Looking for solutions on how to protect roller skates, roller skate boots, toes and other components so your skates stay beautiful through the often painful learning process? Want to learn how to protect skates inexpensively so they will last longer? Want to know how to keep skates clean and protected?
We have real solutions that real skaters ACTUALLY use! Everything you see here is easy to do and cheap!
If your a beginning skater chances are that you’re falling down…a lot. Maybe you’re already seeing your colorful (and expensive) skates getting marred up with scrapes, cuts, abrasions and inexplicable black marks.
OR maybe the damage has already been done to your skates and your looking for a way to make them nice again, suit your personal style or customize your skate look.
If you’re an aggressive skater or do most of your skating at a skate park…this is guide is also for YOU! The skate park totally shreds skates (especially in the learning phase)…protect your boots and you can make them last longer!
There are simple and inexpensive things that you can do to mitigate all that ugliness and keep your roller skate boots looking new. In fact we have 5 ways that you can protect your roller skates and keep them looking BEAUTIFUL through the beginner phase. Let’s dive right in.
How to Protect Roller Skates 5 Ways
1. Skate Wrap
I have been waiting AGES for a product like Skate Wrap! Skate Wrap is designed to fit literally any brand of roller skate (including artistic skates and standard quad roller skates). The adhesive material is super durable and flexible so that it may be stretched, applied, re-applied and manipulated to fit just about any skate out there.
Skate Wrap will help protect your skate boot, toe box, boot uppers and even the TONGUE from abrasions, scratches, nicks and cuts caused by falls. This will keep your boot looking nice for the long term OR hide damage you’ve already incurred.
When you get tired of one color or need to replace them due to damage, Skate Wrap is easy to remove and won’t leave gunky adhesive behind. Keep your original adhesive backing if you want to save or re-use the wrap in the future.
With 9 different colors to choose from you can totally customize the look of your roller skates (refer to the sizing guide in the pictures to make sure you grab the correct size for your boot brand). As an added bonus they also include matching laces!
2. Protective Skate Covers
Protective skate covers are affordable and yet another way to customize your quad skates in your own personal style. There are SO many colors and prints to choose from. I personally like to choose really bright, blacklight reactive colors so that they glow when I go to the skating rink. This is by far the EASIEST way to protect skates.
This product originated in the competitive ice skating community (and has been around for 30 years) so sometimes you’ll see them marketed for ice skaters but they also work perfectly with roller skates.
Boot covers are made of a shiny, stretchy Lycra type material (sorta like a leotard material) and they have elastic at the top and bottom of the boot shape. If you have suede skate boots like Moxi Lollies…this is a good solution to protect your skate boot.
You slip them onto your leg (like a sock) before you put your skates on…then you put your skates on like you normally would. You then slide the boot cover over your boot making sure to cover the whole boot. It’s comfortable and at these prices you can have several to customize your look or match your outfit…all while protecting your boot!
Click Here for Patterns Recommendation
Click HERE for Solids Recommendation
3. Skate TAPE
Skate tape is another product from the ice skating world that we can use on roller skates as well. Unfortunately there isn’t a huge array of colors to choose from (usually black, white and sometimes nude is available).
You’ll need a combo pack that comes in 2 different widths. You’ll essentially be placing several strips of tape horizontally across your skate boot. There is a detailed, step by step video HERE on how to tape your skates (watch this first before you decide). There is a method to the madness and if you do the tape right it’s hard to tell it’s even there. This tape is stretchy and flexible…and removal/replacement is easy with no sticky residue left behind.
I really love this product but the color limitations can be challenging for all the super colorful roller skates out there these days (my skates as an example are yellow Moxi Beach bunnies so this skate tape wouldn’t work very well).
4. Toe Caps
These Bont Faux Suede Toe Caps are the colorful and stylish way to protect the toe of your roller skate from being destroyed from all too common toe abrasions. These toe caps will definitely minimalize damage the most vulnerable area of the skate boot. Coming in at under $25 a pair, this is an inexpensive way to get basic protection for your boots.
The big downside is that only protects the toe area so you aren’t getting full skate protection. I also don’t love these as much as some of the previous products because several times I’ve caught my skate on these while doing crossovers at the rink and almost ate it. You have to get used to the front of your skate sticking out a just a little more than it used to. Overall, it’s a good solution for intermediate skaters who aren’t as much of a fall risk and maybe don’t need full boot protection.
One last note about toe caps! Make sure that the toe cap is installed between the brake and the nut. It should not go between the nut/locking nut and your skate plate or your brakes will unscrew eventually and fall out (very dangerous).
5. skate BaGS
If you want to fully protect your skates you also need to transport and store them properly. A skate Bag will keep your skates separated and keep them from banging/rubbing against each other and becoming damaged. Skate wheels, brakes and metal plates can blemish and even damage your boots inadvertently by banging/clanging into each other.
You can solve this with an inexpensive skate bag. We like this style because it has 3 compartments for fitting quite a bit of skate related equipment (pads, helmet, water bottle, phone, wallet etc along with your skates). This is a smaller bag meant for trips to the roller rink or skate park. This style of skate bag isn’t super comfortable to carry over long distances.
If you need a serious travel skate bag (with wheels) check out our in depth, skate bag buyers guide where we detail all the different types of skate bags available. Every skater should have a skate bag to keep skates clean and protect from damage.
6. Clean Your Roller Skate Wheels
All skate components require special cleaning and attention to keep them protected and performing at their best. Wheels and bearings are near the top of the list because they really impact the feel and performance of your skates. You can learn how to clean roller skate wheels HERE so you can keep your skates looking sharp and performing at their best.
I hope you learned how to protect roller skates in some new and novel ways! There are a lot great products out there that roller skaters may not be aware of because they are predominantly used by the ice skating community. I’ve used many of these products over my 35 years of skating so I know they work.
Whether it's cruising on concrete, jamming at the local rink or dropping in at the skatepark, Lisa J. Skates is the queen of balance and the motivation behind boardwalkskater.com, She's your ultimate guide to living your best life on wheels. With over 30+ years of first hand skating & coaching experience, Lisa’s infectious zeal makes you want to come along for the ride. She'll easily help you get started in roller skating, skateboarding or longboarding!