Heelychat, the forum for heelys, the shoes with wheels - View topic

Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Posts: 1391 Location: UK

Here is what I was talking about when I said that I was fiddling with some new wheel design.

They're about the same hardness, speed, and grip as HSL Rumble Wheels, and about the same speed as Merlyn's cool Megaverts, but on the street the shape of these will hopefully give some of the "stone deflecting" advantages of BD's whilst being much faster than BDs due to the harder compound. They have the separate halves of freespins for the turning benefits, and the trueness that you get from good custom milling on a carefully set-up jig and lathe. Smile

I think they're my best wheels to date, and it was my hope that they would pretty much have all the advantages of every previous kind of mega-sized heelys wheel ever made (in order of hardness: big deuces, standard mega's, rumbles, freespins, megavertz) etc. But there was no way I'd fit all that in the name, and someone pointed out that they're Diabolo shaped so I call them "El Diablo" wheels. Twisted Evil

Named for the man himself (LOL, sorry Obiwan. Very Happy

A history of loving rock music can inspire a love of the hornéd one Laughing

) If I make more of this design I think I'll use a fiery red Smile

Can't be sure yet if they will manage to have all the advantages of all the previous kinds of heelys mega's, but time and testing will tell, and so I'm looking forward to the next wheel project where the cost will hopefully get cheaper. Of course I'm not sure yet how I can better this design, but that's what I'll learn from this pair. Smile

Sorry the cost is still too high for me to mass produce these - but hopefully I will get better and better and (once I've had all the tools I need custom made) the wheels may hopefully get cheaper to produce. Not sure if they'll ever get cheap enough for people less crazy about Heelys than me to think they're worth investing in, but maybe one day if I keep working at it and don't get lazy. Very Happy

As I said, can't promise anything as I have lots of other stuff I like to do with my life, but watch this space. Very Happy

These were tested on Bones Reds Bearings but I plan to put blue/black RUSH ABEC-7's in the pair I made for myself when I get round to it, so the bearings and shields match the wheels and axle, and that way I think they'll LOOK the business too, even without the need for any side graphics (graphics for wheels and shoes is something else I later want to get into) Smile

Here is a quick shot of the first stage of testing to see how they feel - looking good so far, next the high-speed tests. LOL, time to break out the pads and helmet and head down to the mall with the huge slope. Twisted Evil

If Heelys Inc want to use the idea to mass produce some wheels for us Heelers, I'd be fine with that - that way we could all get them cheaper and it would save me a lot of work LOL. I'm more interested in seeing everyone get useful wheels than making money tbh, but of course if I did sell them I'd have to cover my costs. Smile

Hope you enjoy, and stay healthy and heeling Very Happy

Joined: 30 Sep 2008 Posts: 220 Location: idaho

Just watched the video, the blue, funky design looks pretty sick. But what exactialy does the minimal surface of the wheels do. Does it make you go faster or is it for on the sidewalk with rocks?

I am thinking it is incorporating the fact of friction. Less surface space, less friction. Kinda like a street bike vs a mountain bike idea.

Then I would say the split would be like I was saying for the BD's to deflect rocks and other things (as well as keeping surface space minimal). To icing the cake, having them spin independently of eachother could act like a limited slip differencial and make it easier to keep traction on a turn.

Thats at least what I got from it, but I don't have YT at work so I can't see the movie. The book was good though Wink

Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Posts: 1391 Location: UK

Yeah, my hope is that the small footprint (small area of the rolling surface that is in contact with the ground) and the way the wheel angles away from that, will help it to have some of the benefits of Big Deuce Wheels (less stones than with normal flat mega's). Whilst, in theory, the hardness should give far more speed than Big Deuces. Only time will tell tho - I haven't took these out on the road yet. Smile

Joined: 30 Sep 2008 Posts: 220 Location: idaho

Well if you want a non biased guinea pig to test out your badass wheels ill sign up. I was also thinking that if the rail was not too big in diameter you could roll down the rail instead of just grind down it. And being able to roll down a rail could open up a new set of combos, progressing this new sport even further. Could you imagine rolling down a circular rail in your torches with megas!?!?!? That would FAIL. But if your wheels sat on the rail like a train on train tracks it would be way easier. ME, you will have to try it and tell us how it comes.

Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Posts: 1391 Location: UK