Gear madness support thread

[Ok]

Been going through some classic truck madness. I want the absolute best setup for 50-50 on circle rails. What would y’all suggest. I keep coming back to ventures specifically 6.1(but I don’t like the turn(which is probably why it locks so good)) I’m also using 99a 56 conical fulls. Any suggestions on a great lock-in truck and wheel combo?  I’m learning how to cross lock

thunder 151s, i liked the ones with the forged plate best.
56 is pushing it, you’ll get wheelbite. but the big conical fulls will help.
venture and thunder locked in better for me, than ace or indy.
 dont listen to me, i’ve never felt confident with a cross-locked 5050 on round bars. round bars scare me.

[Xen]

@rikki

On some days the bigger deck and wb feel perfect and solid. Then all of a sudden on some days it feels like a fucking boat and I can't seem to friggin' ollie it off the ground. Then I switch to the smaller deck and feel light and springy for a bit, especially on flat/curbs/etc.. And then I hit transitions and start to miss the longer deck and wb.

Deck size aside, I can't seem to figure out if Indys or Ventures are better for me. Some days the Indys feel great but then all of a sudden they feel soggy and I lose my pop. Ventures feel solid but some sessions feel off with regards to grinds and turns especially on tranny.

Is there a possible middle ground or should I just stop whining and just resort to riding two different setups depending on the spot/obstacles? Is the dream of an all-encompassing overall setup just a pipe dream?

Twinsies.

Sounds like you skate a lot of tranny, I would just pick a board for that purpose only (I always have); indys/slappy/aces, 8.5"+, 14.4+wb and 54mm wheels and call it a day.


8.5 and 149 indys feels great most of the time, but like you said other days it might as well be a tugboat. 8.25s and ventures feel great, then suddenly wtf, next day it feels too small.

This is why I've been trying to find that happy medium: 8.3s with average/14.25 WB...I just can't find one that works...ones with good shapes (FA, Primitive all have small wb...and most others are 14.3 and up and usually start getting too long). I'm trying to make an 8.3 hockey with a 14.125 wb work but feel the deck might be too short overall.

This is why I can't have nice things

This is also why I keep bouncing back to royals, they grind, turn, great height, pop, they work for everything (see above on a tranny board tho).

[plzdonthateme]

Hey,
I usually skate with an 8" 14wb deck, 52mm wheels, and loose Venture 5.2 HI standards. Recently, I've been experiencing what feels like ghost pop, and I'm considering making changes to my setup. I'm unsure if switching to Venture lows would help since I prefer loose trucks. Ventures hollow 52mm seems to fix this, but idk to be honest, if anyone else is skating with a similar setup or has any advice for me, I'd appreciate it.

[Ok]

Hey,
I usually skate with an 8" 14wb deck, 52mm wheels, and loose Venture 5.2 HI standards. Recently, I've been experiencing what feels like ghost pop, and I'm considering making changes to my setup. I'm unsure if switching to Venture lows would help since I prefer loose trucks. Ventures hollow 52mm seems to fix this, but idk to be honest, if anyone else is skating with a similar setup or has any advice for me, I'd appreciate it.

did the deck change? venture lo’s are great, but 52 mm wheels are difficult: wheelbite easily and aren’t large enough to roll over harsh surfaces. they remain my favorite trucks, because i can lazily pop an ollie.

venture hi’s with the forged baseplate might be your thing.

[Mbrimson88]

Expand Quote

Hey,
I usually skate with an 8" 14wb deck, 52mm wheels, and loose Venture 5.2 HI standards. Recently, I've been experiencing what feels like ghost pop, and I'm considering making changes to my setup. I'm unsure if switching to Venture lows would help since I prefer loose trucks. Ventures hollow 52mm seems to fix this, but idk to be honest, if anyone else is skating with a similar setup or has any advice for me, I'd appreciate it.

[close]

did the deck change? venture lo’s are great, but 52 mm wheels are difficult: wheelbite easily and aren’t large enough to roll over harsh surfaces. they remain my favorite trucks, because i can lazily pop an ollie.

venture hi’s with the forged baseplate might be your thing.

Or you getting old and lazy and not bending those knees enough??

Had that happen a whole lot and had to reconfigure myself, not my setup to make sure I got down low enough to get the board off the ground enough, etc.

Not that it is a be all and end all, but I think that could be more relevant than changing up a board that used to work well but now feels different, or you are having issues with.

I got a more mellow board to accommodate my lazy ass, which works well and I prefer it, even though I can't get as high off the ground anymore, but I never was going to ollie over tennis court nets like some people I know, so I am ok with that.

