SKATE TIP OF THE WEEK
Inline secrets from the world's top skaters and coaches

This week's tip:

How to Make a Skate Wheel Chair
Patio furniture for the skate obsessed

By Rodney Friedman

Nothing says "51-50" quite like an Inline Skate Wheel Chair.

They're weird, a little scary, and the perfect addition to any skater's backyard or patio.

I saw my first skate wheel chair at a San Diego skate shop and knew I had to have one.

I started collecting wheels and found an old lawn chair down by the railroad tracks ... sorry, homeless guy. ... The rest is history.

How to make an Inline Skate Wheel Chair

First, collect your materials.

You will need:

• One classic lawn chair, cleaned and buffed
• Lots of skate wheels. My chair has 32 of them. (Note: new wheels will give you a more finished product.)
• A bunch of cable ties (zip ties), which you will find at any hardware store.

Once you've got all your materials, follow these steps:

1) Remove the webbing — or what's left of it — from your old lawn chair.

2) Run a cable tie around the chair frame and through the hub of a wheel and lock it. Make sure the lock box is facing down or to the back. That way it won't jab you when you sit in the chair.

3) Run another cable tie through the wheel hub and then through the hub of a second wheel.

4) Repeat until you have reached the opposite side of the frame.

5) Start a new row and keep going until you have filled the back and seat of the chair.

6) Secure the rows by zip-tying the wheels together in the other direction. So, for instance, if you were zip-tying from one side of the chair to the other, go back and zip-tie from top to bottom.)

That's all there is to it.

Now it's time for a party.

When you're friends arrive, expect them to say: "What are you, crazy?"

Don't deny it. Just answer, "Sure. What of it?"

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Rodney Friedman is a veteran inline skater and member of the San Diego Street Elite racing team. He started skating in the early 1990s, a few years after moving to San Diego. Ever since, he has been active in San Diego's lively skating community, both as a leader and skater. He has competed in numerous races over the years and has published several articles in the defunct Fitness and Speed Skating Times.
 

• San Diego Street Elite web site

Related reading:

• Skate Tip of the Week Archive
• Beginners Guide to Outdoor Racing
• Beginners Guide to Inline Skating