Ideally, skates made for in-line speed skating and skates made for in-line figure skating are different. For speed skating, in-line skates preferably have four or more wheels aligned longitudinally for even distribution of weight along the entire length of the in-line skate. For in-line figure skating, on the other hand, it is preferable to have fewer wheels engage the surface in such arrangements. Fewer wheels permit quick turns and other maneuvers common to in-line figure skating, but not needed for in-line speed skating. Heretofore, efforts have been made to design in-line skates that are normally used for speed skating to be adapted for figure skating. In these efforts, the center two wheels of a four-wheel skate are supported on hinged axles that permit the center wheel or wheels to be lowered below the level of the outer wheels, thus effectively changing the skate from one in which, for example, four wheels engage the surface to one in which two wheels engage the surface. These adjustable skates, however, all require the manual operation of the lever system to permit the vertical adjustment of the centermost wheels. These manual adjustments, in turn, mean the skater must stop and adjust the skates to change from one mode of operation to the other.