3 Wheels or 4 Wheels? Choose the 5-Hole Dual-purpose Skates Frame (5-Hole DP Frame) for Inline Skating!
Let us introduce a type of inline skate frame that you may occasionally encounter but is not yet widely popular—the 5-Hole Dual-purpose Skates Frame (5-Hole DP Frame). What sets this frame apart is its deviation from traditional three wheels frames with three axles holes or four wheels frames with four axles holes; it boasts five axles holes!
However, it's not designed to accommodate five wheels. The 5-Hole Dual-purpose Skates Frame (5-Hole DP Frame) stands out for its remarkable versatility, allowing for either a 3-wheel or 4-wheel setup, perfectly suiting the diverse preferences and skill levels of inline skating enthusiasts and athletes.
What exactly is a 5-Hole Dual-purpose Skates Frame?
A inline skate frame with 5 axles holes for wheels. It's typically not used to fit 5 wheels (although technically, if the wheels are small enough, you could fit 5), but rather to offer two modes of configuration: one for 4 wheels and one for 3 wheels.
Presently, 5-Hole Dual-purpose Skates Frame serve two main purposes:
Speed skating : where they can be fitted with three large wheels or four, catering to the varying needs of inline speed skating enthusiasts and competitors across different environments.
Recreational : which involves fitting four smaller wheels or three larger ones, catering to the flexible usage of smaller wheels for maneuverability and the three biggher wheels setup for casual street skating.
Typically, 5-Hole DP Frame designed for speed skating are longer than those intended for recreational use.
We'll focus on the performance characteristics of the 5-Hole DP Frame for speed skating:
Three-Wheel Configuration: With the wheels mounted, compared to a four-wheel setup, the overall weight is lighter, and there is one less contact point with the ground. Therefore, in situations that require quick starts, frequent deceleration and acceleration, and multiple turns where control over larger wheels is weaker, the three-wheel setup is often preferred. This is suitable for younger skaters who are new to speed skating, small venues where speed can't be built up, high frequency of turns, and short straightaways.
Four-Wheel Configuration: With a heavier weight and greater friction against the ground, it offers stronger grip and better endurance. Therefore, for long-distance skating, venues with long straightaways, where there are fewer frequent starts, decelerations, and accelerations, the four-wheel configuration is more suitable.
If you wish to use a speed frame to meet the requirements of both these states, then the 5-Hole DP Frame is perfect for you.
If your skating environment is more fixed, then choosing a three-wheel or four-wheel frame that meets your specific needs is often more appropriate. The 5-Hole DP Frame, to some extent, sacrifices some performance to achieve a balance between the two states. Therefore, it is more suitable for enthusiasts or athletes at an intermediate or lower level. Professional athletes with fixed usage scenarios who are seeking to win championships are less likely to opt for the 5-Hole DP Frame.
The 5-Hole DP Frame is like a "Transformer," capable of changing form based on your needs!
If you're looking to customize the 5-Hole DP Frame, or if you want to customize the inline skates with the 5-Hole DP Frame, we can make it happen for you!