10 City Surfaces Inline Skaters Need To Know

Inline City Skating offers so much variety. Here's my Top ten Inline Skating Surfaces in order of importances. All Skating surfaces are rated for difficulty as well. Inline Skating In Toronto, downtown and the West End. CORRECTION: The little 'foot buttons are for the seeing impaired.
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IMPORTANT! The beset inline skater will pad it out when in doubt.
The best Rollerblader will also 'pad it out when in doubt.

[@Lorenna1234]

I remember a while back, you were skating on #4 and you caught it the wrong way and fell. That's when you said the wise words: "Remember, crack kills."

[@ericodianese8114]

Seems you don´t have a problem that is quite common here in Brazil: cracks made by tree roots on the asphalt and sidewalks. Trees that are not supposed to be used on urban environments and are capable of damaging those surfaces. Some areas are just 'unskatable' due to the presence of this structures. Completely avoid when possible.

[@kenmastersmaster]

I have this issue in Miami. The asphalt gets deformed from roots. Most of the cracks you can skate over unless a root comes completely out of the ground

[@lucio3061]

This is sooo impressive, you make all that surfaces look so easy to skate on. A few months ago i fell because of a large sewer grate and broke a rib, it took me a while but i'm slowly going back to skate. This video makes me so happy because it shows that "it's possible" to skate on almost any surface.

[@peepoo5098]

Oh mah lorddd i hope youre better now. And also i near skated onto the road the other day cause i didnt expect the slope ;3;

[@REIQ]

Toronto streets need some love!

[@fred021091]

I was gonna say the streets look good for a big city! Montreal is gaaaarbage compared to TO

[@rororo6409]

I invite you to CDMX in order to realize what is a street that needs love :0

[@greg6162]

Yeah so do your American cousins in Buffalo. It’s because of the hard winters we get. That’s we were the best hockey town in the USA… people down south don’t even know how hockey is played and they get teams blows my mind… the city of Nashville, TN got a lesson in NHL hockey.

[@axelbishop1024]

InstaBlaster.

[@slippingstones]

Bending your knees and lifting your toes is the most solid advice I’ve ever heard. Although I opt to go around speed bumps in all situations.

[@Gunshinzero]

4:50 Potholes. I'm from New Orleans. Your potholes are like dropping into a bowl. Ours are like dropping into pool. lol.

[@Mark-xw5yt]

Dropping into a vert

[@JillyBean860]

Have you been to Michigan? Our potholes are deep and will empty you into another dimension.

[@noahjohnson9477]

@@JillyBean860 Just got back into rollerblading (lived in MI all my life) and I thought the same thing lol. I wish the potholes I see were like the ones in this video...

[@Trebinhas]

Brazilian here o/ Here we basically have portals to the dark realm as potholes

[@Gunshinzero]

Seems like we're united against a common enemy. LOL. A pothole isn't even mature until it has 2 feet high grass and weeds growing out of it. New Orleans was built on mash land below sea level and it's still sinking. Back in the day Kabel Dr. looked like a sink hole with the concrete slabs of the street crossing each other like roof gables.It looked like an earthquake hit it.

[@edwardtaylor5207]

Paint is something I always look out for on the roads, have to be careful rolling it when wet. A great subject to tackle cheers

[@BillStoppard]

Good one E!

[@tagmstr02]

I had my boy driving with me holding on to the side of his car thru the window and it kept putting me on the paint I was like chil bro I don't wanna die tonight lol.

[@kenmastersmaster]

Yes anything painted when wet becomes instant ice skating

[@danielgruber1]

Lookin absolutely RIPPED. You're killin it, Bill. P.S. Street car tracks will be the death of me.

[@vincentvdl]

your voice is so soothing

[@juliepurpleskater1736]

I've always been in awe of how you roll so effortlessly over sketchy pavement. Very helpful video! I've fallen hard after rolling over the tar-snake's fatter cousin... those way-too-soft asphalt pothole patches where cheap, bagged asphalt (mostly tar, very little gravel in the mix) was used to fill a hole. The feeling when going from smooth asphalt to one of those patches is similar to skiing on hard snow in the shade, and then hitting a soft patch in the sunlight. Both are faceplant-inducing. :(

[@BillStoppard]

Forgot about those soft fills. Definitely makes the list of nastiest urban traps! Thanks J!

