What I Learned Skating 20 Year Old Rollerblades

[@behyseractive6418]

If you like how those fit, you will like how the Blank skates fit. We built the Blank skate off that mold because it was a great boot shell. The Blank skate is just a better modern version.

[@ballmouse]

I didn't realize how much the sound of grinding influenced my desire to want to pick up rollerblading when I was a kid. You knew a rollerblader was grinding when you hit the skate-park, it was so easily identifiable -- just like you hear the pop of skateboards echoing through the park. It's a shame we lost that, because it sounded so freaking cool.

[@BrandinHunter]

These are my first aggressive skates I bought them in 2000 and they do hold a very special place in my heart.

[@gdust6579]

me too. i had trs details too. rollerblade makes comfy skates imo

[@DocSchaeffer]

The blocks/plates you were talking about were made by CDS Detroit. They made those aftermarket soul plates as well as regular grind plates. I mounted some on my RB Lightnings back in the day. Later on when they started beefing up frames and protecting the frame bolts, we would place washers under the the bolt heads on the outside of the frames. Also as a primarily ASA focused park skater, the Senate aluminum grindplates were where it was at for super fast and smooth grinds on coping. Some companies made aluminum aftermarket H-blocks. Then with the taller frames we had to get super low with our grinds to avoid wheel bite. When the newer school, low profile ufs frames, and later, freestyle frames came out, I thought they were cheating, but I adjusted. I'm stating the USD Roman Abrate 68mms, and I'm relearning accuracy. I miss the good ol' days.

[@iRollerboot]

Thanks for trip down memory lane ^__^

[@DocSchaeffer]

It's the only lane old guys walk down, haha.

[@ChrizzLau69]

I remember their dif grades of grindplates. Had a blood red set called the “period plates” haha

[@Fivoe-MF]

Yea im a booter from the 90’s and still call my freestyle frames “cheat frames” 🤣🤣🤣. I also still skate strapless to this day from having to sit in every grind in stiffer, high cuffed boots back in the day.

[@Andrew_DC5]

Never realised that slanted cuff/liner back in the day, interesting design.

[@basketsresale]

the baggy shorts and these old blades your style looks super good w this setups those backslides are next level skating

[@jasonmarshall6484]

I got these skates after my K2 backyards. This was rollerblades attempt to catch up with the aggressive skates being released by other companies at the time. The Roces 5th Element had just been released. These feature upgraded "coolmax" liners, the single allen bolt on inside of frame (so they wouldnt get stripped), the soul plate and probably some other features I am forgetting. The dirk was the same model and I think Randy "Roadhouse" Spizer had a pro model that was brown. I could be mistaken on that. Overall, I moved on pretty quickly from them. They werent my favorite skate I ever had. They were definingly an upgrade over Rollerblades previous model.

[@iRollerboot]

Thanks for the history ^__^

[@AtongAndal]

Love that! The 90s blader video. And I was amazed of how Tri was sooo knowledgable on this skate! Love that part of the livestream where you talked about this. 🔥🔥🔥

[@theslowesthare4831]

" I wanted to walk a day in the skates of the skaters"..😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣🤣. I had to pause it and comment while the laugher was still fresh hahahaha that was awesome! Ok back to the video

[@iRollerboot]

😆😆🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@basketsresale]

nice a buddy of mine who skateboarded would come out skating in the swindlers i remember he was doing some nice gaps with these, i had the K2 King 55s i scored on clearance at Sports Authority had them for a long time

[@iRollerboot]

Nice! I’m always on the lookout for some old k2s lol.

[@marcbenjamin6841]

I remember someone I know owned these. I thought they looked like trash and judged them for being too old. Seeing this video made me learn that old tech doesn't mean trash. It was new and great back then for a reason. I'm giving more skates more chances from now on.

[@HeadNtheClouds]

WOOOOOO….I am the ghost of Rollerblades past……woooooo….

[@teknastyk]

these were in fact older mold when they released.. one of the older was Daytona - the blue ones. And they also had some gray ones with same mold. But this was in fact released a year or two later. In between there were some realy buff models i cannot recall the name, but yes. These looked a bit dated when they came out but i assure you.. these were pro skates. I got them from a pro from their team and did not need much convincing. The teflon in plastic made them super fast, and the balance was there if u were used to same brand for ex. I could never switch to salomon for ex. Had this weird backward rake inside the boot.

