Roller Skates Anatomy - Wheels
This article is put together by Lou’s Skate Garage, a trusted skate building and maintenance service in Melbourne, Australia. Questions and comments to be directed to louskategarage@gmail.com
Table of contents:
Wheels
Many people don’t realize just how much a roller skate wheel affects an overall pair of roller skates. Durometer, diameter, type of core, and profile are the most noticeable.
Durometer / Hardness
Wheel hardness is one of the most important attributes of a roller skate wheel. But why does the hardness of a roller skate wheel matter? Well, the hardness (or softness) of a wheel determines how you should best use that wheel and what surfaces you should skate on with that wheel. For example, a soft wheel (78A-89A in the picture to the right) is best used for outdoor use or slippery indoor floors while a harder wheel (90A-103A) is best used for indoor use on sticky floors. The lower the number, the softer the wheel. The higher the number, the harder the wheel.
With a softer wheel, you get more grip and a much softer ride – perfect for small pebbles and the normal bumpiness of an outdoor surface. Softer wheels can also be used indoors, too, if you are on a slippery surface and need more grip. If you are skating on asphalt, concrete or some other slippery surface that is uncoated, then you likely want a softer wheel in the 78A-90A range. If you are outdoors, go with a wheel in the 78A category. Softer wheels are also better for the beginner because they provide more grip. Grippier wheels usually make the beginner feel more secure as you will “stick” to the surface you are skating on better with a softer wheel.
On the flip side, a harder wheel is usually better for tighter, indoor, coated surfaces as these wheels provide less grip. Harder wheels are great for more speed and give more of a slidey feel to the wheel even when on tight floors. This is usually very advantageous to the more advanced skater as it gives you the ability to go faster as with less floor grip you also gain more speed. Very hard wheels are also used in artistic skating as they allow the skater to spin more freely on a tight, indoor surface.
Key points :
The lower the durometer the softer the wheels (78A wheels are softer than 101A wheels).
The softer the wheels the more grippy they are (78A-88A wheels are very grippy and used on slippery floors - 98A wheels are much less grippy and used on sticky floors).
You must match the hardness of the wheels to the level of grip of your floor and your style of skating. As a general rule, if your floor is slippery you will need grippy soft wheels, if your floor is sticky you will need hard slippery wheels.
Beginners generally do better on softer wheels since soft means grippy and grip means control.
Usual hardness use :
78A (really soft): Super grippy, used almost exclusively outdoors.
84A (soft): Hybrid (indoor/outdoor) wheels are usually 84A. They are great for really slippery floors and can be used outdoors. Often a good choice for your first wheels since they are grippy, affordable and versatile.
86A - 88A (soft): Super Grippy, great for slippery floors like polished concrete or slippery wood (community centers, gymnasiums). The softest indoor wheels available are between 86A and 88A.
90A - 93A (medium hard): Average Grip. Great for reasonably grippy floors, including grippy polished concrete or sport court.
94A - 96A (hard): Low level of grip. Great for stickier floors like good quality sport court.
97A-100A (super hard): Only appropriate on super sticky floors like rubberized gym floors or roller rink floors.
Wheel Core Material
The inner portion of the wheel is known as the core or hub of a wheel. This is the hard part area in the center of the wheel where the skate bearings snap in place.
Solid Aluminum: In terms of performance these cores are the very best available. They are ultimately rigid and offer superior energy transfer. They tend to be a little on the pricey side.
Nylon Cores: Most affordable wheels have a spoked pattern nylon cores. These are light but less rigid. This means poorer energy transfer during skating, which translates into a slower more sluggish feeling. This is especially true for heavier skaters.
Hollow Cores: These are somewhat in-between spoked nylon cores and aluminum cores. These wheels are light with minimal wheel flex. The capped cores are nice and rigid even for heavier weight skaters. These cores are made of various materials including nylon, fiber glass and other high quality plastics.
Wheel Diameter
The diameter determines the height of your wheel, the overall height of your skates and is measured in millimeters (mm). How tall your wheel is affects attributes like acceleration, roll time/top speed (how long you can roll without pushing), stability and the wheel’s weight.
