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Dec. 30, 2009

Are Big Wheels Bad for Kids?

Hello, Bill: My 11-year-old son is a national level speed skater in Australia. He is currently using 90mm wheels on a 11.6-inch frame. These days, there seems to be a tendency for young skaters to use bigger wheels as soon as possible. In fact, many skaters who are smaller than our son are on bigger wheels. This may make them faster, especially on the road, but I wonder if larger wheels pose any dangers for young skaters and the development of sound technique? Cycling restricts the size of gears for juniors to prevent injuries. Do you think there should be restrictions on wheel size for junior skaters? - Susan in Western Australia

Susan: That's a very interesting topic. I for one opposed the use of 110mm wheels in international competition. But the world roller federation bowed to pressure from the equipment makers who stood to profit from the adoption of the new technology.

The 110mm wheels led to higher speeds, and that resulted in more accidents and injuries. Since the introduction of 110s, my daughter Nicole has suffered a broken jaw, torn ligaments and other injuries. The problem is that skaters around her are having difficulty handling the higher speeds and the loss of maneuverability caused by the longer plate (frame) length.

Germany had a good thing going. For a time, it limited young skaters to 90mm wheels, which encouraged them to develop better skills and more control. This policy didn't appear to hurt the young skaters. Several of them, now competing as adults, have performed well at the World Championships.

In my hometown of Timaru, we tried starting young skaters on wheels as small as 80mm. But we found that they were being left behind by their peers on larger wheels due to the extra roll. As a result, one week before the New Zealand Championships, we relented and put our last two youngsters — ages 10 and 12 — on 100mm setups.

The truth is that at this point we don't know the long term effect of big wheels for children; we don't know if they will lead to knee or ankle damage later on.

That's one reason I opposed them and pushed for a 100mm size-limit. But as I said, the federation decided otherwise. And now we have to live with 110s.

Cheers, Bill

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