FR - SL Carbon 80 - Black Inline Skates

After FR Skates have branched out of Seba, the newly formed brand had a visible hole in their catalogue; the only freestyle slalom skates were pro models of Igor and Daria. The skates like Seba High Light Carbon and Trix were left on Seba’s side of the fence. To fill this niche, FR Skates have created SL line of models. These high-end carbon skates come in several configurations: same boot, different framesets. There is something to like for both freestyle slalom and freeride fans. Furthermore, three out of total six SL models (including SL C 80 described here) come with carbon frames – something you won’t get anywhere else in the world of freeskating.

No matter the skate version, the boot is the same and it is truly a remarkable piece of skating gear. Superlight (hence the name) and high quality, it uses the same template as Daria pro-model. The shell is made entirely out of carbon, have integrated padding and is wrapped up in resistant, strong skin. Inside of the boot you’ll find an ergonomically shaped insole with arch support. The skate cuff is also made from carbon and have superb support – you can even get away with barely buckling it.

Even though they look delicate, SL are full fat freeride skates. The boot is protected with rubber-like patch on the side and a cover in toe area – these prevent the damage during falls and tricks. The carbon shell is very resistant, as to be expected.

The boot is super light, responsive and wraps around the foot providing a close, tight fit. The heel is perfectly locked in place – FR Skates made sure that SLs are great performers with best possible energy transfer and movement precision. You can lace the skate to the very top of the cuff area and as expected in freestyle skates, there’s additional strap in toe area to give even better control there. Two micrometric buckles reduce any leftover room and contribute to overall stiffness.

The frame used in SL C 80 is brand new FR Carbon. It measures 243mm and fits four wheels in flat setup. As the name suggests, it is made from carbon fibers instead of aluminum, resulting in exceptionally lightweight and rigid frame. If we were to bet our money on what is the lightest freestyle skate, SL C models would be our pick.

This SL setup is tuned towards people looking for better grip and stability for urban skating. However, it is technically possible to skate freestyle slalom on those – just set them up with old-school banana rocker (76-80-80-76) and you are good to go. As in every FR Skates model, the mounting standard is 165mm and the boot is compatible with most of such frames out there, although we have hard time imagining anyone buying the C version of SL just to swap that carbon frame for something else later on.

The stock wheels are a match for the rest of the skate in terms of quality. These are Freestyle Xfirm wheels from world-famous brand MPC. It’s truly an upper shelf of wheels for freeskating.

Bearings are no joke either, as skates come with ILQ9 Slalom Pro made by Twincam. These are the go-for stock bearings in top of the line FR Skates models and as far as steel bearings go, one of the best on the market.

To sum it up: SL C 80 are one of the highest spec models for freeskating money can buy. They will excel at dynamic urban skating, slides and jumps. Even though triskates took the world by storm, plenty of people are still loyal to proven 4x80 setup and this skate is made for them. It is also possible to do freestyle slalom in these, although we recommend their sibling, SL C Freestyle, for that – even though the difference is (literally) only the frame with rockering. If you are looking for best of the best out there – look no further.