About Inline Skate Wheels

Inline skate wheels that you find on modern inline skates are manufactured from polyurethane. Seldom will you find wheels made of any other material, unlike decades ago when inline skating began its emergence. Many skates manufactured in the 1980s and 1990s had plastic wheels, which were ineffective and cracked easily. Nowadays, very few skates (typically skates for children) offer anything but a polyurethane wheel. The following discussion will take you through many of the important items you should know about inline skate wheels. One of the most notable things about inline skate wheels is that they are available in a variety of sizes, shapes, and hardness ratings (Durometers). Due to the overwhelming selection that is available, it is good to know that most wheels are designed for a specific type of use; therefore, it is easier to decipher which wheel you need to get for your skate. Inline wheel sizing is measured by diameter and stated in millimeters (mm). Wheel diameters will vary in size from very small (57mm or below), to very large (up to 100mm). The variances exist due to the different types of skates that are available. Very large wheels are most commonly found on racing skates because larger wheels allow for higher speeds. Smaller wheels on the other hand offer faster acceleration and deceleration, which is why most skates do not utilize the larger wheel sizes mentioned previously. In addition to wheel size, wheel Durometer is another important aspect in wheel selection. A wheel Durometer is simply the hardness rating of the wheel. Durometer ratings are indicated by a number following by a capital letter A. The hardness scale runs from 0 to 100, with 0 being the softest rating and 100 being the hardest. While the rating scale is from 0 to 100, it is not likely you will find a wheel that has a rating softer than 68A. A wheel softer than this is likely to wear down too fast, regardless