Rollerblades or Skateboards as Bike Alternatives?

rachels · Post by **rachels** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 12:21 am

I'm up in Vancouver at the Northern terminus of my NW bike tour and I've been seen rollerbladers and skateboarders everywhere. I'm wondering if anyone has used either of these methods for transportation? I love to bike as walking gets pretty boring if you're traveling the same routes, but I've been looking for something to use when bikes can't be transported. Specifically, something small enough to be kept totally dry in a boat. My folding bike went downhill really fast as it was always getting splashed in the dinghy and had to be stored in an exterior locker. How far can a fit person comfortably propel themselves by these means? Is it legal to use either in a road?

Post by **jacob** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 12:45 am

Quite far (several miles) on roller skates---it burns energy, but it doesn't feel like it; Bakari (forum member) used to commute on skates.
I think a skater counts as a pedestrian.
You gotta ask yourself one question first. Suppose you're going downhill on a 3% decline, there's a car or a bike behind you. You have 15 ft to stop. As you're braking, you run into some pebbles on the road. Can you remain on your feet? In other words, how good is your powerslide?

PS: If you skate on wet roads, your bearings are going to die real fast.

teewonk · Post by **teewonk** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 11:06 pm

Buy or make a bag for your folding bike?
State and local laws determine whether a skater, skateboarder, or a scooterer is a pedestrian. Around here, they are non-bicycle, human-propelled devices. You're not supposed to exceed a normal walking pace on sidewalks, and it's ambiguous whether you can use bike lanes. In the next town over, the rules are different. The rules are rarely enforced, though. I used to commute in the bike lane with my Xootr, and I was only bothered once, by a biker who told me I really shouldn't be in the bike lane. The biker then proceeded to turn the wrong way down a one way street.
I would think that skating comfort is a matter of skill, too, not just fitness.

BeyondtheWrap · Post by **BeyondtheWrap** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 4:39 am

I like the idea! Those two are much more portable that bikes, and you don't have the hassle of locking them up somewhere. Would they also be easier and cheaper to repair than a bicycle?

Sojourner7 · Post by **Sojourner7** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 11:01 am

I've rollerbladed to and from church a few times before. It was very scary. It would probably not be an issue if you had sidewalks the entire way, but that wasn't the case for me. On the open road, there was a lot more gravel and random debris than I realized.

Post by **jacob** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 12:59 pm

@BeyondTheWrap - For skates you can replace the wheels(*) and bearings(**). On some higher end skates, you can also replace the frames. If it reaches that point, I'd seriously consider just replacing the entire skate.
(*) Get skates that use wheels as large as possible. They're faster, cost the same, and last longer. Get 80mm or 76mm. Stay away from weird sizes. No need for a fancy frame that use all different sizes (typically smaller wheels at the front and back for better turning), get a frame that has all wheels the same size. Rotate often.
(**) Get Abec-1 or Abec-3. No need to spring for better tolerances... as soon as they get dust in them, they're "reduced" anyway.

S · Post by S » Tue Jul 19, 2011 2:16 pm

We used to have some rollerbladers join the cyclists for Critical Mass and they didn't have a problem keeping up, so I'd imagine it's possible. Perhaps you could go out with a skate group a few times and learn the details of riding in the road from them. I've only used skates for recreation myself though.

pliskin · Post by **pliskin** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 2:45 pm

In terms of roller blading I believe this is only practical if your commute is dry and relatively flat. Having played hockey/roller hockey for a number of years when I was a kid I consider myself a rather competent skater.
With that being said I think stopping quickly going down hill is challenging even for very good skaters. I also find that many roads can be rough on skates as there are generally a lot of small debris, sticks, etc which can pose significant problems for skaters (especially at higher speeds).
One advantage skating might have is that I believe skating on sidewalks may be a bit safer than biking do to the generally lower speed, so cars pulling out in front of you is less of an issue.
Here is some inspiration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNmgNyDQbww

rachels · Post by **rachels** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 9:35 pm

The downhill is a good point. I was imagining a lot of the landscapes we encountered sailing on the East and Gulf Coasts where as a general rule, the land is pretty darn flat at the water. Maybe a little scooter would be another option?
I also thought about making a bag for the bike, but it couldn't just be any bag, it would have to be a waterproof bag. It would also have to not be punctured or worn through by any pokey parts of the bike. I suppose I could always spend $700 or so to buy a Strida, but I have a hard time believing they would be as sturdy as a Dahon and I think the UV would eat them instead of the salt. Oh that boats, bikes, and books could only get along.

Post by **jacob** » Thu Jul 21, 2011 8:18 am

http://www.nycewheels.com/kick-scooters.html
?

teewonk · Post by **teewonk** » Thu Jul 21, 2011 8:05 pm

I commuted on a Xootr Roma (link) for two years, and I liked it. It's similar to the CityKicker scooter (link) on the site Jacob linked. I moved farther from work, and a bike is more practical for me now. Xootr says that the tipping point between scooters and bikes in terms of total trip time (counting bike lock-up) is 3/4 mile. Also, the subway system here doesn't allow bikes during certain hours, but I could take the scooter on.