Author Topic: Stuck on wheels. Help.  (Read 5012 times)

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Twistofcain

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Stuck on wheels. Help.
« on: October 10, 2011, 07:37:30 PM »
Currently I have
- Soft OJ Mimosa 54's
- Sorta hard 7 or 8 year old Bones 52's?
- Sorta hard Hubba Bachinsky 52's?
- Hard as fuck Bones STF slim 56's

I'm not overly stoked on the old bones, or the hubba's, so I barely skate them. I cruise on the Mimosa 54's, which are great for cruising, but shitty for park/tricks. And the Bones STF's are pretty good for park/tricks, but shitty for cruising, or going anywhere with... Cause they're hard as fuck.

Basically I'm looking for a wheel I can get around on, but still skate at the park. Maybe 90-100A, 54-55mm. I was thinking of either bones 100's or spitfire Eternal 50/50's.

Any suggestions?

BFKskateboards

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #1 on: October 10, 2011, 07:55:47 PM »
whatever you do, don't get spitfires

happy dude

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #2 on: October 10, 2011, 08:00:40 PM »

Twistofcain

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #3 on: October 10, 2011, 08:03:37 PM »
Ugly as fuck, but they might just work.

svilleantigo

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #4 on: October 10, 2011, 08:49:39 PM »
bones ditch tech formula? i'm kinda in a similar place right now, might give them a shot.

Omamori

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #5 on: October 10, 2011, 08:56:05 PM »
I bought some Ricta superpark wheels recently. They're 97a which are ideal for me, a good hardness to skate smooth spots but just soft enough to skate rough spots. They also have your size.

Ripped Laces

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #6 on: October 10, 2011, 09:17:59 PM »
I also dealt with this problem last week. I bought Spitfire Street Burners and it's the best decision I've ever made. No shit. I skated a cement park the other day and thought I would have issues with them being slippery. Fuck that, they're perfect on any surface. If I had the money, I'd buy you a pair myself, that's how great they are.

pandarelated

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #7 on: October 11, 2011, 09:52:53 AM »
OJ makes some ice 54 / 54 mm 99a wheels. wide surface.. good wheels imo.
spitfire classic big heads are also nice.. imo.. i skate those in 53 or 54s.. easy to get around the city.. but still do stuff. like powerslide. and tricks.

jkorzo08

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #8 on: October 11, 2011, 10:17:47 AM »
spitfire street burners seem like they'll fit your needs. i have them on my bigger setup for cruising and bigger tranny, and stfs on my regular setup, i always feel like the bones are to slippery to cruise and go fast, i feel like there always gonna slide out on me

sk8_stuff

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #9 on: October 11, 2011, 10:43:35 AM »
Are Spitfires better than they used to be? All the sets I had in the past wore out super fast.
Think, it's not illegal yet. - Les Claypool

Schismatic

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #10 on: October 11, 2011, 11:56:54 AM »
whatever you do, don't get spitfires

This guy has issues. Try Spitfire Park Burners, around 56mm'ish. Not too big, not too small, not too hard, not too soft. Perfectly well-rounded wheels.

Want something softer but still decent all around, and not ugly as fuck:

http://www.tactics.com/spitfire/softer-duro-skateboard-wheels/white-red-95d
« Last Edit: October 11, 2011, 11:59:27 AM by Schismatic »

Chavo

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #11 on: October 11, 2011, 01:03:57 PM »
90-100a is a huge range. Do you have a more specific preference for hardness? Remember that "Streetburners" and "Parkburners" are just marketing gimmicks for saying 100a and 98a.

I'd agree with the 56mm Parkburners suggestion. Sounds like it would still be harder than what you want, but a bigger size will help out in the cruising aspect while a true soft duro cruising wheel would only have a single purpose.

Also, most of the premature flatspot issues were from several years ago. Now Spitfires perform like every other wheel. They don't suck but nothing spectacular. I like them for their large assortment of hardness/size/shape.

BlackEye77

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #12 on: October 11, 2011, 08:21:18 PM »
90-100a is a huge range. Do you have a more specific preference for hardness? Remember that "Streetburners" and "Parkburners" are just marketing gimmicks for saying 100a and 98a.

I'd agree with the 56mm Parkburners suggestion. Sounds like it would still be harder than what you want, but a bigger size will help out in the cruising aspect while a true soft duro cruising wheel would only have a single purpose.

