Secondhand Riedell stride for beginners

[unbelvisos]

Hi everyone, I found some secondhand riedell strides listed by an online seller for pretty cheap. I already reached out to a skate tech who said they could be managed with some sharpening and a heat mold but I wanted to know what you guys think of it for adult beginners. For reference I'm about 130lbs and 5'2 in height. The skate itself is a Riedell Stride with Eclipse Astra blades.

https://imgur.com/a/jLRXSDG

https://imgur.com/a/egUXs5V

https://imgur.com/a/PCWvVUO

 

[Diana Delafield]

Hi everyone, I found some secondhand riedell strides listed by an online seller for pretty cheap. I already reached out to a skate tech who said they could be managed with some sharpening and a heat mold but I wanted to know what you guys think of it for adult beginners. For reference I'm about 130lbs and 5'2 in height. The skate itself is a Riedell Stride with Eclipse Astra blades.

https://imgur.com/a/jLRXSDG

https://imgur.com/a/egUXs5V

https://imgur.com/a/PCWvVUO

Hi and welcome. You may not get much of a reply at the moment, as GS members are absorbed by the Olympics, but as a quick first response: Used skates are not recommended at any level and particularly not for beginners. They have probably been moulded for their previous owners and then further shaped by the warmth of their feet. More moulding might help a bit, but probably not enough to prevent pain and problems like blisters that will not make learning to skate fun for you. Also you don't know how much life is left in them and they'll more likely than not break down quickly, which will be dangerous for you. Skating is a sport prone to injuries, especially with weak equipment.

An adult with your specs needs stronger, stiffer skates than a child beginner. The Riedell Stride is stronger than the brand's recreational skates, but a broken-down used pair may not have the stiffness left that you need. The other question is whether Riedell is the right brand for your particular feet. Different brands of skate boots are designed for different shapes of feet (toe angles, arch height, anklebone prominence, etc). Where do you live, and someone here can recommend the best skate shop and fitter near you? The cost of good skate boots and appropriate blades is high, but skating injuries are common and can be life-altering. Having the best equipment is vital, for your enjoyment and your safety. Good luck!

 

[unbelvisos]

Hi and welcome. You may not get much of a reply at the moment, as GS members are absorbed by the Olympics, but as a quick first response: Used skates are not recommended at any level and particularly not for beginners. They have probably been moulded for their previous owners and then further shaped by the warmth of their feet. More moulding might help a bit, but probably not enough to prevent pain and problems like blisters that will not make learning to skate fun for you. Also you don't know how much life is left in them and they'll more likely than not break down quickly, which will be dangerous for you. Skating is a sport prone to injuries, especially with weak equipment.

An adult with your specs needs stronger, stiffer skates than a child beginner. The Riedell Stride is stronger than the brand's recreational skates, but a broken-down used pair may not have the stiffness left that you need. The other question is whether Riedell is the right brand for your particular feet. Different brands of skate boots are designed for different shapes of feet (toe angles, arch height, anklebone prominence, etc). Where do you live, and someone here can recommend the best skate shop and fitter near you? The cost of good skate boots and appropriate blades is high, but skating injuries are common and can be life-altering. Having the best equipment is vital, for your enjoyment and your safety. Good luck!

Thanks for the reply, Diana! I'm aware secondhand skates aren't the best choice but I wanted something better than rentals without being as expensive as new skates since my rink doesn't offer group lessons so the cost of getting into the hobby is quite high off the bat. Knowing that it's not the best option, I've been doing a lot of research on the secondhand listings that I've found and this is what I landed on considering the cost and the fact that they're higher rated on the support rating so they might be stiffer than a secondhand jackson mystique. Unfortunately, I live in a tropical country so technically the only skate shops are by the rinks but I did get to reach out to a skate tech who works there so I'll be working with him on this.

My plan is just to use these for the first year of the hobby until I can save up for totally new pairs so I guess the next question would be: do you think I can work with the Riedell Strides through my 1st year of lessons just learning basic skills, assuming they still have some life left in the boot and that they fit fine?

 

[Diana Delafield]

Thanks for the reply, Diana! I'm aware secondhand skates aren't the best choice but I wanted something better than rentals without being as expensive as new skates since my rink doesn't offer group lessons so the cost of getting into the hobby is quite high off the bat. Knowing that it's not the best option, I've been doing a lot of research on the secondhand listings that I've found and this is what I landed on considering the cost and the fact that they're higher rated on the support rating so they might be stiffer than a secondhand jackson mystique. Unfortunately, I live in a tropical country so technically the only skate shops are by the rinks but I did get to reach out to a skate tech who works so I'll be working with him on this.

My plan is just to use these for the first year of the hobby until I can save up for totally new pairs so I guess the next question would be: do you think I can work with the Riedell Strides through my 1st year of lessons just learning basic skills, assuming they still have some life left in the boot and that they fit fine?

