Must you buy one today? Don't become a spontaneous shopper unless of course there's some mega bargain happening. There's many inlines FAQ on the web. Do your research first, after all you'll likely be spending $250+

As for which type you want to get... it depends what you plan on doing w/ it; sports or just road cruising? Look for comfort, it's very important. You usually get what you pay for.

IMO K2 and Solomon's are very reliable. However Solomon's customer's service is terrible.

Could i get a link to the FAQs? Thanks! As for the use, i'm probably just gonna 'cruise' along the Lakeshore strip. What sports are they good for though, aside from street hockey?

quote:

Originally posted by d!abolic What sports are they good for though, aside from street hockey?

They're great for basketball and swimming

seriously though, first and foremost make sure they're comfortable for you.

And the lakeshore strip is great; I live on Lakeshore on the westend and go blading by the lake whenever I can.

I read this page before i purchased mine. It really helps:

http://web.skatefaq.com:81/buyingguide.html

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[alk]

Damn, good link loconet! I stopped by Sports National today, but they had a very limited selection so i didn't buy anything. They only had K6 in my size, but i've never heard of that brand. Are they any good? Anyway, i'm gonna give that a read and pick up a pair tomorrow.

when it comes to blades your better off spending good money on them... i'm not too sure what price range your looking at... but i'd buy either salomon or k2... i've owned both... right now i have a pair of salomon aggressive blades...
both companies make very comfortable and durable blades...
hope this helps

I've owned a pair of Roces for about 7 years that I use for speed skating from time to time. They set me back about $500 but they were well worth the investment.

-Your Mother

I am sorry, but you cannot beat a nice pair of missions. They are comfortable and last forever. And have a wide variety of skate to choose from... but i guess if they are just for skating around you won't get full use out of missions.

Hey
I recently bought rollerblades and i did some research before that, here are some tips hopefully they will help:
1) National Sports sucks for rollerblades
2) Sport Chek stores have the widest selection you'll likely find in Toronto.
3) Sport Chek's less well known sister company is Sport Mart. Go to www.sportmart.ca, they have BETTER prices than Sport Chek, will give you a $10 discount for signing up for their e-mail newsletter and will ship for FREE.
4) Some good brands to start with: Rollerblade, K2, Salomon. I myself got Rollerblade Aero 6 from Sport Chek - they're last year's model which is why i got them $100 cheaper - paid 149 for them. However Sport Mart has some Aero 5s for 149 and they're basically the same.
Most importantly, try all of them on at the store for fit and size before you buy anything.
Cheers

Salomon's were too wide around the lower foot. K2's were too wide around the middle/upper foot. Rollerblade was utter perfection. I picked up a pair of Aero 9 for $280, but i think i'm gonna grab their little brother Aero 5 like you did, because as cool as the new lacing system is, i don't think it's worth the $130 difference.

quote:

Originally posted by Your Mother I've owned a pair of Roces for about 7 years that I use for speed skating from time to time. They set me back about $500 but they were well worth the investment. -Your Mother

my buddy had a pair of Roces...
i didn't realize that they made rec blades... thought they only made aggressive blades...
thats definitely another company to add to my list then