Source for tail wheels

Last winter I had the tail skid of my Mini Nimbus replaced with a tailwheel
unit supplied by Schempp. It used a rollerblade (?) wheel with a solid
polyurethane tyre on a plastic hub with two ball-bearings.

After ten landings the hub was cracked and shedding parts and essentially
wrecked

I manged to find a replacement unit with a lightweight aluminium hub which
appears to be holding up well.

Trouble is, I found it in the trash can of a sports shop and no one could
tell me the source.

Anyone out there know where to purchase rollerblade/microscooter wheels with
metal hubs - I'd sure like to have a spare.

Do what I did... go to a local shop that specializes in rollerblades or
skateboards. Find the pimplefaced 14 year old kid that is working there
and explain what you are looking for. Tell him that you need it for
your glider and the parameters that you need: size, weight, acceleration
to about 50 mph instantly. After he says "Cool", "Far out", "Sweet",
"Tight", "Bad enough", or whatever the current lingo is, you will know
that you found the correct person to help you. He will know
_everything_ that is available and will know where to find it. Chances
are that he will have a couple of slightly used ones sitting in the back
that he will give you for nothing... maybe even press a couple of
super-duper high speed bearings into them for you.

BTW, acetone will take the psychedelic colors or flames off the side of
the wheels... if you want to remove them! :-)

Larry

"Simon" simonchangetoatsymbolleswaddells.ch wrote in message
news:simonchangetoatsymbolleswaddells.ch:

Last winter I had the tail skid of my Mini Nimbus replaced with a tailwheel
unit supplied by Schempp. It used a rollerblade (?) wheel with a solid
polyurethane tyre on a plastic hub with two ball-bearings.

After ten landings the hub was cracked and shedding parts and essentially
wrecked

I manged to find a replacement unit with a lightweight aluminium hub which
appears to be holding up well.

Trouble is, I found it in the trash can of a sports shop and no one could
tell me the source.

Anyone out there know where to purchase rollerblade/microscooter wheels with
metal hubs - I'd sure like to have a spare.

Or just go to any large sports store, and look in the rollerblade
section. They will have a variety of replacement wheels, bearings,
axles for sale. I went for the biggest rollerblade wheel I could find,
and the hardest (it is designed for street hockey, I think). The ones
I got came with nice sealed bearings and screw-in axles, all I had to
do was open up the axle bolt holes in my tailskid (just enough to
remove the threads) and the new wheel fit perfectly after I cobbled up
a couple of small bushings.

These wheels lasted several seasons in the desert with little damage -
while the previous softer rollerblade wheels I used "chunked" pretty
badly after one season.

Plus they are a nice orange color that matches the hi-vis trim on my
glider!

66

I've visited plenty of these stores (in as much as that is possible in
Switzerland!) but all the new wheels I've found have plastic hubs - I'm
looking for rmetal. I found one used metal one - with a hard rubber tyre
but no maker's mark - which is doing fine so far.

Plastic didn't last a season last year


wrote in message
oups.com...
Or just go to any large sports store, and look in the rollerblade
section. They will have a variety of replacement wheels, bearings,
axles for sale. I went for the biggest rollerblade wheel I could find,
and the hardest (it is designed for street hockey, I think). The ones
I got came with nice sealed bearings and screw-in axles, all I had to
do was open up the axle bolt holes in my tailskid (just enough to
remove the threads) and the new wheel fit perfectly after I cobbled up
a couple of small bushings.

These wheels lasted several seasons in the desert with little damage -
while the previous softer rollerblade wheels I used "chunked" pretty
badly after one season.

Plus they are a nice orange color that matches the hi-vis trim on my
glider!

66

Or you may end up doing what I did.

After two seasons of struggling with that tiny gottverdampten
rollerskate wheel at the tail of my LS-4 during which I aborted a
number of launches because the wheel got twisted and steered me off the
runway, I installed a full-sized tail wheel in a nicely faired cowling.


Now my glider tracks and handles beautifully. I'm a happy camper.

Where did you get the Fairing and wheel? I have an LS-6 and will be
needing to replace my Rollerblade wheel.
Thanks!

Jerz

Where did you get the Fairing and wheel? I have an LS-6 and will be
needing to replace my Rollerblade wheel.
Thanks!

Jerz

Simon wrote:
I've visited plenty of these stores (in as much as that is possible
in
Switzerland!) but all the new wheels I've found have plastic hubs -
I'm
looking for rmetal. I found one used metal one - with a hard rubber
tyre
but no maker's mark - which is doing fine so far.

Plastic didn't last a season last year

Mine have lasted 4 seasons landing on hard dirt and pavement strips,
and I practice low-energy landings (read - tail first). Not sure if
the hubs are metal or plastic (don't have a wheel at hand) but I think
they are metal, with two press-in sealed bearings and a metal axle.

Again, I specifically looked for "hockey" wheels, which are probably
stronger than the average rollerblade wheels.

I now fly off a grass strip, and the wheel/skid combo is still working
great.

Anyway, good luck and happy soaring.

Kirk
66

The wheel in my glider's tail skid lasts for many years and is made by
this compay:
http://www.darnell-rose.com/catalog/index.htm

Click on wheels and look for Extra Soft EZ Roll. The wheel on my glider
is marked X-12-R. There are dealers locally or online.

SP


Simon wrote:
Last winter I had the tail skid of my Mini Nimbus replaced with a
tailwheel
unit supplied by Schempp. It used a rollerblade (?) wheel with a
solid
polyurethane tyre on a plastic hub with two ball-bearings.

After ten landings the hub was cracked and shedding parts and
essentially
wrecked

I manged to find a replacement unit with a lightweight aluminium hub
which
appears to be holding up well.

Trouble is, I found it in the trash can of a sports shop and no one
could
tell me the source.

Anyone out there know where to purchase rollerblade/microscooter
wheels with
metal hubs - I'd sure like to have a spare.

wrote:
The wheel in my glider's tail skid lasts for many years and is made by
this compay:
http://www.darnell-rose.com/catalog/index.htm

Click on wheels and look for Extra Soft EZ Roll. The wheel on my glider
is marked X-12-R. There are dealers locally or online.

The Darnell site doesn't have information on the wheels (amazing, huh?
Just a picture of the wheel), and I couldn't find a site that did. Do
you have an online dealer web site you can give us?

--
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA