Spitfire formula four

[Mbrimson88]

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Observations from google:

Spitfire Lock-In wheels, known for their asymmetric design, were first released in 2018.

Lock in Full released in 2023, same year as the Nano Cubic wheel, which is way more similar in width and shape, but the Nano Rat is maybe closer to the normal Lock In shape, all of which still have a conical outer, not a Classic shape which is rounded right through to the inside of the wheel.  Yes some of the wheels have a greater radius / or described more as Radial outer on the Nano shapes, along with the Nano Rat having a center set bearing placement, which could be similar to the Ishod wheel.


Also if we are talking Lock In wheels, Revolution Wheels, under Black Label / Lucero brought out a lock in wheel option back in the early 00s, which I bought and skated a lot, even though I rounded off the back a fair bit to make them more functional.  I guess even the old 80s wheels had that going on too, some had a more rounded or conical shaped front face with a flatter back like the old Powell wheels or even the Slimeballs with the combo shapes.


Any which way, these are just observations, nothing more.

I prefer symmetrical wheels as I can flip them over whenever I want, but I do understand the "multitool" options with any of these type of wheel too.

[Mbrimson88]

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I almost forgot, for those who would rather have a Classic shape on one side and a Conical shape on the other, these were a set I machined back in 2021 to take the flat face down to a very well rounded profile and left the usual front face as is, then skated them inside out, so to speak, so I had the Conical inside and the Classic / well rounded face on the outside.

It is possible and they were very nice wheels to skate for me, before I passed them on to someone else.

Funny how that happens.



https://www.instagram.com/mbrimson88/p/CML_20UlEVe/

[back smith]

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I find them a little more durable than the old 97s, a lot more than the 93s, but not quite as durable as the 99s.
@Too Frank To Fred seems to have had different experiences though, so ymmv.

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Yeah, its strange. I'd typically argue the softer ones 'should' wear down quicker. However, these 93s I have (56mm Radials) are crazy durable... maybe a freak set... I've been skating them all winter and they are still over 54mm. I only skated the 97s a handful of times (55mm radials) and wore them down to 52 pretty quick. Could be the terrain? Not sure but 99s are still my favorite, followed by 93s (for super slick or super rough terrain), then 97s and then 101s. I just put some 101 little Smokies on a BPSW set up and they don't feel great but I still need to break them in....

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Haven't tried the new 97 but totally the same order of duro preference..

People who prefer 101 F4, why?

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On the "right" type of surface, 101 are definitely faster, so that might be the main thing with them, more than anything else.  I notice that on my own ramp more than any other surface though - just regular ply with basic fence paint on it.  Maybe some other super smooth and clean surfaces too, come to think of it.

That or the fact that some people I know still associate anything under 101 with soft wheels, even though 99 duro seems to be the standard / the duro A scale only goes up to 100, but logic and reason aside, the harder and faster compound is one that some people love.

On the other hand, I have always found 101 to be a little here and there, sometimes sliding well, other times grippy and doesn't slide, or just generally inconsistent, whereas I have always found the 99 duro options to be very much the same across the board / from a lot of different wheels in the Formula Four variety, the one exception being the new 99 duro Lock In Full wheels which were very hard, very slippery and very white, not just in my own set but a few other people too.  That is pretty much the list of properties I would associate with 101s but yet they come as 99 so I don't know what is going on there.

Any which way, at least there are the options of 101, 99, old and new 97 and 93 so I am set for everything really, with those options, although 99 is my main wheel and the 97s are a second for slippery / rougher stuff.  The 101 and 93 I am just not quite so sure about, but I still have some on boards for when I want to try something else.


* The new 97s are amazing, for both the slide and overall performance on the two sets / two boards I have skated, slide so well on bitumen / road surface, skate well over crust, as well as feeling comfortable on brand new slippery skatepark / ramp surfaces, but I haven't spent a lot of time on them and they haven't worn down at all, so I guess I would need to put in some more time for a decent review of them.

Haven't come across a surface where the F4 101's are faster but I could see a smooth ramp being such. And at least on most surfaces they are counterintuitively more grippy than the 99's which could also be beneficial on a ramp. So OK, that's a sensible use for the wheels.

But I bet you're right, and a lot of people choose the less suited wheel for them because of some kind of mental association with the numbers. Maybe based on a different brand or whatever..

[moonordie]

I don't get all the hate for those lock in classic, at least they didn't come out with a tablet full

[Mbrimson88]

I don't get all the hate for those lock in classic, at least they didn't come out with a tablet full

Tablet Full would be crazy!!!

That could be like an uncut blank to me.  Might be ridiculous to some, but I could see a lot of possibilities in trimming them down however I wanted.

On the other hand, I usually prefer to have wheels almost the right shape to start with, then just trim or round the edges if they get a bit sharp, so I guess it might be an over stretch to have wheels that are pretty much little squares.


