Spitfire formula four

[Mbrimson88]

I see Classic Fulls in their current catalog but they are always 80du. Need the new formula 97s.

Yeah I never really consider anything in 80HD in the normal wheel category, as they are cruiser or "other use" wheels to me, even though they do have a good use for rough terrain or pump tracks or similar, of which I do have the Classic Full wheels in 56 and 58 mm on setups.

In recent catalogs (and some still to come out) when I saw there were both the Bighead shape and Classic Full in normal urethane, then I was a lot more interested, even if they are often in limited runs of specific sizes and colours.

I do wonder if there will ever be a Classic Full as a staple line again, the way they just made the Radial Full a staple line, in 54, 56, 58 and 60 mm sizes, seeing as anything FULL shaped has been a top seller for a while now.

Any which way, there used to be Classic Full wheels in both 99 and 101 back in the day in an assortment of sizes, but then when so many other shapes came out, they were reduced to limited editions and then seemed to drop from the line entirely for the most part for the last five years, just one or two here and there, from what I have seen.


As to whether or not there would ever be a Classic Full 97 duro option, I think with the three shapes and assorted sizes they have out now, I can't see many more coming out apart from specific pro one offs or similar, but I could be wrong.  I took my Classic 97 duro 56 mm wheels down to 53 mm just to see what they were like and I definitely prefer them to the smaller Classic options.  I also rounded off the Radial Full 54 mm shape so it would be a Classic (very) Full shape which also works really well on my bigger board. 

That said, I have no problem machining down wheels, now I am used to it and got a lot of practice in on other old wheels, but it is not the easiest thing to get used to doing and I have messed up some wheels in the past.

My best suggestion would be to try to get the next size up from what you might usually use and then skate them down on some rougher terrain if possible to get them down to a better size for everything else.  We used to have a really old bowl I would carve around and I could take wheels down more than a few mm in a month very easily.  It was good exercise too, come to think of it.

[Hqjdncm]

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I see Classic Fulls in their current catalog but they are always 80du. Need the new formula 97s.

[close]

Yeah I never really consider anything in 80HD in the normal wheel category, as they are cruiser or "other use" wheels to me, even though they do have a good use for rough terrain or pump tracks or similar, of which I do have the Classic Full wheels in 56 and 58 mm on setups.

In recent catalogs (and some still to come out) when I saw there were both the Bighead shape and Classic Full in normal urethane, then I was a lot more interested, even if they are often in limited runs of specific sizes and colours.

I do wonder if there will ever be a Classic Full as a staple line again, the way they just made the Radial Full a staple line, in 54, 56, 58 and 60 mm sizes, seeing as anything FULL shaped has been a top seller for a while now.

Any which way, there used to be Classic Full wheels in both 99 and 101 back in the day in an assortment of sizes, but then when so many other shapes came out, they were reduced to limited editions and then seemed to drop from the line entirely for the most part for the last five years, just one or two here and there, from what I have seen.


As to whether or not there would ever be a Classic Full 97 duro option, I think with the three shapes and assorted sizes they have out now, I can't see many more coming out apart from specific pro one offs or similar, but I could be wrong.  I took my Classic 97 duro 56 mm wheels down to 53 mm just to see what they were like and I definitely prefer them to the smaller Classic options.  I also rounded off the Radial Full 54 mm shape so it would be a Classic (very) Full shape which also works really well on my bigger board. 

That said, I have no problem machining down wheels, now I am used to it and got a lot of practice in on other old wheels, but it is not the easiest thing to get used to doing and I have messed up some wheels in the past.

My best suggestion would be to try to get the next size up from what you might usually use and then skate them down on some rougher terrain if possible to get them down to a better size for everything else.  We used to have a really old bowl I would carve around and I could take wheels down more than a few mm in a month very easily.  It was good exercise too, come to think of it.

