When were roller skates invented? The history of the creation of rollers. When choosing roller skates, it all starts with socks

Each of us at least once in our lives, but in fact much more often, has come across roller skates on the streets and in parks. It is hard to imagine: for more than two and a half centuries this wonderful invention has been giving joy to both adults and children. Want to know about the history roller skates? Read the article in full or click on the picture to move to the appropriate section.

How and when did roller skates appear? Here opinions differ. But most historians agree that our favorite videos were born in England, in the middle of the 19th century. 19th century skates are those that are most similar to modern quad skates (with 4 wheels).

The first non-steerable rollers on metal wheels

Of course, this was not the first variation of the invention. A hundred years earlier, sometime in 1745, the Englishman John Joseph Merlin created rollers with many metal wheels, very interesting to look at. But for some reason, the model did not receive mass distribution. Interesting fact: the inventor was also a good violinist and often gave performances at balls, cutting through the halls on roller skates. One of these performances ended quite enchantingly: a spectacular collision with a mirror that shattered to smithereens. How it all ended - history is silent. Apparently, this influenced the unpopularity of the "Merlin" commercials.

Inline rollers with wooden frame

Many people think that rollers with an inline wheel system (in a row) appeared later than quads. However, this is not entirely true. Back in 1819, an enterprising Frenchman by the name of Petitble patented rollers with 3 wheels installed in a row. The wheels went halfway into a wooden frame. All this interesting design was tied with a strap to the shoes. In the future, many repeated this principle, and the number of wheels varied from 2 to 6 pieces.

Plimpton's first patented quads

Let's return to the rollers with 4 wheels, which were presented and patented by the American James Plimpton. The stable four-wheel design has even been upgraded with a brake that takes this prototype caster to a new level of comfort. And it's 1863! Over time, many budget analogues of "Plimpton" videos appeared, and they became available to the general population. The 4-wheel design has gained great popularity: they not only rode on such rollers, but also performed spectacular dances. Until the end of the 20th century, quads remained the most popular rollers in the world.

First rollerdrome

But, as we all understand, the sidewalks of the second half of the 19th century were not very suitable for roller skating. Therefore, specialized rollerdromes began to appear, which only wealthy segments of the population managed to visit. The first of them was opened already in 1866 (for comparison: in Russia, serfdom was abolished 5 years earlier).

Rolleblade: how a classic was born

Everything began to change in the 1960s, when Scott and Brennan Olson decided to revive and improve inline videos. According to some version, they caught fire because they wanted to give hockey players (which they themselves were) the opportunity to train in the absence of ice and skates. The brothers took the Chicago Roller Skates as a basis and improved by arranging the wheels in a row. After 20 years of searching, in 1980, Scott registers the Rollerblade company, which has been the world leader in the production of roller skates for more than 30 years.

These videos quickly found their admirers and soon outstripped the quad in popularity. However, the first Rollerblade models had a significant drawback: a hard boot, created by analogy with a hockey version, gave good protection, but did not give sufficient comfort for long skiing.

The problem was solved by the company - another one of the world's top manufacturers of roller skates. They created a technology for the production of a soft boot for rollers - Soft Boot - which was quickly picked up by other manufacturers.

Modern history of roller skating

The history of videos does not stand still. Now it is no longer possible to divide all the rollers only according to the wheel arrangement. During this time, many styles of skating have appeared in the world, and, consequently, types of rollers: fitness, freeskate, slalom, speedskate, aggressive and others.

You can understand all the variety and understand which videos to choose on our website. The Rollerpower roller and skate store presents best models from leading industry manufacturers from Europe, America, Russia: Rollerblade, K2, Powerslide, Tech Team and many others.

The history of development and the history of the emergence of roller skates is very interesting. The first mention of the practice of skating on roller boots is captured in 1743. This event took place in London, the inventor is still unknown. The very first printed demonstration was a demonstration of roller boots with metal wheels in 1760. This creation was shown by John Joseph Merlin. It turned out that the boots according to the drawing were unfinished: the inventor's boots turned out to be uncontrollable. And through the surprised and shocked audience, in the midst of the ball, Meralin drove into a small mirror near the door. Both the mirror and the master designer suffered. Beau monde did not properly appreciate the novelty and considered it a traumatic occupation. Certification for the invention of roller skates was approved in the French Republic in 1819 by M. Petitbled.

