Wheels Thread

[slothrop]

Was curious which durometer the the loophole wheels are? 52d  or 95a? they are NFG manufactured correct?
speaking of

[Sundaynuggets]

Was curious which durometer the the loophole wheels are? 52d  or 95a? they are NFG manufactured correct?
speaking of

I think loophole is only the 52d. NFG makes them and on their site they sell both duros

[slothrop]

kinda humorous  when the heavy music starts and the epic handicap ramp roll in footage starts

[big_kev_215]

Anyone buy those Kader radial fulls/if so how are they?  I promised myself I wouldn’t waste money on wheels or trucks for a while but I keep looking at that shape and it just looks so good.  Might have to break that promise.

Update for anyone who’s interested - I ended up getting the radial fulls in 57 mm and they’re insane.  The contact patch is about the same width as a comparable conical full but with an extra couple mm’s of pure rounded-ness added onto both edges.  The bearing sits decently deep in the wheel too so they don’t stick out too bad on your trucks.  Get some young Fred Gall setup vibes looking at them on my board and they roll up into slappies very easily.

[logjammin]

kinda humorous  when the heavy music starts and the epic handicap ramp roll in footage starts

Interesting shedding light on how things worked behind the scenes with the NFG owner and Spitfire before his departure, there was def rumors about him leaving and how it had something to do with shortages for awhile. Also weird how those NFG's are really white even in his footage and not the thumbnail. They are always naturally potato colored.

[slothrop]

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kinda humorous  when the heavy music starts and the epic handicap ramp roll in footage starts

[close]

Interesting shedding light on how things worked behind the scenes with the NFG owner and Spitfire before his departure, there was def rumors about him leaving and how it had something to do with shortages for awhile. Also weird how those NFG's are really white even in his footage and not the thumbnail. They are always naturally potato colored.

yeah i agree i actually have a exact set on the bench beside my computer was questioning why his were so white aswell.
wonder why NFG has never gone about making a team i know essentially loophole is that but still.

[Mbrimson88]

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kinda humorous  when the heavy music starts and the epic handicap ramp roll in footage starts

[close]

Interesting shedding light on how things worked behind the scenes with the NFG owner and Spitfire before his departure, there was def rumors about him leaving and how it had something to do with shortages for awhile. Also weird how those NFG's are really white even in his footage and not the thumbnail. They are always naturally potato colored.

[close]

yeah i agree i actually have a exact set on the bench beside my computer was questioning why his were so white aswell.
wonder why NFG has never gone about making a team i know essentially loophole is that but still.

That was an interesting watch.

Also feel like I have heard before that he didn't invent Formula Four, as they were in development years before, initially coming out in 2013 and he started working there in 2014 to improve production and assist with development of the product, but who knows exactly who, what, when, etc.  I am not one to get into the old "somebody said this, then someone else said that" type of thing, or push an agenda or perspective based on rumours, but if anyone had any more info, it would be interesting to hear it.

Either way, Spitfire Formula Four is an amazing wheel and from what I have heard and seen, NFG is making really good wheels as well, though I am yet to see any or actually skate them.

Bones seems to have fallen from where they were, maybe trying too hard to make a wheel that was more like Spitfire Formula Four, but either way, they had probably the best rolling, longest lasting wheel for a long, long time.

Then below that, there is everything else.

In saying that, contrary to his statement about fewer wheel brands now than ten years ago, I think there are still a lot of smaller wheel companies out there, but many shops are just not selling their wheels, as many more people are riding the wheels that work for them and anything else is second best.


As far as NFG having a team or anything, they are still such a small manufacturer, so there is no real option for much besides making the product and getting it out to whoever wants it, but as said, Loophole Wheels is almost more like their main (but not only) brand who do have a promo budget, team, etc.

[manysnakes]

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kinda humorous  when the heavy music starts and the epic handicap ramp roll in footage starts

[close]

Interesting shedding light on how things worked behind the scenes with the NFG owner and Spitfire before his departure, there was def rumors about him leaving and how it had something to do with shortages for awhile. Also weird how those NFG's are really white even in his footage and not the thumbnail. They are always naturally potato colored.

[close]

yeah i agree i actually have a exact set on the bench beside my computer was questioning why his were so white aswell.
wonder why NFG has never gone about making a team i know essentially loophole is that but still.

[close]

Also feel like I have heard before that he didn't invent Formula Four, as they were in development years before, initially coming out in 2013 and he started working there in 2014 to improve production and assist with development of the product, but who knows exactly who, what, when, etc.  I am not one to get into the old "somebody said this, then someone else said that" type of thing, or push an agenda or perspective based on rumours, but if anyone had any more info, it would be interesting to hear it.

