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I'm a Conical and Conical Full F4 lover since 2020 (tried f4 for the first time after a decade of virtually only Bones STF)
How would a radial compare to a Conical or conical full performance wise? They LOOK similar enough at a glance. I'm interested in actual feedback and not specs since I can look those up myself.
I've only been running those two shapes in 52-54mm at 99 or 101 since I switched from Bones. I Prefer 99 For everything though. 99 radials could be a good alternative to C/CF 99D dryspells if they skate like how I think they do
Depends on what you’re going for. The lock in on a conical is superior to that of a radial. The radial however will roll over coping and curbs easier because of the rounder edge. I think the contact patch is smaller on the radial too, and might suffer on tougher ground. You could also look at the rereleased OG classics
Good point. I'm all over the place: tech, manuals, grinds, flatground, quarter/transition skating, some hill bombing here and there, etc. Lately, park and some low impact street. Conical and Conical Full in 52-54mm is pretty ideal for me: not too cumbersome, nor too tiny. I like a versatile wheel but I also like a wide enough contact patch to stay gripped on smoother surfaces. I don't like my wheels to feel narrow like I'm on tic tacs
OG Classics look like too hefty of a wheel (maybe it's in my head) so I'm apprehensive to try those. If radial is adjacent to C/CF in my ideal or slightly larger sizes, then I'm interested. If not, maybe I'll pass. If they roll over curbs and coping easier that sounds like a win. Sometimes my C/CFs take more effort to roll over to initiate the lock in the longer I skate them.
Wanted a decent/close substitute since CF/C 99d 53/54mm sells out often from most shops I've seen in the last couple years.
I will say that I cannot stand Spitfire's Classic shape or any other brand that makes a wheel shape like that. Absolutely terrible riding surface width, doesn't stay locked in/rolls out of locked grinds prematurely, doesn't slide that well (for me it seems), and they just look weird to me. Anyone else feel that way?
Thanks everyone that's shared some feedback! Appreciate it 
The funny thing with wheel shape is very much down to personal opinion. How people skate really makes a huge difference to product choice / wheel shape too, which I realised when I skated quite a few different shapes just to see what they were like / to compare what worked and what didn't on different things.
I have some of pretty much everything, shape wise, even using a grinder to reshape wheels to make them a little more comfortable for me, but it is interesting that I have had to change wheels (or get out a different board with other wheels on it) for some sessions.
Quite simply Classics and the rounder edge wheels will definitely get on and off coping or edges more easily than more square or sharp edge profile wheels, including OG Classics, Conical shapes, but this changes through the life of the wheel too, so a well worn wheel will perform differently to a brand new wheel, some shapes more than others.
I think I prefer wheels around 54-56 mm, but I have wheels down to 50 on some boards, and as big as 60 on other boards. In general a slightly more round edge with a wider riding surface works best, so maybe something like Radials are an excellent wheel choice as an all rounder for me, but even Classics worn down a few mm are about right, especially the bigger ones that wear down to a more comfortable size and I have had a lot of Classic Full shaped wheels in the past, mainly 56 mm which are 37 mm wide.
Skating Conical Full 53 and 54 mm from new just feels weird for some reason, but once they have worn down a bit and hit with the grinder, they are pretty much perfect for what I want too. As it is the most common shape people I know ride now, I get a lot of them swapped back in after wearing them down a mm or two, so that is what I have mostly on my usual boards for the last couple of years.
For a couple of parks that were a little more slippery on the coping (yeah people waxed coping on the bowl) I found I needed the 54 mm Conical Full wheels from new to not slip out as much, as the 56 mm Classics I was riding there just didn't hold on enough, so a little more grip from the squared profile wheels can help in some situations.
Classics under 54 mm always felt too thin for me, but I know other people who are all about the 52 mm Classics, some even going down to 50 or 51 for the thinner profile wheel on very tech type setups.
All the other shapes do have their uses, so I understand why people will prefer certain wheels over others, especially if they can explain what they prefer, or why some wheels work better and some wheels are just not for them too.
That is not even getting into the different duro options now too, but the normal 99 duro is just the best all rounder, the 101s often feeling just a bit funny, but the 97s pretty much perfect for some situations too, where grip or not slipping out is a must, but again that is just my take on duro optoins in the Formula Four wheels.
I also have other wheels in 90 and 92 duro which are great on so many things as a cruiser / softer option, then other wheels that just make no sense to me at all with some of the compounds, being too slippery on wood or metal but being too grippy on raw concrete or bitumen roads - not naming brands or wheel manufacturers, but I can easily see why Spitfire and Bones are thought to be the two main (and only) options for a lot of people.
Topic: Wheels Thread (Read 797522 times)