Wheels Thread

[Diocletian]

What’s the deal with bones 100s are they the same as a spitfire classic basically? The 100s are only $25 even at locals and I’ve never tried them but if they don’t flat spot super fast I’ll pick them up.

[jay_nev]

87a keyframes feel good.

thats what I’m going for next

[Sundaynuggets]

Why doesn’t spitfire make a decent wheel <99a? Haven’t heard one positive review of the chargers

Good question, I just tried a set of chargers after swearing off of them a couple years ago (tried three pairs and hated them. Slow and wobbly) . The new ones lasted two/three sessions before the inner core separated from the urethane and sank into the wheel.

Contacted Spitfire and their customer service is fantastic. They are sending me some F4’s to replace them this week

[ohthembones]

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Why doesn’t spitfire make a decent wheel <99a? Haven’t heard one positive review of the chargers

[close]

Been wanting this too. Would like to try a 92a or 87a but the only thing mildly appealing are some smls. Any one have a good wheel they can recommend in that duro? Currently on f4 99 classics.

The SML 92A 54mm really are the best thing I've ever tried in that low 90's range. Spitfire Soft D's 92A (now discontinued) were terrible and Oj's 92A's are horribly slow. If you want a little harder than that the Powell 97A 54mm Ripper wheels are pretty nice, unlike the Slimeballs 97A which didn't handle rough streets any differently than a 99A in my experience with them.

As for the mid to low 80's, I'm currently riding the Bones ATF Rough Riders and the Soft-Slides 86A, although both are a bit too large (56mm) and wide to be something I'll stick with. The regular V1 shaped Bones ATF's are nice too if you want something with a thinner shape, I wish they offered them in a conical shape that wasn't as wide as Rough Riders or Soft-Slides. Keyframes are nice and fast but manufactured so poorly they often cone, chip and chunk then fall apart on me almost as fast as Spitfire 80HD's do. I hated reversing Keyframes since the bearing core isn't truly center-set and the inside of the wheel doesn't have smoothed conical edges, it's all sharp and often has air bubbles so any contact against curbs etc and they fall apart fast for me! I had a really good experience with Acid Chemical Co Pods 55mm 86A. As fast as Keyframes but made in the USA and lasted much longer! I'm trying to stick with all 54mm's though (wheel OCD) so I'm still on the search for my perfect mid and low 80's wheel.

Ricta just re-designed their Cloud series adding a chrome-core and making the shape a bit more of the traditional conical one. I ordered three 54mm sets, one in 92A, 86A and 78A so my whole soft wheel outlook may be changing really soon depending on how those perform. 

...and after all that you really can't go wrong with the Sml 92A. Easily the best all-around wheel I've ever skated.

[Sundaynuggets]

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Why doesn’t spitfire make a decent wheel <99a? Haven’t heard one positive review of the chargers

[close]

Been wanting this too. Would like to try a 92a or 87a but the only thing mildly appealing are some smls. Any one have a good wheel they can recommend in that duro? Currently on f4 99 classics.

[close]

The SML 92A 54mm really are the best thing I've ever tried in that low 90's range. Spitfire Soft D's 92A (now discontinued) were terrible and Oj's 92A's are horribly slow. If you want a little harder than that the Powell 97A 54mm Ripper wheels are pretty nice, unlike the Slimeballs 97A which didn't handle rough streets any differently than a 99A in my experience with them.

As for the mid to low 80's, I'm currently riding the Bones ATF Rough Riders and the Soft-Slides 86A, although both are a bit too large (56mm) and wide to be something I'll stick with. The regular V1 shaped Bones ATF's are nice too if you want something with a thinner shape, I wish they offered them in a conical shape that wasn't as wide as Rough Riders or Soft-Slides. Keyframes are nice and fast but manufactured so poorly they often cone, chip and chunk then fall apart on me almost as fast as Spitfire 80HD's do. I hated reversing Keyframes since the bearing core isn't truly center-set and the inside of the wheel doesn't have smoothed conical edges, it's all sharp and often has air bubbles so any contact against curbs etc and they fall apart fast for me! I had a really good experience with Acid Chemical Co Pods 55mm 86A. As fast as Keyframes but made in the USA and lasted much longer! I'm trying to stick with all 54mm's though (wheel OCD) so I'm still on the search for my perfect mid and low 80's wheel.