Thing is, I doubt any one person "invented" the Spitfire Formula Four. It was a team of chemists. Still though - being a skater with a PhD in chemistry, specializing in polyurethane and working for DLX on the production of what's widely considered the best all around skateboard wheel ever made - are really all the credentials I could ever need to see.

[Mbrimson88]

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kinda humorous  when the heavy music starts and the epic handicap ramp roll in footage starts

[close]

Interesting shedding light on how things worked behind the scenes with the NFG owner and Spitfire before his departure, there was def rumors about him leaving and how it had something to do with shortages for awhile. Also weird how those NFG's are really white even in his footage and not the thumbnail. They are always naturally potato colored.

[close]

yeah i agree i actually have a exact set on the bench beside my computer was questioning why his were so white aswell.
wonder why NFG has never gone about making a team i know essentially loophole is that but still.

[close]

Also feel like I have heard before that he didn't invent Formula Four, as they were in development years before, initially coming out in 2013 and he started working there in 2014 to improve production and assist with development of the product, but who knows exactly who, what, when, etc.  I am not one to get into the old "somebody said this, then someone else said that" type of thing, or push an agenda or perspective based on rumours, but if anyone had any more info, it would be interesting to hear it.

[close]

Thing is, I doubt any one person "invented" the Spitfire Formula Four. It was a team of chemists. Still though - being a skater with a PhD in chemistry, specializing in polyurethane and working for DLX on the production of what's widely considered the best all around skateboard wheel ever made - are really all the credentials I could ever need to see.

Yeah I found it interesting to read the information on NFG and even the name - "No Fucks Given" - a result of some unhappiness there, so who knows exactly what went down, but at least now there is another decent wheel in production, even if it is in shorter supply, limited distribution and startup issues at first, the options for that alone with the 95 duro formula and the normal wheels in decent shapes is a plus for the skateboarding world.

[FrozenIndustries]

For those who have skated both the NFG 95a and 52d: How does the slide on the 95a compare? For some reason I remember someone posting that they actually slid better than the 52d, but now I can't find mention of it anywhere?

[Mbrimson88]

For those who have skated both the NFG 95a and 52d: How does the slide on the 95a compare? For some reason I remember someone posting that they actually slid better than the 52d, but now I can't find mention of it anywhere?

I think that might have been one person, but almost all have said the normal wheel option skates really well and slides exactly how you would expect them to (which from their instagram was said to "equate roughly to 103, even though the scale only goes up to 100" by whoever commented back from the NFG account).


That said, some other brands of harder duro wheels I have found just do not slide as well as some softer duro wheels, so as far as different batches or even different compounds, so I am sure there might be some things to iron out with the NFG production there as well.

Still never seen them or been in a position to buy a set, but people certainly are liking them a whole lot.

[Sundaynuggets]

For those who have skated both the NFG 95a and 52d: How does the slide on the 95a compare? For some reason I remember someone posting that they actually slid better than the 52d, but now I can't find mention of it anywhere?

I have one set of 95a Vee shape and have skated four sets of the 52d. The 52d urethane is inconsistent in how it slides, so some of those wheels slide better than the 95a and some worse, meaning they seem to grip more. One set of square shape slid great, the other were way grippier. I found the Vee shapes in the harder duro all seemed to slide the same or worse than the 95’s. The tear drop shape I tried was by far the grippiest of all (52d). Temperature seemed to have a drastic effect on the slide too as the same wheels would seem to slide different on hot or cold days. Maybe there was another factor I don’t understand but temp seemed to be the factor for me.

[FrozenIndustries]

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For those who have skated both the NFG 95a and 52d: How does the slide on the 95a compare? For some reason I remember someone posting that they actually slid better than the 52d, but now I can't find mention of it anywhere?

[close]

I have one set of 95a Vee shape and have skated four sets of the 52d. The 52d urethane is inconsistent in how it slides, so some of those wheels slide better than the 95a and some worse, meaning they seem to grip more. One set of square shape slid great, the other were way grippier. I found the Vee shapes in the harder duro all seemed to slide the same or worse than the 95’s. The tear drop shape I tried was by far the grippiest of all (52d). Temperature seemed to have a drastic effect on the slide too as the same wheels would seem to slide different on hot or cold days. Maybe there was another factor I don’t understand but temp seemed to be the factor for me.

Word, thank you. Maybe I got the idea from something you posted. I've skated two sets of the 52D wheels, both 56mm V-shape. I love how they perform rolling but the slide (from my experience) is not as good as an F4 or even a creative 99. Wanna give the 95 a shot.

