Let’s talk about the importance of rotating your wheels. First let’s establish that self replenishing urethane is not a thing (yet🤞🏼🥺) and your wheels are going to wear down just like the tires on your car. The faster you go, the more sideways you’ll get, causing more urethane to peel away from your wheel. Your wheels will wear down to the core over time, and with a good set of wheels for beginners ranging anywhere between $50 and $70, the question is how do you get the most bang for your buck?
The answer: rotate your wheels.
Wheels wear in a couple of ways. beginners will typically experience coning which happens when you slide more frequently in one direction. Due to your weight constantly pushing your board sideways in one direction, your wheels will begin to taper over time (one side of the wheel will become smaller than the other other) causing it to resemble a cone.
More experienced riders will still experience some coning, but more commonly depending on riding style, different wheel positions will wear at different rates.
Minor instances don’t have much of an affect. Severe cases however can affect your stability both in a straight line and in drift, making you more susceptible to a brick. The same can generally be said for your sliding pucks, which can also be expensive, so spinning and rotating those are good practice as well to ensure an even wear.
Now let’s actually Rotate your wheels. Lay the board upside down with the nose facing away from you. Going in a clockwise direction, the wheel on the top right is wheel 1. Swap wheel positions 1 & 3 and 2 & 4. This is a good way to start, and as you ride more, pay attention to how each wheel wears and rotate accordingly. We recommend you check your wheels every other run if you’re doing some really heavy breaking.
