Inline Skating Notebook

MTECH, the Patented MPC Technology Explained

Part 1 in a Series on MPC Speed Wheels and MTECH Technology

what is MTECH?
MTECH is the name of a proprietary wheel technology owned and developed by MPC (Mearthane Products Corporation in the USA). MTECH wheels are responsible for setting World-beating times, taming the toughest and fastest tracks, and helping put skaters on countless podiums since 2004.

MPC market MTECH technology as the 'Soft Heart, Hard Body' - the essence of the company's patents which keep MPC wheels leading the competition. Soft heart, Hard body is literally how the MTECH tire is constructed. The tire of an MTECH wheel is made up of a soft inner (62A shore hardness in the most resilient material found in any wheel), beneath a durable outer material (80+A shore hardness in a durable, surface hugging urethane).

A soft inner, with a hard outer ('Soft Heart, Hard Body') - that's MTECH engineering, and its built into every set of MPC Speed Wheels. The reason MPC wheels perform so well and have raised the bar on inline skate wheel performance (not just in Speed, but in Hockey too) is combination of the MTECH principle, engineering, wheel design & materials.

You can see the range of MPC Speed Wheels online at cadomotus.com, and learn more in Part 2 of the series on MPC Speed Wheels and MTECH Technology.

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Footprint Modulation and more

Part 2 in a Series on MPC Speed Wheels and MTECH Technology

Footprint Modulation, and more
The durable, surface-hugging outer material on MPC Speed Wheels is high performance urethane (just the thing Mearthane is known for), but it's what's inside that counts.

Most race wheels have a physical interlock - a part of the plastic hub that extends into the tire to physically tie the tire and hub together (like steel reinforcing mesh in concrete). MPC wheels do not have a physical interlock, the hub is bonded to the tire. This means the urethane material depth is maximized from the top of the wheel to the hub - making for higher rebound and better ride quality.

Because of the soft inner (62A of 'super-bounce ball' material), this rebound is made even greater. When the wheel stands vertically, as it does for most straightline skating, only the outermost 5-6mm of material is the outer urethane.

Without a physical interlock, and with a flexible inner material, the wheel's tire actually deforms (changes shape) to improve its performance in corners. As the forces on the wheel increase, the inner material flexes, allowing more of the outer urethane to contact the surface - providing more grip. Effectively, the wheel footprint is one shape for straights, and another, force-dependent shape on corners.

This is where Energy Management Technologies and Flex Bands came from.

What does that mean for the skater?
Increased rebound means more energy return. It also means improved ride quality. The super-resilient inner material used in MTECH technology is unique to MPC wheels, and plays the key role in their speed potential.

The engineered footprint modulation (the ability for the wheel to adapt its footprint shape and size) means the wheel provides low rolling resistance for high speed in a straightline, and increased surface contact and grip in corners - when you need it most.

...and it's not just about the tire
MPC wheels' unique 'twisted spoke' hub design plays a key part in the footprint modulation of MTECH wheels.

Each of the hub's 9 spokes 'twists' its way between the inner and outer hub rings. This twist in each spoke allows side load (the type applied through corners) to twist the hub slightly, adding to the potential footprint being applied by each wheel on the surface. 'Hinge points' in some other wheels, allow the wheel to 'snap back' into place after it has flexed. MTECH hubs do this by design.

You can see the range of MPC Speed Wheels online at cadomotus.com, and learn more in Part 3 of the series on MPC Speed Wheels and MTECH Technology.

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Emulation is the Ultimate Accolade

Part 3 in a Series on MPC Speed Wheels and MTECH Technology

Why emulation is the ultimate accolade
The performance and results of MTECH wheels spoke for themselves. The World asked 'What are the wheels?' when Luca Presti on 5x84mm won the World Title in the 300m time trial in Italy, 2004 when few others could get grip on the Vesmaco surface. The answer was MTECH. Presti skated on the 84mm version of the Black Track, and skated the L'Aquila track like few others could.

