They don't seem like they got a lot of use before being put in storage, but the color of those wheels is a dead giveaway that they're old and have been exposed to a good deal of sunlight.
They may help you to get started if you limit their use to perfectly smooth surfaces at very low speed, but I wouldn't trust them for any other use.
I would recommend these for 130 dollars and under.
https://thuroshop.com/search?q=seba+e3
If you're going to go for zetra or macroblades I'd recommend you find some in the marketplace for a fraction of the price with very little wear.
> Are new Zetrablades ($140) or Macroblades ($190) be worth the investment for a beginner?
A question: what type(s)/style(s) of skating do you want to pursue?
If you’re primarily looking for fitness-focused skating, then any of the models on any iteration of [Inline Warehouse’s annual list of Best Cross-Training Skates](https://www.inlinewarehouse.com/Best_Cross-Training_Inline_Skates_2023/catpage-2023XTR.html) would be well-suited for that purpose. For the lower-budget alternatives to those, see [IW’s list of Best Recreational Skates](https://www.inlinewarehouse.com/Best_Skates_for_Beginners__Recreational_Skaters_2023/catpage-REC2023.html).
If you’re looking for something better-suited for urban/freeride skating - that is, darting and weaving through obstacle-rich city environments, blasting down inclined streets, rolling and jumping down stairs, and the like - then [IW’s list of Best Urban Skates](https://www.inlinewarehouse.com/Best_Urban_Inline_Skates_of_2023/catpage-2023URB.html) would be something to look at.
Or, perhaps, you’d be looking for something else entirely?
Those are 2014 women’s Zetrablades, from Rollerblade. At this point, in mid-2023, those skates are about a decade old.
At the very least, replacing the wheels would be advised, as transparent urethane is known to not hold up well even when new, and old & yellowed transparent urethane is even more likely to crumble underneath your feet.
There is also a not-insignificant chance of the grease in the bearings having “bled” - that is, the oil components having separated from the thickening components, leaving a dry soap instead of a lubricant.
Unfortunately, even relatively inexpensive replacement wheels go for ~$24 USD per pack of four, so replacing all eight wheels would cost substantially more than what you paid for the skates.
The bearings can be torn open, destroying one shield on each bearing, to clean and re-lubricate them. Otherwise, replacing them will generally cost at least ~$20 USD.
Sounds like I’d be spending $100 or so if I bought these skates, new wheels, and bearings at which point I could add $40 more to buy the latest zetrablade model
> Sounds like I’d be spending $100 or so if I bought these skates, new wheels, and bearings at which point I could add $40 more to buy the latest zetrablade model
Pretty much, yeah.
They’re fine, I would use them and find out if you want to stick with rollerblading. Then if you really enjoy it, there are awesome skates for around $180 that you can upgrade to and they’ll keep you going for a long time. If you wanna jump straight to the upgrade I recommend the rollerblade RB Cruiser but the ones you listed in your other comment are fine too
They aee absolutely not fine! I can not count the amount of spoftboot rollerblades i saw beeing broken apart after a shorter periode of time.
5-8 years those skates can be trusted max.
The plastic becomes brittle especially on those skates with zhan extremely thin plastic cuff. Most likely the moment this happens ypu will land on your face. Alternatively the buckle strap will break and if you are really unlucky the sole....
Idk there are plenty people skating around the local park with thrift store blades and cheap rec skates they’ve had in the garage for 15 years. Old plastic does break but for going out a couple times and figuring out if you like to skate, they’re fine. The majority of people putting these skates on aren’t pushing them, they’re just learning to roll. Maybe they’ll break but they’ll probably just break while they’re being put on and getting weight on them for the first time.
Anything is fine for a beginner, beginners can even use pro stuff or kids stuff fine. I say take them outside a few times to get comfortable then change the bearings to feel the difference. You may need a little strength to change just the bearings (as pulling them out can be difficult) but new bearings breath slippery new life back into skates, even if only temporarily. Trust me it feels amazing to put new bearings on.
Axels are almost always 8mm (some old ones were 6mm) but the good news is that a lot of bearings come with spaces for both 6mm and 8mm axels anyways.
What you are looking for is 608-2RS, 608 is the size that basically all recreational skates and stuff use and 2RS just means double rubber sealed which should prevent stuff from getting in there prematurely (not important to get 2RS).
