Skateboard wheels: how to choose and change?

Only well-chosen skateboard wheels will give you pleasure from riding and motivate you to further achievements. The size, stiffness and softness of luminous skate wheels and regular skate wheels affect not only ride performance, but also safety when performing tricks.

Wheels are one of the most important elements of a skateboard. It is on them that speed, ability to perform tricks and ride comfort depend. After all, they are in direct contact with the surface.

There are several basic requirements for wheels - they must be strong, durable, roll well and withstand impacts. Well, it is desirable to have acceptable cost.

That being said, the choice of skate wheels is always a compromise. If we want more speed, we lose maneuverability and gain additional weight in addition. If we want to do tricks, we lose speed and durability.

Therefore, the choice must be approached reasonably. Indeed, at best, we will lose money, at worst, health. Even if it does not come to fractures, it is still unpleasant to get abrasions from a bouncing wheel.

In addition, on different types of skateboards, the location of the wheels is different. Therefore, for rollers, different wheels have been developed, which are divided into several types.

Most skateboards are equipped with classic wheels. But there are other varieties as well.

• Classic. They are used on most skateboards. They have 2 bearings, they can be made of different materials and have different colors.

• Glowing. Usually purchased for children because they make the ride more interesting. They look especially impressive in the dark.The main thing is to take a proven model, since among them there is a high percentage of defects.

• Swivel. Fixed on a special bracket that allows them to rotate 360 ​​degrees. On roller-surfing, independent wheels are used; on freboarding, they are interlocked with the suspension.

• Pneumatic. Used on off-road mountainboards. They have a large diameter - 20 cm (200 mm) and more. They absorb shock well as they are pumped with air. Rubber tires with an evil tread will provide good grip on difficult surfaces.

• Motor wheels. They are usually also pneumatic. Mounted on electric skateboards and powered by a battery. Absolutely not suitable for stunts as they are large and heavy. Due to their high inertia, they gain speed for a long time and have low maneuverability.

But despite the simple design, classic wheels can vary greatly in performance. This is especially noticeable in terms of cost. Therefore, you need to decide on the characteristics.

Usually the wheels are equipped with two bearings at once. Therefore, only these elements need to be selected.

One of the main parameters, as it defines the area of ​​use of the wheel. The designation is always indicated on the sidewall in the form of a number and the letter A.

• 73A-87A. Soft wheels for bad roads. Used in cruisers and longboards.
• 88A-95A. The harder ones require a better quality coating.
• 96A-99A. Have a good balance between speed and comfort. Most popular among children and adults.
• 101A and up. Designed for sliding on railings and edges, only suitable for experienced skaters.

Wheel size affects speed and acceleration. In this case, the values ​​are reciprocal to each other. This means that the higher the top speed, the slower it picks up.

Moreover, the basic laws are simple. So, big wheels are more comfortable, they keep the speed better. Small ones are more maneuverable. Therefore, the size of the wheels is selected depending on the surface and riding style.

• Diameter 54-56 mm... It is used on uneven surfaces, asphalt or special ramps. They are mainly installed on longboards.
• 51-53 mm... Used for smooth asphalt without cracks. Suitable for not very difficult tricks.
• 40-45 mm... The area of ​​application is absolutely flat surfaces. Complex tricks can be performed on them.

It should be noted that the wheels are erased and their size is reduced. There should be a gap between them and the deck. This is especially important when the suspension is soft. If the wheel "bites" at the moment of landing, the sensations will not be the most pleasant.

And also don't forget about the width. It lies in the range of 30-42 mm.

This is part of the wheel, therefore part of the skate. They are classified according to their manufacturing accuracy, from ABEC-1 to ABEC-9. The most accurate are 9, but also the most expensive. They are installed on high-speed models for experienced riders.

Despite the prestige, children are not recommended to use such bearings. They are expensive. In addition, do not forget about safety - until the child learns to ride well, it is not worth developing high speeds.

But notice ABEC-9 cannot be cheap. And also ABEC-3 of a well-known manufacturer can be faster than ABEC-9 of an unnamed one.

Some bearings may have a metal diaphragm on one side. It is better not to touch it when disassembling it. This bearing should be directed towards you, that is, with the unprotected side towards the inside of the wheel.

When choosing, the material is also important, since the wheels are made from different raw materials.

• Polyurethane... They are reliable and have a long service life. They are deservedly the most popular among roller skates, some do not even recommend taking wheels from other material.
• PVC (polyvinyl chloride). The characteristics are slightly worse, which is reflected in the price.
• Rubber. They are well cushioned, have excellent grip properties, but do not tolerate temperature extremes. Their resource is limited.
• Plastic... Dignity - bright colors. The rest of the characteristics are worse than those of polyurethane. Suitable as a children's option, as they increase interest in the new skate.

Sometimes there are compound wheels, namely a polyurethane tire and a plastic hub. These wheels are less durable, but are suitable for children and light riders.

It is not profitable for manufacturers to make a marriage, because they want to have satisfied customers. Therefore, any company strives to gain trust and produce good products.

Still, the best firms are Footwork, Union, Ricta and Bones. But the main thing is to choose the right model correctly. This applies to any company.

Technicians love grooming, so every rider should be able to remove wheels. This is necessary for maintenance and replacement of bearings.

Use a 1/2 ″ (inch) socket wrench to loosen the nut and remove the wheel. On roller-surfing, you need to unscrew the bolt - and that's it.

You can get the bearing with a screwdriver or use the skate hanger. You need something sharp to remove the rubber cuff. And you also need water, since the procedure is not clean.

It's a shame when the skate doesn't go. There may be several symptoms of a malfunction.

• The wheels are not spinning well. In this case, you need to check the bearing. If it is very dirty, it needs to be replaced or cleaned. To clean the bearing, you need to remove the rubber boots (metal, if any, do not touch). Then it must be completely immersed in a bottle of kerosene, gasoline or solvent. After that, the container must be shaken and left for 24 hours. And then after drying, don't forget to lubricate.

• Skate unstable... Check if the wheels are swinging and tighten them. If it does not help, you need to change the bearing.

• Bearing noise... They need to be lubricated with WD-40 or I-20A. In this case, it is better to put less lubricant than more.

• Cracked wheel. The part cannot be restored, definitely for replacement.

You can learn more about how to care for your skateboard below.