Rollerpony Review

We went to Rollerpony on Wednesday, May 29th, 2024.

This is a review of my quad skate experience, also known as traditional roller skates.

Parking was free and safe on the premises. Entry for two people without a skate rental was $38.69. Lockers were free, so bring your own full-sized locker, or you can rent one of theirs if you enjoy complicating things.

The facility is enormous with a non-traditional roller rink setup. There is a separate area to practice skating off the main floor, and it also serves as a place to have lessons led by the staff.

The DJ booth was in the middle, although on this date there was no live DJ. Also, the middle serves as a practice area and has seats in certain areas. Skaters navigate the perimeter, which, as I mentioned, is long enough to make you reconsider your life choices.

The skating floor at Rollerpony is not perfect. I’m not sure what material it’s made of, but it’s not wood, nor is it cement. It is also a bit uneven in certain places. I had Fame Artistic 57mm wheels with 97A hardness, and they were pretty good to get around and jam to the pre-mixed music. However, my friend, who had Fame 57mm wheels of 93 hardness, felt like she was skating in tar and getting “stuck.” After noticing another skater jamming out, I asked him about his skate setup and his wheels. He said he had purchased the wheels at the Rollerpony skate shop on the premises, and that they do installs as well. The same wheels are also great for Scooters roller rink. I decided to give my newish wheels to my friend and buy the same wheels he had on his skates.

The young man behind the skate rentals ushered me into the retail room after I said I wanted 101 or 102 hardness and 54-57mm width wheels. He and I decided on “Rise and Grind” wheels based on those specs. He changed my wheels out onto my friend’s skates and put the Rise and Grind on mine.

Back on the rink, my friend had a much easier time skating and jamming; it was like night and day for her using my Fame Artistic wheels. I, however, was slower in my skating! I saw the skater I was talking to earlier and told him about my new wheel purchase. He told me I had outdoor wheels on my skates! He said he had the same wheels and had used them outdoors. I went back to the young man who put the wheels on and told him he gave me outdoor wheels. He said to me, “I gave you wheels you specified in hardness as 101.” I had to reiterate that I wanted the wheels for indoor skating at Rollerpony or Scooters, not outdoors. As well, the wheels were marked “84” in marker. Like, what was he thinking?! I never mentioned skating outdoors. So of course, since I used the wheels, there was no refund. He made sure to apologize and tell me he didn’t know they were outdoor wheels.

I was able to get my fellow jam skater to come into the retail room and pick out the wheels he was using, which were Von Merlin Dots 102A hardness, 54mm width. I had to fork over some more money to get these new wheels. So after that, it suddenly got busy, and I ended up having to wait 25 minutes for the wheel man to serve customers their rental skates before he could put the proper wheels on. Thereafter, it was smooth sailing. Skating on Rollerpony’s rink was easy, fast, and effortless. Even the uneven spots were not a problem.

So in conclusion, to get an enjoyable jam skate at Rollerpony, beyond the average skate rental (their rental skates are good for beginners), you will need at least 97 durometer hardness wheels. And if you’re switching wheels there, do your homework—unless you want to end up with outdoor wheels and a bill you didn’t plan for.