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

My 56 v-cuts slide better than any other wheel I’ve ever owned, but yeah there are inconsistencies with their batches…

[FrozenIndustries]

My 56 v-cuts slide better than any other wheel I’ve ever owned, but yeah there are inconsistencies with their batches…

Word, still want to give the 95a go. Even if they don't slide super well, if they handle crust even better than the 52d I'm down.

[Crabby_Bastard]

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kinda humorous  when the heavy music starts and the epic handicap ramp roll in footage starts

[close]

Interesting shedding light on how things worked behind the scenes with the NFG owner and Spitfire before his departure, there was def rumors about him leaving and how it had something to do with shortages for awhile. Also weird how those NFG's are really white even in his footage and not the thumbnail. They are always naturally potato colored.

[close]

yeah i agree i actually have a exact set on the bench beside my computer was questioning why his were so white aswell.
wonder why NFG has never gone about making a team i know essentially loophole is that but still.

[close]

That was an interesting watch.

Also feel like I have heard before that he didn't invent Formula Four, as they were in development years before, initially coming out in 2013 and he started working there in 2014 to improve production and assist with development of the product, but who knows exactly who, what, when, etc.  I am not one to get into the old "somebody said this, then someone else said that" type of thing, or push an agenda or perspective based on rumours, but if anyone had any more info, it would be interesting to hear it.

This is accurate

[Sundaynuggets]

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For those who have skated both the NFG 95a and 52d: How does the slide on the 95a compare? For some reason I remember someone posting that they actually slid better than the 52d, but now I can't find mention of it anywhere?

[close]

I have one set of 95a Vee shape and have skated four sets of the 52d. The 52d urethane is inconsistent in how it slides, so some of those wheels slide better than the 95a and some worse, meaning they seem to grip more. One set of square shape slid great, the other were way grippier. I found the Vee shapes in the harder duro all seemed to slide the same or worse than the 95’s. The tear drop shape I tried was by far the grippiest of all (52d). Temperature seemed to have a drastic effect on the slide too as the same wheels would seem to slide different on hot or cold days. Maybe there was another factor I don’t understand but temp seemed to be the factor for me.

[close]

Word, thank you. Maybe I got the idea from something you posted. I've skated two sets of the 52D wheels, both 56mm V-shape. I love how they perform rolling but the slide (from my experience) is not as good as an F4 or even a creative 99. Wanna give the 95 a shot.

No problem!

Yeah the rolling is great! Iirc they got new equipment recently (think they did a gofundme) so maybe this will help with the consistency issues. I got all mine before that point, so I’m up to try them again if they get that slide consistent

[braksabbath]

Which shape for NFG/Loophole 52d? I already have Spitfire conical fulls in 97a, I like the wide surface area but get mad wheelbite from the square edges

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

Which shape for NFG/Loophole 52d? I already have Spitfire conical fulls in 97a, I like the wide surface area but get mad wheelbite from the square edges

square if you want a balance between the more techy teardrop and v-cut and like radial slims. V-cuts in 56mm are so good tho!

[LostBearings]

Went from lock-ins to radials and they're alright. Anybody know why spitfire discontinued lock-ins? Perhaps they have a shipment on backorder but damn that wheel felt so good.

[Mbrimson88]

Went from lock-ins to radials and they're alright. Anybody know why spitfire discontinued lock-ins? Perhaps they have a shipment on backorder but damn that wheel felt so good.

They are still on the lists, but there haven't seemed to be many (if any) out there, so I might go with shortages and having limited supply of materials, so they are making more of the highest sellers, or what was on the priority list of new wheels they were doing.

I think a lot of people are skating Tablets (the same as the lock in side) or Conical Full (the other more rounded side) so having an asymmetrical wheel was a little less of interest.

If either side is more of interest, one of those two wheels might be worthwhile looking at.

[rocklobster]

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Which shape for NFG/Loophole 52d? I already have Spitfire conical fulls in 97a, I like the wide surface area but get mad wheelbite from the square edges

[close]

square if you want a balance between the more techy teardrop and v-cut and like radial slims. V-cuts in 56mm are so good tho!

2 weeks in and I'm really liking the Square shape, I'm getting much better lock-ins on my grinds and my Nosegrinds have been longer than ever. Despite being almost 103a they are grippier than a Bones STF and feel way less plastic-y. Would have preferred them in 52mm for a lighter tech setup but 2mm isn't too great a step up.

Props to @Gray Imp Sausage Metal for being the biggest NFG advocate on here, Square is such a sick shape!

[Easy Slider]

I‘ve been eyeballing the SF F4 48mm Lil Smokies. Any opinions pro or con? I‘m on some Bones 100s at around 48mm atm. Thanks in advance.

[pops]

Went from lock-ins to radials and they're alright. Anybody know why spitfire discontinued lock-ins? Perhaps they have a shipment on backorder but damn that wheel felt so good.

