Wheels Thread

[Painted Baby]

Couldn't find it so not sure if it was posted (and I'm lazy):

These seem to be an iteration on the G Slides. The cores were the big tip off to me. I'm down to try these but the softer wheel market is super different today then it was even a couple of years ago. So many choices out there right now.

[manysnakes]

Wheel spacer question. As a bike mechanic I understand why performance of the bearings should be way more reliable with proper spacers. But they seem to make my wheels sound insane. Way more noise as they spin. What's the deal

I’ve never seen a wheel with tolerances proper to have any benefit from the use of spacers. Ricta does this right and uses plastic and aluminum cores, which guarantee a uniform surface, but even when using Bones wheels and Bones bearings with Bones spacers, they end up causing the bearing to jam. I’ve twice now had spacers get ripped up inside of the wheel due to tolerance issues.

Frankly I just don’t think this is worth it. It’s a trick skateboard, not a downhill longboard. Any benefit would be marginal, and since they seem to always make things worse, I don’t think it’s worth the bother.

[logjammin]

Anyone ever try these? No plastic core and soft but not too soft durometer.

[CannerSpaghetti]

After many years of thinking, skating, and more thinking, I have come to the conclusion that Radial shape wheels are the ultimate shape.

Also SML OG formula is on par with F4 and no one is talking about it.

[con_hielo]

Sup guys!
Here's my two cents on some 56mm V-Shape NFG/Loophole wheels I've been riding the last couple weeks
(For those last, I've mostly skated streets and hills)

They are very sticky and grippy but feel really good, and roll smooth(super fast) over everything.

The slide is really inconsistent, like I can't tell if I'm going to be propelled forward or fell straight on my back anytime.

I tried back my F4 conical full 58mm 99a and apart the slide thing in which they were more predictable, they felt really sluggish, slow and not fun compare to these. I surprisingly prefer my NFG's

They still feel really grippy even after I wore them down a couple mms, so it makes me wondering if I've got a bad set... Because when they decide to slide they feel the best!

[rocklobster]

After many years of thinking, skating, and more thinking, I have come to the conclusion that Radial shape wheels are the ultimate shape.

Also SML OG formula is on par with F4 and no one is talking about it.

Radial Slims are love
Radial Slims are life

But they are increasingly rare these days, could be due to DLX tapering off production for the season. Haven't seen 99a Radial Slims in ages.

[onkalo]

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After many years of thinking, skating, and more thinking, I have come to the conclusion that Radial shape wheels are the ultimate shape.

Also SML OG formula is on par with F4 and no one is talking about it.

[close]

Radial Slims are love
Radial Slims are life

But they are increasingly rare these days, could be due to DLX tapering off production for the season. Haven't seen 99a Radial Slims in ages.

I bought radial slims 52mm 101a in may, loved em. But after 3 months they were down to 46mm so I replaced them with tablets. Radial slims felt better, tablets feel somewhat clunky and tablets are uglier too.

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

Sup guys!
Here's my two cents on some 56mm V-Shape NFG/Loophole wheels I've been riding the last couple weeks
(For those last, I've mostly skated streets and hills)

They are very sticky and grippy but feel really good, and roll smooth(super fast) over everything.

The slide is really inconsistent, like I can't tell if I'm going to be propelled forward or fell straight on my back anytime.

I tried back my F4 conical full 58mm 99a and apart the slide thing in which they were more predictable, they felt really sluggish, slow and not fun compare to these. I surprisingly prefer my NFG's

They still feel really grippy even after I wore them down a couple mms, so it makes me wondering if I've got a bad set... Because when they decide to slide they feel the best!

I was gonna say break them in a few mm before making your final decision, but it sounds like you already have. After trying out my 56s, a guy at my local bought some and then proceeded to tell me they were “broken”. I had a similar experience with my 52 teardrops but now that they’ve worn down they are pretty damn buttery (my 56s still reign supreme though and I unlocked 540 power slides with them). What I will say is warm them up, they slide a lot better when fully warmed up and don’t give up on them quite yet; compared to F4 yes, they are bound to be a bit more inconsistent. I put in the work on my 52s and I’m glad I did.
Evidently the guy who told me his were broken let me ride his board and after giving them a good warmup, I was to rip into 360 power slides no problem.

[Painted Baby]

Found this while surfing around and thought it would be good to have it posted here

[MysticalTypeExperience]

Holy fuck going from Powell Rat Bones 90A 60mm to Orbs 99A 56mm was an absolute shock to the system. I can feel every bump in the uneven pavement now...I'm sure anyone else here could've predicted that but I'm just getting back into skating again and didn't realize how huge of a difference this was.

