by Amanda (she/her) IG @magentoniche
After 18 months of skating outside (or on my living room floor) I have been clinging on to my 78A outdoor wheels like a security blanket!
Equally curious and fearful about trying harder wheels, I was lucky enough to be able to borrow some Medallion dance wheels from the RGG wheel library, and this is how I got on.
First impressions:
We eat with our eyes, right? There are some super snazzy wheels on the market today and although it's not the most important thing, having a skate set up that is pleasing to our eyes will definitely influence the things we buy. The Medallion wheels that I tried were a sea-foam green colour, and I found them pleasingly translucent. They come in a range of colours, and you will definitely find some to compliment your skates. They have a more square edge, like a figure skating wheel. So far so good!
Having put them on my skates, the first thing I noticed was the increase in sound! Since I have been rolling around on soft shock absorbers for so long, this was new!
I took them for a spin around my local skate park- to clarify that, I skated on all the flat smooth concrete of my local skate park! I found that they enabled me to go faster and further for less energy output (more bang for your buck pushing wise!) They were quicker but not super slippery, something that I had been afraid of! They are definitely a bit too hard for street skating, for me at least. I could very much feel all the texture (of the small section of path I tried them on) in my bones!
Next stop on the wheel test was my first outing to a dedicated skate floor for well over a year!
On the rink the Medallion wheels definitely made a difference to my speed, I also found that I could pivot and shuffle more smoothly, without the grip of my softer wheels.
Final thoughts? The Medallion dance wheels offer a faster ride on smooth surfaces, allow for less grippy movement, without being slick/slippery and I think that they look nice. They represent excellent value at their price point and definitely worth giving a try if you want some harder wheels!
Many thanks to RGG for lending them to me! Leeds locals and visitors can book in to try wheels from the library at skate and shop sessions at the Corn exchange!
Medallion wheels are imported from the USA and come in packs of 8. A full pack is £49.95
They are rated 96A and are 57mm x 30mm.
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