I think lock-ins worked the best for 5050s, 5-0s, nosegrinds and smiths but for crooked grinds they felt weird due to the sharp and straight inner edge. I had the same problem with tablets. Conicals/Con Fulls have been the best all-around wheel for me.

[manysnakes]

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Which shape for NFG/Loophole 52d? I already have Spitfire conical fulls in 97a, I like the wide surface area but get mad wheelbite from the square edges

[close]

square if you want a balance between the more techy teardrop and v-cut and like radial slims. V-cuts in 56mm are so good tho!

[close]

2 weeks in and I'm really liking the Square shape, I'm getting much better lock-ins on my grinds and my Nosegrinds have been longer than ever. Despite being almost 103a they are grippier than a Bones STF and feel way less plastic-y. Would have preferred them in 52mm for a lighter tech setup but 2mm isn't too great a step up.

Props to @Gray Imp Sausage Metal for being the biggest NFG advocate on here, Square is such a sick shape!

I gotta say, it's amazing how much better of a 100a+ wheel this is than anything I've own by Bones. I swore off hard wheels after getting my fillings rattled loose on some 101a Bones, but these wheels, despite a harder durometer, skate much smoother and grip much better. It's great that NFG is offering something novel instead of another shrink-wrapped Creative Urethane product.

[FrozenIndustries]

I‘ve been eyeballing the SF F4 48mm Lil Smokies. Any opinions pro or con? I‘m on some Bones 100s at around 48mm atm. Thanks in advance.

Had the 50mm lil smokey tablets and they were the best small wheel I've ever skated. They handled rough ground really well  and lasted a while. Skated them until they were like 44/45.

[Easy Slider]

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I‘ve been eyeballing the SF F4 48mm Lil Smokies. Any opinions pro or con? I‘m on some Bones 100s at around 48mm atm. Thanks in advance.

[close]

Had the 50mm lil smokey tablets and they were the best small wheel I've ever skated. They handled rough ground really well  and lasted a while. Skated them until they were like 44/45.

Cheers, that makes it harder to resist buying them.

[LostBearings]

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Went from lock-ins to radials and they're alright. Anybody know why spitfire discontinued lock-ins? Perhaps they have a shipment on backorder but damn that wheel felt so good.

[close]

They are still on the lists, but there haven't seemed to be many (if any) out there, so I might go with shortages and having limited supply of materials, so they are making more of the highest sellers, or what was on the priority list of new wheels they were doing.

I think a lot of people are skating Tablets (the same as the lock in side) or Conical Full (the other more rounded side) so having an asymmetrical wheel was a little less of interest.

If either side is more of interest, one of those two wheels might be worthwhile looking at.

Thanks for the insight. I was looking for something with similar width/riding surface and radial is where I landed. I'll give some conical fulls a look next time I'm at the shop.

[Mbrimson88]

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I‘ve been eyeballing the SF F4 48mm Lil Smokies. Any opinions pro or con? I‘m on some Bones 100s at around 48mm atm. Thanks in advance.

[close]

Had the 50mm lil smokey tablets and they were the best small wheel I've ever skated. They handled rough ground really well  and lasted a while. Skated them until they were like 44/45.

[close]

Cheers, that makes it harder to resist buying them.

At least the benefit of the Lil Smokies is they are the Formula Four urethane for a budget price.

Lots of shapes and a few sizes from 48 up to 51 mm, as well as coming out in both 99 and 101 duros.


Anywhere that has them at the same Formula Four price as all the other wheels is marking them up too much, but it is up to you whether you pay budget prices or not, I guess mainly depending on what is available to you.

[deedohh]

  I am thinking of buying some of the NFG Grim 95a PTF Crust - 54mm Vee wheels and I wanna know about how hard it is.  I am currently skating 99a 53mm Conical Full and I have to skate home every day with a backpack.  When I am skating home I feel like every crack just hits so much harder.  So I already know I want a 54mm wheel, but I don't know if 95a is too soft.  Of course I like not feeling bumps, but I also like doing tricks and I don't like that really bouncy feeling you get when doing tricks on cruiser wheels.  I like a more kind of cushion feel where it feels like I am landing on a mattress, but without the bounce you get on a cruiser wheels.  I am also getting into power slides and I don't know if the 95a wheel is too soft to power slide since I only really know how 99a wheels feel.  I am more of a beginner only really knowing tricks up to kickflips and I wanna know if this wheel is still good for doing a little bit more techy tricks, without being too big and sticky.  I also wanna know if these in general are still good if I wanna continue to learn flip trips and stuff that requires moving my board around a bit more and also dealing with rails.  Any feedback is much apricated.  Thank You!!!!