Fountain Valley Skating Center
9105 Recreation Circle Fountain Valley CA 92708
714-847-0022 * info@fountainvalleyskatingcenter.com

Guide To Buying Skate Wheels

Fountain Valley Skating Center's pro shop offers the best quality skate gear at affordable prices. Our highly-trained staff is available for consultation to provide the best product for your specific needs.

DIAMETER

The diameter of the wheel means simply how tall the wheel is. Skaters wanting speed tend to use larger wheels, although wheel size should be determined by the skates and racing course and distance. Aggro (aggressive) style skaters such as Vert/ramp skaters use short wheels with a high durometer because they're more maneuverable.

In general, taller wheels will let you cruise faster but take longer to spin up. Taller wheels also tend to be less maneuverable than shorter wheels. Shorter wheels are cheaper, but in general don't last as long since they have less material to wear down overall, given the same durometer. However since many of the small wheels are for stunts, they all tend to be sold in higher durometers anyway (they slide better), so they won't necessarily wear out that quickly.

DUROMETER (hardness)

Durometer is a relative hardness measure frequently used for rubber and plastic products. There are several scales, with the "A" scale (hence the 78A, etc.) used for wheels. The number is the rating from 0-100, with 0 being no resistance and 100 being very hard plastic. For outdoors, the softer the wheel, the better the shock absorption. The trade-off is that softer wheels wear out faster. Harder wheels, since they have less drag, are preferred on indoor surfaces which are usually very smooth (e.g. hockey).

Some skaters vary their wheel durometer depending on the temperature outside. Cold weather will mean the ground is harder so soft wheels are more suitable. In really warm weather the road might start literally melting, in which case a high durometer setup would be more preferable.

We carry professional skate products by these and other well-respected manufacturers:

Yes, we accept personal & business checks (21 day hold for bank clearances) 10% Restock on all returns, no exceptions Restock fee waived for store credit Credit processing: 5-7 working days California residents add 7.75% sales tax Prices subject to change without notice Some product may be subject to back order Prices do not include shipping Call for a shipping quote Sorry no shipments to A.P.O.'s or F.P.O.'s FVSC only ships to billing address of credit card $25.00 minimum product order No refunds on shipping & handling Ordering from this Web site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions