Derby Gear Advice

We do our best to give most complete advice on gear as well as providing you with in depth reviews from skaters of all types. The general info pages address general topics we get a lot of questions about, and the "tagged" pages direct you to all posts about a certain topic. If you have a question about gear, please look through those pages or use the search bar. If your question still isn't answered, feel free to use the ask feature located on the top of the page. If you would like to review gear, use the submit feature, also at the top of the page. Derby love!

[derbygearadvice]

Going on Hiatus

Hello all of you lovely skaters!

I am posting to let you know that for the time being, Derby Gear Advice will no longer be posting or answering questions.

I have not played derby in years due to an injury, and recently I’ve fallen a bit out of the loop with all of the great new gear on the market. I don’t want to give outdated information.

That being said, I will keep the page running. I will continue to post any submissions. I just answered many of the backlogged questions I had that I could confidently answer.

Hopefully some day soon I will be able to jump back into derby and start this up again.

I truly appreciate all of you fantastic people who have  shared this site and who have sent in questions and reviews. You are awesome, and I hope you continue to find this site valuable.

[derbygearadvice]

Hey! I'm really interested in Roller Derby and also outdoor skating.. but yeah don't know a whole bunch about skates and don't want to buy anything thats just gonna fall apart :) I'm 58kg 167cm tall. Would appreciate any suggestions you have as to good starting gear. Also - I'm guessing indoor wheels shouldn't really be used outside? Do folk just switch wheels over or have a different set of skates for outdoor use?

You are correct that you need different wheels for indoor and outdoor.

New skaters usually have one pair of skates that they switch wheels on, but often as you inevitably collect more and more gear, you’ll usually end up with an older set of skates better suited to outdoor skating and a newer, fancier set of skates better suited to indoors.

For specifics on gear, look through the General Info pages as well as Tagged - Wheels and Tagged - Outdoor.

Good luck!

[derbygearadvice]

I am new to derby but not new to skating. I've been on my R3's for about 4 months now and feel like I am ready for an upgrade. My girlfriend thinks I should "pay my dues" on the R3s for at least a year before I think about upgrading. I feel that since I already skate very well, getting new skates will just increase my ability and bring me to the next level. I would love your thoughts on this.

Your girlfriend is both right and wrong.

You should work on upgrading your setup little by little. New skates aren’t going to magically increase you ability, but they will help you out a lot and will make skating more safe.

If your entire setup is still intact, I’d upgrade the wheels first, and then shortly after I’d upgrade the plates. Nylon plates are not safe for derby and will greatly reduce the amount of push you get around turns.

[derbygearadvice]

Hello! I am the freshest of meat, and I'm looking to purchase all my gear in the next month or so. I am extremely petite (5'0, 105 lbs) with thin, narrow feet in size 5.5 womens. We're skating on very slippery sport court. I think I'll need a boot that is good for small narrow feet, a nylon plate, and grippy wheels. Any recommendations? Also, normal elbow and knee pads tend to be big on me. Do you know any that run small? Thanks!

You should never use a nylon plate in derby.

Other than that, Riedell is going to be better for narrow feet, but remember each individual boot runs differently. Reading all of our General Info pages and Tagged - Fresh Meat posts should help you out a ton with finding the perfect setup!

[derbygearadvice]

I'm 5'4" and weigh 140. I fall into the advanced beginner/beginning intermediate skater. I wrote about wheels but I also have a plate question. I have an Avenger DA45 mounted short forward and I HATE it. Would you suggest getting a DA45 plate mounted normally? I've been considering the Powerdyne Rival and the Pilot Falcon instead. Thoughts?

I would try remounting the plate slightly farther back (I’d love to see a picture to see how far forward it is right now), since that is likely the cheapest option for you. What exactly do you hate about it?

If any of your teammates have a Rival or Falcon that you can try, I’d do that as well to see if you absolutely fall in love with one of them.

[derbygearadvice]

i'm looking for a wheel for shuffle skating. I have it narrowed down to either Radar speed rays or the Shamans. Hardness of either 93 for the radars or 96 and either the shaman green or whites. I'm 175lbs ans mainly skate on wood floors but some times go to places that are just concrete coated. Ever skated on either of these. Thanks

Unfortunately this website is only for derby skating applications.

It’s not because we don’t love shuffle skaters, but because our area of expertise is derby and I wouldn’t want to give you bad information!

[derbygearadvice]

Hi. I'm 5'4" and weigh 140. I fall into the advanced beginner/beginning intermediate skater. I skate on slick polished concrete. I skate on sure-grip fugitives (92a) and slide in the corners. I was considering the Atom Booms, but I'm wondering if the Rollerbones Day of the Dead 88a might be a better option for me. I might start skating with another team as well and they practice on wood rink and sport. I know- I probably need more than 1 new set of wheels. Suggestions?

You probably do need more than one new set of wheels.

I know that’s expensive, so try looking for used sets online or try asking around your league and nearby leagues. There are plenty of Facebook groups that make it very easy to find used wheels for great prices.

I do think that for the specific application you are describing, the Rollerbones wheels are probably your best bet, but see if any skaters near you have either type and try them out. That should give you a great idea of what you are looking for.

