Editing Inline skates (section)

== Boots ==

=== Hard boots ===

{{multiple image
 | direction = vertical
 | width1 = 220
 | image1 = Inline skate parts-Hard Boot n Liner-Powerslide One Zoom-IMG 5938-IMG 5944-bg-FRD.png
 | width2 = 220
 | image2 = Inline skate parts-Hard Boot n Liner-Powerslide One Zoom-IMG 5949-IMG 5971-bg-FRD.png
 | caption2 = Hard boot with pivoting cuff, top buckle, 45° velcro strap, laced front facing, and removable liner
}}

Hard boots dominated the inline skate market in the 1980s and 1990s at the inception of modern inline skating. They are made of plastic, fiberglass, carbon fiber, or other solid materials. A removable liner in a hard boot provides a snug yet comfortable fit between a skater's foot and the hard shell.<ref name="vegter-hybrid-hard-boot-soft-boot"/><ref name="powerslide-hard-soft-hybrid-boots"/><ref name="skamidan-inline-skating-in-brief"/>

Hard boots use a combination of velcro straps and plastic buckles as closures. Some also use laces for the facing of the boot, while others have a front strap (or buckle) instead of or in addition to laces. The front lace and top buckle secure the foot inside the boot. To achieve proper heel lock, the liner is shaped to fit the heel, and the 45° strap (or buckle) presses the instep of the foot against the contour of the liner.<ref name="powell-svensson-inline-skating"/>{{rp|15–18}}

Hard boots have a high cuff (or shaft) to provide proper ankle support. In order to accommodate dorsiflexion, the cuff is made to pivot near the ankle bones. As a skater leans their shin forward, the hinged cuff rotates to follow the lower leg while continuing to provide lateral ankle support.<ref name="powell-svensson-inline-skating"/>{{rp|15–18}}

Molds used in plastic injection molding are expensive to make. As a result, plastic hard boots are usually available only in so-called "dual sizes". One hard shell is made for two US and EU shoe sizes (e.g. US 9-10, and EU 42-43). A thicker liner is provided for US 9 and EU 42 to fill the gaps, while a thinner liner is provided for US 10 and EU 43. Some manufacturers offer "dual fit" liners, where the same liner can accommodate two shoe sizes using elastic parts, memory foam, and other compressible space-filling materials.<ref name="vegter-hybrid-hard-boot-soft-boot"/><ref name="powell-svensson-inline-skating"/>{{rp|15–18}}

=== Soft boots ===

[[File:K2 Fatty SC-EU edition-aka US Backyard Bob-updated 1997 1998-Aggressive Inline Skates-A Schneider-IMG 0759-Profile-bg.png|thumb|right|200px|K2 Fatty SC, 1997]]

K2 introduced soft boots to inline skating in 1993 with its Exotech line of recreational skates, marking the company’s entry into the sport. Building on this innovation, K2 later released the legendary K2 Fatty, an aggressive skate featuring the same soft-boot design. Since then, similar soft boots have come to dominate the recreational skate market.<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.historylink.org/File/3901
|title=K2 Corporation (K2 Sports) — a History
|first1=Andy
|last1=Luhn
|date=2002-07-23
|website=HistoryLink.org
|url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240914163503/https://www.historylink.org/File/3901
|archive-date=2024-09-14
|access-date=2025-02-18
}}</ref><ref name="gorski-skate-o-pedia-aggressive-skates">{{cite web
|url=http://www.inlineskates.com/Aggressive-Skates/article-3-27-2010%2Cdefault%2Cpg.html
|title=Skate-O-Pedia / Articles / Aggressive Skates
|first1=Chris
|last1=Gorski
|website=Inlineskates.com
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018234026/http://www.inlineskates.com/Aggressive-Skates/article-3-27-2010%2Cdefault%2Cpg.html
|archive-date=2021-10-18
|access-date=2025-02-09
}}</ref>

They are akin to hiking shoes, made of textiles, mesh, neoprene, and other soft materials. Liners are integrated into the soft boot, and are thus not removable or replaceable. A soft boot is reinforced in strategic areas with a plastic exoskeleton for structural support.<ref name="powerslide-hard-soft-hybrid-boots"/><ref name="skamidan-inline-skating-in-brief"/><ref name="powell-svensson-inline-skating"/>{{rp|15–18}}

