| Choosing a Skateboard | |
| Part 3: Wheels |
Skateboard wheels come in a variety of colors, sizes and degrees of hardness. Wheels have two stats -- diameter (how tall the wheel is) and durometer (how hard the wheel is -- in this article, we refer to the a-scale for durometer). The bigger the wheels, the faster your board will roll, and the harder the wheels, the faster you'll ride with more stability.
Transition / Vert Larger wheels roll a lot faster, and when riding ramps this is what you want. Try 55-65mm size wheels (though many ramp skaters will use even larger wheels -- try something like a 60mm wheel first, as you learn), with a hardness of 97-100a. Street / Technical Skaters who like doing flip tricks often like smaller wheels, as they are lighter and closer to the ground, making some tricks easier / faster. Try 50-55mm wheels, with a hardness of 97-100a. Both / All Terrain
You'll want something in the middle, with slightly softer wheels. Try a wheel size 52-60mm, with 95-100a hardness. This should give you a balance between speed and weight. Cruising Wheels for cruising are very different from trick skateboard wheels. Usually much larger for speed (64-75mm) and much softer for riding over rough terrain (78-85a). Other wheels for cruising are available, such as huge dirt wheels and the like, but these aren't recommended for skateboards (try longboards or dirtboards). Next page > There's only one way to rate bearings... > Page 4, 5 |
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