If u have any experience with them, but are the classic fulls wider than the bigheads? I really wanna try one of them, preferably the wider of the two so I wanna know if anyone has actual dimensions of them or has ridden both and can tell me the difference

[meeevs]

I'd be interested to see sales data by shape to see how people are using the different duros etc. It seems weird to have the conical full in 97 but not for example the regular radial or OG classic while the regular classic is offered in all duros.

I had a lot more experience with one or two brands that used Creative urethane and they used to pick shape/duro pairs that were complimentary e.g. round radius/radial wheels can benefit from the extra grip a lower duro offers but a conical could end up too grippy especially a dubcon. The slidiest tech slide wheels were double radial and high duro with a core. et cetera.

Anyway sorry for the tinge of wheel madness creeping in there, all that to say I'd try the classic fulls especially if they did a 97. I recently got a set of OGs which I need a bit more time on but a fan so far, thanks to everyone who chipped in to help me decide!

[Mbrimson88]

If u have any experience with them, but are the classic fulls wider than the bigheads? I really wanna try one of them, preferably the wider of the two so I wanna know if anyone has actual dimensions of them or has ridden both and can tell me the difference

The two things to note, or that I have seen with way too many sets of wheels kept from the old days, up to the present:

1. Wheels have at some point slimmed down over time, even the Bighead shape with the same graphic in the original urethane, as well as the Classic shape and graphic in the original urethane too - going by the older ones compared to the newer ones of the same wheel, especially the bigger sizes.  I base this mainly on 56 or 57 mm size wheels, which is the most common size I had from the 00s through to the present, which were 56 mm x 37 mm, 57 x 37 mm.

2. The current Bigheads and Classic Full wheels both in Formula Four are very comparable so again around 56 x 37 mm in the Classic Full wheels, so I would say almost if not completely identical in actual size and shape at least in the smaller sizes, or so it would seem, although this is again based on sizes of around 54 or less, because there are not both in 55 and 56 to compare / because there are not the same diameters in each style - Bigheads were often offset / odd numbers in size, Classics were even numbers when we are talking over 56 mm.


Quite a number of the original Formula Four packaging had incorrect info for the larger size Classic Full wheels too, but some more recently seems to have the right measurements, eg this one:

https://www.ocdskateshop.com.au/cdn/shop/products/spitfire-80hd-shapes_9aaeeed8-cad3-464a-b652-86b79584898e_1024x1024.jpg



My own previously tabled wheel measurements:

Classic Full chart correct to 54mm and measurements just taken again on wheels I have:

52       33       18
53       33.5    18.5
54       34       19
54.5    35       19.5
56       37       22.5
58       38       24


*  The 54.5 were the Cardiel specials, just in case anyone was confused.


The recent Bighead radioactive wheels look right in the 54 mm size, but the 57 mm looks skinny - same as the regular Classic going by their chart info.  I haven't seen any in person yet, but I have the previous black versions in 55 mm.

https://www.spitfirewheels.com/summer-2025/

https://www.spitfirewheels.com/summer25/sf-sm25-d2-radioactive-bh.jpg


I have the 55 mm black Bigheads from this catalog and they are right (I think).

https://www.spitfirewheels.com/fall-2024/

https://www.spitfirewheels.com/fall24/13-sf-fl24-d1-bighead-classic.jpg



** Sorry that got a little long and I copied and edited text a bit too much, but I think if you check which size you prefer, that might make it easier now to compare.

The smaller wheels are very similar to the regular Classics anyway, but the bigger ones definitely widen out a lot from 56 mm  up.

[Fifty8mm]

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I have loved skating the 93 classics for the past year but am considering switching back to 99s out of curiosity. I’m not sure if it is worth it… there is a snappiness I miss…

[close]

I like 93s a lot, but not as my primary wheel. I'd say going back to 99 is worth it if:
- You skate a lot of ledges, especially if its metal coping
- You skate flatbars
- The ground you skate isn't really bad
- You don't get too sore or tired after skating

And yes, the sound and snappiness are nice too.

I might be in the minority but i really like 99a big heads standard formula, feels a bit softer than 99a f4s, but you don't feel the dampening when you try to pop like it feels on the 93a. It might be in my head though.

