Hello,

I am hoping to come along to a fresh meat session as soon as they start again as I'd really love to become an auld reekie girl! In the meantime I'm going to start getting together the various bits of kit I need.

I hoped somebody might be able to advise me on wether or not I needed to invest in a pair of proper derby skates at this stage. I don't have a lot of money and although I can see from the other posts I've read that getting a starter kit is much better value for money, I don't really have the cash to get everything at once so was going to get a couple of things each month and hopefully will have everything by the time you're ready to do another intake of new skaters.

Is it worth getting a cheap pair of retro skates to try skating with and can I use these to begin with or will I need proper derby ones for trying out and beginners practices etc?

Apologies if this has already been answered but I couldn't find the answer anywhere!

Thanks very much!
xxx

i learned to skate on a shitty old pair of disco skates, so no, you don't *need* proper derby skates. i mean, they make life easier, but if you can learn to skate on shit then when you get proper gear it's like a miracle. once you get to a stage where you're comfortable on your skates and want to push yourself further (usually once you've mastered your minimum skills) it's worth getting a decent pair with a low cut ankle, articulated truck, proper wheels, etc. as long as the boots fit you properly and don't hurt your feet it doesn't matter if they suck. at least, that's my opinion. but you will get endless conflicting advice on this so good luck


but honestly, for a new skater, if you have to buy anything expensive kit wise when you start, get MASSIVE cushy kneepads. 187s, tsgs or scabs. don't get anything that costs less than about 50 quid. seriously. if it hurts your knees when you fall you will just be scared of falling all the time and your skating will suffer. BIG PLUSHY EXPENSIVE KNEEPADS. do it.

With skates I've read three different valid pieces of advice:

1) Buy the cheapest pair of skates to get you through FM and in the mean time ACTIVELY save up for a really good skate package!

2) Buy a decent mid range package and ride them as long as you need to!

3) Obsessively stock second hand shops, derby sites or ebay/gumtree and get yourself a mid range/decent skate for a bargain price!

If you're on a tight budget the only thing you REALLY can't buy low quality is your protection! Half (or more) of your budget should go on protection! ESPECIALLY KNEE PADS - buy some big beasty things!

If you're unsure about what to look for, spend a good few hours searching the forum there is ALOT of vital info on these forums - especially about what shop is providing the best rookie package!

Alot of websites like Billies or Everglides do packages, which will proably come with decent skates. Reidell skates and SureGrip skates are a good call. Most ARRGies use these brands, and they do some very good budget models which are great to get you started. Remember that you can upgrade your skates by buying new wheels, bearings and cushions (they are cushions which go on your trucks to make your skates turn easier!). I skated with Reidell R3 skates, which were £85 (cheaper if you are a size 5 or under as you dont pay VAT) for 3 years, and found they were perfect.

Definatly spend more money on knee pads as the skate packages will come with cheap knee pads which wont offer adequate protection!
If you are shopping online, post links on here or send a private message and we can advise whether you're getting a good deal.
Hope this helps! hope to see you on track sooon!

I've just finished my fresh meat session, and I got proper skates right off the bat... only it turned out they were little torture machines that made an already-steep learning curve even more challenging. The pain (not the good, exercisey, new-muscles pain, but the crippling, bone-breaking, bad-fit pain) also meant I approached each practice with extra fear and dread, which is the last thing you want dragging down your derby joy! When I finally got skates that suited me it was a whoooole new world (cue Aladdin music here).

I can't speak to disco vs derby skates for beginners, but either way, one advantage of starting your kit collection this early is that you can take your time and try on different skates first! Skates and feet come in all different shapes and sizes, and the only way to know what'll work for you is to skate in it. There are a handful of non-ARRG practices that people have organised - have a look in the training section and see if anyone wearing your size would be up for letting you have a go.

And yeah, for the love of Zeus, spare no expense on those knee pads.

yeah i'm with Slash Fiction here. i actually started off with R3's and then upgraded my skates and the ones i'm wearing now crush my feet and are torture every time i skate! so defo try before you buy. retro skates would defo be more comfy than what i'm currently wearing!

a good starter skate is the reidell r3 as others have said. if you do manage to get more cash together before you start, or maybe ask santa, the suregrip rebel skate is really good. it's £189 from everglides (phone order & ask john for a roller derby discount )

and yeah defo spend the MOST on pads. there's a really good offer here for pads - these are one of the best sets you can get and this is a bargain price. if you got these, all you'd need to worry about then is a helmet, mouthguard & skates

http://www.skatebritain.net/187-derby-p ... 2811-p.asp

Thank you so much for your advice everyone, that is really helpful. I'm glad you've all said the same thing about protection as the stuff I've been looking at appears to be on the more bargain basement end and probably wouldn't have been any use so just a waste of money in the long run. (Plus I hear you with pain side of things!)

I think in terms of the fact that I want to get on skates as soon as possible (as I'm not even sure I know how to skate!) I'll get some crappy disco ones and then I can practise practise practise while I'm saving up for my lovely derby skates.

Thanks for the link to the protection set, it looks great. I take it you should be erring on the side of a bit tight rather than too loose with protection?

Can't wait for the next fresh meat, hope to be skating with you all soon!

x x x

The lycra straps on most pads will stretch with time. you just wnat it tight enoought to be secure, but not cutting off your ciculation!
I'm a size 14-16 and most of my pads are size medium, if that helps!
Good luck! Happy skating!

Ooohhh, also, if you go to sincityskates.com and click on individual pads and skates they often have some really good informal advice that they include in the description, based on their own experience. That's how I found out that 187s run large and stretch - they even give the exact circumference in inches around your thigh for each size. Very helpful!

If you're a size 6, you can have my crappy disco skates until you buy proper ones if you like, to save you the £35-£40.