Also, most of the premature flatspot issues were from several years ago. Now Spitfires perform like every other wheel. They don't suck but nothing spectacular. I like them for their large assortment of hardness/size/shape.

I've had enough people on here get pissy when you ask them a question that I gotta say before hand that I'm not saying you're wrong or even disagreeing, I am really curious: You say Spitfire aren't spectacular, is there a wheel that you think is and if so, what makes it stand out?

You're right about the Parkburner and Streetburner being was of differentiating durometer. I disagree that it's just a marketing gimmick. Yeah, everyone tries to assign cool names to product lines, but to me it makes sense for Spitfire because their standard wheels are 99. So yeah, the slightly harder 100's are better for people who primarily ride street and the slightly softer 98's are better for primarily skating parks. They could call them "harder wheels for street skating" or "softer wheels so you don't slip all over the place at skateparks," but they went with a catchier naming system. It's partially marketing but also functionally descriptive so I wouldn't go so far as to call it a ploy or a gimmick. On top of that, the shape, width, and cuts are different, and all "burners" are F1 formula rather than classic formula. I'm just saying that it goes a little further than durometer.

In my opinion Spitfire are definitely not like every other wheel. Their factory exclusively produces Spitfire and the formula is top secret. They have a unique feel unlike anything else I've ridden. I've been riding them so long that if I hop on a board with other wheels I can usually tell the difference, and I don't like it. I especially don't like STF's, they barely feel like real skateboard wheels, they feel like powdery plastic. I'm sure thats cool if you can't figure out to swing a cab around, just go a little past half-cab and slide the rest of the way. STF's to me are like waxed metal coping, completely unnecessary and I hate the way it feels.

There are a couple of other brands that I've heard good things about but if I have to drop down hard earned cash, I am going to put it into something that has proven itself over many, many years for me.

Twistofcain

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #13 on: October 11, 2011, 09:23:18 PM »
I ended up just going for a decent street/park wheel. I'll just keep my OJ's on me for cruising. I got some Bones STF Wray 54's. Just waiting for the rain to dry up to skate! Got a new deck too.

nylin

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #14 on: October 11, 2011, 09:35:30 PM »
Spitfires. I got a set of park burners a while back and they were amazing for skating street. Now just skating the street burners.

Chavo

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #15 on: October 12, 2011, 05:16:42 AM »
I've had enough people on here get pissy when you ask them a question that I gotta say before hand that I'm not saying you're wrong or even disagreeing, I am really curious: You say Spitfire aren't spectacular, is there a wheel that you think is and if so, what makes it stand out?

You're right about the Parkburner and Streetburner being was of differentiating durometer. I disagree that it's just a marketing gimmick. Yeah, everyone tries to assign cool names to product lines, but to me it makes sense for Spitfire because their standard wheels are 99. So yeah, the slightly harder 100's are better for people who primarily ride street and the slightly softer 98's are better for primarily skating parks. They could call them "harder wheels for street skating" or "softer wheels so you don't slip all over the place at skateparks," but they went with a catchier naming system. It's partially marketing but also functionally descriptive so I wouldn't go so far as to call it a ploy or a gimmick. On top of that, the shape, width, and cuts are different, and all "burners" are F1 formula rather than classic formula. I'm just saying that it goes a little further than durometer.

In my opinion Spitfire are definitely not like every other wheel. Their factory exclusively produces Spitfire and the formula is top secret. They have a unique feel unlike anything else I've ridden. I've been riding them so long that if I hop on a board with other wheels I can usually tell the difference, and I don't like it. I especially don't like STF's, they barely feel like real skateboard wheels, they feel like powdery plastic. I'm sure thats cool if you can't figure out to swing a cab around, just go a little past half-cab and slide the rest of the way. STF's to me are like waxed metal coping, completely unnecessary and I hate the way it feels.

The best wheels were obviously SC Speed Wheels from the mid-80s until they stopped making them ('91 or so). Every wheel since has never come close. Hence, even Spitfires can only be average (I've also skated Pig and generic Tum Yeto stuff: different feeling, but definitely as good). Rat Bones and Vision Blurrs (the first symmetrical wheel design that most use now) weren't so bad either, preferably the semi-transparent white ones, but couldn't compare to Speed Wheels. I've heard, though I've seen nothing to back this up, that the decline in good wheel formulas is related to tightened environmental regulations.

