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Guide to Purchasing Skateboard Wheels
Skateboard wheels are crucial for your performance, whether you're a novice or seasoned professional. They have a considerable impact on how you skateboard, and changing to a new type of wheel can entirely alter your skateboard setup. Consequently, it's wise to consider your options when selecting skateboard wheels.
This guide aims at offering valuable insights as you search for new skateboard wheels. Have a look at the contents below and navigate to the section of interest to assist you in finding the ideal wheels for your skateboard.
Overview
Overview
Selecting Skateboard Wheels
When choosing skateboard wheels for your setup, it's vital to focus on two primary aspects: size and hardness. Selecting the correct size is key to avoiding problems such as wheel bites.
Beyond size and hardness, consider variables like shape, which determines the contact patch (the section of the wheel touching the ground), and wheel material impacting attributes like grip, rebound, and weight.
Your preferences and style of riding will be a guide throughout the process. The best skateboard wheels are those that align with your style and choices, offering the most enjoyment on the board, no matter if you're new or a seasoned skater!
Continue below for more detailed advice on selecting perfect skateboard wheels tailored to your needs.
Sizes of Skateboard Wheels
The sizes of skateboard wheels are defined by diameter, which greatly affects aspects like speed, acceleration, and manoeuvrability.
Skaters who enjoy technical challenges often choose smaller wheels, whereas larger wheels are suitable for cruising or vert skating. Here are the typical distinctions between larger and smaller skateboard wheels:
Smaller wheels:
- Provide agility, manoeuvrability, and are excellent for tricks. Although they may not reach the speeds of larger wheels, they offer greater responsiveness.
- Are less forgiving and can stop suddenly if obstacles like small stones are encountered.
- Feature a mellower pop-angle, requiring less effort for flip tricks and popping ollies.
- Low trucks fit smaller wheels, allowing the centre of gravity to stay close to the ground.
Larger wheels:
- Offer higher speeds, but with slower acceleration and less agility.
- Provide more forgiveness when encountering small stones or surface irregularities.
- Have a steeper pop-angle, granting more leverage for big tricks, but requiring more effort to pop. As reiterated, larger wheels are less agile.
- Higher trucks or riser pads might be necessary to avoid wheel bites.
Most skateboard wheels fall within a size range of approximately 52-56 mm. Unless you're heavily focused on vert shredding or cruising, you'll likely find suitable wheels within this range.
Here is a chart for skateboard wheel sizes, offering a quick view of diameters and disciplines typically associated with each size.
| Size | Size in mm | Recommended for |
| Medium sized wheels | 50-53 mm | Street, park |
| Medium sized wheels | 53-56 mm | Street, park, bowl, mini ramp |
| Larger skateboard wheels | 56-60 mm | Cruising, vert |
You can sort our selection of skateboard wheels by diameter to locate the best wheels to suit your needs:
Understanding Skateboard Wheel Hardness – The Durometer Scale
The hardness of skateboard wheels is assessed using the durometer scale, usually noted with a number accompanied by an A. For instance, 100A wheels are harder than 99A wheels. Occasionally, a B replaces an A in durometer specifications, which represents a 20-unit deduction from the A-scale. For instance, 83B wheels are the same as 103A.
The following guidelines may assist in deciding if you should choose skateboard wheels that are either harder or softer compared to your current set:
Harder wheels
- Faster with increased durability
- Reduced grip and shock absorption
- Shaky and noisy on rough surfaces
- Quick and responsive on smoother surfaces
- Ideal for street or skatepark tricks
Softer wheels
- Enhanced grip at the cost of speed and durability
- Absorb vibrations and roughness of uneven surfaces
- For skateboarding filming, softer wheels help to minimise shaking and noise
- Perfect for cruising everywhere
| Hardness | Durometer | Recommended usage |
| Very soft wheels | 78A - 90A | Cruising, filming, commuting, beginners |
| Medium soft wheels | 90A - 97A | Cruising, rough surfaces, commuting, beginners |
| Medium hard wheels | 97A - 99 | Street skating, mini ramps, skateparks |
| Hard wheels | 99A + | Technical skateboarding |
While browsing our selection, refine the results by wheel hardness and other key specifications to view only the wheels that are relevant to your preferences:
Shape of Skateboard Wheels - Contact Patch & Lip Configuration
The contact patch is the major aspect when considering the shape of skateboard wheels. ‘Contact patch’ denotes the part of the wheel that interacts with the ground as you skate.
A narrower contact patch offers greater responsiveness, reduced friction, and heightened potential for sliding (enhancing blunt slides!). With slimmer skateboard wheels, your weight is distributed over a smaller surface area, causing vibrations from rough surfaces to be more prominent. Moreover, narrow skateboard wheels weigh less, with minimal material on sidewalls.
Conversely, a broader contact patch provides a more grippy and stable wheel that doesn't slide as readily as those with a slimmer contact patch. However, a wide contact patch reduces responsiveness and increases wheel weight.
Additionally, a rounded profile or lip shape helps with rolling over copings and avoiding hang-ups when skating transitions.
Wide contact patch:
- More grip and stability
- Less likely to slide
- Decreased responsiveness
- Increased weight due to wider wheels
Narrow contact patch:
- Improved responsiveness
- Less friction
- More inclined to slide
- Greater vibration from rough surfaces
- Lighter due to slimmer skateboard wheels
Composition of Skateboard Wheels
Polyurethane is used to craft skateboard wheels, and manufacturers persistently enhance and engineer new urethane blends to enhance wheel performance. By modifying the urethane mix, they can influence the wheel's hardness, durability, smoothness, bounce, and sliding ability.
Bounce in Skateboard Wheels (Properties of Urethane)
Initially, skateboard wheels were crafted from metal or ceramics prior to the emergence of urethane wheels in the market. The advent of the first urethane skateboard wheels was revolutionary for one vital reason. In contrast to their predecessors, urethane wheels possessed a crucial quality: bounce. Upon hitting a hard surface, a urethane wheel temporarily deforms but rapidly regains its original shape, delivering the characteristic bounce. Urethane skateboard wheels transformed the sport due to this bounce, laying the foundation for the skateboarding world we recognise today.
Stringent production processes determine skateboard wheels' quality. PU formulas, molding techniques, curing, and baking processes lie at the core of skateboard wheel advancements. As you choose skateboard wheels, contemplate their size, hardness, and shape. Given that fine-tuning PU formulas and production methods significantly impact wheel quality, opting for high-quality wheels from trusted brands remains advisable.
Optimal Skateboard Wheels for Parks
For park skating, skateboard wheels should typically range from small to medium size (50-56mm), with a hardness rating (durometer) between 99A to 101A, offering refined performance on smooth surfaces. A rounded shape enables versatile manoeuvrability for tricks and transitions, while high-quality polyurethane construction ensures longevity and superior grip on ramps and bowls.
Ideal Skateboard Wheels for Street
For street skateboarding, wheels should be small to medium-sized (50-56 mm) with a hardness rating (durometer) of 97A to 101A, guaranteeing optimal control and responsiveness on rough urban terrain. A wider contact patch enhances stability for tricks like slides and grinds, while a conical or rounded shape facilitates quick acceleration and manoeuvrability. Utilising high-quality polyurethane is crucial for durability and reliable grip on concrete and asphalt.
The mentioned advice pertains to street skateboarding. When simply cruising, larger wheels might provide a more enjoyable ride over uneven surfaces. Opt for wheels softer than 97A for cruising (78A - 85A range if solely cruising is the aim!).
