When to change wheels

[siowhonv]

Hi everyone, I have been skating with the same pairs of inlines for over 2 years but not very consistently and not agressively. However I was wondering when to change the wheels to swap the insides to the ouside edges. By looking at my wheels, I would say the insides to outide edge ration is about 70:30. Can someone please advise me?

Thanks

[Jon B.]

Hi everyone, I have been skating with the same pairs of inlines for over 2 years but not very consistently and not agressively. However I was wondering when to change the wheels to swap the insides to the ouside edges. By looking at my wheels, I would say the insides to outide edge ration is about 70:30. Can someone please advise me?
Thanks
There is no specific time interval, everybody skates a little differently and some people get a lot more mileage out of their wheels than others. My recommendation would be to rotate the wheels as soon as you see a marked difference in the profile. The more frequently you rotate, the longer they will last and the better you'll roll on them. JB

[More Cowbell]

To follow up on this question: when should you change wheels entirely? I have about 800 miles on a set of Hyper +Grips and I'm wondering if I should get a new set for NSIM.

[Jon B.]

Purely personal preference. I would think most of us would want to change wheels anytime they are 10% less than original size, i.e. 80mm down to 72mm, 84mm down to 76mm, etc. Most I would be inclined to think will change out with only 5% wear. As long as you have been efficient with your rotations and not allowed the profile to overally distort, skate them until you get tired of working that hard, new wheels are always a sweet thing. JB

[buzzinghornet]

I tend to have new or reasonably new wheels for major races. For training, I would normally dump the wheels when they're worn down to 95% of original diameter. They may look like they still have plenty of polyurethane on, but I prefer to change when I notice significant degradation in roll and/or grip.

[mentally dull]

rotation is the key, if you don't then your wheels will become very asymmetrical, which seriously affects your skating.
Otherwise, if you keep rotating them, you can skate on your wheels until they core. An excellent workout, and you get your money's worth from your wheels :D

[Jon B.]

BUT as Buzz stated, for a sanctioned event, or any run that really matters (like running with the Big Dogs) NEW or nearly new wheels are the ticket. I try to slap a couple of miles on them just to break the sheen, but otherwise I'd want MAX diameter. JB

[sk8scott]

I have to agree with Buzz and Jon B, fresh wheels are key for an "event", whether it be a race or trying to keep pace with new & fast training partners.

Like Jon B, I also prefer to give them a mile or two of wear on smooth pavement before cutting them loose, just to make sure they roll true, and that the bearings and spacers have a chance to line-up.

As for routine wheel changing, I don't have any real method to it. After rotating them a few times, they eventually just don't look so great anymore.

----Scott