Ricta just re-designed their Cloud series adding a chrome-core and making the shape a bit more of the traditional conical one. I ordered three 54mm sets, one in 92A, 86A and 78A so my whole soft wheel outlook may be changing really soon depending on how those perform. 

...and after all that you really can't go wrong with the Sml 92A. Easily the best all-around wheel I've ever skated.

Interesting! Are the Ricta chrome cores a different shape than their normal Ricta clouds? I have the normal Clouds in 54mm and they are probably the best all purpose soft (78a) wheels I’ve tried (Oj super juice minis are also great, just wider so faster than Rictas but harder to do flip and ledge trucks with)

[Big Baby Jesus]

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Why doesn’t spitfire make a decent wheel <99a? Haven’t heard one positive review of the chargers

[close]

Been wanting this too. Would like to try a 92a or 87a but the only thing mildly appealing are some smls. Any one have a good wheel they can recommend in that duro? Currently on f4 99 classics.

[close]

The SML 92A 54mm really are the best thing I've ever tried in that low 90's range. Spitfire Soft D's 92A (now discontinued) were terrible and Oj's 92A's are horribly slow. If you want a little harder than that the Powell 97A 54mm Ripper wheels are pretty nice, unlike the Slimeballs 97A which didn't handle rough streets any differently than a 99A in my experience with them.

As for the mid to low 80's, I'm currently riding the Bones ATF Rough Riders and the Soft-Slides 86A, although both are a bit too large (56mm) and wide to be something I'll stick with. The regular V1 shaped Bones ATF's are nice too if you want something with a thinner shape, I wish they offered them in a conical shape that wasn't as wide as Rough Riders or Soft-Slides. Keyframes are nice and fast but manufactured so poorly they often cone, chip and chunk then fall apart on me almost as fast as Spitfire 80HD's do. I hated reversing Keyframes since the bearing core isn't truly center-set and the inside of the wheel doesn't have smoothed conical edges, it's all sharp and often has air bubbles so any contact against curbs etc and they fall apart fast for me! I had a really good experience with Acid Chemical Co Pods 55mm 86A. As fast as Keyframes but made in the USA and lasted much longer! I'm trying to stick with all 54mm's though (wheel OCD) so I'm still on the search for my perfect mid and low 80's wheel.

Ricta just re-designed their Cloud series adding a chrome-core and making the shape a bit more of the traditional conical one. I ordered three 54mm sets, one in 92A, 86A and 78A so my whole soft wheel outlook may be changing really soon depending on how those perform. 

...and after all that you really can't go wrong with the Sml 92A. Easily the best all-around wheel I've ever skated.

+1

I'm sold on the smls. I'll let you know what I think when they come in.

[ohthembones]

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Why doesn’t spitfire make a decent wheel <99a? Haven’t heard one positive review of the chargers

[close]

Been wanting this too. Would like to try a 92a or 87a but the only thing mildly appealing are some smls. Any one have a good wheel they can recommend in that duro? Currently on f4 99 classics.

[close]

 The SML 92A 54mm really are the best thing I've ever tried in that low 90's range. Spitfire Soft D's 92A (now discontinued) were terrible and Oj's 92A's are horribly slow. If you want a little harder than that the Powell 97A 54mm Ripper wheels are pretty nice, unlike the Slimeballs 97A which didn't handle rough streets any differently than a 99A in my experience with them.

As for the mid to low 80's, I'm currently riding the Bones ATF Rough Riders and the Soft-Slides 86A, although both are a bit too large (56mm) and wide to be something I'll stick with. The regular V1 shaped Bones ATF's are nice too if you want something with a thinner shape, I wish they offered them in a conical shape that wasn't as wide as Rough Riders or Soft-Slides. Keyframes are nice and fast but manufactured so poorly they often cone, chip and chunk then fall apart on me almost as fast as Spitfire 80HD's do. I hated reversing Keyframes since the bearing core isn't truly center-set and the inside of the wheel doesn't have smoothed conical edges, it's all sharp and often has air bubbles so any contact against curbs etc and they fall apart fast for me! I had a really good experience with Acid Chemical Co Pods 55mm 86A. As fast as Keyframes but made in the USA and lasted much longer! I'm trying to stick with all 54mm's though (wheel OCD) so I'm still on the search for my perfect mid and low 80's wheel.