A soft boot uses a pivoting cuff to support the lower leg, like hard boots. Otherwise, its exoskeleton covers only a small area of the foot. This allows the boot to provide superior airflow through its fabric for moisture extraction, to keep the foot cool.<ref name="vegter-hybrid-hard-boot-soft-boot"/>

{{multiple image
 | direction = horizontal
 | total_width = 400
 | image1 = Fila inline skates-bg.png
 | image2 = Child's Inline Skates-bg.png
 | caption1 = Fila soft boots
 | caption2 = Rollerblade soft boots
}}

Soft boots use closure systems similar to those of hard boots. These include laces, velcro straps, and buckles. Lacing the front of the boot is key to securing the foot within the boot, due to the lack of exoskeleton support in this area. On the other hand, the flexible front of the boot readily accommodates different shapes of foot. Soft boots thus provide a more comfortable fit at the expense of reduced rigidity and support, making them suitable for beginners and casual skaters. Committed enthusiasts, however, generally avoid soft boots due to their lack of direct and immediate response to skating moves, a result of elastic hysteresis.<ref name="vegter-hybrid-hard-boot-soft-boot"/>

Soft boots are lighter and generally more affordable than hard boots. They are also easier to manufacture in precise shoe sizes. While hard boots typically come in dual sizes, soft boots are available in half sizes for US shoe measurements (e.g., US 9.5, 10, and 10.5) and, in some cases, for EU sizes as well (e.g., EU 39.5, 40, and 40.5).<ref name="vegter-hybrid-hard-boot-soft-boot"/><ref name="powell-svensson-inline-skating"/>{{rp|15–18}}

=== Hybrid boots ===

{{multiple image
 | direction = horizontal
 | image1 = Hybrid soft boot-Inline skate with a carbon fiber shell-PS Tau.png
 | image2 = Hybrid soft boot-Inline skate with a carbon fiber shell-PS Tau-shell highlighted.png
 | caption1 = Hybrid soft boot
 | caption2 = Endoskeleton shell 
 | width1 = 180
 | width2 = 180
}}

[[File:Hybrid soft boot-Inline skate with a carbon fiber shell-PS Tau-translucent showing a foot.png|thumb|right|180px|Foot and shell]]

Hybrid boots, also known as hybrid soft boots, look superficially similar to soft boots, complete with soft materials covering a large part of the boot. Unlike soft boots, however, hybrid boots have no exoskeleton reinforcement apart from the pivoting cuff. These boots have an endoskeleton instead, in the form of a composite shell. The shell serves as the sole of the boot, with shell walls extending upward from the sole. The soft upper part of the boot is pulled taut over the shell and glued onto it.<ref name="powerslide-hard-soft-hybrid-boots"/><ref name="vegter-hybrid-hard-boot-soft-boot"/>

Hybrid boots are lighter than hard boots and soft boots. Yet they remain rigid where the foot meets the boot. Integrated liners in hybrid boots can be made thinner than removable liners in hard boots. In higher-end hybrid boots, the integrated liner is heat-moldable for the best custom fit, and the shell is made of carbon fiber. A hybrid shell sits much closer to the foot than a hard shell or the exoskeleton of a soft boot. As a result, hybrid boots provide more direct and responsive power transfer from a foot to wheels.<ref name="powerslide-hard-soft-hybrid-boots"/><ref name="xinhaidude-carbon-fiber-inline-skates"/>

Hybrid boots originated from the development of carbon shells in speed skates during the 1990s and 2000s. In the 2020s, manufacturers like Powerslide offer hybrid inline skates, including models such as the Hardcore Evo, Tau, and Swell. However, the term "hybrid" has yet to gain universal acceptance, and these boots are often marketed as high-end soft boots.<ref name="powerslide-hard-soft-hybrid-boots"/><ref name="bladeville-hybrid-softboots">{{cite web
|url=https://bladeville.com/blog/softboot-skates-not-that-bad-actually
|title=Softboots - not that bad, actually!
|website=Bladeville
|date=2022-04-02
|url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230525050100/https://bladeville.com/blog/softboot-skates-not-that-bad-actually
|archive-date=2023-05-25
|access-date=2025-02-01
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|first1=Ricardo
|last1=Lino
|title=Soft boot vs hard boot - skates vlog132
|others=See video transcript
|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHDP3pm46FY
|website=youtube.com
|language=en
|format=video
|date=2017-08-02
}}</ref>

=== One-piece carbon boots ===

[[File:TRUE inline hockey skate vs its one-piece carbon fiber shell-TF Pro Senior Custom-IMG 4440-FRD.jpg|thumb|right|220px|One-piece monocoque shell]]

One-piece carbon boots were developed for speed skating in the 1990s. These are boots built around a carbon fiber-reinforced composite shell, where the shell almost completely surrounds a foot. After eyelet holes are punched out of a shell, the shell is usable as a functional boot if laced.