[@altanman550]

Nice video bill! My city have very bad roads, but I manage somehow after stop whining so much. Still hard to get around though, but I won't stop

[@franckbrusset]

"Foot buttons" are actually called tactile paving, and it is not designed to stop wheelchairs and strollers, but to assist visually impaired pedestrians.

[@franckbrusset]

I actually tripped and fell on one of those once, though I was doing the right thing and had enough speed and momentum, because the hollows were very deep and matched the space between my wheels perfectly and the buttons were right angled instead of round. Thought I was in scissors position both my wheels were stopped at the same time. Might not have happened if I had better skates and bearings at the time though.

[@EvilKimau]

In London there is this stuff that kinda looks like tarmac or coloured concrete which is often around artwork, trees and on playgrounds. It looks smooth and rock solid but its soft and it is like your wheels hitting glue. Defo stealth black.

[@JakeyDill]

I concur, I know the stuff you're on about. It comes at a surprise sometimes too, usually on small bridge walkways.

[@xxrgxxcasco]

"That is not a good stopping technique". Man, you really got me there!

[@raTex199994]

Oooh i felt a surface alright... Went down a hill, a very bumpy asphalt hill and couldn't stop at all. Good thing was there was a bunch of leaves around so i just jumped hoping not to hit any rocks under them. I was alright but now I'm super scared going down hills.

[@DeezSkates]

Great video! I would add that random wet surfaces can be a trap! You never know if water has leaked or a lazy slowbie poured their melted ice from a cup. Rolling through water right before powerstopping at a busy intersection could be one way to die on inline skates as well. Haha

[@JakeyDill]

Some concrete takes for ever to dry and is still slippery when damp too. So caution should be exercised after rain too.

[@XCLegg]

Great video, Bill! I'd like to suggest a follow up video where you address "surface combinations" or "natural obstacles". These might include sand/mud on concrete, branches, the crap that falls out of trees in the spring, etc. I find that these non-permanent hazards put my ass in a sling more often than more common, predictable surfaces. I'd be interested to hear your advice as it would likely save me a lot of pain, lol! Big fan of all your videos. Looking quite solid, BTW. Keep after it!

[@thesmallestraeofsunshine]

I'm so excited to get comfortable on my skates. And I'm excited to have found your channel!! I enjoy how you teach- thanks for your help!

[@eml5262]

This is the video I have been waiting/searching for! Thanks so much this is great advice and given me confidence to skate some of this stuff (still learning but loving skating).

[@michaelroy3732]

Good stuff as always! I'm getting back into skating after about 20 years or so. I really enjoy your tutorials and reviews! Keep it up!

[@dontemchan]

Great video! This really shows how much of a jungle the city is. A response to your input about feet and legs adjusting/adapting to different surfaces: the body is the mind; the mind is the body. I like to call it "Urban Skating Intuition." We (mind/body) just know how to skate obstacles. Even if we weren't aware of one being there. Thanks for the video!

[@Prince_Charming_1]

Good advice and tips for rough street skating. Thanks for sharing!

[@trapd00r]

I love you Bill. Never stop!

[@Santos-ek8md]

This was so cool Bill. I usually avoid broken asphalt areas here in NYC. Glad you feel above that. Btw you should do voice overs for th movies, real ominous sounding. Great vid!

[@MrHouta]

Very helpful vid this one is Bill! Thanks!

[@JakeyDill]

Extremely well put together Bill. thank you for sharing your insight on skating surfaces. May I add Stone pavement and the rubber like stuff you usually find around kids playgrounds instead of sand.

[@Johro66]

We in Ireland have mild winters, meaning rain, mist, drizzle, variations on precipitation, and on days it's not actually coming down, the air is just damp. So the road and path surfaces never really dry properly, and get this green tinge to them, the thinnest film of moss, algae. It's slippery like ice, so you gotta be careful. Shorter strides, being careful on pushing. Makes for some good slides tho, intentional or not.

[@BillStoppard]

Oh yeah that mist that doesn't clean the surface grime/oil like real rain, but makes roads slimy. Can tell you've mastered it!

