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In this section we invite you to send us all your problems and our qualified Skate-Surgeons will diagnose and prescribe. Use our contact form to send us your symptoms. Rest assured at SkatesCool all our surgeons have warm hands!

Dear SkatesCool
What do people do with their shoes when they are skating? I like going on the Sunday Stroll but hate taking a heavy pair of trainers in an equally heavy rucksack. Are there any lockers in the park that I don’t know about?
Selina
Unfortunately there are no lockers in Hyde Park as the authorities deem them to be a security risk.
We hate skating with bags of stuff on our backs too and flip flops are just not practical for the journey to the shops or pub after, especially when the weather is pants.
After lots of research we prescribe the use of Crocs. They are comfortable, waterproof, well made and quite cheap at £29. Most importantly they are floaty light and can be simply clipped to a waist band with a small karabina hook to keep them out of sight and out of mind as you skate along. They are plenty colourful too!
http://www.crocshop.co.uk

Hi SkatesCool
Am I allowed to skate on the paths to work?
Why dont pedestrians ever move?
Thanks
Alan
Yes you are! Providing you skate at the pace of the pedestrians around you.
It can be easy to get frustrated and pedestrians seem not to know how to cope when they see a skater coming towards them. Try to be polite and warn them using a hand signal to show them which way you intent to turn to avoid them. It’s always wise to advertise your presence as you come toward someone you want to overtake with a squeak of your brake. Say thank you as you pass. It all goes to raise the respectability of the sport… and getting wound up will only ruin your day.

Hello
I’ve been skating for ages now and am OKish, can keep up with the front of a streetskate, do crossover turns, parallel turns etc and even slide a little, but I still just can’t get my t-stops up to a standard where I’d be happy taking off the heel brake for street skating…. So, a couple of questions:- How do I make my t-stops work, I keep ending in a spin?
- Do I bin my heel brake?
Cheers
Sara
Here are some useful tips to help you T-stop in a straight line.

• Practice your T-stops with no weight on the trailing leg. Get it really light. To do this bend that front knee much more and lean forward. Keep leaning until the point your training leg wants to lift. Look down. You should be looking not down at your skate or knee but at the ground in front. This is the position you should be T-stopping in to get lots of balance and power. Once you can balance lightly adding the power is the easy bit.

• Keep that leading skate on a center edge. If it’s on an inside or outside edge you will turn a corner and end up spinning. Control the edge by focusing on the sideways movement of your knee.

• Keep both your shoulders facing forward as you stop. This will minimize movement to your hips and then your feet.

To answer your second question. It’s really up to you. Heel brakes are considered by some to be uncool. We like them at SkatesCool. Used well they are the most powerful way to stop and don’t wear your wheels down.

Hi
Just need some help, my daughter loves roller skating, so we are trying to find where there are roller discos for kids. Its her birthday in November. Have you got any ideas or places to cut shapes and skate.
Thank you.
Phil
Rollercity in Welwyn Garden City has many family sessions. They are 20 miles from london and you can just hop on the train from kings cross. Their rink is 5 mins from welwyn garden city’s train station check out www.rollercity.co.uk for directions and opening times etc. Saturday or sunday are probably the best days. There is also quasar in the same building! Have fun Phil!

Hi.
Where can I get slalom cones from please?
Our favorite slalom cones can be ordered from Starway in Switzerland.
We think its worth the hassle of ordering from abroad as the cones are made from a bombproof soft rubber that is not too painful to fall on and are heavy enough to resist a bit of wind.
They cost EUR 15.80 for a box of 10.
Club Blue Room also sell the Seba Universkate slamon rigid plastic slalom cones in packs of 10 and 20 for £ 10 and £20

How often do I need to clean my bearings please?
Zee
That depends on how often you skate, for how long and whether you have been skating through lots of muddy puddles. Give your wheels a spin, if they sound scratchy you have dirt in the bearing and should not leave it too long before you clean your bearings properly. Chances are on average this will happen in 4-6 month periods of regular skating.
To avoid this chore as long as possible look at where your bearings are in the wheels. Are they dirty and sandy? This dirt will eventually work it’s way inside the bearing. Wait till the dirt is dry and suck it all away with the brush attachment of your hoover spinning each wheel as you suck and gently brush. No need to take the wheels off. Dont use a rag to remove the dirt, you’ll end up forcing the dirt bits into the bearing and make matters worse.

How do you clean pads and skates so they dont smell. I leave my skates to dry but they really stink. Can I machine wash my pads?
It’s bacteria build up in sweat that causes the bad smell. You can remove the liners from your skates and machine wash all the pads but that is a temporary fix and really only masks the horrible smell with a nicer one until the bacteria win through.
What we do here is soak our smelly stuff overnight a solution of warm water and a good slug of ‘Simple Solution’ pet stain and odor remover. It can be bought from pet shops and permanently removes the bacteria that causes the smell. It smells lovely too.