Purchase Manual for Roller Skate Wheels
Every roller skate wheel is unique. They differ in size, shape, hardness as well as hub material. It is significant to pick a wheel that is feasible for the type of skating you want to do, be it indoor, outdoor, speed or artistic.
Some of the factors to keep in mind when choosing roller skate wheels are:
- Size-
A skate wheel’s height or diameter is measured in millimeters. Smaller wheels offer maneuverability required for rigorous skating, roller hockey and dancing, artistic skating, while larger wheels offer a smoother ride and quicker speed in comparison to smaller wheels. You can use larger wheels for fitness and speed skating.
- Durometer-
The hardness of the skate is called a Durometer. It is usually assessed on the A-scale, ranging from being as lenient as 74A to getting the hardest up to 105A. Wheel durometer makes an impact on the longevity, shock absorption and ability of the skate wheels to grip on any skating surface.
Indoor skating-
An indoor quad skate wheel has a diameter of 62mm and a width of 35 to 44mm. The width of the wheel is related to the speed at which you want to travel. The durometer for indoor skate wheels are:
- 97A for normal surfaces
- 95A for slippery terrains
- 92A for extra slippery terrains
The wheels of artistic skaters are also used by indoor recreational skaters.
- Outdoor skating-
On average, an outdoor wheel ranges from 60 to 70mm in diameter and 32-42mm in width. The different sizes render the wheel with varied surface area to make the skates steadier when skating outside and facing varied terrains. The outdoor roller skate wheels have a durometer range of 78A to 85A.
- Artistic skating-
Usually, an artistic skate wheel ranges from 55 to 65mm in diameter and 30 to 31mm in width. The smaller width aids in easy maneuvering. Freestyle skaters choose smaller wheels while figure and dance skaters opt for larger wheels. The artistic skates have really tough wheels ranging from 97A to 103A.
- Speed skating-
On average, a quad skating speed wheel is 62mm in diameter and 40mm in width. The indoor speed roller skating quad wheels are wider than other quad skate wheels. The speed skates have a hard wheel ranging from 95A to 98A.
- Shape-
The word profile can be used to describe the shape of a skate. The fitness as well as speed skating wheels have a narrow shape with a round or pointed skating surface. This shape is recommended for fitness and speed skating as it offers the highest maneuverability to take sharp turns and offers the highest speed.
- Hub materials-
The skate wheel hubs are manufactured from long-lasting nylons or aluminum. The hub works as the housing for the wheel’s bearing and offers centralized support to the wheel. The wheels get lighter with the increase in the size of the hub and lower urethane is used in the final diameter of the wheel.
- Where to purchase your roller skate wheels from?
All the big roller skate brands sell their own skate wheels. As we suggest, you can try buying skates online from the comfort of your home from ZT Sports. The store has top brands that bring out all types of specialist wheels along with indoor/ outdoor hybrids to help you the best of both worlds. Don’t forget to check out the collection of roller skates accessories too.