[@galadriel2910]

I‘m a roller skater, which makes someone these problems even worse. I‘m glad you pointed out how to deal with them, because I come across all these surfaces all the time in the city I‘m skating and they‘re super annoying.

[@labmancdn]

Great review; i will be on the watch. A surface that recently taught me a lesson is asphalt that is still covered on shoulders with sand/pea gravel from winter melt. Finished a good skate and then went down hard at my the last stop. Very slippery.

[@wza360]

Was super useful. Got some new things that might have got me in the future. Thanks.

[@kreaturaes8223]

Another great video Bill! Those tar snakes are definitely sneaky lol you're looking ripped by the way!

[@rockingrogershomestead]

Great info! Thank you!

[@JakeyDill]

Big thumbs up and haven't even started to watch the video, you get a like for uploading :)

[@gonzalooviedo5435]

Incredible impressive hability!, thanks for this video

[@Rachel-vz6gw]

I love your attitude, you make skating seem magical 🎇✨

[@klisher]

really valuable video. in my town there are alot of bumps in the path where a tree nearby, roots are warping the path. nightmare.

[@vladimirvojnovic9153]

"Tar snakes are hibernating right now"... Pure gold!!!

[@lolitaluhhv6422]

You are the best mentor for this stuff

[@scoobysnax8127]

This was really useful. I love quad skates but I’m thinking of getting new inlines for urban skating. Can’t believe you could skates through cobblestones and over those yellow buttons! (I always thought those buttons were to help navigate people with visual problems. At least that’s what I was told in Japan were I first encountered them)

[@PimGeerts]

nice to see how you cope with these things, thanks!!!

[@streetandfashionphotograph3374]

Hey Bill! Again, absolutely intelligent 10 minutes of cut which explains a lot about Toronto and surfaces! I hate those f*cking waxed road fillers #4. Even though I've got all my body cover items, this one still frightens me too much!

[@roberthayter157]

A real education. Thank you.

[@SerialWheeler]

This is any urban skaters surface emporium :D. I do enjoy bombing through tough surfaces and seeing how easily our body adapts to each obstacle. I've perfected a technique called FLAMINGOING to face any surface. Great video, Bill!

[@TheHeroesSquare]

Love your vids!

[@omarzinhogamermg202]

Nice video i wait the next

[@adamwilson7590]

Thank-you Bill :)

[@andym6603]

Great video

[@TH-hq6sj]

Mate, you really risked it for us. Cheers

[@sangria-margarita]

Yes! The promised video! :D

[@SimpleYev]

Thank you for the video! Amazing job! Gonna hit those surfaces and learn how to handle them! =D

[@michelmarleau1612]

Yeah number 1 definitely the most challenging. I have a four tracks merge that i Haven’t been able to pass without kissing the ground. too large to jump - so far : stop; walk cross-side; and carry on has been the successful approach !!

[@Mark-xw5yt]

Those all black skates look soo amazing

[@sonicsportsla]

Awesome tips for navigating the urban jungle 🏢 🌴! Skating on asphalt splattered with motor oil ⛽️ can be a bit tricky.

[@texrov]

Great video and i love the tips on how to actually use these surfaces to train for them and overcome them. I would like to add loose stones, pebbels and bigger that can sometimes stop skates if the weels are too worn or ping cars (or worse people) Its one of the reasons why my favorite wheel size is 110mm. I asked you in the comment section about carbon skates if they are still enjoyable on rough surfaces in the comment section of your previous video, seeing you doing all that on the adapts has answered my question. I'm going to save up for a while longer and going for the adapts too. Thank you for answering my question. (by demonstration)

[@BillStoppard]

Yeah the pinging of cars and people is a real problem. I have to avoid the gravelly allies when people are there. Thanks J!

[@texrov]

@@BillStoppard Thanks :-) I also encountered something like the dreaded tar snake, or cracked road. Tiles with a few cm space between them, in the countryside there can be many. Those can catch the wheels and make me feel VERY connected to the pavement. Dodged them all this time, my number 1 trick is paying attention and my second trick is braking and stopping.

