SKATE TIP OF THE WEEK
Presented by Bont Skates
Inline secrets from the world's top skaters and coaches

This week's tip:

How to Make a Skate Wheel Chair
Patio furniture for the skate obsessed

By Rodney Friedman
June 27, 2008

Nothing screams "51-50" quite as loudly as an Inline Skate Wheel Chair.

They're weird, a little scary, and the perfect addition to any skater's backyard or patio.

I saw my first wheel chair at a San Diego skate shop and knew right away I had to have one.

I started collecting wheels and found an old lawn chair down by the railroad tracks (sorry, homeless guy!). ... The rest is history.

Here's how to make your own Inline Skate Wheel Chair:

Materials:

• One classic lawn chair, cleaned and buffed
• Many skate wheels (Mine used 32.) Note: new wheels will give you a more finished product.
• A bunch of cable ties (zip ties), which you'll find at any hardware store.

Instructions:

1) Remove the webbing (or what's left of it) from the old lawn chair.

2) Run a cable tie around the chair frame and through the hub of one of the wheels. Lock the cable tie, making sure the lock box is facing down or to the back, so you won't feel it when you sit in the chair.

3) Run another cable tie through the wheel hub and then through the hub of a second wheel.

4) Repeat until you have reached the opposite side of the chair frame.

5) Start a new row and keep going until you have filled the back and seat of the chair.

6) Cross-hatch. Secure the rows by zip-tying the wheels together in the other direction. (So, for instance, if you were zip-tying from one side to the other, go back and zip-tie from top to bottom.)

That's all there is to it.

Now it's time for a party. When you're friends arrive, be prepared to hear lots of the following: "What are you, nuts?"

Don't try denying it. Just answer, "Yep ... what of it?"

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Rodney Friedman is a veteran inline skater and member of the San Diego Street Elite racing team. He started skating in the early 1990s, a few years after moving to San Diego. Ever since, he has been active in San Diego's lively skating community, both as a leader and skater. He has competed in numerous races over the years and has published several articles in the defunct Fitness and Speed Skating Times.

• San Diego Street Elite web site

Related reading:

• Skate Tip of the Week Archive
• Beginners Guide to Outdoor Racing
• Beginners Guide to Inline Skating