Spitfire formula four

[BeachChicken]

Damn my 97s are basically silent on skatepark concrete, kinda miss my board having sounds. I swear the 93 were louder.

[TD]

I just got a set of 93'. Look more like a natural urethane colour than I was expecting, but they skate great. Feels night and day for me compared to my f4 99's, but I skate a lot of shitty rough spots - drains and parking lots mostly.

Feels like I carry speed a lot longer, but I'm not really giving up on slide either. The bark/chirp isn't anywhere near as good as my 99's butthey still slide well and I definitely walk away from a session feeling less worn out.

So far the wear hasn't been too alarming, but I did size up to 56 after seeing what people said about them wearing down crazy fast, so I might be just ignoring the fact they already feel like 54's lmao

[nurkdurk]

Damn my 97s are basically silent on skatepark concrete, kinda miss my board having sounds. I swear the 93 were louder.

Skated a little today trading boards around, between us there was new 97, old 97 and the 93s. The new 97 was definitely loudest, chirped the most on slides. It also rolled the fastest on metal by far.
The 93s were faster on the rougher concrete in the flats than the new 97 by a slim margin. Both had swiss 6 bearings.

FWIW on size/shape:
57 radial, new 97. Full diameter
54 classic, old 97. Barely worn, maybe 53.5
54 radial, 93. Worn to about 53 to 52.5ish

[BeachChicken]

weird, my new 97 classics make zero fucking noise. like a kinda cruiser-ish pencil eraser sound when i chirp the rear of the board on concrete. On asphalt its a really slight noise.

[devils acrobat]

I am fully back on 99 F4s also on crusty spots. I feel they provide more reliable board control, not only while holding longer slides. Also my feet hurt the same after every session no matter if I was riding 93s or 99s. Happy to hear that some people notice a relieve in back/knee/foot pain tho.

[munchbox]

anyone have some radial 93s they are done with?
looking for a set under retail, wear doesnt matter

[Mbrimson88]

anyone have some radial 93s they are done with?
looking for a set under retail, wear doesnt matter

I recall @pinkeye fieri had skated the 93 duro 58mm Radials down and was already on to other wheels, but I have no idea where in the US any of you are, or if it is even worth sending old wheels across the country.

Just a thought anyway.

[Too Frank To Fred]

After a  month on the new 97s I went back to 99s today. 99s are still faster in the skatepark (smoothish but weather worn) and slid way better (tail slides on steel coping.) I think the 97s are great for crust and super slippery surfaces but for most applications the 99s remain superior.

Going to finally try the 93s this week. Have some 56mm 93 Radials on a Genius shape to break in on some curbs.

I will keep my reformulated 97s but won't purchase another set unless the 93 really fail me.

[BeachChicken]

I came to the same conclusion and since I'm just a large child I liked the noise and feedback from the 99. I actually did put my 93 on and they chirp more than the 97, which is weird. Ultimately I don't need the 93 so I'll keep the 97 around for when I really need em.

[moonordie]

I feel like is like this: F4 99 whatever is your choice of shape is the best wheel, only alternative to this are 93 and you're over 38yo

[rawbertson.]

I feel like is like this: F4 99 whatever is your choice of shape is the best wheel, only alternative to this are 93 and you're over 38yo

No wonder I feel so torn born in 1986 
Really wanting that Pedro wheel right now lol

[Too Frank To Fred]

I feel like is like this: F4 99 whatever is your choice of shape is the best wheel, only alternative to this are 93 and you're over 38yo

I'm way over 38 and I not buying into the soft wheel longevity thing. Stretch, hydrate, eat better. Namaste.

[nurkdurk]

weird, my new 97 classics make zero fucking noise. like a kinda cruiser-ish pencil eraser sound when i chirp the rear of the board on concrete. On asphalt its a really slight noise.

That's really weird. My 93s are like that, damn near silent and even doing powerslides they barely make a noise. The 97s definitely have a lot more noise. That said, the 97s are still not anywhere near as loud rolling as 99s, but they bark when you slide/revert. It's enough to satisfy that little kid in me. For the crusty local bowl (actual sharp bits of aggregate sticking up) I'm really happy with them. Will keep some cheap bearings in a set of 99s for when I go to some new smooth bowl or pool.
You got your 97s from 35th right? I think our wheels were sent to them together. Radials would have been a different batch than classics though, but probably made about the same time.

On the street set up I have noticed something annoying about the 93s. Trying to relearn nollie nose manuals and will come down a bit hard most of the time. The softness with the high rebound makes corrections tricky and I'm not as consistent with them. It's annoying because the asphalt at that school is so rough I couldn't keep any speed on 99 classics....on 93s I roll at it with speed and then can't balance. Catch 22.

