From: mldickens@bbn.com (Michael Dickens)
Newsgroups: rec.skate
Subject: Re: Inline wheel question
Date: 30 Sep 92 19:25:19 GMT
Article-I.D.: news.lcjvovINNs4u
Reply-To: mldickens@bbn.com
Distribution: world
Organization: BBN Systems and Technologies
NNTP-Posting-Host: flounder.bbn.com

In article <13638@pogo.wv.tek.com>, lyndw@pogo.wv.tek.com (Lynd Wieman) writes:
|> 
|> I just got some California Pros for a present about 6 weeks ago.  I seem
|> to go through wheels awfully fast.  I'm now on my third set.  Is this 
|> normal?  I've been skating quite a bit but I have no idea how many miles.
|> I usually go out for an hour or hour and half in the evenings and maybe
|> five hours on the weekends.
|> 
|> The wheels that came on these skates were 70mm 82A.  They lasted about 3
|> weeks.  I figured I used them up quick trying to learn to turn and stop.
|> (I'm still learning and spend quite a bit of time practicing turns, forward
|> and backwards.)
|> 
|> The hardest skates my local skate shop had that would fit my skates are
|> Kryptonics 72.5 mm 78A.  That's the largest wheel that fits and the only
|> wheels they had that were harder were also larger.  These lasted me about
|> 2 weeks.  I had one long day that took them from slightly worn to trashed.
|> 
|> My newest wheels, also Kryptonics 72.5 mm 78A, are showing wear after about
|> 3-4 hours of pretty easy skating.  I am now trying to use my brake for all
|> stops rather than doing hard turns.
|> 
|> Some other points of information:
|> 
|> I rotate my wheels when they start to look like they are wearing on the 
|> inside.
|> 
|> I don't like to drive somewhere to skate so I start from home which means
|> I skate on all kinds of surfaces.  Hills are inevitable.  I usually slalom
|> down them to keep my speed down.
|> 
|> There are probably lots of things I'm doing that are wearing my wheels but 
|> what wears them the most?  Rough pavement?  Slaloming?  (I assume hard turns
|> at speed will be real hard on them.)  What about my skating technique?  I'm
|> just learning so will poor technique wear wheels excessively?  And how 
|> about my skates?  I have found I can twist the frames with my hands quite
|> a bit more than than some other skates I have looked at.  Will this wear
|> wheels?
|> 
|> So far I have put about as much into wheels as the skates cost.  If stiffer
|> skates would help, maybe I should get new skates sooner rather than later.
|> 
|> Can you you get 80A-82A wheels in small diameters?

Yes - you can get 78A, 82A, and 85A (maybe even 93A) from any good
in-line store. I personally stick with 82A outdoors, and 85A indoors
(half-pipe or smoothe concrete).

Here's the run-down on some of what's out there:

Kryptonics:
	Size			Durometer
	70mm			78A, 82A, 85A
	Turbo Light 72.5mm	78A
	Turbo Core 77mm		78A, 82A
	Turbo Core 80mm		78A, 82A
	Hockey Plus 70mm	82A

Hyper:
	Superlite 72mm		78A, 82A, 85A
	Superlite 76mm		78A, 82A
	Race 80mm		75A, 78A, 82A
	Hockey 70mm		82A
	Indoor 72mm		medium, firm, extra firm
	Indoor 76mm		",","
	Indoor 80mm		",","

I use Superlite 72mm 82A on my TRS, but could get up to the Turbo Light
72.5mm. I don't because 78A wears quickly with what I do. I use
Superlite 76mm 82A on my CoolBlades, but I think I could get up to 77mm.
I don't use Krypto wheels just because - not real reason except that
I've always used Hyper.

I'm really into quick turns, slalom, spinning, single wheels, and other
general stunts. I also like jumping and sliding. I don't have a break,
so I have to drag, "power stop", slalom, and/or circle to stop moving (I
usually just don't stop :).

78A wheels will last about a week; 82A maybe 3 to 4 weeks. I've found
that straight speen skating doesn't wear your wheels as much as stunt
skating. Fast turns, dragging, and "power stops" all wear the wheels
alot.

The frames are a matter of choice. But you'll always want a solid piece
to hold the wheels in place. From what I hear, the '93 Roces are
supposed to be a great pair of skates (from the solid but as light as
possible point of view).

Just because you're a beginner doesn't mean that you won't wear your
wheels down. Though most beginners I've met don't skate as mugh as you
seem to.

Rotating your wheels is a good thing - it helps the wheels last longer,
helps with your skating, etc.. I've been known to rotate my wheels
DURING a session, and again afterwards: the harder you skate, the more
frequently you'll have to rotate your wheels.

Hope this helps...

	MLD

/* The opinions (if any) expressed above are entirely my own, and should
not be construed as those of my employer */