Wheels chunking and cracking?

[Jackal3688 0]

I just started using Labeda Dynasty wheels recently, and I've run into a problem with them already. During my game last week, The front wheel on my right skate actually cracked.

This is what it looks like-

I was wondering, are wheels supposed to crack like this after a few times? I play on a tiled textured surface, but I was wondering if anyone has experienced cracking like this with Dynasties. Also, what would you recommend for a tiled surface?

[Thockey17 1]

definately shouldnt be cracking like that after a couple skates. Possibly a defective wheel, but how long have you had them?

[Kirsch 1]

My Lebeda Gripper Lites lasted a year and a half and that included many games and practices before they all shattered within a week. I bought a couple Hyper wheels to replace 'em and after two skates they looked just like that. I won't ever buy Hypers again but I think it could be hit or miss on quality. I could most definitely be wrong though.

[Skokan 0]

Labeda Dynasties are known to be fragile and easy on chunking.

Go for Rinkrats

[#56 0]

Labeda Dynasties are known to be fragile and easy on chunking.

Go for Rinkrats

wonder who told you this :P

Anyway, go with RR and you won't be disappointed. No chunking problems anymore.

Be careful to choose the right wheels that meets your needs.

[Aussie Joe 0]

I was on LaBeda Millenium Grippers up until a few weeks back. They were cracking along the middle seam of the front and back wheels. Got onto Epuck and changed over the front and back wheels of my Roller Daddys to RR World Cups (outdoor model wheels) and have to say they feel no different. I used to think RinkRat wheels were all talk and that the Hunt's were just over-zealous salesman but everything the company claims is true. In conclusion bugger the Milleniums get the RR's and you won't look back.

[duckjob 1]

I'm a pretty bigh guy, so chunking has been an issue for me. Dynasties last me about 6 weeks before they started going to crap, Hyper Trinties lasted less then a month. I switched to RR hornets, and I can honestly say they are head and shoulders above any other wheel. I have been skating on them for 4 months now, and no chunking, and they are just as grippy and responsive as they were the first time i skated.

[teamlabeda 1]

That is a defective wheel contact Labeda customer service (800)524-5892 or (951)674-1665.

Labeda wheels are definitely not fragile. RR has gone out of their way to create a Dynasty knock-off looking wheel in their Hornet. In comparison to the RR wheels, the specific differences between a Dynasty and a Hornet is the inner material of the RR is soft allowing the wheel to flatten out more so it can grip better but in return creating less speed. The Dynasty is harder through the center creating a faster wheel while allowing the core to flex for grip! People all have their preferences if you want max grip you are sacrificing speed, if you want speed and grip you might have to give up longevity. Pick your poison!

[Grinder 2]

As a point that's completely off topic other than the site was just mentioned in this thread, I'd just like to throw in the fact that the chick wearing the hockey gear on Epuck's front page is totally hot.

[monoclub 5]

FACT: Dynasty wheels chunk - it is not a defective wheel, its a defective line. I run a Pro Shop and have plenty of unsatisfied customers. Why else would Mission and other companies be dropping what was the industry leading wheel company and choosing new comers for their top of the line skates? aka Bauer, CCM, Mission's 05 lines. I too thought the Hunts were just salesmen talking it up, but then they gave me free samples and I only promote their wheels now because they are awesome. Their wheels last 3-4 times longer than the competition - (thats if the Dynasties/Milleniums didn't chunk out and went the distance without chunking problems).

[Aussie Joe 0]

Labeda wheels are definitely not fragile. RR has gone out of their way to create a Dynasty knock-off looking wheel in their Hornet. In comparison to the RR wheels, the specific differences between a Dynasty and a Hornet is the inner material of the RR is soft allowing the wheel to flatten out more so it can grip better but in return creating less speed. The Dynasty is harder through the center creating a faster wheel while allowing the core to flex for grip! People all have their preferences if you want max grip you are sacrificing speed, if you want speed and grip you might have to give up longevity. Pick your poison!

All I'll say is.... Get your hand off it mate! I went from Dyna's to Milleniums then to RR's and I am faster and quicker than ever on the RR's. RinkRat hasn't even tried to knock off the Dynasties in looks or technology. Not to mention the fact that I havn't got a single crack/nick/tear in my wheels. LaBeda's current stable of wheels are crap. 9 months ago everyone was wearing LaBedas in Aus. Now all thats being sold is RR's. Sellers are offering discounts for players when they buy new skates and RR sets so they can change them over ASAP. That won't be nec. with the new CCM's thankfully.

