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How To Purchase Skateboard Wheels
The first thing you must to understand about wheels is that they come in different hardness's. We call this 'hardness' the wheel's Shore D, or durometer. There are two different scales of durometer. The D scale is used on harder materials, while the A scale is used for softer materials, such as the polyurethane used in a skateboard wheel. You have to pick the durometer depending on what you want in a skateboard wheel. The general rule of thumb is that 78a to 88a are great cruising/longboarding wheels, as they are extremely soft wheels that can ride over bumps quite easily, while 88a to 97a or higher typically make excellent wheels for street skaters. These harder wheels give a tiny bit more control over the board, and give the skater extra speed on smooth surfaces, such as the smooth concrete in a skatepark. A harder wheel is also less likely to end up with a flatspot if you are a powerslider. The other thing you must take into account for a wheel is the shape of it. There are a few different shapes of wheels, and each has been designed for a different purpose. A 'free ride' style wheel is your every day skateboard wheel. Freeride wheels have rounded edges and a rounded face, which makes getting off ledges or coping much easier than it would be if you had conical wheels with a flat back. Downhill longboarders sometimes use soft freeride wheels because it makes it more enjoyable to go down a hill. The rounded edges also give you some extra traction whilst carving. The other type of wheel is the conical wheel. Conical wheels have a reverse volcano shape to them, with a squared reverse side. (If this doesn't create a proper visual, do a quick image search and you will know what I'm talking about.) Conical wheels are often used for cruisers, as they're very light weight and absorb the street very well. Since they're lightweight, longboarders don't have to push as often as they would with a full wheel. Next you'll want to look at the size of a wheel. Normal skateboard wheels usually come in sizes from 50 to 54mm. Skateboard wheels aren't often made too much smaller than 50mm, as they get too tiny to be useful. Larger wheels are usually used on longboard or cruiser boards; some longboarders like to utilize a soft wheel that is around 60mm. Longboarders use larger wheels than street boarders because it is much easier to ride over bumps or cracks in the street. Extreme downhill longboarders will often get even larger wheels - up to 65mm or more - because of the speed increase. The bigger the wheel, the more speed a skater will gain on a hill. The final step you must follow in purchasing your wheels is to find out what's available to you at your local skateboard shop, and then buy the wheel that will suit your needs. If you're a street cruiser, you might want to look at getting some 78a 60mm conical wheels. If you're a street skater, you'll probably want wheels that are small and hard - 97a 52mm wheels should do nicely. Before you purchase the wheels you're looking at, find out if you can test out a board that has the wheels you were checking out on it. A few skateboard shops have skateboard decks that they will be happy to let you test. In conclusion, we talked about what the durometer of a wheel is, why the shape is a factor, and the differences in size. If you're still not understanding wheels after consuming all this info, head down to your local skateboard shop. They will be enthralled to help out a fellow skater. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Lazar Rodriguez has been a skateboarder for quite a long time. He enjoys longboarding, trickboarding, and everything in between. If you're looking for an online skateboard shop after reading this article, please check out www.the-skateboard-shop.com/ |
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