Wheels
If you are skating on the wheels in your freshmeat package change them as soon as possible as usually these are very low quality, unless you upgraded them at the time. They can really slow down your learning so I'd recommend wheel upgrades to be quite high on your list.
I have so many skater friends who look forward to spending money on wheels.. like plates there are so many different things to consider... |
- Width of the wheel
- Height of the wheel
- Core or hub of the wheel
- Durometer (hardness of the wheel)
- Surface of the floor you are skating on (dusty floors mean you'll need more grip than clean floors)
- Your weight
- What you like to feel under foot - a bit of slide or grip
Before buying any wheels try and borrow some from members of your league to try first. This will give you an idea of what to buy without spending money, letting you find out which wheels suit your skating style. If you can't borrow, try asking around why people like certain wheels - particularly ones who have a similar skating style, play similar positions and are of a similar weight.
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A general guideline is the heavier you are the harder you want your wheels, so if you're really light you'd be looking at durometers around 88a. Outdoor wheels are softer to absorb more of the bounce so tend to be around 78a. If the floor is really grippy you'll want hard wheels and vice versa.
If you are not stable you might want to try gripper wheels too. Shorter wheels have a quicker acceleration but slower top speed. Average range in wheel height for derby wheels tend to be from 59mm to 62mm. Wider wheels are good for stability whereas thinner wheels are better for agility, width usually ranges from 38mm - 44mm.
Generally newer skaters will prefer to have more control therefore tend to favour grip, however with experience this might change.
There are now also hybrid wheels that are designed to be all-rounder wheels such as poisons (84a) which are made to go both inside and outside. I skate on poisons mainly myself, but for grippier floors I have a DNA (88/86) and Juke (88). For really slippy floors I have the radar villians that are also (84a) and envys (80a). This suits me as I am a very small, light skater so benefit from that extra grip - especially as I have the slim wheels so compromise a tad there.
WFTDA have a durometer suggestions table relating to your weight and floor surface. But when looking at durometers of wheels they do vary across different wheel brands so you can never be sure an 88 in one brand is the same as an 88 in another brand which might actually be softer than a 92 of another brand. This illustrates how complicated wheel buying can be which is why trying wheels out is very important.
Wheels hubs are important to consider, particularly if you are a heavier skater as plastic hubs can't take as much weight as metal ones. This can be bad for performance or cause wheels to change shape and damage the wheel. Metal hubs tend to be stronger which means they stand up to a beating better than plastic hubs. Metal hubs tend to be aluminium, but be wary of wheels that have plastic hubs with metal caps over the top as these are basically pointless, in my opinion and that of many others.
A way to buy different types of wheels but save money is buying second hand through Facebook groups like UK roller derby recyclables.
If you are not stable you might want to try gripper wheels too. Shorter wheels have a quicker acceleration but slower top speed. Average range in wheel height for derby wheels tend to be from 59mm to 62mm. Wider wheels are good for stability whereas thinner wheels are better for agility, width usually ranges from 38mm - 44mm.
Generally newer skaters will prefer to have more control therefore tend to favour grip, however with experience this might change.
There are now also hybrid wheels that are designed to be all-rounder wheels such as poisons (84a) which are made to go both inside and outside. I skate on poisons mainly myself, but for grippier floors I have a DNA (88/86) and Juke (88). For really slippy floors I have the radar villians that are also (84a) and envys (80a). This suits me as I am a very small, light skater so benefit from that extra grip - especially as I have the slim wheels so compromise a tad there.
WFTDA have a durometer suggestions table relating to your weight and floor surface. But when looking at durometers of wheels they do vary across different wheel brands so you can never be sure an 88 in one brand is the same as an 88 in another brand which might actually be softer than a 92 of another brand. This illustrates how complicated wheel buying can be which is why trying wheels out is very important.
Wheels hubs are important to consider, particularly if you are a heavier skater as plastic hubs can't take as much weight as metal ones. This can be bad for performance or cause wheels to change shape and damage the wheel. Metal hubs tend to be stronger which means they stand up to a beating better than plastic hubs. Metal hubs tend to be aluminium, but be wary of wheels that have plastic hubs with metal caps over the top as these are basically pointless, in my opinion and that of many others.
A way to buy different types of wheels but save money is buying second hand through Facebook groups like UK roller derby recyclables.