Models of skates in the first half of the 19th century differed from modern ones. Rollers with paired arrangement of wheels. Quad skates, first demonstrated in 1863 in New York; this model was designed by Leonard Plimpton. In 1866, a rollerdrome opened to the interested public with the approval of Plimpton in Newport. This model of skates remained dominant until the second half of the twentieth century.

In 1876, William Brown (William Braun) found a way and developed, and later filed a patent for the prototype of modern rollers with bearings. The wheel contained a pair of bearings and a metal axle. And also a brake for skates was patented. This modification of the brake is still used today on quad rollers.

In 1979, Scott Olson and Brennan Olson demonstrated inline rollers designed in the 1960s by the Chicago Roller Skate Company. It was decided that this roller model is well suited for asphalt hockey training. Based on the results of the test of this model of skates, it was decided to use the design of hockey boots for everyday training outside the ice skates. After some time, Scott Olson organized the Rollerblade Inc. company. Success soon followed. Many such companies began to follow the trend of Olson, who in turn did not fail. Indeed, at that time, such videos as quads began to fade into the background, giving way to inline videos.

Until 1995, almost all videos were offered to the buyer in a hard boot, somewhat similar to ski boots. In 1995, K2 demonstrated a soft boot inline skate; they in turn the best way suitable for leisurely walking. This type of skate model has become dominant in the popularity of skating among young people in the next decade.

In 1997, Upsidedown opened in the USA. She demonstrated a revolutionary model of skates - Damocles. Many of its parts could be easily replaced. Such as frame, cuffs and buckle. Its main focus was aggressive rollers, allowing to change almost all the details of the rollers to analog ones, but from other manufacturers. A year later, the company changed its name to the sounding USD, which gave it a lot of "weight" and popularity in the roller skate industry.

The first roller skates appeared ... at the beginning of the 18th century! Then the Dane Hans Brinkner attached small wooden coils to his shoes. However, the design was so imperfect that his idea was forgotten for a long time.

The real inventor of roller skates was Joseph Merlin, a Belgian manufacturer of musical instruments. Attaching two metal wheels to ice skates, in 1760 he presented the novelty to the London court at a costume ball. Merlin accompanied the graceful sliding on the parquet floor by playing the violin. The audience applauded enthusiastically. Inspired by success, the 25-year-old inventor began to spin faster, faster and ... at full speed crashed into an expensive mirror, smashing it to smithereens, a violin and seriously injured himself. There were no brakes on his skates then.

The first "successful" display of roller skates took place in 1849, when the Frenchman Louis Legrange used roller skates to mimic ice skating in his play "Le Prophete". He made roller skates by attaching small wheels to ice skates. Progress was visible to the naked eye

And only More than 100 years after the fall of Merlin, thanks to the American James Plimpton, rollers with 4 wheels and a rubber brake were born. Plimpton's development is considered the basis for the modern inline skate. It was his idea to organize mass ice rinks. Initially, this idea was aimed only at the upper strata of society, but with the arrival of emigrants to the states, the situation changed and everyone who could afford to buy skates on wheels or roller skates, as we now call them, began to ride!

And a century later, a less global invention appeared, but still the know-how of Vladimir Efimov. (We are proud of our domestic invention!) Rollers with a single mount for skates and skis.

But we are used to seeing such a skate now:

Modern roller skates are equipped with high performance, take into account the differences female feet from men's, have the ability to adjust the size for children's videos. Have you heard about the possibility of connecting skates to a computer with the subsequent calculation of the effectiveness of training, speed, distance traveled? What about skates with a Flash card slot? All this already allows us modern technology.

It remains only to choose what exactly you need from the videos!

On the first rollers, the wheels were located, as well as on modern ones, in one line. Such models are called inline (inline). And in 1863, quad skates were developed in New York. In them, the wheels were located on both sides of the platform. This gave them additional stability and reduced the number of falls. And it was much easier for beginners to learn how to ride. Thus, quads replaced inline roller skates for a long time. The inventor was James Leonard Plimpton. In 1866, the first inline skating rink was opened in Newport at the initiative of Plimpton. This type of entertainment has become increasingly popular among the population.

