In this post we are going to help you choose the wheels for your skateboard, the different shapes, hardness, brands and uses that you can give them.
A little history.
In the 1950s, the first skaters tore the metal wheels off their skates and attached them to their wooden planks, thus building the first skateboards in history. Later, in the 1960s, they realized that metal wheels were not the most suitable for rolling on sidewalks and they began to use the first clay wheels, although that trend did not last long either, mainly because They broke and didn't last long. And in the 70s, Frank Nashworthy introduced polyurethane in the composition of skateboard wheels which turned what could be done on a board and from there everything changed. Thanks to this invention, skaters began to roll down ramps, inclined planes and a lot of surfaces that they didn't even think about before. In 1977, Powel Peralta put Bones wheels on the market and 10 years later Spitfire was born.
Nowadays when you walk into a skate shop, the task of choosing a wheel from among all the ones on the market can seem at first glance very complicated. Here we are going to help you with that choice.
What we are going to focus on is the diameter, shape and hardness.
Toughness.
Wheels typically range from soft 78A to hard 103A, with many hardnesses in between. The harder wheels, the 10A and 99A are normally used to do tricks, either on ramps or on the street, with the 101A being more recommended if you skate on very smooth streets or if you want the wheels to slip when doing tricks. on curb on ramps. If you want a little less slippery, skate on rougher fairways but still need some slipperiness, the best choice is 99A. Both hardnesses are recommended for skateparks and ramps. The softer wheels are the best for riding a cruiser without feeling uncomfortable vibrations and also for skating on very rough bad surfaces but they are worse when it comes to doing tricks, apart from soft wheels you will go slower. If you need wheels to go fast, those from 99A to 103A are better. Something important is that hard wheels are also much better at avoiding "wheelbite" (when the wheel touches the board when the axle is twisted) by staying less attached to the wood. As for the wheels that range from 92A to 97A they are somewhere in the middle, for people who don't mind sacrificing a bit of speed in the skatepark or the streets for a smoother ride on rougher surfaces.
As a side note, the hardness on which we measure is the "A" scale that goes from 0 to 100, so talking about 101A and 103A is not technically correct, but in the world of skateboarding it is customary to talk about these two measures on the "A" scale for a long time...
If you have just started skating, you will realize very soon that you should always choose a brand that makes real skateboard wheels, not the typical ones that come with assembled skateboards from toy stores and general sports stores, which instead of being made of polyurethane they are made of plastic that you are going to undo in zero point. If you're starting out and you think you don't know exactly what kind of skateboarding you're going to do, it's best to get something in the 99A range.
Size/ Diameter
The size of the wheel is what will allow you to go faster or turn more or less. The larger the diameter, the higher the speed but less spin, and the smaller the diameter, the less speed but more spin. The wheels usually range from 50mm to 60mm, with those ranging from 50mm to 53mm being recommended for people who skate curbs, manuals or a more technical type of skate as they are lighter and make the skate more manageable when turning better, and those of 55 onwards for stairs, railings, skateparks and ramps. The most common wheels that most carry are between 52mm and 54mm.
One piece of advice, don't pay too much attention to the graph of the wheels you get because it won't last long since it wears out quickly.
Form
each brand has its particular shapes but generally we can distinguish between wheels with a classic shape, with a narrow shape, better for flip tricks and those with a conical shape, wider that will give you more control, it will slip a little less.
The shape of the wheels is the least important of the three aspects that we have told you about here, but it can still offer you an extra benefit depending on what you are going to use it for.
In summary
To summarize, if you are just starting out we would recommend starting with a 99A or 101A wheel, with a classic shape and from 52mm to 54mm. Later on, you will surely catch your way of skating and what works best for you.