London's Roads Are Tough To Skate; Loser Talk Or Truth?

[@franciscocanciani5075]

Hey Bill I got say it's nice to see you shredding roads again. Your bravery on the streets after some falls inspires me to skate everyday.

[@design_with_xoliswa]

I went down a very small hill yesterday and did not fall, I am all smiles cos am a beginner 😁😁😁

[@drescherjm]

I very well understand that feeling. That is how I felt for my first few months on my hilly neighborhood.

[@nia12321]

Congrats!!!

[@Skiamakhos]

Having lived in London, Birmingham, Huddersfield and Montbéliard, I gotta say London is better than most, especially the inner London roads that get the stone chips pressed by heavy traffic firmly into the tarmac. In Birmingham we have roads that resemble more closely that Toronto alley that Bill gives as an example of the worst surface to share. Loads of loose, large stones. I think MickyB has skated both London & Birmingham, so he could confirm probably. A worrying trend in Brum: the council has taken to laying deep gravel on park paths making them impassable to skate traffic. We've lodged complaints - the gravel cuts dogs' paws, and makes it hard to push pushchairs, so it's an all round mess-up.

[@BillStoppard]

Oh those terrible footpaths!!! My first experience Skating in England was on the footpaths of Aldershot; it was soul destroying! London was a welcome relief.

[@HeadNtheClouds]

In England, the ground feels like fluffy pillows 😊🥳

[@manamemajeff6283]

Hey man this is my first video ever I see from you, and just gotta say I really love it...Your soothing voice, your awesome skating, and your falls make a really lovely video~!

[@jimcheers4341]

My blade brother, that was an excellent demo of the bad roads, you went hard man I felt that elbow grind!!! Keep on blading you look smooth an wikid!!!

[@rolltru]

With those speed bumps you can get a lot of speed by dropping in on the down slope. You were getting some nice air popping off them, but the landings were slowing you down. Sick video man, its nice to hear you say some of the things that I've felt to myself about skating here.

[@billB101]

Don't mind it in the summer, not a fan in the winter though ( guess it's nothing compared to Canada but I prefer my hockey skates and the ice rinks ) traffic sucks in London on the narrow roads though unless you keep to the quieter streets and/or do the Friday and Sunday strolls where they stop traffic.. West London were I live ( Queens park, Kensal Rise etc. ) the roads just suck. Anyway have a great New Year Bill, here's to many miles of injury free skating ;)

[@secession77]

I love the illusion that right at the moment your skates touch the ground, the road behind you turns smooth :D

[@RichHayterSkater]

I felt the roads in NYC were easier to roll than in the UK. We seem to use larger stone chips in the mixture, which create a rougher texture as they age (must be a cheaper method). And yes, we have pretend cycle lanes here in the UK. I felt infinitely safer among NYC traffic than I ever do here on my comparably quiet Scottish town roads. As drivers here, we’re simply not use to sharing (or willing to in some cases); if you’re not in a car, you’re taking your chances. 😬

[@Icecube88]

i've seen you skating in the UK in your vids and I would think to myself, damn, you guys have rough ass roads.

[@TLG2211]

I’m a year into skating, I live in Leeds, it would be a dream to use my skates as transportation and thought I could eventually with practice (seeing everyone on YT doing it) , of course I realise their roads are soo much more level and smoother. I honestly was a little hard on my self thinking it was me being a bad skater.

[@andresgarcia3032]

Hey bill, I enjoy watching videos , how often u rotate ur wheels? Keep up making the awesome videos

[@gasmanrus]

The opened grained surfaces does allow a bit of extra grip when things get a little moist.. happy new year Bill!

[@BillStoppard]

Love hearing the positive side of a negative feature!

[@BlackyRay_Patrick]

really sounded like a bill argument. I really like that mindset of looking forward to any hurdle

[@HockeyHawk]

What great weather! I’m shocked lol, I had so few days there like that, perfect timing what a gift.

[@BillStoppard]

Yes, I was so lucky with my timing!!

[@BlackyRay_Patrick]

I had 14 rainie days in a row. yesterday was the first dry day. (Germany)

[@HockeyHawk]

@@BlackyRay_Patrick Oh that’s too long! I’m glad you got a good day finally. Happy New Year. 😊

[@BlackyRay_Patrick]

@@HockeyHawk thanks Sarah you too. I bought a new pair of Skates for Christmas and had only 2 times the chance to wear them outside. But doing so was a great start for 2022. Best Sport you can do.

