Spending $50 per week for skate wheels sounds very expensive. How many miles does it take to wear out a wheel set?
A couple of years ago I was looking into traditional style skates with the giant diameter wheels. They are smoother because they don't react to bumps and rocks as much as the smaller wheels. There is also a brand called Land Roller that has very large wheels (Xootr size 7" diameter). The wheels are mounted on an angle and the top of the wheels are higher than the bottom of the foot. Such large wheels do an even better job of smoothing the ride. The problem for me was they cost over $400.Now they cost just $230.00 Even the conventional skates with large wheels cost almost that much for a good brand.
Chariot Skates is a company in Australia that had a great idea. They put a lightweight bicycle wheel and tire combination onto a boot. The introductory price was $3600. I was willing to go as high as $1000 but when I learned they wanted $3600 I just thought
no way. In the introductory videos they said they should be as fast as a bicycle. That is why I would have been willing to pay so much. Now that I know they are faster than regular skates but no faster than speed skates I don't see the point in them. the rubber pneumatic tires would definitely make them smoother than conventional skates, so that might be a reason to own them. Today I have read that they have decided to sell them only through their web site for $4250.00.
LandRoller | Get out of line!
Chariot Skates
Quadline (inline wheels on conventional skates) watch the video to see them in action.
QuadLine Video
Skorpion Quadline skates strap to conventional running shoes. I don't know if they are still in business. Their web site address isn't working. At the time I researched them there were many positive and negative reviews about quality. The bad reviews said that straps broke. The idea is an old one and good one.
Skorpion Skates
I like my Xootr. One benefit of a skateboard over regular skates is that conventional shoes are used and there is no need to change shoes when arriving at the final destination. The Xootr is better than a skateboard because it has handlebars and the deck is lower. It also has those larger wheels to go over bumps better. The downside of the Xootr is it has only two wheels which makes it less stable when hitting wet spots. A skateboard can stand level on its own without needing to balance. I can see myself buying a longboard skateboard. The legs and ankles would get a better workout than when using a Xootr just because it takes more muscles to keep the body balanced when riding one.