Moxi Roller Skates: The Complete Brand Guide
Moxi Roller Skates: The Complete Brand Guide
Moxi is the benchmark for premium recreational and artistic quad skating. If you've been skating for a while and you're ready to step up your gear, there's a very good chance someone has already told you to look at Moxi. They're right. Here's everything you need to know about the brand, the range, and which skate is right for where you're at.
Who Is Moxi?
Moxi Roller Skates was founded in California by Lisa 'Moxi' Simpson — a roller derby legend who saw a gap in the market for premium quad skates that weren't derby-specific. The brand launched in 2007 and built its reputation on the skating community itself, not on marketing budgets. Moxi skates are what you see when you look at jam skaters, artistic skaters, and serious recreational quad skaters worldwide. That's not brand positioning — it's just what the skating community chose, organically, because the product is genuinely better.
Every Moxi skate is designed in California and built with quality at the centre. The team, the riders, the community events — everything Moxi does is grounded in actual skating, not adjacent lifestyle imagery.
The Moxi Range Explained
Moxi Rainbow Rider — The Entry to the Moxi Family
The Rainbow Rider is Moxi's most accessible skate and the right starting point for most skaters making the step up from entry-level gear. Available in Sunshine Yellow, Strawberry Pink, and Asphalt — three colourways that are immediately recognisable in any skate park or rink in the world.
Boot: Vegan leather-effect high boot with padded lining and a reinforced heel counter. Noticeably better construction than PVC entry-level boots — more supportive, more durable, breaks in more predictably.
Plate: Nylon plate with aluminium axles. A step up from the basic nylon plates on entry-level skates, with better energy transfer.
Wheels: 65mm 78A Moxi wheels. Large diameter and soft compound — rolls smoothly on indoor and outdoor surfaces. One of the most versatile stock wheel setups available on any production skate.
Bearings: ABEC 5. A reasonable starting point — upgrading to Bones Reds is a worthwhile next step.
The Rainbow Rider is the right skate for recreational skaters who want quality that will genuinely grow with them. This is a skate you'll be skating in 5 years — not a skate you'll outgrow in a season.
Moxi Lolly — Performance Recreational and Artistic
The Lolly steps up to genuine leather construction and a quality aluminium plate — the two components that make the biggest difference to how a quad skate performs. If you're skating regularly and taking your skating seriously, the Lolly is where performance skating starts.
Boot: Full leather high boot. Leather moulds to your foot over time for a progressively more personalised fit. Stiffer initially than the Rainbow Rider, which means better ankle support and more precise power transfer once broken in.
Plate: Aluminium plate. The step from nylon to aluminium is significant — aluminium plates are stiffer, more responsive, and transmit your movements to the wheels with far less flex loss. Skating tricks, spins, and transitions feels fundamentally different on an aluminium plate.
Wheels: 62mm Moxi wheels, available in various compounds depending on the specific Lolly model. Smaller diameter than the Rainbow Rider for better manoeuvrability in artistic disciplines.
Bearings: ABEC 7 Moxi bearings.
The Lolly is the skate of choice for jam skaters, rhythm skaters, park skaters, and artistic skaters who train consistently. If this sounds like you — or who you want to become — the Lolly is the right investment.
Moxi Jack — The Men's Performance Skate
The Jack is the men's equivalent of the Lolly, built on a wider last for a more anatomically accurate men's fit. Full leather, aluminium plate, all the same performance characteristics as the Lolly. Sized in US men's sizing — one of the few quad skates genuinely built for men's feet rather than adapted from women's lasts.
If you're a male skater who has been skating in women's quad skates and finding them too narrow in the toe box, the Jack is specifically the fix for that. The difference in a skate built on a men's last is immediately obvious in fit, comfort, and control.
Moxi Wheels — Some of the Best in the Game
Moxi's wheel range is genuinely excellent and worth knowing about even if you're not in a Moxi skate:
Moxi Gummy (62mm, 78A): The outdoor skater's favourite. Extremely soft, grippy compound that handles rough surfaces, cracks, and uneven terrain with ease. The wheel for street skating, outdoor paths, and any surface that isn't perfectly smooth. Popular as an upgrade on any quad skate for outdoor use.
Moxi Fundae (57mm, 95A): A hard rink and park wheel. Fast, responsive, and popular with artistic and jam skaters who spend most of their time on smooth indoor surfaces. The 95A compound provides very little rolling resistance on good floors.
Moxi Trick (57mm, 97A): Hard, fast, designed specifically for skate park skating where grip is less important than slide characteristics and speed. The wheel for ramp skaters and park-focused riding.
Moxi Sizing
Moxi skates are sized in US women's sizing, which corresponds closely to AU women's sizing for most people. The Rainbow Rider and Lolly both fit generally true to AU women's shoe size, though measuring your foot in centimetres and comparing to Moxi's size chart is always the most accurate approach.
The Jack is sized in US men's sizing — broadly equivalent to AU men's sizing, though again, use the centimetre chart for accuracy.
Moxi skates do break in and soften over time. If you're between sizes, we generally recommend going with your true size rather than sizing up — the leather and foam will mould to your foot; a skate that's too large won't tighten up.
Who Should Buy Moxi?
The Rainbow Rider is right for any skater who has been skating 6+ months on entry-level gear and wants a meaningful quality upgrade. It's also right for a first skate if you're serious about skating from the start and willing to invest properly.
The Lolly and Jack are for committed skaters — people who skate regularly, are developing specific skills, and want gear that matches their level and grows with them further. If you're still on your first pair and haven't skated 20+ sessions, it's worth building your foundation first.
Moxi at SoCal Skates
We stock the Moxi Rainbow Rider and Moxi wheels at SoCal Skates. Come into our Richmond store to try a pair on — the quality difference from entry-level skates is immediately obvious in person, and getting the size right on a premium skate is worth doing properly. We're at 435A Bridge Rd, Richmond, Melbourne, open 7 days. Free shipping Australia-wide on orders over $90.