Bending, stretching, squats, etc have really helped.

[Xen]

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Expand Quote

Hey,
I usually skate with an 8" 14wb deck, 52mm wheels, and loose Venture 5.2 HI standards. Recently, I've been experiencing what feels like ghost pop, and I'm considering making changes to my setup. I'm unsure if switching to Venture lows would help since I prefer loose trucks. Ventures hollow 52mm seems to fix this, but idk to be honest, if anyone else is skating with a similar setup or has any advice for me, I'd appreciate it.

[close]

did the deck change? venture lo’s are great, but 52 mm wheels are difficult: wheelbite easily and aren’t large enough to roll over harsh surfaces. they remain my favorite trucks, because i can lazily pop an ollie.

venture hi’s with the forged baseplate might be your thing.

[close]

Or you getting old and lazy and not bending those knees enough??

I got a more mellow board to accommodate my lazy ass, which works well and I prefer it, even though I can't get as high off the ground anymore, but I never was going to ollie over tennis court nets like some people I know, so I am ok with that.

Bending, stretching, squats, etc have really helped.

I was riding a mellow flat toy machine twin with indys and x99s it was boaty, and heavy, and it made me lazy as hell, I just shifted how I skated; fun for kicking back and slappies tho.

Steep deck, non-indy-style trucks and harder wheels and I get on point, because I have too.

[rikki]

Thanks for the replies and support pals, appreciate your input and the general feeling of politeness, respect and sense of humour here on this board. Yeah, the clouds won't go away if I yell at them. Man, it'd be scary if that happened all of a sudden.

I think it's been inevitable and I've known it all along subconsciously -- probably gonna try to embrace two main setups, one for street/ledges/better pop and the other one for more transition-based skating. Just have to swallow my pride to acknowledge that with the tranny setup I won't be able to do everything that I can do on the lighter setup. I'm not 26 years old with kangaroo pop anymore (as if I ever had the latter).

What's more actually, I think it's easier for an old fart to push their "tech" setup to cover more bases on bigger trannies than vice versa. Yesterday I dropped into my local bowl with my DLX True Fit and had great old time. Just gotta observe the young rippers, they rip trannies on matchsticks and go back to hardflip nose grinds on ledges in 30 seconds.

I fucking love skateboarding to no end and all this madness is really a kind of an enjoyable version of the Stockholm syndrome, if you will.

[Sedition]

I fucking love skateboarding to no end and all this madness is really a kind of an enjoyable version of the Stockholm syndrome, if you will.

/end thread

[plzdonthateme]

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Hey,
I usually skate with an 8" 14wb deck, 52mm wheels, and loose Venture 5.2 HI standards. Recently, I've been experiencing what feels like ghost pop, and I'm considering making changes to my setup. I'm unsure if switching to Venture lows would help since I prefer loose trucks. Ventures hollow 52mm seems to fix this, but idk to be honest, if anyone else is skating with a similar setup or has any advice for me, I'd appreciate it.

[close]

did the deck change? venture lo’s are great, but 52 mm wheels are difficult: wheelbite easily and aren’t large enough to roll over harsh surfaces. they remain my favorite trucks, because i can lazily pop an ollie.

venture hi’s with the forged baseplate might be your thing.

[close]

Or you getting old and lazy and not bending those knees enough??

Had that happen a whole lot and had to reconfigure myself, not my setup to make sure I got down low enough to get the board off the ground enough, etc.

Not that it is a be all and end all, but I think that could be more relevant than changing up a board that used to work well but now feels different, or you are having issues with.

I got a more mellow board to accommodate my lazy ass, which works well and I prefer it, even though I can't get as high off the ground anymore, but I never was going to ollie over tennis court nets like some people I know, so I am ok with that.

Bending, stretching, squats, etc have really helped.

I'm just a 22 yo individual. I think, or at least hope, I'm not classified as 'old.' But yeah, sometimes I get feelings that I'm too lazy to pop. Especially on 360 flips, I've started noticing that there's too much space between my tail and the ground, and I feel like I need to scoop/pop more. It feels uncomfortable and unstable.
I'll try ventures with forged baseplates and go up to 8.1 deck, to eliminate unstable factor; maybe that will fix the issue. Thanks.

