The next fad after scooters?

August 5, 2001 7:36 PM

The next fad after scooters? I was walking through NYC when I first saw a kid skating along in a pair of shoes. I just saw them for the first time advertised in a flyer I got in the mail for Dick's Sports. I can't seem to find too many links for them other than this one. Anyone tried these out?
posted by suprfli (21 comments total)

they ripped on those pretty bad in the latest issue of maxim (i think. they have no chance in the states. fad culture is rough sometimes, but not that bad.
posted by techgnollogic at 7:40 PM on August 5, 2001

If I knew that my girlfriend wouldn't leave me I'd get a pair.

www.heelys.com
posted by the_ill_gino at 7:43 PM on August 5, 2001

I remember these from the 70s!
posted by kristin at 8:21 PM on August 5, 2001

they did a bit about Heelys on NPR last week. The idea smacks of manic forced fads, but what is worse is the song on their website... "Violate! Violate the natural order!"
posted by hotdoughnutsnow at 8:23 PM on August 5, 2001

They show ads for 'em on Cartoon Network and Kids WB, which shows some kids sitting down to wear their rollerblades, while the "cool" kids just flip out the wheels of their roller sneakers, and skate off.
posted by riffola at 8:30 PM on August 5, 2001

Odd. I thought I saw these over 6 months ago.
posted by jragon at 8:34 PM on August 5, 2001

I work at an elementary school. I've been taking the wheels away from the kids at school for months.

...and yes, the kids get the wheels back after school. They just aren't allowed on campus.
posted by dogwelder at 9:18 PM on August 5, 2001

Seems to me that those roller hsoes would be HORRBILE at cornering while turning... That spells disaster...
posted by fooljay at 9:23 PM on August 5, 2001

If I knew that my girlfriend wouldn't leave me I'd get a pair.

so wrong, so true.

I remember these from the 70s!

i remember seeing a criminal use these after he robbed some store for it's jewelry i think, in an episode of C.H.I.P.S.. minutes after watching that scene, i decided that even the coolness of erik estrada wasn't worth any more of that.
posted by lotsofno at 9:35 PM on August 5, 2001

Odd. I thought I saw these over 6 months ago.
i think they have been around for a while. i'm just now starting to see them become more popular. there seems to be more manufacturers and more selection at a greater number of stores.

i think these are cool for adults. i like to inline skate around the city but then i have to keep a pair of shoes or birkenstocks in a backpack. when i want to go in a building i have to take the skates off and then carry them around which is a real pain the the ass. having the ability to pop wheels in and out of my shows and scooting around is pretty cool. it's a lot quicker than walking.
posted by suprfli at 9:36 PM on August 5, 2001

First off, I hate these things, loathe them. Okay, sure, they're a good gimmick To be honest though, you won't be doing any long-term skating on these. The wheels are VERY small, 1 or 2 CM in diameter (maybe half an inch). The wheels are also very hard. Made out of the same kind of plastic used to make those monkeys in a barrel (don't know what else to call them).
The bearings, don't get me started. If you're familiar with the ABEC certification of bearings (which many inliners I'm certain are), these are ABEC 1s. The average inline skate is a 3 or 5. This makes for a very tedious, slow ride. I'm certain that we'll be seeing many problems with these. They aren't very safe, as they have a short and narrow wheel base. They're hard to control, and they aren't very durable.
wow, I ripped the fun out of that one. but it's really a waste of money.

on the note of heelys, those are a different version, which I haven't tried. so I don't speak for them.
posted by starduck at 9:42 PM on August 5, 2001

I agree with starduck.. however, I don't think these are aimed to the serious skater. I know I'm not going to toss my Salomons in the trash & buy a pair of these cause they're more convenient or something, because you can tell by looking at them that you're not going to be able to do a lot. It's just one of those things where people buy them because they think, "Hey cool, shoes with wheels," use them for a month, & then they end up in the back of the closet with the Furby.

Oh well.. you'll know these are truly popular when you start hearing about parents suing the company because their kid fell down while wearing them.
posted by zempf at 9:49 PM on August 5, 2001

I can't see these things without remembering the hysterical Steve Martin skates through a museum scene in LA Story. They look like fun, but not very sturdy in the long run.
posted by Dreama at 10:02 PM on August 5, 2001

Hmm... These sound pretty useless to me. I wonder about these fads. I never understood why adults went for the razor scooter. Why didn't they just get a skateboard? Boards are faster, more manuverable, and don't make you look like some yuppie dork. For kids heelys have the benefit of being invisible to adults and therefore making them less subject to harassment. Adults don't have to worry about being harassed for skating so what's the point?
posted by rdr at 10:42 PM on August 5, 2001

That's not the only benefit of Heelys. I want a pair to wear to work, because I work in a high school, and end up walking up and down the hallways a *lot*. I would love to be able to just roll down them, and still be able to walk up and down stairs and over carpets, and carry heavy things, without having to switch between shoes and skates (or pop wheels in and out of my sole).

Not that I can skate. But I could learn...
posted by CrayDrygu at 10:48 PM on August 5, 2001

Boards are faster, more manuverable, and don't make you look like some yuppie dork.

Unfortunately, they are also trivial to fall off of and bust your ass. Never could get the hang of skateboards, even when I was younger and had better reflexes.
posted by kindall at 11:00 PM on August 5, 2001

Unfortunately, they are also trivial to fall off of and bust your ass.

Very true.
posted by rdr at 11:06 PM on August 5, 2001

Why would people go for scooters over skateboards? I think there's probably two things: easier to stop and easier to steer. That said, I've no desire to be seen on a razor scooter, and I've not seriously ridden a skateboard since my late teens (I stick to snowboarding and inline skating these days - let's face it, you can't be a skateboarder in your late 30s and get any respect) - so prove me wrong.
posted by pascal at 11:27 PM on August 5, 2001

I own a pair of these. They suck. Everything starduck said, plus the fact that they each weigh somewhere in the neighborhood of ten pounds. (I have size 13 feet). Not exactly practical for strolling around the city. On the bright side, the first few steps after removing them are decidedly Cleese-like.....
posted by Optamystic at 11:30 PM on August 5, 2001

let's face it, you can't be a skateboarder in your late 30s and get any respect) - so prove me wrong

I'd try but it would involve me probably getting a spiral fracture, possibly breaking my neck, and looking like an idiot. On the other hand you could just claim that you're old school.
posted by rdr at 11:41 PM on August 5, 2001

rdr - wow, the second photo in that linked page was taken at the skatepark in Harrow, in the NW suburbs of London. That seriously takes me back - I used to skate there. But it was never as good as the Rolling Thunder park in Brentford - if that place had stayed open, I might still be trying to convince myself that I was "old skool" today.
posted by pascal at 11:55 PM on August 5, 2001