But i did love them 93a wheels, bought three sets. They ride so smooth on the shitty asphalt and really helped me out when i went to older cities.  But for the skating i do 99 percent of the time i don't need them.

[tzhangdox]

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I have loved skating the 93 classics for the past year but am considering switching back to 99s out of curiosity. I’m not sure if it is worth it… there is a snappiness I miss…

[close]

I like 93s a lot, but not as my primary wheel. I'd say going back to 99 is worth it if:
- You skate a lot of ledges, especially if its metal coping
- You skate flatbars
- The ground you skate isn't really bad
- You don't get too sore or tired after skating

And yes, the sound and snappiness are nice too.

[close]

I might be in the minority but i really like 99a big heads standard formula, feels a bit softer than 99a f4s, but you don't feel the dampening when you try to pop like it feels on the 93a. It might be in my head though.

But i did love them 93a wheels, bought three sets. They ride so smooth on the shitty asphalt and really helped me out when i went to older cities.  But for the skating i do 99 percent of the time i don't need them.

Yeah, the standard classic formula is quite a nice ride I agree. Main issue is that its a lot grippier (can be a good thing), and flatspot pretty easily. A couple pros prefer them, since they have an unlimited supply lol

[swongolianbbq]

I wish classic fulls were a little more full.. but then I guess we already have radial fulls. Those machined-down radial fulls are awesome.

I have some 93a radials and they're good, but imagine a 93a radial full, that would be killer.. especially if it was machined to have a radius like classics!

I figure if I'm at a skatepark practicing like, flipping into grinds and shit I may as well have some small hard wheels so I've been thinking about getting some 50mm 101a classics

And keeping around some 56mm radials or radial fulls in 93 or 97a

With 53mm 99a classics as the main/regular wheel

So like if I'm bummed on my skating or blaming my setup or my fitness I can just swap the wheels and have fun a different way

Hopefully they do 56mm classics and radial fulls when they bring the 93a back. I heard they don't do it with conicals, tablets, or OGs because of chipping. They pretty much nailed it first time with the 52 to 58 lineup in classics and radials

[Hqjdncm]

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If u have any experience with them, but are the classic fulls wider than the bigheads? I really wanna try one of them, preferably the wider of the two so I wanna know if anyone has actual dimensions of them or has ridden both and can tell me the difference

[close]

The two things to note, or that I have seen with way too many sets of wheels kept from the old days, up to the present:

1. Wheels have at some point slimmed down over time, even the Bighead shape with the same graphic in the original urethane, as well as the Classic shape and graphic in the original urethane too - going by the older ones compared to the newer ones of the same wheel, especially the bigger sizes.  I base this mainly on 56 or 57 mm size wheels, which is the most common size I had from the 00s through to the present, which were 56 mm x 37 mm, 57 x 37 mm.

2. The current Bigheads and Classic Full wheels both in Formula Four are very comparable so again around 56 x 37 mm in the Classic Full wheels, so I would say almost if not completely identical in actual size and shape at least in the smaller sizes, or so it would seem, although this is again based on sizes of around 54 or less, because there are not both in 55 and 56 to compare / because there are not the same diameters in each style - Bigheads were often offset / odd numbers in size, Classics were even numbers when we are talking over 56 mm.


Quite a number of the original Formula Four packaging had incorrect info for the larger size Classic Full wheels too, but some more recently seems to have the right measurements, eg this one:




My own previously tabled wheel measurements:

Classic Full chart correct to 54mm and measurements just taken again on wheels I have:

52       33       18
53       33.5    18.5
54       34       19
54.5    35       19.5
56       37       22.5
58       38       24


*  The 54.5 were the Cardiel specials, just in case anyone was confused.


