Inline Skating Notebook

BONTがウィール硬度が外と中で異なる１００ｍｍウィールを販売するとアナウンスしましたが、このアイディアは特に新しい物でなく、過去に他社が同様のウィールを販売した事があります。当時、話題には成ったものの高価な割に伴なうべき効果が見えず普及しませんでした。いまさらの感があり静観していましたが、最近レポートがUPされてきましたので取り上げてみます。

Bont Will Distribute New Dual Durometer Wheels

By Planet staff (posted Friday, June 16, 2006)

Australian skate maker Bont announced a deal today to start distributing a innovative dual-density wheel that is likely to attract the attention of elite inline racers along with serious speed freaks. The inner urethane of the wheel is soft (62A) while the outer urethane is hard (84A). The combination, Bont says, gives the wheels "an amazing amount of grip and great roll." The Street Fighter wheels will come in three sizes (84, 90 and 100mm) and sell for $144 for a set of eight, which translates to $18 a piece. The wheels are made by MPC, a polyurethane manufacturer with headquarters in Rhode Island.

BONT-MPC Street Fight White 62/84A BONT-MPC Street Fight Gold 62/83A

Bont's press release about the new wheels: Bont Skates announces an exciting new worldwide distribution partnership with MPC wheels. The Mtec wheel is a unique and patented dual durometer wheel which means it has 2 layers of urethane. The inner layer is 62A and the outside layer is 84A. This gives the skater an amazing amount of grip and great roll. Team Bont 2004 member Jorge Botero was the first to test the MPC Mtec wheel whilst he was based in New York studying for his degree. Then, later that year, Team Bont’s Luca Presti won the 500m on the track at the inline world championships in Italy and we have been constantly testing ever since. The white coloured wheel is the exact same compound that Luca Presti used to win his world title. Bont will distribute the Mtec wheel through our distribution network to 57 countries. The wheels will be released 100mm, 90mm and 84mm in gold, silver and white colours. Bont is very pleased to be able to offer our customers the wheels. We have been working on the new wheel with MPC for 2 years now and we feel the compound is now at its optimum level. The wheels are available now. The retail price is $144 for a set of 8 wheels. Alexander Bont Marketing Manager Bont International www.bont.com

Inline Planet : Bont Will Distribute New Dual Durometer Wheels
Inline Skating Notebook: MPC Wheels and MPC Speed New Website