In China 2005, Korean skaters remained on 5x84 to use the MTECH wheels on the flat 200m track in Suzhou while the 100mm MTECH was still a prototype. More titles were won, more podiums attained. 84 MTECHs were all over Korean skates, and the 84 (and a few 100mm) MTECHs were seen providing uncompromising grip on a large number of skates.
In Korea 2006, with 100mm MTECH wheels available as MPC StreetFight and MPC BlackTrack, skaters from all countries embraced MPC wheels at the World Championships. The MTECH wheel, with its unique feel, provided unmatched cornering performance on the track - and access to speeds that were confirmed by stopwatches everywhere. While that took place on the track, Gregory Duggento was breaking the World Record in the 200m on MPC Street Fight - winning in 16.209s and Patrizio Triberio was taking gold on MPC Black Track in the 500m.

In the months that followed, other wheel manufacturers set about revising their wheels to copy the engineered deformation of MTECH. Some even machined their hubs, cutting material away and weakening the structure of the hub in an attempt to replicate the footprint modulation technology that MPC wheels are built on - and calling it names like Energy Management Technology that claimed to 'turn the core of the wheel into a spring'.
Meanwhile, Nicholas Iten won the first WIC of 2007 in Seoul on the VT Marathon, MPC-equipped teams topped the WIC Team Time Trials, and Hilde Goovaerts won the WIC finale in Berlin on Storm Surge in the rain.

In Colombia 2007, by day 2 of the track championship - it was no accident that 9 of 16 World Titles had been won on MTECH wheels. MPC was again worn by the fastest in the Senior Mens 200m, with 1st and 2nd place on MTECH wheels as Wouter Hebbrecht claimed his first World Title in the 200m on MPC Black Track.

This year
As 2008 begins, more emulation of MTECH engineering enters the wheel market. Two manufacturers release new hubs that are 'designed to flex', together with promotion of 'hinge points' in hubs and adjustable 'flex bands' in tires to 'increase the footprint through flex'.

It's not new, MPC engineered it, World skaters proved it, and now the market demands it. But it's not MTECH.

Only MTECH wheels are built on the original patented MPC design.

Of course, emulation is the ultimate accolade.

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CadoMotus/MPC Street Fight Blue

MPC's new CadoMotus-exclusive OEM wheel is the Street Fight Blue. Available separately or as the wheel-of-choice on two of CadoMotus 2008 skate packages - the Street Fight Blue offers many of MPC Speed's industry-leading technologies at a lower price point.

The CadoMotus/MPC Street Fight Blue, Ex-Firm 100mm

Working together with MPC, CadoMotus developed an OEM wheel with the goals of bringing MPC performance and reliability to complete skates at a lower price point. The result is the Street Fight Blue - available in 90-, 100- and 110mm, the wheel features MPC's patented designed-deformation hub and chemical bonding technique which eliminates deep physical interlocks and maximises the depth of vertical urethane for improved footprint modulation, rebound, and shock-dissipation.

How did we make it hit the price point? The Street Fight Blue does not have a 'flex band' of urethane hidden underneath - a significant expense in terms of MPC wheel production - essentially meaning that each wheel must be poured twice. The outer material on the Street Fight Blue is the same high-quality Street Fight compound, and the wheel still benefits from the MPC hub and the increased rebound from more vertical urethane between the hub and the road.

The Street Fight Blue is Ex-Firm in terms of durometer, with the tire performance and durability you can expect from MPC - but physically a slightly stiffer wheel than its popular brother - the Street Fight Gold. A great option for heavier skaters and those preferring a more traditionally low-deformation wheel, and at the price point, an excellent wheel for training and for those races where the ranch-house isn't on the line.

The Street Fight Gold is currently featured on the following skate packages, available now from CadoMotus:

The COMP107 4x100 AllMount Skate Package

The COMP107 4x100 AllMount Skate Package is a runout-priced package featuring the 2007 COMP boot, the NEW 4x100 AllMount frame accepting all boots 165-195mm, the CadoMotus/MPC Street Fight Blue, and SPIN7 bearings.

The COMP108 Small Skate Package

The COMP108 Small Skate Package features the NEW, improved COMP108 boot with increased comfort, shell construction and ankle stability for large wheel skates, together with the NEO 3x100 frame on CadoMotus/MPC Street Fight Blue wheels and SPIN7 bearings.

Pure Skating News (CadoMotus):

Part 1: MTECH, the Patented MPC Technology Explained

Part 2: Footprint Modulation and more

Part 3: Emulation is the Ultimate Accolade

Part 3: CadoMotus/MPC Street Fight Blue