Ricta just re-designed their Cloud series adding a chrome-core and making the shape a bit more of the traditional conical one. I ordered three 54mm sets, one in 92A, 86A and 78A so my whole soft wheel outlook may be changing really soon depending on how those perform. 

...and after all that you really can't go wrong with the Sml 92A. Easily the best all-around wheel I've ever skated.

[close]

Interesting! Are the Ricta chrome cores a different shape than their normal Ricta clouds? I have the normal Clouds in 54mm and they are probably the best all purpose soft (78a) wheels I’ve tried (Oj super juice minis are also great, just wider so faster than Rictas but harder to do flip and ledge trucks with)

From the online photos I've seen of the different angles they look a little bit different. More conical, comparable to the Rapido Wides and slightly less rounded. They look to be shaped and machined exactly the same on both sides too, the previous versions have slight differences. Hopefully the 86A versions have a truly center-set core now as well. The photos on the Skatewarehouse site https://www.skatewarehouse.com/Ricta_Skateboard_Wheels/catpage-WHRICTA.html show the different angles pretty well. I'll post photos of them when they get here. I'm in Okinawa though so they're gonna take a week or four to get here.

I have some Mini-Juices too. Great for going over the sewer grates here but just a bit too wide for my liking and once again, the bearings aren't center-set for some reason.

[ohthembones]

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Why doesn’t spitfire make a decent wheel <99a? Haven’t heard one positive review of the chargers

[close]

Been wanting this too. Would like to try a 92a or 87a but the only thing mildly appealing are some smls. Any one have a good wheel they can recommend in that duro? Currently on f4 99 classics.

[close]

The SML 92A 54mm really are the best thing I've ever tried in that low 90's range. Spitfire Soft D's 92A (now discontinued) were terrible and Oj's 92A's are horribly slow. If you want a little harder than that the Powell 97A 54mm Ripper wheels are pretty nice, unlike the Slimeballs 97A which didn't handle rough streets any differently than a 99A in my experience with them.

As for the mid to low 80's, I'm currently riding the Bones ATF Rough Riders and the Soft-Slides 86A, although both are a bit too large (56mm) and wide to be something I'll stick with. The regular V1 shaped Bones ATF's are nice too if you want something with a thinner shape, I wish they offered them in a conical shape that wasn't as wide as Rough Riders or Soft-Slides. Keyframes are nice and fast but manufactured so poorly they often cone, chip and chunk then fall apart on me almost as fast as Spitfire 80HD's do. I hated reversing Keyframes since the bearing core isn't truly center-set and the inside of the wheel doesn't have smoothed conical edges, it's all sharp and often has air bubbles so any contact against curbs etc and they fall apart fast for me! I had a really good experience with Acid Chemical Co Pods 55mm 86A. As fast as Keyframes but made in the USA and lasted much longer! I'm trying to stick with all 54mm's though (wheel OCD) so I'm still on the search for my perfect mid and low 80's wheel.

Ricta just re-designed their Cloud series adding a chrome-core and making the shape a bit more of the traditional conical one. I ordered three 54mm sets, one in 92A, 86A and 78A so my whole soft wheel outlook may be changing really soon depending on how those perform. 

...and after all that you really can't go wrong with the Sml 92A. Easily the best all-around wheel I've ever skated.

[close]

+1

I'm sold on the smls. I'll let you know what I think when they come in.

If someone said I could only skate one wheel for the rest of my skating days, those Sml 92A's would be my current pick. Jack of all trades, master of none but they're actually fast (unlike most 92A wheels) and I can actually skate pretty much any terrain well on them. Hope they work out for you!

[palelight]

Sml 92A's[/b] would be my current pick. Jack of all trades, master of none but they're actually fast (unlike most 92A wheels) and I can actually skate pretty much any terrain well on them. Hope they work out for you!

I've been happy with my keyframes as all arounders, but I've been seriously considering these. Is there any slide to them? Not so much for powersliding but avoiding getting pitched on wheelbites. I get lulled into a false sense of security with the keyframes and end up getting thrown from a too-hard carve or a sloppy landing.

[jay_nev]

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Sml 92A's[/b] would be my current pick. Jack of all trades, master of none but they're actually fast (unlike most 92A wheels) and I can actually skate pretty much any terrain well on them. Hope they work out for you!

