FR - SL Carbon Freestyle - 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 Freestyle 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 Freestyle is brand new FR Carbon. It measures 243mm and fits four wheels in rockered setup. As the name suggests, it is made from carbon fibers instead of aluminum, resulting in exceptionally lightweight and rigid frame, thanks to which the skates are incredibly precise. 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 for freestyle slalom, as rockered setup is more agile than flat one used in SL C 80. We do realize that “banana” rocker have some avid fans among freeskaters too, though and for them, choosing between two variants of the skate boils down to having it out of the box or wearing it down naturally. 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 only downside to this skate we can see is that smaller boot sizes do not come with shorter frames – you are getting 243mm one no matter what size you wear. In fact, at the time of writing this piece, FR Skates does not even make shorter carbon frames, so if you have smaller feet and like the boot, we recommend Daria pro model as an alternative.

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 Freestyle are probably the most high-end freestyle slalom skates on the market right now. No other skate in this category come with a frame so stiff and lightweight. If you are looking for best of the best out there – look no further.