In a Hurry? My Top Pick for the Best Beginner Roller Skates
The Sure-Grip’s Boardwalk wheels are one of my favorite roller skate wheels for rough outdoor surfaces. These wheels are 78A in durometer and are 65mm in diameter – perfect for indoor or outdoor skating.
In the skate picks, I will give you the reasons why I picked that skate as good for those just starting out. Then, I detail in a nice table all the specifics about the skate – boot sizes, plate & wheel types, etc.
Then, in the guide I give you my 7 Tips for Picking Out the Best Beginner Roller Skates along with a section on roller skate anatomy so you have some knowledge about the different parts that make up your skates.
Table of Contents
Top Picks for the Best Roller Skates for Beginners
1. Sure-Grip Boardwalk – Best Quad Roller Skates for Outdoor Beginners
The best overall roller skates for those just starting out are the Sure-Grip Boardwalk. I just really like these outdoor skates. They are a great quad skate regardless of whether you are skating on a slippery rink floor or skating outdoors on the sidewalk or asphalt.
First, what makes these skates good for beginners is that they come with a comfortable high top boot. The high top boot will give you more stability than a shorter, low cut boot. High top boots provide more ankle support that will keep you feeling more secure.
They also come with 78A soft wheels that will provide you extra stability and give you more grip. The softer wheels also are what make this a great pair of street skates. As you skate on the asphalt or sidewalk outdoors, your feet won’t jiggle because of these wheels and your skates will be able to handle small debris and pebbles without you toppling over.
Also, I don’t just recommend these skates just to beginners. If you browse my site enough, you’ll also notice that these are on every single list article on my website for more advanced skaters, too. I own a pair myself, and they are a really good pair of outdoor roller skates.
Want 9 more of my top picks for outdoors? Check out my best outdoor roller skates page.
Sure-Grip Boardwalk At a Glance
| FEATURES | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
|
Boots |
Men’s sizes 4-13. Check out my roller skating size guide for sizing help. |
|
Colors / Patterns |
Black, Tan, Lavender (Purple), Sea Breeze (Blue), Key Lime (Green), Merlot (Red) and Teaberry (Pink) |
|
Plates |
Rock Nylon Plates |
|
Wheels |
65mm diameter, 78A durometer |
|
Bearings |
ABEC-3 |
|
Toe Stop |
Adjustable toe stop with lock nut |
2. Sure-Grip GT-50 Outdoor – Best Beginners Outdoor Skates – Runner-Up
Next on my list, I give you the GT-50 outdoor skates from Sure-Grip. This quad skate comes in a low-cut boot for those beginners out there that already have a little bit more balance.
If you have roller skated before or have pretty decent balance from other activities, then you can probably get away with a low-cut boot. When I came back to skating after a bit of a break, I went into a low-cut boot without any problem because my balance as an ex-art skater was still good.
This good beginner skate features a nice padded GT-50 skate boot. I like the padding around the ankle portion. It fit well around my foot and was comfortable for me to skate in for an extended period.
These skates come in a couple of different varieties online. Most of the variety is around the wheels. You’ll see from the picture above that there are 3 different skate packages sold with different wheels.
The Motion package has the softer Sure-Grip Motion 78A wheels. This one is great for outdoor terrain. This is the best one if you want a little more stability, slower speeds and a wheel that is really great outdoors.
Then, you have the Zen that has a pair of 85A wheels on it. Hybrid wheels are wheels that are good for both indoor and outdoor skating.
Then, there is the Sparkle Sonic that has a slightly different boot, plate and wheels. The boot is the same GT-50 boot, it just sparkles. The plate is a cool crystal clear nylon plate that you can see through. And, the Sonic hybrid wheels are 85A making them good for indoor and outdoors.
It’s also a great all-around skate that I recommend on a lot of my pages.
Want 9 more of my top picks for outdoors? Check out my outdoor roller skates page.
Sure-Grip Rock GT-50 At a Glance
| FEATURES | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
|
Boots |
Men’s sizes 4-13. Check out my roller skating size guide for sizing help. |
|
Colors / Patterns |
Black, Tan, Lavender (Purple), Sea Breeze (Blue), Key Lime (Green), Merlot (Red) and Teaberry (Pink) |
|
Plates |
Rock Nylon Plates |
|
Wheels |
65mm diameter, 78A durometer |
|
Bearings |
ABEC-3 |
|
Toe Stop |
Adjustable toe stop with lock nut |
3. Bont Prostar – Best Beginners Outdoor Skates – Bronze
For all you beginners out there looking for a great pair of skates, check out the Bont Prostar. These skates are great for recreational skating, roller derby or speed skating. They come in 2 different styles – a black vinyl or 1 of 5 different suede colors including black, teal, blue, purple or pink.
The Prostar boot comes in unisex size 3-12.5. Bont has a special sizing to their boots, so be sure to check out their skate sizing chart before you order so you get the perfect fit. These boots have a lot of extra memory padding to make them super comfy. The boots are also heat moldable using a hair dryer so you can get a perfect fit.
The Bont Prostar comes with a light weight Prodigy skate plate that is fiberglass reinforced making it strong. It also has 20 degree action for that perfect balance between agility and stability.
Finally, the wheels on this skate package depend on where you order it. If you order on Amazon, you get the Bont Glow LED wheels. These light up as you roll and are an 83A hybrid durometer making them good for both indoor or outdoor skating.