Acceleration - In general, smaller diameter wheels allow for faster acceleration because they take less effort to get you moving. A larger (taller) diameter wheel will accelerate more slowly and take more effort to get moving. A smaller diameter wheel has less distance to move to get a full revolution than a larger diameter wheel.
Roll Time / Top Speed - However, the opposite is true of the top speed and roll time of a wheel. A larger diameter wheel typically has a better overall roll time and can achieve top speeds over a smaller diameter wheel. A larger diameter takes more effort to get moving, but once it does get rolling, it takes less effort to keep it moving fast. This is one reason why long distance speed skaters prefer taller wheels because after they get the wheel moving, they don’t have to exert as much effort.
So, smaller diameter wheels will get rolling faster, but take more effort to keep rolling faster. While larger diameter wheels will be slower at acceleration, but will take less effort to keep rolling.
Stability - Smaller diameter wheels on average are more stable than larger diameter wheels. With less distance between you and the ground, it’s easy to see why a smaller diameter wheel would give you more stability.
Profile (width)
The profile (width) of a wheel affects how much surface area is in contact with the floor. Generally speaking, this will affect the grip and speed of the wheel.
Wider wheels are more stable but also heavier and less agile.
Narrower wheels are less stable, more agile and lighter.
Usual types of profiles :
31mm (super narrow): Wheels like these offer amazing agility and are often super light but do not offer as much stability or grip as wider wheels.
35mm (narrow): A nice step between 31mm and 38mm wheels.
38mm (slim): A very popular width for derby as they provide a great balance of agility and stability.
44mm (wide): Very stable but a little clumsy. Due to the larger surface area, wide wheels provide better grip than narrower wheels (for the same diameter and durometer).
A few more factors influence the way a wheel will feel:
Contact Patch
The width of the wheel (also known as the profile) is the total size of the wheel when measured across. This includes the total width with any bevels. However, the contact patch is the area of the wheel that is in contact with the surface you are skating on – the actual amount of the wheel that actually touches the ground not including any bevels, lips or edges. The contact patch can affect the grippiness and overall speed of the wheel along with the hardness of the wheel. Typically, a wider contact patch equals more grip and more stability. However, it is also heavier, slower and harder to make quick movements on. On the flip side, more narrow contact patch wheels have less stability, are lighter and make it easier to make quick movements.
Lips
Lips and or the edge of the wheel affect the overall grippiness of the wheel. The lips are the very edge of the wheel and depending on their cut effect the total amount of contact patch that a wheel has on a surface. Square lips have a straight drop and have the maximum contact patch and more grip than other wheels. There are not many wheels that have complete square lips, but there are some that are more rounded than others. Rounded lips have more give and less traction than square lips. However, there are various different rounded lip configurations. The most rounded lip wheels are usually found in outdoor wheels. They have less grip and provide more slide and cruise ability. These are common in outdoor wheels as it also punches out pebbles and other small obstacles you may encounter with greater ease. On either extreme of the round and square lip spectrum, you will find a middle ground where most wheels live. Just remember that the more square the lips of a wheel, the more traction and less give. The more round a wheel’s lips, the less grip and more give.
Threads
Believe it or not, tread is one of those features of a wheel that really aren’t as important as you would think. Many people think that threads are what helps with grippiness of a wheel, that is false. Most wheels are made of urethane and as a wheel gets heated up, it will grip more to the surface you are skating on. So, the threads are pointless? Well, not exactly. One place where tread does help you is when you have just put your skates on and you hit the surface skating. In this case, your wheels have not heated up yet, and so the extra tread does help keep you more stable for that short time period. Also, the softer your wheel, the faster it will heat up and the more grip you will get. That is why we said earlier that softer wheels have more grip than hard wheels.
Body weight
Your body weight also has a huge effect on how your wheels will react and perform. The heavier you are, the more grip from a wheel you will get than an average skater. Therefore, you may want to compensate for this by going two or three steps up on the durometer. So if you are skating on a 90A-type floor, you may want to go up to a 92A as your extra weight will automatically put more pressure on your wheel and cause it to sink more into the surface. You also will want to look into getting a more rigid core as your wheel will flex more under your weight. An aluminum core will be best for you as it is very rigid and will better support you and the wheel.