About that 'burner nomenclature--as long as I've been skating, kids have understood the basic meaning of durometer (at least the commonly used A-scale designations). Now that mall stores have effectively replaced skate shops, the high school girl behind the counter at Zumiez can now easily tell you which wheel you want for street or park. To my knowledge, Spitfire's cuts have their own designations (and Street/Park Burner have nothing to do with): SFM, Classic, Classic Full, Classic Thin, Conical, Street Cut, etc. For example, "F1 Street Burners Sean Malto Edition" basically means 100a Classic Full shape with a different graphic and fewer sizes.

BlackEye77

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #16 on: October 12, 2011, 07:08:53 AM »
Expand Quote
[close]

The best wheels were obviously SC Speed Wheels from the mid-80s until they stopped making them ('91 or so). Every wheel since has never come close. Hence, even Spitfires can only be average (I've also skated Pig and generic Tum Yeto stuff: different feeling, but definitely as good). Rat Bones and Vision Blurrs (the first symmetrical wheel design that most use now) weren't so bad either, preferably the semi-transparent white ones, but couldn't compare to Speed Wheels. I've heard, though I've seen nothing to back this up, that the decline in good wheel formulas is related to tightened environmental regulations.

About that 'burner nomenclature--as long as I've been skating, kids have understood the basic meaning of durometer (at least the commonly used A-scale designations). Now that mall stores have effectively replaced skate shops, the high school girl behind the counter at Zumiez can now easily tell you which wheel you want for street or park. To my knowledge, Spitfire's cuts have their own designations (and Street/Park Burner have nothing to do with): SFM, Classic, Classic Full, Classic Thin, Conical, Street Cut, etc. For example, "F1 Street Burners Sean Malto Edition" basically means 100a Classic Full shape with a different graphic and fewer sizes.

Uh oh, potential for an old skate-nerd debate. I agree that Speed Wheels were awesome. I think. I had them on one of my first boards, around '86-'87, but I was young and not very knowledgeable. When the small wheels craze started my old set-ups were for my dog to pull me. Had I known how much I'd like to have a Retegui, Fred Smith, or McGill Skull&Snake nowadays...

I have to disagree about a few things though. The Spitfire shape array is more diverse that what you noted. One thing that's always set them apart is the ability to make so many different designs. The street/park burners for example are wider than classics, and they are smooth on the bottom, not ribbed when new like others, which in itself tells me that they come from a differed mold. Then the F1 street cuts are a slightly different shape than burners and with a hand cut edge (great wheels by the way, I ride the street cut 56's for park skating and love them).

The pro model wheels should be unique shapes. At least they always were when Ruben Orkin (RIP) was running things. I remember reading an interview not long before he passed away and he spoke about that, but that was also when they would only release 2 pro wheels at a time, maybe I'm still stuck in '99.

The other thing is that most kids should understand enough about wheels to go pick the right thing for their terrain based solely on durometer, but many of them don't. The naming helps the new kids and the ones who are starting to skate at very young ages. Just saying there's nothing wrong with naming the wheels. Calling them park burners is no different than saying classics or Bigheads (also unique shape, also made mow with F1 at 100d making the Bighead Street Burners, which are shaped differently than regular Street Burners).

Quite a pessimistic view about shops but try to remember that the core group that has always kept skate shops alive is still doing it. I don't think the mall shops effectively took over, but they're trying. They get a lot of new kids and trendsters, but a lot of us are working hard to keep skate shops thriving. That aspect (mall shops) bums me out too, I even got called a tag for posting about it here, apparently a lot of these guys lime Zumiez. Wouldn't know why, I've never gone inside one, but you can't beat the feel of a good, basic, core skateshop.

Back to Spitfires, maybe things are different now, w/o Orkin, but I help my shop with their orders and can say that when you see 30 different sets of Spitfires in front of you, hold them next to each other and look at them closely, you can see that there is a lot if variety, though some of it pretty subtle. I know that in the end they're just wheels, but every part of my set-up, from the bearing spacers to the grip tape is important to me. Although I think you're right about a lot, just think you simplified the Spitfire line a little incorrectly. I could also be wrong about everything.