If you order from the Bont website, then you have your choice of 8 different wheels and 4 different sets of bearings. On Amazon, you will get ABEC-5 bearings installed in your skates.
Want 14 more of my top picks for beginners? Check out my Best Roller Skates for Beginners page.
Bont Prostar At a Glance
| FEATURES | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
|
Boots |
Men’s sizes 4-13. Check out my roller skating size guide for sizing help. |
|
Colors / Patterns |
Black, Tan, Lavender (Purple), Sea Breeze (Blue), Key Lime (Green), Merlot (Red) and Teaberry (Pink) |
|
Plates |
Rock Nylon Plates |
|
Wheels |
65mm diameter, 78A durometer |
|
Bearings |
ABEC-3 |
|
Toe Stop |
Adjustable toe stop with lock nut |
4. Sure-Grip Malibu – Best Beginner Skates for Outdoor Skating – 4th
Next on the list are a budget pair of hybrid roller skates, the Sure-Grip Malibu. The Malibu are good indoor and outdoor skates because they have Malibu hybrid wheels that have an 85A durometer.
These won’t be as nice to skate on asphalt with as the Boardwalk above, but they will work on them. You just will get a little more jiggle on rougher surfaces. If you are on sidewalks or practicing in a basement or garage, these will work just fine and they are about half the price of the Boardwalks.
These are a good value skate for those of you just starting out. The quality is decent. The biggest downside to these skates are that the toe stoppers are fixed. That means you can’t adjust them. However, for a first pair of skates and for the price, these are a good buy.
Want 14 more of my top picks for beginners? Check out my roller skates for beginners page.
Sure-Grip Malibu At a Glance
| FEATURES | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
|
Boots |
Men’s sizes 4-13. Check out my roller skating size guide for sizing help. |
|
Colors / Patterns |
Black, Tan, Lavender (Purple), Sea Breeze (Blue), Key Lime (Green), Merlot (Red) and Teaberry (Pink) |
|
Plates |
Rock Nylon Plates |
|
Wheels |
65mm diameter, 78A durometer |
|
Bearings |
ABEC-3 |
|
Toe Stop |
Adjustable toe stop with lock nut |
5. Sure-Grip Fame – Best Indoor Skates for Beginners
If you will mostly be roller rink skating, then I recommend the Sure-Grip Fame quad skates. These skates come with indoor wheels that are harder and made for indoor surfaces. This skate is one of my favorites. In fact, it is my top roller skates for kids pick, but you’ll also find it somewhere on almost all of my lists.
Why? Because the boot on these quad roller skates are nice and comfortable. The high-top boot is nicely padded and provides great ankle support. It has a padded collar and dual front brakes – sporting an adjustable toe stop on each skate.
They also come in a variety of sizes from 9J all the way up to a Men’s size 14. It’s one of the few high top skates that come in that many sizes. All of the sizes are in men’s sizes (even the white boots), so ladies will need to go down one size. Check the skate sizing charts to be sure.
Sure-Grip is a very well-known brand who has been in business for over 85 years. They know how to make a good skate. They have dozens of models, and the Fame skate is a great one for those just starting out.
Sure-Grip Fame Skate At a Glance
| FEATURES | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
|
Boots |
Men’s sizes 4-13. Check out my roller skating size guide for sizing help. |
|
Colors / Patterns |
Black, Tan, Lavender (Purple), Sea Breeze (Blue), Key Lime (Green), Merlot (Red) and Teaberry (Pink) |
|
Plates |
Rock Nylon Plates |
|
Wheels |
65mm diameter, 78A durometer |
|
Bearings |
ABEC-3 |
|
Toe Stop |
Adjustable toe stop with lock nut |
6. Riedell Competitor 120 – Best Indoor Roller Skates for Novice Skaters – Runner-Up
If you have a little bit more money to spend and want an awesome pair of beginner artistic roller skates, then check out the Riedell 120 Competitor skates. This skates comes with Riedell’s 120 leather boot that is comfortable and well padded. Riedell makes some of the best boots around.
This Riedell skates also has different sizes for the black and white boots. The black boot is in men’s sizes. The white boot is women’s sizes. This is a common feature of Riedell boots. They also provide a much better skate size chart then most of the folks in the industry.
This skate costs a little more first because of the leather boots. Then, it also has an upgraded aluminum plate with jump bars that are good for doing jumps on your skates (or just for extra support).
These skates also come with harder wheels, so they will be a little slicker than the outdoor skates I recommended above. That’s why these are further down on the list.
Absolute beginners with balance issues will do much better on wheels made for outdoors. However, if you want a beginner skate that you can really grow into as your skills progress, this is one of the best.
Riedell 120 Competitor At a Glance
| FEATURES | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
|
Boots |
Men’s sizes 4-13. Check out my roller skating size guide for sizing help. |
|
Colors / Patterns |
Black, Tan, Lavender (Purple), Sea Breeze (Blue), Key Lime (Green), Merlot (Red) and Teaberry (Pink) |
|
Plates |
Rock Nylon Plates |
|
Wheels |
65mm diameter, 78A durometer |
|
Bearings |
ABEC-3 |
|
Toe Stop |
Adjustable toe stop with lock nut |
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