Wheels - Anyone got any suggestions?

Right now, I have a pair of SG Rebels, with the blue and orange pusher wheels. I am wanting to get outdoor wheels, and possibly a new pair of indoor wheels, but am not sure what to get. I really like the Fugi's, but I think they might be too soft for me, being a big girl that I am :) They have worn very well - the only "problem" I've had with them is my right skate, back outside wheel - the grooves on the wheel are completely worn; obviously a result of my skating, but that's the only one that's worn down - the rest are fine. Weird, eh?

So, anyone have any suggestions on what wheel to choose? I am all ears, and welcome to any advice.

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Permalink Reply by KILLy Munster #31 on June 18, 2009 at 1:35am: Hey Mauler!
I skate Atom Strokers on sport court, Atom Fusions on wood & Atom Lowboys on most cement surfaces. On slick cement I skate Red Zodiacs. Out of the three I would buy the Lowboys for all purpose wheels. Us being heavier skaters we don't slide out as much on corners & think its better to skate harder wheels for speed.
Rotate your wheels & clean them every week after the last practice & maybe that will help with wore out wheel.
Go big girls!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Shannon Loupe on June 18, 2009 at 12:55pm: Wow! I know for sure that when choosing wheels, a lot of different factors must be considered. (for example, the skate floor, the climate, the skater's ability...) But I've never thought to consider weight an issue, and I'm interested to see if other skaters consider a skater's weight among those important wheel choosing factors. First, the fugi's that you're using now can still be used if you decide to continue with them. All you have to do is rotate them out once in a while like you do with the tires on your vehicle. Also, you can send wheels to sincityskates and they will re-groove them for you. I have not had this done before, but I have never been steered wrong by those ladies at sin city.
Next, I highly recommend outdoor wheels. For years (pre-derby)I used indoor wheels outdoors because I didn't know any better. I recently got a pair of Zen wheels and they magically transformed the craggy Louisiana roads into the smoothest of rinks. They're so quiet and sort of work like shock absorbers.

Last but not least, the new wheels: I love Fugi's!! And I love Radar Tuners....albeit sticky. I skate on a wooden floor in extreme humidity and those two kinds of wheels have done me right!
Really, now that I'm thinking on it, I feel like a big girl would want a sticky wheel. If we have a hard wheel on, then we also have the weight to lose control on a speed wheel. A sticky wheel would keep you in bounds. I am really hoping that someone can shed some light on this issue for me.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mountain Mauler on June 18, 2009 at 1:19pm: Hey KILLy and Shannon - First of all, thank you for your input. KILLy, I checked out the Atom Fusions and I am seriously considering those. Its gonna hurt to pay almost that much for wheels, but the one thing I've learned in my short time derbying is, you get what you pay for.

Shannon - I never considered a skater's weight a factor either until recently. My team had the opportunity to skate with Juwanna Hurt and she mentioned something to one of my teammates about how she needs harder wheels in order to go faster because she's a bigger girl. So, we were talking about wheels at practice, and I said that I feel like I push so much and dont get anywhere, and my teammate relayed what Juwanna said, and the lightbulb went off. I need (or, I feel I need) a sticky wheel, too, because when Im doing laps and getting up speed, I feel that when I go around the corners, my feet are going to fly right out from underneath me. Now, maybe this is just a fear I need to overcome, but that's one of the reasons I love my Fugi's - I feel like they grip good (and we skate on a wooden floor, but the owner doesn't take very good care of it, so by the end of practice, our wheels suck ass as far as dirt goes). So, since you said the Tuners are sticky, I'm gonna give those a look, too.

Thanks to you both for your input!! Especially, too, about rotating the wheels - something I never even thought of. I'm such a newb!

ps - I've also had the opportunity to skate with Trish the Dish from Sin City - funny thing - when I ordered my SG Rebels, she emailed back and asked what part of WV, cause her Dad is lives in WV, too (about 20 miles up the road from Charleston) and she just happened to be visiting with him about 2 weeks after I ordered my skates. The timing couldn't have been better! She is amazing!! So, yeah, after having the opportunity to meet with her, and listen to her knowledge about the sport, I dont think any derby girl would be steered in the wrong direction from them :); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Vansterdamn on June 24, 2009 at 8:59am: I've been using Flat Out Radars. Really like them. I find the softer wheel is better for a big girl, cause it helps prevent sliding out on the corners. My booty makes a lot of momentum :) But lately I've been thinking about upgrading to Mojo's. And someone is letting me borrow their Blue Demons to try on our slippery cement floor.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by KILLy Munster #31 on June 24, 2009 at 10:35pm: Juwana is bad ass & I agree with her on harder wheels!
Also with the weight issue I believe smaller skaters slide out worse then us bigger skaters. Just have to get lower on those corners especially on cement when the weather is humid or when its winter and the earth under floor is frozen! Yes, ground temp even plays a factor.
Get low, get low!
Have fun this week big girls & let em have it!; ▶ Reply to This