Rollerblade RB 110 3WD - Black/Petrol Blue Inline Skates

Rollerblade® requires no introduction – the brand is a cornerstone of inline skating and one of the most important (if not the single most important) brands in inline skating industry. Rollerblade’s roots date back to a year 1980, when two brothers made their first inline skates for off-season hockey training in their parent’s house basement. For the next 40 years, one thing was constant – Rollerblade always remained leaders of the industry. This includes urban skating, of course.

110 3WD version of the popular RB model are made to deliver best skating experience possible and excellent quality at reasonable price. The result is one of the best “out of the box” urban triskates money can buy.

It’s worth to note that the shell known as RB80/110 is not designed by Rollerblade or exclusive to them – what we are dealing with here is an “open mould” boot, owned by a factory and available to all interested parties. The Rollerblade took this approach before (i.e. their entry level - and sadly, underappreciated - Swindler aggressive skate) and as always, they make sure that end product is polished up to their high, industry famous quality standards. No budget cuts were made when it comes to shell material quality which differentiates the skates from the generic versions of this boot.

The skate can be laced pretty high, which makes the boot holding the foot firmly in place, an effect which can be greatly amplified if you’ll invest in a pair of waxed hockey laces. As you can expect in skates of this class, the boot comes equipped with 45 degree buckle – one that will instantly look familiar to anyone who skated Rollerblade Twisters in the past. It is very smart design; because the buckle lever is placed pretty high on the shell, the risk of damaging it during falls is fairly minimal. Speaking of falls – RB 110 come with replaceable slider on the side of the shell, protecting it from wear. The external cuff is slimmer, more minimalist design that what we usually find in hardboot freeskates. Nonetheless – it still provides excellent level of support. The top closure is standard plastic buckle with strap that hides inside the cuff.

The boot allows excellent airflow – there are smaller holes in front part and larger ones in the middle and heel areas. The ventilation is great and coupled with High Performance liner made out of breathable materials, results in excellent comfort.

Boot frame mounting is reinforced with metal plates embedded in the shell material. Thank to these, the boot-frame connection is more rigid, stronger and improves energy transfer. It must be noted that contrary to similar solutions found in other skates, these plates do not have any means of adjusting the frame position front to back – RB 110 have just two holes for screws. The spacing is the usual 165mm and in theory, boot is compatible with most of the frames using this standard out there – however, due to the fact you have to accept what’s given when it comes to frame position, we strongly recommend checking how the part will fit on the boot before changing/upgrading frames.

What about the stock frame? Well, it’s one of the best designs among three wheeled urban skating frames. It’s 255mm long and fits 110mm diameter wheels. If you have ever skated cheaper, embossed Supercruiser frames made by Powerslide brand, the handling is pretty similar, because both follow the same basic layout. It can be said that Rollerblade 3WD Urban frames are a better made, more advanced alternatives. They are extruded and CNC machined out of 6000 series aluminium, strong built with thick walls, have additional reinforcements and finally, the shape is designed to provide additional level of rigidity.

The skate comes with Supreme wheels, a very good and long-lasting model for urban skating. As usual, Rollerblade equipped skates with SG (silicone gel lubricated) bearings – in this case SG7. Noboby wants to sell a story that RB 110 are directed at people who look for skates to do even a slightest bit of freestyle on – these are pure breed freeride skates, made with a balance between stability, speed and agility for dynamic rides in urban environment.

To sum it up – RB 110 3WD may not be ideal, as the limited frame adjustment options (only to the sides, using holes in frame itself) may be a deal-breaker for some people. However, one cannot deny that there are no low points when it comes to their overall quality and the skate feels greater than the sum of its parts. The skate is a really strong contender in it’s price range and comes highly recommended for anyone who is after high quality urban skates that “just work” out of the box. RB 110 3WD are worth every Euro spent on their purchase.