I have recently started skating my first quad-skate setup. I bought these skates for general session skating at the rink and possible future involvement in figure skating dance classes.

After much research I have settled on the Edea ‘Flamenco’ and Roll-line ‘Dance’ plates with ‘ICE’ Wheels. My interest in turns, loops and slalom led me to this plate through reading countless forum entries and it seems to have mostly happy loving owners. Since never owning a quad skate before I w

Roll-Line Dance Plates with Edea Flamenco Boot and ICE Wheels.

ent with the 170mm plate size recomended by EDEA for the 280 boots. This seems perfect as the wheels are directly under my heel and forefoot as is recommended. Any smaller and I feel I would always be falling onto my toe-stops.

The boot was a little bit more of an effort to select… Whist I was happy with the design of the Edea ‘Classica’, a very popular boot, I felt that my feet would be happier with the additional ventilation of the Flamenco and whilst I typically prefer natural leather materials, the Flamenco is also much lighter being of synthetic structure. I am very happy to have paid the extra to upgrade. Most people seem to think you are already crazy spending over A$1K on a pair of skates. I have found the additional stiffness of the Flamencos to not affect my skating, infact I prefer it.

These skates did take me a few months to order. I firstly had to wait for a size 290 to be ordered for another skater,. After being permitted to try out this boot for size I determined it to be slightly too large and went about committing to the 280 for myself. The size has turned out to be perfect and quite firm. After a few sessions the boots feel worn-in and my heels feel securely locked into place. Men’s black boots in larger sizes are very rare in Australia and I was surprised how long-winded it was getting outfitted.

I was a little worried that the screw mounting was not going to suit my feet, but the guy who sold me the boots is well known for his plate mounting abilities, so I had to trust that things would turn out. In the end I am very happy with this purchase. These skates perform really well. I like the Click-stop cushion adjustments, the ventilation (my feet do not come out sweaty like my EVO2 boots), the lightness of the skates, the comfort of the boots, grip of the wheels, even the roll of the bearings (Standard Roll-Line ABEC7’s) I am still experimenting with sock choice and so far am preferring, as thin as they come.

I took advice on selecting Roll-Line ICE Wheels 63mm 93A wheels for my home rink surface. The are wearing hardly at all and are easy to clean after each session.

The toe-stop has caused me a little grief as you would expect based upon my inline history. but I am becoming accustomed to and even enjoying it.

The biggest hurdle I have to face is the ongoing battle between whether I skate my inlines or my quads. They each have such distinct points to enjoy and transitioning between them does take some getting used to. The higher heel position on the Edea’s is as extreme as it can be and I have to admit that I have noticed a small amount of forefoot pain in my left foot, which has subsided after a few sessions. The heel-height has allowed me to go deeper into ‘foot guns’ and I am adapting to the new balance point. When I go back to my Evo2’s it feels like I’m tipping over backwards. I would imagine the difference between Edea and a Speed Skate shoe would even be more pronounced.

Whilst perhaps not what you are after, I highly recommend this skate package. It is high quality and performs exactly as intended. My own abilities are their only weakness and I cannot wait to see how this relationship develops.