[Ok]

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Hey,
I usually skate with an 8" 14wb deck, 52mm wheels, and loose Venture 5.2 HI standards. Recently, I've been experiencing what feels like ghost pop, and I'm considering making changes to my setup. I'm unsure if switching to Venture lows would help since I prefer loose trucks. Ventures hollow 52mm seems to fix this, but idk to be honest, if anyone else is skating with a similar setup or has any advice for me, I'd appreciate it.

[close]

did the deck change? venture lo’s are great, but 52 mm wheels are difficult: wheelbite easily and aren’t large enough to roll over harsh surfaces. they remain my favorite trucks, because i can lazily pop an ollie.

venture hi’s with the forged baseplate might be your thing.

[close]

Or you getting old and lazy and not bending those knees enough??

Had that happen a whole lot and had to reconfigure myself, not my setup to make sure I got down low enough to get the board off the ground enough, etc.

Not that it is a be all and end all, but I think that could be more relevant than changing up a board that used to work well but now feels different, or you are having issues with.

I got a more mellow board to accommodate my lazy ass, which works well and I prefer it, even though I can't get as high off the ground anymore, but I never was going to ollie over tennis court nets like some people I know, so I am ok with that.

Bending, stretching, squats, etc have really helped.

[close]

I'm just a 22 yo individual. I think, or at least hope, I'm not classified as 'old.' But yeah, sometimes I get feelings that I'm too lazy to pop. Especially on 360 flips, I've started noticing that there's too much space between my tail and the ground, and I feel like I need to scoop/pop more. It feels uncomfortable and unstable.
I'll try ventures with forged baseplates and go up to 8.1 deck, to eliminate unstable factor; maybe that will fix the issue. Thanks.

possibly try tightening your trucks. tighter trucks give
me better pop

[OhioGuy]

Feel like I'm fully cured now. Cause YouTube keeps recommending me gear madness stuff and I find it cringe now. Like I feel bad for the skaters driving themselves crazy switching out trucks every few weeks.

[malevy]

Having a slight crisis and not sure what the next step I should take

Have/had 3 set-ups

Setup 1
Foy Twin 8.5 x 31.9 14.25 wheelbase
Indy Hollows 144

Setup 2
Crail 8.5 Twin Tip 8.5 x 31.8 14 wheelbase
Thunder Titanium 159

Old Setup
Shop board 8.5 x 32.25 14.375 wheelbase
Indy Hollows 144

So far I've liked the shop board the most but wish it were a twin. Now I'm thinking about getting a set of Indy 149s and building another setup with a new shop board but don't know if there's going to be any noticeable differences between the 144s and the 149s. Ultimately I'd like just one do it all set up but not sure if a twin shape is more important than not

[manysnakes]

Feel like I'm fully cured now. Cause YouTube keeps recommending me gear madness stuff and I find it cringe now. Like I feel bad for the skaters driving themselves crazy switching out trucks every few weeks.

I don't think I was ever as deep as a lot of people here, but there was a time a few years ago when I got a new job and was making more money than ever, and skate shit was cheaper than it was in the 90s, and I got a little crazy buying and trying new stuff. Last year, I resolved to buy only the basics, on an as-needed basis. I broke the rule twice and both times ended up with shoes that didn't fit, so I learned my lesson. This year I haven't bought a single thing (except for a $15 complete at the thrift store) and I can't imagine that'll change. Definitely the fire is out and I am fully in "run what you brung" mode.

[OhioGuy]

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Feel like I'm fully cured now. Cause YouTube keeps recommending me gear madness stuff and I find it cringe now. Like I feel bad for the skaters driving themselves crazy switching out trucks every few weeks.

[close]

I don't think I was ever as deep as a lot of people here, but there was a time a few years ago when I got a new job and was making money than ever, and skate shit was cheaper than it was in the 90s, and I got a little crazy buying and trying new stuff. Last year, I resolved to buy only the basics, on an as-needed basis. I broke the rule twice and both times ended up with shoes that didn't fit, so I learned my lesson. This year I haven't bought a single thing (except for a $15 complete at the thrift store) and I can't imagine that'll change. Definitely the fire is out and I am fully in "run what you brung" mode.

Yeah that's what got me. I had tons of money to blow and no hobbies. Compared to gaming, skateboarding is cheap and I found myself just buying shit. I've slipped up this year with shoes, and now I have some Wair Max I'll never skate. My setup is decided though.

[manysnakes]

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Feel like I'm fully cured now. Cause YouTube keeps recommending me gear madness stuff and I find it cringe now. Like I feel bad for the skaters driving themselves crazy switching out trucks every few weeks.

