Wheels - Which do you like and which do you wish IW carried

[IW Staff]

Let me know your thoughts on wheels and share your opinions with others.

I'm hoping a discussion can develop on which are liked best and with the best results.

If there are wheels you would like IW to carry that we don't, let us know!

Thank you,
Stan @ IW

[carlos85]

76mm and 80mm wheels in at least an 83a hardness (preferably 85a). This is good for slalomers who have a rockered setup (76-80-80-76) and freeriders. This would compliment the new freestyle-friendly skates being sold by Rollerblade and K2 this year.

You currently don't have these kinds of wheels in your Fitness section, though I've been able to get 80mm 84a from the Hockey section of your site.

[chaosdsm]

Well... there are so many out there right now, it's hard to choose these days... Atom/Answer, Matter, Bont, MPC, Hyper... then there are about a dozen lesser known wheel manufacturers...

Speaking as a "beginning" outdoor speed skater, IMO, Bont currently owns the market with their wheel offerings, G3's are a great low-price alternative for fitness, recreation, training, & even racing where you might be facing some very rough roads, & the Bont G4 High Roller's IMO just can't be beat. I'm currently skating on the 110mm Bont G4 High Roller 87A wheels & they are simply the fastest & longest lasting wheels I've skated, giving me an average of 150 miles per millimeter of wear, about 50 miles per mm better than 86A & 87A wheels from other brands. However, there is a trade-off for that speed & longevity... they don't grip very well on damp/wet surfaces or smooth concrete... MPC Street Fight Gold, IMO is one of the best (but pricey) all-purpose wheels. About as fast as the Green Matter's, but with far better grip (Vs Green Matter's) for use where you might occasionally cross an unexpected wet patch... like sprinklers that water the pathway :(

By the end of this year, I plan on purchasing several "sets" of wheels...
16 Bont G3 110mm (for training)
36 Bont G3 100mm (for training)
12 Bont G4 85A High Roller (for racing on rough surfaces)
12 Bont G4 87A High Roller (for racing on smooth surfaces)

I'd also like to try out the 2009 offerings from Atom, Matter, AM-Wing, & Hyper. Hypers newest offerings sound intriguing on paper, especially with their generally lower prices.

If I were a betting man, I would place a big wager on 105mm wheels becoming real popular once the 2009 outdoor season kicks into high gear.

BTW... The Bont Wheels womens inline team (Skating on Bont Vaypor skates & Bont G4 Wheels) destroyed the competition in the 2008 World Inline Cup series with all 4 team members finishing in the top 10 overall in individual points race: 1st (Cecilia Baena winning 7 out of 12 events), 2nd (Nicole Begg), 3rd (Alexandra Vivas), & 7th (Tamara Llorens), & over 1,500 points ahead of the 2nd place team in the team rankings, the largest margin of victory by any team since the inception of WIC. Unfortunately, Bont Wheels only fielded a womens team for the 2008 season, & looks like the same (minus Cecilia Baena) for 2009.

[IW Staff]

We just picked up Bont wheels and they are now visible on the site. For the month of March, any purhcase of 8 or more come with a FREE pack of ABEC7 bearings as well.

So Bont is in... At IW.

I'll look into some of others mentioned as well. Thanks.

[skateski89]

this is not a "reply" to any others....

just a comment / question as to which wheels.. do you wish /like IW to carry?????.

. I am looking for ... the continental wheels---K2's wheel for slippery and wet pavement for the "Nordic."

[gem]

Hey stan, I've been MPC man for many a year and have recently changed from 100mm to 110mm and luved the change but I am seriously considering when these factory wheels wear out(as they all do quickly) and getting a Bont G4 high roller, pinks with 87a ratings (maybe even a the high roller reds of 86a) rating as I am a true sidewalk surfer and put many a km's on my skates every year.

[IW Staff]

Sounds good. I just picked up Bont G3 and also now Bont G4 wheels. I got the G4's in 100 and 110 Red and Mint. No pink as of yet.

All Bont wheels are coming with a FREE pack of Bont ABEC7's through end of March. The G4 110mm's are in stock, but not on the site yet.

I'll keep my eyes open for the pink! Thanks for the post !

[IW Staff]

We actually brought over a bunch of these from overseas and they sold very well. K2 doesn't make them available here in the US and I can't get anymore unfortunately.

I stumbled across something similar the other day and I'm trying to locate those and will post if/when I find them. They were the same type of wheel.

Thanks!