[@cfronin]

Loved thoses skates ! I had the CI5, the green ones, and skated them until I got a hole on the side of the boot from too many royales. They where great on royales, full torques and topsides, and they were very light. I guess that's why I love my m12 with a megaframe, they feel very similar, except they are harder on topsides.

[@zsoltimre2633]

Wow. I used to own a Rollerblade Daytona (same design but blue) and I loved it. If I could buy a brand new one today, I'd definitely go for it.

[@Franz_giblet]

Part 2 90’s rollerblader would be awesome 👏🏻

[@jerryb8877]

I remember Fabiola Dasilva, Santiago Azpurua, and Franky Morales riding a version of that boot with USD tumor plates, the juice system, and 50/50 frames. That would’ve been a lot of cutting on the boot, but I imagine they skated much better.

[@bxl2012]

Yay, I wanted to see these skates up close!

[@asicreate]

These were my first skates, particularly the Dirk model, c.1998. That metal on metal feeling was addictive. Wore that irreplaceable sole plate right off on the right side. Great skate. Good memories.

[@iRollerboot]

The nostalgia is real 🤝

[@JasonCoverstone]

Fishbrain + Heel Roll = Training Wheel. Fishbrain + Toe Roll = Wheelbarrow

[@iRollerboot]

Thank you 🧡🧡🧡

[@houston2]

The only thing I remember about Swindlers is that I thought they looked super dope but when I tried them, I found it nearly impossible to lock the soul plate. I was also like 12 years old. Love the video.

[@iRollerboot]

🧡🧡🧡🧡

[@jeffdouglascreates]

Used to have RB Squashes, the green pair of skates that look like those. Loved em when I was 12-14. Now I got back into blading during Covid. Own 9 pairs of blades now. Love the sport even at age 35

[@iRollerboot]

Nice Jeffrey!

[@shpuply]

Dirks and the Daytona's we're my dream skates at that time. Nice to see they still hold up. You should try and find some older K2s to trial that won't shatter,like King 55s. I loved the Style Points. If not,I have some Fatty Pros with your name on them.

[@iRollerboot]

I’m keeping my eyes out for some 250s, my first aggressive skates (after some “el toros”). May be too hard to find :/

[@shpuply]

@@iRollerboot I loved my original black and red 250s! They were very scary toe wise,but I loved the fit.

[@cfronin]

I had the K55, best looking K2s in my opinion, and quite exclusives. I skated them for years. I'd love to find some old pairs but they were pretty rare. It's not like Salomons that you can still regularly find almost brand new.

[@inkorea1390]

Lmao I love the running after the grinds. @3:06. Keep your shit up! 💪✌

[@anthonycrismon8092]

Some Chris Edwards vibe going

[@PW.6060]

My first skates were Swindlers. The block on the heel and the weight are my only real issues with the skates. Still skating them today.

[@FAR3HBZ]

back in the day , we used CDS DETROIT soul plates to extend the rear soul-area (mainly on the original roces FCO ROME / Street but u can mount them on all skates)

[@valoroll1]

I learned royales because of the backslide groove on these skates.

[@WillDeutsch]

I bought my new 909s because my TRS Lightnings and my Razors Creams exploded on my feet.

[@iRollerboot]

Oh no!! Lmao

[@tysonradcliff3428]

Never had these but had the CI5 so basiclly the same skate. For the time were great, but mostly always skated K2 back then(yeah im that old)

[@pootnannies]

i had the dirks. i think they were the cheaper version of the swindlers. the bad thing was after doing enough backslides and topsides, the skate warped and stayed bent. if i wanted to do a front slide it would look like a farv. i'm not sure if they sold the cuff separately but i ended up trading them for some k2 fattys instead.

[@icemanbtlr25]

I remember getting the Dirk's when they came out it was the first skate I actually paid for with my own money lol, they were a great skate the liner was revolutionary for that Time because they were the first to do a memory foam liner with the cool max inner lining. It was super comfy always wanted to see what it would look like as a revised up to date or just modded to today's standards in I.e. soul plates,frames, and liners.

[@iRollerboot]

Super cool. I skated the k2 250s first but I wish I had skated these back in the day

[@LORDS.And.Hammers]

Same. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@asicreate]

Dirk! Me too!