[[File:Inline Hockey Skates-One piece vs Two piece shell-US8329083B2 2012 vs US9656153B2-2017.png|thumb|right|300px|Two-piece shell (left) vs. one-piece shell (right), indicated by shaded areas]]

In the 21st century, hockey skate makers began to experiment with composite shells inspired by these advances in speed skates.<ref name="vh-hockey-about-page-before-2015">{{cite web
|url=http://www.vhhockey.com/about
|title=About VH Hockey
|website=VH Hockey
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225151309/http://www.vhhockey.com/about
|archive-date=2015-02-25
|access-date=2025-01-18
}}</ref> For instance, in 2004, Easton Sports filed for a patent on an "unitary shell" made from fiber-reinforced resin, with sections of integrated walls arising from the sole.<ref name="us-patent-7950676-easton-unitary-shell-w-wall-sections-2004">{{Cite patent
|country=US
|number=7950676
|fdate=2004-09-10
|pubdate=2005-06-02
|gdate=2011-05-31
|title=Article of footwear comprising a unitary support structure and method of manufacture
|inventor1-first=Edward M.
|inventor1-last=Goldsmith
|assign1=Easton Sports, Inc.
|assign2=Bauer Hockey LLC
}}</ref> Easton's Synergy 1300C came out in 2005, with a unitary shell made with carbon and aramid fibers. This is widely recognized as the first retail hockey skate with a composite shell.<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.hockeyworld.com/Easton-Synergy-1300C-Hockey-Skates-05-Model-Senior
|title=Easton Synergy 1300C Hockey Skates ('05 Model)- Senior
|website=Perani's Hockey World
|url-status=live
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250119155948/https://www.hockeyworld.com/Easton-Synergy-1300C-Hockey-Skates-05-Model-Senior
|archive-date=2025-01-19
|access-date=2025-01-19
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.hockeyforum.com/threads/easton-synergy-skates-break-in.34507/
|title=Easton Synergy Skates Break-In?
|website=Hockey Forum
|url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250119155226/https://www.hockeyforum.com/threads/easton-synergy-skates-break-in.34507/
|archive-date=2025-01-19
|access-date=2025-01-19
}}</ref> A rigid shell exacerbates inherent conflicts arising from key design goals for a hockey skate: being lightweight, economical, a firm support structure comprising an outsole and a quarter package, and lastly, fitting this support to the different foot shapes of individual players. The fitting issue can be mitigated by adding a layer of heat-moldable materials to the quarter package, such that a player can finish the final molding process of a boot at a skate shop or at home. Heat molding became possible in 2006, with the Easton Synergy 1500C.<ref>{{cite magazine
| author      = <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->
| title       = What's New: Recreation
| url         = https://books.google.com/books?id=dEsX3WG3hEwC&pg=PA26
| magazine    = Popular Science
| volume      = 270
| number      = 1
| date        = January 2007
| page        = 26
| access-date = 2025-01-18
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=https://sidelineswap.com/gear/hockey/skates/7718248-easton-synergy-1500c-ihs-hockey-skates-size-9-5-e-black-men-skate-ice-sr-wide-w
|title=Easton Synergy 1500C IHS Hockey Skates
|website=Sideline Swap
|url-status=live
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250119160351/https://sidelineswap.com/gear/hockey/skates/7718248-easton-synergy-1500c-ihs-hockey-skates-size-9-5-e-black-men-skate-ice-sr-wide-w
|archive-date=2025-01-19
|access-date=2025-01-19
}}</ref>