[close]

I've been happy with my keyframes as all arounders, but I've been seriously considering these. Is there any slide to them? Not so much for powersliding but avoiding getting pitched on wheelbites. I get lulled into a false sense of security with the keyframes and end up getting thrown from a too-hard carve or a sloppy landing.

just watched this after reading through the replies earlier. Solid discussion and I’m considering keyframes or these now. I rarely get to ride on smooth/skatepark stuff so I do want the comfort.

[ohthembones]

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Sml 92A's[/b] would be my current pick. Jack of all trades, master of none but they're actually fast (unlike most 92A wheels) and I can actually skate pretty much any terrain well on them. Hope they work out for you!

[close]

I've been happy with my keyframes as all arounders, but I've been seriously considering these. Is there any slide to them? Not so much for powersliding but avoiding getting pitched on wheelbites. I get lulled into a false sense of security with the keyframes and end up getting thrown from a too-hard carve or a sloppy landing.

They'll slide a little, not much though. All depends on the surface you're skating. You can still easily get wheelbite depending on your truck/riser situation but it's a bit easier to handle with these and you're less likely to get tossed like you would with a wheel in mid-80's.

[ohthembones]

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Sml 92A's[/b] would be my current pick. Jack of all trades, master of none but they're actually fast (unlike most 92A wheels) and I can actually skate pretty much any terrain well on them. Hope they work out for you!

[close]

I've been happy with my keyframes as all arounders, but I've been seriously considering these. Is there any slide to them? Not so much for powersliding but avoiding getting pitched on wheelbites. I get lulled into a false sense of security with the keyframes and end up getting thrown from a too-hard carve or a sloppy landing.

[close]

just watched this after reading through the replies earlier. Solid discussion and I’m considering keyframes or these now. I rarely get to ride on smooth/skatepark stuff so I do want the comfort.

Ha! I'm actually the one who sent those to Ben to try out and review. They work great here in Okinawa on the crappy roads. I have a lot of fun on them for sure!

[jay_nev]

Oh that’s awesome @ohthembones
Thnx for the insight, didn’t know keyframes weren’t centered set. Riding spit chargers now, wanna try something diff. SML 92a, keyframes 87a, or clouds 87a I guess I’m deciding between.

“Slide *enough* for a bs tail”

[Sundaynuggets]

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Why doesn’t spitfire make a decent wheel <99a? Haven’t heard one positive review of the chargers

[close]

Been wanting this too. Would like to try a 92a or 87a but the only thing mildly appealing are some smls. Any one have a good wheel they can recommend in that duro? Currently on f4 99 classics.

[close]

 The SML 92A 54mm really are the best thing I've ever tried in that low 90's range. Spitfire Soft D's 92A (now discontinued) were terrible and Oj's 92A's are horribly slow. If you want a little harder than that the Powell 97A 54mm Ripper wheels are pretty nice, unlike the Slimeballs 97A which didn't handle rough streets any differently than a 99A in my experience with them.

As for the mid to low 80's, I'm currently riding the Bones ATF Rough Riders and the Soft-Slides 86A, although both are a bit too large (56mm) and wide to be something I'll stick with. The regular V1 shaped Bones ATF's are nice too if you want something with a thinner shape, I wish they offered them in a conical shape that wasn't as wide as Rough Riders or Soft-Slides. Keyframes are nice and fast but manufactured so poorly they often cone, chip and chunk then fall apart on me almost as fast as Spitfire 80HD's do. I hated reversing Keyframes since the bearing core isn't truly center-set and the inside of the wheel doesn't have smoothed conical edges, it's all sharp and often has air bubbles so any contact against curbs etc and they fall apart fast for me! I had a really good experience with Acid Chemical Co Pods 55mm 86A. As fast as Keyframes but made in the USA and lasted much longer! I'm trying to stick with all 54mm's though (wheel OCD) so I'm still on the search for my perfect mid and low 80's wheel.

Ricta just re-designed their Cloud series adding a chrome-core and making the shape a bit more of the traditional conical one. I ordered three 54mm sets, one in 92A, 86A and 78A so my whole soft wheel outlook may be changing really soon depending on how those perform. 

...and after all that you really can't go wrong with the Sml 92A. Easily the best all-around wheel I've ever skated.

