Review of the Gateskate Trailskate

off road all terrain skate

  July 2003

Up until now I'd only ever seen off-road skates, and not actually used them, so it was a new experience for me to have a go on these Trail Skates.  These skates were a loan pair from Terraskates UK, and I eagerly opened the box upon delivery to find some surprisingly well made off road skates.

These are very long framed big wheel skates designed specifically for going off-road.

Boot Straps & Ankle Support

These skates don't actually have their own boot, and instead rely on a clamshell boot-binding system, allowing you to wear your own shoes.  It actually works quite well and holds your foot very firmly.  You pretty much need a pair of above-the-ankle boots, though, as trainers won't work too well since the top buckle and padding will work better around a boot.

The buckles and straps are big, strong, and look like they can handle some punishment.

Frame

The frame is made out of a composite and is designed to flex in order to absorb the much larger bumps and rough surfaces to be found off road.  It's thick and strong, and seems to do a good job on the surfaces I skated on.

The advantage with the Trail Skate is that your foot is much lower to the ground.  For example, Rollerblade Coyote skates leave your foot very high above the ground because the wheels are completely below the boot.  One issue that might become a problem is that the frame is quite low to the ground and so could possibly bump over or get caught up on rocks.  Given that the bottom of the frame is flat it would probably do no more than give a jolt as the skate slides over.  I didn't experience this, but then I didn't use the skates on any outrageous terrain. 

Wheels, Axles, and Bearings

Check these puppies out - large air inflated wheels pumped to 200psi.

	200mm 200psi wheel.		View of the drum brake.
	Brake handle for the rear wheel hydraulic drum brake.

They don't have a heel brake, but instead a handle-activated drum brake on each skate.  This brake is quite effective and can be applied gradually, but scissoring skills from inlines are still useful even though the frame is long.

The brake cables don't really get in the way since you can pass them under your kneepad straps and then there is a Velcro waist belt.

Overall Conclusion

These skates are remarkably well made, but they are nothing like inline skates and don't handle in a similar way.  I think they'd have their best uses in offroad downhill cruising and perhaps kiteblading.  Given their long wheel base they don't turn by leaning and need to be stepped around corners.  Although the skates are necessarily a lot heavier than inline skates, the weight is quite manageable.  They take quite a lot of effort to skate in when compared with normal inline skates on the road.  They're also not much fun to skate uphill in.

I had some fun with them, but I have to say they were very different to inline skates and it was quite a struggle making the conversion.

Links:

Gateskate.com

Gateskate promotional video - 100kbps Windows Media

Terraskates.co.uk

Kiteblading.com

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Disclaimer

As usual, this review is only my opinion about these skates, and your mileage may vary.  You should always carefully judge whether the skates you intend buying are best suited for you and for the purpose you intend using.  Remember that fit and comfort are extremely important, and you may wish to read the inline skating buying guide here on this site.

Inline skating is dangerous and is performed at your own risk.

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