Let’s talk about WHEELS! As a roller skate instructor, I get a LOT of questions about wheels, so you know I had to get in my bag to bring you these tips! Here are a few rules of thumb when it comes to roller skate wheels. FYI, this is coming from a RHYTHM SKATING perspective, so opinions could vary. As a beginner, it is not necessary to buy new wheels until you have good reason, depending on where and how you skate. Come learn more below!
WHEEL HARDNESS - Soft wheels are for outside, hard wheels are for indoor. Soft wheels CAN be worn indoors, but it will be difficult to accelerate because they are more gummy/grippy. Hard wheels should NOT be worn outside because small debris can chip them.
WHEEL HEIGHT - Larger wheels are good for speed, and small wheels are good for dance and freestyle. Height starts to to become more important when it comes to style skating.
WHEEL WIDTH - Generally, wider wheels are going to be larger and narrower wheels are going to be smaller. You will see large/wide wheels on the outside lanes of the rink, but as you reach the middle and center of the rink, the wheels tend to be small/narrow. However, this can still vary. An example of a large, narrow wheel would be for inline skate. An example of a small, wide wheel would be fiberglass wheels, also known as sliders.
‼️BEGINNERS‼️ I recommend starting with whatever wheels come on your skates already. Build your skills with those and then start choosing wheels once you know which type/style of skating you want to do!
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