If your scooter’s wheels are worn down and they’ve started compromising the quality of your riding experience, perhaps it’s time to consider getting a brand new pair. If you aren’t very savvy on the subject, no worries – it’s a pretty straightforward process. In other words, there are a couple of basic things you need to consider in order to make the most out of your purchase.
Most scooter wheels are made of polyurethane, but still, not all of them are made with the same durability, hardness, and diameter. The ideal scooter wheels in terms of durability, hardness and wheel diameter will mainly depend on the type of riding you’ll be doing most. That being said, most wheels are usually made based on a few standard specifications, and a few that can vary depending on personal preferences.
Wheel Diameter
The diameter simply implies how tall the wheel us. The standard diameter range is from 90 to 125mm. The most common diameters for recreational scooter riding are 100 and 110mm. On the other hand, riders that are into racing typically use 100mm wheels. They can also use 110mm wheels as well, but it all depends on the distance they intend to travel, the terrain and the scooter itself. As a general rule of thumb, the larger the wheel is, the faster you can cruise. However, this also means that the scooter is less maneuverable.
Wheel Hardness
Wheel hardness is measured in durometers. The durometer scale used for wheels is the “A” scale, followed by a number from 0 to 100, 0 being no resistance and 100 being extremely hard plastic. Softer wheels usually have better shock absorption, but they also wear out faster. So, for outdoor riding, you need wheels that offer good shock absorption, but don’t wear out very quickly, while for indoors and smooth surface riding, you need harder wheels. The ideal wheel hardness based on the durometer scale can be anywhere between A60 and A90.
Wheel Profile and Rebound
The industry standard for wheel profile is 24mm, which is the cross-section where the wheel meets the ground. However, the variation in a wheel’s footprint is what makes one wheel different from another. The larger the footprint of the wheel, the greater the stability and traction. Moreover, the wheel rebound indicates the wheel’s response on every stroke. The wheel rebound can either be low, medium or high, but don’t expect to come across these specifications nowadays as most people don’t seem to care about them and they have phased out of the labelling.