PS: All my juniors now swear by RR's after I told them about my recent perfromance and I have to say they look much better skating wise these days too.

"Just another success story."

[Benchboy 0]

Hey teamlabeda guy, when will the Labeda site be back up? It has been down for 6 months.

re: the wheels

Why is it that a set of labeda's wheels made in the last 2 years will last a month, (Dynasties, Grippers), when my old purple millenium grippers from 2001 are 3 seasons old and can still be used? Why are they making wheels that fall apart when they had the formula right years ago?

I can't get an answer out of Labeda on that one. They just won't admit that they make the wheels to last for a month so that they sell more.

As far as customer service goes, Rink Rat outshines them by a long long way.

[teamlabeda 1]

I guess it is just coincedence that just about every team in NARCH platinum won on Labeda (Atom, Mite, Squirt, Pee Wee, Bantam, Midget, Juniors, D-1 and Pro) not to mention the gold medaling Team USA mens team at the World Championships. It is clear that when the game is on the line there is no better choice of wheel than Labeda. The Dynasty and Millenniums continue to be the top performing wheels tournament after tournament if you prefer something different so be it, hardly signs of a defective line.

I do not know what surface Aussie Joe is skating on in Australia but the wheels you have mentioned are Sport court type floors specific.

When skate and wheel companies choose to work with one another a number of reasons go into making that decision. If it was solely the best wheel Labeda would be on the skates but that was not the case.

CCM formerly Hyper chose to go with RR

Mission formerly Labeda chose Hyper & Factory (strictly price related/ wheels are made overseas and can be made much cheaper than USA made wheels)

Bauer formerly Hyper and Labeda chose Hyper (Labeda refused to make required new wheel sizes for skates 78mm, 74mm and 66mm)

Nike formerly Labeda chose RR (same as above, Labeda refused to make new wheel sizes)

You should know the facts on why companies make choices!

To say RR did not knock off the looks of the Dynasty wheel and its packaging tells me you are not that familiar with the two lines. They did change the colors at least.

[Jackal3688 0]

I think Labeda has been fine, I really havent run into any problems with any wheels before except for this lone exception. This is actually my second set of dynasties, and I didnt think wheels were supposed to chunk like this. All my other dynasties have been fine, and like Teamlabeda said, its probably a defective wheel. I'm 5'10 170 and I play a solid 4 times a week and I've never had any problems with labedas until this one wheel.

[xunkn0vvnx 0]

Go Rinkrat and never look back... Only wheel that does not chunk.

[duckjob 1]

Go Rinkrat and never look back... Only wheel that does not chunk.

every wheel is prone to chunking at some point, and every manufacturer will produce a faulty wheel at some point, to suggest otherwise is stupid. that being said rink rats have lasted me longer and performed better initially than any other labeda or hyper wheel i have skated on.

[Aussie Joe 0]

I do not know what surface Aussie Joe is skating on in Australia but the wheels you have mentioned are Sport court type floors specific.

To say RR did not knock off the looks of the Dynasty wheel and its packaging tells me you are not that familiar with the two lines. They did change the colors at least.

We skate on Sport Court, Orb Court (Same as sport court just larger tiles) and in some isolated cases Coated Concrete. The problems with the Dynasties have been evident on all three surfaces exclusively. I have seen them chunk on JUST sport court or JUST Orb Court as well and, of course those stupid enough to use them on concrete are having chunking problems for all the obvious reasons.

All those NARCh teams you spoke of, they didn't happen to get all their wheels for free did they? Im sure Im not alone when If I was given crap wheels for free then I would use them over ones I had to buy as well. If LaBeda's wheels are so superior then why is it so many players in my country and on this board are switching and loving it? I guess the proof is in the pudding, so to speak.

And lastly if RinkRat are such dirty little "Copy Cats" then why haven't LaBeda taken up legal proceddings with them? Oh thats right no grounds for a case. I don't hate LaBeda or their products at all. I used to swear by the first line of Grippers and STILL use and love my DaBomb chassis. Its just everything I've seen/heard/read points to poor manufacturing on the Dynasties currently in use by players worldwide.

