IT SEEMS WE want everything faster these days: lightning-quick computers, instant sports scores via wireless Web, do-it-yourself express-checkout lanes at grocery stores. Our attention spans are getting so much shorter that even walking makes us impatient. Fortunately for the carless minority, the very shoes on our feet are now faster. Wheeled sneakers are leaking into the mainstream through the Pokémon Underground (a/k/a the kids in local malls and skate parks). Inline ’bladers take note: the shoes won’t provide the same agility as your four-wheeled coupes, but for scooting along Boston’s busy pedestrian thoroughfares, these babies will do just fine.

Toys " R " Us and its online partner, Amazon.com, sell Street Flyers ($79.99). They look like the oversize alter ego of Converse All Stars, with extra height in the soles to conceal spring-loaded nylon wheels that flip out from underneath the toe and heel areas. Once laced up, the surprisingly light blue-and-black high-tops provide a balanced ride.

Pro-Nova Roller Sneakers ($49) are available at Claire’s, Etc. They have the same toe-and-heel wheel design as Street Flyers, but with an automated extra: the small nylon wheels, grouped two to a side, pop out with the push of a button located on the shoe’s instep. What’s more, the shoes are stylishly modeled, with an old-school stripe along the sides and track-shoe platform soles.

Both Street Flyers and Pro-Novas come with a clear warning that " stunting " is not recommended. But Heelys ($94.99 to $109.99) want us to " violate the natural order, " and they’ve got the walk to back the talk. Heelys, available at Olympia Sports in the Prudential Mall, are certainly at the higher end of the spectrum. The payoff is worth it: these high-quality skater shoes are fitted with a single polyurethane wheel under the heel that can easily be removed for regular walking. " Heeling, " as it’s called on Heelys.com, requires the toes of both feet to be off the ground, so learning takes time. The shoes look so good, though, that even practicing makes the Heelys wearer look as cool as Tony Hawk. And Tony would be impressed with the specs: the wheels are equipped with bearings that range between ABEC-3 and ABEC-7 (the highest rating), making for a slick ride. Still with us, speed demon? Then get rolling.

Where to find it:

• Claire’s, Etc., Prudential Center, 800 Boylston Street, Boston, (617) 536-9365; CambridgeSide Galleria, 100 CambridgeSide Place, Cambridge, (617) 577-8028

• www.heelys.com

• Olympia Sports, Prudential Center, 800 Boylston Street, Boston, (617) 424-6499

• Toys " R " Us, 200 Alewife Brook Parkway, Cambridge, (617) 576-8697

Issue Date: September 20 - 27, 2001