[GardenSkater77]

59mm/85a Bones Rough Riders
58mm/87a OJ Key Frames
54mm/92a sml Succulent Dreams
52mm/99a Spitfire Radial F4
48.5mm/99a Boardy Cake Bench Warmers

[Texas_Tone]

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Right between 99/101 sounds ideal. I been on conicals for a while but was considering going for the rounded shape for a change

[close]

i can’t say enough good things about them! If you want classic shape, go for the teardrops

[close]

How do the teardrops slide compared to the v shape? (If you have tried both).

[close]

funny thing, my v-cuts slide considerably better than the teardrops which kinda doesn’t make sense, but because they are hand poured you can get variance from wheel to wheel!
A guy at my local bought 54mm v-cuts after trying my 56s and then come up to me and was like, “they’re broken, they don’t slide like yours!” I rode around on his board for a minute to warm them up and while they screeched at little bit at first, I was sill doing some Leo Valls inspired combos within a few minutes on them.

[close]

Interesting! Yeah, the variance in urethane seems to be a factor. I’ve had two sets of square shapes and three sets of v shapes and noticed that one set of the squares slid exceptionally well whereas none of the v shapes slid well at all, except for the 95a ones. I thought maybe the smaller contact patch and rounded edges of the teardrop shape might make a difference but it sounds like it doesn’t haha

I bought a set from theories along with some other shit, and they were great…except one wheel, i guess it was poured incorrectly had bubbles and the bearing wouldn’t fit all the way back into the wheel. I even used a proper bearing press and everything

[RichardAsh]

Skating through gravel, sand, gritty asphalt, dirt, and other rough surfaces require a reliable set of wheels. I always choose wheels which relatively softer or within the 78a-88a durometer range as they are known to be better at resisting impact. Softer wheels also provide you better grip and can dramatically reduce vibration from the board. They’re extra bouncy for a more energized ride too!

[MysticalTypeExperience]

Skating through gravel, sand, gritty asphalt, dirt, and other rough surfaces require a reliable set of wheels. I always choose wheels which relatively softer or within the 78a-88a durometer range as they are known to be better at resisting impact. Softer wheels also provide you better grip and can dramatically reduce vibration from the board. They’re extra bouncy for a more energized ride too!

Aren't softer wheels less bouncy than harder wheels?

[GardenSkater77]

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Skating through gravel, sand, gritty asphalt, dirt, and other rough surfaces require a reliable set of wheels. I always choose wheels which relatively softer or within the 78a-88a durometer range as they are known to be better at resisting impact. Softer wheels also provide you better grip and can dramatically reduce vibration from the board. They’re extra bouncy for a more energized ride too!

[close]

Aren't softer wheels less bouncy than harder wheels?

Hard wheels have greater rebound but that does not translate to bounce off the ground. Soft wheels compress when they make contact with the ground like a rubber ball. That is the bounce people mention and why soft wheels for flat ground and slide tricks are not ideal.

[Sacha]

Looking to try slim wheels… seems most people on slap are skating bones or spitfires, anyone able to recommend other slims? Ricta speed rings for example? Mini logo c-cuts?

Also someone mentioned a page or two back that a bunch of brands are made by the same supplier. Anyone knowledgeable enough to do a mini equivalent of the deck wood shop thread but for wheels?

[Joe Davola]

Looking to try slim wheels… seems most people on slap are skating bones or spitfires, anyone able to recommend other slims? Ricta speed rings for example? Mini logo c-cuts?

Also someone mentioned a page or two back that a bunch of brands are made by the same supplier. Anyone knowledgeable enough to do a mini equivalent of the deck wood shop thread but for wheels?

Pretty sure Autobahn still makes a very slim wheel. Had a pair a long time ago and loved em. Honestly tho, spitfire classics have a pretty slim riding surface and I just stick with those. Can’t stand the look of a wide wheel.

[TwisT]

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Looking to try slim wheels… seems most people on slap are skating bones or spitfires, anyone able to recommend other slims? Ricta speed rings for example? Mini logo c-cuts?

Also someone mentioned a page or two back that a bunch of brands are made by the same supplier. Anyone knowledgeable enough to do a mini equivalent of the deck wood shop thread but for wheels?

[close]

Pretty sure Autobahn still makes a very slim wheel. Had a pair a long time ago and loved em. Honestly tho, spitfire classics have a pretty slim riding surface and I just stick with those. Can’t stand the look of a wide wheel.

I also ride slim wheels for purely visual reasons. With that I don’t the the profile of a spitfire slim.