[@anthonycrismon8092]

They wound up adding a "fin" on the back end of the sole plate eventually

[@zgjp82]

I had RB Lightnings and then went to RB Daytona's that were the Chris Edwards signature model. I am getting back into skating after 22 years away and just ordered the Richie Eislers after breaking my $20 New Jacks. Can't wait to see what an up to date skate feels like.

[@teknastyk]

I had these exact skates back in the day.. They were sort of a loan from one friend who rode with Rb back then, and had a bunch of grinded pairs just laying in the basement. I still feel like i owe him a 100 as these were the best skates i had to this day. Had tried salomons in the same time, but just couldnt get used to those as i constantly landed on my ass. Some weird boot frame balance - But these rb's were perfectly balanced for me. Also Fun Fact: these were made from the same mold as their previous models were, but had a perk. The mix of plastic and teflon on frames and part of soul plate made them super slidey.. Unlike anything ive riden before. I was constantly complaining about who the F waxed the curb - thats how fast these were. I ride aeons 60 nowadays. Doesnt come even remotely close to these. And allthough usds now have lower balance and frame and wider grooves with wider soulplates.. I still cannot do certain tricks the way i was used to. Skating has changed through these years. No doubt.

[@iRollerboot]

I definitely noticed how fast those swindlers slide. So fast lol. Wish all skates slid line that.

[@teknastyk]

@@iRollerboot yupp.. rb special sauce

[@richskater]

*Training Wheel* - Heel Roll/Fishbrain *9 Bar/BS 9 Bar* - Heel Roll/Backslide *Wheel Barrow* - Fishbrain/Toe Roll *???/BS ???* - Torque/Toe Roll

[@tightpantsmachine]

Could have sworn a wheelbarrow was a forward backslide and heel roll in front.

[@richskater]

​@@tightpantsmachine Totally possible, there's not really a lot of evidence to support any name though. What you describe is listed in the Book of Grinds as a Wheelbarrow. However, in it's early days, BoG was full of errors, most have been fixed overtime, but this could be one that lingers. Be-Mag posted a throwback photo of Rawlinson Rivera from '96 doing the same thing and they also called it a Wheelbarrow. These are the only 2 sources I can find online supporting wheelbarrow. That said, there is 2 images I came across of a "barrow slide", which is essentially the same thing, but not grinding. The case for 9-bar isn't any better, I only have one source for that and it's a "how to 9-bar" video that has

[@KeyFur_NYC]

I cant remember the name of them or if they even had a name yet but the first aggressive skate from rollerblade what standard plastic boot kind of like the old (and some current) recreational skate boots are and they had a super thin fin that came down on the outside at the heel kind of like the swindlers but much thinner. The swindler definitely looks like the evolved version of the first skate. They didnt even have h blocks and they had just started making grind plates and we were carving grooves for front sides into the frame with big files or just against a curb. Once the swindlers came out I upgraded but that was a crazy time where the sport was being born basically and we were coming up with tricks that lead the evolution of the aggressive inline skate.

[@Jasperkell]

My first pair of aggressive, all my friends had the Fila crustys

[@xrichiexg]

The swindlers came out in either 99 or 2000 I think my buddy got ‘em Out of the first team paradise they were in! I have just gotten my razor impact 300 (cult before the cult was a cult and had no sole plate just a little drop down block to even out the sole) these are what brink have Gabriella toward the end of brink! Lol the cuff is the same style weird cut that rollerblade used on pretty much all of their skates before these. And the lil sole extension was when roces and rollerblade used a very similar (if not the same mold) and had that little extension thing which was almost impossible for grinding (but what I learned on in like 97’ 😂😂) I feel like they thought by bringing it down even with the front sole was enough. But we used to skate Some skinny rails and my buddies would get stuck sometimes 😂😂😂

[@edwardlewis6352]

Next you should do the mod where you put the throne tumor plate on.

[@iRollerboot]

That would be dope! 🤔

[@gdust6579]

you do the 90s style perfect. these were my 1st skates. rb makes comfy skates. i dont remember it missing the back soul plate. maybe it fell off when the seller owned it XD can you get TRS Details next?

[@gdust6579]

baggy 2000 hood style with TRS Details would be cool im tryin to do that with mines sometimes xD

[@espo7182]

Fattys and Dirks(the swindlers predecessor) were my skates of choice bro. I have to say that me, Billy or Franco, never looked like you in those pads in the late 90s. That is Billy, Fish, O'Neil and Franco Camayo. I grew up in SI and used to skate with them every day until I quit in 01. Those pads are like 93/94 when I was 12/13 and first starting. But I really liked the Dirks and I Loved Fattys. They were my go to skate once they fixed the cuff rivet issue. Although, we could just hand break our cuffs on beat up Fattys and K2 would send you a brand new pair, that was a hack.

