Anyone else chime in on Spitfire F4 97 vs Bones X97’s ?
Which is faster on smooth parks?
Hard to say what I’m looking for.
(I expect both will handle crust as a given.. I went from Keyframes to F4s which is quite a big gap in feel but “close enough” for what I was looking for).
I haven't ridden them yet, but I've ridden Dragons which are the same formula but softer (they feel like ~97a to me when riding).
Compared to F4 97a...
Personally I found Dragons grip better on slick black top (but still slide), and slide better on every type of ground. It's crazy how well they slide on chunky ground. For what it's worth, I've slid out on F4 97a numerous times.
Dragons were also notably faster on pretty much every terrain, especially smooth ground. In terms of speed, Dragons feel like a 99a F4 on smooth ground, while F4 97a felt very sluggish to me. The lack of speed and ground slide killed F4 97a for me.
I think the F4 97a might have been slightly smoother of a ride, but its a toss up. F4 97a roll up/over cracks a little smoother and maintain speed in that way better. But overall on every surface dragons were faster for me.
They both bulldoze through pebbles. It's pretty awesome skating through a rocky alley and hearing pebbles spray against the walls on both sides of you. Was really impressed by both wheels in that regard. If you're going fast enough you probably won't eat shit due to a pebble.
I've heard people have weirdly different experiences than me with both of them... But for me it's night and day, Dragons take the cake.
I haven't ridden the Bones 97a... But I'm sure they're fine. Probably faster, but not as good for crusty cruising. If you live somewhere really crusty I would start with Dragons, get used to the slide for a week or two, and try something else if you really don't like it. Took me a solid week or two to adjust but it was worth it.
I've grown to appreciate the extra grip that keeps you from sliding out. I can really lean into reverts and such without worrying about going too far. You have to exert a bit more power, but you can be a bit more lazy overall and not really worry about slipping out as much.
Like others have said, its a bit sticky for grinds, but that is the only glaring downside. I don't have many grind spots around me, so I can't comment on that except for it definitely makes a squeaky friction sound if you crosslock a 50-50 and pinch it together. Definitely slows you down.