The FR skates series is one of our best sellers. The brand also dominates the freeskating market, which is no small feat considering that Universkate (owner of FR Skates) is smaller and late to the party when compared against giants like Rollerblade or Powerslide. Still, FRX and FR1 skates sell like hotcakes. FR3 stay behind a bit, but they are still notably popular.
Among the whole FR line-up, there’s one particular skate which is, for reason unclear, much less popular that the rest. It is FR2, of course (you’ve read the title of article, right?).
I’ll be honest with you – as skating equipment geek and enthusiast, this state of matters is not only strange, it is downright frustrating. Like: why do people not give FR2 love they deserve? These skates have it all to go against similar models made by other companies and in some particular cases will be a better pick than their more expensive FR1 sibling.
FR2 easily outclass FR3
When it comes to price, FR2 are a middle ground between FR3 and FR1, but when it comes to overall quality, they are a lot closer to the latter. Boot is exactly the same down to every detail – you even get canting option for the cuff. No budget cuts here whatsoever.
The difference is in frames and wheels. R2 frames used in FR2 are a bit more simplistic (not by much) compared to higher end models found in FR1, but they are still nice quality extruded aluminium frames. They nuke from the orbit gravity casted frames used in FR3 and FRX.
When it comes to wheels, FR Downtown are once again, a mid point between Street Kings and Street Invaders and easily comparable to one of most popular urban skating wheels, the Powerslide Spinners. No one should complain, as they are of really adequate quality in regards to price point.
However, the most important part about FR2 is that these skates offer something FR1 lack
Different possibilities
The FR2 80 version (4x80) comes with a frame which allows you to rocker up outer wheels. These are freestyle-ready almost right out of the box. Just set the axles up and you are good to go. FR1 80 come with flat frames, without rockering, so if you want to skate freestyle slalom, you need to do it old-school way – by buying four smaller wheels and placing them in outer positions.
The FR2 310 (3x110) is standing out of the crowd of FR triskates and can even be a better pick for majority of skaters than any other 3 wheel version of FR.
French company like to make their frames as short as possible, which results in very short (about 230 mm) wheelbase made for 3x110 setup. It’s possibly some kind of a freestyle slalom kink, pursuit of manoeuvrability at all cost. Not all people may like it, though.
Especially for people starting with boot size EU41, this can cause problems. The bigger your feet, the higher possibility that super short frame will be too unstable. If you want to spin around on flat ground or race between the cones, ok – short frame will do. But when it comes to urban skating, it may not be everyone's cup of tea.
FR2 310 is a different type of beast, though. It comes with sensibly long 246 mm frame, which is both more universal in relation to all boot sizes, but also more stable. It is unique part among all 3x110 frames that come stock with FR skates. More length allows you to put more force into your push, which results in better acceleration. The skates are also much easier to handle at high speeds (i.e. riding downhill), as the “shimmy” effect is less probable.
FR boot is objectively a very solid pick - so if you want a triskating setup based on it, but more stable than FR1 310, FR2 310 is a perfect solution.
Looking for a good pair of freeskates? Consider FR2.
There are propbably multiple reasons why these skates do not meet success they deserve. But it is hard to point towards one root cause of this.
One factor may be that for people on a tighter budget, who look for freestyle slalom ready hardboots, FRX and FR3 are more afforadble options. On the other hand, people who can afford FR1, are of course funneled towards getting the flagship skate.
Maybe because they are not that recognisable? Too little advertising on FR Skates end? It doesn’t matter that much in the end – FR2 are criminally underrated and such well designed, quality freeskates deserve to be more popular.
It’s not really about whether they are a tad worse than FR1 or not. The key point is, that they offer something different than FR1 models with very minor cuts in terms of quality. It's best to evaluate them through this lens.
