If I want to ride even somewhat smooth surfaces, I have to ride for blocks over awful crust so I feel your pain. I’ve ridden the OJs, the “winter tires,” and some that fall in to the “other” category so here are some pics and thoughts:
Left to right: Pennswood cruisers (60mm 85a), Pennswood winter tires (54mm 85a), Minilogo AWOL (59mm 78a), Minilogo 55mm 90a A-cut
Super Juice 60mm, Spit 54mm 80HD, Speedlab Danforth 58mm 97a
AWOL: My favorite, ridiculously fast and very nice once they broke in. That huge chunk was a crack that grew and either caused or was caused by the worst slam I’ve taken in years at high speed so I’m torn about getting more.
Super Juice: Also super fast but they also have chips and cracks (see pic) that I’m worried will end up like the AWOLs which has kept me from really riding them as hard.
Spitfire 80HD: I’m constantly surprised by the amount of hate these get on SLAP. I’ll admit I thought they sucked right at first but they broke in and were excellent from then on. They’re on my little kid’s board now mainly cause they’re down to maybe 50mm and just too sketchy when it comes to cracks or really bad pavement and I prefer not to worry about that shit when I’m cruising. Little rocks and stuff are no problem however.
Pennswood cruiser and snow tire: First, Pennswood has the cruisers listed as 63mm or 65mm or something. Mine, at least, arrived at 60mm. Both are a little slower than those listed above probably due in some part to the bearings they came with. I got em for rain so I haven’t tried them with better bearings but overall the wheels themselves are fine. I haven’t worn either down much but they handle the crust just fine and I think they’ll both improve when I’ve gotten more time on them. The two sets with bearings and shipping cost less than a single set of super juice so there’s that.
Minilogo 90a: They ride fine but the thinner profile, smaller diameter, and slightly harder formula lack the characteristics that I’m really looking for in a cruiser wheel. My 53mm 99a F4s handle rough pavement almost as well and once I get to nice concrete, they’re of course waaay better than the 90a so I’m more likely to just endure the crust on them than ride these.
Speedlab Danforths: I included these because, since they broke in, I’ve found myself liking these more than anything as my multi-purpose option. If I’m cruising to get somewhere and skate (not just transpo or going fast at night), I can just roll with them and it’s only bad over the roughest of the shitty streets around me.