In 1876, the design of roller skates was supplemented by two innovations at once. The first of these is a wheel, which consisted of 2 bearings and an axle. It was written by William Bown. Modern wheels for rollers were developed and improved on the basis of this invention. The second is a brake for roller skates. This quad brake design has remained virtually unchanged to this day.

Roller skates with wheels arranged in one line, familiar to us, appeared in 1979. Their concept was developed back in the 60s by the Chicago Roller Skate Company, but was not very popular. It wasn't until a few years later that they were noticed by Scott and Brennan Olson. They decided that skates of this design are the best suited for training hockey players without ice, because in shape they are very close to ordinary skates. The Olsons have improved the model by equipping and supplementing it with the latest technical innovations. The rollers were attached to the boots from hockey skates. A few years later, Scott Olson founded Rollerblade Inc. Inline skates became popular, and other companies began to make them. Quads have ceased to be popular, although they have not completely disappeared. They were made mainly for children.

In the same 1979, roller wheels began to be made of polyurethane. Prior to this, wheels were made from a wide variety of materials, such as metal or even hardwoods (boxwood). But wood wears out quickly, and metal does not dampen vibrations at all. Polyurethane has such properties as abrasion resistance, impact resistance, elasticity, rolling resistance. This made the wheels much more durable, reduced rolling vibration and made it easier to control the movement.

Until the end of the 20th century, roller skates had a hard boot. In 1995, K2 began producing inline skates with a comfortable soft boot. This innovation, of course, quickly became widely used.

Roller skates at the beginning of the 19th century were not like modern ones. Skates with paired wheels, two-track ( quads), first appeared in 1863 in New York and was designed by James Leonard Plimpton (eng. James Leonard Plimpton). The first public rollerdrome was opened with Plimpton's support in 1866 at Newport. It was this design of skates that remained dominant almost until the end of the 20th century.

In 1979, Scott Olson and Brennan Olson introduced inline skates with the wheel arrangement that is familiar today in a line (single runner) [ ], developed in the 1960s by the Chicago Roller Skate Company. They decided that these skates have great potential for off-ice hockey practice. As a result, boots from hockey skates were used and the latest technologies were applied at that time. A few years later, Scott Olson founded the Rollerblade company. Rollerblade Inc.) The success was deafening. Soon, many other companies began to make similar skates, so Olson's developments actually created a new industry, and single-sided rollers became much more popular than the then-usual two-sided skates. Since the 1960s, single and double skid models have been produced in the USSR.

Until the mid-1990s, almost all inline skates had a hard boot that resembled ski boot. In 1995, K2 K2) introduced the first soft boot skates, which were much better suited to recreational skating and soon became dominant.

In 1997, a new company, Upsidedown, appeared in America [ ], whose first model of rollers - Damocles - was truly revolutionary. Many of its details are the frame, buckle (a plastic fastener in the upper part of the boot that fixes the leg), caf (cuff of rollers with a hard boot on which the buckles are attached), soulplates (hard plastic inserts attached to the bottom of the boot and designed to perform sliding ) could be replaced. By the way, the name of the company was symbolic: they wanted to turn the entire industry of aggressive skating on its head (English: upside down), allowing you to change almost all parts of roller skates for similar ones, but from other manufacturers. This would give skaters a unique opportunity to create videos that would fully meet their requirements and preferences. A year later, the company changed its name to the shorter and more sonorous USD and very soon became one of the largest and most respected firms in the aggressive skating market.

Classification of modern roller skates

Roller skates are divided according to the style of skating:

• Freeskate(colloquial fsk) - fast extreme city riding with tricks from jumps and overcoming obstacles. A feature of freeskate rollers is a durable hard boot for stability, a strong frame for jumping.
• Slalom- artistic skating on the markings from the cones and the execution of figures. Slalom rollers feature reduced weight, a rigid frame for precise power transmission and medium softness for greater freedom of movement. Slalom rollers are usually chosen by professionals or beginner skaters who are purposefully going to practice slalom.
• Aggressive- extreme skating in the city (called "Street") and in the ramp (called Vert) with jumps, spins, slides and acrobatic elements. Aggressive rollers feature a massive heavy boot for stability and cushioning, a short and solid frame for sliding, and wide small wheels for stable landings.

