Inline Warehouse has been selling Rollerblade skates (and other brands) for over 30 years! Many skaters look to us for help when choosing an inline fitness skate and our decades of experience have us confident when recommending one of the Macroblade Skates.

The Macroblades have been around since approximately 2014, and the bones (or structure) of the skate have largely remained unchanged. Rollerblade has come out with dozens of models since then, so this isn’t because they have gotten lazy. Instead, they nailed it so well that only slight changes and color changes have taken place within the Macroblade family.

Rollerblade is the originator of inline skates. They arguably have the best research and development (R&D) team in the industry. They are a part of the Tecnica Group out of Treviso, Italy. Rollerblade benefits from the expertise used to create popular brands such as Nordica, Blizzard, Moon Boot, and Lowa.

The attention to spacing, structure, stitching, and function, were all perfectly aligned in their creation of the Macroblade. For example, all Macroblades use a fixed frame which means that the frame is riveted to the base so that it cannot be removed or adjusted. Frame adjustment can correct pronation and supination (ankles wanting to roll in or out). It is therefore often a well-founded deterrent when choosing a skate if not afforded this luxury. However, thoughtful and precise engineering in relation to frame positioning has voided any need for adjustment or concern.

There are many soft boots on the market. The difference is how well they can optimize both comfort and performance.

Comfort
Soft boot construction gives sneaker-like comfort right out of the box without the need for time to break them in. A soft boot also allows for increased airflow to help keep feet cool and dry. Rollerblade uses a material they refer to as "Engineered Mesh" on the Macroblade skates. This mesh material when combined with the high-quality foam to pad the tongue and ankle areas, earns high marks for comfort and breathability.

Performance
The frames, wheels, and bearings all contribute to the performance of a skate but do not underestimate the importance of the boots themselves. The more stiff and form-fitting the boot, the more responsive it will be to a skater’s movements. A stiffer boot will more efficiently capture and transfer energy to the wheels, thus enhancing performance. Too stiff may come up short on comfort, but too soft will allow for energy loss and lessen a skate's performance. Simply by nature of being a soft boot, the sides will allow for some stretching to occur when pushing from side to side. The best soft boots are those that wrap firmly, and closely around the foot to remove empty space while limiting stretch as comfortably possible. The wrap needs enough rigidity to capture and transfer energy to the wheels for performance, without making large sacrifices in comfort. The Engineered Mesh comes through again in both instances. The R&D team did as well. They took into consideration the additional height of the larger Macroblade 3WD 100 and 110 models, and added reinforcements to better handle the stresses of a taller skate.

Frames too will enhance the performance of an inline skate. Like with boots, a stiff frame will limit flex to capture and transfer more energy to the wheels. Recreational skates most often come in low-cost composite plastic frames. Fitness and performance skates use aluminum for better performance. All Macroblade skates come equipped with performance-enhancing Twinblade Aluminum Frames.

There are currently 8 different Macroblade skates to choose from, with an option for every skill level and environment. The naming convention includes wheel size to make it easy. If a true beginner is looking for the control and ease of 80mm skates, there are less expensive options available. However, investing in a Macroblade will have skaters better equipped to perform as skill improves.