About us

Sure-Grip Skate Co. was founded in 1937 by John L Wintz in a small garage in Southern California.  John was fascinated with roller skating as he and his wife would regularly go skating.  He was always trying new things in hope of finding something that would give him a better experience.  This didn't exist so he decided to make it himself.  From his experience in the oil fields of signal hill California he had access to advanced machinery and better raw materials.  What followed was a phenolic fiber wheel with a rubber inlay.  The idea was simple, the heat created while skating would expand and apply pressure to the rubber inlay thus expanding and giving you "Sure-Grip" around the corners.  The idea worked so well that he began to sell the wheel to local skaters, and Sure-Grip Skate Wheel Company was born. 

Over the decades products evolved as technology got better.  Injection molding, computer aided design equipment, all of which are being used today to enhance the skating experience.  What you see now is 85 plus years of skating development and history.  A lot of our products are still made in our facility, just as they have been since 1937.  As we continue to evolve we haven't forgotten the past, the original phenolic wheel is still made today.