Finding the right type of roller skate for your needs is just like finding the right type of shoe.  If you are running you want a running shoe and if you are wrestling you want a wrestling shoe.  Finding the right roller skates for sale can be difficult. Roller skates are not all created equal and not all created for the same purpose.  It’s important that you find the right roller skate for your needs.

Since finding the right roller skates can be overwhelming the interactive chart of roller skates below can help you determine what type of roller skates may be right for you.

 The Roller Skates for Sale Comparison Guide and Key

In the table below are ___ columns:

Roller skate picture

Roller skate brand/name and model – (clicks to view the details or to purchase)

Type of wheels – What the wheels are made of

Size of wheels – How big the wheels are

Type of plate – Aluminum or Nylon

Price – The prices reflect the approximate cost.  The prices may vary due to who is selling the product and any special promotions that are taking place. This reflect what you will likely pay: $ = under $40, $$ = $40 to $100, $$$ = $100 to $200, $$$$ = $200+

You can sort any of the data by clicking on the arrows at the top of the chart.

 

Image	Roller Skates	Type of Wheels	Wheel Size	Bearings	Plate Type	Price	Rating
	Chicago Men's Leather Lined Rink Skate	Rebound urethane	58mm		Aluminum - With jump bar	$$
	Pacer Shifter Mens Roller Skates - Pacer Shifter Black Roller Skates	Shifter Pro	56mm		Aluminum - Chrome Plated	$$
	Chicago Starter Pulse Purple Outdoor Black High Top Quad Roller Skates	78A Atom Pulse Outdoor Wheels	N/A		Aluminum - With Jump Bar	$$$
	Riedell Skates Wave Mens Roller Skate	Urethane - High rebound	N/A		Aluminum	$$
	Riedell Juice Rhythm Skates - Riedell Juice Black Quad Roller Skates	Radar Varsity	62mm - 98A		Aluminum - Powerdyne Triton	$$$$
	Riedell 220 Epic Artistic Roller Skates 2013	Radar Varsity	57mm -		Aluminum - Powerdyne Triton	$$$$
	Dominion Patriot Womens Artistic Roller Skates 2013	N/A	N/A		Nylon - Marathon	$$$
	Riedell 110 Angel Girls Artistic Roller Skates 2013	Radar Riva	N/A		Nylon - PowerDyne Thrust	$$$
	Riedell Wave Girls Skates - Riedell Wave Kids Pink Quad Roller Skates	Urethane - High Rebound	N/A		Nylon - Reversed Kingpin with Double Action Trucks	$$

This chart only shares a small sample of roller skates on the market today.  Over time this table chart will change to reflect more current models of roller skates.

WHAT ARE ROLLER SKATES

Roller skates in the simplest form can be described as a pair of shoes on wheels.  Formal definitions describe roller skates as boots or metal frame with four or more wheels.

HISTORY OF ROLLER SKATES

The Beginning

The history of roller skates is a bit hazy in the beginning.  The consensus is that roller skates were created in the 1760s. Some sources indicate that an instrument maker and inventor from London named Joseph Merlin created the first pair of wheeled boots and wore them to a party.  The boots had metal wheels that were inline. Mr. Merlin played the violin while skating around the party and eventually crashed into a mirror as he was not a very good skater.  Joseph Merlin was born on September 17, 1735 in Huys, Belgium.

One hundred years later roller skates begin to evolve.  In 1819 M. Petibled in Paris, patented the roller skate which used three inline wheels. From that all skates were in-line and the roller skate wheels varied from 2 to 6 depending on the design.  The in-line skates were not easy to turn with however.

In 1863 things began to change in the world of roller skating. James Plimpton changed roller skates by making the wheels side by side (2 in the front and 2 in the back). These skates are known today as quad skates.  The quad skate took over the roller skating industry because they made skating easier.

In 1900 the Peck and Snyder Company patented inline skates with two wheels.

John Jay Young patented the adjustable length, clamp on inline skate in 1905.

Roller skates begin to modernize when in 1910 the Roller Hockey Skate Company created the three wheel inline skate with a leather shoe.

In the 1930’s the Best-Ever Built Skate Company (quite a long name) made an inline three wheel skate that was close to the ground.

In 1966 inline skates took off when the Chicago Roller Skate Company created an inline skate with four wheels that extended past the boot.

What is interesting to know is that inline roller skates are not called rollerblades.  Rollerblade is a company that makes inline skates.  Apparently somewhere through history more and more people began to associate rollerblades with inline skates and describe inline skates as rollerblades.

What are the different types of roller skate for sale?

If you are new to roller skating you probably think that there is only one type of roller skate available.  You may be surprised to hear that there are several types of rollers skates made for different types of skaters.  The following is a list of different types of skating that may require different types of skates.

Jam Skates for Jam Skating

Jam Skating is a fun and beautiful mix of dance, gymnastics, and skating all done on roller skates.  If you get a chance to watch jam skating you will see break dancing, roller disco, and artistic skating influences in a jam skater’s performance.  Jam skaters are truly amazing to watch.  Jam skating competitions are not tied down with a variety of skills that must be performed which allows for the skater to have more freedom of expression and creativity.  You will typically be surprised at the variety of different moves a jam skater will perform and you will be mesmerized by their performance.  Below is a picture of what a Jam Skate looks like.

