New skating season, new FR skates (and a bit of old ones, too)!
Today we will introduce you to FR Skates collection of – you guessed it – skates. Not whole of it, though, as we are keeping it simple and stick to realm of freeskating. Thus, you’ll find hardboot FR and UFR freeride models listed here. UFR Street are aggressive skates, so we are leaving them out. We are doing a comparison of these popular models - jump in!
We have included few 2022 models, those which are still available in stock and will be for a while. This applies to highest end models with Intuition liners, though. Yes, the new versions are coming and they are equipped with improved version of iconic liner, but also a higher price tag.
However, complaining about any (even the very old, 1st gen!) Intuition skate liner is a blasphemy and by picking the earlier version you won’t be disappointed either.
To better sum up what is available, we made tables containing the most important information about skates. The differences between FR Skates may look subtle, but there's a lot more to it than what meets the eye.
FR1 series
FR1 variants are the most numerous as of now. They are all top-tier hardboot freeskates of course, coming with best parts the company delivers. Some come with Intuition liner, which is exclusive to them - lower end skates do not have versions with it at all. FR1 are truly a premium product.
We bet that white version will be once again flying off the shelves. So grab while you can.
It is also worth to take a look at underappreciated FR1 84 – this is the only FR skate (in their whole catalogue!) to come with 4x84 mm frame!!! Great setup for urban skating if you want something more stable and faster than 4x80 but still more agile than 4x90. We have some big fans of 4x84 setups here at Bladeville, so it is always nice to see them available, especially when they are rather rare.
All FR1 skates have:
- shell with power plates
- cuff canting
- metal lever buckle
- FR lower buckle
- best grade FR wheels (Street Invaders or Urban Speed depending on their size)
- FR Twincam MW9 Titalium Freeride bearings
Because there are so many FR1 varieties, we split the table in two, showing 4 and 3 wheel models, respectively.
4 wheel FR1 skates
Links below:
- FR1 80 Black
- FR1 80 Red
- FR1 80 Light Blue
- FR1 80 White
- FR1 80 Deluxe Intuition Black 2022
- FR1 80 Deluxe Intuition Black
- FR1 80 Deluxe Intuition White
- FR1 84 Black
- FR1 90 Black
3 wheel FR1 skates
Links below:
- FR1 310 Black
- FR1 310 Red
- FR1 310 Intuition Black 2022
- FR1 310 Intuition
- FR1 325 Black
- FR1 325 Intuition Black 2022
FR2 series
Just like in the past year we are getting only two models and they are still pretty unique offering among all FR skates.
Both versions of FR have:
- Extruded and machined R2 frames
- power plates embeeded in shell
- cuff canting
- plastik buckle on cuff
- mid-tier Downtown wheels
These are really nice piece of gear and it is worth to give them a go even if you can afford FR1 models. We even have a recent article explaining why, which we recommend reading. It is heartbreaking to see such good skates not getting love they deserve.
Links:
FR3 series
There are four offerings, but in reality these two, each coming in two colour options. FR3 are very good value and we are recommending them in our article about affordable freeskates for beginners. Definitely worth their asking price.
All FR3 versions have:
- Gravity casted frames: X2R in case of 4 wheels, 2R in case of 3 wheels
- power plates embeeded in shell
- cuff attached via normal screw
- plastic buckle on cuff
- basic Street Kings wheels
Links:
FRX + FRW + FRXP skates
FRX are one of our best-sellers and it is easy to see why. They are very affordable but at the same time, give you that premium feel. It does also help that their generous fit makes them pain-free choice for majority of skaters.
FRX have two spin-offs. First one are FRW skates, which are basically the same as regular FRX, but marketed towards female audience. They are made in sizes only up to EU42 and come with a brake. Good folks at FR Skates most likely think that girls need brakes and boys do not. We do not agree, simply because we know so many women who absolutely shred on skates. Some of them are even sponsored by FR itself.
Furthermore, when it comes to need for a brake, don’t you think it can come in handy for male beginners too? But yeah - if you wear a boot up to EU42 size and want a freeskate with a brake, there they are.
FRXP are simplified version, which feel a lot like reincarnation of what FRX were back when they still had a Seba label. Still good skates, with different parts and a bit cheaper than regular FRX.
Just like in case of FR3, FRX and FRXP are covered in our article about affordable freeskates. Go check it if you want more details.
All versions of FRX and FRW have:
- gravity casted frames: X2R in case of 4 wheels, 2R in case of 3 wheels
- shell without power plates - standard 2 point mounting instead
- cuff attached via normal screw
- plastic buckle on cuff
- velcro strap instead of lower buckle
- basic Street Kings wheels
- FRW only: brake attached
FRXP have:
- simple, single-void extruded frame without rockering
- two-piece axles
- shell without power plates - standard 2 point mounting instead
- cuff attached by rivets
- plastic buckle on cuff
- lower buckle (not standard FR one, more generic part)
- a bit thinner in heel area liner
- basic Street Kings wheels without graphics print
Also, a bit of advice: it seems that FRX 80 white is going to be the hottest stuff this season. Go and get them while they last.
Links:
- FRX 80 Black
- FRX 80 Orange
- FRX 80 White
- FRW 80 Black/Pink
- FRW 80 Black/White
- FRXP 80 Black
- FRXP 80 Coral
- FRX 310 Black
- FRX 310 Orange
UFR Series
UFR skates are the most recent addition to brand's catalogue. There are not that many skates based on this boot and ones that exist do have FR1 counterparts. The main difference is UFS frame mounting and ability to convert them to aggressive inline skates after adding a soulplate, frame with wheels and bearings.
Other things of note – UFR do not have cuff adjustment option like FR1 and FR2 do. They are compatible with custom kits, so it is possible to add this later on if you really need.
UFR 80 and UFR 310 have a tad worse wheels than FR1, in fact the same class as found in FR2 - FR Downtown. They are still better than Street Kings in FRX and FR3, of course.
The most interesting skate is undoubtedly UFR 90 Intuition, coming with best specs overall and frame with 1 mm rockering on outer wheels. This, alongside liner of course, makes these skates something more than equivalent of FR1 90 but with UFS mounting.
In fact, you can say that this model gives you an experience of skating pretty close to Wizard setups. A good starting point if you want to explore this style.
Links:
Grab FR skates for yourself!
There’s a lot to choose from. It is hard to imagine a scenario in which freeskating fan wouldn’t find anything for themselves – when it comes to hardboots, the French brand have it covered in terms of variety and price. Only thing to do is to choose a model for yourself and to add it to the basket.
Unless your feet do not like FR boot. There’s no denying that it is not a good pick for people with really low instep or those with very slim feet. But hey, you can choose from a wide range of different freeskates.
Last but not least, if you have any doubts which size to choose, check out our guides on how to measure your feet's mondo point, how to pick a right size and fit a shell. In case of any questions, feel free to drop us an email on info@bladeville.com
