Wheels for very slick floor

[Jeff d 0]

I'm 6'1" 190 lbs. and play once weekly on a very slick floor. The rink owner just says it's a "plastic" floor but other more experienced players say it's the slickest floor they've skated. Anyway, I've currently got the wheels that came on my Bauer 30-70s (Hyper Unity 76a). I practice occasionally on a wood floor and these wheels do great but on the plastic surface I need more grip.

I've seen good things about the Rink Rat hornets but I don't think I'm good enough to justify an $80 set of wheels. I've also read good things about the Rink Rat Hot Shots; how do they compare to the Hornets for the price?

Given my size, how low can I go on the durometer before I'd run into durability issues? Could I get the Hot Shot 62/76 or should I go with the 62/78?

Also, since my Hyper Unity wheels are still in fine shape could I just replace the rear two wheels on each skate with something grippier and save a few bucks? Wouldn't the rears be the most important for stopping and turning?

[jay 1]

Is it a tile floor? Either way, I'd stay away from the 78a Rink Rat's. I had some Hornets that while a great feeling wheel, gave me little to no grip on sport court (plastic tile flooring) and I'm about 15lbs lighter then you. My 76a's are pretty much perfect.

[JSchultz 25]

I'm 6'1" 190 lbs. and play once weekly on a very slick floor. The rink owner just says it's a "plastic" floor but other more experienced players say it's the slickest floor they've skated. Anyway, I've currently got the wheels that came on my Bauer 30-70s (Hyper Unity 76a). I practice occasionally on a wood floor and these wheels do great but on the plastic surface I need more grip.

I've seen good things about the Rink Rat hornets but I don't think I'm good enough to justify an $80 set of wheels. I've also read good things about the Rink Rat Hot Shots; how do they compare to the Hornets for the price?

Given my size, how low can I go on the durometer before I'd run into durability issues? Could I get the Hot Shot 62/76 or should I go with the 62/78?

Also, since my Hyper Unity wheels are still in fine shape could I just replace the rear two wheels on each skate with something grippier and save a few bucks? Wouldn't the rears be the most important for stopping and turning?

1. The Hyper Unity is a terrible wheel imho. Half your problems are there.

2. My buddy uses Hot shots, and loves them. The rebound isn't as good as the hornet, but the hot shot is only 7 a wheel right?

[Jim A 4]

one thing you have to figure out with a slick floor is where you are getting grip..

some slick floors i've played on have benefitted from a mix of durometers that allow you to sort of grip at different points of the stride..

other times going to a wider profile wheel can be of use..

the unity has had its share of bad pours..some of the test molds from '01 were among the best wheels i've skated..but ..never seemed to come around..

that being said..Revision and Rink Rat are 2 wheels worth paying for..Hot Shots were good, Hornet's noticeably better imho...I had long wear out of both companies (multiple seasons which isn't common for me)

[Jeff d 0]

Well, the floor isn't tile and it's not Sportcourt because I remember the owner talking about how he'd like to get a Sportcourt surface. It's a light blue material that I would imagine would come on a huge roll. There are hardly any seams on the whole surface.

So, sounds like I can't go wrong with either the Hornets or Hot Shots. Any problem with only changing out my rear two wheels? If I was only going to replace 2 wheels on each skate would I be better off changing out the 2nd one and the rear on rather than the two rears? Should I just suck it up and replace all of them? The problem there is I need a new stick too and money isn't exactly flowing like wine here.

[Patrick67 1]

I have mb816's in the middle and softer Labeda Dynasty's on the front and back. A softer duramoter in the rear and higher in the middle works fine for me.

However I have a game tomorrow and my front wheels on both skates are cracked. One of my friends has some of those Hyper Unity (blue ones) wheels from his Bauer Skates.

Would I be better off swapping the almost new Hyper's on of keep the Cracked Dynasty's... since people say the Hyper's suck?

[Extremo 0]

my rink rat hornets are useless on one of the really slick sports courts i play on. They're great on the rink floor though.

[Jeff d 0]

Well I talked myself into spending the $9 per wheel for the hornets but then e-puck didn't have them in 80 mm in the durometer I wanted so I went with the Hot Shots. I'll give them a shot tonight and see how they do.

