Before I say anything about what to do if your inline skates are too big, there’s one truth you should understand. It’s harder to reduce your skate’s volume than to increase room.
Related: How to Make Inline Skates Faster
In this post, I list out 6 simple suggestions that’ll help you address your my-inline-skates-are-too-roomy problem.
Some of the suggestions below might work singly, but you might have to combine two or more to achieve the perfect skate fit.
So, let’s now dive in and learn what actions you can take to tackle your issue.
6 Things to Do If Your Inline Skates Are Too Big
- Heat mold your inline skates
- Use waxed rollerblade laces
- Drop some insoles into your rollerblades
- Wear multiple pairs of socks
- Get creative when tying your skate laces
- Use a Gel toe cover
But first things first….
How to Know Your Inline Skates Are Too Big
How do you know your skates are too big in the first place? I imagine you know that rollerblades are supposed to fit like regular shoes. At least, that’s the case with most skates.
But it’s normal to buy a pair of rollerblades only to find that they don’t fit as you’d expected. I once received a pair of beginner women’s inline skates from Amazon, and the boot was roomier than I needed it to be.
Related: How to Haul Your Rollerblades Around
When I did the toe trick, I could feel quite a bit of room behind my heels. After a few wears, the skates became too loose that I was no longer getting enough support. And I couldn’t return the boots because they’d scratched, plus the wheels had worn a little. So, I had to get creative and solve the problem.
Generally, if your foot slides back and forth during skating, it’s too loose. Also, if the boots are too big, pronation happens. And this pronation causes the wheels to sit on the ground at an angle, which causes uneven wear. Uneven wear eventually worsens balance.
And if there’s too much pressure on your inner ankles and the outer edges of your feet, your skates are probably too wide. Too much pressure directed at the same points progressively reduces foot support.
The Problem With Inline Skates That Are Too Big
If your inline skates are too loose, you’ll have trouble keeping your balance. Also, it’ll be harder to control the speed. And the overall performance will take a dip.
On top of that, you won’t enjoy skating in boots that are too big. And the worst part? Inline skating in boots with too little support can be pretty dangerous. You might end up with twisted ankles or even broken ones.
Now that that’s out of the way….
Let’s now dig in and see how you might tackle the problem using each of the suggestions above.
1. Heat-molding Inline Skates Can Help
When you heat-hold rollerblades at home, you bake the liner in a kitchen oven. The idea is to soften the liners and then let them cool off and conform to the shape of your feet.
I wrote a post that described in precise detail how to bake inline skates at home.
Read that post and follow the steps carefully. I don’t want you charring your boots and exclaiming, “It’s that stupid girl on the web that misled me!”
This boot-baking process can help make bigger skates smaller and smaller ones somewhat roomier. But if your boots are too big, heat-molding them will probably not fully address the problem.
2. Use Waxed Inline Skate Laces
Of course, this suggestion only applies to your boot-fitting situation if your laces aren’t waxed. You can buy waxed laces and use that instead of the unwaxed laces that came with your skates.
Because here’s the thing. Waxed skate laces have a great reputation for holding the foot just a little better. So, use them and see if that helps in your situation.
3. Drop Some Insoles into Your Rollerblades
Another idea you can try if your skates feel a little too big is using insoles.
My husband owns a pair of carbon inline skates, the Powerslide HC EVO 2.0. He’d bought these boots for slalom, but they felt a tad too loose after breaking them in.
So, my man dropped in a pair of insoles, and that solved the problem. Actually, he thought putting in insoles made them somewhat too tight.
But that wasn’t a problem since inline skates naturally stretch over time and become a little roomier. For my hubby, wearing the skates a couple of times made them comfortable enough.
What Insoles Should I Use with My Rollerblades?
So, what insoles for inline skates are best? Well, it’s hard to answer that question. I’ll just state what I and many rollerbladers use. Superfeet insoles are some of the finest I’ve used.
Do I choose the Pro Carbon Superfeet insoles or the Hockey Comfort insoles?
I’d say go with what you like. I’ve used both, and I can’t say I noticed much difference during use. The Carbon insoles offer a hard plate while the Comfort insoles don’t have that.
In my opinion, the Comfort option provides a better skate fit and a slightly better performance. Plus the price seems reasonable enough. As for the Carbon insoles, they seem to provide better support, but they’re pricier.
But in terms of stiffness, both insoles provide tons of stiffness exactly where it’s needed. Still, the Pro Carbon insoles felt stiffer, and some skaters have complained of pain after a few minutes of using them. So, it’s down to personal preference.
What Insole Color Do I Choose?
Some of these Superfeet are green, others blue, and others yellow. Each color relates to the insoles’ foam density. I’ve read that the yellow ones are the perfect choice for sport, but that doesn’t mean blue and green ones suck.
In fact, yellow won’t work for everyone. And Superfeet insoles won’t work for all sorts of skates. So, read real customer reviews to learn which option could work for your skates.
4. Wearing Multiple Socks Might Help, Too
A friend once bought a pair of inline skates that came in kind of loose. The boots sure did fit, but she felt like she wasn’t getting much support due to them not hugging her feet close enough.
So, she started wearing three pairs of socks instead of one while skating. And that seemed to improve the fit, increase support, and definitely made the boots less roomy. For most skaters, wearing several socks is the ultimate volume reducer.
5. Get Creative When Lacing Up Your Inline Skates
One way to create a nice and snug fit with inline skates is to use two sets of laces instead of one for each boot. I once received a pair of skates that were roomier than I liked, and using two laces helped.
Here’s what I did. I used one lace to tie up the bottom portion of my skates. Then, I used the other lace to tie up the upper part of the skate.
In the end, what I got was a tighter fit without needing to wear extra socks.
6. Use Gel Toe Cover on Your Rollerblades
Typically, roller skaters wear gel toe covers for extra protection for their toes and nails during play. But that’s not all. Toe covers also help distribute pressure away from the toes. If you do the toe trick on your rollerblades, using a gel toe cover may help.
Most importantly, wearing toe gel covers can help improve the fit of rollerblades. At least, they can improve the fit to some extent. I can’t say what option is the best, but the MyFit gel toe cover seems to work for many inline skaters.
How to Make Roomy Rollerblades Smaller: Conclusion
Making inline skates less spacious isn’t always easy or effective. But there are a few things you can do about the issue.
First off, you can heat-mold your boots. Second, you can wear several pairs of socks. Third, you can insert insoles into the boots. Fourth, you can use toe gel. Fifth, you can start using waxed laces.
Last but not least, you can change the way you tie your laces. You can use two laces for each skate instead of one. Use one lace for the lower portion and the other one for the upper part.
But what if you’ve tried all these suggestions but still feel your boots are way too roomy? Maybe it’s time to invest in a new pair of skates.
