Copied from old forum:

April 7 2001 by Mike Berends 

Hi Bob,

Thanks for designing the really neat Doomwheels. The reason I want some
is the fact that I do a LOT of Kiteskiing up here in Calgary, Canada.
During summer I like to play around in the local soccer field after
work
when the weather is good and it's a little limited in space. I've been
riding a Mountainboard and a Buggy but the Mountainboard gets unstable
at higher speeds and the field's too small for really good buggy
riding.
So Grass Skis or Doom Wheels would be the best I think. I like the feel
that skis have with a kite and I'm pretty sure that Doom Wheels will
feel the same. Hopefully I can get a few guys up here interested in
them.

I just bought some 10" x 3" inflatable tires with Nylon hubs and Ball
Brgs. I'm going to change them to sealed bearings (I'm an Aircraft
Component Tech, and we have tons of them sitting around). I plan on
using the same 3/8" x 3/4" steel for the rails or do you suggest going
bigger if I plan on being pretty rough on them (Jumping)? I'm also a
little puzzled about your description of the off set for the front and
back tires. Or should I say that I understand what you're trying to say
but not sure as to how you're achieving it. (Do you have any pics of
your DoomWheels that I might be able to look at? What do you think of
bending the rails so they're narrower where the boot is, So the rails
attach directly to the inline skate chassis?

Any suggestions would really help. I'd like to make them handle the
best
I can. With your input I think I'll be able to do that.

Thanks for everything,
Mike Berends

Copied from old forum:

April 8 2001 by doomwheels

>I just bought some 10" x 3" inflatable tires with Nylon hubs and Ball Brgs. I'm going to change them to sealed bearings.

these sound like the new wheels i am getting ready to use. sounds good.

>I plan on using the same 3/8" x 3/4" steel for the rails or do you suggest going bigger if I plan on being pretty rough on them (Jumping)?

i have truly mistreated my skates over the years and the rails have held up perfectly for ten years.

>I'm also a little puzzled about your description of the off-set of the front and back tires.

if the wheels are all mounted in the center of the skate rails, the skates will constantly drift downwind as you are powered up against the kite.
i built the axles so that i can change the center of the wheels. the front wheels are moved off-center on the axle bolt so that it rides as close to the inside rail as possible. this causes the skate to carve a turn away from the pull of the kite when you are leaned over.
while standing upright, the wheels all run in a straight line.

>How much off-set do you have in your wheels?

the rear wheels sit directly in the middle and the fronts wheels mount as close to the inside rail as possible without touching (1/8 inch).

>How much off-set do you have in your boots?

currently i have my boots mounted 1/4 inch from the inside rail ( i have played around with this setting in the past until i found where i was most comfortable).
positioning the boot:
i used spacers made of small pvc tube (although my new skates will use aluminum tube). i cut 3 pieces per mounting bolt...
1. 1/4 inch piece between the metal rail and the skate track (inside-leg side),
2. one piece cut to the exact measurement of the space within the skate track where the rollerblade wheels use to go (for support),
3. one longer piece to fill the remaining distance between the outside of the skate track to the outer metal rail.

basically, the spacers just position the boot where you want it and brace up against the pressure of the mounting bolts.

>What do you think of bending the rails so they're narrower where the boot is, So the rails attach directly to the inline skate chassis?

not really necessary. people do it but it disables you from off-setting the boot which is important for ankle stability. if you do this, bend only the outside rail leaving the inside rail straight. then, as mentioned, mount the skate boot close against the inside rail.
the idea is, you don't want the skate boot centered on the wheel axis as it makes standing unstable like an ice skate. mounting the boot off-center toward the inside locks the balance into your knees rather than your ankles.

>I'd like to make them handle the best I can.

because of the 2 foot (+/-) wheel-base, they will never handle like standard rollerblades (or even coyotes). they are mostly for long straight and fast sailing runs. short fields and acrobatics all depend on your energy level, i suppose.

NOTE: i just decided to add a FAQ covering several doomwheels design questions that have been asked on this forum to the "build your own doomwheels" page of my site. check it out here:
http://www.doomwheels.com/articles/buildwod.php

best of luck to you,
bc

Hi Mike.
Hey, I live in Calgary too and am just about to build myself a set of Doom Wheels. Maybe we can hook up sometime eh? Maybe do some kite boarding (snow board) or something this winter? Do you know Bud Taylor?
Looking forward to hearing from ya.

Cheers,
Terry T.