The recent Bighead radioactive wheels look right in the 54 mm size, but the 57 mm looks skinny - same as the regular Classic going by their chart info.  I haven't seen any in person yet, but I have the previous black versions in 55 mm.

https://www.spitfirewheels.com/summer-2025/

https://www.spitfirewheels.com/summer25/sf-sm25-d2-radioactive-bh.jpg


I have the 55 mm black Bigheads from this catalog and they are right (I think).

https://www.spitfirewheels.com/fall-2024/

https://www.spitfirewheels.com/fall24/13-sf-fl24-d1-bighead-classic.jpg



** Sorry that got a little long and I copied and edited text a bit too much, but I think if you check which size you prefer, that might make it easier now to compare.

The smaller wheels are very similar to the regular Classics anyway, but the bigger ones definitely widen out a lot from 56 mm  up.

Thanks for the info, yea the sizes seem very weird…a lil inconsistent. But I’ve been wanting to try some but the burners are the same shape as the bigheads so might give them a go. Anyone have any experience with the burner formula? If not I’m just gonna get some f4 bigheads. Although I really would feather get the classic fulls. If someone has any plzzzz lmk I’ll def buy em off uuu

[swongolianbbq]

 Just picked up some f4 99 bigheads from the local

They didn't have 53mm classics other than black/blue swirl or 101 duro so I I figured the 54mm bigheads should be more than close enough hahah. The "radioactive" bighead sticker they came with is sick. And kinda big. I was hyped

Update

Oh yeah these rule

They're like 1/16" wider than my radials in the same size
And they basically look like the wheels I had when I was a kid
Kinda glad they didn't have the classic 99 53s I came in for

Oh and to the person above, I love the classic formula but I do flatspot them, and I can only imagine the budget friendly burner formula is for kids who want spitfires because of the name/brand recognition but their parents don't want to spend 50 bucks on wheels... That market share tho, but yeah I would expect them to flatspot as easily or more easily than the classic formula

I've literally never flatspotted a formula four

A city bus can flatspot them tho

[Mbrimson88]

Thanks for the info, yea the sizes seem very weird…a lil inconsistent. But I’ve been wanting to try some but the burners are the same shape as the bigheads so might give them a go. Anyone have any experience with the burner formula? If not I’m just gonna get some f4 bigheads. Although I really would feather get the classic fulls. If someone has any plzzzz lmk I’ll def buy em off uuu

I kept meaning to get a set of the Burners just to see what they were like, but I think a couple of other people had tried them and said they really should have just bought another set of Formula Four wheels and left it at that.

As others have said, some people like the original formula - goodness knows I still have a lot of them and they skate fine for me - but taking a step down from Formula Four for anything else at all is maybe something that is not such a good idea for someone with limited budget or resources, or especially if you do a lot of slides where you might flatspot your wheels.


Re the Bighead shape 54 mm natural wheels, I would have thought that there would still be a good number of them out there, as they weren't released all that long ago, so searching the words Spitfire radioactive should bring up a few options for you, maybe more so than the word Bighead would.

I checked and there are a number that come up in various countries, including SW if nothing else in USA, so check with your local shop(s) and see if anyone has any there first, but you should be able to get some easily enough.  They are not out here yet, in Australia, but we always take a while for things to get sent down under.

Hope that helped.

[rawbertson.]

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I have loved skating the 93 classics for the past year but am considering switching back to 99s out of curiosity. I’m not sure if it is worth it… there is a snappiness I miss…

[close]

I like 93s a lot, but not as my primary wheel. I'd say going back to 99 is worth it if:
- You skate a lot of ledges, especially if its metal coping
- You skate flatbars
- The ground you skate isn't really bad
- You don't get too sore or tired after skating

And yes, the sound and snappiness are nice too.

[close]

I might be in the minority but i really like 99a big heads standard formula, feels a bit softer than 99a f4s, but you don't feel the dampening when you try to pop like it feels on the 93a. It might be in my head though.

But i did love them 93a wheels, bought three sets. They ride so smooth on the shitty asphalt and really helped me out when i went to older cities.  But for the skating i do 99 percent of the time i don't need them.