Other hockey makers take it one step further, creating a single, unbroken composite shell that also incorporates the "facing" portion where eyelets are located. These '''one-piece''' [[monocoque]] shells are almost usable by themselves as functional skate boots, if laced and mounted with inline frames.<ref name="xinhaidude-carbon-fiber-inline-skates"/> With the advent of "one-piece" shells, the traditional hockey boot construction is now known as employing a '''two-piece''' shell, comprising a quarter package attached to an outsole.<ref>{{cite web
|title=One piece vs two piece hockey skate construction - Which is best?
|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QpSxqWy9lo
|website=youtube.com
|publisher=Hockey Tutorial
|language=en
|format=video
|date=2019-11-05
}}</ref> A heat-moldable monocoque shell requires no breaking-in, unlike traditional hockey skates. All tuning needs are done by baking skates in an oven before wearing them, as often as needed.<ref name="got-hockey-interview-w-scott-van-horne"/>

[[File:MLX Hockey Skate-ca 2010-IMG 5847-FRD.png|thumb|right|150px|MLX hockey skate]]

The use of monocoque shell in hockey skates traces back to Scott Van Horne who started to make and sell custom composite speed skates in the 1990s.<ref name="reboot-hockey-interview-VH-hockey-on-van-horne">{{cite web
|url=https://reboothockey.wordpress.com/tag/scott-van-horne/
|title=Reboot Hockey Interview: VH Hockey
|others=dialog with founder Scott Van Horne on MLX, Easton Mako, VH Footware, custom hockey boots, ankle support, dorsiflexion, etc.
|date=2015-08-05
|website=Reboot Hockey
|url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250118050009/https://reboothockey.wordpress.com/tag/scott-van-horne/
|archive-date=2025-01-18
|access-date=2025-01-18
}}</ref> He incorporated VH Footwear in 1999, and made custom speed skates in the 2010s.<ref name="vh-hockey-about-page-before-2015"/><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.vhspeedskating.com/resources/
|title=Skate Fit / Find Your VH Size
|website=VH Speed Skating
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723120911/http://www.vhspeedskating.com/resources/
|archive-date=2008-07-23
|access-date=2025-01-19
}}</ref> Van Horne  worked with [[Dave Cruikshank]] to file hockey skate patents in 2009 and 2011, on a composite shell and removable tongue / tendon guard.<ref name="us-appl-20110101665-van-horne-cruikshank-mlx-lowcut-shell-tendon-guard-2009">{{Cite patent
|country=US
|number=20110101665
|status=application
|fdate=2009-10-30
|pubdate=2011-05-05
|title=Hockey skate
|inventor1-first=Scott
|inventor1-last=Van Horne
|inventor2-first=David
|inventor2-last=Cruikshank
|assign1=Dasc LLC (MLX), then to Easton Sports, Inc.
|assign2=Bauer Hockey LLC
}}</ref><ref name="us-patent-8596650-van-horne-cruikshank-mlx-lowcut-shell-tendon-guard-2011">{{Cite patent
|country=US
|number=8596650
|pridate=2009-10-30
|fdate=2011-10-11
|pubdate=2012-02-02
|gdate=2013-12-03
|title=Hockey skate
|inventor1-first=Scott
|inventor1-last=Van Horne
|inventor2-first=David
|inventor2-last=Cruikshank
|assign1=Easton Sports, Inc.
|assign2=Bauer Hockey LLC
}}</ref> This shell foreshadowed that used in inline skates with a hybrid soft boot in the 2020s, and became the basis for the retail MLX Skate released in 2010 by Cruikshank's new company.<ref name="xinhaidude-carbon-fiber-inline-skates"/><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.mlxskates.com/story.html
|title=Our Story
|website=MLX: For Skaters By Skaters
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110127093730/http://www.mlxskates.com/story.html
|archive-date=2011-01-27
|access-date=2025-01-19
}}</ref> Easton Sports bought MLX in 2011, and worked with Cruikshank to release a new Easton Mako skate in 2013, based on the MLX Skate.<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://modsquadhockey.com/forums/topic/61887-easton-mako-skates/
|title=Easton Mako Skates: 2012-09-26
|website=Mod Squad Hockey
|date=26 September 2012
|url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129081356/https://modsquadhockey.com/forums/topic/61887-easton-mako-skates/
|archive-date=2020-01-29
|access-date=2025-01-19
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=https://hockeyworldblog.com/2013/03/15/easton-mako-skates-review-initial-impressions/
|title=Easton Mako Skates Review: Initial Impressions: 2013-03-15
|website=Hockey World Blog
|date=15 March 2013
|url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130323103901/https://hockeyworldblog.com/2013/03/15/easton-mako-skates-review-initial-impressions/
|archive-date=2013-03-23
|access-date=2025-01-19
}}</ref> Easton was later acquired by Chartwell Investments which subsequently sold it to Bauer.

