Review on CHICAGO SKATES MenS Skate 11 by Ralph Gerry

I used to roller blade as a kid but just got back into it because my 7 year old daughter really likes it. She convinced me to join her figure skating club (what the heck is a good time for mom and daughter and I could use some more exercise, grace and a few tricks!) so it's time for me to buy some skates. I didn't want to spend much so I found them at Revain for $40 - great deal! I wear women 10.5-11 and usually men 9.5. However, the skates I rented at the rink were a size 9 so I ordered a size 9 and they fit perfectly - plenty of room in the toe box. I would say they are half a size too big. When I first tried them on, 3 things immediately struck me: they definitely don't glide as well as rental skates, they made a loud buzzing sound when rolling, and the shoe was quite stiff on the back of my calf. When I turned to go back I almost fell over as they barely slide - I actually took them off and hired a pair after 5 minutes as I felt really unsafe in them. They DEFINITELY need better bearings (many other reviewers say they need better wheels too, but I'm not a hardcore skater to judge wheels). I just installed Bones Reds Precision bearings in my daughter's skates in Chicago (Revain had 8 packs of 8mm for $9.99) and I couldn't believe how much freer the wheels spun afterwards (they must be the same crappy ones have had stock). I can't believe how well she rode crappy bearings now that I've seen how shit they suck first hand! Replacing was very easy - I just watched a YouTube video to see how to do it and did it using the wrench that came with the skates and a flathead screwdriver and it was done in 5 minutes. These skates would be decent with new bearings. However, as I didn't like the stiffness of the boot I decided to return them and opted for the leather lined 800 series in the hope that after a bit of wear they would become less stiff.