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Skate skills:
Glenn Koshi at the Long Beach Marathon. This week's tip: People often ask me to recommend a wheel configuration for them to skate on. Of course, the rage is currently 4 x 100mm — and even larger wheels are entering the picture. But can everyone push 100mm wheels efficiently? I'm not so sure. Case in point: my team, Bont North America: We do a lot of testing of skate setups. But four of my skaters still find that they are faster on 4 x 90mm frames! That includes 2005 World Team member Jilleanne Rookard and master skater Conny Strub. So how many skaters on 100mm setups can they beat? In fact, quite a few! (Yet, they are still constantly testing new setups, so switching to something different is not out of the question.) Choosing the right size wheels may involve physics, but it's not rocket science. All you really need to do is to "test-drive" a few different setups. But don't expect one time out to settle the issue. To get a good feel for each configuration, you'll need to try them over several distances and routes — and, of course, on different days. If you ate pasta the night before one skate, and McDonald's before another, chances are good that you'll get two different results! (Conny uses a heart rate monitor, a GPS and a pace bike when she does her testing.) Trying different configurations doesn't necessarily require changing frames. You can always put smaller wheels on frames designed for 100s or 110s (except in the case of "mixed" frames like the 100/84/100/100, which are not so adaptable.) I would suggest that you test smaller wheels on hilly routes; you may find that they are faster. You might also want to try them on tracks, like the Roseville Oval outside Minneapolis. For some skaters, the smaller wheels will provide a better fit with the shorter track distances and frequent crossover turns. Stronger skaters will benefit from the bigger wheels — for sure. But will you and I? The proof is in our individual testing. --- Glenn Koshi sold his first pair of inline skates on the beach in Southern California in 1987. He spun that into the hugely successful Team Paradise mail-order firm, which was the world's largest retailer of inline skates and accessories in the 1990s. He has served as a consultant for many of the top skate companies, including Rollerblade, Roces, Nike and Fila. In 2000, he became the U.S. representative for Bont Skates. In that position, he oversees the Bont North America racing team. He also represents Ezeefit Sports. • Go to Bont's web site. • Go to Skate Tip of the Week archive.
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