I can't see the photos I think you sent, but try the Strides on and see how snugly they fit your heels. You should not be able to move your heels up and down or sideways in the pocket. The heels are the one part that can't be heat moulded, so they need to hold your foot very securely from the start.

I'm assuming you won't be able to put in many hours per week on the ice in your situation, so if they're not creased along the sides and the upper part around the ankles doesn't bend when you try leaning to each side in order to skate on inner or outer edges, then you might be able to use them. You'll probably be learning basic edges and stroking in a beginner's group lesson, maybe crossovers and a two-foot spin, so nothing dangerous. Obviously, don't try jumping in them!

Riedell says those boots are a 50 stiffness, so not too bad for your height/weight, although not optimal. If they give you pain anywhere in your feet because the Riedell brand turns out to be not the footshape for you, or if they quickly break down more, so that your ankles are bending to each side, then please report back and we can try to suggest other brands or solutions to your problem. Good luck!

 

[Diana Delafield]

Thanks for the reply, Diana! I'm aware secondhand skates aren't the best choice but I wanted something better than rentals without being as expensive as new skates since my rink doesn't offer group lessons so the cost of getting into the hobby is quite high off the bat. Knowing that it's not the best option, I've been doing a lot of research on the secondhand listings that I've found and this is what I landed on considering the cost and the fact that they're higher rated on the support rating so they might be stiffer than a secondhand jackson mystique. Unfortunately, I live in a tropical country so technically the only skate shops are by the rinks but I did get to reach out to a skate tech who works there so I'll be working with him on this.

My plan is just to use these for the first year of the hobby until I can save up for totally new pairs so I guess the next question would be: do you think I can work with the Riedell Strides through my 1st year of lessons just learning basic skills, assuming they still have some life left in the boot and that they fit fine?

Edit to my last reply: I just noticed now that you said your rink does NOT offer group lessons. Sorry, I got the picture that was what you were going to be doing. So please be careful as you try to learn on your own, and a bit of warning that Youtube videos are not really the best source of self-teaching. Do you have a friend who skates who can keep an eye on you and give you some advice from time to time?

If the rink session is crowded, please stay near the boards at first until you're confident on your feet. Use walkers if your rink provides them, although usually those are just child-height. When you feel you can do without the assistance of the boards, then move into the centre of the ice as you try edges or crossovers. Most accidents at public sessions happen in the main "traffic lanes", particularly when beginners try to get out of the way of stronger, faster skaters and dodge erratically so that the stronger skaters collide with them. But the quieter the rink is with fewer skaters on the ice, the better, if you can find out when that's most likely and your own schedule is adjustable.

 

[unbelvisos]

Edit to my last reply: I just noticed now that you said your rink does NOT offer group lessons. Sorry, I got the picture that was what you were going to be doing. So please be careful as you try to learn on your own, and a bit of warning that Youtube videos are not really the best source of self-teaching. Do you have a friend who skates who can keep an eye on you and give you some advice from time to time?

If the rink session is crowded, please stay near the boards at first until you're confident on your feet. Use walkers if your rink provides them, although usually those are just child-height. When you feel you can do without the assistance of the boards, then move into the centre of the ice as you try edges or crossovers. Most accidents at public sessions happen in the main "traffic lanes", particularly when beginners try to get out of the way of stronger, faster skaters and dodge erratically so that the stronger skaters collide with them. But the quieter the rink is with fewer skaters on the ice, the better, if you can find out when that's most likely and your own schedule is adjustable.

Oh I plan to take 1:1 lessons so I won't be unsupervised! But thank you for the advice!! I can skate around the rink without assistance of the boards just fine since I learned how to as a kid and remember how to do swizzles at least. I tried to follow some videos while trying to relearn half swizzle pumps on rental skates when I went back recently and not getting feedback frustrated me which made me realize that I really can't rely on those so that's when I decided to try to get lessons which also meant getting skates better than the rental ones. And yeah I'm pretty sure I won't be jumping any time soon! I'll definitely keep in mind all the stuff you pointed out in your previous reply and report back once I've tried the skates on!

 

[tstop4me]

My plan is just to use these for the first year of the hobby until I can save up for totally new pairs so I guess the next question would be: do you think I can work with the Riedell Strides through my 1st year of lessons just learning basic skills, assuming they still have some life left in the boot and that they fit fine?

<<Emphasis added>> But those are key assumptions that no one can verify over the Internet. If they were brand new, some here could ask for more details about your feet and let you know whether they would be a good choice. But they are not brand new, and we do not know how the fit has been modified. In particular, once certain portions of a boot have been enlarged via heat molding, you can't reverse the process to reduce those portions conformally.

So, what if you buy the skates and there is not much life left in the boot (or blade) or if the boots do not fit fine (and cannot be modified to fit fine)? What is your recourse? Can you return them? If so, how much cost would be entailed to return them?