[@qaczy]

Good content mate! And love yours adapts! Do you have maybe Twisters in you assortment? I'm really curious who frame from Adapt fits Twisters :>

[@flomagar8919]

Un gran video hiciste Bill!!! Te felicito realmente muy bien mostrado y explicado... increíble como no pierdes el equilibrio con tantos baches y piedras...yo me he caído patinando pisando una piedrita o ramita de algún árbol se traban las ruedas y "pum" al piso...Serán los rodamientos la dimensión de las ruedas la dureza de las mismas...o simplemente tener una excelente técnica :-) thanks🇦🇷

[@kerryseed]

This was fun Request: could you please do a vid about bearing maintenance? Thanks!!

[@robhuanout5443]

Dunno how these "foot buttons" are used in Canada, but here in UK, they are there for blind/visually impaired people to navigate the pavements. You usually find them at crossings.

[@BillStoppard]

I got this wrong, explanation is in description. ; )

[@lordbradley89]

Thks Bill....My #1 is Cattle Guards. I’m not sure how to handle them, sometimes I think I should just try and jump over but inevitably I slow down and “ walk across”. What are your thoughts on cattle guards" ...Keep up the awesome videos.

[@brandonhussain2511]

Sweet video! And Those bumps near the beginning of vid are actually for visually impaired people

[@ZBSlaya]

vertical tarmac cracks are a 'mare just like sandy rocky tracks that appear all of a sudden. The variety in all these surfaces make skating so refreshing and challenging.

[@LorenzoAPadulo]

Great idea for a vid bill, I would have mentioned how some surfaces like manhole covers and wood get super slippery when wet. Also a side b note, pavement buttons are for visually impaired/blind people. #slowbysafety

[@mohitmishra4260]

From India very useful video, very much useful Thank you man ❤

[@cici765]

thank you you're awesome

[@AneudiD78]

Potholes, cracks, cobble stones...I avoid them all like the plague. Think smooth streets, but I do know how to handle those types of terrain. By the way, here in New York City, you want to avoid these additional three types of surfaces onto the list: Oil, garbage juice and vomit. All three make you lose complete traction under your wheels resulting in slides and crashes. I slipped on vomit once, hit the pavement hard on my thigh. Garbage juice from a local garbage truck nearby. A street was covered in oil and my legs gave out quick.

[@SingaporeSkaterSam]

Red brick footpaths: momentum your friend, keep an eye out for the odd loose one hiding a puddle of dank water. And other high maintenance surfaces apparently chosen to frustrate wheeled travel... challenge accepted!

[@elonsalienbaby4693]

I have an entire road full of the red bricks. I like to play a game called musical bricks because they clank. Will your wheel sink causing you to faceplant or will you roll away with a nice little clank? WHO KNOWS!

[@SingaporeSkaterSam]

@@elonsalienbaby4693 yes they make an impressive clinking noise!

[@BillStoppard]

Nice SS! Especially tough when the path is narrow and crowded and you can't get a full stride or momentum; bad combo for clumsiness. I agree, speed is need for those bricks.

[@Conchobhar]

Bill! You should skate Bloor and Danforth more often! or even St-Clair!

[@dickensrivers9862]

if it's a STOP Bill vid , i "like" the vid, then i watch it....cus Bill is the man! Secondly, Bill, what can i say but that i love the creamy smooth, wide sidewalk..... Stay looooo

[@egornikulin9504]

Man, you got very friendly foot buttons in Toronto! In Moscow they are very angry, square and the spacing between the individual bumps is much narrower, so considering their shape you can get stuck on them very easily if you aren't lucky enough

[@michaelangeloconstantinovi7115]

Thanks for your suggestions!! in 3 world countries it is hard to find a good place to skate

[@pit9623]

oh no Bill, these injuries don't have to be. You know what I mean. Am a big fan of your videos. it's the worst when you can't see the obstacles coming because you're going backwards.

[@heigolepla3946]

I love manhole covers i take them as i get points for hitting them. Also for pedestrians the cover pattern sounds like i’m about to crash. And slippery wood sucks, I’m planning to start a riot and burn down a wooden bridge here so it can be rebuilt with asphalt. Share your playlist of skating music.

[@Neptune8]

Street car tracks are unique in that some of them are so old (like in this video) that pot holes and cracks accompany the rail for the train. It’s definitely difficult to go quickly over so I like to go slow and kinda step over them. Not confident enough to fly across

[@joeschmo2693]

Wood chips and little bits of bark can be hell. You don't see them, your wheels lock up out of the blue, face plant. Common hazard on park paths.