[close]

Interesting! Are the Ricta chrome cores a different shape than their normal Ricta clouds? I have the normal Clouds in 54mm and they are probably the best all purpose soft (78a) wheels I’ve tried (Oj super juice minis are also great, just wider so faster than Rictas but harder to do flip and ledge trucks with)

[close]

From the online photos I've seen of the different angles they look a little bit different. More conical, comparable to the Rapido Wides and slightly less rounded. They look to be shaped and machined exactly the same on both sides too, the previous versions have slight differences. Hopefully the 86A versions have a truly center-set core now as well. The photos on the Skatewarehouse site https://www.skatewarehouse.com/Ricta_Skateboard_Wheels/catpage-WHRICTA.html show the different angles pretty well. I'll post photos of them when they get here. I'm in Okinawa though so they're gonna take a week or four to get here.

I have some Mini-Juices too. Great for going over the sewer grates here but just a bit too wide for my liking and once again, the bearings aren't center-set for some reason.

Gotcha, thanks!

[Big Baby Jesus]

Oh that’s awesome @ohthembones
Thnx for the insight, didn’t know keyframes weren’t centered set. Riding spit chargers now, wanna try something diff. SML 92a, keyframes 87a, or clouds 87a I guess I’m deciding between.

“Slide *enough* for a bs tail”

I just ordered these. Was torn but a lot of people mentioned the OJs are a little sluggish and tougher to slide. Excited to try something else besides spits. I do have the Mike Anderson sfw on deck too although it's not exactly what I'm looking for duro wise. Still hoping for a f4 version in case this experiment goes horribly wrong.

[rocklobster]

Found a pair of Autobahn Dual Duro wheels in 51mm, been looking for a slight smaller, slimmer wheel.

https://www.nativeskatestore.co.uk/skateboards-c7/skateboard-wheels-c8/autobahn-joey-brezinski-pro-dual-duro-skateboard-wheels-52mm-p8070

Worth coping a pair for $10? They are lightly used.

[Yesterdays-pop]

What are the fastest wheels?

[Firebert]

What are the fastest wheels?

Probably Bones SPF 60mm v5

[Smartass]

Found a pair of Autobahn Dual Duro wheels in 51mm, been looking for a slight smaller, slimmer wheel.

https://www.nativeskatestore.co.uk/skateboards-c7/skateboard-wheels-c8/autobahn-joey-brezinski-pro-dual-duro-skateboard-wheels-52mm-p8070

Worth coping a pair for $10? They are lightly used.

I mean if it's that exact pair I'd probably say no even at $10. The urethane has probably aged up pretty badly, since Joey hasn't been on Autobahn for a while.

[Xen]

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Found a pair of Autobahn Dual Duro wheels in 51mm, been looking for a slight smaller, slimmer wheel.

https://www.nativeskatestore.co.uk/skateboards-c7/skateboard-wheels-c8/autobahn-joey-brezinski-pro-dual-duro-skateboard-wheels-52mm-p8070

Worth coping a pair for $10? They are lightly used.

[close]

I mean if it's that exact pair I'd probably say no even at $10. The urethane has probably aged up pretty badly, since Joey Autobahn hasn't been on Autobahn for a while.

[rocklobster]

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Found a pair of Autobahn Dual Duro wheels in 51mm, been looking for a slight smaller, slimmer wheel.

https://www.nativeskatestore.co.uk/skateboards-c7/skateboard-wheels-c8/autobahn-joey-brezinski-pro-dual-duro-skateboard-wheels-52mm-p8070

Worth coping a pair for $10? They are lightly used.

[close]

I mean if it's that exact pair I'd probably say no even at $10. The urethane has probably aged up pretty badly, since Joey hasn't been on Autobahn for a while.

Thanks fam, I guess I will save my money for a pair of Spitfire classics.

[jtrpma]

What are the fastest wheels?

https://sk8supply.com/products/platipus-off-road-skateboard-wheels-kit

Other than that it will depend on the ground you’ll skate

[Yesterdays-pop]

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What are the fastest wheels?

[close]

Probably Bones SPF 60mm v5

How much slower would 58mm be?

[Nth syd bear]

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What are the fastest wheels?

