If you've already looked at the tutorials on YouTube or attended a training session either to watch or take part, you will notice that all the skaters have different skates, wheels, frames, skinsuits, helmets. Everything! Obviously it's all down to personal preference, and there is an awful lot of choice out there.
Speed skates can be cheap or expensive, and are an investment, so it's important to get it right. They come in all sorts of shapes, colours and sizes and are available "off the shelf" or fully customizable. They are usually made of carbon fibre and most are heat-moldable so you can adjust them to the shape of your feet with a little patience and time. The most popular manufacturers are Luigino, Bont and Powerslide. It's best to browse the internet and do your research, read the reviews and ask the others at training how they find their skates. If you're a similiar size, you could even try them out if they'll let you!
As expected, wheels come in different diameters and hardness and this, of course, will affect performance. Rules will dictate which size you can race on if you are younger. The skater's weight is also a factor in wheel performance. It's a minefield of deciding which hardness to go for as all surfaces are different. For instance, the Derby and Wisbech rinks are maplewood floors, yet Maldon has a coated surface. Outdoors, Birmingham wheels has a rougher surface than Tatem Park. You may also notice that at races in other countries the tracks have a coloured surface (usually blue) which is extremely smooth, grippy and fast in dry conditions, yet slippery in the wet. Most skaters tend to favour Matter G13 or Code White wheels, or the Bont Red or Black Magic wheels, but these are available in various hardnesses! Advice from more experienced skaters will help. But trial and error is the only way to find out which is best for you.
As mentioned on the "Preventing Injuries" page, safety helmets are compulsory at all times whilst skating. Most skaters wear cycling helmets as they are aerodynamic, comfy to wear and there's plenty of choice at affordable prices.
There are lots of frames to choose from - material, size, colour and shape. The lighter they are, the better as they may hinder performance if they are heavy and clumpy. Aluminium is a good choice, but of course, the most expensive and best material is carbon fibre. It depends on your budget!
Knee, wrist or elbow protection is not compulsory, but does come highly recommended, particularly for inexperienced skaters and outdoor skating. Even our coaches and British Champions wear knee and hand protection outdoors. Crashing is unfortunately inevitable at some point, and when you do so, the first parts of the body to hit the deck are your hands and knees, so it's always good to wear gloves or wrist guards, and knee pads of some sort. Be careful with knee pads though, as bulky ones could hinder performance. Powerslide do some good knee pads which reduce the abrasive impact of the floor. Cycling gloves are good too as they have padding on the palms.
Skinsuits aren't the most protective of clothing to wear whilst skating, but they are necessary to prevent wind drag from loose clothing such as t-shirts, and allow full body movement. The suits are aerodynamic and, believe it or not, a lot of technology goes into designing one, from the shape, the seams, the fabric, the zips, the pockets, as well as the colours and design. There are plenty of choices out there. Most of our skaters favour the Powerslide ones. Club skinsuits are available to buy for those who are racing. Please see one of the committee members at training on how to buy one for training and/or racing.