Places to buy skates

05/05/1998: In Renesse, check out Jonker Funsports, telephone 0111-461270, next to the Rabobank. Reportedly, they give good and honest advice, and have some different brands and all the accessories you could want. They also organize courses, when the weather is good.

05/05/1998: Free-wheel sells slap-skates, and, more interestingly, slap-skeelers.

20/10/1997: A skate shop in Zuid-Holland: Van der Hoorn Schaatssport, Westkanaalzijde, Ter Aar. Most long-distance skaters (skeelers) from the area buy their material here. (Biking clothing also available.) Also rents out skeelers (five wheel skates) for about f15,- per day.

In Twente, there is a skate and skeeler shop complete with their own homepage.

Another skatestore on the web is in Hilversum, and it's called Ramp Skatestore Hilversum. Address: Ericastraat 5, 1214 EJ Hilversum, phone 035-6280808, fax 035-6234204. They sell Roces, Bauer, Kryptonics, Vans, Acme, Ventura, Trucker, Hyper, Zembla and lots of other stuff. Everything from skateboard, and skates to clothing.

Rick Rateick (Tichard.G.Rateick.1@nd.edu) writes: While in Oldebroek, I found a well stocked sporting goods store which carried Interraps speed skates. They had both inline frames and ice boots. The address was: Sportshop Bos, Zuiderzeestraatweg 94, Oldebroek, phone: 0525-631475. Their prices for the Dutch made skates were much lower than in the U.S. (about half price).

In Amsterdam, there's Presto Cycle Sport, Haarlemmerstraat 76, 1013 ET Amsterdam, 020-6227078. Vincent Bloem (100536.2634@compuserve.com) bought some skates there, and he is quite satisfied with the store, says they sell only high-end skeelers, with a full range of products and a knowledgeable staff.

30/07/1997: Also in Amsterdam, there are two 'Speelboom' stores, called 'Sport en Spel' at Ceintuurbaan 57-59, 020-6622822 and Maasstraat 110, 020-6640770. They sell rollerskates, inline skates and even 5 wheel racer models ('skeelers'). Also all sorts of accessories.

In Delft, there's'RollSports', which is located around the corner of the municipal library. They carry Bauer, Rissports and Zandstra. They don't have much, neither in number of models or amount in stock, it seems. However, their Bauer brakes don't seem to be too expensive.

In Rotterdam, there's'RSI' in the Witte de With straat, 010-4133000. Just walk out of the Central Train station, walk straight ahead, and it's a left turn after a while. The shop is on the left side. They have a lot of different models, and all kinds of wheels. They sell all kinds of alternative sports gear and wear, and rent skates and rollerskates, too. A pair of skates costs about 40 guilders for one weekend, though you'll have to make a deposit (of 300 guilders or one check), too. Their website mostly has stuff about rollerskates and snowboards, but more stuff is coming, and is in Dutch.

In Capelle a/d IJssel, there's MK Skatesports, Libellendans 30, 2907 RN Capelle a/d IJssel, 010-4581600, please call before coming.

'Rodolfo's':

Amsterdam: Nieuwe Zijds Voorburgwal 182, this is in the Magna Plaza mall, near the Dam, the same place as the Virgin Megastore. They seem to have two phone numbers: 020-6231214 and 020-6240648. It's a small shop, with a moderate amount of skates. They also sell clothes and boards.

Amsterdam: Sarphatistraat 59, 020-6225488, which is a lot easier to reach by subway than by foot, coming from the central station. It's a bit bigger than the one in Magna Plaza. They have more skates, but most of all, they have lots of boards, also clothes. You can also rent skates here, when it's not raining (you should probably call to reserve), and padding too. When you buy a couple of skates as you return your rented skates, you get a refund.

Peter Elzinga (p.elzinga@tip.nl) writes: in Deventer, there is Burnside, Nieuwstraat 51, 0570-610445, owned by Herm Golbach. They participate in an organization called SUN, and also organize courses, among others for snowboarders.

Peter Foliant (peter@win.tue.nl) writes: In Eindhoven skates can be bought atSkateshop Lageja, Wolvendijk 143, 5641 AR Eindhoven, tel: 040-2813032. Lageja is one of the organizers of skate parties in the Beursgebouw Eindhoven. They sell all kinds of stuff related to skating, skateboarding, etc. They also sell clothing, like No Fear. I think they are trustworthy. In any case, they take time to answer your questions. Before I bought my skates, I rented a couple, and when I bought a couple, I got a complete refund.

05/05/1998: Lageja has now opened a second shop, called Lageja Backstage, which is supposed to be inside some other shop. Anyone have more detailed information?

Also in Eindhoven, there's Skate Shop 100%, Prins Hendrikstraat, Eindhoven, 040-2441051. Apparently they organised a party once. (Maybe more?) New information says they don't sell inline skates, only skateboards, but do have a nice collection of clothes.

08/01/1997: Also in Eindhoven, there is v/d Biggelaar, an Intersport shop, Kleine Berg 61A, 5611JTG Eindhoven, 040-2442616, fax 040-2448335. They are mentioned in the phone book as a ski and surf shop, but apparently also have lots of inline skates.

In Den Bosch, you can buy skates atDown Town Sports, 073-6148656. They have organised a skate party, too.

In Scheveningen, check out Surfshop Go Klap, Dr. Lelykade 44, Scheveningen, 070-3548679. Apart from surfboards and snowboards, and lots of clothing, they also have quite a few different models of skates. Also, it's close to the boulevard, and they rent skates, too.

Teddy Dako (90002823@student.sem.hhs.nl) reports: Also in Scheveningen, there is a good skate shop on the Badhuisstraat, opposite the Chinese restaurant. They also rent skates for f20,- per day. They seem to be the only skate store in the area selling K2 skates, and the sales people are quite friendly.

Or, if all this is too far away, and you have a credit card, you can buy your skates on the Web! Check out Pedersen's Ski and Sport, a shop that ships worldwide and has inline skates, and other sports products. Unfortunately, they seem to have dropped out of business. (Link now pointing to another company.)

Related material

SKF bearings can now be bought directly from their website. Excellent info on bearings, too.

Sharon Cole (sprintz@sk.sympatico.ca) writes that she owns a Canadese company that designs and makes lycra clothing for competitive athletes, including clients who went to Lillehammer and Atlanta. They've been in business for 11 years and have a large range of colors and can even do custom designs. They also have a web page.

Also on the web is Aggressive Playground, a company that makes sports apparel. T-shirts, sweaters, caps, etc for all kinds of sports.

Approximate prices

All the prices that are named here are just an indication, and none too recent (from 1995 or 1996), since I moved to Sweden.

For a pair of skates, you can expect to pay at least f300,- (if you want to use them), and you could pay as much as f600,- or maybe even more. This depends heavily on the model and brand of skates, of course.

For a single bearing, you can pay from f4,25 for an ABEC1, to f6,75 for an ABEC5.

For wheels, expect to pay between f80 and f130 for a set of eight wheels.

For padding, expect to pay about f40 for a pair of wristguards or kneepads.

Teflon oil is about f15-f20, per 125ml.

A hopup kit would be f50-f70.

For grind plates you'll pay around f30.

Bauer brake pads (and probably other brands, as well) can be had for f15 per two.

Again, this is only a very meagre bit of information right now. I know that, but I hope it will grow. You can actively contribute to that growth by sending me information on skating in the Netherlands.

johannes@nada.kth.se