FR - SL 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 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 Freestyle is V3 iteration of well-known Deluxe model, one that served as a gold standard in freestyle frames for over a decade. It measures 243mm and fits four wheels in rockered setup. The skates are clearly intended for freestyle slalom skating – they are more agile than SL 80 with flat setup frames. However, apart from the frames, there are no further differences between the two and fans of urban skating who like “banana” rocker can pick this one up to have it out of the box without worrying that rest of the skate will be less suited for freeriding. As in every FR Skates model, the mounting standard is 165mm and the boot is compatible with most of such frames out there.

Seasoned slalom skaters will be surprised that skate comes with only one frame length and smaller sizes do not have shorter one. It’s easy to explain why: Daria pro model exists, made for seizes up to EU42, using the same boot (the only difference is lack of additional cover on toe area) but 231mm frame with 76mm wheels. SL Freestyle with shorter frames would essentially be nothing more than a duplicate of Ms. Kuznetsova’s pro model.

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 Freestyle are one of the highest spec freestyle slalom skates money can buy. They and their siblings, SL 80, complement each other perfectly, offering something for both rockered and flat setup enthusiasts. This skate is also the one to go for if you are Daria’s fan (who isn’t?) and wanted to get her pro-model but wear size larger than EU42.