Inline Skate Wheel Rotation

Rotating the wheels on a skate will maximize the efficiency of each individual wheel. There is no exact time when it is necessary to rotate so it is important to always check the wheels before and after using them. Wheels that aren’t properly rotated force players to spend unnecessary money on more wheels or play with wheels that lose grip and may cause injury during play.

Things To Look For:

Wheels that need to be rotated will form cone-shaped edges that show more wear on one side than the other, but will not have many cuts or breaks.  When wheels are used too long without being rotated they begin to break down, creating breaks within it. At this point it is recommended that the player buy a new set of wheels in order to have equal feel and wear on both skates. The performance of the wheels should increase with the proper rotation.

Rotation:

Begin by numbering the wheels from the toe to the heel, for instance, the front wheel would be numbered 1, while the back wheel would be numbered 4.

Due to the different types of wheel combinations, there are two main methods for rotating wheels. Skaters using size 80mm wheels will rotate wheel one and then place it where wheel three is on the same skate. After completing this, the player should go ahead and put the rotated third wheel and replace it in the first wheels position. The same steps should be followed for wheels two and four causing them to be pressured on the side that is in the best condition. Proceed to follow the same directions for the other skate.

If the player’s skates have different sized wheels the player will replace wheel number one with wheel number one of the other skate. By directly moving the wheel over to the other skate it should apply most of the pressure on the side that is not as worn. If this is not the case, simply rotate the wheel accordingly and continue the same process for the rest of the wheels. Continue with the same steps for wheels two, three, and four.