[@changein3d]

@@BlackyRay_Patrick Pro tip for rainy days: Ice Skating! It's not asa much fun as Inline Skating, but nothing is 😜

[@running4fun863]

I know actually where this is Angle , North London Path on your left takes you down to the Canals , I use to cycle it to school in Maida Vale . I lived in Stoke Newington. I miss London . Strange how I never bumped into you . I use to rollerblade to work , shop called Ivy , next to Pizza Express just off Islington high, heading towards Green Lanes .

[@irockawesomeness]

These are good roads compared to the city I live in. Every street and sidewalk, and designated path has giant potholes, cracks, and a ton of rocks, sand, and gravel. I’m working on developing the skills to tackle the obstacles but I honestly don’t even know if it’s possible to skate surfaces this terrible.

[@waltonsimons5242]

I like how Bill smartly switches from the 90a symetrics to what I presume are 86a undercovers.

[@shajo777]

Hi bill, good to see you back, greetings from Colombia. I'm currently recovering from a fall while i was skating and fractured my left wrist 😓 That was on dec 24th and still waiting to be scheduled fpr surgery 🙄 Hope i can get back on the streets soon, and of course i won't leave home without protective gear next time 😔.

[@BillStoppard]

Sorry to hear it Jose. Wishing you a speedy recovery and return!!!

[@B0K1T0]

Once joined a massive sunday skate there, wonderful experience :D And roads were pretty skateble for the most part I'd say

[@u.e.u.e.]

Hey Bill, you were lucky 2 times. How about rethinking your position on a helmet? Keep save and *Happy New Year!* 😃👍

[@BillStoppard]

Helmets on the palms would have helped ; ) I love helmets, but won't 'live' in them! Stay Low and Happy New Year!

[@u.e.u.e.]

@@BillStoppard 🤗🥂

[@CH1K3N99]

@@BillStoppard wrist guards for life! My hands pay the bills!

[@sneeuwwolf1176]

I feel better seeing you also sometimes fall. Don´t get me wrong don´t like it. But I still fall regularly skating on loose twigs or gaps in the pavement. And seeing it happen to pro skaters just makes me feel a lot better. Thanks for these awesome video´s. So much good info and tips & tricks. You could fill a whole book with all these.

[@jimiwills]

Haha... You should try the Penicuik-Dalkeith cycle path!

[@schtefel]

Do you have the lens guard on the X3 ?

[@PatrickSwayzeOnDbol]

You should come to Cornwall, even riding bmx on our roads is nasty. edit: that was a pretty gnarly slam, I’ve felt that a few times before, whether skateboard, bike or just drunk.

[@shortydownunder2192]

Dude every time I watch you I want to skate 24/7

[@KaliSharuhn]

Can you try Edinburgh next please? :D

[@cannashiva9719]

fresh asphalt is a dream- west coast takes the cake- keep Shreddin!!

[@chartheredcomet]

What are a good pair of skates for the UK roads & pavements? Beginnner here too :P

[@changein3d]

Nice video man! And beautiful skates

[@VictorIsac]

Your background music is amazing! Can you share that with us? Much apreciated

[@BlackyRay_Patrick]

its 'burn' by deepsound. A KZbin Licensed Song. Your Welcome.

[@Sanjay_Talks]

Two learnings from this video : 1) I can take falls gracefully and get back to skate. 2) I can fall and still save my Insta 360😉

[@Whatsth3ruckus]

What hardness wheels do you usually ride on with your GTB’s?

[@ruinaldosiempre]

i'll use 85a max with all that wet.

[@seewaldsja]

Gotta wear wrist guard on unknown terrain. Minimum. Guess I could just be trash at skating.

[@tomstan6785]

I am a beginner, should I buy a break or learn breaking without a break ?

[@asphyxxiant]

*skates over cobblestone and pedestrian crossing bumps onto concrete slabs* - London roads are immaculate! If you say so... 🤣 That's central London too btw, most of us can't afford to live there and only travel for LFNS.

[@BillStoppard]

I lived in London for 9 years and skated ALL the zones for thousands of hours. The pavement simply does not shift and crack like places with real winters. It’s just physics.

[@asphyxxiant]

@@BillStoppard Sounds like I need to try out Toronto, it must be tough! I invite you to visit my hometown of Tallinn, Estonia ❤️ that hits -20 C in winters. You could clock in 20 miles around the city without leaving a silky smooth surface that has no cracks, cobbles and other nasty things London has to offer.

