Wheels for a heavy guy that likes to hockey stop?

[alex8337 0]

Hey everyone,

Just asking what peoples suggestions, opinions or advice would be for a set of wheels for me.

-I'm 117kgs (258lbs).
-Flat, slightly polished concrete playing surface.
-I like to hockey stop but have trouble at higher speeds.

I've got a set of Labeda addiction XXX wheels (supposedly 80A) but can't stop with them at all and I've chunked one, three others have bad cracks with small chunking.

I'm currently using a set of Revision Axis multi-surface wheels (78A), stopping is easy at lower speeds, a little difficult at medium speed and impossible if I'm going fast. One of them has cracks covering about 40% of the wheel but they don't look deep and they haven't cracked as quickly as the Labeda addiction's did.
These one's also seem to have better looking wear.
I think it's from stopping but these look like they've had sand paper to them,
where-as the Labeda addictions looked like I'd taken a cheese grater to them

So any suggestions or advice?

[henryb 4]

I think there is only one really good wheel that I have had success with on smooth concrete... Labeda Yellow Gripper, and I have tried quite a few others with very limited success.

For whatever reason the dual pour wheels don't seem to give much grip on concrete. So I would avoid the labeda Addiction's, Revision Variant's or Rink Rat Hornets/Splits... They are not going to work for you.

There might be others out there that might do the trick, but from my experience, it's the Yellow Grippers for Concrete.

[Vet88 674]

You are always going to struggle to find a wheel that will give you good grip AND last for a long time. Look for a single pour wheel, try some Revision Steel, they held together well for me on the grippiest surface around (poured urethane, which destroyed addictions, splits and any other multi pour wheel in a matter of weeks). The Steels still provided to much grip for me and I'm now on 84A Labeda Asphalts, they give me plenty of grip but a nice slide similar to addictions on sports court / plastic tile surface.

[sharks25 9]

Labeda grippers, as mentioned, will probably be your best bet. Revision agent orange(?) wheels are also supposedly the old hyper g wheels, which were great for all surfaces, especially smooth concrete.

[the_game 452]

I haven't been on Polished concrete in forever, but when I did skate on that surface the go-to wheels were basically Labeda Grippers & the Hyper Forumla Gs.

[alex8337 0]

Looks like I'll be trying the Labeda yellow grippers next.

Are you guys sure I'll still be able to hockey stop in them? If I can't, I'll have wasted my money

[Vet88 674]

Buy 4 of them, fit them front and back (they wear the fastest) and see how they go. If they fail then you have only wasted a few dollars and you can try something else, if they work then buy more. Bottom line is a large aggressive skater is always going to chew thru wheels and you are going to have to work thru wheels to find what works best for you.

You may find a mix of wheels works best for you, eg ultra hard on the outsides and soft inners or vice versa. Previously I couldn't be bothered swapping wheels around but as I skate more at different rinks with different surfaces, I am now continually tweaking my set up trying to find that optimal range of grip versus speed and starting to notice how changing even one wheel (in the middle or ends) affects my skating.

[romdj 26]

I can't say enough good things about the revision steel, it's been 3 months now, and they still look new. I can't Imagine you not being satisfied by these wheels.

[default user 3]

I play on polished concrete,(skating rink floor) probably similar to what you play on, I use yellow grippers and I have a lot of grip and am able to hockey stop. Granted I weigh about 170lb. With your size I would go with a harder wheel. Soft wheels with just blow out on you.

[alex8337 0]

76A and I cant stop
78A and I can barely stop but the wheels crack and wear fairly quickly

80A are the Labeda yellow grippers

I'm going to try my mates asphalt wheels (84-86A) and see how they go. If they're too hard I'll have to go with the yellow grippers because there aren't any wheels between 80 and 84 on inlinewearhouse

Thanks for the help everyone

[sharks25 9]

Why can't you stop with 76a wheels?

[alex8337 0]

They're too grippy, I just fall over myself if I try. I'm too heavy for them.

[sharks25 9]

Oh, ok.

My dad weighs around 240 and is about 6'3; he's probably more relatable to you than I am. With that said, here are his experiences:

Hes skating on v08 skates, playing on ice court which is VERY hard on wheels. He started with Rink Rat Hornets XX grip. He liked them, but could never really get the hang of stopping on them and chunked them somewhat quickly. I gave him a set of Millennium Oranges (76a) which are nice dual pour wheels. He hated them. He skated on them twice, and immediately got different wheels. He went with the Yellow Grippers. He hasn't switched back. He can stop on them ok and they are durable for him. Im sure you will like them if you get them. The asphalts are very hard, but they may work for you.

Sorry about the long post. If you have any questions let me know!