Replacing rollerhockey wheels for the first time... need help/info
 

I think it's finally time to buy new rollerhockey wheels...
My first question is where is the best place to get them?
local or online is fine, I'm not in a rush, my wheels will probably last me another two or three weeks. I don't need top line wheels or anything.
I'm just playing rollerhockey recreationally.

My blades use 76mm. All 8 of the wheels. It also had "82a" printed on them, which I have no idea what that means. Should I stick with this size?
Or try some different sizes?

And can anyone tell me about bearings and all that? Or what I need to know
when purchasing new set of wheels?

I've started to play outdoor hockey again after a long time. I recently changed my wheels as well and learned alot.

I buy my hockey wheels from "the hockey shop" in surrey. You most likely have indoor wheels as 99% of the rollerblades today come with indoor wheels. The 82a on your wheels is the hardness of the wheel. It ranges from 70a - 86a being the hardest wheel you can get. My blades use 72mm in the 2 front and 80mm in the 2 back wheels which is called the hi-lo setup. When I replaced my wheels I just kept the bearings and put them on the new wheels. You probably wont need to replace ur bearings at all if you're just playing rec hockey. I would recommend that you get a bearing popper so u dont damage ur bearings when you take them out from your wheels. The bearing popper is an allen key with a end where u just push against your bearings and they pop right out. I got these wheels called rink rats, they are an outdoor 84a wheel and they work great. Best of all they were only $6.50 for each wheel. There we cheaper wheels but the guy at the hockey shop said that rink rat wheels were realy good for outdoor. Have had the wheels on for about a month and 1/2 and they're still going strong. Places like cyclone taylor, sport check and sport mart sells wheels too but they are in packages. I prefer to buy single wheels since its cheaper and u can mix up different colors or brands if you want. Hope that helps :thumbsup:

82a are outdoor wheels as they are too hard and not sticky enough to be indoor wheels

there's 82a indoor wheels as well. Both indoor and outdoor wheels go up to 86a.

get good bearings....they make a huge difference if they are good ones.

Whether you're reusing your existing bearings or buying new ones make sure they're compatible with the wheels you want to buy. They come in two sizes; 668 (micro bearings) and 608 (standard.) Buy brand name bearings only and don't cheap out. A generic ABEC9 bearing will probably perform worse than a brand name ABEC5.

The "82A" stamped on your wheels is the durometer aka how hard the wheel is. If you're playing mostly outdoors I suggest anything in the 76A-82A range. If you get anything softer the wheels will get eaten up real fast. If you play indoors I'd get something between 68A-76A.

Which brand markets 82A as indoor wheels? I've yet to come across any.

I'm playing outdoors at a park. So the ground is like asphalt and rough.
I'm acutally noticing at the end of each game, my right front wheel (on the inside) is getting thrashed. Up to the point where the plastic and wheel meet, that area gets all roughed up. I'm thinking it's probably because I'm digging in too much when I'm trying to accelerate. It doesn't happen on my left one though. I am right footed though.

Is this just something I have to correct with proper skating? or is this normal or what? It only happens when I take these blades to go play rollerhockey though, not when I'm just rollerblading around the seawall.

I'm thinking I can use the same bearings I already have. Not sure if they are micro or standard bearings though. But I don't think it would be necessary for me to get new ones. I only need new wheels, but is removing/putting on wheels and bearings hard to do?

thats just because the way you drag your foot, the only thing you can do about that is rotate your wheels which will stop the wear.

Take off one of your wheels and look at the bearings. It'll say either 608Z or 668 on it along with the ABEC rating and possibly the brand as well.

I rotate it after every game. But I can only do it 16 times until all 8 wheels look all grinded up on both sides. lol



I took a look at one of my wheels after I took it off.
ABEC-5
608ZZ

Doesn't say anything else like a brand name. Probably just generic ones they use in Nike Bauers.

Eeeek. I'd rather play old school street hockey on feet. Having to spend money on wheels that get chewed up by the asphalt hurts. Anyways, as far as bearings go, I've had real good luck with BSB Bearings.

I have bauer vapor 7 blades. When I changed my wheels I just kept the bearings and they work fine with the new wheels. I have the same problem with my front right wheel getting killed before all the other wheels. Its because I drag my feet to stop sometimes. Nothing you can do about that when you're playing hockey and in the heat of the moment. Nah removing and putting on the bearings as really easy, u just put the one part of the bearing in, then put the connecter piece in the hole then put the other bearing in.

what's a good place to pick up wheels for a good price

the hockey shop in surrey. Got wicked outdoors wheels (rinkrat) for $6.50 each.

Can I pick up any decent wheels from places like Sportchek or Sportmart that come in a pack of 8?

And what are the names of some trustworthy wheel brands?

Yeah you can grab wheels from sportcheck or sport mart. They sell Kryptonics. Those are the "best" wheels but being the best comes with a price. I saw an 8 pack at sport mart for $69.99. I just know of a few brands

1. Kryptonics
2. Rink Rat
3. Labeda

Is the brand T(R)UE any good?

never heard of them

http://images.channeladvisor.com/Sel...True8082-1.jpg

Looks like this.

They carry those at Sportmart. I went and bought pretty basic ones for $39.99,
keeping in mind that I have 30 days to refund it. They only had one pack that was 76mm so I just bought it.

Sportcheck had Firefly brand ones, which looks like they are not for hockey blades anyway.

I might think about just getting them online then since they seem to have better deals.

Should I stick with 76mm (what I was using before) or try a new size like 72mm?
I plan to reuse my current bearings. Which are standard 608ZZ ones. Will that be compatible with most wheels I find online?

I'm also trying to find some hard wheels. Something in the high 80s or even 90A. The asphalt is not all that nice. But I'm only around 130 lbs.
Would having hard wheels and being light give me some traction problems?
It's a bit confusing trying to know what to expect by reading the wheel hardness rating. Because I see the same numbers for indoor or outdoor.
Would a 78A outdoor be better than a 82A indoor?

Can anyone recommend any stores or ebay stores?

The highter the hardness the better. Indoor and outdoor wheels use the same ratings when it comes to hardness. 82A will always be better then 78A. I have 84A outdoor wheels and they're working fine. As for the sizing of your wheels (76mm) I would stick to what you had before. I don't see any problem with you getting smaller wheels but you may notice a difference. My blades are 72mm for the front 2 wheels and 80mm for the 2 back wheels. Everyone's set up is different. Your 608zz bearings should fit most wheels. I havent had any problems reusing bearings with different wheels.

The hockey shop in surrey is having a big sale at their store right now, just picked up a set of new outdoors wheels, bearing popper and a new hockey blade for $80 yesterday :)

I just picked up a new set of Abec7 bearings by BSB and some Rink Rat Hot Shot wheels. I've gone with the same setup for years.