Run- (or speedskating, speedskating) roller skating. A feature of running rollers is a light boot (and in general they try to lighten the entire structure as much as possible) without lateral support and large-diameter wheels for maximum speed.

• Figure skating - execution of elements from the ice figure skating on rollerskates. A feature of skates for figure skating is a special stop in the front of the frame, necessary for performing rotations, and wheels located in an arc similar to the shape of a blade for ice figure skates.
• Hockey- playing roller hockey. Hockey rollers feature a low boot for maneuverability, durability for safety, and good ventilation.
• off-road riding- skiing outside the city and asphalt. A feature of off-road rollers are large pneumatic rubber wheels of large diameter.
• Downhill- "down the hill". High-speed descent on the roads "downhill". Very, very remotely, you can write to Speed ​​skating. Requirements for rollers - ensuring the greatest stability, strength. Long frames with 5 wheels can be used.

The structure of roller skates

Roller skates consist of the following parts:

• Inner(English liner) - a soft boot that fixes the foot inside the boot. The liner is missing on fitness and other types of skates with a one-piece boot.
• boot(English shell) - the main part of the roller skate, to which the frame is attached.
• Cuff or cafe(English cuff) - an ankle support and fixation system. It has a semicircular shape and is attached to the boot. Usually made of plastic or carbon fiber (carbon fiber). May be absent for professional models(track rollers) or have a massive structure for the best fixation and support of the foot on aggressive skates.
• Buckle(English buckle) - part of the cafe, a plastic belt with teeth, which is used to fix the cuff. To stiffen the boot and better fixation in some models of roller skates, it can be additionally installed on the boot and replace the heel strap.
• Heel strap(English strap) - a belt attached to the boot and fixing the heel. Usually made of Velcro, less often in the form of a buckle.
• Frame(English frame) is a plastic, metal and sometimes carbon (carbon fiber) supporting structure, which is attached to the boot on one side, and wheels are attached to it on the other. The frame for rollers can be removable, or be a monolithic part of the boot. Removable frames are more common.
• wheels- polyurethane wheels of various rigidity. On cheap or children's roller skates, you can find plastic wheels. Off-road roller skates are equipped with pneumatic wheels. Inserted into the wheels bearings And bushings. Wheels are attached to the frame axes.
• Heel brake- brake block. Usually put on one shoe. It can be passive (fixed) or active (the brake pad is lowered when the roller is pushed forward).

boot

Boots can be divided into hard and soft, high and low, and also classified according to the materials from which they are made: plastic, carbon fiber (carbon).

Soft boot (SoftBoot)

The boots of most skates designed for sports skating are soft. A soft boot provides enough control for most situations and is simply lighter than a hard boot. Its main purpose is to create a feeling of comfort for people who do not need full leg fixation. Most inline boots are tall, meaning they support the ankle from bending sideways, which helps prevent sprains. For beginners without special sports training this shoe is highly recommended. [ ] There are also low boots, top part which ends just above the level of the ankle, slightly covering it from the side.

hard boot

A hard boot "holds" the foot well. A hard boot is made quite tight, made of hard plastic with an inner soft "felt boot" (sometimes it is also called a "liner", from the English "liner") and, thanks to this, fixes the foot well. It is used in cross-country skates with a low boot, where the ankle is not fixed and it is simply impossible to run effectively with a soft boot, in slalom, where the increased fixation of the leg makes it easier to perform particularly difficult elements, in freeskate and aggressive boots, where increased boot strength is needed to perform stunt jumps. elements.

Skeleton boot

These boots, reminiscent of snowboard bindings, consist of plastic bindings that hold a skater's foot wrapped in a running shoe. There are fitness models of skates with such a boot, but aggressive skates with a boot of this kind (XSJado) have gained particular popularity.

low boot

If it is a soft boot (SoftBoot), then the height of the edge of the boot above the ankle is 2-3 cm, such boots are called “training”, which implies that it is designed for a more comfortable training of speed skaters. Rollers with such a boot are usually equipped with a long frame with wheels from 90 mm.