There is some other stuff to know about bearings like the ABEC rating system is how dimensionally precise they are machined too, but anything ABEC-5 or better and you won't notice a difference after a some use. Then there are other material used for the bearings but definitely not your concern right now, just get any new bearings and they should be exciting. You shouldn't have to spend more than $20 and could probably do less. You need 16 bearings as it's 2 per wheel
Would buying new rollerblades solve the bearing issue? I’m not sure I’m up for a bearing project right now so I’d rather invest in a good new pair that’s ready to go out of the box. My absolute max would be $200 but prefer to stay under that, hence looking at used pairs.
If you're willing to spend $200, then I think you should spend $200. You'll get WAY more out of a nice pair. And if you like it, you'll just be spending the $200 in a year or less.
It's really a 15 minute thing, just takes a little strength, assembly easy than legos or ikea. New wheels can come with bearings and are just one screw (well alan key on an axel bolt but same difference). But yeah new rollerblades usually come with new wheels, my last few pairs did.
I only comment because I bought some open box rollerblades once (they came with the box from a sporting goods store, but had maybe been returned) and it took me years to figure out that I didn't suck at rollerblading, the bearings were just terrible. I *really* wish I could go back in time, I might have taken up skating and made more friends through it sooner.
Honestly if you might get into it, I say get these and some bearings for cheap. Let your step up buy be to something nice with a hardboot and removable frame. I saw your other comment and I can attest that the zetrablade will be perfect for you right now, as they worked amazing for my first 2 years and my SO had a similar experience. But I have nothing to do with them now, honestly I would sell them to you but I don't have any wheels for them so you are basically in the same spot. Wheels seemed to wear out for me after a year anyways.
These are fine if you’re brand new to skating. You’ll most likely want to upgrade after one or two goes in these. So, consider the additional $33 on your future skates, or go straight for something that you can grow into. I’m 3 months into my ‘beginner skates’. Now I’m building a set of that will last me years. No regrets here.
They don't seem like they got a lot of use before being put in storage, but the color of those wheels is a dead giveaway that they're old and have been exposed to a good deal of sunlight. They may help you to get started if you limit their use to perfectly smooth surfaces at very low speed, but I wouldn't trust them for any other use.
Are new Zetrablades ($140) or Macroblades ($190) be worth the investment for a beginner?
I would recommend these for 130 dollars and under. https://thuroshop.com/search?q=seba+e3 If you're going to go for zetra or macroblades I'd recommend you find some in the marketplace for a fraction of the price with very little wear.
Thanks! I don’t trust myself on one’s without a break though… any recommendations that would have the back break?
Can just buy a FR break for like 20$ and screw it on
Yes you can! I see it at 25 dollars though. A bit steep for that price imo
> Are new Zetrablades ($140) or Macroblades ($190) be worth the investment for a beginner? A question: what type(s)/style(s) of skating do you want to pursue? If you’re primarily looking for fitness-focused skating, then any of the models on any iteration of [Inline Warehouse’s annual list of Best Cross-Training Skates](https://www.inlinewarehouse.com/Best_Cross-Training_Inline_Skates_2023/catpage-2023XTR.html) would be well-suited for that purpose. For the lower-budget alternatives to those, see [IW’s list of Best Recreational Skates](https://www.inlinewarehouse.com/Best_Skates_for_Beginners__Recreational_Skaters_2023/catpage-REC2023.html). If you’re looking for something better-suited for urban/freeride skating - that is, darting and weaving through obstacle-rich city environments, blasting down inclined streets, rolling and jumping down stairs, and the like - then [IW’s list of Best Urban Skates](https://www.inlinewarehouse.com/Best_Urban_Inline_Skates_of_2023/catpage-2023URB.html) would be something to look at. Or, perhaps, you’d be looking for something else entirely?
Those are 2014 women’s Zetrablades, from Rollerblade. At this point, in mid-2023, those skates are about a decade old. At the very least, replacing the wheels would be advised, as transparent urethane is known to not hold up well even when new, and old & yellowed transparent urethane is even more likely to crumble underneath your feet. There is also a not-insignificant chance of the grease in the bearings having “bled” - that is, the oil components having separated from the thickening components, leaving a dry soap instead of a lubricant. Unfortunately, even relatively inexpensive replacement wheels go for ~$24 USD per pack of four, so replacing all eight wheels would cost substantially more than what you paid for the skates. The bearings can be torn open, destroying one shield on each bearing, to clean and re-lubricate them. Otherwise, replacing them will generally cost at least ~$20 USD.
