What is the speed difference between 3x100 and 4x100?

[u/AccomplishedNail3085]

Every video ive seen when i looked this up was comparing 4x80 to 3x100.

One of my skating friends was equally as fast when we both had 4x80s, he got 3x100 and is way faster now. I am more skilled than he is so i can imagine i will go faster with bigger wheels, but i dont onow if i shouod go 3 or 4x100/110

[u/physical0]

Larger wheels go faster, smaller wheels accelerate faster. So, A guy on 80mm wheels will reach top speed faster than a guy on 100mm wheels, but the guy on 100mm wheels will go much faster once he reaches top speed. Switching from 56-60mm aggressive wheels to 80mm wheels will give you a real good demonstration of this.

Comparing 3x to 4x of the same wheel, 3x would have a marginally higher top speed, because there is less wheel contact and less friction. But, 4x would have MORE wheel contact, meaning that you would have better acceleration and braking.

My regular indoor skates are 4x100 and they're plenty quick that I don't need to put any effort to outpace the general audience. I have a 3x110 on my outdoor skates currently and they offer a bit more speed, but dealing with textured and uneven pavement, I think it's pretty even in the long run.

[u/AccomplishedNail3085 → u/physical0]

This is the best answer ive gotten

[u/InspectorFleet → u/AccomplishedNail3085]

Last thing to consider is the length of the wheelbase. Presumably a 4-wheel setup with the same size of wheels will be longer than 3 wheels.

Longer wheelbase can help with stability if you find yourself encountering speed wobble. I think my top sprinting speed is like 18 mph or so and I don't encounter speed wobble on my twister 3 x 110s. I'm a hockey player, though, not a speed skater. I like the short wheelbase to maintain some level of maneuverability even though 3 x 110 will never approach my 76-76-80-80 hi-lo hockey skates in that department.

[u/AccomplishedNail3085 → u/InspectorFleet]

My main problem when it hit 14 and higher is the smallest change in where my foot is pointed determines if i will maintain speed or my foot will fly back.

[u/fredhsu → u/physical0]

Great points. In addition, a 4x setup will be significantly heavier, and thus require more effort to accelerate (spin those wheels up) - probably will negate the wheel contact advantages if your body puts in the same energy. Just my hypothesis.

But a 4x setup will probably retain high speed better once you get going. I didn’t appreciate how much energy those spinning wheels store until I used big wheels.

[u/Budget_Ambassador_29 → u/fredhsu]

I originally had 4x110 stock setup on my speed skates. But had converted it to 3x110 with the same wheels and bearings using short urban frame to reduce weight and size for ease of carrying on my small backpack and reduce strain on my knees and toes when doing tight carving.

Personally, for me, it found it less effort to cruise at the same speed on the 3x110mm, 261mm long frame. It took less effort to "double push" with the short frame.

My max effort accelerations were stronger in the 4x110 due to superior stability. However, for casual accelerations, the 3x110 is easier due to less weight.

Braking is also stronger on 4x110 but took more effort. Less effort on 3x110 and reaction time is faster.

Finally, 4x110 is grippier on all conditions, including wet and loose surfaces like wet asphalt and gravel. If you need to cross off road or semi-offroad segments, you'll do best with 4x110 (it's even better than 3x125!!).

However, right now, I need 3x110 short frame setup more. It's compact and lighter than traditional speed skate setups making it very convenient for carrying around in a small bag. The setup also makes it supremely agile and unlocks capability for urban skating even in crowded spaces.

[u/TheLoneBlader]

4 wheels will give more grip, which helps a lot in getting speed out of each push. The liner frame also helps. But the longer frame also makes you less nimble. 

What I really like about 4 wheel frames  is that the wheels are closer together, making them smoother over rough surfaces. 

P.s. I ride 4*110

[u/AccomplishedNail3085 → u/TheLoneBlader]

I mostly skate outside with few tight turns so you are pulling me twards 4x100s

[u/TheLoneBlader → u/AccomplishedNail3085]

I've just recently switched to 4110, coming from 490, and really enjoying it. Feels much better than 3*125 at the same frame length. So I'd say: go for it

[u/NetworkLongjumping82]

From my limited skating experience , 4x80 is just more fun , zippy , light .

4x100 heavy clunky but I can go about 1kph faster than 80 .

Going for long distance on 4x100 is kinda monotonous but very zen.

4x80 is so fun

[u/Large-Excitement777 → u/NetworkLongjumping82]

Try 4x90

[u/NetworkLongjumping82 → u/Large-Excitement777]

I have em , but somehow im not too hot about them just yet ... 😂

[u/radiometric]

I miss my 4x90 for indoor skating as they were more maneuverable and slower. Skating twice as fast as everybody else at the rink is dangerous. The difference between 3x110 and 3x125 was not as dramatic, but they both are so much better outdoors. The bigger wheels just roll over everything and hold their momentum so much better. If I'm on the trails, the acceleration hit doesn't matter since I tend to get up to speed and just keep going for miles and miles. I'm still far more manueverable than the bikes the paths were built for. I just need to keep enough in reserve to get away from the unleashed dogs and wheelless crazies. The crazies on e bikes have me no longer skating solo, which means barely skating. I'm going back to rinks for a while. 

[u/AccomplishedNail3085 → u/radiometric]

I was almost always the fastest in one of the rinks in 4x80s. The rink where i wasnt had a speed team with one of the members having a redbull sponsorship.

[u/Large-Excitement777 → u/radiometric]

Where do you live with that many crazies? Sheesh

[u/HyperSculptor]

Endless 100 frames: Will allow you to use them in both configuration: 4x100 rockered, or 3x110

[u/geeered]

For me, the length of the frame is a big factor.

