Riedell Skates - Dart Ombré - Quad Roller Speed Skate

Great skates my grand daughter love them brought them last year 2017 January

My grand daughter loved them! Nice

The Skates ombré color and sizing chart are true to appearance and fit! I was most pleased with the sizing, as shoe fit is always an issue for me. The instructions on how to size Riedell is *VERY* accurate! Getting back into an original quad skate was surprisingly easy for me. It felt natural, & I was comfortably stable. I was anticipating wobbly baby deer legs/ankles like as if I was getting into inline skates - not the case. =)

I used to roller skate back in the day and in an effort to try to be more active upon reaching middle age, decided to try the experts advice that the easiest way to find success with a fitness program is to partake in activities that you like. I was a rink rat back in the 80s. Eventually got a pair of rollerblades that got some minimal use over the years but my old quad skates did not survive. Well, actually they were fine but after having two kids, my feet never fit them right again. How could they after almost 30 years! So I did a lot of research before settling on this as a replacement. I know this is meant for derby and not the same type of artistic boot that I had grown up using but wanted to give it a try and could not resist the fun colors. I love it but am still getting used to it. The brake sits a bit low and I know I can adjust them. The shoe part fits pretty comfortably, just the slightest tad big, but I did not want to go down another size. Can probably wear thicker socks. Cant quite pull the laces tight enough as I would like but the velcro closure makes up for that. There is no ankle support so I feel I had to work a lot harder in the back calf muscles to stay upright and moving. Ive been out in them twice and after a few laps, start to get my confidence back. I cant quite describe if they are slick enough or not slick enough. On the one hand, first steps out I feel that it is quite slick but then after many laps and I want to pick up speed, I feel that I cant quite get any faster and I dont know if that is some type of subconscious safety mechanism kicking in to keep me safe or as if Ive reached max speed on the wheels. Again Im not describing this well and I have a feeling using some tools to adjust could very well do the trick. I dont care how old I am, Im having fun again!

These skates, ONCE CORRECTLY ADJUSTED, roll really well. It is hard to find a skate for a child that actually really roll like an adult skate. These actually have real normal sized bearings and wheels. They look good. They are comfortable. The only bad thing I can find about them is that they are really heavy, about 3 pounds per skate. In comparison these are much heavier than most adult skates.

I needed some new speed skates since my old ones dont fit very good anymore. I did much research on different skates and these skates and the R3 by Riedell are on several best skates lists that I found. I decided to go with these skates and I picked the pink and purple ones. They are exactly what they look like in the picture. On Riedells website these skates are described as heavily padded and that is true-the top ankle area and the tongue are padded and are comfortable. The sole is decently padded while the vinyl boot is soft and flexible enough but still supportive. The piece at the toes is hard to protect the toes and the toe area is more narrow and snug than the rest of the boot. I usually wear a ladies size 8 in tennis shoes because I have wide feet and 7 1/2 never fits. I ordered the mens size 7 and they seem to fit good so far. That being said, there is enough room to wiggle my toes a little but the toe area is snug. I got them to be used at an indoor rink and I will update after I have skated in them there for the first time. The one thing I do not like is the toe stop. It can be adjusted but it is way too small in my opinion and wont last that long. That is why I took off a star- Riedell seems to love these toe stops. I will be getting a bigger one to replace it. These skates may be a little too heavy for a beginner but other than that they should be good. I like that they have an aluminum plate. They were delivered three days earlier than originally estimated. Cant wait to skate in them! **Update** If you are used to big toe stops these toe stops are quite the change and not for the better. I recently ordered some Gumball toe stops and they are so much more than the tiny toe stops on these skates. Also, get ready or be prepared to be a little unsteady and not as sure of yourself while you break in the wheels on these skates. The boots are comfortable but it is going to take some time for me to get used to the wheels which is supposed to be normal with any new skate. I was surprised to feel every single little bump on the wood rink floor- much more than my old Pacer speed skates. It would be a good idea to go slower and not do anything but basic skating in these and no backward skating until you get used to them. I fell for the first time in a long time on these. Replace the tiny toe stops that come with them before you skate. I am going to give them a little while longer before I change the four star rating. **Update** After 3 sessions on these skates the boots are very comfortable. The wheels take a little while to warm up and then start to feel grippier on the coated wood rink floor which is not super slippery like a gym floor. I dont feel confident on these skates to skate the way I did on my old skates especially in going around corners and skating backward. The wheels are definitely harder and slicker than what I want/need. They may work better with heavier skaters that can get more grip from them. I have had to order some different wheels that are a softer hardness. So I had to replace the toe stop and the wheels but I love the boot itself and the colors. Bottom line-- For the look, plate, and boot comfort I give these skates 5 stars. For the ride, wheels, and toe stop I give them 1.5 stars. Overall- three stars.

We started going roller skating just for fun:). These skates are so much more comfortable than the rentals. Also didn’t have to pay for that every time. Great skates!!

Loved the smile on my granddaughters face!

Good for me!

Great beginner roller derby skates. I would suggest getting different wheels and stoppers though if you plan on being a hardcore derby player or if you plan on practicing outside. Size runs a little big, and make sure you get a skate key because wheels and bearings came a little loose and needed to be tightened right out of the box.