Galaxy DD: Elite Performance, Honest Price – The SSD Review
- Luca Caiani
- 1 hour ago
- 9 min read
The 2026 spring saw the launch of a brand-new wheel across the Europe.
During the last few months, the Speed Skating Data team tested the Galaxy DD extensively to understand the strengths and the weaknesses of this new wheel.
The results of our tests, along with the feedbacks provided by many athletes, are summarised in our latest review.
The Galaxy brand mission
The name "Galaxy" might suggest something very new, different or innovative, coming from another dimension. But the reality is the opposite and it is well summarised in the brand slogan:
Elite Wheels. Honest Price.
The mission of the Galaxy brand is simple and powerful: to make premium performance wheels available for everyone at a competitive price. The brand strikes at the core of one of the biggest global issues in inline speed skating.
During the last five to ten years, the market of inline speed skating wheels saw a couple of factories standing out for product quality but with a limited production capacity. The performance gap between the wheels produced by these relatively small factories and the other race wheels available on the market resulted in an unprecedented increase in the demand of high-performance wheels without an adequate offer. The result was an impressive increase in the costs of wheels. To avoid this, some manufacturers decided to keep selling wheels at the same price but to make wheels available only for some selected skaters or teams or only at some selected events. This solution helped with mitigating the price increase but it failed to solve the performance-gap problem, with only some skaters being able to access those higher-performance wheels.
The Galaxy project tries to address this problem with a simple recipe consisting of just two elements:
A great product
Mass-production availability
By combining high-level engineering with a more efficient production model, Galaxy aims to break the idea that elite performance must necessarily come with an elite price tag. Their goal is not simply to create another premium wheel, but to make high-performance technology accessible to a much wider community of skaters, from ambitious amateurs to world-class athletes.
The wheel
The Galaxy DD design is nothing more and nothing less than what you would expect from a premium inline speed skating wheel. The white outer urethane and the 11-spokes white core represent a classic and widely adopted choice in the inline speed skating market.
The manufacturing quality of the wheel is outstanding, and the premium feeling of the product is noticeable even before mounting it on your skates.
The straight-spoke design was selected to maximise the stiffness of the hub. A stiffer hub is usually chosen when maximising rolling efficiency is the main objective. A rigid hub makes the wheel more responsive and reduces the time required for the force produced by the skater to be transferred into the ground.
This feature results in a highly responsive wheel that provides immediate feedback on every small change in the skating surface, while also offering a solid feeback about the efficiency of the skater's pushing technique, both on corners and on straights.
The drawback of such a stiff hub is a less compliant and elastic wheel that struggles more to adapt to bumpier or slippery surfaces compared to wheels designed with a more elastic hub.
Another aspect that must be considered when selecting a wheel is its ability to mitigate vibrations. Once again, the advantage of force transfer from the skater to the ground provided by a stiff hub can become a double-edged sword, as vibrations coming from the surface are transmitted to the skater's feet and legs without being effectively absorbed by the hub.
As previously seen in other top-tier wheel designs, the manufacturer addressed this issue by working on the inner urethane band. The Galaxy DD features the thickest inner band currently available on the market, allowing the wheel to absorb and dissipate the vibrations that the stiff hub cannot mitigate.
Following the latest trends in inline speed skating wheel production, the Galaxy DD is available in all major formats (90mm, 100mm, 110mm, and 125mm) and comes with two hardness options:
Medium – outer urethane hardness: 86A
Hard – outer urethane hardness: 88A
Technical Specifications
The 110mm Galaxy DD features a hard plastic 11-spokes hub with the following dimensions:
Hub diameter: 72mm
Hub width: 23mm
Urethane thickness: 19mm
If the Hub Diameter measure of 72mm is a widely chosen option for high-performance inline speed skating wheels, the Galaxy DD is the first wheel ever measured by the SSD team with a 23mm hub width. We measured over 20 different wheels models and they have always featured a 24mm hub width. The narrower profile of the hub hasn't a direct effect on performance as the shape of the wheel in contact with the ground does not change, but it can help in reducing the weight of the wheel.
As with all dual-compound wheels, the Galaxy DD has an external harder polyurethane layer and an internal softer urethane ring. Cutting the wheel in half reveals its cross-section, which we classify as TYPE 2 according to the SSD shape classification.
This shape is a widely selected compromise between both grip and rolling efficiency. Therefore, the wheel is designed to be an all-around product that can be used for both track and road events.
Looking at the urethane of the wheel, the Hard option features an 88a outer urethane and an inner 76a red urethane band. This latter parameter is pretty unusual. Our previous measurements on other brands reported hardness values ranging from 64a to 67a. Once again, the harder urethane of the inner band guarantees extra roll at the expense of some elastic return at the end of the push.
To balance this lack of elastic return, the Inner Ring features one of the widest cross-sectional trepzoid shapes available on the market with the following dimensions:
Base width: 12mm
Height: 15mm
Upper base width: 7mm (with slightly rounded corners)
The ball-bearing housing width is 24mm, and a 10mm spacer is recommended for a smooth setup.
Strengths
In line with the brand mission, the main strength of the Galaxy DD is its ability to combine the most appreciated characteristics of high-performance racing wheels into a product designed for a wider audience.
The Galaxy DD does not try to reinvent the wheel concept. Instead, it takes a proven approach used by some of the most successful racing wheels available on the market and makes it accessible through a more efficient production model. The result is a premium-level wheel that can be used by competitive skaters at every level, without the limitations in availability and price that often characterise top-tier products.
