Cadillac brand DK51 model skateboard wheel
date: label: date made
content: 1975
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: This is a "DK51" model Cadillac skateboard wheel which is a pigmented blue-green color and was introduced in 1975. "Cadillac Wheels [/] DK51" is imprinted into the surface of the wheel which is 2 inches in diameter and 2 inches or 51 mm wide. This model was the first production Cadillac wheel made in California. According to the donor, several aspects of this wheel were refined and included two models, the DK38 and the DK 51. these wheels were not the original designs but became the standard for the first high volume skateboard production by the new team of Bahne & Co. and Cadillac Wheels. Both models were offered in blue-green and orange. This wheel contains a precision bearing which, according to the donor, simplified the manufacturability of the wheels while increasing the retail cost of an assembled wheel by about $2.00 which was a 100% increase. The cost was readily accepted by the consumer as precision bearings provided a smoother, quieter ride. The loose ball bearing configuration would fall apart easily, spilling bearings all over the street and also allowed dirt to get into the bearing and slow down or stop the wheel completely. The precision bearing was enclosed so did not have these problems. This new technology advanced the sport once again.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Frank Nasworthy’s introduction of the urethane wheel to skateboarding in the early 1970s, changed the face of the sport allowing riders a more fluid, smooth ride and innovators to create new and improved equipment designed specifically from the use of the urethane wheel on skateboards. Prior to Cadillac wheel’s introduction, skateboarding had dropped from popularity. The equipment did not allow for a safe, enjoyable ride. The wheels, made of steel, plastic, clay or a crushed walnut composite did not provide a smooth ride. One small rock or rise in the road and the board would stop, sending the rider flying. Nasworthy, a recreational skater discovered the urethane wheel, originally used for roller skating, at a friend’s father’s factory in Purcellville, Virginia. He saw the potential for skateboarding and returned to California with 1000 wheels he bought from his friend’s dad. Selling them to skate and surf shops in California, Nasworthy soon realized the business potential and began manufacturing the wheels under the name Cadillac. While skateboarding ebbed again in the late 70s, the wheels were here to stay.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: name of sport
content: skateboarding
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure
label: See more items in
content: Sports & Leisure
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2021.0116.09.2
label: accession number
content: 2021.0116
label: catalog number
content: 2021.0116.09.2
objectType: label: Object Name
content: wheel, skateboarding
label: Object Name
content: skateboard wheel
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: urethane (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2 in x 2 in; 5.08 cm x 5.08 cm