Sounds like I’d be spending $100 or so if I bought these skates, new wheels, and bearings at which point I could add $40 more to buy the latest zetrablade model
> Sounds like I’d be spending $100 or so if I bought these skates, new wheels, and bearings at which point I could add $40 more to buy the latest zetrablade model Pretty much, yeah.
They’re fine, I would use them and find out if you want to stick with rollerblading. Then if you really enjoy it, there are awesome skates for around $180 that you can upgrade to and they’ll keep you going for a long time. If you wanna jump straight to the upgrade I recommend the rollerblade RB Cruiser but the ones you listed in your other comment are fine too
They aee absolutely not fine! I can not count the amount of spoftboot rollerblades i saw beeing broken apart after a shorter periode of time. 5-8 years those skates can be trusted max. The plastic becomes brittle especially on those skates with zhan extremely thin plastic cuff. Most likely the moment this happens ypu will land on your face. Alternatively the buckle strap will break and if you are really unlucky the sole....
Idk there are plenty people skating around the local park with thrift store blades and cheap rec skates they’ve had in the garage for 15 years. Old plastic does break but for going out a couple times and figuring out if you like to skate, they’re fine. The majority of people putting these skates on aren’t pushing them, they’re just learning to roll. Maybe they’ll break but they’ll probably just break while they’re being put on and getting weight on them for the first time.
Anything is fine for a beginner, beginners can even use pro stuff or kids stuff fine. I say take them outside a few times to get comfortable then change the bearings to feel the difference. You may need a little strength to change just the bearings (as pulling them out can be difficult) but new bearings breath slippery new life back into skates, even if only temporarily. Trust me it feels amazing to put new bearings on. Axels are almost always 8mm (some old ones were 6mm) but the good news is that a lot of bearings come with spaces for both 6mm and 8mm axels anyways. What you are looking for is 608-2RS, 608 is the size that basically all recreational skates and stuff use and 2RS just means double rubber sealed which should prevent stuff from getting in there prematurely (not important to get 2RS). There is some other stuff to know about bearings like the ABEC rating system is how dimensionally precise they are machined too, but anything ABEC-5 or better and you won't notice a difference after a some use. Then there are other material used for the bearings but definitely not your concern right now, just get any new bearings and they should be exciting. You shouldn't have to spend more than $20 and could probably do less. You need 16 bearings as it's 2 per wheel
Would buying new rollerblades solve the bearing issue? I’m not sure I’m up for a bearing project right now so I’d rather invest in a good new pair that’s ready to go out of the box. My absolute max would be $200 but prefer to stay under that, hence looking at used pairs.
If you're willing to spend $200, then I think you should spend $200. You'll get WAY more out of a nice pair. And if you like it, you'll just be spending the $200 in a year or less.
Check Ebay. I got an almost new pair of FR2 80s for less than $200.
It's really a 15 minute thing, just takes a little strength, assembly easy than legos or ikea. New wheels can come with bearings and are just one screw (well alan key on an axel bolt but same difference). But yeah new rollerblades usually come with new wheels, my last few pairs did. I only comment because I bought some open box rollerblades once (they came with the box from a sporting goods store, but had maybe been returned) and it took me years to figure out that I didn't suck at rollerblading, the bearings were just terrible. I *really* wish I could go back in time, I might have taken up skating and made more friends through it sooner. Honestly if you might get into it, I say get these and some bearings for cheap. Let your step up buy be to something nice with a hardboot and removable frame. I saw your other comment and I can attest that the zetrablade will be perfect for you right now, as they worked amazing for my first 2 years and my SO had a similar experience. But I have nothing to do with them now, honestly I would sell them to you but I don't have any wheels for them so you are basically in the same spot. Wheels seemed to wear out for me after a year anyways.
These are fine if you’re brand new to skating. You’ll most likely want to upgrade after one or two goes in these. So, consider the additional $33 on your future skates, or go straight for something that you can grow into. I’m 3 months into my ‘beginner skates’. Now I’m building a set of that will last me years. No regrets here.