making inline skates slower (and wetter)

I just put a full set of "Continental all season" 80 mm wheels from K2 on my
inline skates. The package says they're made of rubber.

Are there other rubber wheels for inline skates? (especially around 78 mm
or larger, like on many racing and "fitness" skates nowadays)

I immediately noticed that my skates felt a little slower, this was
confirmed in a side-by-side downhill test with Sharon on normal polyurethane
wheels. They definitely stop my faster doing a drag-the-blade style stop.
But not so slow as my Jenex V2 830 rollerskis -- which also have rubber
wheels, I think -- one of the slower skate rollerskis available. So these
K2 Continental wheels make my skates more snow-like in resistance.

It rained today, so I also got the chance to try out some other
characteristics of rubber. If it's good for more car, and good for my
bicycle, why not my skates?

Wet pavement performance:
Well those K2 Continental wheels gave me rather good traction or "edge grip"
on fully wet pavement, even climbing up a steep hill (about 10% grade).
There were a very few spots on smoother wet pavement where they skidded a
couple of times out in the far range of my push motion, but on at least 99%
of my push-strokes they were just fine. (I compare that with using my
normal polyurethane wheels climbing a wet hill a couple of weeks ago -- the
wheels skidded out so easily that I could not apply full force or range of
motion in my skating -- so I just gave up and switched to rubber-wheel
rollerskis.)

I went back inside, got on the web, and ordered a bunch more for Sharon.

Ken

P.S.
Then I went back out in the light rain and skated some more. And I got this
sudden urge to see if I could learn "double push". And to my great
surprise, after half an hour out in the rain on rubber wheels, I was doing
something that looked and felt sorta like the videos and descriptions I've
seen of the "double push" technique. Now the process can only accelerate --
the thorough corruption of my technique by my inline skating.

Serge: Please save me a trip to the inline rec. group. If one puts two
wetgrip tires on skates, where do they go? Back two? Front? One each?
Thanks. Peter
(Serge) wrote in message . com...
Continental "Speedgrip" and "Wetgrip" are made for wet weather, K2
wheel are of "Speedgrip" varaiety.
According to Conti, you are supposed to put only 2 wheels per skate.
Of course, people who sell them will never tell you that.
You are right, they are slow.

They are good for your car and bike because you ride "air" in those,
not solid rubber,

I've heard too many people getting of "Aero" and doing skates. I've
never tried them but I've never liked the idea either. I know they
have good "snow feel"
but they look cumbersome + the dreaded wheel is a bithch to deal with.

I use the same size wheels for my skates (4x100 Millennium) and
rollerskis (Eagle Rabbit).

100mm wheels are very SAFE - you'll never go down if you run into
pebble
and if they are to fast for rollerskis(they are) you can use
a shorter spacer between bearings thus slow down the wheel
considerably or(and)
use rubber wheel and slow bearing.

About Double Push: it is only possible and effective on speeds more
than 165mph, so do not fool yourself with slow rubber wheels, do the
snake drill
on each leg and it will come to you.

Yes I'm rather intrigued with the idea of my next inline skate having 100 mm
wheels -- just like you say, so they'll roll over irregularities better.

Today I did a workout on dry pavement of both skating and double-poling on
inline skates with _all_ wheels rubber. Definitely slower than
polyurethane -- surely a better simulation of on-snow speeds. I liked the
feel.

Now with these rubber wheels I think I'll be raising the percentage of my
training done on inlines.

Once Continental starts making rubber wheels in the 100 mm size, we can try
to figure out why a rollerski with rubber 125 mm wheels is so much better at
simulating skiing than a race inline skate with rubber 100 mm wheels.

Speaking of accurate simulation of skiing, seems that my Salomon TR Mag
Elite inline skates are a better simulation of _weight_ in snow skiing than
some popular rollerskis. How many Aero skiers have compared the weight of
an Aero rollerski with binding to the weight of a race ski with binding?

Ken

(PBDoyle) wrote in message . com...
Serge: Please save me a trip to the inline rec. group. If one puts two
wetgrip tires on skates, where do they go? Back two? Front? One each?

Not in the front, I think.
On 5-wheel frame probably 3rd and 4th.
Just one is not enough.
It would wear to fast in 5th position.