Mariani Skates Now Wheels Quaestus: The SSD Review
- Luca Caiani
- Feb 6
- 4 min read
A Top-Tier Wheel for Every Skater
The Mariani Skates Now Wheels Quaestus is one of the best choices for skaters seeking high-performance wheels that deliver competitiveness in every race.
The Wheel
The pink turbine hub is definitely the first thing that allows you to spot the Quaestus wheels on a race track. While the first prototypes seen in 2021 featured a dark red hub, the final design has made them truly unique and iconic. The 9-spoke hub design, originally proposed by the Australian skater Dan Finster and popularised by MPC in 2004, revolutionized the wolrd of inline speed skating wheels. The design was so effective that the Black Magic wheels by MPC still feature a revised version of the very fist turbine hub nowadays.
Compared to MPC hubs, Now Wheels has increased the blade rotation angle, making the hub more flexible and aerodynamic. This design enhances elasticity, improving both grip and energy transfer.
Like all modern high-performance race wheels, the Quaestus features a dual-compound polyurethane structure that provides maximum grip and excellent rebound without compromising rolling efficiency.
Available polyurethane hardness options for the Quaestus wheels:
Hard
Medium
Soft
These features make the Now Wheels Quaestus one of the top choices for elite skaters at any level.
Technical Specifications
The 110mm Quaestus model features a plastic turbine hub with the following dimensions:
Hub diameter: 72mm
Hub width: 24mm
Urethane thickness: 19mm
As with all dual-compound wheels, the Quaestus 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 optimizes both grip and rolling efficiency.
For the Medium hardness model that we tested, the outer urethane layer has a 86A hardness while the inner urethane layer has a 67A hardness.
The Inner Ring has a cross-section trepzoid shape with the following dimensions:
Base width: 10mm
Height: 14mm
Upper base width: 7mm (with slightly rounded corners)
The ball-bearing housing width is 23.5mm, and a 10mm spacer is recommended for a smooth setup.
Strengths
The Quaestus wheel’s key advantage lies in its hub flexibility. The turbine hub flexes when placed under pressure, providing the skater with three main benefits:
Enhanced Skate Maneuverability – The flexible hub allows skaters to maximize wheel contact with the ground, improving control and confidence on extreme angles of inclination.
Vibration Absorption – Acting as a natural damper, the hub reduces vibrations from rough and uneven surfaces, making it an excellent choice for skaters prone to shin pain—one of the most common issues in elite skating.
Energy Return – The hub stores energy during the push phase and releases it at the end of the stride, improving the efficiency of the latter phase of the push and aiding the recovery action.
Another major strength is versatility. Elite skaters have used Quaestus wheels to achieve top performances and winning wolrd titles in both sprint and long-distance races. This versatility makes the white-pink wheel probably the best all-around wheel on the market providing athletes with a top-notch product when it comes to reliability. In other words, when in doubt, the Quaestus wheels can be your safe choice to be sure you are skating on a reliable wheel that offers everything you need from a race wheel.
Lastly, the urethane formula ensures excellent wear resistance. While performance is optimal as long as the first urethane layer remains intact, these wheels maintain a high level of performance for at least 50km, a good level for 200km, and remain a decent training wheel for another 200km.
Skating Feel
Skating on the Quaestus wheels confirms all these qualities. They provide excellent rebound and roll on straights, while the flexible hub and premium urethane formula boost confidence on fast corners, enabling skaters to push their limits in tight trajectories.
Adaptation time is minimal—after just a few laps, skaters can confidently explore grip limits and find the ideal racing line. If you suffer from shin pain or anterior tibialis fatigue, the Quaestus strikes a perfect balance between roll and elasticity, outperforming stiffer wheels that emphasize roll or overly soft wheels that compromise efficiency.
Weak Points
As with any well-balanced product, there are trade-offs. While the Quaestus performs exceptionally well across disciplines, if you need to prioritize roll for an elimination race on a grippy track or you want to be 100% sure not to slip on the last corner of your 200m dual TT, other wheels can provide you with just a little more roll or grip.
The biggest drawback is availability. Due to limited production, securing a set often requires joining a waiting list—especially for skaters outside Italy who cannot contact Mariani directly.
Finally, price can be a concern. With high demand and limited supply, expect to pay over $200 per set, placing them on par with other top-tier wheels.
Best For
In summary, the Now Wheels Quaestus is a top-tier all-around race wheel, suitable for sprints and long-distance races alike (though no 125mm version is currently available for marathons experts). Their elasticity, rebound, grip, and roll make them ideal for track, streets, and road circuits, with their true potential unlocked on parabolic and banked tracks.
The SSD team suggests you to try them on the following races:
500m sprint (track)
1000m sprint (track)
5000m points race (track)
10,000m elimination race (track)
The SSD Wheel Report
Category | Rating |
Rolling |  |
Grip |  |
Rebound | |
Durability | |
Price |  |
Availability |  |
Performance Score (Rolling, Grip, Rebound, Durability Average)
8.5/10
Overall Score (All Categories Average)
7.1/10
Conclusion
If you are looking for a high-performance, all-around race wheel that delivers elite-level performance in any event, the Now Wheels Quaestus is an excellent choice. While availability and price can be challenges, the quality, versatility, and durability of these wheels make them well worth the investment.
If you are searching for a professional and in-depth review to promote your inline speed skating products, contact Speed Skating Data at:
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