Roller skating: What toe stoppers to use?

Tips on how to choose the right roller skate toe stoppers, based on your skates and the type of use: Roller derby, Park, Rink Hockey, Artistic,...

Determining brake compatibility

Depending of you skates and its skate plates, you can or cannot use some kind of stoppers.

There is 3 kinds of toe stoppers stems:

_5/16" stems (the thinnest), These are the types commonly found on recreational roller skates, where the brake is fixed and cannot be adjusted in height. This option offers very little choice when it comes to replacement, and you will be forced to stick with a bell-shaped stopper or a dance plug.

_5/16"imperial stem (=US):The most common brakes on mid-range and high-end plates. The toe stopper can be adjusted in height, and you will have a wide selection of replacement formats.

_5/16"  Metric stem (European):Mainly concerns skates with Roll Line brand frames. This format is widely used in Rink Hockey as well as in high-end artistic skates. The principle remains the same as the previously mentioned format, but only Roll Line brand metric brakes are compatible.

Selecting the size and shape of the stoppers

There is many sizes and shapes of roller skate stoppers

Usualy, it will be considered that the wider it is, the more stable and powerful the brakes will be. Conversely, smaller brakes are more agile, lighter, and make pivot movements simpler.

For certain activities such as dancing, it is possible not to use brakes. In this case, adding a stopper called a dance plug is highly recommended to avoid the risk of damaging the tips of the skates plates.

Which brake for which discipline?

Here are some brake selection tips based on the discipline:

Cruise walks: Small to medium size stopper, &/or bell shape

"Roller Derby: Medium to wide-width toe stops depending on the player's position. For Jammers, a standard size like Gumball will provide a good balance of agility and initial power. For blockers, more width will offer additional power. Gumball superballs and Roll Line Hockey stoppers work very well.

Rink Hockey: Wide brake with a flat profile like Gumball Superball or Roll Line Hockey Stoppers.

Park: Medium size stopper, or Jam plug depending of your skating style

Dance: Small size stopper (ie: Roll Line Baby stopper) or dance plug

You will find a wide selection of quad roller brakes at your Fulkit store