as a sponsor. She also advises getting the body moving first (walking, stretching), skating regularly even once a week rather than long sessions, and only skating forwards at first (Dirty School of Skate, “Roller Skating Over 40 Part 1”, 24 Sep 2026).
- Slow, careful progress is common to all four sources.
Disagreements and gaps
- Quad or inline: Jamie L. suggests quads for balance; Liz Miller and Bill Begg are inline coaches who do not raise the question; Dirty Deborah Harry coaches quads without comparing. No common position. See quad vs inline: which to buy first.
- Seeing a doctor: Liz Miller and Jamie L. say to; Bill Begg and Dirty Deborah Harry do not mention it.
- Not found: no titled competitor or team pro talks about gear after 50; no one gives wheel size or a skate model for older beginners; nothing on toe stops for older skaters.
From the skater behind this site
- At the start, every pad matters, with no ranking. Wrist guards take the forward fall; elbow pads take the backward fall, the one nobody expects; knee pads let you choose to go down. See how to fall safely.
- Tight means the fastenings: laces, straps and buckle done up firmly, so the ankle is held. See doing up your skates wrong is the first problem.
The comparison
Pads first, because they are the only gear all the coaches agree on; then two quads and two inline skates already priced on this site. No coach names a skate model for older beginners.
| Model | Price seen (date, where) | Who it is for | Recommended features it meets | Weak point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Triple Eight Certified Sweatsaver Helmet | Amazon.com $54.99 (B077VYDVDY), read 2026-10-07 | Everyone, first purchase | Helmet (Liz Miller, Bill Begg, Jamie L.) | Size by head circumference: check the chart |
| Triple Eight Wristsaver | Amazon.com $26.00 (B0000DZIJ6), read 2026-10-07 | Everyone | Wrist guards (Liz Miller, Bill Begg, Jamie L.) | Wrists only |
| Triple Eight KP 22 knee pads | Amazon.com $49.99 (“only 8 left”) (B0000ASZ8S), read 2026-10-07 | Everyone | Knee pads (all three) | Knees only |
| Triple Eight Saver Series Pad Set | Amazon.com $41.00 (B002WTT2J2), read 2026-10-07 | Wrist, knee and elbow in one purchase | Wrist, knee and elbow pads (Liz Miller, Jamie L.) | Sized by the wrist guard; basic pads |
| Soared 3D Hip & Butt Protection, XPE padded shorts | Amazon.com $39.19 (-20 %, Medium) (B0B2PGY2G5), read 2026-10-07 | Older beginners worried about hip falls | Hip and tailbone padding (Liz Miller, Bill Begg) | Not a brand any coach named; only Medium was read |
| Moxi Beach Bunny Roller Skates | Amazon.com $119.20 (B0781889KN), read 2026-10-07 | Beginner who prefers quads (Jamie L.) | Four-wheel quad for balance (Jamie L.); adjustable toe stop | Low-top boot: less ankle support than Liz Miller and Jamie L. ask for |
| Riedell Women’s Orbit Roller Skate Outdoor Quad High-Top | Amazon.com $129.00 (size 6, Ultraviolet; “only 4 left”) (B08PW6S59F), read 2026-10-07 | Beginner who prefers quads and wants ankle support | High-top boot for ankle support (Liz Miller, Jamie L.); four-wheel quad for balance (Jamie L.); aluminium plate; adjustable toe stop (listing title) | Vinyl boot, not leather; wheel hardness not stated on the listing (57 mm outdoor wheels) |
| Bladerunner Advantage Pro XT (men) | Amazon.com $99.99 (size 9) (B01LWNDQKH), read 2026-10-07 | Beginner who prefers inline | Supportive shell with buckle and power strap, for ankle support (Liz Miller); Rollerblade family, the brand Liz Miller suggests to beginners | Wheel hardness and brake not stated on the listing |
| Rollerblade Zetrablade (women) | Amazon.com $139.99 (8/8.5) (B0DSLVFQWP), read 2026-10-07 | Beginner who prefers inline | Supportive shell (Liz Miller); brake on the skate | 82A wheels: harder than the under-78A Liz Miller suggests for rough asphalt |
Our pick
Helmet, wrist guards, knee pads, elbow pads and padded shorts before the skates, then a skate with real ankle support, quad or inline. If a part of you is afraid of falling, Dirty Deborah Harry’s skate aid suggestion is the next thing to try.
Beginner FAQ
Am I too old to start roller skating at 50 or 60?
None of the coaches we compiled says so. Bill Begg, a speed skating coach, writes that age is only a number for a skater in reasonably good health, Liz Miller teaches students around 65 to 70, and Dirty Deborah Harry, 59 in her video, coaches skaters over 40. Liz Miller and Jamie L. both say to talk to your doctor first.
What protective gear should an older beginner wear?
Helmet, wrist guards and knee pads at the very least, according to Liz Miller, Bill Begg and Jamie L.; Liz Miller and Jamie L. add elbow pads. Liz Miller and Bill Begg both single out hip protection, such as padded shorts or crash pads, for older skaters.
Should I start on quad skates or inline skates after 50?
There is no common answer. Jamie L., a rink instructor, suggests quads for balance; Liz Miller and Bill Begg are inline coaches and do not compare the two; Dirty Deborah Harry coaches quads and does not compare either. What they do agree on is good ankle support (Liz Miller, Jamie L.).
Can I use my old roller skates from decades ago?
Dirty Deborah Harry advises against skates that sat in an attic for decades: leather that has aged, hardened cushions and worn bearings, even if older parts were often better made than today's cheapest skates.
Is a skate trainer or walker worth it for an older beginner?
Dirty Deborah Harry suggests a rolling skate aid at first, touching it as little as possible, to get past the fear of falling. She is the only coach in our compilation who mentions one, and her video is sponsored (by a brace and compression brand, not the aid).
How this page was compiled: 3 recognised coaches (Liz Miller, Bill Begg, Dirty Deborah Harry) plus one rink instructor used as support (Jamie L.), from our skater compilation of 7 October 2026. Each claim links to its source. Full compilation and method: the skater gear compilation.
Read next: protective gear that actually fits · best roller skates for adult beginners · skate helmets: what top skaters wear · heel brake, toe stop, jam plugs · protective gear checklist · size calculator · how to learn to roller skate · how to stop · how to get up
Keep going: this is one of the buying guides that sit next to the full Roller Skating for Beginners guide — sizing, gear, stopping, and where to skate, in one page. Free, no sign-up, nothing to buy.