[Jeff d 0]

Here's an update on my wheel situation:

I replaced the 2 rear 80 mm wheels on each skate with the 62/76a Hot Shots.

They're awesome compared to the Hyper Unitys that came with the skates. I can actually stop now. It took a while for me to get used to the extra grip; initially I'd fall when I tried to stop because the grip was so much better than what I was used to. Now I can do an "ice like" stop with both skates and am no longer sliding into the boards. I can't imagine the Hornets, or any wheel for that matter being much better, at least on the surface we play on.

Speed is still just as good, if not better, than the 76a Hyper Unitys.

So far I've had no durability issues even at 190+ lbs and using the softest durometer available on the Hot Shots. After 3-4 games I see no cracks or hub seperation.

I'll probably replace the front wheels when I have a few extra bucks because I can kind of feel the Hyper Unitys that I still have up there "chattering" when stopping real fast. I think putting Hot Shots up there will make it even better.

[saba 0]

I weight more than you and I skate with HotShots 80A durometer. I have exclusively used the RR Hornet up to this point. The Hotshots are 85%of the Hornet IMHO and are a great wheel at that price point. I would go all RR but mix 76A in the front 2 and 78A in the back. Don't exclude Revision, people on this boars seem to be having positive results

[Jeff d 0]

... Don't exclude Revision, people on this boars seem to be having positive results..

Hadn't seen those before, but just checked them out on e-puck. That's an interesting design concept. Given how well the Hot Shots have been performing at my relatively amateur level of play I don't know that I can justify spending $10 per wheel.

If I get significantly better and start playing more often (Or run accross a really good deal) maybe I'll give the Revisions a shot.

[iceburg19 1]

iwas skateing on the new hornets from rink rat (hornet 62-80 durometer)ive allways used rink rat they changed the hub design,the wheels gripped real good but they were to heavy i felt like i had cement on my skate boots,i did go back to hot shots for the inside wheels,as far as revision goes,we have a couple of teams with these wheels and they say they are the best wheels out there.im going to give them a try.there web site is revisionhockey.com,im always looking for the best wheel out there,i hate when my wheels dont grip or fall apart.

[sdcopp 1]

my two cents: I'm a hefty 230 at only 5'9", so I'm terrible to most wheels out there. That being said, the floor you're on sounds like a roll-on surface common in most skating rinks. The roll-on is a urethane substance that is painted onto the floor, and sucks up most good wheels and chews through them. I have found for the budget minded that want performance Cyko is a great choice. Play it Again Sports in my area carries blems from Cyko at 3 bucks a pop, and they are super soft. We have one of those outdoor rinks here that has the nasty glazed concrete that virtually nothing sticks to, but the Cyko blems and the Blue Ice form them work great on it. Any blems I've used on a roll-on rink or outdoors at that rink have lasted just as long as any much more expensive wheel, but the Cykos do not perform on Sportcourt surfaces like the expensive good RR and Labedas go.

[CSW1618 5]

iceburg you wont be disappointed at all.. they are a great wheel and its not just me who loves revisions. They are a great wheel. With the roll on situation and if your curious if you should get revisions.. wait for a little (even tho u said you were gonna wait a little) and see if your hotshots get torn up.. if they dont and theres minimum wear.. then definently go with the revisions.. you wont be disappointed at all

[iceburg19 1]

well i ordered some revisions(gold)im going to hook my kids up with the rest of my rink rats and try the revisions,the kids arent as hard on their wheels.i still think rink rat ranks up there.

[CSW1618 5]

how much do your kids weight? hopefully the golds will be right for them.. hopefully they will and hopefully you like them. Rink rats are not a bad wheel at all..but you wont be disappointed in the RV's

[iceburg19 1]

my 12yr old is pretty light, hot shots are great for him they last forever,my 15yr old and 18 yr old are skinny,cut up,and move real good, speedy and cut a lot.ill test the revisions and see if these will last durobility wise and grip,buying wheels for 4 inline players gets very expensive.but if the wheels hold grip and hold duro,then i dont have to spend as often,thats why im always looking for a good wheel.

[CSW1618 5]

i dont blame you at all.. im sure you wont be disappointed

[iceburg19 1]

ill get some feed back in a week or two.