Bones v4s or v2s if want a flat edge. Autobahn are pretty good. Crupie is super slim but probably the worst of the bunch durability wise.

[rocklobster]

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Looking to try slim wheels… seems most people on slap are skating bones or spitfires, anyone able to recommend other slims? Ricta speed rings for example? Mini logo c-cuts?

Also someone mentioned a page or two back that a bunch of brands are made by the same supplier. Anyone knowledgeable enough to do a mini equivalent of the deck wood shop thread but for wheels?

[close]

Pretty sure Autobahn still makes a very slim wheel. Had a pair a long time ago and loved em. Honestly tho, spitfire classics have a pretty slim riding surface and I just stick with those. Can’t stand the look of a wide wheel.

Autobahn Street Slims are the right answer.

[Xen]

Looking to try slim wheels… seems most people on slap are skating bones or spitfires, anyone able to recommend other slims? Ricta speed rings for example? Mini logo c-cuts?

Also someone mentioned a page or two back that a bunch of brands are made by the same supplier. Anyone knowledgeable enough to do a mini equivalent of the deck wood shop thread but for wheels?

Ricta Nyjah super slims (if you can find them); 101a only, it's a skinny conical, my favorite wheel right now. 52mm (only) width: 27.75mm/Contact Patch: 15.25mm


Ricta Speed Rings Slim, more rounded than the above but nothing crazy. It's like a slim classic, but actually slim/real close to a V1. 99a (only) 52mm width 30.3mm/18.3mm contact patch - 51mm (which I'm riding) Width 29.75mm/contact patch 18mm


Asta same dims as the above but a bit more rounded like a radial slim, but actually slim/real close to a V1.


I've both the speed rings and the nyjahs and they're great; slap gonna hate because 'ricta' (and they don't come in potato brown) but they are hard as fuck and have unique slim shapes (what I like but they have wide shapes too) that you can't get with bones or spit or OJ; Autobahn are much too grippy and the only slim shape they have anymore is so close to a V3 you'd be better off with the bones.

[Frank and Fred]

Too white. No can do.

[Texas_Tone]

Looking to try slim wheels… seems most people on slap are skating bones or spitfires, anyone able to recommend other slims? Ricta speed rings for example? Mini logo c-cuts?

Also someone mentioned a page or two back that a bunch of brands are made by the same supplier. Anyone knowledgeable enough to do a mini equivalent of the deck wood shop thread but for wheels?

Satori has a “vinyl cut” shape that I enjoy

[switchfrontshuv]

Too white. No can do.

funny how in the 90s you'd be saying the opposite

[Frank and Fred]

I really wasn’t picky in the 90s. Rode the biggest wheels I could get my hands on.

[fairydinkum]

Hey folks,

Just reaching out here incase anyone knew, do OJ Mini Combo 58mm cover over the average skate truck axle? Am prospecting for a wheel that isn't specifically for freestyle but can be used properly for bowl too.

[switchfrontshuv]

Switched from oj mini combos to bones conicals and my flip tricks got shittier. Starting to think mini combos are my shape.

Dude hahaha I don't know why I love those wheels so much too. I'd feel the exact same way now but I wish they made them softer. I'm too used to 99a SML AG formula for street spots (slide and go super fast at parks too) but yeah mini combos are the best wide shape wheel for sure (conical front for a fat look but rounded truckside so u dont get a sticky tablet-like grind on metal ledges and shit)

Also never scratched my axle nuts cuz theyre so fat hahahah they stuck out past my fucking axles

[switchfrontshuv]

Hey folks,

Just reaching out here incase anyone knew, do OJ Mini Combo 58mm cover over the average skate truck axle? Am prospecting for a wheel that isn't specifically for freestyle but can be used properly for bowl too.

yeah they do for sure

[fairydinkum]

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Switched from oj mini combos to bones conicals and my flip tricks got shittier. Starting to think mini combos are my shape.

[close]

Dude hahaha I don't know why I love those wheels so much too. I'd feel the exact same way now but I wish they made them softer. I'm too used to 99a SML AG formula for street spots (slide and go super fast at parks too) but yeah mini combos are the best wide shape wheel for sure (conical front for a fat look but rounded truckside so u dont get a sticky tablet-like grind on metal ledges and shit)

Also never scratched my axle nuts cuz theyre so fat hahahah they stuck out past my fucking axles

Hahaha this is awesome, thanks man. Hoping I don’t get axle scrape doing primo stalls.

[Loki700]

Looking forward to trying out these V2’s tomorrow.

[OldCandy]

how ricta wireframe sparx?? been wanting to try something cheaper, is it a legit formula or just the same as deck company wheels, how does it hold up to bones and spitfire