AboutLezly Ziering Expertise Ask me technical questions about how to skate, where to skate in N.Y.C., what to look for in a skate, where to learn to skate indoors or outdoors in N.Y.C. Where to buy traditional skates (quads). Do not ask things like - give me a list of skates from the best to the least desireable or prices of inline skates.
Experience
Past/Present clients Head instructor & Director of Lezly Skate School since 1979 where I have taught in excess of 10,000 skaters both traditional & inline skating. I trained most of the cast of "Starlight Express" (Broadway & road companies) & have coached Donald Sutherland & Michael O'Keefe for film roles involving skating.I am the artistic advisor to the New York Express Roller Dance Co. & founder & chairman of the Central Park Dance Skaters Assoc.
Question I have a pair of K2 rollerblades. I am 6'4" and weight about 260lbs it may seem odd but I really like rolerblading. The one issue I am having is that my rollerblade wheels seemed to have worn out quickly. I am just wondering what wheels I could use that would last long and possibly be a bit wider for more stability. I dont know where to find info on this so I googled my question and I found your site. Any info you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time PATRICK
Answer Patrick,
Unfortunately there is no absolute answer to your problems - there are trade offs, which I will lay out here. You must decide which will work best for you.
First - pertaining to the issue of wear. Your size & weight will have some affect on the wearing down of your wheels, but more pertinent is the durometer (hardness) of your wheels. The higher the durometer the harder the wheel. A softer 78A durometer wheel will wear down faster than a harder (higher durometer), say, 95A or 101A, however, you may sacrifice comfort. The softer the wheel, the smoother the ride & the more forgiving the wheels will be on the harder, more irregular outdoor surfaces. Also, rotating your wheels more frequently will prevent uneven wear & increase the life of your wheels. For comfort I definitely prefer softer wheels & would prefer to replace them more often than deal with the wear on my knees I’d incur with the harder ones. An 85A wheel might be an acceptable compromise.
As regards stability - generally, taller (higher millimeter) wheels, which give you a longer roll & more speed will be less stable than smaller wheels; converely, with lower millimeter wheels you must work a little harder to get up speed.
Speed skaters will often use 100mm wheels & higher, whereas extreme skaters & dance skaters will opt for the lower millimeters. On my dance blades I have 64mm wheel which, incidentally are a little wider & definitely much more stable than 80mm cruising wheels. A good compromise might be a 78mm wheel.
I hope this helps. Roll on!!!.................................Lezly (Lezly Skate School - NYC - estab. 1979)