[@iRollerboot]

It was a different time!

[@Scrotaltube]

Congrats on winning the buzzcut challenge bro! You're the American Eugen.....Beugen?

[@iRollerboot]

🤣🤣🤣🤣thank you! Eugen is NOT human. 👽

[@johndye6497]

I loved my dirks back in the day

[@MonkeyGrinderTube]

Dirks! The last pair of skates I had before quitting back then. Imho they were terrible.

[@iRollerboot]

What didn’t you like about them?

[@MonkeyGrinderTube]

@@iRollerboot More than 20 years have passed since then, so memory is blurry, but I remember a great malleolus pain, generally slow grinds and very little heel support on ledges. I had some Razors Impact 200 (which I was deeply in love with) before the Dirks, and I remember they had a softer kind of plastic that allowed my ankle to move while keeping the cuff not completely loose while Dirks plastic was stiffer and led me to a looser cuff and worse skating, so maybe the comparison was flawed by that. Loved the wheel rockering system anyway.

[@underbear9683]

You have the axles all rockers down. You can set the the front 2 more fwd and the back 2 axles more aft for more grinding room, a la a flat set up.

[@ChrizzLau69]

I want to try the bootleg Salomon version of the Swindlers.

[@leofxhc]

I love Rollerblade Daytona 6!!!!

[@ghostinajar540]

I have a pair of Team Paradise pants in pretty decent shape.

[@j4nk3n]

That is crazy! Are they as big as I remember?

[@ghostinajar540]

@@j4nk3n no. These were the normal style with the side stripe

[@j4nk3n]

I had a pair of dirks which were basically these but they came with black wheels which were awful and one of the wheels actually exploded in half on my first day skating them 😆 🤣

[@iRollerboot]

Oh no!! Lmao.

[@j4nk3n]

@@iRollerboot it sucked because I didn't have money to buy extra wheels as my money went on buying the skates, it was a front wheel that broke so I just swapped some wheels around and then got some anti rockers the next weekend 😆

[@DiAL033]

Yeah, well, these are late 90s inlines really. We would have killed for skates like that in '93-'94 ;P

[@haba810]

I had the dirks and ended up putting a usd backside plate on mine and then later added a 50/50 frames on them rode and grinded smooth

[@cdnpacker]

Maybe Mesmer should have revamped these skates

[@xrichiexg]

I wanna say the came with like an 88a hardness they were pretty soft

[@lugarner8493]

Im skating 22 yr old k2 fattys 😂, I found an unmolested pair on eBay for 75 bucks. They literally look like they were skated once and put in the closet for 20 years. I did update the wheels and bearings but everything else looks and feels brand new

[@danieldvir6927]

90's - salomon s90 and usd psirus Dustin latimer

[@iRollerboot]

💛💛

[@rezzie17]

Pretty sure this is the randy spizer pro model

[@nevincaulfield]

Did Chris edwards design these?

[@iRollerboot]

Not sure my friend.

[@espo7182]

I don't know what kids you were watching in the 90s, early 2000s, but I grew up skating with Billy O'Neil and Franco Cammayo in Staten Island, so maybe I was lucky. But even when we were all first starting we never aggressively charged towards or away from a trick. And we never landed 100% of our tricks with 1 knee down. You were either watching terrible skaters or just have the wrong idea in your head of blading in the late 90s.

[@iRollerboot]

I was watching brink 😆

[@momocmf]

wheel barrow is a backslide with a heel roll, training wheel is the soul and heel roll. i cut the rear soul fin off of mine and bolted the tumour plates from the OG thrones on and they were sooo good back then, we even used to drill holes in coins to replace the rocker spacers :D this RB mold holds a massive place in my heart sooo much of my youth was spent in these RB models. Great to see them again

[@tightpantsmachine]

Thank you! I knew a wheelbarrow was the backslide version, not the soul.

[@xrichiexg]

Lol pretty sure these were the first and last with front and back channels 😂😂😂 good idea not super practical

[@thepirinceofspeed]

I used my Ci5's only for DH.(it was one of the best skates...) "istenhegyi út" (youtube it) was a warm up... :)