[close]

Yeah, the standard classic formula is quite a nice ride I agree. Main issue is that its a lot grippier (can be a good thing), and flatspot pretty easily. A couple pros prefer them, since they have an unlimited supply lol

I ended up just going back to 99a after trying 93a, 97a new and old formula. I actually might even get 101a next time if they are still at my local. It seems like a more "tactile" slide, you just feel a lot more of the surface which i seem to prefer. when you are skating there is a certain sound and feel with f4 99a that seems super ideal. it is probably better for your joints to ride the soft wheels though.

[swongolianbbq]

If you type spitfire radioactive into shoplurker there's 20 different places that have the natural color F4 bighead 54/99s so that's cool

Crazy how fast the 93s wear down

A 56 classic 93 would be rad cause it would get to that sweet spot super quick, and I find the classic shape slides better for crooked grinds especially on like a metal skatepark ledge and with a softer duro

I had to go faster and hung up/stuck more with 97a conical fulls and 93a radials

I regret selling my 93a classics but they would've worn down so fast anyways

I liked my old formula 97a classics but the 99s feel more lively to me, these felt kind of dead. I had some 101 radials a few years ago that felt kind of dead too. Whenever they get the special sauce back from the military they should look into reformulating the 101s.

It would save money and make more sense if they only released 101s in the smallest and largest sizes... Cause a harder wheel is faster on a vert ramp, and a really small wheel benefits from being really hard for skating ledges so it doesn't grab on to imperfections in the ledge.. like if they made 101s in 48, 50, 52, 56, 58, 60 and only in classic shape... The narrow contact patch is faster for vert ramps and the round edge is good for chunky ledges.. then again they'd only be saving on 53-54-55 and the other odd numbers.. and 54 101 is a good budget-conscious wheel cause they'll wear slowly into smaller sizes anyway..  and some people are mad picky about getting their specific odd number too

Then they could still have radial fulls in 99 and 97 for the pool skaters, hill bombers and crusty spots in like 54, 56, 58, 60

Radial slims lock in better and powerslide better for a small wheel, and I think they were the lightest weight spitfire, now classics are..

Nobody needs all the weird offset lock in shapes for real, can't even turn them shits around

I bet the newer formula 97a classics are real good though and don't wear down as fast as the 93s, bummed I didn't get to try some

I think people saying the wider wheels have more grip is kinda weird. Not in my experience. I guess they might have better grip just cornering fast, but they definitely break loose into a slide easier I think

I can powerslide way better and with more control on a wide wheel

It's like a Nascar tire

In the rain one time I tried some different stuff and my classics had more bite in the asphalt for sure than my conical fulls which were way more slippery

I think that's why wide shapes in softer duros make sense and the skinnier shapes make more sense in the harder ones, so you can get the grip of a soft wheel but still be able to slide it

Idk

I like these 99 bigheads. I wish there were more bigheads and classic fulls. They powerslide a little better than classics

[meeevs]

I think people saying the wider wheels have more grip is kinda weird. Not in my experience. I guess they might have better grip just cornering fast, but they definitely break loose into a slide easier I think

I mean, wide is relative. On dedicated boards tech slide was narrowest (30-40mm ish) but soft slide stuff and race wheels could be 50mm+ wide. 70-85A would be soft, 'true' tech was 90-101. Wide wheels in a square or sharp lip shape have more grip anyway but add in soft duro urethane and it would be really very grippy until you took the edge off. Like, the feeling of riding on train tracks at 50mph downhill grippy. Actually slightly scary until you scrubbed them a bit.

Before all of the forums fell off the face of the net there was loads of info out there and it used to be a shared concept that the 'break point' is different feeling depending on the width of the wheel amongst a bunch of other factors - whether the outer edge is radiused or conical, what the inner edge is like too (dubcon/double conical used to get some mileage in big bowls for traction as well as providing an easier bump over coping, and sharp 90 degree inner lips add a huge amount of grip), whether the wheel 'hub' is centred relative to the wheel or offset, whether the duro is soft or hard and the type of urethane used.

