World Cup Sets 110mm Wheel Limit

Racing News

(UPDATE: Never Mind! ... Wheel Size Limit Was A Mistake, Organizer Says - Not to worry. The wheel size limit was just a translation error, the organizers say. "There's no limit of wheel size," said Daniel Wagner of Iguana Think Tank. ... Earlier today, the 2006 World Cup rule book posted on Iguana's web page included a "Wheels" subsection that said: "Wheels with a diameter of 80mm to 110mm will be allowed." By early afternoon, the wheels subsection had been removed. (Go to Iguana's message.)

World Inline Cup Sets 110mm Size Limit for Wheels

Reason for Policy Change Is Unclear

By Robert "Just the Factoids" Burnson

Last year, Iguana Think Tank, the organizer of the World Inline Cup, gave innovative skate makers some breathing room.

Despite an international rule limiting wheel size to 100 millimeters, Iguana allowed racers to use any size wheel, as long as their frames including the wheels didn't exceed 50 centimeters (19.68 inches).

The result was experimentation.

A number of skaters — among them most of the members of Saab-Salomon International — moved up to 110mm wheels.

A few other skaters (and skate companies) experimented with 125mm setups.

But Iguana has apparently decided that skate setups were changing too fast.

It has added a "Wheels" subsection to its 2006 rule book. In it, it states: "Wheels with a diameter of 80mm to 110mm are allowed."

In other words: Wheels bigger than 110mm are prohibited.

No reason is given for the change.

Reaction Likely To Be Mixed

Some skaters and manufacturers are bound to rail against the size limit. Many skaters think that limiting wheel size artificially restricts innovation.

But some skate makers will no doubt be relieved by the new rule. Designing and building bigger wheels — and the frames to go with them — is an expensive proposition, which cuts deeply into profits and takes some manufacturers a few years to recover.

Why This Year?

It's not clear why Iguana Think Tank chose this year to limit wheel size.

Perhaps, it's due to pressure from the International Federation of Roller Sports, the governing body for inline speed skating.

Last February, the federation set a 100mm size limit for wheels. The size limit was supposed to apply to all sanctioned events, including the World Cup.

But Iguana announced (quietly) that the size limit would not apply to World Cup races.

So far, the federation has not announced any change in its 100mm rule.

But it still has time to amend its rules ... and may have already done so — without telling anyone yet — at its recent congress in Rome.

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(Posted on Dec. 5, 2005)

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