On the other hand, if you are on the lighter side of the scale, then you would want to do the reverse of what was suggested above. If you would normally skate on a 92A-type floor, then you may want to go a little softer as your weight will not press down on the wheels as hard. You can also get away with going with any core type (nylon, hybrid or aluminum).
Types of Wheels
The most important part of picking the correct wheels is focusing on the type of skating you plan to do most often in your new wheels. How you plan to use your wheels should weigh heavily in picking out the perfect set. Let’s go over some of the main types of skating and what kind of wheels would be good for each use. Please realize that these are just suggestions. The best way to know if a wheel is right for you is to buy/borrow a couple of different sets and try them out. Only then will you truly know what kind of wheel you like best.
Outdoor Skate Wheels
If you are skating outdoors, then you definitely want to go with a softer wheel – a low number on the durometer scale – something in the 78A-88A range. As we discussed earlier, a softer wheel allows for more give in the wheel as it makes contact with outdoor elements like small pebbles and dirt. A low durometer wheel will give you more grip and, most importantly, will give you a smoother ride outdoors. These lower durometer wheels are perfect for asphalt or concrete surfaces.
Jam Skate Wheels
Jam skating combines dance, gymnastics and skating and started out as a throwback to the 1970s roller disco scene. If you are into jam skating, then you know the popular styles like shuffle skating, footwork, power and ground breaking. To jam skate, you need the right kind of wheels. Most jam skates have wheels in the 93A-96A durometer range. This provides a medium-hard boot that allows for some grip, but not too much. This allows for a great agility and quick turns, which are hallmarks of the jam skater. The vast majority of jam skate wheels fall into the larger wheel profiles – usually in the 40-44mm range. They also are in the larger wheel diameter – in the 62-65mm range.
Speed Skate Wheels
The best wheel for a speed skater depends on whether you are after rapid acceleration or long roll time. Most speed skaters want a long roll time, so they tend to go for slightly harder, taller wheels. Speed skating wheels are commonly 62mm and fall anywhere from 80A-101A in hardness. It really depends on the surface you will skate on and your weight that will determine what the correct wheel hardness is for you. However, most speed skate wheels are wider, have a larger contact patch and provide enough traction, stability and agility to allow the speed skater to cut corners and get the most roll from every push.
Artistic Skate Wheels
Artistic skating consists of doing special jumps and spins on roller skates – much like you see during the Olympics on ice skates. With all of this spinning and jumping, the artistic skater needs a narrow wheel that does not stick to the surface they are skating on. Artistic skaters need wheels that have a lot of give and will allow them to quickly turn and spin without much friction from the surface. Therefore, most artistic skate wheels are extremely hard – in the 100A+ range. They also are usually very narrow. This allows for the most agility and movement of the feet.
Roller Derby Skate Wheels
If you are into roller derby, then most of the wheels you will be using will be in the 59-62mm diameter range. Derby skaters use all different profile sizes, but the most popular is definitely in the 38mm size. The wheel hardness for derby skates is pretty varied, but most people buy derby skates in the 90-96A range, though that does vary based on the surface you are skating on and how grippy you like your wheels.
Park skating wheels
Usually park skating wheels are either skateboard wheels or inspired by them, with a round lip, small profile, high durometer and small contact patch, all characteristics favoring reactivity and slipperiness over grip and speed. However, beginners skaters will favor traditional outdoor wheels for more control and safety.
BIG FAT DISCLAIMER
Take everything with a grain of salt - don’t trust anyone blindly and do your research, experiment and see what works best for you and your use of your skates.
There is no universal/miracle solution.
And remember…..
Keep roller skating fun :)
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Sources :
olisskateshop.co.uk
rollerskatenation.com
gingerskates.nl
derbywarehouse.com
doublethreatskates.co.uk
rollergirlgang.co.uk
roller.sk8.berlin
derbygearadvice.tumblr.com
QuadSquad FB group
The vintage skates coalition FB group
Extreme quad skate builds FB group
Corey skates PTY LTD FB group
rollerskaterevival.com
rollerskatedad.com
rollerskatedad.com
rollergirl.ca
machinedesign.com
bikeradar.com
