Skateboard Wheels - Choosing the Correct Wheel For Your Board
66Possibly the most important part of your skateboarding experience is your skateboards wheels.
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Available in numerous colors, sizes and varying degrees of hardness, skateboard wheels are a decision that can be confusing. Skateboard wheels have two important values to consider -- diameter, which tells us how large the wheel is and durometer, an indicator of hardness. For the purposes of this informative article, durometer hardness will be indacted by an "a" next to the numbers given. This is used in the "a-scale." The a-scale is the most widely recognized scale used by most skateboarders.
The standard answer, as to what kind of wheels to get, is most skaters will be happy with standard wheels that range from 52mm to 54mm, with a hardness of 99a. Giving it a little more thought, however, ask yourself what kind of skateboarding you believe you'll enjoy most:
Transition / Vert
Skateboard wheels are like any other wheel, in that large skateboard wheels equate to faster travel than smaller wheels. It's simple rules of physics. The rotation can be slower to cover the same distance in the same time as a smaller wheel spinning at the same rotation rate. Because larger skateboard wheels equate to speed, when riding ramps this is what you want. An initial size of 55-65mm wheels would be a good starting point. Ramp skateboarders will use even larger wheels, but until you gain some skill you may want to try a 60mm wheel first. A hardness of 95-99a should suffice.
Street / Technical
Fip tricks are performed with smaller wheels, as they are lighter and closer to the ground. Because of the small size skateboarders prefer them, as they make many skateboarding tricks easier and faster. Recommended are the 50-55mm skateboard wheels, with a hardness of 97-101a.
Both / All Terrain
If you have one skateboard and wish it to be adaptable to both styles, you want some middle-ground wheels with slightly softer a-scale rating. A wheel size 52-60mm, with 95-100a hardness should meet those needs. This should give you a balance between speed and weight.
Cruising
If you just desire to enjoy the ride and the breeze in a relaxed travel mode, cruising wheels are much larger for speed (64-75mm) and much softer for riding over rough terrain (78-85a). Some skaters go to the extreme with their wheels, such as huge dirt wheels with knobs, but these aren't recommended for skateboards. If planning on using such wheels you should see longboards or dirtboards.
Whichever skateboard wheels you choose, choose the wheels that best suit you and your board. It's your ride. It's your skill. Your equipment should match you, not your friends.
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