Roller skate buying guide
Rink Wheels: What to Buy for Indoor Skating
The 9 rink, rhythm, dance and derby skaters and coaches in our compilation who talk about indoor wheels all ride hard wheels on a smooth floor: about 95A to 101A for rink and rhythm skating, 103A and up only for Detroit-style sliding, and 88A to 98A for derby, chosen by how grippy the floor is. For a first indoor set, rhythm teacher Dunbeezy points a less advanced skater to 99A-100A in a small rink size (about 57 mm), and Atlanta-style skaters go wider and softer, about 62 x 42 mm at 92A-98A. Several of these voices have an unverified reputation or speak through a brand; we say so on each point.
Gear on this page: nine products are named further down — a set of 58 x 39 mm 95A quad wheels, Sure-Grip FoMac Premier wheels, Sure-Grip All American Indoor Dream wheels, Art Elite 101A Competition wheels, Art Elite 103A Competition wheels, Riedell Radar Halo wheels, RollerBones Turbo 94A wheels, a set of 62 x 42 mm 92A quad wheels and Riedell Radar Energy 62 78A wheels. They are optional, the page works without them, and the links to them are Amazon affiliate links.
Amazon prices were read on 7 October 2026, for the size and colour Amazon shows by default; other variants can cost more or less. Price and availability are set by Amazon and can change.
What top skaters and coaches recommend
Features first, brands only where a skater recommends a brand for a specific feature. Where a voice is tied to a brand, or its reputation is not verified, we say so.
Hard indoors, soft outdoors
- Dunbeezy (Dunbeezytv, a YouTube teacher of US regional rhythm styles with about 24,500 subscribers; skating since his teens; reputation outside YouTube not verified; no sponsor stated, product links in the description) sums up the rule as “soft wheels outdoors, hard wheels indoors”: hard wheels absorb bumps badly, so they belong on a smooth floor. Exception: a very smooth outdoor floor, like a dance pavilion or tennis court, takes indoor wheels (Dunbeezytv, 7 Jan 2025).
- Kim Manning (presented as a professional roller skater by the Dance Skate channel; record not verified; no sponsor stated) keeps two sets: hard indoor wheels, one of them 96A, and a separate softer pair for outside. This comes from the video description, not from her speech: the video has no transcript (Dance Skate Ep. 6, 11 May 2020).
- Katie (@ladybird_dirtt, an Instagram rink skater of limited, unverified reach) rides 57 mm 101A wheels at the rink (Dog Days Magazine, 18 Jul 2021, updated 14 Oct 2024).
Hardness by style: 99-101A for rhythm, 103A+ to slide, 92-98A for Atlanta
- Rhythm (New York, snapping, JB): Dunbeezy rides about 57 x 30 mm at about 101A; before that he was on 99A-100A, which he calls the more careful choice for a less advanced skater (Dunbeezytv, 7 Jan 2025).
- Detroit (sliding): 103A and up, with the material chosen for the slide: clay grips more, wood slides more, fibreglass slides most. California style uses smaller ground-down wheels: smaller wheel, longer slide (Dunbeezytv, 7 Jan 2025). In his skate-buying video he names Fomac hard clay wheels for Detroit (Dunbeezytv, 12 Aug 2024).
- Atlanta: speed-type wheels, about 62 x 42 mm at 92A-98A, wider and softer to hold the turns (Dunbeezytv, 7 Jan 2025).
- Disagreement on diameter: small rink wheels for pivots and slides (Dunbeezy, about 57 mm) against 62-65 mm for an adult beginner from Kelly, an instructor at Skate Base London (local reputation; the school sells lessons, not wheels) (Skate Base London, 9 Sep 2024). Kelly is choosing for stability on a first pair; Dunbeezy is choosing for rhythm footwork. No one in our compilation settles it with numbers for a first rink session.
Derby indoors: 88A to 98A, picked by the floor
- Scald Eagle (Rose City Rollers and Team USA jammer, WFTDA champion 2015 and 2016; tied to Bont, sponsorship not formally verified): choose a wheel on hardness, not colour; 88A-92A on polished concrete, 95A-98A on a sticky wooden floor; jammers favour control and stopping over speed, blockers softer wheels (Bont blog, 14 Sep 2020; brand text, exact attribution not verified; setup on WFTDA, 1 Oct 2015).
