Wheel terms explained
Most wheels are made of polyurethan. All inline-wheels have a standard width of 24 mm, making it easy to exchange wheels, as you then now the width will always fit.
The characteristic of the wheel are the diameter, durometer, rebound, grip, profile, wear, hub and weight. A detailed description of all these terms and the difference between wheels for fitness, aggressive, hockey and speed can be found in this guide.
Diameter
The diameter of the wheel is given in milimeters (mm). Usually this number can be read directly from the wheel or it can easily be measured.
The diameter of the wheel have relevance for the ability to accelerate vs. speed, and relevance for manueverable vs. direction stability. The range of diameter for different wheel type and its relevance can be seen here:
Better acceleration <---- ----> Higher speeds
More control <---- ----> Higher direction stability
Durometer
This term is the relativly hardness of the wheel, and is number as a A-number. 100A is very hard, and 0A is soft as no resistance.
The durometer of the wheel have relevance for how well shocks are absorded and grip. But also wear and speed depends on the durometer. The range of durometer for different wheel types and its relevance can be seen on this figure:
Better grip <---- ----> Longer wear
Lower bodyweight <---- ----> Higher bodyweight
Shock absording <---- ----> Higher speeds
Rebound
One of the important factor for how fast you can roll. The rebound is a term for how much force you will be pushed forward with on each stroke (the response of the wheels). Sadly the rebound factor is never given for wheels, it also depends very much on the material of the wheel. A high rebound is usually one of the charatectics of more expensive quality wheels.
Grip
The grip is very important for speed and hockey, were a good grip makes you stand in quick and fast cornering. The grip depends on the material of the wheel and its durometer. But also the type of surface (asphalt, track, indoor, wet conditions) is very important, and the best skaters often bring wheels with different grip on different surfaces.
Profile
The cross-section of the wheel is named the profile. A narrow profile results in little road contact and higher speed, but a wide profile results in more road contact and more control. See the typical profiles for different wheel types:
Aggressive Hockey Fitness Speed
Flat profile Rounded profile Narrow profile
More control <---- ----> Higher speed
Wear
The wear of the wheels naturaly depends on the durometer and diameter of the wheel, but it depends even more on the quality of the polyurethan, the rubber on the wheel. For hockey use, it is imprtant to get a good quality, if not you risk to wear out your wheels in a few hours.
Hub
The core of the wheel is the hub. The hub is centered in the wheel and keep the bearings positioned. The material is hard plastic, and for the best performance it needs to be strong and light. For hockey the hub must be compact and strong, the same goes for aggressive, where the hub often is very small. But for speed the hub is usually large and open to keep weight down. The different types of hubs can be seen here:
Weight
The weight of the wheels is also important for how fast you can go. Lower weight means you need less force to make the wheels rotate, and lesser weight must be liftet at each stroke. When speed-skating the lower weight results in higher speed.
Se også skatefaq.com
|
