How long are 84mm/80A wheels supposed to last?

gabi · July 24th, 2010, 04:42 AM

Would anyone dare to guesstimate the life of 84mm/80A wheels?
I am using a pair of fairly cheap fitness skates that come with 84mm/80A wheels (made by K2-or at least with "K2" written on them). In three weeks I skated about 320km(200miles) and the wheels are now about 80mm in diameter. I am wondering how much longer I will be able to use them. I am rotating my wheels regularly, and they seem to be used quite uniformly.

Bill in Houston · July 24th, 2010, 12:12 PM

Original equipment wheels are notorious for wearing out quickly, and having very poor urethane. You are doing well by rotating them often and keeping them the same size. The next set of wheels you buy will almost certainly last longer, grip better, and go faster than those.

gabi · July 24th, 2010, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill in Houston

Original equipment wheels are notorious for wearing out quickly...

Thank you for your reply, I just want to get a rough idea about what "quickly" would mean in my case.

Bill in Houston · July 24th, 2010, 05:29 PM

Depending on how long you can tolerate them, and how soon they start to actually fall apart, at least 200 more miles. Maybe possibly up to 600 more if you feel lucky and aren't worried about getting hurt or stranded when they eventually fall apart. I wish I could tell you the exact answer.

gabi · July 24th, 2010, 05:35 PM

Thank you, that's precise enough for my question!

2old2sk8t · July 24th, 2010, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gabi

Thank you for your reply, I just want to get a rough idea about what "quickly" would mean in my case.

If you've worn off 4mm, it's already time to replace them (IMHO). And now at 80mm, they will wear even faster -- the smaller the wheel, the higher number of rotations per distance travelled.

Get something harder for replacement. Here's a good wheel at a good price.
http://www.adamsinline.com/close-out...-84mm-82a.html

gabi · July 24th, 2010, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2old2sk8t

...the smaller the wheel, the higher number of rotations per distance travelled....

On the other hand the smaller the wheel (because of wear), the more contact it has with the ground (a large part of the elliptical profile is gone), and that might compensate for the increased number of rotations? Who knows?

Many thanks for the link!

evilzzz · July 30th, 2010, 09:53 AM

This is "how long is a piece of string?" question. Answer: it all depends on where and how you skate. I'd conservatively guess that 90% of my wheel wear comes from t-stopping. If you gave me a long stretch of smooth road where I could skate up and down all day and not have to worry about controlling my speed or dealing with traffic, I could easily make a set of ordinary wheels last 1,000 miles+. OTOH it's perfectly easy to trash a set of wheels in under 100 miles on something like a London->Brighton skate (a mere 54 miles) that involves lots of bad surfaces and hills where it is important to control your speed.

motosk8ter · August 14th, 2010, 06:49 PM

I purchased a set of K2 Moto 84's with 84X80A wheels. I do not like the skate as my foot is too wide for the boot. The wheels were trashed in short order and the 80A was too slow for my tastes. Got some 84A.s which improved the speed and wear. I'll be selling the skates soon!

online inline · August 14th, 2010, 07:55 PM

80a is a little on the soft side, and i'd think the only reason to prefer such a soft wheel is if you were skating very rough terrain.

Go with at least an 84a for longer wheel life and faster roll, in general (but not in all cases)

Get a quality wheel, which makes a big difference. WHen i was on wheels of that size, Hyper were the wheels to get, and i think it was the +G that was a bullet proof sure bet.

Bad technique can also really shred a wheel fast, so you might want to see how you are wearing your wheels down. An even push through the full range of your stride, with all wheels theoretically in equal contact to the road, is the goal.

Avoid t-stops unless necessary, and rotate your wheels so the worn down wheels are not always taking the brunt of the wear, and thereby evening out the wear across all wheels.

Wheels that are worn will affect your form, so if form is something you are conscious of and trying to maximize, be aware that a wheel that is worn even about 1 1/2 mm can negatively impact your form (if profile is badly mis-shapen) and a wheel that's worn as much as 3 or 4 mm or more will just not skate at all like a new wheel. How long you can stand a worn wheel will depend on what you are trying to get from your skating, and how much your willing to drop to get back to optimal conditions.

With a little luck, assuming moderate trail conditions, moderate weight skater, 84mm/84a good quality wheel, rotated regularly, good form, a wheel could easily last you about 5 or 6 months of regular skating several times a week.

gabi · August 14th, 2010, 11:43 PM

Thank you for all the replies.
I changed to new wheels after 600km, just because I wanted to see how a 84A wheel feel like (I changed to INVADER-Generation 2 --- I have no idea if they are good or bad wheels). I trust the old wheels will be good for at least 1000 km, at least for fitness purposes.
So far I cannot say I feel any difference with the new wheels, the road feels the same, even though the wheels are harder. But I perhaps gained more than 2km/h in speed (or that increase might be due to one week workout in gym, who knows?)

Banzai · August 20th, 2010, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gabi

Thank you for all the replies.
But I perhaps gained more than 2km/h in speed (or that increase might be due to one week workout in gym, who knows?)