[close]

Probably Bones SPF 60mm v5

[close]

How much slower would 58mm be?

exactly 0.2 mph slower

[animalflesh]

Lmao ^

[ohthembones]

My assortment of the new Ricta Clouds came in a couple days ago and I've been riding all three of them around on different setups. First impression is that all three are great and with small improvements over the older ones. They all have the same more traditional conical shape (similar contact patch to Spitfire Conical Fulls) with a ground finish (no more treads or excess urethane rings around the wheels. The cores are a definite step up as well!



78A - Feels like the same fast and floaty (and somewhat bouncy) ride the originals have, no difference here other than the improved core and shape. I got these in 54 and 56mm and noticed the contact patch was exactly the same.

86A - Still very fast and no more treads. Bearing core is now center-set on these as well so they're truly reversible. They also come in 54mm now.

92A - These feel faster than the previous version which I skated a few times then ditched. I'd call them a hard 92A because the core makes them a bit noisier and they feel closer to 95A to me. The core makes them faster though and I was able to get them to slide (speed check) a bit easier than the Sml 92A's I also skate. When rolling out of my driveway onto the road these picked up speed quick with little pushing, I really liked them a lot!

Speaking of the Sml 92A's, which I call a soft 92A as they feel more like 88-90A to me. I would place them right in the middle of the 86A and 92A Rictas. Not as hard as the Ricta 92A nor quite as fast (depending on the surface) but quieter and a little more grippy like the 86A Rictas. If you can't decide between the two and only want one wheel then the Sml wheels are a perfect choice.

I'll post again if I have any manufacturing or wear issues with the Rictas. The sewer and irrigation grates where I live in Okinawa can shred a poorly made cored wheel with one unlucky rollover (ahem Spitfire 80HD Chargers) but I intentionally went over a lot of rough ones yesterday and there was no chunking or visible damage.

Let me know if there's any questions and I'll try to get the answers. Now I'm off to have more fun on these wheels!

[Xen]

My assortment of the new Ricta Clouds came in a couple days ago and I've been riding all three of them around on different setups. First impression is that all three are great and with small improvements over the older ones. They all have the same more traditional conical shape (similar contact patch to Spitfire Conical Fulls) with a ground finish (no more treads or excess urethane rings around the wheels. The cores are a definite step up as well!



78A - Feels like the same fast and floaty (and somewhat bouncy) ride the originals have, no difference here other than the improved core and shape. I got these in 54 and 56mm and noticed the contact patch was exactly the same.

86A - Still very fast and no more treads. Bearing core is now center-set on these as well so they're truly reversible. They also come in 54mm now.

92A - These feel faster than the previous version which I skated a few times then ditched. I'd call them a hard 92A because the core makes them a bit noisier and they feel closer to 95A to me. The core makes them faster though and I was able to get them to slide (speed check) a bit easier than the Sml 92A's I also skate. When rolling out of my driveway onto the road these picked up speed quick with little pushing, I really liked them a lot!

Speaking of the Sml 92A's, which I call a soft 92A as they feel more like 88-90A to me. I would place them right in the middle of the 86A and 92A Rictas. Not as hard as the Ricta 92A nor quite as fast (depending on the surface) but quieter and a little more grippy like the 86A Rictas. If you can't decide between the two and only want one wheel then the Sml wheels are a perfect choice.

I'll post again if I have any manufacturing or wear issues with the Rictas. The sewer and irrigation grates where I live in Okinawa can shred a poorly made cored wheel with one unlucky rollover (ahem Spitfire 80HD Chargers) but I intentionally went over a lot of rough ones yesterday and there was no chunking or visible damage.

Let me know if there's any questions and I'll try to get the answers. Now I'm off to have more fun on these wheels!

I've always been a fan of Rictas, I'm not riding the new cored clouds but riding the 53mm 99a crome cores and they're great. more like a 100? they just feel a tad bit harder than most 99s.

[ohthembones]

I've always been a fan of Rictas, I'm not riding the new cored clouds but riding the 53mm 99a crome cores and they're great. more like a 100? they just feel a tad bit harder than most 99s.

I imagine that core on a hard wheel does make them feel a bit harder. The roads here are rough but slick and I’ve been enjoying the Bones Easy Streets over my usual Formula Fours lately but I am curious about the Ricta Rapido 99A Slims. I never thought I’d ever venture away from F4’s but they’re just a bit too slippery and chattery on the streets around my new home.