The first aspect that immediately stands out is the balance between grip and rolling efficiency. Thanks to its Type 2 profile and its specific urethane formulation, the Galaxy DD provides a higher level of grip compared to other wheels featuring a similar hardness. This characteristic makes the wheel particularly effective on technical circuits where maintaining maximum traction through corners is more important than achieving the lowest possible rolling resistance.
The additional grip provided by the wheel does not come at the expense of speed. The stiff hub ensures excellent rolling efficiency, reducing energy losses during the push phase and providing the immediate response expected from a high-level racing wheel. The result is a wheel that remains competitive on long straights while offering the confidence required when approaching demanding corners.
Another important strength of the Galaxy DD is its elastic return. One of the main differences between a high-performance racing wheel and a standard low-quality wheel is the ability of the wheel to store and release part of the energy produced by the skater during the push phase. This elastic behaviour improves the efficiency of the final part of the push, helping the skater to maintain speed with less energy expenditure.
In the case of the Galaxy DD, this behaviour is achieved through the combination of a rigid hub and a particularly large inner urethane band. While the harder inner urethane compound slightly reduces the elastic return compared to softer alternatives, its increased volume compensates for this limitation by allowing the wheel to deform and recover during the push. The result is a good compromise between immediate force transfer, rolling efficiency, and energy return.
The combination of these characteristics makes the Galaxy DD an extremely versatile wheel. From short sprints to long-distance events, from smooth resin-coated tracks to technical road circuits, the wheel is capable of providing the performance required in different skating conditions.
Availability is the final strength of the Galaxy wheel. You can place an order and get any amount of sets you require.
Skating feel
During the last few months we collected the feedbacks from different skaters provided with some sets of Galaxy DD wheels.
The first impression while skating on the Galaxy DD is immediately positive. The feeling provided by the wheel is comparable to what skaters usually experience when mounting other top-tier products currently available on the market. The wheel feels precise, solid, and reliable from the very first laps, requiring minimal adaptation time before reaching full confidence.
The elastic return is consistent with what could be expected from the technical characteristics of the wheel. The combination of the stiff hub and the large inner urethane band provides a good energy return at the end of the push, helping the skater maintain efficiency without creating an excessively elastic feeling. Compared to some of the most responsive wheels available on the market, the rebound is not extreme, but it remains perfectly aligned with the performance level expected from a high-quality racing wheel.
The aspect that surprised most of the athletes testing the Galaxy DD was the grip. The wheel adapts extremely well to different circuit characteristics, allowing skaters to reach the optimal inclination angle in every type of corner. The feeling is one of confidence and support, even when the skater is forced to use more aggressive trajectories or extreme lines during overtaking manoeuvres.
This characteristic makes the Galaxy DD particularly effective on technical circuits, where maintaining control and generating speed through corners is the priority. The predictable grip allows athletes to push closer to their limits without feeling that the wheel is reaching an unstable condition.
The rolling efficiency is good but slightly below the level offered by the fastest premium wheels currently available on the market. The sensation provided by the wheel is quite particular: the rigid hub and the large inner urethane band create a solid and responsive structure, but the external urethane compound does not feel as fast as the most speed-oriented alternatives.
This difference is more noticeable on less performing road surfaces, where the wheel seems to slightly "sink" into the ground, increasing rolling resistance. On smoother surfaces, such as high-quality resin-coated tracks, this limitation is significantly reduced, as the perfect interaction between the wheel and the skating surface allows the wheel to fully exploit its structural characteristics.
Overall, the Galaxy DD provides maximum confidence and control, prioritising grip and stability over absolute rolling speed. While it may not be the fastest wheel available for skaters searching for the lowest possible rolling resistance, its ability to combine high-level performance, predictable behaviour, and exceptional cornering confidence makes it an extremely effective option for a wide range of skating conditions.
Weak points
As with any well-balanced product, there are trade-offs. While the Galaxy DD performs well across different disciplines and skating conditions, its main limitation becomes evident when absolute rolling efficiency is the priority.
For elimination races on extremely grippy tracks or for skaters searching for the highest possible speed retention on long straights, other wheels currently available on the market can provide slightly better rolling capabilities. This difference is mainly related to the urethane formulation, which seems to favour grip and confidence over the last few percentage points of rolling efficiency.
However, this compromise is consistent with the design philosophy behind the Galaxy DD. The additional grip and the predictable behaviour of the wheel allow skaters to exploit more aggressive trajectories and maintain higher confidence in technical situations, where a small loss in rolling efficiency can be compensated by better control and cornering ability.
Best For
In summary, the Galaxy DD is a high performance all-around race wheel, suitable for sprints and long-distance races alike. Their elasticity, rebound, grip, and roll make them ideal for track, streets, and road circuits, with their true potential unlocked on tracks featuring sharp corners with a parabolic section.
The SSD team suggests you to try them on the following races:
200m dual TT (Track): medium hardness option
1 lap sprint (Road) and 500m sprint (Track): medium hardness option for technical tracks and mixed (medium + hard) setup for faster circuits.
1000m sprint (track): mixed (medium + hard) setup.
5000m points race (track): hard hardness option
10,000m elimination race (track): hard hardness option
The SSD Wheel Report
Performance Score (Rolling, Grip, Rebound, Durability Average)Â
7.8/10
Overall Score (All Categories Average)
8/10
Conclusion
The Galaxy DD represents an interesting approach to the modern inline speed skating wheel market. Rather than introducing a completely new concept, Galaxy successfully combines several proven solutions from high-performance racing wheels into a product designed to be accessible to a much wider audience.
With its excellent grip, reliable rebound, good rolling efficiency and outstanding availability, the Galaxy DD is a complete racing wheel capable of performing across different distances, surfaces, and racing formats.
Galaxy DD: Elite Wheels. Honest Price.
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