- Jackie Daniels (Windy City Rollers, skater in the film Whip It, coach) rode 93A and 95A wheels in 2010 (WFTDA, 1 Mar 2010).
- Suzy Hotrod (Gotham Girls jammer since 2004, WFTDA champion 2008, Team USA) rode narrow wheels and changed hardness with the floor (WFTDA, 2 Nov 2011).
- Bonnie Thunders (Gotham and Rose City, several WFTDA titles and World Cups) has a signature RollerBones wheel, 62 x 38 mm in 94A or 96A with an aluminium hub — a commercial tie; her 2010 setup used derby wheels on an aluminium plate (WFTDA, Aug 2010).
- Kitty Decapitate (London Rollergirls blocker) mixes hardnesses foot by foot on 62 x 35 mm wheels, the hardest (96A) on the inside back left for her one-foot plough (Double Threat Skates, undated; a skate shop page, commercial tie).
- Note: these derby setups date from 2010-2015 and may not be what the players ride today.
What we could not find
- No world-champion artistic or dance skater in our compilation gives their wheel hardness or diameter: their brand pages only name the boot.
- No verified-reputation Chicago or Atlanta rhythm skater on wheels besides Dunbeezy, whose reach is YouTube.
- No skater gives a beginner a rule on hubs, wheel width or bearings for the rink.
From the skater behind this site
- 78A-85A outside, 95A and up on the rink. A rink floor is already smooth, so a hard wheel rolls faster on it; tarmac has grain, and a hard wheel sends all of it into your feet. That is why the same skates feel like different skates after a wheel change. The hardness is printed on the wheel: a number followed by A, higher is harder.
- Quad caveat: he skated inline and only learned on quads; the style-by-style numbers above are the rink skaters’.
The comparison
Only products read on Amazon.com on 7 October 2026. The Atlanta-style 62 x 42 mm row is an unbranded set; the Sure-Grip FoMac Premier (the Detroit clay wheel) and the Sure-Grip All American Dream (55 x 31 mm) were read with a US delivery address.
| Model | Price seen (date, where) | Who it is for | Recommended features it meets | Weak point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58 x 39 mm 95A quad wheels, 8 pack | Amazon.com $18.16 (B08HMZNVQL), read 2026-10-07 | First indoor set on a tight budget | 95A: the line of the skater behind this site; near Kim Manning’s 96A | Unbranded; below Dunbeezy’s 99-100A for a less advanced rhythm skater |
| Art Elite 101A Competition Roller Skate Wheels (Set of 8) | Amazon.com $99.95 (B00LA01ISC, 57 mm, Black, “only 17 left”), read 2026-10-07 | Rink and rhythm skater past the first months | 57 x 30 mm at 101A: Dunbeezy’s rhythm size and hardness, and Katie’s 57 mm 101A rink wheel | Harder than the 99-100A Dunbeezy suggests for a less advanced skater; sold for dance and competition |
| Art Elite 103A Competition wheels (set of 8) | Amazon.com $99.95 (B00LA01P94, 57 mm, “only 5 left”), read 2026-10-07 | Detroit-style sliding | 103A, Dunbeezy’s floor for Detroit; 57 mm small rink size | Too hard for a beginner by his own account; polyurethane, not the clay he names for Detroit |
| Riedell Radar Halo wheels, 4 pack | Amazon.com $69.00 (B01EJYHRXA, default Pink / 93A), read 2026-10-07 | Derby on a slippery floor; Atlanta-style grip | 93A: inside the 88-98A derby range and Dunbeezy’s 92-98A Atlanta range | Sold by 4, so two packs for a pair; 59 mm diameter not confirmed on the listing |
| RollerBones Turbo 94A wheels, set of 8 | Amazon.com $179.95 (B00L9ZQTPU, “only 3 left”), read 2026-10-07 | Derby players indoors | 62 mm 94A with aluminium hub, the spec of Bonnie Thunders’ signature wheel line | Expensive; not her signature model itself; derby width, not a small rink wheel |