With the exception of the Ishod shape all of the F4 wheels have some form of roundover radius both sides e.g compared to the Ishod on the inner lip, which also have an offset core.

I had to go faster and hung up/stuck more with 97a conical fulls and 93a radials [...] I can powerslide way better and with more control on a wide wheel

I haven't used the F4 'fulls' but while 97 is still relatively hard it would *relatively* have more grip than 99 and therefore hang up more at the same speed. If you prefer the wide shape or find it better for slides etc it's also likely partially down to technique and whether you like the way the fulls feel or if it gives you more confidence when they break traction compared to a Classic.

[swongolianbbq]

Interesting, thanks

I liked the part about the inside edge grip, coping feel, pool riding

The downhill/freeride stuff is interesting too

I want to get some 82a Snakes soon for a cruiser board

I feel like the wider spitfires break into a slide easier and are easier to keep in a slide and choose when I want to stop sliding, I dunno. Technique could have something to do with it and explains why different people have different experiences. I think with the YouTube reviews and the way a lot of folks use the same terms all the time has something to do with it too. Definitely the softer duro is gonna be grippier. My 93d radials slide way better on asphalt so I think all my best sliding memories are in the middle of the street. The 93s don't powerslide as easy in a troweled smooth skatepark. I guess my experience in my last comment was referring just to sliding in the road

Here's the F4's  I've tried:

Conical full 54mm 97, 99, 101

Conical 56mm 99

Radial 54mm 93, 101

Radial 58mm 93

OG classic 54mm 99

Classic 54mm 93, 97, 99

Classic 56mm 99

Classic 58mm 99

Classic 60mm 99

Bighead 54mm 99

[rawbertson.]

Interesting, thanks


I feel like the wider spitfires break into a slide easier and are easier to keep in a slide and choose when I want to stop sliding, I dunno.

yeah i have had a large range of shapes and sizes from F4, probably dont need to list em all, but i also mentioned on here I have had the same experience you did. I am riding 60mm radial fulls 99a and its really icy, its pretty ideal for what i like. I was using smaller classics and they felt sticky and slow when new.

Classic shape imo and probably in most peoples opinions is better for flip tricks and pinches though and i suppose if you care its 1mm skinnier than a radial lmao save bit of weight there

I will say though at the skatepark is where you will notice the difference, when the ground is absolutely perfect. i would say a classic feels faster and slidier there even when its new. my theory is the fat wheels will catch everything on the skatepark and drag, the skinny classics dont have much to grab on. but in the crust there are a lot of un-evenness in the road and little rocks and stuff and the fatter wheel can just tank through it way better. I hardly ever skate at the skatepark the last 5 years or so and maybe you dont either, so that is why you have a similar experience to me. or maybe your skateparks just dont have perfect ground.

i started to skate at parks again a bit more recently, and I couldnt stand how quiet those soft wheels were at the skatepark, even the 97s. my bearings were not new and my board just sounded like ass. so much better with the 99a radial fulls and some new Andale Swiss bearings. i probably dont need 60mm radial full, 56-58mm classic is what i am going to look for next time and 101a even.

[meeevs]

I feel like the wider spitfires break into a slide easier and are easier to keep in a slide and choose when I want to stop sliding, I dunno.

Definitely agree with the 'keep in a slide' and 'choose when I want to stop sliding' comments, that comes from the more defined slip/grip vs thinner wheels.

My 93d radials slide way better on asphalt so I think all my best sliding memories are in the middle of the street. The 93s don't powerslide as easy in a troweled smooth skatepark. I guess my experience in my last comment was referring just to sliding in the road

Softer urethane deforms more which is part of why it 'grips' a surface and is why lower duro is faster on crust/bad surfaces. It's also why they would be less slide-prone on smooth crete etc. 101 by comparison is juddery/vibrates a lot/pings up off imperfections because it's not conforming to the surface or deflecting at all. You will notice this contrast a lot more clearly on those 82As.

yeah i have had a large range of shapes and sizes from F4, probably dont need to list em all, but i also mentioned on here I have had the same experience you did. I am riding 60mm radial fulls 99a and its really icy, its pretty ideal for what i like. I was using smaller classics and they felt sticky and slow when new.