[Too Frank To Fred]

I'm now a few sessions deep on some 56mm 93a Radials. Super rough DIY, a small but rough concrete bowl and the semi smooth curb spot. Have to say, I'm super impressed. They ate up shitty ground as well as expected. It took me a bit to adjust the slide technique compared to 99s but once I figured out how much to weight the slide properly they went just fine. Didn't try blunt slides though but nose, lip and power slides all felt great.

They also kept their speed in the bowl as well as the 97s. Going to go for a long cruise and bomb some hills on them next and also take them to the super slippery indoor bowl to see how they do.

I think I'll mainly be sticking to 99s with the occasional foray  big wide 93a  depending on what I'm trying to achieve and where.

[BeachChicken]

Expand Quote

weird, my new 97 classics make zero fucking noise. like a kinda cruiser-ish pencil eraser sound when i chirp the rear of the board on concrete. On asphalt its a really slight noise.

[close]

That's really weird. My 93s are like that, damn near silent and even doing powerslides they barely make a noise. The 97s definitely have a lot more noise. That said, the 97s are still not anywhere near as loud rolling as 99s, but they bark when you slide/revert. It's enough to satisfy that little kid in me. For the crusty local bowl (actual sharp bits of aggregate sticking up) I'm really happy with them. Will keep some cheap bearings in a set of 99s for when I go to some new smooth bowl or pool.
You got your 97s from 35th right? I think our wheels were sent to them together. Radials would have been a different batch than classics though, but probably made about the same time.

On the street set up I have noticed something annoying about the 93s. Trying to relearn nollie nose manuals and will come down a bit hard most of the time. The softness with the high rebound makes corrections tricky and I'm not as consistent with them. It's annoying because the asphalt at that school is so rough I couldn't keep any speed on 99 classics....on 93s I roll at it with speed and then can't balance. Catch 22.

It's the little kid in me that made me go back to 99. I don't skate suuuuuper crusty stuff and a 54 99 Radial feels pretty damn close in terms of speed. Radials seem like a perfect shape for your use case and although I love Classics, they take some wearing in until they have a wide enough contact patch to hold speed.

[Too Frank To Fred]

93s really came though for me today. Not sure what else to say but these things are blowing me away. Got out in the streets this morning and they were perfect. I don't think I'll be doing blunt slides on them and my slappy krooks don't go as well but other than that I've never skated a wheel this soft that performs so well. Also no sign of wear and tear so far They seem to be more durable than my 97s. Could be perceived but who knows... both Radial shapes.

The 97s are going to be redundant for me unless I had to commit to one wheel. 99 or 93. all the way from now on.

[RichardBarkley]

Are the new formula 97s available in Europe yet?

[scab]

Are the new formula 97s available in Europe yet?

Thus far I've only found them in one Danish shop: https://www.labforum.dk/vare/19928-spitfire-spitfire-pedro-delfino-radial-wheel-55mm-97-duro

No idea how or why they seem to be the only ones to have them yet.

[rikki]

Are the new formula 97s available in Europe yet?

Here and there, eg. Rollersnakes in the UK carries the new Delfinos which have the new formula.

https://eu.rollersnakes.com/products/spitfire-formula-four-pedro-delfino-turbo-radial-97du-skateboard-wheels-natural-55mm

[Mbrimson88]

Expand Quote

Are the new formula 97s available in Europe yet?

[close]

Thus far I've only found them in one Danish shop: https://www.labforum.dk/vare/19928-spitfire-spitfire-pedro-delfino-radial-wheel-55mm-97-duro

No idea how or why they seem to be the only ones to have them yet.

I would say it is down to pre booked orders going out first, even then some shops don't put stock online right away and keep it for in store customers, then list online if they have enough stock for everyone else.

Also some shops would pay to get their orders faster too, but I couldn't say for everyone.

[RichardBarkley]

Hmm my local has the 93s. Maybe thats the better option. Do they really slide better than the x97s?

[scab]

Hmm my local has the 93s. Maybe thats the better option. Do they really slide better than the x97s?

In my experience the 93s slide better and, importantly, more reliably than the x97s. I remember those randomly sticking when I didn't expect them to more than once. I realize this is blasphemy for some, but to me the slide of the 93s is even more predictable than of regular 99A F4s. I rarely skate smooth concrete though, so ymmv.

[RichardBarkley]

Expand Quote

Hmm my local has the 93s. Maybe thats the better option. Do they really slide better than the x97s?

[close]

In my experience the 93s slide better and, importantly, more reliably than the x97s. I remember those randomly sticking when I didn't expect them to more than once. I realize this is blasphemy for some, but to me the slide of the 93s is even more predictable than of regular 99A F4s. I rarely skate smooth concrete though, so ymmv.

