Significance of putting bigger wheels in the back?

Jibberish18 · September 9th, 2006, 07:28 AM

And pairing them with smaller wheels up front. I just saw a pair of K2's like this for women. Jette Joop designed the skates. Not sure who this is. Never encountered anything like that before (A couple of lawnmowers but that's it

). Is their any advantage to doing this?

Amy's_Keeper · September 9th, 2006, 08:53 AM

I think it's just for mobility and a more aggressive stance.

mentally dull · September 9th, 2006, 01:46 PM

there's several things you/the skate manufacturers can do with differently sized wheels -
firstly you get the clueless part, like the fake HiLo setup which you see on Salomon FSKs and some other skates, with different wheel sized, but resulting in a flat setup due to different axle heights on the frame. No one so far came up with a good (skating) reason for this.
then you get the classic HiLo, with a progression of wheel sizes from the front to the back. This tilts you forwards slightly, providing better balance for beginners, benefits sprinting, and is slightly detrimental to long distance speed and stance. It also helps to extend the usable live of wheels through clever rotation. I can recommend this if you're not up to long distance racing.
and lastly you get fully rockered skates, ususally hockey or slalom ones, with the largest wheels in the 2nd/3rd position. These are made for sprinting, turning on a 2p piece (a dime for you in the US of A ;-), but are very twitchy, a bit harder to control, and not recommended for speed

http://skating.thierstein.net/Knowledge/Inline_Skating_Rollerblading_Knowledge_Rockering.html should provide some more information

Seb · September 15th, 2006, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mentally dull

firstly you get the clueless part, like the fake HiLo setup which you see on Salomon FSKs and some other skates, with different wheel sized, but resulting in a flat setup due to different axle heights on the frame. No one so far came up with a good (skating) reason for this.

Good skating reason: Bigger wheels allow you to go faster, at the cost of being higher up from the ground, which makes it harder to control the skate (this is a bit simplified; there are endless discussions on wheel size on any speed-oriented forum). Since the heel of the foot is usually 1/2 inch higher up than the ball, you can stick larger wheels in the 2 back positions without raising the foot. I.e. you get marginally faster without sacrificing control.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jibberish18

Jette Joop designed the skates. Not sure who this is.

Jette Joop is a designer/businesswoman who's the daughter of (the most famous?) German fashion designer Wolfgang Joop - so her part in designing the skates was the looks, not the technology.

mentally dull · September 16th, 2006, 03:12 PM

Seb, interesting thought indeed - first time someone brings deck height into these discusstions, this could make some sense. I say could, because these frames are UFS, ie flat and not stepped, so the toes are at the height of the back wheels, and the heel is raised 11mm with the shock absorbers, so no impact on deck height.

tpfaok · September 25th, 2006, 05:34 AM

I can fit 4x80mm wheels on the my FSK 247 HiLo frame. Can I do that but have the frame mounted reversed so that I won't tilt backwards?

ferretgrl6 · September 28th, 2006, 04:08 AM

The Jette Joop skates are really just a designer version of the Athena 6.1. I was lucky enough to pick these skates up at Sports Authority for about $60. There were on 1/2 price sale and I had a 20% of coupon!

That being said, while I'm not technical enough to speak about the reasons for the wheels size being bigger in the back than in the front, I do find the skates themselves to be very comfortable, and I'm able to roll over obstacles a lot easier than in my previous Rollerblades, of which model I can no longer identify (they're about 5 yrs old, black with blue laces/wheels/trim). I am much more confident in them, and love love love the easy laces!!!

Jibberish18 · October 11th, 2006, 08:12 AM

Well okay, putting the 2 smaller wheels in front makes sense. But I can't see why they would put a smaller 2nd wheel and make the remaining wheels bigger. A quote from Inline Warehouse:

Quote:

Max-low Set up:
3 big wheels with one small wheel on the same chassis allows skaters to cover longer distances more smoothly and more comfortably with the bigger wheels. To keep feet closer to the ground and in a more natural position, the smaller wheel is used. Brake comes on the skate.

The only thing I can make of this is that by adding the smaller wheel they ahve to raise the frame up higher which in my mind would result in being closer to the ground, BUT why wouldn't they just do this with all the wheels one size? I could understand if they didn't have room because of the way the foot is shaped but if this was the case then it would be a design problem that they remedied by adding a smaller wheel and marketing it to the public.

Once again, if I'm talking out of my butt then please stop me.

Quote:

These are made for sprinting, turning on a 2p piece (a dime for you in the US of A ;-), but are very twitchy, a bit harder to control, and not recommended for speed

But why would this help? Is it because the skate is lower to the ground or it's easier to turn with smaller wheels at the ends? BTW the link doesn't work. I just forgot to mention it by posting here.

oldiesk8er · October 11th, 2006, 07:12 PM

I would like to know has anyone with actual skating experience
of a HI-LO wheel set up found better heel push when stroking?

In fact have they noticed any difference at all?

mentally dull · October 13th, 2006, 02:32 PM

to the contrary - a HiLo setup moves your stance forwards, making it harder to sit above/push through the heel

RayJai · November 26th, 2006, 06:17 AM

Hmm, i will try this when i get my agresive wheels.
i currently have 78mm wheels.
i plan to buy 54mm wheels.

i'll tell u how it feels.