Firebert

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #17 on: October 12, 2011, 08:07:38 AM »

Spitfire def. has plenty of variety, the f1's are my preference... I'll keep buying seeing as Reynolds has been riding them w/out getting paid for a while now... I think they put him back on the team now that baker is gone from blitz and baker wheels will (hopefully) cease to exist.

Rumpleforeskin

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #18 on: October 12, 2011, 03:30:02 PM »
TEENAGE RUNAWAY

Chavo

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #19 on: October 12, 2011, 03:37:24 PM »
I have to disagree about a few things though. The Spitfire shape array is more diverse that what you noted. One thing that's always set them apart is the ability to make so many different designs. The street/park burners for example are wider than classics, and they are smooth on the bottom, not ribbed when new like others, which in itself tells me that they come from a differed mold. Then the F1 street cuts are a slightly different shape than burners and with a hand cut edge (great wheels by the way, I ride the street cut 56's for park skating and love them).

From the current catalog, Street Burners are offered in Classic (Busenitz), Classic Full (Malto), Conical (Grosso), SFM (MikeMo) shapes. Non-signature Street Burners don't specify shapes, except for the Awol, which seems to be a Cutaway (for the Cole) but I'm not sure exactly what "Awol" designates. All of those shapes are offered on other wheels. The only constant is "100DU".

This is sort of confusing to me. There's an F1 Streetburners Awol next to an F1 Streetburners Black Charred Remains and the only thing I can gather from that is that they're "100DU" (not 100A) F1 formula and one is black.

I'm also using the 56mm Street Cuts and can attest to their quality. Strangely, the Parkburners are softer as I would think that harder wheels would be ideal for concrete skateparks. You'd only need to overly worry about grip with masonite ramps.

muk_mb

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #20 on: October 12, 2011, 06:18:22 PM »
I just wanted to add that there is way more to how a wheel grips/feels than the hardness. Different formulas of the same hardness will feel entirely differently.

sixpackoftablets

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #21 on: October 13, 2011, 04:54:00 AM »
^ he's right.

I thought the spitfire F1 parkburner and streetburners were their new generation of flatspot-resistant urethane formulas, similar to bones' SPF and STF.

I would love a guide to all the spitfire shapes, with pics of the silhouettes, cause their range is damn confusing and their catalogs don't help at all. I also wish they'd stop putting DU on their wheels, which is just ignorant: I could understand the concept of durometer A when I was 12 and buying my first set of Bullets.

I like to nerd out on this shit.

It's interesting that Bones' park formula is harder than their street formula, whereas Spits parkburner is softer. I may try parkburner as my next all-round streetskating wheel.

sixpackoftablets

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #22 on: October 13, 2011, 04:55:22 AM »
Looking at the current SPit catalog, I'm confused as to why Grosso has a streetburner model. kinda funny.

muk_mb

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #23 on: October 13, 2011, 05:22:15 AM »
^ he's right.

I thought the spitfire F1 parkburner and streetburners were their new generation of flatspot-resistant urethane formulas, similar to bones' SPF and STF.

I would love a guide to all the spitfire shapes, with pics of the silhouettes, cause their range is damn confusing and their catalogs don't help at all. I also wish they'd stop putting DU on their wheels, which is just ignorant: I could understand the concept of durometer A when I was 12 and buying my first set of Bullets.

I like to nerd out on this shit.

It's interesting that Bones' park formula is harder than their street formula, whereas Spits parkburner is softer. I may try parkburner as my next all-round streetskating wheel.

Older spitfire catalogs -did- show profiles. I'm trying to get them to bring that back.

Also, grosso's wheel is a streetburner (I'm guessing here) because he likes to slide a bunch and wanted the "least likely to flatspot" formula. Similar reason to why lance mountain had a hardline wheel (101a).

Archers of Chaka

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #24 on: October 18, 2011, 04:24:11 AM »
I usually just switch off between spitfire street burners and STFs. I tend to stay away from the og formula spitfires though. Had a set that was 53mm in size and in a little less than a month they were down to 46-47's. They're great feeling wheels but they dont last for shit.

sufodiv

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #25 on: October 18, 2011, 05:59:27 PM »
bones!!!!

planman

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Re: Stuck on wheels. Help.
« Reply #26 on: October 18, 2011, 06:46:01 PM »
Spitfires sound cool

I saw your mom do a ollie to cooch drop straight down the big black pole, it was gnarly. she defiantly shut that shit down