Heelys are 'Shoes that Cruise'. They are uniquely designed to let you walk, run, roll and skate due to the removable wheel(s) in the heel. They are akin to roller/inline skates but with a difference. Put the wheel in to skate, remove to walk.
Since writing this review originally in 2005, Heelys are more popular now (in 2008) amd are a lot easier and cheaper to come by. Even Amazon sell them now with prices starting at about £35, which is no more expensive than a pair of trainers.
Heelys look like an ordinary pair of trainers but with either one or two removable wheels in the heel which you can see in the photos below. They also come with a wheel mounted either side of the heel.
My review is based on the single removable wheel. My teenage son has had 2 pairs of these over the past 3 years (he grew out of the first ones) They are not just a kids thing, grown ups can 'cruise' well! So no excuse not to have a go all you mums and dads!
===The Shoe===
Basically a sturdy and solid trainer with a thick rubber sole, the wheel space cut into the heel approx. 1.5" x 1.5". I have found them in various colours being black, navy and white, black and white and they range in shoe size from a child's 10 to an adult size 11. The outside of the shoe has been double or triple stitched so will withstand daily use. The wheels are included in a plastic pack and are just like roller skate wheels and contain bearings.
===Fitting & Removal of Wheels===
Each wheel has a central horizontal pin that you push into the wheel spacing until you hear it click and lock….it's that simple! To remove you can either remove by hand or with a special removal tool that you can buy and to be honest it is easy to remove by hand. With the trainer on its side just push down on one side of the wheel and push outwards and the pin will disengage, do the same from the other side and out the wheel comes. It does require a bit of 'oomph' to get them out but at least you know they won't be falling out whilst 'cruising'! Removal of the wheels will take you no more than a minute.
===The Wheels are in….What Now?===
You're ready to roll! Skating in Heelys is completely different than roller or inline skates as the point of balance is in the centre of your heels. First you have to find that point of balance. When you buy these there is an information leaflet to help you. At the start, one foot should be in front of the other and slightly diagonally offset. Lift up your toes slightly so you are using only the wheel to find your balance. At this stage it is advisable to practice near a worktop/table or something that you grab hold of. You then lock your knees and push yourself forward to 'glide' on the wheels. Just like roller skates you move one foot in front of the other propelling yourself forward from the back foot. (The leaflet is more in depth so will take you through step by step).
Getting the hang of it can take anywhere from 20 mins to a couple of days depending on how often you try but with us it was just a case of put then on and keep going! Just like skating there are 'proper' ways to find your balance but everyone has a different way of trying. My son was trying to find the balance by pushing himself off from the worktop and then trying to 'roll' to the other end of the room. He fell over countless times and because the balance is in the heel your feet tend to carry on going so you fall backwards onto your bum! It does hurt sometimes which is why its best to practice indoors. Not to be left out I had a go as well and fell over loads much to the amusement of my dear son! But 'the knack' does come quite quickly, he mastered it in a couple of hours and although it sounds quite difficult it is not much different in principle to inline skating and so much fun. Once you have mastered the 'shoes that cruise' you can do tricks and buy wheels with grindplates to allow you to 'grind' along rails…a bit like they do with skateboards, although my son and I haven't been that brave to try them……yet!
===Braking===
Getting the hang of Heelying is fun but as my bones and body are not so supple as a teenagers I need to know HOW TO STOP! You can either lift your leading toe up so that the actual heel drags you to a slow stop or if you fancy doing and emergency stop just put your toe down! Be prepared to be lurched forward and hope there are no bushes in front of you!
===So What Makes these Different from Normal Skates?===
The difference is you can skate or walk in these. You want to 'heel' into town or work but then walk? No problem! Heelys have been designed so you can walk AND skate and transferring from one to the other is easy as I stated earlier. However if you wish , you can walk with the wheels in, you just tend to walk more on your toes which is not a problem for short distances.
My son will skate into town. Then as its not that clever to skate round hoards of people on the pavement (a bit like pedestrians trying to avoid the cyclist that chooses to ride on the pavement) he simply sits down and 'pops' out the wheels. All he then does is fit the 'Sole Saver Plugs'. These are just moulded plastic, semi circular in shape with a flat side and they push into the gap where the wheel was. Not only does this protect the actual space from being filled with mud on a wet day it also, as it says, saves the soles, and they then become a normal pair of trainers to do your walking in.
You can purchase a little leather pouch that will clip to your belt, handbag or rucksack that will hold the plugs and wheels whilst they are not in use. Unlike a pair of skates that you would have to carry round with you as well as a normal pair of shoes, you don't need to this with these.
