Roller Derby Wheels - Buying Advice

Roller derby wheels are somewhat of an exact science. A bunch of different variables come intoﾠ

play, from the size of the skater, ability and personal preference. In all honesty, there's noﾠ

singular,ﾓgood wheelﾔ that can be recommended to everyone. What's excellent for some skatersﾠ

are horrendous for others. It's all about finding out YOUR needs, as an individual, then findingﾠ

the product to match.ﾠ

Ask yourself the following questions to establish the kind of wheel that will suit your needs.ﾠ

Then, use the filters on the product pages to refine your search into something a little moreﾠ

palatable than the usual sea of products.

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Where are you skating?

The rule of thumb is that outdoor surfaces require a soft wheel (for grip on all those unevenﾠ

surfaces, as well as absorbing lumps and bumps), while an indoor surface will need a harderﾠ

wheel, which gives plenty of roll.

An outdoor wheel will generally be 78A durometer (that's the hardness of the urethane),ﾠ

whereas an indoor wheel will be 85A or more. The higher the number, the harder the wheel...ﾠ

Easy!

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Do you want a standard or low wheel?

A standard derby wheel will generally have a height of 62mm, whereas a low wheel will be moreﾠ

like 59mm.ﾠ

A lower wheel will, in theory, give you more confidence to juke and step, as a result of the lowerﾠ

centre of gravity. However, a lower wheel can also be more difficult to control, so a fullﾭsizeﾠ

wheel tends to be the recommendation to be begin with.

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Do you want a wide or slim wheel?

A wide wheel will often have a lip, whereas a slim wheel is entirely flat on the sides. Widerﾠ

wheels are more stable, but can feel quite restrictive once you advance into your skills. A slimﾠ

wheel can offer more agility, but only if the user is confident.

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Sticky or smooth?

A sticky wheel will have a lower durometer and therefore more grip. Anything below 88A is veryﾠ

soft and grippy. 88A ﾭ 90A is still grippy, but with a bit more roll. 90A and upwards will have aﾠ

nice bit of slip n' slide.

There's positive and negatives to whichever choice you make, so again, it's very much down toﾠ

what you, as the person skating in those wheels, feels is best.

A grippier wheel is going to stick you to the floor, especially under 88A. If you're a bit nervous,ﾠ

this is great ﾭ You'll feel in control. As you gain confidence, however, the stick will have youﾠ

working much harder to achieve a quicker pace. You'll have to push HARD to get a good roll outﾠ

of it. There's a good argument that superﾭsticky wheels only serve to hold you back after you getﾠ

your bearings.

A slippier wheel will, in theory, have you travelling faster and able to catch a bit of slide. Theﾠ

only problem with that is, not everybody likes to slide, especially when you're crossing over on aﾠ

corner. So, 90 isn't for everyone, especially once you get to 93A. However, once you'reﾠ

confident, the slide can take the effort out of your gait and have you powering around the track.

It's all a matter of taste!

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Pusher set?

A pusher set, in the most basic terms, is when you have a mix of durometers on one foot. Forﾠ

example, you may decide that you like a grippier wheel on your inside edge and a harder wheelﾠ

on the outside. It comes down to where you need stick and where you need slide, and can onlyﾠ

really be decided after a bit of time getting to know your own skating style. Luckily, most derbyﾠ

wheels are now sold in packs of 4, so you can mix n' match. Yay!

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Nylon or Alloy Core?

In layman's terms... An alloy core wheel is harder, stronger and won't compress into the groundﾠ

when you skate on it. Keeping shape is important for a good, strong roll and heavier skatersﾠ

especially will probably find this of more benefit than a nylon core wheel.

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