HOW TO BUY INLINE SKATES

from the pages of...www.citiskate.com

Buying a pair of inline skates is like having a baby, only in reverse. All the hard work is at the beginning, then comes the fun:

1. Decide what kind of skates you want Recreational, Speed, Aggressive/Stunt or Hockey.

Thinking of skating as transport? Then you may also consider buying 'commuter' skates which have detachable wheel frames enabling you to skate and then walk around. Hypno, Rossingol and Rollerblade are examples. But note that convenience does compromise the skate ride a little; it's a question of priorities.

2. Set a budget Include £15 - £30 for wrist, knee and elbow pads. If you are starting out in skating don't expect to increase your confidence without pads. Get the full set if you can and strongly consider buying a helmet. A wise choice.

3. Choose a shop from the list that has the best range of what you want Choose from recreational, aggressive/stunt, speed or hockey skates. Recreational skating is the most popular type in London and is a nice way to get started before you try any of the others.

4. Choose a time Allow yourself a free period of 30 minutes in the shop and pick your time of week. Go on a rainy weekday and find staff twiddling their thumbs, eager to help. Alternatively, find them sleeping.

5. First Impressions Skates are now available in sexy colour schemes so choose a good-looking pair of skates fitting points 1 and 2.

6. The three C's Comfortable, comfortable, comfortable. Cannot overestimate how important the fit of the skate is. Ensure you have enough room length wise, at the toe end. Pay paticular attention to width if you have particularly wide feet; you'll hopefully be wearing these thing for hours!

Use the rest of those 30 minutes walking around making sure the skates are snug.

DO
Be fussy about size
Take the socks you'll be wearing when skating with you
Try both skates on at the same time
Try on at least two different brands of skates
Better still, try one of each type at the same time for an instant comparison
Leave room for your big toes

NEVER
Buy without wearing
Eat Mexican food near a flame