Classic shape imo and probably in most peoples opinions is better for flip tricks and pinches though and i suppose if you care its 1mm skinnier than a radial lmao save bit of weight there

I will say though at the skatepark is where you will notice the difference, when the ground is absolutely perfect. i would say a classic feels faster and slidier there even when its new. my theory is the fat wheels will catch everything on the skatepark and drag, the skinny classics dont have much to grab on. but in the crust there are a lot of un-evenness in the road and little rocks and stuff and the fatter wheel can just tank through it way better. I hardly ever skate at the skatepark the last 5 years or so and maybe you dont either, so that is why you have a similar experience to me. or maybe your skateparks just dont have perfect ground.

i started to skate at parks again a bit more recently, and I couldnt stand how quiet those soft wheels were at the skatepark, even the 97s. my bearings were not new and my board just sounded like ass. so much better with the 99a radial fulls and some new Andale Swiss bearings. i probably dont need 60mm radial full, 56-58mm classic is what i am going to look for next time and 101a even.

Bicycle tyres aren't a great analogy as they are all much softer and also pneumatic (air filled) but essentially the example in width here is that a track cyclist on a perfect velodrome can benefit from the thinner, lighter (and more aerodynamic, lol) tyres/wheels because they don't need the tyre to deform as much to grip the surface to keep speed, where a cyclist doing paris-roubaix or riding your average streets would find a wider tyre more comfortable and also faster in those imperfect situations than the track tyre. So yeah in the park if you have a good one go harder and thinner, you're just saving weight. For any kind of mixed surface the wider wheel will be comfier and faster.

[SwitchBenihana]

I've got the new Bighead and they're barely different than a Classic. I didn't measure them, but it's maybe a MM whereas the size chart for Classic Full seems to be wider. I feel that they need to commit to either a radial or conical sidewall and so the OG Classic cutout on everything basically like a Bones.

[swongolianbbq]

Bicycle tyres aren't a great analogy as they are all much softer and also pneumatic (air filled) but essentially the example in width here is that a track cyclist on a perfect velodrome can benefit from the thinner, lighter (and more aerodynamic, lol) tyres/wheels because they don't need the tyre to deform as much to grip the surface to keep speed, where a cyclist doing paris-roubaix or riding your average streets would find a wider tyre more comfortable and also faster in those imperfect situations than the track tyre. So yeah in the park if you have a good one go harder and thinner, you're just saving weight. For any kind of mixed surface the wider wheel will be comfier and faster.

I almost made a bike tire analogy too, glad you did

Them cobblestones though

[swongolianbbq]

Vintage spitfire ads and CCS catalog scans


1989


1990


1991


1991


1992


1992 or 1993 I don't remember which catalog this was


1993


1993


1994


1995


1996


1996

[meeevs]

I love looking through old skate catalogues that occasionally surface because we used to pore over em like mad at school. It's always fun to see what details get revived e.g. the OG 'zoetrope' decal shown here.

I occasionally dig through my eBay saved searches to see what NOS comes up - like these:



The radial edge looks like it drops off much more aggressively:

[Mbrimson88]

.

Before Formula Four (pre 2012 that is) there were a lot of original urethane and a few other variants (F1) but for the most part, the older original urethane wheels were big, wide and round in shape, going back twenty to thirty years.

Some others have been on show recently from this guy, who had a whole load of new old stock and well worth a look:


https://www.instagram.com/martinellicomedy/

[meeevs]

I'd actually asked him about shipping but tariffs etc made it a bad idea. It is cool to see him pulling all this classic stuff out of storage though.

[144p]

Heard shops will be able to order 93’s on Monday so back in rotation soon.

