AboutLezly Ziering Expertise Ask me technical questions about how to skate, where to skate in N.Y.C., what to look for in a skate, where to learn to skate indoors or outdoors in N.Y.C. Where to buy traditional skates (quads). Do not ask things like - give me a list of skates from the best to the least desireable or prices of inline skates.
Experience
Past/Present clients Head instructor & Director of Lezly Skate School since 1979 where I have taught in excess of 10,000 skaters both traditional & inline skating. I trained most of the cast of "Starlight Express" (Broadway & road companies) & have coached Donald Sutherland & Michael O'Keefe for film roles involving skating.I am the artistic advisor to the New York Express Roller Dance Co. & founder & chairman of the Central Park Dance Skaters Assoc.
Question what is the difference between sidewalk roller skates and rink roller skates
Answer Carmen,
The main dirrerence between street skates & rink skates is the wheels. We prefer softer wheels for outdoor skating & harder wheels for indoor skating.
Many people prefer inline skates outdoors, because they are faster & the wheels being in a single line present less surface area, which helps to circumvent debris & small obstacles that may be harder to avoid on quads that have a wider wheel base.
Quad skates are more versatile for the type of skating one does indoors & definitely lend themselves to dance skating & the style of skating we do in the rink.
I recommend using wheels of 78A to 85A durometer (hardness) outdoors & for indoors, durometers of 95A to 103A depending on how much grip or slide you want in a wheel. The lower the durometer the more grip you will have & the higher durometers give you more slide. The softer the wheel the more forgiving it is on outdoor surfaces. I hope this helps.
Roll on!!!.................................Lezly (Lezly Skate School - NYC - estab. 1979)