[jay_nev]

My assortment of the new Ricta Clouds came in a couple days ago and I've been riding all three of them around on different setups. First impression is that all three are great and with small improvements over the older ones. They all have the same more traditional conical shape (similar contact patch to Spitfire Conical Fulls) with a ground finish (no more treads or excess urethane rings around the wheels. The cores are a definite step up as well!



78A - Feels like the same fast and floaty (and somewhat bouncy) ride the originals have, no difference here other than the improved core and shape. I got these in 54 and 56mm and noticed the contact patch was exactly the same.

86A - Still very fast and no more treads. Bearing core is now center-set on these as well so they're truly reversible. They also come in 54mm now.

92A - These feel faster than the previous version which I skated a few times then ditched. I'd call them a hard 92A because the core makes them a bit noisier and they feel closer to 95A to me. The core makes them faster though and I was able to get them to slide (speed check) a bit easier than the Sml 92A's I also skate. When rolling out of my driveway onto the road these picked up speed quick with little pushing, I really liked them a lot!

Speaking of the Sml 92A's, which I call a soft 92A as they feel more like 88-90A to me. I would place them right in the middle of the 86A and 92A Rictas. Not as hard as the Ricta 92A nor quite as fast (depending on the surface) but quieter and a little more grippy like the 86A Rictas. If you can't decide between the two and only want one wheel then the Sml wheels are a perfect choice.

I'll post again if I have any manufacturing or wear issues with the Rictas. The sewer and irrigation grates where I live in Okinawa can shred a poorly made cored wheel with one unlucky rollover (ahem Spitfire 80HD Chargers) but I intentionally went over a lot of rough ones yesterday and there was no chunking or visible damage.

Let me know if there's any questions and I'll try to get the answers. Now I'm off to have more fun on these wheels!

awesome write up thanks for the comparison. And tying in the SML as well. Any experience with OJ keyframe 87a and how they fit in?

[ohthembones]

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My assortment of the new Ricta Clouds came in a couple days ago and I've been riding all three of them around on different setups. First impression is that all three are great and with small improvements over the older ones. They all have the same more traditional conical shape (similar contact patch to Spitfire Conical Fulls) with a ground finish (no more treads or excess urethane rings around the wheels. The cores are a definite step up as well!



78A - Feels like the same fast and floaty (and somewhat bouncy) ride the originals have, no difference here other than the improved core and shape. I got these in 54 and 56mm and noticed the contact patch was exactly the same.

86A - Still very fast and no more treads. Bearing core is now center-set on these as well so they're truly reversible. They also come in 54mm now.

92A - These feel faster than the previous version which I skated a few times then ditched. I'd call them a hard 92A because the core makes them a bit noisier and they feel closer to 95A to me. The core makes them faster though and I was able to get them to slide (speed check) a bit easier than the Sml 92A's I also skate. When rolling out of my driveway onto the road these picked up speed quick with little pushing, I really liked them a lot!

Speaking of the Sml 92A's, which I call a soft 92A as they feel more like 88-90A to me. I would place them right in the middle of the 86A and 92A Rictas. Not as hard as the Ricta 92A nor quite as fast (depending on the surface) but quieter and a little more grippy like the 86A Rictas. If you can't decide between the two and only want one wheel then the Sml wheels are a perfect choice.

I'll post again if I have any manufacturing or wear issues with the Rictas. The sewer and irrigation grates where I live in Okinawa can shred a poorly made cored wheel with one unlucky rollover (ahem Spitfire 80HD Chargers) but I intentionally went over a lot of rough ones yesterday and there was no chunking or visible damage.

Let me know if there's any questions and I'll try to get the answers. Now I'm off to have more fun on these wheels!

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awesome write up thanks for the comparison. And tying in the SML as well. Any experience with OJ keyframe 87a and how they fit in?

Sure thing! Keyframes feel about the same as 86A Rictas speed-wise on smoother surfaces but just a tad harder and slower on rough surfaces. Regarding build quality I think the Rictas are much better. Keyframe cores are slightly off-center, made of cheaper plastic and the shape of the wheel isn't the same on both sides. On one side you get the rounded conical edge and the other side has a sharp conical edge that often has air bubbles in it and I've shredded/chunked with mild curb contact. I've pretty much sworn off Keyframes and Spitfire 80HD Charges because of their build quality. Also, the ground finish of the Rictas makes them a bit easier to get into a slide than Keyframes.