Where to buy outdoor skate wheels & indoor skate wheels, and other roller skate parts
Image by Nik Korba on Unsplash
So you want to know more about roller skates?
Roller skating has quickly become a trendy hobby to pick up, and if you’re the type of person who goes all in on their hobbies there are a few things you may want to consider before you purchase roller skate hardware, as it can get pricey. Maybe you have had a couple questions about the type of roller skate hardware that is needed. This blog post will go over indoor and outdoor skate wheels, the different kinds of wheels, as well as bushing, and cushions. The different types of roller skating bearings you may need, as well as different kinds of roller skating plates.
Quad roller skate wheels have different uses depending on the type of roller skater you are. Some questions you may want to ask yourself before making a purchase would be:
- What style of roller skating am I doing? (jam skating, street skating, roller derby, etc.)
- What surface will I be skating on the most?
- What size wheels am I looking for?
- What do I want my roller skating experience to be like?
Asking yourself these 4 questions will help you narrow down what types of wheels you should be looking for so you don’t feel so lost when it comes to the roller skating world.
Indoor Skate Wheels vs Outdoor Roller Skate Wheels
Have you ever sat there and wondered “what do these numbers mean?” when it came to your wheels. Skating has two main categories for wheels. There are indoor and outdoor wheels and hybrid wheels as an inbetween option.
The first thing to know when purchasing a roller skate wheel is the type durometer you’re looking for. This refers to the hardness of the wheel. This depends on how soft you want your wheel to be. This scale goes from 0-100 real quick.
The higher the numbers, 88A – 103A, means the wheel is harder and perfect for indoor or park roller skating. The lower the numbers, 78A – 88A, means the wheel is softer and is meant to be grippier. These wheels are smooth and built to absorb shock while skating outdoors. Most roller skate wheels have the letter “A” which measures the hardness of urethane.(It’s made out of crystalline compounds with a chemical formal)
If you enjoy graphs, down below is a visual graph of a durometer chart. This graph includes the different kinds of wheel hardness when they would be used, and what surface they would work best on.
Every roller skating wheel has 2 important numbers to pay attention to…
- The first number refers to the durometer, or the hardness of the wheel.
- The other refers to a diameter, which means size of the wheel.
The size of your wheels can impact your roller skating experience. The diameter is going to be the height of your wheel. For quad roller skates the diameter ranges between 47mm-70mm. The smaller diameter in wheels helps roller skaters mobility for aggressive skating, jam skating, or street roller skating. Larger height in wheels will have a smoother faster ride.
For example, if you’re more focused on indoor skating the kind of wheels that would benefit your roller skating experience would be…
- 97A wheels work great for standard surfaces
- 95A wheels for polished surfaces
- 92A for extra slippery surfaces
If you’re outdoor roller skating on concrete or asphalt the best wheels for you to use would be…
- Soft range from 78A-85A
Or maybe you consider your skating style to lean more towards artistic skating. You’ll want to find very hard wheels since you’ll be on coated wood most of the time. Like…
- Hard range from 97A to 103A
If you have a need for speed, you’ll want to find harder wheels for speed skating.
- Generally ranging from 95A to 98A
There are many different kinds of roller skating wheels out there. You may have to try out different ones to figure out which wheels will fit you and your skating needs. Check out Roller Skate Nation for indoor, outdoor, and hybrid wheels. They have many different options and kits you can choose from.
What types of roller skate bearings do I need?
One frequently asked question is “what size of bearing do my roller skates need?” Bearings are one of the important pieces of hardware roller shawty’s need. Roller skate bearings sit inside the wheel hub. They are donut shaped, and allow for your wheels to spin on the axle. Most roller skate wheels are sold without bearing, unless you purchase the quad skate set up. Each wheel will have 2 bearings since there are 8 wheels in total you will need 16 bearings.
There are 2 common sizes for bearings 7mm & 8mm; their number refers to the inner diameter of the bearings and the size of your axles. The common size for bearings is 8mm. Popular brands like Moxi Lolly, Riedell R3 , Impala, and Sure-Grip Boardwalk use 8mm bearings.
A good way for you to remember which bearing to look for would be 7mm is rare and lucky like the number 7, and 8mm is most common and an even number, and who doesn’t like an even number.