Artistic Skate for Artistic Roller Skating

Artistic Roller Skating is pretty much the same as figure skating on ice but on roller skates.  With the artistic skating arena there are several disciplines that fit in to the frame work of artistic skating.  The following are the disciplines associated with it:

Figures – Figures originated with ice skating.  The skaters were judged primarily on carving specific patterns or figures within the ice.  With rollers skates skaters are required to trace patterns which are painted on the floor.  The patterns followed range from circles to figure eights to much more.  Wikipedia provides a very detailed explanation of what is typically required in the Figures division of Artistic Skating.

Freestyle –  Freestyle skating incorporates figure skating jumps with spins and foot work which is choreographed  to music.  Much of what is done in Freestyle skating is comparable to figure skating on ice.

Dance –  Dance Roller Skating incorporates the disciplines which include Compulsory  Dance, Free Dance and Original Dance.  Compulsory Dance is rigid in regards to having specific dance steps that must be performed.  Free Dance allows the skater to be creative as they dance in a manner that is interpretative to the music they dance to.  Original Dance is a dance that requires to rhythms to be chosen from a set of provided rhythms.

Precision Roller Skating – Precision Roller Skating is interesting because it consists of 12 to 24 individuals skating on the floor at one time as a unit at very high speeds.  It gets its name due to the skaters needing to be in precise formations as a group.  The team performs to music and is required to make several formations.  Precision roller skating gets much of its origins from Synchronized skating on the ice which seems to be a trend in the roller skating world.

Couples – Couple rollers skating also encompasses freestyle and dance.  Similar requirements of those disciplines are needed for the couple’s portion.

 

Roller Derby – What is the history of the Roller Derby

The origins of the Roller Derby begin around 1884 when a man named Victor Clough skated 100 miles in about 10 hours which was named an endurance race.  The following year a 6 day competition was held at Madison Square Garden with over 30 skaters who competed for $500.  Two individuals died during the event.  The winner and another individual died shortly after the event.

Many other endurance races took place over the next 30 years as roller skating gained popularity.

The word “Derby”, which means multi-race event, appeared in the newspapers in 1922 when it reported the results of two, “roller derby” events that took place that year.

Now that we know where the term roller derby came from; how did the roller derby evolve into what it is today?

There is a very detailed explanation which is cited extensively in Wikipedia.  Instead of providing all the small details we will give you the highlights of how the roller derby evolved into what it is today.

A man named Leo Seltzer saw many dance marathons taking place in 1929 as the great depression began.  The dances were a hit because many individuals were out of work during that time.  Instead of doing the dances Seltzer thought that walkathons would be the gimmick since that is what dance-a-thons turned in to after a few days anyway.  These walkathons lasted up to 40 days.  Seltzer grossed millions of dollars over a three year period which was pretty big money in those days.

Around 1935 the walk-a-thons were losing popularity and Seltzer needed something new. Inspired by a magazine article indicating that 93% of Americans had roller skated at least once in their lives, Seltzer had a new idea.

Seltzer organized a Transcontinental Roller Derby where 25 two person teams which were male and female skated in circle 11 ½ hours a day to cover 3,000 miles.  The event was a success and Seltzer took the event on the road.  Contestants were individuals that participated in qualifying events around the country.

Sometime between 1936 and 1938 the exaggeration of crashes between teams became somewhat of a gimmick.  Apparently the over-dramatic falls became very popular with the audiences (now we know where this idea came from).

The events eventually turned in to two different 5 person teams. By 1939 one team would always represent the home team (to cover what city they were in) and the other team would represent some other city.  The scoring would take place when members of a team would lap the opposing team which as we know is basically what roller derby is today.

Over time the roller derby became more popular and made it on to main stream television and had a very popular streak in society.

Fast forward to today and the roller derby sensation had tapered but there are many hardcore lovers of the sport.  To read an in depth history as provided by Wikipedia click here.

Roller Derby Skates

As you can imagine a skater involved with the roller derby needs to have speed and the ability to make quick moves when necessary.  A roller derby skate looks a lot like a speed skate but would appear a bit more durable.  Many sources recommend an aluminum plate rather then a nylon plate to allow the skate to do its job.  The picture below is an example of roller derby skate for sale on Amazon.

Speed Skates for Speed Skating

According to Wikipedia speed skating with the use of quad skates continued to be relevant until 1991.  After 1991 inline skates slowly took over the World Championships as they are quicker than quad skates.  Below is a picture and link of inline speed skates for sale on Amazon.  If you are looking for speed roller skates for sale Amazon has a variety to choose from with plenty of reviews to get a better idea if the skate is a good fit for you.

Outdoor Skates

Outdoor roller skates that for sale on Amazon look much different then you likely imagine roller skates to look like. This is especially true if you are comparing the aforementioned roller skates listed above.  Outdoor roller skates can look anywhere from a shoe on wheels to a traditional boot you would see at your local roller skating rink.  The one thing you will see with outdoor roller skates is the slightly softer wheel which allows for a slightly smoother ride when dealing with small pebbles and cracks in the road.  Below is an example of an outdoor roller skate for sale by Pacer.