How to Mount Tennis Shoes on Skates

You don't have to spend an arm and a leg on your next pair of roller skates; in fact, a fun, affordable idea is to mount a comfortable pair of tennis shoes on an inexpensive plate and start rolling. There's a bit of a learning curve when it comes to mounting skates correctly, but a glue mount keeps things light and a little bit simpler.

Things You'll Need

  • Tennis shoes
  • Plastic skate plates
  • Strong adhesive
  • Clamp
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Instructions

    • 1

      Start out with a pair of comfortable tennis shoes with a bit of life left in them. Soccer shoes work well, but any pair of flat, smooth-soled sneakers do the trick.

    • 2

      Select a pair of skate plates just 1 or 2 inches shorter than your sneakers; you can find used skate plates online for not too much money.

    • 3

      Apply a strong adhesive to the top side of your skate plates; the top is the flat side that sits against the tennis shoe.

    • 4

      Decide where to mount your skate plates; they should run through the center of the skate. More advanced skaters often prefer a "short, forward" mount -- where the plate is positioned toward the heel of the skate rather than toward the front -- for added agility. Novices prefer the plate mounted closer to the heel because it grants them greater stability.

    • 5

      Glue each plate in place; position the plates the same way on both skates, or the skates won't be steady.

    • 6

      Clamp each skate to its plate, and allow it to dry for 24 hours before attempting to test the skates.