Bones Rough Riders vs Powell G-Slides

[knuckledeep]

Gm gents,
I'm making a cruiser setup but my local shop only has 2 sub 90A wheels - Bones ATF Rough Riders (78A) and Powell Peralta G-Slides (85A), both in 59mm.
I'm currently leaning towards the Rough Riders as they'll ride smoother on rough pavement, but I'm concerned about the durability after seeing people complain about them chunking quite quickly.
I'm down to sacrifice a bit of comfort for extra durability as I'll be commuting with them everyday on mostly smooth roads, but I'm still not sure.
Curious to hear your thoughts.

[Jogging José]

I never had G-Slides, but the Rough Riders are my favourite cruiser wheel.

Regarding durability I have no complaints - no chunking, but I use these strictly for cruising/commuting.

They are fast, smooth and grippy and I like the them better than OJ Superjuice Minis fwiw…

[knuckledeep]

I never had G-Slides, but the Rough Riders are my favourite cruiser wheel.

Regarding durability I have no complaints - no chunking, but I use these strictly for cruising/commuting.

They are fast, smooth and grippy and I like the them better than OJ Superjuice Minis fwiw…

Awesome, good to hear. Strictly cruising for me as well, but being able to pop the occasional ollie or powerslide would be nice too. I imagine they're a pain to powerslide though right?

[Jogging José]

Expand Quote

I never had G-Slides, but the Rough Riders are my favourite cruiser wheel.

Regarding durability I have no complaints - no chunking, but I use these strictly for cruising/commuting.

They are fast, smooth and grippy and I like the them better than OJ Superjuice Minis fwiw…

[close]

Awesome, good to hear. Strictly cruising for me as well, but being able to pop the occasional ollie or powerslide would be nice too. I imagine they're a pain to powerslide though right?

Popping an Ollie is no problem with the Rough Riders, Powerslides however don‘t work well for me. I am not really good at powerslides, but can break hard wheels into slide halfway decently.

If sliding is very important to you I‘d suggest you check out the Dragon Formula Rat Bones 60 MM - they work well enough as cruiser wheels and the slide on crusty ground is very good. True cruiser wheels like the Rough Riders or Super Juices are in a different league regarding smoothness though.

I have Dragons and Rough Riders on different setups in the quiver and enjoy riding both. For longer commutes I‘d gravitate towards the softer wheels though…

[RembrantQeinstein]

I also just realized I wrote that fuckin novel and didn’t answer your original question re: Rough Riders.  Rough Riders are also a good wheel.  But like the Ricta Clouds, they are not anything special as far as a cruiser wheel is concerned.  For the money, I think Gummy Bears, which are a Chinese made cored cruiser wheel you can buy on eBay, are just as good, but cheaper.  (They’re the big white ones in my picture), they are good and durable, but don’t slide like the g-slides. G-Slides are their own thing.

[marcusbutler]

I’ve had almost every cruiser wheel, G Slides are my all time favorite.

They slide really well and consistently on asphalt (but it is more like a longboard style slide… not a 99a revert on concrete slipperyness)

The g slides are overall very durable for slides.  By comparison, my 80hd spits got all those tiny cracks in the sidewall just from one day.  Also, I put a OJ super juice in there so you can see the difference in the profile of the wheel.

 The gslides (on the trucks) have a round edge, the oj is sharp.

My only complaint about the g slides is that they wear down quickly.



Also, here is a comparison on the G-Slides when they were new (the pinkish ones)…in shape they are most similar to the smaller white ones, which are Ricta Naturals.  The Orange one is an OJ super juice. The bigger white one is a generic cruiser wheel.  The black one is A-cut mini logo, and the red one is a 95a 58mm Toxic Bowl wheel that coned from looking at it too hard.

God! The 80HD's were complete shite. I was cruising and powersliding with them. They wore out quick. I read somewhere they changed the formula in new stock.

[knuckledeep]

I also just realized I wrote that fuckin novel and didn’t answer your original question re: Rough Riders.  Rough Riders are also a good wheel.  But like the Ricta Clouds, they are not anything special as far as a cruiser wheel is concerned.  For the money, I think Gummy Bears, which are a Chinese made cored cruiser wheel you can buy on eBay, are just as good, but cheaper.  (They’re the big white ones in my picture), they are good and durable, but don’t slide like the g-slides. G-Slides are their own thing.

That's one hell of a novel brother, really appreciate it.
I didn't even bother looking at other wheels since I wanted to stay local, but now that you mention it - I might just get both G-slides and Bears, and test more wheels down the road.

Never expected to get as much feedback, exactly what I needed to know - thanks a lot for your time gents! @RembrantQeinstein @Jogging José @marcusbutler

[Anxiety]

There’s no need to think about this, G-slides are the best cruiser wheel by a mile.

[radcunt]

Gotta try g slides but I’ve had Rough Riders on my Polarizer for 6 years and I love them.  I just want a smooth ride with good grip from them and they give it in spades.


I’m riding 4 wheels down and just carving but they’ve held up well.

[j....soy.....]

I’m no expert on this subject but I had bombers on a set up and liked them….

[GardenSkater77]

While I haven’t tried every single soft wheel on the market I can’t imagine there is a better cruiser wheel than Rough Riders.

My cruiser is perfect right now.

8.75 PS Stix with a fatty tail
Ace 55
1/4” risers
56 mm Rough Riders

I swerve side to side and never get wheel bite. However, you can’t slappy or slide.

[burner]

Maybe just get both, see what you think. They are actually very different wheels and skate and feel very different. Just the difference between 80du and 85du is huge. If you want to ride around on bouncy, grippy, pillowy wheels, then it's the RRiders. If you want more feel, feedback, but still smooth and fast, then you'll love the G-slides. G-slides are kinda the middle ground between Dragons and full-on soft RRider cruiser wheels. It just comes down to personal choice, what you like and how you want to skate.

[Frank and Fred]

G slides come in an 82a now also. Only had one solid session on them but I bombed some hills and smashed though all kids of rough and smooth surfaces. 59mm, in a perfect neon yellow color.

[franquietits]

I'd say just go for some stone-ground butterballs! Don't you know longboarders got the 'thane game figured out!

[Sloppy Krooks]

I’ve had two sets of Rough Riders. The first ones chunked when I tried to slappy with them.

The second pair are used strictly for cruising, and they work fine.


I have a set of G-Slides on my downhill board. Not as gummy or grippy, but still soft enough. And they have a good slide once you go a bit faster. I don’t slide on the Rough Riders.

[CurbyPuckit]

I’ve got a set of rough riders on my zip zinger and love them so much but they don’t slide the best.   They noseslide and tailslide ok… if you’re really digging into a ledge or transition they don’t slide the best.  I just set up new rough-ground board with 58mm 93a dragons.  Cannot wait to skate that thing.  It’s the first Christmas complete I’ve set up in like 20 years. 

I’m thinking of getting a set of G Slides and throwing them on my “filmer board”, or 3rd variation of a cruiser. 

Too much time to tinker with gear, only 6 months of weather that allows for using it.

[Too Frank To Fred]

82a Snakes are amazing for a 'cruising,' transport, super crusty terrain and bombing hills. They will break into slides if you know how. Lovely wheels. 59mm is probably best for most of us.

[back smith]

G-Slides are fast.