[close]

I don't think I was ever as deep as a lot of people here, but there was a time a few years ago when I got a new job and was making money than ever, and skate shit was cheaper than it was in the 90s, and I got a little crazy buying and trying new stuff. Last year, I resolved to buy only the basics, on an as-needed basis. I broke the rule twice and both times ended up with shoes that didn't fit, so I learned my lesson. This year I haven't bought a single thing (except for a $15 complete at the thrift store) and I can't imagine that'll change. Definitely the fire is out and I am fully in "run what you brung" mode.

[close]

Yeah that's what got me. I had tons of money to blow and no hobbies. Compared to gaming, skateboarding is cheap and I found myself just buying shit. I've slipped up this year with shoes, and now I have some Wair Max I'll never skate. My setup is decided though.

Same, and hilariously, my setup is not much different from what I had when I started accumulating.

[Scottboarding]

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Feel like I'm fully cured now. Cause YouTube keeps recommending me gear madness stuff and I find it cringe now. Like I feel bad for the skaters driving themselves crazy switching out trucks every few weeks.

[close]

I don't think I was ever as deep as a lot of people here, but there was a time a few years ago when I got a new job and was making money than ever, and skate shit was cheaper than it was in the 90s, and I got a little crazy buying and trying new stuff. Last year, I resolved to buy only the basics, on an as-needed basis. I broke the rule twice and both times ended up with shoes that didn't fit, so I learned my lesson. This year I haven't bought a single thing (except for a $15 complete at the thrift store) and I can't imagine that'll change. Definitely the fire is out and I am fully in "run what you brung" mode.

[close]

Yeah that's what got me. I had tons of money to blow and no hobbies. Compared to gaming, skateboarding is cheap and I found myself just buying shit. I've slipped up this year with shoes, and now I have some Wair Max I'll never skate. My setup is decided though.

I stopped skating for a little over a year and when I got back into it I had some madness mixed with curiosity about gear I hadn't skated before. My other hobby is photography which is way more expensive than skateboarding so I ran into the same problem of just buying anything and everything. It's easy not to impulse buy an $800 lens but $40-50 for a set of trucks or wheels is so hard to say no to.

[Ok]

i used to drink. a lot.
paying $50 for a set of trucks feels like nothing in comparison to going out and spending it all.

it’s not so much the money, but the confusion of not knowing what to ride, out of the tangle of parts, that’s the worst.

i am so far from the dock, barely treading water.
skated a G053, thunder 149s, AND 55 DRAGONS. worked better than anything else i’ve tried recently, but was heavy as hell, and i am still so skating so badly i can’t justify spending another dollar on it.

[moonordie]

Lately my madness has been wheels.
Dial Tones conical 53
Came back to my CF 53
Changed to lock in full 54
Went to X99 V5
Came back to CF 53
Want classics 53 badly.

All of this in less than 2 months.

[rikki]

X99 54mm's have cured my wheel madness as of late.

Still doesn't keep me from repeatedly buying new sets of various kinds of wheels.

[rocklobster]

I can't recall who on here said it but I'll paraphrase - do you have gear madness or do you just enjoy shopping?

I definitely stocked up on too many decks on a whim of a shape (Clutch O, twins, decks with inserts) and only stopped when I decided to stick to twins. Madness is only worth it if you actively test the setups you buy to figure out your deck / truck / wheel preferences, and have a honest assessment of your skill ceiling ("I always struggled with 360 flips and x piece of gear isn't going to change that").

Skate madness is definitely cheaper than car / bike / guitar / camera madness by a mile, but staring at stacks of unskated gear is stressful and reminds me of money that could have been better spent elsewhere.

[Xen]

I can't recall who on here said it but I'll paraphrase - do you have gear madness or do you just enjoy shopping?

Both? But it's not about the purchase persay, it's about the purchase working out (madness).

My madness is how I want the board to feel - the greater sum of it's parts - I want it to feel like the extension it should be, if something is off, everything is off.

[Zane]

First madness of my life; went through too many wheels within the span of two months.

Started off with wanting to try Dragons after riding Spitfire F4 for as long as they've been around. Bought the 54mm V4 Dragons and loved them at first. Spot to spot was so much faster, and I liked the rebound. They definitely don't slide as well as everyone wants you to believe. Especially felt it on flat ground tricks that required a little bit of a revert (backslide flips, 360s, etc). Went back to Spitfire F4, but tried the OG classics in 52mm 99a. Hated them. Square edge threw off all my flat ground tricks, and they felt super rough riding from spot to spot. Went back to Dragons, but this time the 52mm V1, hoping that the smaller wheel would revert better. They didn't. Went to Spitfire F4 Classics in 97a hoping that it would be a good middle ground. They were okay honestly. Definitely prefer a round edge wheel, but they still were a little sticky for my taste. They were good for 90% of things, and my flat ground improved, but still not "it". Finally landed back on Spitfire F4, but this time 54mm 99a Radials. Hoping the slightly wider wheel helps smoothen things, while having the slide of the 99a duro, and the round edge for flat ground.