[Reese Bruno]

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Before Formula Four (pre 2012 that is) there were a lot of original urethane and a few other variants (F1) but for the most part, the older original urethane wheels were big, wide and round in shape, going back twenty to thirty years.

Some others have been on show recently from this guy, who had a whole load of new old stock and well worth a look:


https://www.instagram.com/martinellicomedy/

55.5 metalheads look dreamy

[meeevs]

Having gone on for ages about wheels, duros etc I realise something I have no knowledge of is whether any of those NOS wheels would still be good to ride, I guess it depends how they've been stored? (in his earlier reels/posts he had a bunch still in the original film which looked pretty good, the loose/bagged ones maybe not though depending on exposure to light and temperature)

[swongolianbbq]

The metal head shape is so sick, kinda like what I was rambling about earlier, like a radial full but with a classic style radius so you get a little  more life out of em before they go super square edge

For real though right now I think 50mm 101s, 53mm 99s, and 56mm 97s all in classic shape are all I would need if I get wheel madness

funny how wide all the regular classics were back then too

They remind me of the bigheads I just got which I am loving


In the 1997 CCS catalog I looked at, spitfire had like 25 options and there was a "classic" in there which is presumably the same shape they were using for all the novelty graphic ones, just with the swirl print. I don't remember the sizes in the '97 one but I think it's pretty similar to what you'd find today and 97 seems to be the year that spitfires domination started to set in

Having gone on for ages about wheels, duros etc I realise something I have no knowledge of is whether any of those NOS wheels would still be good to ride, I guess it depends how they've been stored? (in his earlier reels/posts he had a bunch still in the original film which looked pretty good, the loose/bagged ones maybe not though depending on exposure to light and temperature)

I rode some 58mm ones, I think they were called "Tombers" and had a mummy on em

Very yellow

As far as I know, urethane never stops curing

They felt kinda hard/slippery

Found them on a complete at a thrift store in Jackson Hole WY in 2016

Whole board was $8

It was very CCS

like a 7.5 with phantom trucks and lucky bearings/risers if I recall correctly

[meeevs]

I rode some 58mm ones, I think they were called "Tombers" and had a mummy on em

Very yellow

As far as I know, urethane never stops curing

They felt kinda hard/slippery

Haha what a find. We never get cool shit in our charity shops (thrift store equivalent). Interesting, I had a quick look online and results from a few manufacturers/urethane producers from the wider industry said that it does stop curing but that direct UV and/or high heat can basically allow the urethane to continue hardening after it's officially 'cured', so I wonder if there's a natural maximum to how much more a wheel will harden if generally stored in non extreme conditions e.g. indoors, indirect light, normal temps only.

[swongolianbbq]

Expand Quote

I rode some 58mm ones, I think they were called "Tombers" and had a mummy on em

Very yellow

As far as I know, urethane never stops curing

They felt kinda hard/slippery

[close]

Haha what a find. We never get cool shit in our charity shops (thrift store equivalent). Interesting, I had a quick look online and results from a few manufacturers/urethane producers from the wider industry said that it does stop curing but that direct UV and/or high heat can basically allow the urethane to continue hardening after it's officially 'cured', so I wonder if there's a natural maximum to how much more a wheel will harden if generally stored in non extreme conditions e.g. indoors, indirect light, normal temps only.

Interesting, that makes sense. It's the UV that kills it

I know the polyurethane coating on old camping tents and rain jackets starts to degrade, smell bad, and flake off after awhile even when stored in a dark garage

But I think if wheels are stored in a cool dark place they might actually still be good

[meeevs]

I guess it's the inconsistent ones that give me pause, like you see sets online where some of the wheels are darker than others, which makes me think they might not ride/wear the same. Maybe if I see a decent price on a set I'll try em out.

[Hqjdncm]

Well guys I just thought I’d share I found a set of 53mm f4 classic fulls for sale and swooped them up. They will get here Wednesday and so I’ll post some pics on here and possibly the set up thread when I get them, but just wanted to say thanks to @Mbrimson88 for the info on the sizing and such. And glad I found some