The running boot is the lowest and stiffest of the above, and therefore requires careful selection for the foot, and, as a rule, subsequent adjustment. Often, professional running rollers are made for a specific athlete. Top edge height running shoe- just above the ankle. The boot itself is made of carbon fiber (sometimes fiberglass) with a thin layer of 1-2 mm leatherette (or microfiber) on the inner surface to soften contact with the foot. The ankle in such a boot is absolutely free and is not fixed in any way, therefore, to ride in such boots, it is necessary correct technique. At the same time, the rigidity of the fixation of the foot allows for more precise positioning of the skate when running, the rigidity of the sole contributes to a more complete transfer of force, and the free ankle facilitates leg movements. In addition, the weight of such a boot is much lower.

Frame

The material and structure of the frame is determined by the style of skating, which is assumed when choosing roller skates by the buyer. Most fitness models have non-removable frames, so frame replacement is not possible.

Frames for fitness

Usually they have a length of 240-280 mm (including depending on the size of the foot and, accordingly, the boot), are made of plastic or aluminum alloys. In such frames, wheels from 76 to 82 mm are usually installed.

Frames for hockey

Hockey puts a lot of stress on the frame, including shock, so frames are stiffer and heavier, and usually shorter. They are usually made of metal, or, more rarely, of plastic. Often the frames of hockey roller skates have the ability to set the wheels at different heights relative to the surface (so-called rockering), thus increasing maneuverability is achieved. Hockey frames are designed for wheel diameters from 72 to 80 mm.

Frames for slalom, freeskate

They are made of metal, and usually not light aluminum alloys, from which the frame is made by the method, but alloys of magnesium and titanium. Frames are made by extrusion (pressing or extrusion), or machined on high-precision CNC machines. They have a length of 216 to 270 mm and are designed to fit wheels from 72 to 84 mm. It is often possible to install rockering (similar to hockey frames).

Aggressive Riding Frames

Usually the lowest and stiffest (for extra stability when jumping) are made only of plastic. They have a relatively short length and are designed for wheels up to 61 (earlier, then there were options for 72 - 80) mm in diameter. Sometimes they contain replaceable parts that are subject to the most damage (abrasion) when performing tricks.

Frames for powerblading

A type of frame for aggressive skiing, which implies the installation of wheels of a larger diameter (up to 80 mm) while maintaining the ability to slide along the railings and edges (that is, with a groove in the middle). They are usually made entirely of plastic.

Frames for speed skating (downhill)

They usually have a considerable length (up to 300 mm) and are designed to install wheels with a diameter of up to 125 mm. They are made from alloys of various metals and have significant rigidity.

Frame materials

Nylon (nylon and similar materials)

These materials are quite soft and therefore are used either in the cheapest or outdated models of roller skates. Often the frame is made as part of a boot (single mold). The softness of the material is compensated by its thickness. The result is the relative weight of the frame.

fiberglass

Composite material. In the manufacture of the frame, a more rigid fiberglass is used as a base (matrix), which is filled with nylon. These frames are lighter and stiffer than pure nylon frames. The manufacturing technology is relatively inexpensive, so these frames are usually put on entry-level inline skates or beginner inline skates. Their main drawback is the insufficient strength of the frame, so they do not tolerate high jumps and impact loads.

CFRP (carbon frames)

It is also a composite material, but instead of a matrix, carbon fiber is used (harder and lighter than fiberglass) or carbon fiber in combination with fiberglass. The main advantage of such frames is elastic deformation, that is, the frame allows itself to be bent in a certain range and at the same time returns to its original shape. The disadvantage of such frames is that they are more expensive than fiberglass, so they are placed on top-level fitness models.

Composite

These frames are made by a cold pressing process followed by pressure sintering of a carbon fiber and fiberglass sandwich. Often, such frames even surpass aluminum in strength and resistance to torsion and fracture, but the price allows them to be used only on expensive fitness models.