[OhioGuy]

Oh it’s certainly a shopping addiction too. All my spare decks used to bother me, but they’re just wood and if you store them properly they’ll last for years. Just set up a Tactics deck I grabbed in 2022 and it’s fine. Not as good as my g053s, but I wanted to get rid of it.

Now I worry about shoes cause I’ve seen some fall apart online. But I hope that takes YEARS, like over three at least. One sucky thing about wearing size 14 is I basically have no one to give them too. May have to find some tall Slap members to dump them on one day lol

[rocklobster]

Oh it’s certainly a shopping addiction too. All my spare decks used to bother me, but they’re just wood and if you store them properly they’ll last for years. Just set up a Tactics deck I grabbed in 2022 and it’s fine. Not as good as my g053s, but I wanted to get rid of it.

Now I worry about shoes cause I’ve seen some fall apart online. But I hope that takes YEARS, like over three at least. One sucky thing about wearing size 14 is I basically have no one to give them too. May have to find some tall Slap members to dump them on one day lol

If you're in the US shoes will last a long time, got a few pairs of NB 868 from a Pal on here which have to be at least 5-6 years old and they're holding up just fine (knock on wood). But they heat and humidity of the tropics wrecks the glue and foam on shoes.

[moonordie]

First madness of my life; went through too many wheels within the span of two months.

Started off with wanting to try Dragons after riding Spitfire F4 for as long as they've been around. Bought the 54mm V4 Dragons and loved them at first. Spot to spot was so much faster, and I liked the rebound. They definitely don't slide as well as everyone wants you to believe. Especially felt it on flat ground tricks that required a little bit of a revert (backslide flips, 360s, etc). Went back to Spitfire F4, but tried the OG classics in 52mm 99a. Hated them. Square edge threw off all my flat ground tricks, and they felt super rough riding from spot to spot. Went back to Dragons, but this time the 52mm V1, hoping that the smaller wheel would revert better. They didn't. Went to Spitfire F4 Classics in 97a hoping that it would be a good middle ground. They were okay honestly. Definitely prefer a round edge wheel, but they still were a little sticky for my taste. They were good for 90% of things, and my flat ground improved, but still not "it". Finally landed back on Spitfire F4, but this time 54mm 99a Radials. Hoping the slightly wider wheel helps smoothen things, while having the slide of the 99a duro, and the round edge for flat ground.

And then probably it will happen the same that's happening to me: you'll want classics

[Ok]

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First madness of my life; went through too many wheels within the span of two months.

Started off with wanting to try Dragons after riding Spitfire F4 for as long as they've been around. Bought the 54mm V4 Dragons and loved them at first. Spot to spot was so much faster, and I liked the rebound. They definitely don't slide as well as everyone wants you to believe. Especially felt it on flat ground tricks that required a little bit of a revert (backslide flips, 360s, etc). Went back to Spitfire F4, but tried the OG classics in 52mm 99a. Hated them. Square edge threw off all my flat ground tricks, and they felt super rough riding from spot to spot. Went back to Dragons, but this time the 52mm V1, hoping that the smaller wheel would revert better. They didn't. Went to Spitfire F4 Classics in 97a hoping that it would be a good middle ground. They were okay honestly. Definitely prefer a round edge wheel, but they still were a little sticky for my taste. They were good for 90% of things, and my flat ground improved, but still not "it". Finally landed back on Spitfire F4, but this time 54mm 99a Radials. Hoping the slightly wider wheel helps smoothen things, while having the slide of the 99a duro, and the round edge for flat ground.

[close]

And then probably it will happen the same that's happening to me: you'll want classics

classics are the best.

dragons do not slide very well, in my experience. i just want them to slide on downhill speed checks, and for me, they do not. dragons do feel excellent for my old joints/bones, and pushing to and fro is lovely.

i’ve been skating 52 v1 x97s and they are nice. haven’t taken them down a fast hill yet.

i’ve been contemplating skating a set of 55 dragons, for transportation, and then once at the skatepark, changing to 52 classic f4s.
feels precious.

