Best artistic dance wheels and bearings?
My daughter has been doing artistic skating for a few years and is really improving, especially at dance, and is hoping to compete at the regional and national level. We are looking to get her some better wheels and bearings. (Right now she’s on size 57 wheels, and we want to get something bigger, like 62 or 63).
What wheels and bearings would you all recommend?
Wheels:
One coach recommended Bones Artistic (62mm 98A) but those seem to be discontinued.
The internet seems to say the Roll Line Ice (63mm 97A) are the greatest in dance wheel technology now, but there are some mixed reviews including some complaints about “flats”.
Does anyone have experience with either of these wheels or have any other recommendations for dance?
Bearings:
Are there any particular bearings that would be best for dance? Are all bearings compatible with the difference wheel brands?
Thank you!
Comments
What event/dances is she doing? (most important question)
I use Roll-Line Ice and Komplex Bolero but prefer Komplex overall. The Komplex have huge issues with flats though, the Ice wheels do flat spot not not nearly as bad as the Komplex. Bones Elites has decent flat resistance but doesn't hold the edges or turn as well on the international dances I do. Using 57mm freestyle wheels for dance is awful, so anything would be an improvement.
All bearings work with all wheels, you probably just need 627s if she's using artistic plates like snyder, atlas, or roll line. I use Roll-Line ABEC9 and Komplex ABEC9 for dance, but overall the bearing doesn't matter just make sure it's clean.
Also which region are you out of? I may know her coach lol
Leaning towards getting Ice wheels. What hardness would be recommended? And are there specific habits to avoid flats? (What exactly is a “flat”?)
Would any 7mm bearings fit these wheels? Like Bones Swiss?
What are 627s?
A flat is a flat spot in a wheel. You can get one by spinning a wheel (under pressure of a person) without rolling. A more common way to get a flat is by t-stopping.
672 is a bearing specification for 7mm bearings.
The hardness depends entirely on your floor. Is it wood, concrete, is it coated nicely? And also depends on what dances you're doing. Backwards or forwards dances, C, B, A, or youth international level? Juvenile, Elementary, Freshman, or Sophomore age group?
When I do dances like the iceland tango I usually switch one wheel out to something a lot harder for the left foot flat turns and LOIF-3 turn. Right now I am using a checkerboarded setup of Roll-Line Ice 95a and 97a.
627 bearings are 7mm bearings. Any 7mm (627) would fit those wheels, so yeah bones swiss would work. Assuming she has artistic 7mm axle plates.
The main thing that causes flats are when you T stop at a 90 degree angle causing the wheel to stop rolling and you make a large indentation on the urethane. It makes skating feel like you are skating on a square wheel and not something circular, like you got something stuck on your wheel but it's because the wheel isn't fully round anymore, very annoying and cannot be fixed unless you grind down the wheel. 3 turns when you are doing them without pressing correctly can also cause mini flats.
Also depends on the skater weight. I'm about 155lbs and skate on a concrete floor.
Are Bones Swiss overkill? Would Bones Red or some other, cheaper bearing be Ok?
Yeah Bones Reds or other bearings would work fine, the bearings matter the least of all the equipment. I have both Bones Swiss and Reds and there is not a real difference in performance.
For those with an extra budget, titanium bearings are a great option. They perform smoothly the way steel bearings do, and are lightweight and highly rust-resistant for longer-lasting performance.
Totally depends on the type of dance. I skate on Roll Line Ice and I use both the 90A Gold and 97A Silver wheels. I also skate and own a number of 54mm, 55mm, 57mm, and 59mm wheels. I do not share the disdain of 57mm wheels and think they work quite well for most folks who dance, but tend to work with Freestyle and Street dance styles, not big looping/edging figure-style "dancing". The main issue isn't the wheel diameter: it's the wheel width! My rink has Shore Durameter of 98A (says my Shore-branded meter) and I do believe that matched Durameter wheels work best on it. That's been my experience and that of the people I skate with there. The Rollerbones Elite wheels are almost all 100A (and rated even higher which is so lame since Shore Durameter only goes to 100). They also have a very low coefficient of friction and thus very "slidey" wheels similar to fibers or Fomacs. I do not recommend them (ever) unless folks want to photograph their skates (those gemtone wheel colors are very beautiful) or they are already "sliders" and know they want very slick wheels with almost zero grip but don't want ugly fiber-wheels. Instead, I'd recommend using "Team Rollerbones 98A" wheels over Rollerbones Elite any day for non-slider skaters, since the blend of grip and slide is far more reasonable. Oh, and if you want pretty, buy Sure Grip Royale wheels instead as they have more clarity (but are still hard & slidey as all heck). Now, moving on to the Roll Line Ice wheels, I do want to say they are excellent wheels for most dance styles except Freestyle (which I'd stay: stick with your 57x35 wheels) and they are extremely precise (bearing seat tolerances). They are a bit unique in terms of their width versus diameter. What they do is reduce the side profile which prevents a lot of "catching" as you do tight footwork. The big diameter means you get a lot of roll-out (if your bearings are good) and lose very little energy. IMHO, thin profile wheels @30mm-35mm aren't as as stable as 35-45mm wide weels in terms of hard edges, but the Ice wheels usually make up for this with a lot more grip than you'd expect at the rated durameter. The urethane quality is very high similar to wheels by Mota who seem to have some of the best right now (but nothing that good for dance, sadly). The Roll Line Ice are GREAT wheels, but here are their drawbacks.
I agree with others who say bearings aren't that big of a deal and say I'd rather run mediocre bearings with a high maintenance schedule than super high quality bearings with a long maintenance schedule. Keeping them clean and lubricated matters more than buying super nice ones, overall. If you can get at least 12 seconds of freespin out of each wheel, you're probably okay as a general rule of thumb.
When choosing a set of urethane wheels, you need to consider the skate wheels hardness or durometer rating. Whether they’re radial, flat, or conical wheels, they are measured using a durometer scale. you can count on these 96A-99A wheels to see you through these conditions as well as other smooth surfaces. These are great all-rounders that provide ample traction while being moderately fast.
Wheel hardness seems less precise than you would expect and it seems to be affected by the rink surface and finish too.. With some wheels it is VERY easy to get flats. One of the hardest habits I had to break was doing t-stops. T-stops are great on truly hard wheels but if you are skating on wheels where you need some grip you will damage the wheels. I have found I have had to experiment with different wheels to find a good fit for myself.
Loosen the axle screws or nuts on the roller skate wheels. Step 2: Remove the wheels and tuck the axle screws or nuts away. Step 3: Install the wheels. Step 4: Fasten the wheels. Step 5: Put The Skates Through Their Paces