[@WaySub949]

Hey Bill! This might be far out from your skate vid but I have a question on skating on streets that includes dogs. What do you usually do when you have to pass a road with dogs in it? Because dogs hate skaters for some reason.

[@gabriels6900]

I'm not Bill but what I usually do is to slow down and try to pass as far away from them as possible hoping they would just ignore me and let me pass peacefully, if that doesn't happen and they start to follow me what I do is I immediately stop, turn around and face them before they even attempt to bite my leg. They usually calm down at that point and stop running after you, then I slowly start skating again, maybe I do it backwards so I keep facing them and be aware if they start to run after me again or not, if they do then I stop and face them again, if they don't then I'm free to go. The worst thing you could do is just to give them your back, they could end bitting you. You might try to outrun them and it might work but you gotta be really fast. I hope it helps.

[@Kat3111]

@@gabriels6900 oh dogs.....I almost fell few times because of dogs....glad I am not the only one experiencing this problem 🤣😱 ( joking ). I personally noticed that very big dogs and very small ones seem to be okay when you pass on skates close to them, but average size dogs - they are the ones that seem to get aggressive around skates....And I am just in general afraid of most dogs even without skates beig on me, which made me even more afraid of them when I started skating last year, now I just freeze inside when I see any dog when I am on skates.

[@RyanOlsen]

Ouch. That's the thing with skating; it's great till you fall flat. That had to hurt.

[@josemartinzuniga9141]

Hi mam i was wondering what kind of skate do you have

[@TobiasPearson]

People are soooooo oblivious here 🤣

[@perishmortal665]

I've always noticed while skating that it's much harder for me to turn left with a cross over turn than to turn right, turning right using a crossover feels so natural while turning left with a crossover feels forced and unatural, is there any way to fix this or should I just keep practicing?

[@Udodisgustme]

I have the same issue but on the opposite side lol. Which is your dominant leg?

[@perishmortal665]

@@Udodisgustme my right leg is dominant, although I've found myself getting better turning left and all I've done is found a big flat area with lots of room for error and kept turning left for a bit, it takes a lot of effort but I'm definitely better and not a shaky when turning left.

[@patrickbaitmen9290]

You still in London at the mo?

[@B..B.]

Someone knows the song?

[@gavinlew8273]

That honour should go to Bangkok.

[@AndreLuiz-zd3lz]

how old r u, bro? greetings from 🇧🇷

[@Shadow96987]

Come to Serbia, and we can skate together 😊

[@eBoard3R]

⚡🤙🏼🤙🏼⚡

[@telloflips]

England is less flat. More hills etc so it can generally be worse to skate. But cities are generally interesting and flat

[@Tommyweston]

Hi Bill. I love your video's. One question I can't find an answer to is- Is it legal to skate on the road in the UK?. I skate on the roads near where I live as they are alot smoother than the pavement but I'm not sure if I am breaking the law or not.

[@Char1ieskate]

It doesnt matter... it's not like you're gonna get arrested or something. However if you skate on the pavement you might hit a pedestrian which is more dangerous in my opinion. If you do skate on the road however, make sure to keep a pace of 15kph (12 mph)+ as you don't want to piss off some crazy drivers, haha.

[@BlackyRay_Patrick]

@@Char1ieskate if you are breaking laws it might not just cost you a fee it might prevent the insurance to pay if a big accident happens. So in that case it does definitely matter. On the other side for example german laws are kinda silly. As a skater, you are treated like a pedestrian. So no driving on streets or bicycle paths, (you are only allowed to cross a street directly) Of course with 30 km/h I won't drive on a Pedestrians path but take the bicycle path.

[@grantwithers]

They certainly are old

[@kenmastersmaster]

How do you guys skate that nasty asphalt with small wheels like that?! I'd be chipping my teeth. I'm going to 110mm softer wheels to handle the nasty urban environments in hopes I'll enjoy skating more

[@mike_o7874]

idk dude iam quite new to skating and in my city the asphalts has tons of nasty cracks but i dont feel them much with weels of 80mm. like just scissor it.

[@BlackyRay_Patrick]

it's all about weight shifting. The harder the asphalt stops you the more you have to shift your balance to the back. Especially for cobblestone and branches. And you need to be used to stumbling. I stumble 100 times a day, but nearly never fall. Always be ready If one Foot is blocked to quickly put your other foot to the ground again and scissor position is also a great help.

[@cristianoansome]

Your skates are so sexy, I want them

[@lucamencarelli]

I love your videos and I love the way you skate, but not wearing any protection in urban environments is bad. Goodbye Bill