Cadillac Wheels: The Urethane Skateboard Wheels
Frank Nasworthy was a young surfer and skater; Fresh out of high school living in Norfolk, Virginia, he saw some polyurethane wheels used on roller skates in Virginia and had an amazing futuristic vision. Located in Purcellville, Virginia, it was possibly the first factory to make polyurethane wheels – a company called “Creative Urethane” – Nasworthy’s vision was to put these polyurethane wheels on a skateboard. He thought to himself, “What can plastics do for a skateboard?” He continued to follow his vision from northern Virginia to northern San Diego County, California. This is where he created Cadillac Wheels and introduced Cadillac Wheels to the world. From then on, skateboarding changed forever.
The sport of skateboarding came to life after the Middle Ages, in the late 1960s and early 1970s: transforming from steel and clay wheels to polyurethane wheels. The sport had exploded to new highs in the industry. Nasworthy’s Cadillac Wheels became a part of much of history. In the first year, Cadillac Wheels made the Cadillac Da Kine wheels – this was the original Cadillac Wheel. Everyone had to have them in the Seabright area of Santa Cruz, California in the 1970s. The polyurethane wheels provided a lot of traction and control on skateboards, unlike the roller skate – which didn’t have much traction and control on the slopes. . The urethane wheels also gave the skateboard the ability to stop, create friction, slow the board, and spin against gravity. They supported the skater: who is also called a landlocked surfer.
The year 1973 is when Nasworthy takes possession of Cadillac Wheels: urethane skateboard wheels. The Cadillac word for Nasworthy meant luxury – because urethane wheels on a skateboard were smooth and non-chattering and produced a luxurious ride. Cadillac Wheels used loose ball bearing wheels with bearing races for a time. The problem was that the wheel would get very hot and the bearing hubs and tracks would move. Injection mold cubes with tracks were introduced later. They are a rigid hub that holds the bearing races securely and completely surrounded by urethane – testing an injection moldable urethane – thermoplastic urethane, it turned out to be a very poor wheel. Thermoset rubbers and elastomers are super durable, but thermoplastic urethane does not have the necessary properties, it is associated with plastic, and it is recyclable – meaning it can be remelted and reformed.
Cadillac Wheels decided to improve the loose ball wheels and began making wheels with precision bearings – which was the original part of the roller skating product. This was actually easier to do. From the imagination of a young surfer-skateboarder and passion for skateboarding came an evolutionary design that changed the world of skateboarding forever. Cadillac wheels are still made in the United States and are still one of the best skateboard wheels on the market today.