[Jackal3688 0]

I recently started skating on normal tiled floors(not sure what theyre called), but its a flat, smooth tiled surface, and this is when i started to chunk. Dynasties had held up very well for me on spider courts and other similar sport courts. I think it all just depends on how youre built and how aggresively you skate on different surfaces. I dont think its a problem with the wheel, or the line of wheels. Every company has factory defects and Labeda deals with these defects very generously.

And lastly if RinkRat are such dirty little "Copy Cats" then why haven't LaBeda taken up legal proceddings with them? Oh thats right no grounds for a case.

If Labeda did that, everyone would hate them and speak out against them. If anyone follows paintball, you know the deal with smart parts and K2 and how they put patents on their electronic trigger frame and autocockers respectively. The paintball market took a huge hit because of lawsuits like these because these companies eliminated all marketing competition. If Labeda sued rink rat and eventually got them to stop producing their wheels, then what would happen then? Everyone would hate labeda and they would destroy the wheel market almost entirely. Think about it like that. Even if they did have grounds for a suit, it would be for the good of the hockey world that they didnt. What if Eason started suing everyone for "copying" their original idea of making composite one peice sticks and other companies couldnt make OPS anymore? The hockey world would be in an outrage.

Just my two cents about everything.

[jay 1]

I recently started skating on normal tiled floors(not sure what theyre called), but its a flat, smooth tiled surface, and this is when i started to chunk. Dynasties had held up very well for me on spider courts and other similar sport courts. I think it all just depends on how youre built and how aggresively you skate on different surfaces. I dont think its a problem with the wheel, or the line of wheels. Every company has factory defects and Labeda deals with these defects very generously.

And lastly if RinkRat are such dirty little "Copy Cats" then why haven't LaBeda taken up legal proceddings with them? Oh thats right no grounds for a case.

If Labeda did that, everyone would hate them and speak out against them. If anyone follows paintball, you know the deal with smart parts and K2 and how they put patents on their electronic trigger frame and autocockers respectively. The paintball market took a huge hit because of lawsuits like these because these companies eliminated all marketing competition. If Labeda sued rink rat and eventually got them to stop producing their wheels, then what would happen then? Everyone would hate labeda and they would destroy the wheel market almost entirely. Think about it like that. Even if they did have grounds for a suit, it would be for the good of the hockey world that they didnt. What if Eason started suing everyone for "copying" their original idea of making composite one peice sticks and other companies couldnt make OPS anymore? The hockey world would be in an outrage.

Just my two cents about everything.

By this logic Mission is destroying the skate market by enforcing their patent on the hi-lo chassis. I'd say they're doing anything but. In fact they've forced companies to have to try and come up with something better. Maybe someone will come up with something innovative now... some would even say Tour already has.

[monoclub 5]

Team Labeda, You guys have been doing a great job over the years, the Millenium wheel was an awesome wheel when it came out. I believe you guys will respond to the competition which is good for everyone in the sport.

Good Luck to you guys.

[GekigangarIII 0]

Just for the record, I HAVE cracked and chunked RR's within 3-4 skates on hornets two seperate times. These weren't the initial batch either, these were the "good" ones.

To top it all off RR seemed very willing to replace the wheels which I was very happy about, but after sending them my addy and info I never heard from them again, despite mailing them a couple times afterwards stating I never got the wheels... went back to dynasties.

[#56 0]

That's weird Geki... Here's a better story: My friend chunked a RR Hot Shot wheel, obviously because the model and hardness of the wheel (76A) wasn't ment for his weight (+-105 kgs). He received a free set of hornet's 78A instead! :) Now that's what I like to call great customer service!

[GekigangarIII 0]

I chunked 2 pair of 78a hornets, and paid for them myself, out of pocket... I got some concern from RR, but no replacements... needless to say, my experience wasn't quite the same. Now, I undestand people are busy and they may forget things, but I mailed the rep several times over a period of about 3 weeks and never heard back, supposedly after the wheels were sent. I'm a professional adult and don't have time to chase reps down to replace their product. I just spent my money somewhere else.

[Aggie 9]

Geki, sorry to hear about your experiences with RinkRat. Mine split from the core, but I guess I was fortunate to get replacement wheels. Did you try contacting the store you bought them from?

[Icedog03 0]

What if Easton started suing everyone for "copying" their original idea of making composite one peice sticks and other companies couldnt make OPS anymore? The hockey world would be in an outrage.

Easton didnt make the first one piece stick