We sometimes get asked what level or style of skating Chuffed Skates are suitable for, so we thought we would put together a little bit of info to help you decide if our skates are right for you.
As a general guide, Chuffed Wanderers and our Crew Collection are suitable for beginner to intermediate skaters across all styles – we have outlined what this means to us a bit more below.
Advanced skaters can also use our skates, but they won’t be suitable for all skaters at this level, and some might want to change out parts (like cushions or wheels) to be more suited to their preferred setup and styles.
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Beginner Cruisers and RollerFit
Are you a beginner who just wants to cruise on netball courts and footpaths or go along to a RollerFit/Learn to Skate class to learn basic skills and moves?
Our skates are perfect for you. They have everything you need to get started and will stay with you as you progress. You don’t need to change the toe stops or wheels, and you can skate both indoors and outdoors on the standard setup. If you tend to drag your toe (especially if it’s on concrete), we recommend getting some toe guards to protect your skates.
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Beginner to Intermediate Dance Skaters
Do you like a bit of a groove? Our skates are great for beginner to intermediate dance skaters. For moves like the downtown, zero, diamond, hez and more, our skates will be responsive and supportive as you sweat through a dance class or bust a move in your living room.
Some intermediate dancers like to switch to soft cushions and hard wheels. Soft cushions are more responsive, while small hard wheels allow for more slide and agility, and make edges more easily accessible.
Advanced dancers will often have a specialised dance set up with a stiffer boot and a high-end plate. This makes moves like crazy legs a lot easier. A dance setup like this usually costs between $800-$1000. If you are interested in customising a setup especially for advanced dance, we recommend chatting to our friends at RollerFit.
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Beginner to Intermediate Park Skaters
Want to give park skating a try? Learning to pump and want to learn some basic tricks? Our stock setup is perfect for you. Having a skate with a heel makes learning to park skate much easier, and a quality toe stop on an aluminium plate gives you everything you need to get started.
We recommend that all park skaters use toe guards as park skating is generally on concrete surfaces, and these will help your skates have a longer life.
Our standard wheels are suited to beginners because they are a little softer which makes speed control easier, and the hard edge provides more stability. As you start to learn coping tricks and want more speed and agility in the park, you will likely want to change to a harder wheel (potentially with a rounder edge depending on preference).
Depending on your style of learning, park skating can involve a lot of falling. This is inevitably going to put a lot of wear on your skates. If you fall a lot on concrete, your boot will show signs of wear more quickly than general skaters. When learning, if you don’t want to fall as often, try building up to your desired trick in small and controlled increments. Ask for tips from more experienced skaters and take your time with learning.
Our plates are die-cast aluminium plates that have been tensile tested and tested in park settings by experienced skaters. This type of fabrication is more affordable than CNC fabrication methods and allows us to keep our skates affordable to customers. While our skates can be used for airs and jumps, depending on the force and the weight of the skater, they may weaken with use over time.
If you are planning on consistently hitting rails, doing big airs with a lot of impact, or jumping big stair sets you will likely want to invest in a more expensive CNC plate (usually costing $300+ for the plate alone). A high-end park set up can cost up to $1000. If you would like more information on what’s suitable to you and what’s available chat to our friends at RollerFit.
Stay tuned…
In the future we will be looking at releasing more options in our range to cater for even more skaters. If you still have questions about our skates or whether they are right for you, send us an email.