Roller Derby terminology

[MDS]

I understand the basic rules of Roller Derby but there have been a few terms bandied about that I just don't understand.

To put this in context, I'm considering buying some Answer Tantrums and of course the marketing blurbs say they are made for Derby. Now what is so special about them that they are 'made for Derby'?

At least one of their wheels is said to be a good 'pusher' wheel. What does that mean? The only thing I can see is that it is very soft - something like 88A, like an outdoor wheel.

[DemiAutomatic]

I'm not really sure what would make them specifically "made for derby". The derby track is quite a bit smaller than the speed track and so the turns are tighter. A lot of skaters use a softer wheel on the front left and either the back left or back right, depending on her particular style. These are referred to as "pusher wheels" because they grab the track as you power out of the turn. HTH.

[Spartan]

Thats pretty much it on pusher wheels. Do a search on this site for "pusher wheels" to learn more about them. As far as why some wheels are called "derby wheels", I would guess it is primarily marketing. A fair number of derby girls are not real technical when it comes to gear, so often they will buy wheels based on whether they say they are made for derby or not. My guess is that "derby" wheels are softer and have plastic hubs to keep them light and because most derby girls are not that heavy, so they dont' need aluminum. I doubt there is much more to it than that.

[dayglodivine]

Originally Posted by Spartan

Thats pretty much it on pusher wheels. Do a search on this site for "pusher wheels" to learn more about them. As far as why some wheels are called "derby wheels", I would guess it is primarily marketing. A fair number of derby girls are not real technical when it comes to gear, so often they will buy wheels based on whether they say they are made for derby or not. My guess is that "derby" wheels are softer and have plastic hubs to keep them light and because most derby girls are not that heavy, so they dont' need aluminum. I doubt there is much more to it than that.

That last sentence is pretty dead-on. Speed skaters and derby skaters generally have different needs, both based on what they're doing and the size of the track they use. Speed skaters usually prefer harder wheels with aluminum hubs because they're faster and have less "give." Since they tend to skate on wider tracks, and since competitions are usually in rinks with fairly grippy floors, holding turns on corners isn't that much of an issue. Derby tracks, on the other hand, have hairpin corners, and holding turns while maintaining the stability needed to give or take a block and make quick lateral moves to advance one's position can be pretty difficult. On top of that, bouts and practices are held on a much wider variety of surfaces; a lot of them are on Sport Court or concrete floors, or in gyms with well-worn, slippery wooden floors. For this reason, derby skaters usually prefer softer, grippier wheels that give them more traction.

Having said that, wheel descriptions are a combination of truthful advertising and marketing spin. A so-called "derby wheel" will probably do everything the average derby skater needs it to do, but that doesn't mean they won't work for non-derby skaters, nor does it mean that "derby wheels" are the only ones derby skaters should consider. A lot of skaters actually prefer "jam wheels" with narrower profiles; Answer has had so many derby skaters get Omegas that they now market them as derby wheels. A lot more ignore advertising altogether and get whatever is popular among their teammates. The one important purpose behind such labeling is getting people on decent gear when they're just starting out. Most aspiring skaters know next to nothing about gear, but are so eager to get their own skates that they will buy whatever the pro-shop staffers at the local rink push their way. Most of the time, that means they end up in cheap entry-level skates with hard, slippery wheels that were meant for occasional open-skate use. Advertising wheels as suitable for derby makes it easy for skaters with little technical knowledge to find something that isn't total junk, which in turn means that they don't get frustrated and quit or keep throwing good money after bad.

[MDS]

OK, given that I'm a natural born skeptic I do dismiss 'made for Derby' as marketing drivel. Derby is hot right now so marketing towards derby skaters makes sense in terms of possibly increasing your sales.

But is a 'pusher' wheel meant to imply that it is very grippy as opposed to your standard 95A type hardnes that is considered the status quo for rink skating? I feel that our concrete floor is kind of slippery, especially in the winter months, and I've gravitated towards the softer wheels for grip.