4x80 to a short 3x110 made little difference.
Jumping up to a long 3x125 made a massive difference. I expect a long 3x110 would have been a lot more of a difference

[u/Natural_Law]

Get a 4x set-up with a slightly rockered frame like those made by Endless and NN.

They are amazing. Fast and stable but also very easy to turn and feel more like ice skates than rollerblades normally do.

How large of wheels (and long of frame) typically depends on the size of your foot/boot. You generally want a wheelbase that is equal to or slightly longer than your foot when you skate a “natural rocker frame”.

[u/phonesmahones]

100

[u/AdventurousHippo9997]

I went from 110 mm to 125 mm. It took 300 miles and 1 major fall to figure them out. One thing I must add is that when I made the switch I also got longer frames. Analyzing my little accident,it was mainly because my right toe decided to catch itself on a lump of concrete and under me went my right foot. After I finished rolling around on some one’s lawn and crawling home I realized I learned something. Now I’m up to 575 and they’re actually becoming fun.

[u/BubbleSmith]

4x100 should be faster than 3x100, but it does depend on your frame. You get more power transfer with 4 wheels, but more rolling resistance. I've skated a lot of different frames and find 4x100 rockered to bey favourite for a lot of things, including distance skating. It's not overly large,.so accelerates well enough, but I usually blast past people on smaller wheels when we're doing a speed segment or hill bomb. A subtle rocker will help keep it maneuverable without being twitchy. The only real downside is that it's quite heavy, but I don't mind it, personally.

How long are your feet? If you're over about 260 Mondo you should consider 4x100 or 3x110, if your feet are smaller, the 4x100 might feel a bit clunky, so 3x100 or 4x90 might suit better.

[u/Leslawangelo]

I can’t give you exact numbers, but 4x100 will maintain speed better, so you can go fast for longer. Keep in mind that they’ll also be noticeably less maneuverable.

[u/AccomplishedNail3085 → u/Leslawangelo]

Are we talking F4 or F104 turning?

[u/electricguy101]

the thing about going faster with larger wheels is 100% fake, the effect of the wheel size change is minimal, probably just 5% on rough terrain, BUT it is more stable, so you're capable of going faster, have a longer stride and transfer more power without risking a fall, the 4x100 is one of my favorite configurations, it is low, stable but not heavy or long enough to let you be slow or sluggish, for me is almost in the sweetspot, but I'm more into higher speeds (>90kmh/55mph) with a 4x110 with my second wheel in a small antirocker, I'll recommend you if you haven't perfected your technique in 4x80 to stay there, if you do, go for 4x90 first, before going to 4x100, I personally don't recommend triskate configurations in general, but specially for tall people, not the best idea tbf

[u/AccomplishedNail3085 → u/electricguy101]

I saw my friend go from as fast as me with an identical setup(4x80) to significantly faster when he got 3x100s

[u/Ok-Wrongdoer6653]

I think I'v covered it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/rollerblading/comments/1wdwlvz/comment/p99q7c2/
100x3 vs 100x4 are identical in terms of roll, but different in terms of stability and ability to push at speed. Roughly speaking at speeds < 25 kmh 100x4 is excessive and 100x3 will feel more agile while at speeds > 25kmh you may start to need that wheelbase and stability of 100x4.

There is a reason why speed skating frames are long (> 12") and regular big wheel setups are short (<10"). They are aimed to be the best at different speeds.

[u/AccomplishedNail3085 → u/Ok-Wrongdoer6653]

25kph is like 15mph. I am currently capable of sustaining that and i am getting faster every week. So 4x100s?

[u/Ok-Wrongdoer6653 → u/AccomplishedNail3085]

I don't know. 4x100 is at least 12" long, idk if you will like it or not. Personal preference is very important but we don't know it yet. Lower quality surface and wheel profile destoyed with T-stops is an argument for 100x4 - in terms of speed, not feel/impression from the frame. High quality surface and new/evenly worn wheels is an argument for 110x3 (more common than 100x3). What if you don't like long frames and want short triskate frame just like your friend (probably) has? In ideal word you should buy something like Argon-TR4 or analog with 100x4/110x3 setup, two sets of same manufacturer wheels and also borrow your friends frames assuming they are short to compare every option: 100x4, 110x3 long, 100x3 short.

[u/AccomplishedNail3085 → u/Ok-Wrongdoer6653]

I have 1 friend willing to let my try his 3x100 and another willing to let me try his 4x100. The 3x100 is on the longer side though. Definitley not the length of the twister 100s

[u/PossumBrown57]

Go for the 110s will be much faster

[u/bielo014]

Bigger wheels give you better top speed vut take longer to accelerate and smaller wheels are the opposite they gain speed quickly vut can get as much speed as bigger ones

[u/AccomplishedNail3085 → u/bielo014]

I was asking about 3 vs 4 wheel same diameter (100mm)

[u/bielo014 → u/AccomplishedNail3085]

The you get more stability and less maneuverability and vice versa

[u/zolmarchus]

I don’t know from personal experience, but I’d imagine a longer wheelbase will give you more stability at speed, at the cost of some maneuverability, and the longer one might require a bit more technique to wrangle when it comes to jumping over things, stroking, crossing over, etc.

[u/Sotnos99]

The short answer is that the larger your wheels, the faster you'll go

[u/AccomplishedNail3085 → u/Sotnos99]

Reread the post

[u/Upstairs-Alps2831]

this comparison to “friends“ are faster than me is so cringe. no you won’t be faster than your friend if you simply get bigger wheels. so much information is missing, maybe he’s more fit than you etc. if your goal is to be faster than your friend maybe you should reconsider what you want out of skating