From the Rebel Skates web site: Rebel Skates has a custom wheel developed for skating concrete parks or backyard pools. This durometer is 99a, and the wheel measures 62mm. Made in the USA!
So I tried out a set of these Rebel Wheels that I have been showing up more and more around the Portland area lately. These are 62mm wheels with a durometer of 99a, and thank you for printing that right on the wheel for Hosoi’s sake. I hate it when a wheel doesn’t have the mm and especially the durometer printed on them. They are supposed to have a 13.5 mm contact surface and 23.5mm overall width, which seems narrow, now that I think about it. I might have to go back and measure myself. These wheels have a simple, clean graphic and a rounded profile with a large face, and a nice look to them.
I brought these to the concrete testing grounds of Newburg Or, on a day where it had rained within the last couple of days. About the first thing I did was run over the dried up wadded carcass of a giant earthworm which acted like a small pebble and promptly stopped my wheel from spinning and caused me to leave a urethane skid mark in the bowl. Just to give you an idea of the size of the earthworm corpse, remember that it takes a lot to stop a 62mm high wheel! I was bummed to have flat spotted my wheel on the first day out, but laziness and frugality kept me from swapping them out for a new set, and eventually it evened out. I’ve ridden these wheels indoors on well worn masonite, and found them a little slippery at first, but after a couple of sessions I was able to adjust to it. On concrete I have had a couple of failed attempts at backside layback grinds that have made a lot of barking wheel noise from sliding the wheels on the concrete, but so far there have been no additional flat spots.
You can pick up a set of these at some skate shops or direct from the company on their web site for the very reasonable price of $18 plus a shipping charge that scales depending on how much you order. Lastly, they are American made just like their skateboards. Rebel Skates is a small company with Portland roots that go back to the 80’s. Thanks to Mike Estes and sk8pdxdaily.com.
Online Action: www.rebelskates.com
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