REVIEW – I haven’t strapped on a pair of skates in decades, but I have fond memories of skating rinks and street hockey as an 80s/90s kid. I loved being able to get around my neighborhood in style, so there was definitely a bit of nostalgia contributing to my willingness to try out the Flying Eagle F5S+ inline skates.
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $182.99
Where to buy: Flying Eagle and Amazon
What is it?
The Flying Eagle F5S+ inline skates are a pair of inline skates designed for use on pretty much any hard smooth surface (like sidewalks, streets, paved trails, skating rinks, skate parks, etc.).
What’s included?
- Flying Eagle F5S+ inline skates
- Multitool
- Quick start guide
Design and features
The Flying Eagle F5S+ inline skates are built with a rugged plastic outer shell, while critical parts such as the frame, mounting plate, and buckles are made from aluminum or metal alloys. The liner is made from breathable nylon, PU leather upper, and a neoprene toe.
The boot is very similar to a ski boot in many ways, and the fit and finish feels very similar to my ~$400 ski boots that I use frequently.
The entire boot is pretty rigid (which you want to prevent ankle damage), with a bit of flex forward and back at the ankle. The ratchets and laces make allow you to get a snug fit from toe to calf.
These two ratchet straps have fine adjustment notches which allow you to dial in just the right amount of pressure to get a good fit without cutting off circulation.
Handy straps on the top of the back make it easier to get your feet into the boot, and the internal liner is soft and snug (if you get the right size – make sure to check out their sizing chart, my ordered size was true-to-fit for me).
I think the black and grey colorway looks great, but there’s also a much brighter pink colorway that includes lavender accents.
The four wheels make for a sturdy and stable ride but note the lack of a rear brake (something I’m used to from childhood). You can add a brake mount and pad to your order, but I wish this had just been in the box for amateurs like me who haven’t perfected the hockey stop.
The wheels are 80 mm “85A SHR”. I’m no expert on inline skate wheels, but a bit of searching quickly taught me that this stands for “super high rebound”, which makes for better shock absorption and thus a smoother ride.
The buckles both feature a ratchet system to tighten as well as a push button release to take them off.
Both buckles feel sturdy to me, and appear to be replaceable just in case they do eventually fail.
A set of laces provides extra adjustment and goes all the way up to the top of the boot.
The included multitool seems fine, but I didn’t have a need to use it (you can adjust the wheel layout for trick skating but my skill level precludes such shenanigans). This elder millennial writer isn’t going to be pulling off any backflips anytime soon (I was just glad I didn’t pull my back yet again while testing these out).
Performance
Just like remembering how to ride a bike, riding the Flying Eagle F5S+ inline skates came back to me quickly with just a bit of practice. I dove right into street skating and after a few wobbles and jitters I was right back to where I remember being as a kid: able to ride around and navigate some light obstacles with ease. The wheels do seem to have some shock absorption, as the road I did most of my testing on felt a lot smoother than it is (on some skateboard it’s been bone-skaking in parts but on the F5S+ inline skates it felt just a bit bumpy). Carving and turning was tight and controlled, and I was able to go pretty fast once I had my skate legs back.
Final thoughts
I love having the Flying Eagle F5S+ inline skates hanging in the garage and ready to go for nighttime walks/rides now. Our toddler has developed a daily habit of riding around the neighborhood on his bike or scooter, and the inline skates are a great way to ride with him and have a bit of fun myself. I’ve been working on hockey stops and look forward to introducing our little one to his own skates soon!
What I like about the Flying Eagle F5S+ Inline Skates
- Feels like they’re well-made and should last
- Great looks, I dig the style
- Wheels seem to do well absorbing bumps and cracks
What needs to be improved?
- Would have liked the rear brake mount preinstalled
- A bit more padding around the calves would have been nice, I have to wear thicker and taller socks to avoid pain/rubbing
Price: $182.99
Where to buy: Flying Eagle and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Flying Eagle. Flying Eagle did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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