Probably both.

Wheel durometer, wheel size and fitness level will all certainly contribute to faster times.
going from 80A to 84A duro you normally wont notice it as long a the surface is decent. rough patches will amplify the differences as will experience with that set up. (much like the difference between 80mm and 84mm it's a really small jump.) but after a good amount of time on 84A you'll feel the difference when you go BACK to 80A and they feel sluggish.

ALSO all urethane's ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL el cheapo brand 84A may have the same duro as say MBC 84A but you're gonna find 90% of the time they're gonna wear faster BUT it's a good idea to burn up cheap wheels to find what you like instead of shelling out $120+ for something you hate.

you're on the right track...just some stuff to think about

July 24th, 2010, 04:42 AM	#1
gabi Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 118	How long are 84mm/80A wheels supposed to last? Would anyone dare to guesstimate the life of 84mm/80A wheels? I am using a pair of fairly cheap fitness skates that come with 84mm/80A wheels (made by K2-or at least with "K2" written on them). In three weeks I skated about 320km(200miles) and the wheels are now about 80mm in diameter. I am wondering how much longer I will be able to use them. I am rotating my wheels regularly, and they seem to be used quite uniformly.

August 14th, 2010, 06:49 PM	#9
motosk8ter Senior Grand PooPah Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Rio Rancho, New Mexico Posts: 677	I purchased a set of K2 Moto 84's with 84X80A wheels. I do not like the skate as my foot is too wide for the boot. The wheels were trashed in short order and the 80A was too slow for my tastes. Got some 84A.s which improved the speed and wear. I'll be selling the skates soon! __________________ Hear Another's Heartbeat Before Your Own and then Pass Them

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July 24th, 2010, 12:12 PM	#2
Bill in Houston Not Low Enough Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Houston, Texas, USA Posts: 5,886	Original equipment wheels are notorious for wearing out quickly, and having very poor urethane. You are doing well by rotating them often and keeping them the same size. The next set of wheels you buy will almost certainly last longer, grip better, and go faster than those.

July 24th, 2010, 05:29 PM	#4
Bill in Houston Not Low Enough Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Houston, Texas, USA Posts: 5,886	Depending on how long you can tolerate them, and how soon they start to actually fall apart, at least 200 more miles. Maybe possibly up to 600 more if you feel lucky and aren't worried about getting hurt or stranded when they eventually fall apart. I wish I could tell you the exact answer.

July 24th, 2010, 05:35 PM	#5
gabi Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 118	Thank you, that's precise enough for my question!

July 30th, 2010, 09:53 AM	#8
evilzzz Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: London UK Posts: 860	This is "how long is a piece of string?" question. Answer: it all depends on where and how you skate. I'd conservatively guess that 90% of my wheel wear comes from t-stopping. If you gave me a long stretch of smooth road where I could skate up and down all day and not have to worry about controlling my speed or dealing with traffic, I could easily make a set of ordinary wheels last 1,000 miles+. OTOH it's perfectly easy to trash a set of wheels in under 100 miles on something like a London->Brighton skate (a mere 54 miles) that involves lots of bad surfaces and hills where it is important to control your speed.

August 14th, 2010, 07:55 PM	#10
online inline Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: seattle, WA USA Posts: 3,929	80a is a little on the soft side, and i'd think the only reason to prefer such a soft wheel is if you were skating very rough terrain. Go with at least an 84a for longer wheel life and faster roll, in general (but not in all cases) Get a quality wheel, which makes a big difference. WHen i was on wheels of that size, Hyper were the wheels to get, and i think it was the +G that was a bullet proof sure bet. Bad technique can also really shred a wheel fast, so you might want to see how you are wearing your wheels down. An even push through the full range of your stride, with all wheels theoretically in equal contact to the road, is the goal. Avoid t-stops unless necessary, and rotate your wheels so the worn down wheels are not always taking the brunt of the wear, and thereby evening out the wear across all wheels. Wheels that are worn will affect your form, so if form is something you are conscious of and trying to maximize, be aware that a wheel that is worn even about 1 1/2 mm can negatively impact your form (if profile is badly mis-shapen) and a wheel that's worn as much as 3 or 4 mm or more will just not skate at all like a new wheel. How long you can stand a worn wheel will depend on what you are trying to get from your skating, and how much your willing to drop to get back to optimal conditions. With a little luck, assuming moderate trail conditions, moderate weight skater, 84mm/84a good quality wheel, rotated regularly, good form, a wheel could easily last you about 5 or 6 months of regular skating several times a week.

August 14th, 2010, 11:43 PM	#11
gabi Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 118	Thank you for all the replies. I changed to new wheels after 600km, just because I wanted to see how a 84A wheel feel like (I changed to INVADER-Generation 2 --- I have no idea if they are good or bad wheels). I trust the old wheels will be good for at least 1000 km, at least for fitness purposes. So far I cannot say I feel any difference with the new wheels, the road feels the same, even though the wheels are harder. But I perhaps gained more than 2km/h in speed (or that increase might be due to one week workout in gym, who knows?)