Chicago Skates Chicago Men’s Premium Leather Lined Rink Roller Skate

I bought these skates thinking I was getting a good quality skate for the price I paid. Not really. The boot is cheaply made and feels that way. The first night at the rink my toe spot came off and my front right truck became so loose that it almost feel apart. I had to continue to tighten it after about every 15 of skating to keep it from falling apart again. The wheel nuts became loose over time as well and the whole thing has left me worried about my own safety out on the rink. When are my skates going to fall apart is not what I want to be thinking about while I’m skating. For all of that. The actual trucks and plate appears to be in good shape and I can’t find anything really wrong with it other than everything keeps getting looser as I skate. I just can’t enjoy these so I’m getting a different pair. I don’t think I can return them as I have used them. Overall the skates are not bad. I think I got a bad pair. For a beater pair of outdoor skates these wouldn’t be too bad just keep your skate tool close.

The skates arrived on a Saturday. We went skating later that day.

The wheel and stopper fell off
Got the wheels adjusted after having to replace the stripped barring a

Went back skating later that night to a different rink and the stopper fell off again

Went skating 3 days later and stopper fell off AGAIN then noticed the boots was tearing away from the skate on both skates!! My nephew was so hurt and embarrassed

I thought Chicago Skates were top of the line but I was told these are the worse to buy

As the description states these are leather lined boots. The outside I believe is vinyl and the inside has a leather lining. The boots do need to be broken in so they will not be comfortable to start with. I wear a size 9.5 and I ordered a size 9 according to the sizing chart. The boot does run a little big they fit me like a size 9.5 to a size 10 shoe. There is about 3/4 inch room at the toe.

I cannot find anywhere in the description that states the softness or hardness of the wheels. They seem to be softer than my long boards 78a wheels. So I would say these are probably 78a as well and are intended for outside use. I have used them indoors only and they are very grippy on the floor. I believe that’s why a lot of people say you need to change the wheels. But if you’re going to use these outdoors these are perfect wheels for beginners. The wheels measurements are 62mm by 34mm which is a good indication they are meant for outdoor use as well.

A few papers come with the roller skates. It states they have a 30 day limited warranty. Which is ridiculous because most in person stores have a 90 day return policy. And the company says if you have any issues in the 30 days to return them to the place of purchase. Which pretty much means the company has no warranty of their own. Along with the information that comes with the skates, it says that the roller skates need very little adjustment. I found this to not be true whatsoever. The toe stop was not adjusted at all, it was set to its highest position. So they had to be lowered quite a bit to make them functional. Side note (Toe stops are typically designed to be adjusted one time. Then replaced when they wear out, meaning there is no groove left on them). I also had to adjust the trucks, this is the part the wheels are attached to. One of the trucks was very loose which would have caused the plate to crack. I noticed at least one person in the reviews had a cracked plate. Most Adult roller skates are typically rated for 230 pounds anymore can cause the plate to crack. However if the truck is not adjusted properly on these skates it can cause the plate to crack also. Also if the jump plate is removed it can cause the plate to crack. The jump plate has nothing to do with jumping it is intended to keep pressure evenly distributed between the two trucks. Sense the plate and trucks are designed cheaper the jump plate needs to be installed. A paper actually comes with the skates stating that you are not to do any tricks with them including jumping. They are intended only for rolling. Which I find a little sad sense all skaters will need to jump at least once in awhile. The trucks were very difficult to adjust and had very little ability to be adjusted. The way the plate is designed in order to lower the cost of manufacturing it provides little adjusting ability. And makes it very difficult for them to actually be adjusted. A screw and a lock have to be adjusted at the same time in order to adjust them properly. If one or the other is not at the right position it can cause the plate to crack. The bushings on the trucks are strange. They’re both the same shape and size. Usually one is coned shaped, but these ones are both large cylinders. I believe this is for the purpose of being able to adjust the inferior trucks. Otherwise they would not be able to be tightened properly. So if you do need to replace them make sure the bushings are replaced with the same kind.

The roller skates come with a universal skate tool. Sadly this tool does not come with everything needed to adjust the skates. You can remove the nut on the wheels, adjust the toe stop, and one of the nuts on the trucks. But in order to adjust the trucks properly you will need an additional wrench. I do not recommend using a flathead screwdriver on the trucks, this will no doubt strip them.

Overall my skates look brand new, but the trucks and the plates looked used. They were scratched up really bad. But the wheels were brand new never rolled on. So I think the plates and the trucks were just manufactured poorly.

I did replace the bearings with ceramic ones. If you’re a beginner I would suggest using the bearings that come with the skates for a month or so. I also added toe guards on the front of the skates in order to protect them from scuff marks. If you intend on using these at the rink or indoors you will need to invest in some new wheels. They will run approximately $50.00 to $100. A good softness rating would be 92a, those are a good all around indoor wheel.

Would I recommend these roller skates.

I would recommend these to a beginner that has the ability to adjust them themselves, or take them to a shop to be adjusted. Also I would recommend them for someone who wants to skate outdoors, so they won’t have to spend anymore money. Otherwise use the extra money you would spend for new wheels to buy some better skates. These are good beginner roller skates in theory. It’s just sad the company does not have good quality control, and does not stand behind their product with a good warranty. I actually watched a video where someone was given a free pair to make a promotional video or tutorial video for these skates. And the company actually gave them two different sizes, and one of the skate plates were installed wrong so the skate turned on its own. So even when they’re trying to promote their roller skates their quality control is very subpar.

I am considering returning these ones sense they are not 100% leather, and the trucks are ridiculously hard to adjust properly.