How to choose wheels for skateboards or inline skates

05/12/2020 2260 Skateboarding Rollerblading

Skateboarding or inline skating brings fun, adventure and adrenaline to many people. It becomes a way of life whether you are a child, teenager or adult. In order to move at the desired speed, do tricks and be maneuverable enough, you must be able to fully trust your wheels. Your quality and safe driving depends on their correct choice. So go ahead, let's do it!

Skating style

Do you want to skate aggressively, sneak into the crowd, do tricks on ramps and skate on edges and railings? Or do you prefer to just jit out for fun? Or is your style freestyle? Will you be professional or amateur rollerskating or skateboarding, are you a beginner or more experienced? If you answer these questions in advance, you will be one idea closer to the easy choice of wheels for rollerskating or skateboarding.

Skating terrain

On the streets, in skate parks or indoors - the place for skating is also important. In the city, or only in the park, the terrains are different, as well as their unevenness. Different types of wheels have a characteristic stability and overcome unevenness in different ways. Judging the terrain on which you will mainly ride is crucial when choosing wheels for rollerskating and skateboarding.

There are two main characteristics of inline or skateboard wheels - hardness and size.

According to the hardness, the wheels of the skateboard are of 4 types:

soft - for rough terrain (78a-87a);
harder and faster - for street driving and uneven terrain (88a-95a);
multifunctional - the classic skateboard wheels - fast, suitable for beginners and for smooth surfaces (96a-99a);
professional - the fastest, for advanced (101a +).

With inline wheels, again, the softer they are, the more suitable they are for bumps. Solids are recommended for indoor flooring. Here the hardness index is 78a, 80a, 85a, 90a. Again, the higher the number, the harder and harder the wheels are to ride.

Size is the second important feature when choosing wheels. The bigger it is, the higher the speed develops, and the smaller the wheels are more maneuverable.

There are 3 options for skateboarding:

small wheels - slow, stable for tricks, for street riding (50-53mm);
medium - for more advanced, suitable for ramps and tricks (54-59mm);
large - fast, for uneven terrain (over 60mm).

The situation is similar with roller skates:

for aggressive riding (44-59mm);
for hockey skates - easily manageable and dynamic, suitable for hockey competitions (47-80 mm)
for artistic riding (68-72mm);
for freestyle and inclines (72-80mm);
and high-speed riding (100-125mm).

The choice of wheels for inline skating and skateboarding is important.

Now that we have listed the most important factors, it will not be so difficult. You will do it quickly and you will be happy to go on a wheel adventure.

Practicing these two sports has many benefits for the mind and body. It improves cardiovascular activity, burns calories, makes the body active and in shape. The spirit is lifted and you create many new social contacts. Thus, although they are individual sports, they bring us fun with new people, smiling days, freedom and release from tension. You can read more in our article: 10 healthy facts about roller skating that you don't know