Gotcha cheers

How different do they feel under foot?

I think the x97s are perfect hardness  do the 93s feel much softer?

[scab]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Hmm my local has the 93s. Maybe thats the better option. Do they really slide better than the x97s?

[close]

In my experience the 93s slide better and, importantly, more reliably than the x97s. I remember those randomly sticking when I didn't expect them to more than once. I realize this is blasphemy for some, but to me the slide of the 93s is even more predictable than of regular 99A F4s. I rarely skate smooth concrete though, so ymmv.

[close]

Gotcha cheers

How different do they feel under foot?

I think the x97s are perfect hardness  do the 93s feel much softer?

It's been a while since I skated mine, but irrc the x97s feel a little harder on smoother ground. But the 93s feel distinctly harder than Dragons if that means anything to you.

[RichardBarkley]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Hmm my local has the 93s. Maybe thats the better option. Do they really slide better than the x97s?

[close]

In my experience the 93s slide better and, importantly, more reliably than the x97s. I remember those randomly sticking when I didn't expect them to more than once. I realize this is blasphemy for some, but to me the slide of the 93s is even more predictable than of regular 99A F4s. I rarely skate smooth concrete though, so ymmv.

[close]

Gotcha cheers

How different do they feel under foot?

I think the x97s are perfect hardness  do the 93s feel much softer?

[close]

It's been a while since I skated mine, but irrc the x97s feel a little harder on smoother ground. But the 93s feel distinctly harder than Dragons if that means anything to you.

It does thanks. What I wanted to know.

[rikki]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Hmm my local has the 93s. Maybe thats the better option. Do they really slide better than the x97s?

[close]

In my experience the 93s slide better and, importantly, more reliably than the x97s. I remember those randomly sticking when I didn't expect them to more than once. I realize this is blasphemy for some, but to me the slide of the 93s is even more predictable than of regular 99A F4s. I rarely skate smooth concrete though, so ymmv.

[close]

Gotcha cheers

How different do they feel under foot?

I think the x97s are perfect hardness  do the 93s feel much softer?

I think the 93 outperforms the X97. The X97 feels kinda "in between" -- not carrying the benefits of a softer wheel nor a hard wheel, for that matter.

The 93 feel a bit softer, but they slide amazing and in my experience are faster. There's something weirdly great about them that I can't put my finger on. Some peeps are put off by the rebound, but from another perspective, that's partly what makes them faster in my opinion.

If I had to choose just one wheel for crusty spots combined with the occasional smooth spots for the rest of my life, it'd be the 93 or the X99. The latter is probably my favorite wheel ever, but if shit gets hella crusty, they start feeling too hard.

[rawbertson.]

glad they are still making giant sized radial full 99a. i am on the 58mm right now and definitely want to go up to 60mm now i am on lurpivs.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DBJnjbKJHI7

i dont think this is that popular of a size so i am hoping that they will go on sale right at the time i need them next spring i noticed a lot of the big beatdowns went on sale after awhile.
 
i have a brand new set of 55mm classics and i dont even really want to ride them. they just feel too slow now! but if that was all i had it would be fine. its still a great size wheel and once worn down is pretty ideal which is why i got it in the first place.

[Mbrimson88]

glad they are still making giant sized radial full 99a. i am on the 58mm right now and definitely want to go up to 60mm now i am on lurpivs.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DBJnjbKJHI7

i dont think this is that popular of a size so i am hoping that they will go on sale right at the time i need them next spring i noticed a lot of the big beatdowns went on sale after awhile.
 
i have a brand new set of 55mm classics and i dont even really want to ride them. they just feel too slow now! but if that was all i had it would be fine. its still a great size wheel and once worn down is pretty ideal which is why i got it in the first place.

The wheel sales phenomenon - Classics in big sizes were maybe over stocked, so didn't sell, but I think a lot of people just don't want Classics any more, especially not the big ones.  Anything in wider shapes sell out almost right away, so it is hard to get or keep those shapes in stock as too many people want them, so I would say to anyone who is after that 60 mm shape to get as many as you can while you can, as I think they are going to sell out quickly, or at least way more quickly than the Beatdowns - both big and small - from that series.

That is just what I am seeing right now though.

The Kader wheels sold out super fast, as did the two other "generic" graphics on Radial Full at the time, so regardless of graphic, or a name on them, that shape is the one I see people riding a lot now.

[Daydream]

Wait 93 dragons feel softer than 93 spits by a clear margin?

[144p]

There is so Much feedback about 93/97 wheels in this topic, if You have a question just scroll back through and all will be answered 10 fold.