Everything about frame material
Short anwser
The frame material of your skates impacts performance, durability, and weight. For freestyle skating, lighter aluminum or carbon frames offer better speed and responsiveness. Aggressive skating frames are usually plastic, providing durability and flexibility for grinding. Choosing the right material depends on your skating style.
The frame
The frame of an inline skate plays a crucial role in transferring your movements to the wheels, and its material affects performance, control, and durability. Understanding the different frame materials and manufacturing methods helps you choose the right frame for your skating style.
The role of a skate frame
A skate frame is the bottom part of the skate that holds the wheels. Its main job is to transfer your energy and movements from the boot to the wheels. This ensures that every motion of your foot turns into motion on the ground. If the frame is weak or poorly made, it will absorb energy instead of transferring it. This makes skating harder and less responsive. A bad frame is like a loose steering wheel in a car—it causes lag in control and makes your skating less precise.
Frame materials: plastic, metal, and carbon
Plastic, metal (usually aluminum), and carbon are the main materials used to make inline skate frames, each with its own advantages and drawbacks.
Plastic frames: Commonly used for aggressive skating, plastic frames are ideal for grinding on rails and curbs. They slide smoothly on various surfaces, making them perfect for tricks. However, plastic frames can flex more, which means they may not offer the same level of stiffness and control as metal frames. Despite this, they remain the go-to option for aggressive skaters because of their grind-friendly characteristics.
Metal frames: Metal frames, typically made from aluminum, are the preferred choice for freestyle and recreational skating. They provide the stiffness needed for direct power transfer, making your movements more responsive. Aluminum frames come in two main types: 6000-series and 7000-series. The 6000-series aluminum is easier to manufacture and slightly more flexible, while the 7000-series is stiffer and offers better performance, though it's more expensive.
Carbon frames: The newest material in skate frame manufacturing, carbon is both lighter and stiffer than metal or plastic. While carbon frames provide excellent performance, they are expensive and not yet widely used. Their lightweight nature is especially beneficial for skaters looking to reduce overall weight without sacrificing stiffness.
Manufacturing techniques: How frames are made
The manufacturing process also significantly impacts frame performance. There are four primary manufacturing techniques used for inline skate frames:
Folding: A sheet of metal is folded into a U-shape to create the frame. This method is cost-effective but results in frames that are less stiff than other methods. An example is the Rollerblade Cruiser frame.
Casting: In this method, molten material is poured into a mold and allowed to harden. Cast frames can have intricate designs but tend to be more brittle, making them more prone to damage. PowerSlide’s Next frames are an example of cast frames.
Extrusion: Manufacturers push a block of heated metal through a shaped die to form a long piece of material, then cut it into frame-sized sections.Extruded frames are strong and reliable, offering a good balance of performance and cost.
CNC machining: This involves cutting a frame from a single block of metal using a computer-controlled machine. CNC-machined frames are incredibly precise and durable, but the process is expensive and time-consuming. An example is the high-end Wizard frame, which can cost around €400 due to the extensive machining required.
How to identify your frame’s manufacturing method
Recognizing how a frame was made can give you insights into its quality and performance:
Folding: Look for rounded corners and edges, a sign that the metal was bent rather than cast or machined.
Casting: You’ll often see mold lines where the different parts of the mold meet, as well as small circular marks from the push pins used to eject the frame from the mold.
Extrusion: Extruded frames have a consistent profile when viewed from the front, with visible CNC tool marks where additional shaping was done.
CNC Machining: CNC-machined frames have no mold lines or push-pin marks but show intricate tool paths from the machining process.
Choosing the right frame material is key to performance. If you're upgrading your setup, check out how spacers and cuff bolts impact the overall stability and responsiveness of your skate.
Metal frames in aggressive skating
While plastic frames remain the standard for aggressive skating, metal frames are gaining popularity in this discipline. Metal frames offer better stiffness and responsiveness, making them faster for riding and providing more precise control. However, metal frames don’t slide as predictably on all surfaces, which is why many aggressive metal frames come with plastic sliders or H-blocks to maintain grind performance while offering the advantages of metal.
Skaters new to aggressive skating should start with plastic frames since they offer more reliability and affordability for grinding on various surfaces. Metal frames can be a great upgrade if you're looking for more speed and control, but they require a different technique, especially when grinding on rough or uneven surfaces.
Conclusion: Choosing the right frame
When choosing a frame for your inline skates, consider your skating style and the benefits of each material. For freestyle or recreational skating, metal frames offer the best performance due to their stiffness and responsiveness. For aggressive skating, plastic frames provide the best grind experience and are more forgiving on different surfaces. If you want the latest technology and weight savings, consider exploring carbon frames, but be prepared for a higher price point.
To explore a wide range of frames and find the perfect setup for your needs, visit Thisissoul.com or stop by our store in Amsterdam.
To skate your best, you need to know your gear inside and out. Our Hardware Insights dive deep into the components of your skates, helping you make informed choices and optimize your setup for better performance.