Editing Inline skates (section)

=== Recreational skates ===

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 | image1 = Roces Impala 2023 Lightspeed Fairy Floss inline skates w 70mm 84A wheels-IMG 6815-bg-FRD.png
 | caption1 = Recreational skates
 | image2 = Rollerblade Igniter S90 fitness inline skate.png
 | caption2 = Fitness skates
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Recreational skates constitute 90% of the inline skate market. The label '''recreational''' encompasses not only casual recreational uses but also '''fitness skating''', which involves more frequent skating over longer distances, and requires more robust and efficient skates. Often the recreational skates category also caters to '''cross-training''' needs, with even hardier boots and frames, plus a wider range of options for wheels, among other features. Boundaries between these disciplines are blurry, with manufacturers and resellers marketing their skates in inconsistent ways.<ref name="vegter-names-in-inline-skating"/>{{efn-ua|1=See catalog pages from various makers and resellers in Jan 2025, for wildly different ways they classify recreational, fitness and cross-training skates: [https://www.rollerblade.com/usa/en/mens/recreational-skates Rollerblade] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20250106015156/https://www.rollerblade.com/usa/en/mens/recreational-skates archived]), [https://powerslide.com/pages/inline-skates-segments Powerslide] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20250106022709/https://powerslide.com/pages/inline-skates-segments archived]), [https://www.roces.com/en/skates/inline-skates.html?cat=180&product_list_order=price Roces] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20250106023008/https://www.roces.com/en/skates/inline-skates.html?cat=180&product_list_order=price archived]), [https://k2skates.com/en-us/c/inline-skates/?skate_category=Fitness,Lifestyle,Recreation,X-Training#clp-main K2] ([https://k2skates.com/en-us/c/inline-skates/?skate_category=Fitness,Lifestyle,Recreation,X-Training archived]), and [https://www.inlinewarehouse.com/How_to_Choose_Inline_Skates/catpage-BGIN.html Inline Warehouse] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20250106014828/https://www.inlinewarehouse.com/How_to_Choose_Inline_Skates/catpage-BGIN.html archived]). See Ivo Vegter's Youtube video on the classifications of recreational skates.<ref name="vegter-names-in-inline-skating"/>
}}

This category can be better understood as "unspecialized" inline skates, or generic skates. All other types of skates can be thought of as specialized deviations from this basic type.<ref name="vegter-names-in-inline-skating"/> Recreational skates usually come with four wheels of average size, and a frame of average length, which is just slightly longer than the boot. This places the front wheel halfway ahead of the toe box, and the rear wheel halfway behind the heel pocket, a design that remained unchanged since Scott Olson's adoption of Super Sport Skate from 1979.<ref name="maury-silver-tandem-skate-1975"/>

[[File:Rollerblading-postojna.jpg|thumb|right|x240px|Skating at a park]]

Recreational skates are the default type of skates that a beginner finds comfortable and stable to skate on. The cheapest skates fall under this category. They are not necessarily of lower quality; they are simply mass-produced. As a beginner progresses, more expensive recreational skates are available with the same unspecialized characteristics, but now upgraded with more durable materials and hardware, possibly providing improved heel support, ankle support, and an enhanced skating experience. For instance, soft boots with an exoskeleton are usually the least expensive. Hard boots with removable liners are often priced higher. Hybrid boots with an endoskeleton are high-end models. Often, the higher-end models are marketed as '''fitness skates''' or as '''cross-training skates'''.<ref name="vegter-hybrid-hard-boot-soft-boot"/><ref name="powerslide-hard-soft-hybrid-boots"/><ref name="inlineskates-types-of-skates">{{cite web
|url=https://www.inlineskates.com/Types-of-Inline-Skates/article-4-8-2010,default,pg.html
|title=Types of Inline Skates
|website=Inline Skates
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017082153/https://www.inlineskates.com/Types-of-Inline-Skates/article-4-8-2010,default,pg.html
|archive-date=2018-10-17
|access-date=2025-01-06
}}</ref>

Recreational skates are equipped with heel brakes. These allow beginners to learn to stop rolling, with a simple pivot of a foot on its heel. Heel brakes can usually be removed once a skater learns to stop rolling without them, using a skating move such as the T-stop.<ref name="fried-cassorla-inline-ultimate-guide-1995"/>{{rp|25–26,44–45,52–57}}<ref name="powell-svensson-inline-skating"/>{{rp|87–96}}

Casual skaters and fitness skaters can be seen rolling alongside a creek, a lake, or a park on paved bike paths. Some also take to the streets, skating on bike lanes and paved roads.<ref name="miller-get-rolling-2003"/>{{rp|131–135}}