The Difference between BONT MPC Wheels and MPC Korea Wheels

MPC Korea (62/83A) と BONT MPC Street Fight (62/84A) で dual density に若干の違いがあるにせよ、一目でBONT MPC Wheels がOEM製品だと分ります。韓国内ではBONTの販売価格が１５万ウォンに対して本家 MPC Korea が２０万ウォンと割高なのは製造販売力等のブランドの差、大量に製造するBONTの方がコストパホーマンスが良いからだと思われますが、韓国では紛らわしい問題となっているようです。またウィールのフィニッシュも品質検査のハードルが高いBONTが優れています。また、BONTウィールの色違いで性能に差がある！いや無い！の異論反論が活発に交わされているようです。 MPC Korea の技術顧問でありアメリカ代表の前チームコーチでもあったポールデ−フルリオ氏(Paul DiJulio)が訪韓した折の簡単なインタビューです。 Interview with Paul DiJulio (Technical Consultant of MPC and was USA Coach) Q : As you know, there has been great controversy surrounding MPC wheels recently in Korea. Specifically, the questions of why the pricing is different between wheels. Some athletes and amateur skaters have questioned the ethics of MPC and said MPC and MPC Korea are over-pricing the wheel intentionally. What is your opinion? A : First, MPC does not set retail pricing. Second, due to the unique patented technology of MPC wheels, they cost much more to produce and therefore, will have to sell for a higher price than wheels costing much less to manufacture. No other company, at the present time, has a softer inner core that is bonded to a harder outer shell to give the skater grip when needed yet with a higher rebound that gives better roll as well. MPC found a way to keep the wheels gripping without sacrificing roll and that technology costs more to manufacture. It's that simple. Q : Are the white Bont-MPC wheels the same as the other MPC wheels? A : MPC manufactures a wide range of wheels, from skateboard wheels, to inline hockey wheels, to inline speed skating wheels. Currently, the white wheel is an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacture) wheel. This wheel is designed to be purchased with a high-end inline skate package, but they are not MPC's Top-Of-The-Line wheels. I like to compare the MPC wheels to cars. You can buy any Ferarri and it will be a superior car. But only one or two models would be best for serious racing. The others would be better than anything else out there, except for the best Ferarri model. The same thing is true for MPC wheels. MPC's entry-level model, the white wheels, is better than anything else out there except for MPC Black Track and MPC Street Fight Gold and Silver. I think that is why you see some dealers value pricing the white wheels.(Luca Presti used MPC's Black Track compound to win the 300m Gold medal World Championship, which is a clear urethane.) Q : We have some pictures of the wheels that show a difference in the height of the inner layer between the white wheel and the other wheels. Is this the difference and why does that matter? A : Yes, that is the big difference. Basically, the Black Track and Street Fight Gold and Silver have a larger band giving them more rebound and better roll and grip. Better performance for MPC's Top-Of-The-Line wheels. Q : So the key is in this inner layer or "Band" as you call it? A : YES! That is the key ingredient and what makes MPC so unique. It's technology is patented! The inner band is like a superball - literally that has a very high rebound. Imaging each time you put your skate down, the softer inner band allows the wheel to compress more giving the wheel a larger footprint. That means more grip. But, the soft inner is like a superball and the rebound is so high that your skate wants to spring back up. Combined with the harder outer layer, you now get a superior roll and a longer lasting wheel. Q : I know you are getting ready to leave for the US. Thus I would like to know this. There has been a lot of talk about MPC distributors here in Korea. Can you tell us who they are? A : MPC's only authorized exclusive Korean distributor is the Inline Sport. They will always have the most complete line of MPC products available in Korea! - Thank you for your time. - You're welcome! Inline City 정보 : MPC 기술자문의 MPC 휠에 대한 인터뷰 両社の MPC Street Fight （ロード用）の断面が同じなのか、MPC Korea の Black Track （トラック用）も加え３つのウィールを裁断してみました。 断面を見ると MPC Korea の Super-Resilient Inner Ring Portion が 5mmX 9mm なのに BONT は 5mmX8mm と１ｍｍ短く成っています。　このサンプルたった１個だけで全てを断定することは出来ませんが、 リング直径が２ｍｍ大きい MPC Korea ウィールと BONT のグリップ感が違うと言われていた理由の一つでしょう。ちなみにレポートは MPC Korea に軍配をあげています。 （注）：他レポートではBONT MPC : 5mm x 9.2mm　MPC Korea : 5mm x 9mmのレポートあり、この違いは製造ロットによる誤差、もしくはリングの形が真円でなくカットした部分で長さが違う可能性も考えられます。 さらに MPC ウィールそれ自体に効果が有る無いに関する論議にたいして・・・ 1. 接地グリップが向上、 2. リバウンド性に優れプッシュ、ローリングも良好、 3. 摩耗に対する耐久性がある ・・・と、当事者は「すごく良い」との意見です。 他にセットダウンの衝撃が和らぎ足首や爪先への負担が減ったと言う人もいます。さらにMPCウィールユーザーがインチョン大会で良い記録を出したとの報告あり。 このMPCウィールに対抗するのは着想が似たパワースライドの Matter ですが、まだMPC自体の完成度を高める余地が残されていると言え、速やかに改善されるでしょう。 Inline City 정보 : MPC Korea의 휠과 Bont-MPC의 OEM 휠은 무엇이 다른가??? - 절단면 비교 MPC Korea; : MPC KOREA WHEEL

MPC Korea New STREET Fight Wheels
MPC Street Fight Silver 62/81A	MPC Street Fight Gold 62/83A
available size 84mm, 90mm, 100mm and 110mm.

MPC - Wheels