{{multiple image
 | direction = horizontal
 | total_width = 340
 | footer = TF Pro inline skate (left) vs. ice skate (right)
 | image1 = TRUE Inline Hockey Skates-Riveted Frame and Wheels-low perspective view-IMG 4591-FRD.png
 | image2 = TRUE Ice Hockey Skates-Riveted Frame and Wheels-low perspective view-IMG 4603-FRD.png
}}

By then, Van Horne had gone back to perfecting custom speed skate boots. In 2012, he created tooling and a process to 3D-scan a skater's foot, and to 3D-print a custom last based on which a speed skate boot is shaped.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.vhspeedskating.com/products/vh-custom/
|title=VH Custom
|website=VH Speed Skating
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519113618/http://www.vhspeedskating.com/products/vh-custom/
|archive-date=2012-05-19
|access-date=2025-01-19
}}</ref> By 2015, VH Footwear had adopted the same tooling and process for hockey skates, filed a patent application, and marketed them under the brand VH Hockey.<ref name="us-patent-9656153-scott-van-horne-VH-footwear-monocoque-shell-2015">{{Cite patent
|country=US
|number=9656153
|fdate=2015-05-14
|pubdate=2016-11-17
|gdate=2017-05-23
|title=Skate boot with monocoque body
|inventor1-first=Scott
|inventor1-last=Van Horne
|assign1=VH Footware Inc
|assign2=Suntrust Bank
}}</ref><ref name="vh-hockey-about-page-before-2015"/><ref>{{cite web
|url=https://sharpskates.wordpress.com/2015/02/03/review-vh-footwear-custom-skates/
|title=Review: VH Footwear Custom Skates: 2015-02-03
|website=Sharp Skates
|date=3 February 2015
|url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160707051201/https://sharpskates.wordpress.com/2015/02/03/review-vh-footwear-custom-skates/
|archive-date=2016-07-07
|access-date=2025-01-19
}}</ref> [[True Temper Sports]] bought VH Hockey in 2016, and started to mass produce retail hokey skates with heat-moldable monocoque shells, as well as scaling up 3D scanning of feet at retail stores for custom True hockey skates,<ref name="got-hockey-interview-w-scott-van-horne">{{cite web
|first1=Dana
|last1=O'Connor
|title=Ep 21 Scott Van Horne - True - Legendary Skate Builder - Got Hockey
|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6GAJoJh7VE
|website=Got Hockey
|others=See transcript for this 45 minute chat with Scott Van Horne
|language=en
|format=video
|date=2023-09-07
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=https://hockeyworldblog.com/2016/11/22/true-temper-sports-acquires-vh-footwear/
|title=True Temper Sports Acquires VH Footwear: 2016-09-22
|website=Hockey World Blog
|date=22 November 2016
|url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250119225824/https://hockeyworldblog.com/2016/11/22/true-temper-sports-acquires-vh-footwear/
|archive-date=2025-01-19
|access-date=2025-01-19
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|title=True Hockey Skate Factory Tour
|others=Scott Van Horne showing the manufacturing process of a True hockey skate with a monocoque shell, as specified in VH Footware's US patent 9,656,153
|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_mb4-tL9NA
|website=youtube.com
|publisher=Inline Warehouse
|language=en
|format=video
|date=2023-07-26
}}</ref> leading to inline hockey skates such as the TF9 Roller Skate, and the TF Pro Custom Roller Skate in 2020.<ref name="the-hockeyshop-prod-page-True-TF9">{{cite web
|url=https://www.thehockeyshop.com/products/true-tf9-senior-roller-hockey-skates
|title=TRUE TF9 Senior Roller Hockey Skates
|website=The Hockey Shop
|url-status=live
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250119220702/https://www.thehockeyshop.com/products/true-tf9-senior-roller-hockey-skates
|archive-date=2025-01-19
|access-date=2025-01-19
}}</ref><ref name="coast-to-coast-prod-page-True-Pro">{{cite web
|url=https://coasthockeyshop.com/products/true-pro-custom-roller-hockey-skate
|title=True Pro Custom Roller Hockey Skate Senior
|website=Coast to Coast Hockey Shop
|url-status=live
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250119165038/https://coasthockeyshop.com/products/true-pro-custom-roller-hockey-skate
|archive-date=2025-01-19
|access-date=2025-01-19
}}</ref>