Which rollerski is right for you?

These days there are several rollerski brands out there to fit every skier's budget and needs. I’m not really familiar with all of them so for simplicity I'll focus on Marwe, Swenor, Swix, and Pursuit. These 4 brands tend to be the most common in North America but IDT has a stronghold in Norway, Rundle is a growing brand in Canada, and Pioneer's Hjul skis are emerging. 

Most of these brands manufacture their own rollerski shafts but sometimes source their wheels from the same factories in China or Czech Republic. Because of this, there can be some crossover in parts. Most models of Swenor, Swix, and Pursuit use the same type of wheel (100x24mm with aluminum 'spokes') and come in #1, #2, #3 speeds and can therefore be swapped and used across all three brands. Marwe wheels however are unique, made in Finland, and generally come in 100x25mm and can not be used with another brand's shaft. 

In my opinion Marwe wheels set the standard for durability and grip on wet pavement. Particularly in the summer of 2023, I have been pretty unimpressed with the durability on the new Swix wheels and recently put an order in with the Rollerskishop.com for replacement pursuit wheels. Elite skiers can put several hundred kilometers on their wheels each week and it's common to go through 2-3 sets of wheels each summer regardless of the brand. 

As a World Cup level skier I didn't love the concept of committing to one brand of rollerski because it's nice to have a variety to chose from so I can change up my wheels speed, ski length, or shaft stiffness depending on the session or road I'm skiing on. I'm a big fan of the Swenor aluminum extra longs for an all-around skate ski. Marwe 610 composites are the best for V1 days, Swix roadline with #1 wheels are the best for speed training and chip-sealed roads... and the list goes on. The point being, if you are logging a lot of rollerski training it's nice to mix it up since real cross-country skiing on snow is a variable surface. Some days are fast, some days are slow, etc. 

The general rule with rollerski wheels is that harder material = faster. Softer material = slower. Note that the heavier the skier the faster the wheels will wear. So if you are a 195+ lbs skier a slower/ softer wheel will wear down very quickly for you and you'll have to replace them often. The bearings inside wheels can affect the rolling speed as well but I encourage folks to leave the bearing work to the manufacturer. It's very easy to damage bearings when changing them in or out or insert bearings in a way that will make the wheel roll inconsistently. Ordering a 'built' rollerski it usually the best way to go. 

Marwe: 

The three common wheel speeds available on Marwe skis are 7, 6, and 0. The normal version skis come with two 6 wheels on them. 

If I were to rank the wheels from slower to fastest it would look like this: 

If you are curious about what wheel you have on your ski it will be printed on the side. ex: 'US 6' . All three wheel types are available on both skate and classic.

Swenor

The two common wheel speeds available for Swenor skis are 3 and 2. These numbers are also printed on the sidewall of the wheels and are available on both the skate and classic models. 

Swix has recently changed their models and have a few options out there. Their carbon skis (both skate and classic) were great skis in my opinion, but they were recalled last year because of a breaking issue in the forks. Swix of Norway didn't want to get any bad press or take any chances so they recalled them and released the current Roadline models. I'll be honest with you, I thought the Carbons were good skis and I would encourage anyone to still use them (we do). While doing power and speed training I have broken shafts from EVERY brand. For heavier folks and for power / speed training we like to use aluminum shafts to reduce the risk of breaking skis. 

Mare 7's would rank as the slowest by far, with the Marwe 0's as the fastest. The Swenor 3's slightly slower than the Marwe 6 and the Swenor 2's slightly faster than the Marwe 6. Even though the Swix skis use the same wheel material as Swenor their interiors/hubs are slightly bigger making them roll just slightly faster than their Swenor counterparts. (Think of a 29 cycle wheel vs. a 27.5... slightly bigger wheels will often roll faster) 

Something that makes comparing wheel speeds across brands a little tricky is that some wheels speed up over time a lot more than others. In general, all of the Marwe wheels stay pretty consistent, but the rubber of the Swenor and Swix wheels will speed up as the wheel wares down. This is because as the wheel wares down the rubber gets harder (which we know means faster). 

After several months of use the cross brand comparison might look more like this:

The Marwe 6's, Swenor 3's, and Swix 3's become more similar in speed while the Swenor 2's and Swix 2's will start to leave the Mawre 6's behind. Even a Swix 2 can become as fast or faster than a Marwe 0 after it has been skied a lot. 

Depending on what your training goals are a specific wheel speed might be more appropriate for you. 

Altitude - Anyone living above 5,000 to 6,000 feet I recommend using a ski that is on the faster end of the spectrum. This is because while training exclusively at altitude we want to make sure we are not training super slow skiing movements during our distance sessions. 

Terrain - Anyone who lives in an area where there are few hills might find a slower ski productive. This is actually not necessarily to make for a better workout on the flat terrain (I actually think using medium to fast wheel for DP is better) but rather to get the most out of the small hills that are available. If you have a slower ski such as a Marwe 7 or a Swix 3 you are able to use more striding or V1 technique during interval sessions rather than just DP kick or V2. 

Speed - If speed training is a priority for you having a fast skate ski can be productive for certain workouts. Using a faster than normal ski for some speed sessions is what we call 'over speed' which trains a neuromuscular response and can help improve your ability to hit a higher max speed on snow. 

Testing or consistency - If you are someone who uses field testing on rollerskis think about wheel speed consistency. I've mentioned before that this is one of the main reasons I use Marwe skis. Their wheel speed is very consistent so I know if I do a 10k rolerski TT in June when I do that same time trial in September my ski speed will be similar if weather conditions are similar. If you are testing with Swenor or Swix skis just know in advance that your data might not be as accurate as the wheels break down. 

If you are able to make the investment it can be very worthwhile to have a few pairs of rollerskis so you can change up your speed for certain workouts. I personally use the whole array of Marwe wheels, primarily training on Marwe 6 wheels but will use 0 wheels for overspeed and a 6/7 combo for training with Juniors. This can make it worthwhile to have a few pairs of roller-skis laying around.