| 8 Piece 92A 62mm x 42mm Quad Roller Skate Wheels (Red, Black) | Amazon.com $29.98 (B0CKXN2LZL, Red Black), read 2026-10-07 | Atlanta-style skaters on a budget | 62 x 42 mm at 92A: the low end of Dunbeezy’s 92-98A Atlanta range | Unbranded (Yidome); PU with a plastic hub; at 92A, softer than the rest of his range |
| Riedell Radar Wheels - Energy 62 - Roller Skate Wheels - 4 Pack of 78A Quad Skate Wheels | Amazon.com $40.00 (B01N7TRWOK, White, 4 pack, “only 10 left”), read 2026-10-07 | Adult beginner who wants a bigger, stable wheel | 62 x 32 mm: inside Kelly’s 62-65 mm for adult beginners | Sold as an OUTDOOR wheel: 78A is far softer than any rink hardness above; sold by 4, so two packs for a pair |
| Sure-Grip FoMac Premier Wheels | Amazon.com $165.25 (B01G9G1CI2, black, “only 1 left”), read 2026-10-07 | Detroit-style skaters who slide | Fomac clay wheel, the one Dunbeezy names for Detroit; listed as Sure-Grip’s hardest | Hardness in A not given on the listing; 8 wheels; sold by a third-party seller |
| Sure-Grip All American Indoor Dream Wheels, Set of 8 | Amazon.com $217.25 (B0CPN4YD4D, “only 2 left”), read 2026-10-07 | Indoor skaters ready for a premium wheel | 55 x 31 mm, aluminium hub, made in USA (listing) | Hardness not read; the most expensive set on this page; sold by a third-party seller |
Our pick
For a first indoor set: a hard wheel around 95A-100A in a small rink size, and keep your soft wheels for outside. Go to 101A once you skate rhythm, 103A and up only to slide Detroit-style; for derby, pick 88-98A by how grippy your floor is.
Beginner FAQ
Can I use outdoor wheels at the rink?
You can, but they will feel slow and grippy on a smooth floor. Dunbeezy's rule is soft wheels outdoors, hard wheels indoors, and Kim Manning keeps a separate softer pair for outside and hard wheels (one set 96A) for the rink. The skater behind this site puts the rink line at 95A and up. See outdoor vs indoor wheels.
What hardness should a beginner buy for the rink?
Around 95A to 100A rather than the hardest wheels. Dunbeezy skated 99A-100A before moving to about 101A for rhythm and calls the softer step the careful choice for a less advanced skater; Katie rides 101A. Very hard 103A and up is for Detroit-style sliding.
What size rink wheel should I get?
It depends on the style. Dunbeezy rides about 57 x 30 mm for New York, snapping and JB rhythm, and wider 62 x 42 mm speed-type wheels for Atlanta. Kelly, an instructor at Skate Base London, tells adult beginners 62-65 mm. Small wheels pivot and slide; bigger ones roll and carry speed.
Are derby wheels different from rink wheels?
Usually softer and wider for grip. The derby players we compiled ride 88A to 98A indoors, picked by floor: 88-92A on polished concrete, 95-98A on a sticky wooden floor (Scald Eagle via Bont), 93-95A for Jackie Daniels, 94-96A for Bonnie Thunders' signature wheel.
Do I need wheels with a hub?
No skater in our compilation gives a beginner a rule on hubs. Bonnie Thunders' signature wheel and the RollerBones Turbo have an aluminium hub; Dunbeezy's slide wheels for Detroit are judged on their material (clay grips more, wood and fibreglass slide more). That is a gap, not a rule.
How this page was compiled: 9 skaters and coaches who talk about indoor wheels (Dunbeezy, Kim Manning, Katie, Kelly, Scald Eagle, Jackie Daniels, Suzy Hotrod, Bonnie Thunders, Kitty Decapitate), drawn from our skater compilation of 7 October 2026. Each claim links to its source. Full compilation and method: the skater gear compilation.
Read next: outdoor wheels: what to buy · first quad skates for rink and jam · first roller derby skates · skate bearings: what matters · wheel hardness tool · outdoor vs indoor wheels · rink etiquette · when to replace wheels
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