Common Aggressive Skate Lingo

ABEC- Stands for Annular Bearing Engineers' Committee. This committee works to determine standards for bearings for the Anti-Friction Bearing Manufacturers Association. The ABEC scale classifies different accuracy & tolerance ranges into classification of 1, 3, 5, 7 & 9. Classified by rotating accuracy and other measurements.

Anti-Rocker- See "Flat-Rocker". Take the flat-rocker setup and remove the 2nd and 3rd wheels and insert a much smaller and harder 'anti-rocker' wheel. This leaves only 2 wheels touching the ground and rolling on each skate. This opens up your skate for doing tricks. Grinds become faster and almost any surface is game to slide on. Provides increased grind space, stability and seems to make the most sense for the street skater pulling off a lot of tricks. Speed and turning will be affected.

Chassis / Frame- This refers to the skate frame where the wheels reside. They come in various measurements and materials (aluminum, carbon, magnesium).

Durometer- This term deals with the hardness of inline skate wheels. Wheels mostly come with two numbers on them (i.e.- 72mm 80A). The first number refers to the size, while the second refers to the hardness. Higher the number, the harder the wheel. If skating outdoors or on rougher surfaces, a harder wheel is best. For smoother or indoor surfaces, a softer wheel is best. Soft gives more grip, while hardness gives more speed.

Flat-Rocker- Flat rocker refers to the wheel setup on your skates and is the most common way to skate. Simply put, it means that all eight of your wheels are touching the ground and rolling. All wheels are the same size. Flat-rocker skating is best for skate parks and vertical ramps for the street skater. Those skaters usually skate with 50-55mm wheels. One disadvantage of flat-rocker is wheel bite. This refers to the limitation of space between the 2nd & 3rd wheel (grinding space).

Grinding- Term used by street skaters when they are pulling off a trick. They'll grind on a stairway rail, a curb or whatever they can. Typically grind on the h-block or soul plates of your skates.

Hard/Soft/Hybrid Boot- The hard boot skate is a plastic shell that wraps around a removable liner, such as the Salomon ST80. A soft boot skate uses materials to make the boot supportive while maintaining a softer exterior shell. All of which resting around a fixed liner. They hybrid boot takes a little from both. It's all a matter of personal preference and comfort level may vary from person to person.

H-Block- Located on every street frame between the 2nd & 3rd wheel. This is the space where all the grinding takes place. Some frames have replaceable h-blocks while others do not.

Soul Plates- These are the replaceable parts of the skate known as the 'soul spot'. Depending on the manufacturer, they are called sole plates, soul plates, soul frames or grind inserts.

Spacers- There are bearing spacers and frame spacers. Frame spacers are used mostly on older models and some street skates. They are sometimes plastic and fit between the frame and the wheel. Bearing spacers fit between the bearings as they fit in your wheels. Some skate will use a "floating bearing" spacer. Both are pictured on the site.

Standard (608) Bearing- Otherwise known as a 608 bearing, these are the most common bearing. Standard bearings require standard hub wheels.

UFS- Universal Frame System. The mounting specifications for frames and skates have been standardized. Any UFS frame can fit any UFS skate. This quality will be noted in the description if true for that skate. More an more common as the years go on.

** If you do not see a term or phrase you would like included on this list, please email us at info@inlinewarehouse.com. That way our list will continue to grow!!