How to choose your wheels according to hardness and diameter?

Let's start with some history...

In the 50's, surfers in Hawaii and California started to buy wooden boards mounted on trucks and roller wheels to shredder the asphalt when the swell is not there, the wheels were made of METAL !

In 1972, Frank Nasworthy's invented the URETHANE wheel, a petroleum derivative offering more flexibility than metal, the era of the wheel can finally begin. Since that day, the brands continue to develop this small product which is now declined in very diverse and varied possibilities that we will see right away.

But before we start, THANK YOU FRANK!

Let's talk about hardness and wheel diameter

The hardness of the wheels is an important criterion in the purchase of rollerblades, skateboards and longboards.

The hardness index or durometer is generally between 74 and 102.

A hard wheel will wear less quickly, but will tend to have less grip and skid (example: longboard for negotiating tight turns on ultra rigid asphalt).

A soft wheel will wear faster but will be more comfortable, absorb vibrations but will be less reactive underfoot for activities like slalom.

Similarly, depending on the road condition, you have to adapt the hardness: For example, on a perfectly smooth road, grip is better, whereas on an uneven road or with a rough asphalt, you will have to take softer wheels.

The last point to consider is the weather and the humidity of the road, which affects grip. Therefore, different wheels are generally used for indoor and outdoor quad biking.

Recommended hardness by type of practice:

- Walking, cruising, carving: between 76 and 78A, grip and comfort is the main criteria.

- Freestyle, slalom: between 78 and 85A, we are looking for more "reactive" wheels for the change of supports.

- Freeride, street, endurance: between 83 and 85A, here the ride, precision and speed are the main criteria.

- Park, aggressive : More than 85A, the wheel size is smaller, we are looking for a good rolling and a great durability.

- Downhill, slide : Between 78 and 82A, you have to find the right compromise between grip and "slide".

- Roller derby : between 78 and 99A, roller derby is generally practiced indoors on a very smooth and soft ground, like a handball court; the partiquants.es have the stiffest wheels so as not to get too much grip on the ground and go faster.

 

Concerning the diameter of the wheels: to retain a large diameter brings speed but less acceleration while a small diameter will have more acceleration but less top speed:

- Longboard: Wheels between 65 and 80 mm.

- Skateboard: 50 to 56 mm wheels

- In-line rollerballs: Wheels between 75 and 110 mm

- Roller derby: Wheels between 59 and 65 mm

- Freestyle Scooter: Wheels from 100 to 125 mm

- City Scooter : Wheels from 170 to 210 mm

Last point, the width of the wheel: it will bring you stability. The wider a wheel is, the more stable it is, on the other hand you will lose agility, on the contrary, the thinner a wheel is, the more agile it will be:

- Longboard: Wheels between 30 and 45 mm

- Skateboard: Wheels from 15 to 32 mm

- Inline rollerball: Standard wheels 27mm

- Roller derby: Wheels between 30 and 44 mm

- Freestyle and city scooter : Wheels from 23 to 29 mm

 

Here is an example of the different wheels available at Sportmania.ch.

Longboard and skateboard wheels: softer hardness for a great grip for cruising on a longboard or a surfskate, to the stiffer one for skateboarding in park or street.

  

      Rayne-77A/70mm                                     RAD- 80A/70mm                                Sector9- 82A/76mm                           Jart-102A/54mm

Roller inline wheels for walking and fitness: choose larger wheels to move faster, however, due to the height, your point of gravity is higher and therefore less stable

 

SEBA- 76/80/84/90mm-85A     Street Invaders-76/80/84mm-84A     Street King- 72/76/80mm-85A     Matter MaxG-100/110mm-/83A/84A/85A

Roller Park wheels (aggressive): the wheels are quite similar to each other, the hardness is very high in this type of discipline

                                               

                          GAWDS- 57mm/88A                                                         GAWDS- 58mm/90A

Roller Derby wheels: The wheels will be softer for outdoor activity to absorb the roughness of the ground, and stiffer indoors for a softer ground such as a handball court for speed, and new, double hardness wheels for more grip and more speed

                             

RADAR- 62x38mm-88A                                       Radar- 62x38-97A                                        Reckless Morph-84A/88A

Freestyle scooter wheels: generally the hardness is 88A, only the diameter can really count and will be the final choice of young people, prefer a bigger wheel for a greater speed!

              .              

Blunt Spokes-100mm/88A                               River Glide-110mm/88A                               Blunt Hollow-120mm/88A