What goes into quad roller skates?

In order to get the best use out of your quad skates you'll need to know about the parts that go into them, how they all work together and how to take care of them. This knowledge will aid you in getting a longer life out of your skates and personalising them to best suit your needs.

The Boot

The most obvious place to start is the boot. As the name suggests, this is the shoe part of the roller skate. Unlike a regular shoe, the inside of the boot is padded for comfort, and the outside is typically made using leather or suede for durability, although it can also be made from a tougher plastic. The sole of the boot is strong and supportive in order to protect the boot (and the bottom of your foot!) from the metal plate.

The Plate

On the bottom of the boot, the plate is mounted. This attaches the boot to all the other parts of the skate. The trucks (also known as kingpins) attach to the plate, which is where the wheels are fastened. In the above image the toe stop is also visible, which is attached with a toe stop nut.

The Wheels

The wheels on a quad skate are the most important part! They come in many different varieties involving size and hardness to suit the different styles of skating. For instance, a street skater will need soft, medium-sized wheels. This specification of wheels allows for a smoother ride.

The general guide for wheel size and hardness is as follows:

Wheel sizing:

Width: Ranges from 30mm - 42mm

Height: Ranges from 55mm - 70mm

Wheel hardness:

Soft: 74A - 84A

Medium: 85A - 94A

Hard: 95A - 103A

The wheels are fastened to the truck using bearings, bearing spacers and an axle nut. 

Bearings

 The bearings allow the wheels to roll smoothly and are located between the wheels and axels. Good quality bearings allow the skate wheels to reach their full potential: if you buy high quality wheels but only standard bearings, the wheels will no longer spin the way you expected them to, so purchasing good quality bearings is quite an important step!

We hope that the above information was useful in bettering your experience on your own skates!

Is there anything else that you expected to be covered, but wasn't? Is there any more information that you'd like to know?

If yes, please let us know!