Then when its time to leave town, he simply pops the wheels back in and is home in double quick time.
The other good thing to point out here is that if your route took you across a park or grass area, normal skates would make getting across it hard work. In Heelys you just take out the wheels, pop in the sole savers and walk. It may sound a lot of swapping and changing but it really does not take any time at all and you still get there quicker.
===Prices and Availability===
These are a lot more easy to buy than when I first tried in 2005. Now you can get them from most sport shops and on Amazon. A search on the net will throw up a multitude of different sites with prices starting at about £35.00.
Heelys come in child and adult sizes although if you are purchasing for a female you need to buy a size smaller than your normal shoe size. Why this is I still have not found out! For the males, you order the same as your normal shoe size.
The only downside to this is that if you are buying for a young child its possible their feet will outgrow the Heelys really quickly therefore making them a waste of money. I ordered a size bigger than normal for my son and they were not 'too' big that they slipped at the heel.
===Accessories?===
As stated earlier you can purchase a leather pouch to keep the wheels/plugs in for about £5. This is ideal as it stops either getting mislaid.
The removal tool is useful but not essential, in my opinion anyway, and costs about £8.00.
Brightly coloured laces in shocking or fluorescent colours make your feet stand out. These can probably be purchased cheaper from any local market/ hardware shop etc.
Also there is a large variety of custom/advanced wheels should you wish to progress on to these. Prices start at £29.00.
===Care & Maintenance===
Regular checks of the wheels to ensure proper working order is a must as well as checking the wheel housing for any foreign objects that might have become lodged.
The wheel bearings can get dusty and dirty so check regularly. If they do need cleaning, DO NOT use water as the bearings can rust, use WD40 instead.
Please DO NOT put these in the washing machine! The outside and uppers of the shoe can be cleaned with a mild soap and warm water.
What Does Mum Think?
As ever, if its fun I like it! Learning and Heelying is just like trying to learn to roller skate when you were a kid, all that tottering, swaying and then ending up on your bum!
The huge advantage over normal skates is the ability to change form a 'heeler' to a 'walker' in seconds.
My son has been using Heely's for the past 3 years and they certainly have had a lot of use. My initial reaction in 2005 was that they were eexpensive for what they were (around £80 per pair then) and would end up being a 5 minute wonder but this has NOT proved to be the case.
He wears them whenever possible. When they have a non uniform day at school he 'heels' to lessons and in his lunchtime, swapping to the plugs when he gets to his lessons. He wears them when we go to Tescos as he zooms and nips around the aisle picking things up off our shopping list and now, provided I take him with me, shopping gets done in half the time! (please note that no people are knocked over by my son as he is cruising round the aisles and he does look where he is going...unlike some shoppers in the supermarket!)
I have also had several people in Tescos, including staff, ask me 'just how is he doing that?'. They ask because the sole is only about a centimetre off the floor and from looking you cannot see the wheel at all, so it does give the impression of 'cruising'.
However, as I mentioned I wouldn't necessarily have purchased these for a younger child as you wouldn't get your moneys worth before their feet grew out of them.
ALSO REMEMBER THAT AS WITH ANY SKATING EQUIPMENT SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT AND A HELMET, KNEE AND ELBOW PADS SHOULD BE WORN AT ALL TIMES.
I like the concept of these and think they are so different to your normal skates. It would not look strange for an adult to 'cruise' to work in these, in fact it looks quite cool as they are so unique.
They are a fun product but at the same time practical. I would think twice about buying them if you knew they wouldn't be used very often simply due to the cost.
Although it may seem complicated and fiddly , I can assure you it isn't and once you've got that point of balance there will be no stopping you. I am still at the tottering down the garden path stage but my son can go really fast, turning corners with a slight lean to the left or right.
As www.heelys.com says " have a blast as you convert the world to your very own skatepark, but be courteous and observe 'no skate' zones by simply popping out your wheels"
Further info can be found at the official site :
www.heelys.com
although there are several other sites you could visit.
Despite the length of time it took to track these down and the initial cost, I would recommend these to anyone who fancied getting to work a different way, an older child for the fun value or for anyone who likes something different. Just give them a go!
So 4 out of 5 stars from me. One lost as they are not really for the younger child simply because their feet are still growing, unless you can afford to replace them when they go up a size.
All in all, great fun providing you don't mind a few bruises on your bum!
Thanks for reading. If there is anything I have missed or if there are any questions please let me know and I will amend this. x x
This product has not yet been reviewed. 