Gotta say though, I have been looking pretty hard at these Radial Full wheels, thinking of making them very full Classics...

Might be the next thing I mess with.

@rawbertson might have beat me to it though, but I think it could work quite well.

[rawbertson.]

finally got around to trying the new 97a, side by side with the old 97a.

New 97a faster
Slides much better in all aspects (smooth or rough, crooked grinds)
Imo it is the perfect combination of grip and slide when you do a power slide.

The sound is better than the 93a and doesn’t feel absurdly sticky and slow at skateparks, feels good like 99a.

I would say new formula 97a in classic shape , 54-57mm is where I will do my best skating. I think it eliminates the need for anything else for me, it covers basically all bases. I have a suspicion the only downside is they won’t last as long as the old formulas.

[Xen]

Didn't see the actual  link possted (sorry if it was).

But man...really? This nano-rat rip instead of radial slims? and it's wider than a classic (width and surface)? Seems weird. Wonder if Ishod wants them or his name will see them sell?

That said, I will nab these  as the 97a nano rats are such a good wheel, for the exact reasons they're made and they do work...I'm over the soft wheel thing  these days so a 99a is ok  by me...would be nice to see DLX innovate instead of retroactivley jump on bandwagons...Basalt, IKP, softsliders...

NHS combo shape been around for decades.

[rocklobster]

Another unwanted F4 release, another day without Radial Slims

[Gunot]

Looks like the perfect wheels for slappys. Pretty epic.

[Xen]

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Looks like the perfect wheels for slappys. Pretty epic.

Was riding 52mm nano rats in 97a, they excel on ledges and ok for curbs (if you curb dance at all the straight inner edge isn't as easy as a classic for say, popping into crooks or 5-0 pivots, slappy crooks, especially fronts are so much easier tho.

Another unwanted F4 release, another day without Radial Slims

Hell, I'd take the old Classic Slims at this point...even more short lived than the slims.

[pops]

Those get a big yuck from me and I would rather ride the && wheel personally.

[Democratic Republic Of Mongo]

Next year we’re getting tablet fulls and a wheel shaped like a Duncan Butterfly Yo-yo.

[Bristol_Palin]

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Put on your tin foil hats everyone. Little fun fact I heard the other day from 2 people "in the know" that I haven't seen posted here and couldn't find mentioned with the search function; You know how sometimes it seems hard to find 93's? The Air Force gets first dibs on some chemical/compound that is used in making those wheels. They can be harder to find because they're harder to make in large quantities

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Glad I snagged another set. I was waiting for the Bannerot 58mm Radial Full 93s but they never dropped...

Anyway, been really liking the 93s. Seem to be more durable than the 97s.

Are the 58mm radial fulls really not coming out? There was an ad in the most recent thrasher. I was hopping to pick up a pair or two.

[Lou Strux]

Next year we’re getting tablet fulls and a wheel shaped like a Duncan Butterfly Yo-yo.

ABD by Santa Cruz 30(+) years ago: who remembers THESE jawns?

[Ok]

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Next year we’re getting tablet fulls and a wheel shaped like a Duncan Butterfly Yo-yo.

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ABD by Santa Cruz 30(+) years ago: who remembers THESE jawns?

definitely had bullet 66s, but not these. at least i think they were 66s, scott oester, indys.  that was my last of the ‘old school’ stuff before i quit from like 4th grade till 11th grade.

anyways, those look insane.
 old wheels were the shit, some of the decks were really good too.

[Democratic Republic Of Mongo]

I admit I first read “coffin cut” as “coffin clit”.

[scab]

Wow, what a shape. What's that supposed to be good for, train tracking? I honestly don't get it, can someone enlighten me?

[back smith]

The Shark Wheels park wheels have a groove too, to push out pebbles they say.



Probably not the reason for it on those Bullet vert wheels though.

[Lou Strux]

Wow, what a shape. What's that supposed to be good for, train tracking? I honestly don't get it, can someone enlighten me?

They were sold as having less surface area in contact w/ the ground (read: vert ramp) thereby reducing friction & allegedly increasing top speed.
They worked about as well as you’d imagine, which is why it’s still a popular design feature, used to this very day. 😏

[Too Frank To Fred]

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Next year we’re getting tablet fulls and a wheel shaped like a Duncan Butterfly Yo-yo.

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ABD by Santa Cruz 30(+) years ago: who remembers THESE jawns?

The Aussie wheel brand, Cockroach did this also.

[rawbertson.]

I mayyyy have wore my 93a out a little more quickly because I spammed a billion 12ft long switch noseslides… it’s only 2 of my wheels that wore out and I swear I rotated them like crazy 

[back smith]

I mayyyy have wore my 93a out a little more quickly because I spammed a billion 12ft long switch noseslides… it’s only 2 of my wheels that wore out and I swear I rotated them like crazy 

Not a single mm wasted!

