Q: How do I get the most life out of my wheels?

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A: Rotation! Proper rotation will give you the longest life and most consistent wear on your wheels. It is important to consider weight, miles, riding surface, and stride, as all of these factors will impact rotation duration. The time to rotate is something you learn over time with consistent skating. Visually you will begin noticing a sharp angle on the inside of the wheel. There are different "schools of thought" on the absolute best location of wheel swapping during a wheel rotation, and you might prefer one or the other, but below is a basic diagram.

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Q: What is wheel durometer?

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A: Durometer is essentially a measurement of how hard a wheel is. A generic rule of thumb is: the softer the wheel, the more grip it offers, and the quicker it can wear down. Conversely, the harder the wheel, the less grip (more slip) it offers, but it should last longer. Most skate wheels the industry use the "A" scale for shore hardness to rate wheels. Most inline wheels for Urban to Aggressive skating fall between 85a and 95a (some exceptions being anti-rockers at +100a, and an inline hockey wheels being softer at 76a). Quad wheels for roller skating also have the same variety in hardness. Typical recreation skating on quads might utilize a soft wheel at 76a, but park skating on quads would typically utilize a much harder wheel at 92a-95a.

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Q: Which wheel profile is the best?

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A: The opinion here will vary from skater to skater, because so many factors can play into wheel profile preference, but here is a high level overview. The area of the wheel that is in contact with the ground while rolling is referred to as the "contact patch". All things being equal, the smaller the contact patch, the less rolling resistance the wheel has, and thus the faster it will roll. Also, the more curved the edge of the wheel profile is, the faster (more responsive) the turning/carving can be. On the flip side, a very wide contact patch will meet more rolling resistance and the result will be a slower rolling wheel and slower carving. However, since the ride patch is wider, the wheel will offer more stability (this is great for heel/toe rolls). So really it just comes down to the style of skating you prefer and matching specific wheel profile attributes with your needs. For us, we prefer a fast, fluid, flowing feel to our skating. The rush you get while carving hard through a corner, or the ability to easily carry speed around a bowl, or the ease of speed as you roll up to a grind is the vibe we're chasing, and our initial Chaos Line of wheels is a reflection of that.

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