[@juliepurpleskater1736]

I feel like every wood chip has MY name on it! I can't understand why some skateparks have wood chips around the outside as landscaping. It always ends up in the bowls! My warmup routine often consists of skating around and picking up every potential wheel-stopper I see. A few weeks ago, my friend had the most bizarre wheel-stop fall happen. What caused her wheel to stop dead in its tracks? A GUMMY BEAR. It lodged between the wheel and the frame and instantly stopped the skate. Maybe they should use gummy bears to line auto brake pads......

[@kenmastersmaster]

This is an amazing video. I still can't get over blind person bumps. All these needs to be done at pretty high speeds. If you run over sewer lids or cobblestones at lower speed it will chew you up and you will fumble

[@strayferal]

Nice video! I used to skate almost 10y ago. Thinking of going back. However I was never a good skater. Had a Rollerblades fitness model and felt bad on a 72mm wheels. Feel bad I sold my aggressive Salomons, as the 56mm wheels felt so much better for a newbie like me, I had more confidence when closer to the ground. I am not familiar with the brands they sell here, I see the cheapest is some USD Realm Dual Aggressive. Are USD generally good?

[@sangpelarian]

hey! great video, a little question here., what size and hardness of wheels do you recommend for.. general city skating?

[@LilXancheX]

You are the god of roller skating 😳

[@puvvaditravelblogs6661]

Nice video . What you do to improve upper body strength

[@1975xtc]

2:27 - "That is not a good stopping technique" - - haha indeed it isn't! Great vid but as always I watched it waaay too late. Great skating and thanks for the tips!

[@James.D.Watson]

You are a legend. Do you offer an urban class for a Tto visitor? A newbie to blading

[@rabouyounes]

Do you get compared to Neo from Matrix often or is it just me. You make our look so effortless, thank you for sharing the fall, puts some perspective.

[@CameronPriceJ]

Paris cobbles are for real!

[@alpaslannamli7851]

Perfect the performans

[@fatimaelmcharfi5842]

The playground grounds are so hard to skate on. They might seem smooth, but once your wheels roll on them you realize that they're actually quite hard skate on they just slow the wheels down and it feels like your skating on Play-Doh or something haha

[@chadfr1013]

I would have liked to see your opinion on waxed\ sealed flooring

[@paweakomski8753]

Nie no Biil bez Ciebie to nie ma jazdy :)

[@g-9175]

Skating in My city (México city) it's like being in black wheel at any time, not only the surfeses but the Cars over here are SAVAGE

[@leanderdato4764]

I just started inline skating and went to an old airport field that is now a park and there are a lot of tar snakes. Fortunately when I stepped into one I was going pretty slow so I didn‘t fall over

[@ruinaldosiempre]

Grande Bill

[@persona3549]

HOLY THOSE SKATES ARE BEAUTIES

[@timmy7201]

Where I live we typically have some road in-between the potholes... To be honest, after a while I actually started to like jumping over them.

[@Shannxy]

Newly asphalted streets are so god damn satisfying to fly across

[@OfficialGoku]

Hi Bill! What do you think about skating on a very rough surface for a long amount of time? Do you think it has any benefits doing that? What about beginners doing this? Thank you for your videos!

[@cirobezerra8230]

You really rock! 🇧🇷👍✌

[@omgwillustrate8475]

I always get nervous skating along paths that have sections covered in surface run-off usually consisting of sand and topsoil. They can be a minor inconvenience one day and get progressively worse after weeks of rainy weather. When they're small enough I can just roll through them with a leading foot, but I will often avoid larger ones. The worst effect I've seen them have is becoming an obstruction that funnels traffic on jogging and bike paths because now you gotta yield to other people trying to move past it.

[@BootsofBlindingSpeed]

"Person Hole Cover" That gave me a laugh hahaha!

[@Fran-wb3nj]

Que capo este tipo....

[@kamokere]

i like ur channel

[@b.e.e.l.i]

i understand that the yellow sidewalk bumps are there for the visually impaired but i swear they only ever cause more harm than good. like, well meaning but i think they cause more accidents than they prevent