I know that any wheel, of any hardness, may or may not be suitable for your skating surface at any given point in time, which is why I now use the totally non-scientific approach to picking wheels - which one comes in the color I want?

The Tantrums look ok to me and are cheap compared to others (again they come in Red and lare abeled 'grip'). I wonder if I should take a chance on them.

[Spartan]

Pushers make sense for Derby skaters because they skate on a wide variety of floors, and four wheels are cheaper than 8. So, if a derby skater *usually* skates on one floor, they can get wheels that work well on that floor (adequate grip, good roll). Assuming that their usual floor has good grip, they may go with harder wheels (higher durometer). If that derby girl goes to another floor for a bout and that floor is more slippery, she would benefit from grippier wheels. Since it is cheaper to buy 4 than 8, she gets a set of "pusher" wheels and switches them in for the bout to get better grip. Thats what pushers are for.

Consider your weight and floor when getting wheels. If you are heavy and have a grippy floor, get a hard wheel (95-97A). If you are heavy and have a slick floor, get a grippy wheel (93-95A). If you are light, the same applies, but use a softer wheel, so grippy floor could be 93-95A and slippery floor 88-93A, the reason being that you don't put as much weight on the wheel as a heavy skater, so while a 95A could be really grippy for a heavy skater and have poor roll, a 95A could be a bit slippery for a lighter skater. Best bet, talk to a handful of skaters that are in your weight range on your usual floor.

[Spartan]

PS-I am not a fan of pusher wheels. If you only skate on floors that are pretty consistent from one to another, (e.g., clean, indoor rinks with decent roll-on) get one set of wheels and go for it. I recommend pushers only for skaters that skate a wide variety of floors.

[Skateguy]

Originally Posted by MDS

I understand the basic rules of Roller Derby but there have been a few terms bandied about that I just don't understand.

To put this in context, I'm considering buying some Answer Tantrums and of course the marketing blurbs say they are made for Derby. Now what is so special about them that they are 'made for Derby'?

At least one of their wheels is said to be a good 'pusher' wheel. What does that mean? The only thing I can see is that it is very soft - something like 88A, like an outdoor wheel.

One thing to keep in mind, is the surface you will be Skating on. there are more than on type of "Sport Court." Ours grips pretty well with most any of our wheel. Our Ladies just got back from "Pikes Peak" where they were slidding around everywhere. So hookin up the right wheel to the right court, on a given day is most important. (when was the last time it had the beers wiped off of it?) Our Girls take a few sets to bouts, then experiment with differing combination on Bout day, to try to get their set up "dialed in" No two skaters are the same, nor any two Floors. "Pusher" wheels just have a little more grip, Nothin new here. (88 to maybe 93 hardness) "Derby Rules"

[MDS]

So pusher wheels are just very soft with a durometer rating similar to outdoor wheels. Got it.

'Made for Derby' is probably mostly marketing drivel. I was just thinking of trying the Answer Tantrum which looks a typical 93A/Grip wheel but is advertised as made for derby. And by the way...I am not a derby girl - I'm male.

[Live2sk888]

Originally Posted by MDS

OK, given that I'm a natural born skeptic I do dismiss 'made for Derby' as marketing drivel. Derby is hot right now so marketing towards derby skaters makes sense in terms of possibly increasing your sales.

100% all marketing.

[Skateguy]

Originally Posted by MDS

So pusher wheels are just very soft with a durometer rating similar to outdoor wheels. Got it.

'Made for Derby' is probably mostly marketing drivel. I was just thinking of trying the Answer Tantrum which looks a typical 93A/Grip wheel but is advertised as made for derby. And by the way...I am not a derby girl - I'm male.

Depends on what you consider the right hardness for outdoor wheels, I guess. Here we use between 78 and 82 durometer wheels. But we don't have the smoothest of streets. I'm sure that varies place to place. I'm experimenting with Gravity 72 mm wheels in 86 and 90, and they seem to be just a tad hard for Houston streets.