A few bearings are rated on an ABEC scale (Annular Bearing Engineering Committee.) Some are now considered above the ABEC scale but just because the bearing is higher on the scale doesn’t mean you will “go faster.” What does affect your roller skating experience is the quality of bearing you choose for the roll out. That determines how long your wheels will spin after you have pushed off. There are 5 components in roller skate bearings:
Shield: This protects the bearings from debris. Some bearings have a shield on each side of the bearing and others have them on one side of the bearing. Shields are made out of metal or nylon, if the shield is made out of metal it becomes harder to open and clean. If the shield is closed all around it’s not meant for long term use. To get the most of your skates it’s ideal to have removable shield on each side to keep the bearing clean, and easier to maintain.
Inner race/cone: This is the part of the bearing that sits right on the shaft. What size you need is determined by the size of axle you will be putting the bearing/wheel on.
Balls: The balls inside the roller skate is what keeps the bearing moving and grooving.
Retainers: Keep the balls in place if the shield is removed.
Outer Race: Outer race is outside of the bearing. It’s what makes contact with the wheels.
A super nice cheat code to figure out what kind of bearing you will need is to stick a regular number 2 pencil through the inner race inside the hole, if it fits then you have an 8mm axle, if it doesn’t fit then you’re lucky because you have a 7mm axle.
If you’re in the market for some bearings go ahead and check out Pigeon Roller Skate Shop. There are many options to look at and even products that will help you keep your bearings in top shape.
What is the difference between skate bushings and roller skate cushions?
There is no difference because they can be called cushions or bushing, depending on your niche. If you’re a skater dude you may be looking for bushing. If you’re a roller baddie then you may be searching for cushions. They fit over the kingpin on both sides of the trucks. If you didn’t have cushions you wouldn’t be able to turn left or right. They allow your axles and wheels to tilt by helping alleviate pressure.
Cushions come in 2 different shapes, barrel, is the standard, and conical. Conical cushions narrow down towards the end. The shape creates a bigger range of motion since the roller skater can lean more. Conical cushions are only used at the bottom and of your roller skates plates near the trucks.
Cushions are measured by a durometer; the hardness of your wheel will determine what kind of cushions you may be looking for. The scale ranges from 71A-98A. 71A is the softest, and 98A would be harder. Some cushions aren’t rated on scale; some can be sold as “soft,” “medium,” or “firm.” Harder cushions have better stability, and are great for park skating, it does feel a lot harder while you’re skating so beware.
The softer the cushion is, the more it will allow for agility for better turns and it will flex under more pressure. These would be ideal for jam skating or trail roller skating. Some skaters will mix the hardness of their cushions in their set up. For example, they will add soft cushions on the front axles, and hard cushions on the rear axles. It helps roller skates move from side to side. Go head and try playing around with what cushions work best with your skate set up.
Last but not least let’s talk about roller skating plates, and how to know which one you should choose for your ideal roller skate journey.
Do I have the right roller skate plate?
Roller skate plates are made of different materials, they can be made from nylon or metal alloy like aluminum, magnesium or platinum.
Nylon:
Nylon skate plates are lighter, more flexible and less expensive. Some Nylon plates are called plastic plates. These roller skate plates are known to be more flexible. Roller skaters will purchase these plates because they are lightweight.
Metal Alloy:
Magnesium and Aluminum plates are most commonly used, and wanted by roller skaters because they are a lot less likely to break if you’re a shredder babe. Alloy plates offer less flexibility compared to nylon plates.
The roller skate plate you want to buy will depend more on your budget. They can range from $50-500. It all depends on your skating style.
Take your new found knowledge of roller skating hardware, and put it to some use! Look at Riedell Skates to find your perfect roller skate plate. Also make sure you’re getting out there and enjoying the beauty that Utah has to offer on your quad skates.
Roller skating in Utah is the best
Roller skating anywhere is pretty much the best, but especially when it comes to being in Utah. There are many places for you to practice your technique, just make sure you’re having fun while doing it. Admire the beautiful mountains or smooth concrete you like to practice backwards skating on.
Maybe you just don’t feel like being outdoors today and want to learn the history of roller skating. Check out Roller Shawty’s blog post How Decades of skating culture has affected Roller Rinks. Learn about roller skating’s wild history, and the disappearance of roller rinks in the 20th century.
Hopefully you were able to learn a few new things about roller skate hardware and now you have more knowledge before you drop some cash on this pricey hobby.