[OhioGuy]

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Oh it’s certainly a shopping addiction too. All my spare decks used to bother me, but they’re just wood and if you store them properly they’ll last for years. Just set up a Tactics deck I grabbed in 2022 and it’s fine. Not as good as my g053s, but I wanted to get rid of it.

Now I worry about shoes cause I’ve seen some fall apart online. But I hope that takes YEARS, like over three at least. One sucky thing about wearing size 14 is I basically have no one to give them too. May have to find some tall Slap members to dump them on one day lol

[close]

If you're in the US shoes will last a long time, got a few pairs of NB 868 from a Pal on here which have to be at least 5-6 years old and they're holding up just fine (knock on wood). But they heat and humidity of the tropics wrecks the glue and foam on shoes.

That’s good to hear. I’m in the US and keep my shoes in a chill/dark closet.

[RichardBarkley]

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First madness of my life; went through too many wheels within the span of two months.

Started off with wanting to try Dragons after riding Spitfire F4 for as long as they've been around. Bought the 54mm V4 Dragons and loved them at first. Spot to spot was so much faster, and I liked the rebound. They definitely don't slide as well as everyone wants you to believe. Especially felt it on flat ground tricks that required a little bit of a revert (backslide flips, 360s, etc). Went back to Spitfire F4, but tried the OG classics in 52mm 99a. Hated them. Square edge threw off all my flat ground tricks, and they felt super rough riding from spot to spot. Went back to Dragons, but this time the 52mm V1, hoping that the smaller wheel would revert better. They didn't. Went to Spitfire F4 Classics in 97a hoping that it would be a good middle ground. They were okay honestly. Definitely prefer a round edge wheel, but they still were a little sticky for my taste. They were good for 90% of things, and my flat ground improved, but still not "it". Finally landed back on Spitfire F4, but this time 54mm 99a Radials. Hoping the slightly wider wheel helps smoothen things, while having the slide of the 99a duro, and the round edge for flat ground.

[close]

And then probably it will happen the same that's happening to me: you'll want classics

[close]

classics are the best.

dragons do not slide very well, in my experience. i just want them to slide on downhill speed checks, and for me, they do not. dragons do feel excellent for my old joints/bones, and pushing to and fro is lovely.

i’ve been skating 52 v1 x97s and they are nice. haven’t taken them down a fast hill yet.

i’ve been contemplating skating a set of 55 dragons, for transportation, and then once at the skatepark, changing to 52 classic f4s.
feels precious.

Yeah I love my dragons but they really stick on slides.

For my knees I don't want to go back to 99 f4

So I was thinking of picking up some X97s tomorrow. Do they slide better than the dragons ?

[Ok]

i have only skated the x97s on asphalt for flatground and they were very enjoyable. dont know how they slide downhill tho. tbf dragons are also enjoyable in this semi rough parking lot

[JM]

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First madness of my life; went through too many wheels within the span of two months.

Started off with wanting to try Dragons after riding Spitfire F4 for as long as they've been around. Bought the 54mm V4 Dragons and loved them at first. Spot to spot was so much faster, and I liked the rebound. They definitely don't slide as well as everyone wants you to believe. Especially felt it on flat ground tricks that required a little bit of a revert (backslide flips, 360s, etc). Went back to Spitfire F4, but tried the OG classics in 52mm 99a. Hated them. Square edge threw off all my flat ground tricks, and they felt super rough riding from spot to spot. Went back to Dragons, but this time the 52mm V1, hoping that the smaller wheel would revert better. They didn't. Went to Spitfire F4 Classics in 97a hoping that it would be a good middle ground. They were okay honestly. Definitely prefer a round edge wheel, but they still were a little sticky for my taste. They were good for 90% of things, and my flat ground improved, but still not "it". Finally landed back on Spitfire F4, but this time 54mm 99a Radials. Hoping the slightly wider wheel helps smoothen things, while having the slide of the 99a duro, and the round edge for flat ground.

[close]

And then probably it will happen the same that's happening to me: you'll want classics

[close]

classics are the best.

dragons do not slide very well, in my experience. i just want them to slide on downhill speed checks, and for me, they do not. dragons do feel excellent for my old joints/bones, and pushing to and fro is lovely.

i’ve been skating 52 v1 x97s and they are nice. haven’t taken them down a fast hill yet.

i’ve been contemplating skating a set of 55 dragons, for transportation, and then once at the skatepark, changing to 52 classic f4s.
feels precious.

Really interested in your experience downhill with x97’s.

And get two sets of bearings and just quick-switch the wheels out