We Finally decided to write down an accurate guide to give you a full immersion on how skate’s wheels work.
Over the years the technical material for skating has changed, improving and increasing in quantity to give every skater the chance to find the perfect tool to increase his performance.
Every year new products are launched on the market, which will surely help the athlete but that can create confusion for a person who is not too expert or wants to approach to this world.
With this guide we want to explain and clarify everything about skating wheels.
WHY THERE ARE MORE DIAMETERS?
In the early days of skating, the first 55 mm diameter wheels were produced with the use of new plastic materials.
After a few years of testing and use, the 57 mm diameter was introduced to allow a better sliding for the skates, having the same thrust a larger wheel goes farther.
The larger the diameter, the greater the circumference the more the skate goes.
There is also the 63 mm diameter, used for figure exercises and dance, two specialties where the sliding of the skates is one of the most important factors.
With the improvement of materials and research many new products were created with the 57 mm diameter (Roll-line Devil and Roll-line Fluido for example).
My advice is to use the 57 mm diameter for these reasons:
- Greater sliding of the skate, while it remains easy to change direction;
- Greater number of models in production of this diameter, therefore a bigger number of hardnesses.
MATERIALS FOR WHEEL PRODUCTION
There are different materials for the production of skating wheels with different characteristics from each other.
- ELASTOMER INJECTION WHEELS
- ROLL LINE BOXER, a model produced with recycled elastomer, the cheapest Roll Line wheel only with a 57 mm diameter, useful for a novice, who’s looking for a wheel of medium hardness at a low price;
- ROLL LINE MAGNUM or BOIANI STAR, these are the classics skating wheels produced with different hardnesses and different colors, thanks to the quantity of compounds availables it is possible to find the wheel suitable for any type of floor. The diameters are both 55 mm and 57 mm.
- ROLL LINE GIOTTO, with this type of wheel we start to get closer to the professional material. Like the wheels explained above, these too are made of injection-molded elastomer but have an additional process that makes them narrower in the tread. This modification reduces the contact surface between the wheel and the floor, reducing the friction between them. Thanks to this arrangement, they are more precise and faster while spinning. The diameters are both 55 mm and 57 mm.
HARDNESSES CHART/ELASTOMER INJECTION WHEELS'S SURFACES
| SURFACES |
ROLL LINE MAGNUM |
BOIANI STAR |
ROLL LINE GIOTTO |
FOOR'S TYPES |
| SURFACES EXTRA SLIPPERY |
|
CS 30 - CS 35 |
47D |
parquet extra slippery |
| SURFACES SLIPPERY |
49D |
CS 40 |
49D |
parquet midium slippery
cement slippery |
| SURFACES MEDIUM SLIPPERY |
53D |
TL 60 - HD 70 |
53D |
cement smooth
tiles
linoleum |
| SURFACES ROUGH |
57D |
HD 75 - HD 80 |
57D |
quartz cement
industrial cement |
| SURFACES EXTRA ROUGH |
60D |
HD 84 |
60D |
rough cement |
Different diameter and color for the same wheel model with the same hardness does not involve any change on the type of floor where it is used.
- BIMATERIAL ELASTOMER WHEELS
- ROLL LINE FLUIDO AND ROLL LINE DEVIL, these are professional wheels, produced only in diameter 57 mm. Thanks to the peculiarity of the inner hub that is harder than the external material, it was possible to create wheels with softer compounds that helps to increase the grip on slippery floors while maintaining excellent smoothness.
HARDNESSES CHART/BIMATERIAL ELASTOMER WHEELS'S SURFACES
All the Devil and Fluido wheels from the 36D to the 47D are suitable for extra slippery surfaces and only the sensitivity of an experienced skater can understand the best mix for his type of skating.
Obviously the 36D will be the softest for this type of model, increasing the number will always increase the hardness of the wheel by a little.
- ROLL LINE PROFESSIONAL are polyurethane wheels. This material is extremely elastic and gives a completely different sliding feeling compared to elastomer wheels. This models comes in different hardnesses for each different surface, they are produced both in diameter 55 mm and 57 mm. Their peculiarity is certainly the more uniform grip on any type of floor, but it will result in a less faster wheels.
HARDNESSES CHART/WHEELS IN POLYURETHANE SURFACES
With this guide we’re sure we’ve cleared a couple of your doubts.
If you wish to ask further questions you can email us directly at info@ilpattinoriccione.com
