Editing Inline skates (section)

=== Hybrid boots ===

{{multiple image
 | direction = horizontal
 | image1 = Hybrid soft boot-Inline skate with a carbon fiber shell-PS Tau.png
 | image2 = Hybrid soft boot-Inline skate with a carbon fiber shell-PS Tau-shell highlighted.png
 | caption1 = Hybrid soft boot
 | caption2 = Endoskeleton shell 
 | width1 = 180
 | width2 = 180
}}

[[File:Hybrid soft boot-Inline skate with a carbon fiber shell-PS Tau-translucent showing a foot.png|thumb|right|180px|Foot and shell]]

Hybrid boots, also known as hybrid soft boots, look superficially similar to soft boots, complete with soft materials covering a large part of the boot. Unlike soft boots, however, hybrid boots have no exoskeleton reinforcement apart from the pivoting cuff. These boots have an endoskeleton instead, in the form of a composite shell. The shell serves as the sole of the boot, with shell walls extending upward from the sole. The soft upper part of the boot is pulled taut over the shell and glued onto it.<ref name="powerslide-hard-soft-hybrid-boots"/><ref name="vegter-hybrid-hard-boot-soft-boot"/>

Hybrid boots are lighter than hard boots and soft boots. Yet they remain rigid where the foot meets the boot. Integrated liners in hybrid boots can be made thinner than removable liners in hard boots. In higher-end hybrid boots, the integrated liner is heat-moldable for the best custom fit, and the shell is made of carbon fiber. A hybrid shell sits much closer to the foot than a hard shell or the exoskeleton of a soft boot. As a result, hybrid boots provide more direct and responsive power transfer from a foot to wheels.<ref name="powerslide-hard-soft-hybrid-boots"/><ref name="xinhaidude-carbon-fiber-inline-skates"/>

Hybrid boots originated from the development of carbon shells in speed skates during the 1990s and 2000s. In the 2020s, manufacturers like Powerslide offer hybrid inline skates, including models such as the Hardcore Evo, Tau, and Swell. However, the term "hybrid" has yet to gain universal acceptance, and these boots are often marketed as high-end soft boots.<ref name="powerslide-hard-soft-hybrid-boots"/><ref name="bladeville-hybrid-softboots">{{cite web
|url=https://bladeville.com/blog/softboot-skates-not-that-bad-actually
|title=Softboots - not that bad, actually!
|website=Bladeville
|date=2022-04-02
|url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230525050100/https://bladeville.com/blog/softboot-skates-not-that-bad-actually
|archive-date=2023-05-25
|access-date=2025-02-01
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|first1=Ricardo
|last1=Lino
|title=Soft boot vs hard boot - skates vlog132
|others=See video transcript
|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHDP3pm46FY
|website=youtube.com
|language=en
|format=video
|date=2017-08-02
}}</ref>