[Sisig]

I love my 93s except for when I do a trick that naturally has a slide in it and I lose control and slip out.  Are the new 97s even more slippery? Or is the slide more controlled with the 97s?

[rawbertson.]

It depends what kind of ground you are on
The 93a are actually very grippy on a skatepark or smooth surface. The 97a I would say is similar to the 93a on rough ground and slides better on skatepark. For me personally I think it is the perfect combo of grip and slide.

[Mbrimson88]

I love my 93s except for when I do a trick that naturally has a slide in it and I lose control and slip out.  Are the new 97s even more slippery? Or is the slide more controlled with the 97s?

It depends what kind of ground you are on
The 93a are actually very grippy on a skatepark or smooth surface. The 97a I would say is similar to the 93a on rough ground and slides better on skatepark. For me personally I think it is the perfect combo of grip and slide.

My take is this:

When a person gets used to softer wheels for everything, you will push into things way more than you might on harder wheels.  Then when you do get into a slide, they might tend to slip out if you are not quite so balanced, or maybe feel like you have pushed so hard you are a little behind the board, especially on the "Soft Sliders" as they are designed to slide a lot.

When someone is more used to a slightly harder wheel, the compensation for the slip and slide factor is increased so someone wouldn't push into something quite so hard, so that when it does slide, the body might be more over the board rather than behind it and stay on a little better.


I like the 93 duro wheels for some things, but they were a bit weird for me for a number of other things.  On the other hand the 97 duro wheels feel way more normal and I can feel like although they grip a little more than the 99 duro wheels, I don't get lulled in to a false sense of security with how soft they are and can stay a little more on point, if that makes any sense?

Any which way, I guess everyone is different in how they skate and what they skate, so there is no absolute answer for all here, but maybe trying the 97 duro wheels, especially the new urethane option, then figure out which duro works better, or just have two sets of wheels / boards for whatever works at any given time.

[logjammin]

I never cared much for the 93a. tried them in a couple shapes and sizes. they were legit more slippery than 97-99a spits, all they did was make rough ground more tolerable than the other two. and indoors still way too slippery. been on some 99a classic shapes lately and they're doing just fine. so glad indoor skating season is over. couldn't take having to use such soft dragons every session, the 88a's

[Too Frank To Fred]

tried to break in some 101s (lil smokie tables in a 50m) today. bad tims duds, bad tims. i should show you my bluntslide slam (which is why i got them in the first place). Brimmo is right, there is mad inconsistency between sets of 101s. i have some that slide like ice but these were sticky AF... maybe need to break them in more....

Stick to 99s. Dabble in 93s. If you don't mind tyre-changing. That's my deal. Or commit to 97s.

[scab]

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Wow, what a shape. What's that supposed to be good for, train tracking? I honestly don't get it, can someone enlighten me?

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They were sold as having less surface area in contact w/ the ground (read: vert ramp) thereby reducing friction & allegedly increasing top speed.
They worked about as well as you’d imagine, which is why it’s still a popular design feature, used to this very day. 😏

Thanks! Makes about as much sense as I expected.

I love my 93s except for when I do a trick that naturally has a slide in it and I lose control and slip out.  Are the new 97s even more slippery? Or is the slide more controlled with the 97s?

The main thing I've taken from all the discussions about the sliding properties of the different F4 formulas on here is that many of us have different things in mind when we talk about "the slide". I mainly care about powerslides and sliding the last bit of rotational tricks on old asphalt, bricks, and tiles. Others think of reverts on ramps, bluntslides, sticking potential on coping, and/ or different grounds like concrete, wooden ramps... All this to say: What's best or even just most predictable depends on the way and where you skate. I personally find the 97s to be the most reliable across the board. To me they slide the same on different grounds, whereas the 93s are best on rough ground, but unpredictable on smooth ground, and 99s rattle my bones too much to even consider skating them on crust.

[Reese Bruno]

tried to break in some 101s (lil smokie tables in a 50m) today. bad tims duds, bad tims. i should show you my bluntslide slam (which is why i got them in the first place). Brimmo is right, there is mad inconsistency between sets of 101s. i have some that slide like ice but these were sticky AF... maybe need to break them in more....

Stick to 99s. Dabble in 93s. If you don't mind tyre-changing. That's my deal. Or commit to 97s.

The phrase bad tims takes me back. Did you ever lurk or post on the old dlxsf messageboard by any chance?

[Too Frank To Fred]

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tried to break in some 101s (lil smokie tables in a 50m) today. bad tims duds, bad tims. i should show you my bluntslide slam (which is why i got them in the first place). Brimmo is right, there is mad inconsistency between sets of 101s. i have some that slide like ice but these were sticky AF... maybe need to break them in more....

Stick to 99s. Dabble in 93s. If you don't mind tyre-changing. That's my deal. Or commit to 97s.

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The phrase bad tims takes me back. Did you ever lurk or post on the old dlxsf messageboard by any chance?

Why yes, I did. Swet tims, dud.