I wish rollerblades were socially acceptable for adults

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Joe90
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24 May 2020, 1:51 pm

When I was a kid I had a pair of rollerblades and I was brilliant on them. I could do anything on them and never fall, because they were built in a way where you couldn't actually fall over; with the brakes at the back. So I could run in them, jump in them and scoot really fast down the street and never fall down. Also they were relaxing to ride and were good, fun exercise.

It seems that rollerblades have gone out of fashion even for kids, but I do wish it were socially acceptable for adults to wear rollerblades and go whizzing down the street in them. But I'll feel silly, as I don't think I've ever seen a grown person (especially a woman) riding rollerblades. But why not? They're great! They should become a trend for adults!


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redrobin62
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24 May 2020, 2:23 pm

Adults still use them. In fact, they've been selling out. In this very recent video from April 7, 2020, a woman explains how she bought a pair to help her deal with Covid-19.



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24 May 2020, 2:26 pm

I wouldn't worry about what other people. Easier said then done, I know. But if you think you'd enjoy rollerblading, do it.


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24 May 2020, 2:37 pm

Stop worrying about being "Socially Acceptable"; if you like roller-blading, then go roller-blading!


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24 May 2020, 5:27 pm

I used to sell them on occasions but we were never allowed to try them. Only customers, so I have never tried them.
I was hopeless on rollerskates as a child. I can just about manage a large skateboard but I am not that good. I can do it... Just!
Took me a few years of trying to get the hang of cycling, but I was absolutely determined... And I have loved it. I have not been any good with no hands and hopeless at an unicycle, but adults bicycles, tandems ans tricycles all of which I have been ok at. :) Is my secondary special interest! Trains are my primary special interest. :)


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CockneyRebel
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24 May 2020, 8:24 pm

If rollerblading makes you happy, do it. You can't go though life worrying about what's socially acceptable.


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24 May 2020, 9:21 pm

Go have fun and be happy.
Maybe others will see and want to try it.


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Wolfram87
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25 May 2020, 1:09 am

They aren't? I mean, I break my ankles just looking at them, but they're no more unacceptable than roller skis, longboards, skateboards or those electric rollerboard things. There's a guy in a suit around here that gets to work using one of those last ones.


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Joe90
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25 May 2020, 5:50 am

I knew someone here would say that they're popular, but the thing is they don't seem popular in the UK because I haven't seen anyone wearing them for years. And I've never seen an adult woman skating around the street in them. I've seen teenage boys/young men on skateboards but that's about it.

I have a phobia of drawing attention to myself, and the only reason I will do something is if other people are seen doing it. Otherwise, no. I hate standing out. But it's a shame people have to judge an adult on rollerblades though, because surely you're not a threat?

Wearing masks used to be extremely rare in the UK, and if you were seen wearing one in public people will stare. But now it's become the norm during this pandemic, so people don't stare any more. Last week I went out with a thick scarf wrapped around my nose and mouth, because I don't have any masks. Usually that would be socially unacceptable wearing a scarf like that in the summer with shorts, but this time nobody bat an eye and I didn't feel like I was being judged.


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25 May 2020, 7:33 am

Mrs Dan Quayle (the wife of the elder George Bush's veep) was photographed rollerblading, and doing so in full protective gear regalia.Didnt get any flack from anyone. And I thought that she even looked kinda hawt at the time.

You don't see roller blading as often now, but you do see folks on segues, and I saw someone cruising down the sidewalk on somekind of motorized unicycle the other day.



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25 May 2020, 7:53 am

I have never heard it said that they weren't,I'm not sure where you get that from.


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AriaEclipse
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25 May 2020, 12:38 pm

I don't see anything wrong with rollerblading. I've actually considered getting myself a pair to help me get more exercise because I always preferred them to riding a bicycle as a kid. I don't really know if people in my neighborhood that I see out and about use them but I don't think they would be seen as "weird".


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jimmy m
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25 May 2020, 1:02 pm

Roller blades are fairly popular in the U.S. You find them in a roller derby. There are men teams and women teams. One of my nieces was part of a woman's team.

Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of fifteen members roller skating counter-clockwise around a track. Roller derby is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leagues worldwide, mostly inside the United States.

In looking a little deeper into the roller blades. There are two types. These are quads and in-line skates. Quads are normal roller skates. In-line skates are probably the type of skates you are referring to. A Reddit article discusses the difference and why in-line skates are not used in roller derbies.

"Because quads are better, it's always been played on quads, its in the rules, etc etc...

But I think when it comes down to it - and this is just what makes sense to me - the reason is that quads are more stable and better for lateral movement which is more important in derby, seeing as its generally a slower and more condensed (playing-area-wise) game than hockey. I think we'd see a lot more rolled ankles and broken legs from stepping sideways and being hit from the side if we wore inlines.

Also, have you skated on quads much? Any chance you found inlines easier because you're more used to skating on them? Just a thought..."


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25 May 2020, 3:31 pm

I used to many years ago would see kids using roller shoes rolling around with them in stores. I don't see this so much anymore. It seems like their popularity faded.