[derbygearadvice]

Hello! Your tumblr has been so helpful! I just had one question - I've tried bearing spacers on my adonis wheels, and on my inline skates - I totally love them. yet, in derby no one uses them. Is it because they won't fit most hubs? Are there any relatively standard that could be used with several kind of wheels? :)

Bearing spacers aren’t really used in derby because we don’t really need them with most axles and wheels.

[derbygearadvice]

hello! I need to change the plate, I use a bont boot and I have a very small foot 23cm / almost 9 inches, was thinking of the avenger, or maybe something a little cheaper, but I get confused with 10,15 or 45 degrees I see in the descriptions, which you recommend me? thanks so much

For lots of information about different types of plates, read our General Info section on plates http://derbygearadvice.tumblr.com/plates

[derbygearadvice]

Hello! Been reading your amazing blog and just wanted to ask you about my weird-shaped feet. I've bought some bonts carbon hybrids. I've heat molded them, but are still too big on the heel. I've tried to tighten more my laces, but I end up with numb feet. The size (at least in lenght) is OK. What do you recommend me? Using an ankle sleeve will reduce too much my mobility?

I’d try a thin ankle sleeve, or even an insole for only your heel.

You can also get creative and form an insert made from beer coozies (the thin ones) or mousepads.

These should all fill in that extra space without sacrificing a significant amount of your mobility. Experiment and see what’s most comfortable for you!

[derbygearadvice]

Bont Infinity Plate

After skating on R3's for my freshy year, i upgraded to bont hybrid boots on bont infinity plates (titanium kingpin, 45 degree action, hard cushions). I have been skating on the infinities for a year now. 

The first lap i did in my new set-up felt like my feet were going to float up into the clouds. This set-up felt incredibly light compared to the R3's. It took me around 3 training's to get used to the new plates and i played a bout soon afterwards. I found that moving from 10 degree action to 45 degree action was no big deal personally.

I haven't had any major issues with the 'moving parts' of this plate, nothings fallen off mid-jam or anything drastic like that. The sliding hangers sit firmly in place and haven't moved at all. The main issue i had was with the pivot cup nut (which was an unfamiliar thing as R3's don't have these). It would sometimes come loose during training resulting in loose trucks which were difficult to control (i'd probably lose 5 minutes whilst i tightened the nut). It hasn't happened for a while now, i guess I've tightened it appropriately. 

The most frustrating thing about this plate was the plate tool. It didn't fit anything! I basically had to build my own. 

I have different sized boots as my feet are a half size different. I love how i can position the hangers exactly where they need to be on each foot. My left plate is set-up slightly differently to my right plate because my left and right feet aren't the same...so why should the position of the trucks be! I also like the idea of trying a more short-forward set-up soon. I can basically create a whole new feeling plate in a matter of minutes. This versatility is what attracted me to the plate in the first place.

I'm happy with the infinity however it's not really a plate that you can have mounted and then never look at again. It is a precision plate that needs some attention now and again to check that everything is in order. 

[derbygearadvice]

I want to get new plates for my husband who is a 260ish lb blocker and sometime jammer. He is a phenomenal skater and is hard on plates. Just broke an Avenger plate. What is the best heavy duty plate without being heavy that still offers great maneuverability?

Where did the Avenger break?

Weight should not be a factor with heaver skaters. Slight differences in skate weights make a difference with speed skaters and derby skaters under about 125 pounds.

When I'm looking for the most reasonable, durable DA45 plate, I tend to look towards a Sure Grip XK-4. It's a little heavy and not as gorgeous as an Avenger or as flashy as a Snyder Royal, but they are tough and turn incredibly well for a reasonable price.

[derbygearadvice]

I'm looking to upgrade my plates (my Powerdyne Thrust plate has cracked) and I've narrowed my choice down to two: The Pilot Falcon plus or the Suregrip Avenger. Any thoughts?

Depends on your preference. Both are good plates.

Try reading about the two of them on this site and see which one you think best fits your needs and style.

[derbygearadvice]

Hello, I would like to know what jam skate plate with a price range of 150 $ or less do you recommend me?

This is a roller derby gear website so I'm not the best person to answer this question. Try a jam skating forum.

However, I can tell you that there are not many skates worth having that are less than that cost new, and it is almost always best to buy components, not a complete package.

[derbygearadvice]

Looking for reviews for the bont infinity plates and can't find any. I know it's a new plate but surely someone has something to say about it!

There are reviews on this site.

[derbygearadvice]

Hi! I recently got my first pair of skates and am loving them. They fit really well, but I am having problems where the top of the tongue of the boot hits my ankle. They dig in and rub against the front of my leg. Is there any way that you know of to help with this? Thanks, and I love the blog :)

Try different lacing techniques.

One thing that works a lot with newer skates is just skipping the top few holes all together while they break in. Then after a few months you can relace them higher.

[derbygearadvice]

After 6 years on Riedells I just got some Bont boots!! But I've hit a roadblock: my boots are a size 4.5 (womens size 7ish) and all the plates in my local derby shop were too wide to fit the heel. For serious. The drilling holes on the plate for the heel line up with the outside curves of the boot's heel. I really don't want to have to get the fiddly $320 Bont Infinity plates or the lower quality $42 Bont nylon plate. Any suggestions for other plates that are narrow?

What are the plates?