BWI-Sheldon · November 26th, 2006, 11:19 PM

Simple

The larger the wheel, the faster you can go. However the higher off the ground you get, there become more issues, like stress on the ankles and other technical reasons. It is also preferred for the boot to tilt forward a little. A good compromise is to use a little smaller wheel in the #2 position, which is the lowest point of your foot, and than you can fit in larger wheels in the back where you really are doing most the pushing. The front wheel can be big because it is farther forward from your toes enough to kind of clear your boot and be sticking up. A lot of boots that have similar size 4 wheels, has to cut out of the boot an area over the #2 wheel so the boot can be lower to the ground.

Hope that clears it up.

September 9th, 2006, 07:28 AM	#1
Jibberish18 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: The Windy City Posts: 132	Significance of putting bigger wheels in the back? And pairing them with smaller wheels up front. I just saw a pair of K2's like this for women. Jette Joop designed the skates. Not sure who this is. Never encountered anything like that before (A couple of lawnmowers but that's it ). Is their any advantage to doing this?

September 9th, 2006, 01:46 PM	#3
mentally dull Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: London, UK Posts: 48	there's several things you/the skate manufacturers can do with differently sized wheels - firstly you get the clueless part, like the fake HiLo setup which you see on Salomon FSKs and some other skates, with different wheel sized, but resulting in a flat setup due to different axle heights on the frame. No one so far came up with a good (skating) reason for this. then you get the classic HiLo, with a progression of wheel sizes from the front to the back. This tilts you forwards slightly, providing better balance for beginners, benefits sprinting, and is slightly detrimental to long distance speed and stance. It also helps to extend the usable live of wheels through clever rotation. I can recommend this if you're not up to long distance racing. and lastly you get fully rockered skates, ususally hockey or slalom ones, with the largest wheels in the 2nd/3rd position. These are made for sprinting, turning on a 2p piece (a dime for you in the US of A ;-), but are very twitchy, a bit harder to control, and not recommended for speed http://skating.thierstein.net/Knowledge/Inline_Skating_Rollerblading_Knowledge_Rockering.html should provide some more information __________________ Inline Skating Lessons in London, UK, Articles, Advice & the famous Viper Frames - see [url]http://skating.thierstein.net[/url]

September 16th, 2006, 03:12 PM	#5
mentally dull Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: London, UK Posts: 48	Seb, interesting thought indeed - first time someone brings deck height into these discusstions, this could make some sense. I say could, because these frames are UFS, ie flat and not stepped, so the toes are at the height of the back wheels, and the heel is raised 11mm with the shock absorbers, so no impact on deck height. __________________ Inline Skating Lessons in London, UK, Articles, Advice & the famous Viper Frames - see [url]http://skating.thierstein.net[/url]

October 13th, 2006, 02:32 PM	#10
mentally dull Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: London, UK Posts: 48	to the contrary - a HiLo setup moves your stance forwards, making it harder to sit above/push through the heel __________________ Inline Skating Lessons in London, UK, Articles, Advice & the famous Viper Frames - see [url]http://skating.thierstein.net[/url]

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September 9th, 2006, 08:53 AM	#2
Amy's_Keeper former mr4tc bd racer Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: somewere id rather not say in socal Posts: 245	I think it's just for mobility and a more aggressive stance. __________________ NEVER use a flash when you're taking pictures of wild geese. After 3 months, I still have nightmares... ohh the pecking!

September 25th, 2006, 05:34 AM	#6
tpfaok Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 1	I can fit 4x80mm wheels on the my FSK 247 HiLo frame. Can I do that but have the frame mounted reversed so that I won't tilt backwards?

September 28th, 2006, 04:08 AM	#7
ferretgrl6 Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 5	The Jette Joop skates are really just a designer version of the Athena 6.1. I was lucky enough to pick these skates up at Sports Authority for about $60. There were on 1/2 price sale and I had a 20% of coupon! That being said, while I'm not technical enough to speak about the reasons for the wheels size being bigger in the back than in the front, I do find the skates themselves to be very comfortable, and I'm able to roll over obstacles a lot easier than in my previous Rollerblades, of which model I can no longer identify (they're about 5 yrs old, black with blue laces/wheels/trim). I am much more confident in them, and love love love the easy laces!!!

October 11th, 2006, 07:12 PM	#9
oldiesk8er Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Glasgow, Scotland Posts: 281	I would like to know has anyone with actual skating experience of a HI-LO wheel set up found better heel push when stroking? In fact have they noticed any difference at all?

November 26th, 2006, 06:17 AM	#11
RayJai RAYTHEGREAT! Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: NYC Posts: 81	Hmm, i will try this when i get my agresive wheels. i currently have 78mm wheels. i plan to buy 54mm wheels. i'll tell u how it feels.

November 26th, 2006, 11:19 PM	#12
BWI-Sheldon Pro Bike Chaser Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 2,908	Simple The larger the wheel, the faster you can go. However the higher off the ground you get, there become more issues, like stress on the ankles and other technical reasons. It is also preferred for the boot to tilt forward a little. A good compromise is to use a little smaller wheel in the #2 position, which is the lowest point of your foot, and than you can fit in larger wheels in the back where you really are doing most the pushing. The front wheel can be big because it is farther forward from your toes enough to kind of clear your boot and be sticking up. A lot of boots that have similar size 4 wheels, has to cut out of the boot an area over the #2 wheel so the boot can be lower to the ground. Hope that clears it up.