Alright guys, I've got some wheel reviews followed up by some questions...
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The past several years I've ridden...
Bones STF 103a 55mm - V4 Wide - 17mm riding patch
Bones STF 103a 56mm - V6 Widecut - 20.5mm riding patch
These things are great as long as you're skating smoother surfaces.
+ Very fast.
+ SO fun! Amazing for powerslides/reverts. Very slick and slidey. Mostly only slide when you want them to.
+ Very responsive, and I can feel the board and what I'm riding on very easily.
+/- Slippery on ramps, but in a predictable way. You can pretty much always count on them to slide, for better or for worse. Fun for cess slides and reverts, but could cause some troubles for when you are relying on traction.
- Too hard to tackle pebbles/debris (despite large size). Often found myself eating shit on pebbles I felt I should be able to ride over.
- Too hard to ride on crusty streets. My feet would be numb/tingling from vibrations after I road down certain streets. Rougher surfaces really effect your speed.
- Can slide out on you skating certain surfaces.
Overall, by far my favorite wheels I've ever had when it comes to smooth/clean streets and spots.
9/10. Amazing wheels, but they are awful in the wrong circumstances.
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Then to help out a local skateshop I settled for trying...
OJ Elite 101a 54mm - Mini Combo - 20mm riding patch
+ About 80% as slick as my Bones wheels, great for powerslides/reverts. No problems here.
+ What they maybe lacked in slickness they made up for in a slightly smoother ride. I could still powerslide around, but it felt like a bit better for cruising streets. Still a hard wheel though.
+ Still had solid responsiveness and feel.
+ No noticeable difference in speed from my Bones wheels
+/- Felt less "plasticky" than Bones wheels. Again, less slidey.
- It felt slightly less predictable on park surfaces. Sometimes would stick instead of slide. Not a huge deal though.
- I had SOME flatspots. Again, I really like powerslides.
- Maybe wore down faster than Bones wheels?
Surprisingly, I really liked these wheels a lot too. A bit more versatile than those Bones wheels, not as extreme. Not quite as "fun" and slidey, but I never had any trouble sliding when I wanted to. Maybe flatspot and wear down a bit more.
8/10. A little bit more of an all-around wheel. I really enjoyed these. Definitely worth grabbing if they're on sale!
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After all the hype I had heard about F4 Conical Fulls, I decided to give them a try. I went in essentially wanting to use them as semi-cruiser wheels. So I decided to try the new 97d...
Spitfire F4 97d 54mm - Conical Full - 22mm riding patch
Well. I got what I asked for, I guess. By chance, after getting them I moved to a place with CRUSTY streets everywhere so they really came in handy. These things have done a good job riding some streets that my Bones wheels would never be able to handle.
+ Can handle the crustiest streets of any wheels I've ever had. There are still limits to what it can handle, but I'm riding on streets where other wheels would struggle and vibrate. It really is a luxury to not have to think about that stuff quite as much.
+ I will often ride over pebbles that I am surprised I can ride over. Its a really a confident ride on these things.
+/- At 97d they almost feel a bit like cruiser wheels. A bit too soft and rubbery to really "feel" what you're skating. However, I haven't found it gets in the way of most tricks, just a bit of a muted feel things. They still pop just fine, no worries here.
+/- They really stick on ramps consistently and keep you from sliding. Probably a plus for most people, but I'm so used to riding Bones still.
- Surprisingly slow. This was a noticeable shock to me. On smooth streets that I used to rip down, I had to push harder to get up to my normal speed. Definitely a lower top speed/acceleration.
- Really hard to powerslide, especially at low speeds. Powerslides don't slide as far as Bones, they grind you to a halt really fast and sometimes kick me off a bit when I'm not ready for it.
8/10. They have come in SO clutch on crusty streets, they are like a hybrid between a cruiser wheel and a trick wheel. But I'm left really missing that easy powerslide/revert I had with the harder Bones and OJ wheels. They are a workhorse wheel that serves their purpose and lets you skate things you wouldn't normally be able to. You can skate confidently not worrying about sliding out (exceptions of ice and slick blacktop). However, the wheel feels less "fun" when I'm skating normal terrain, because I miss sliding around so easily at any speed.
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My question is... Where do I go from here? I'm considering...
Bones STF 99a "Easy Streets" V6 Widecut - It would give me the Bones shape/feel I've always liked, but not as overly hard or niche. I've heard they still have that "plasticky" slide the harder Bones have.
Spitfire F4 101d Conical Full - I've heard in general Spitfire just feel a bit softer and don't slide as much compared to Bones... Would a 101d be a nice compromise, or would it have the same "overly hard" problems as Bones 103a but with less slide?
Spitfire F4 99d (Different Shape) - I'm thinking 99a Conical Fulls MIGHT give me similar problems as my 97d, but if I went F4 99a with a thinner shape maybe that would allow them to slide how I like them to, while giving me a softer riding surface for rougher streets.
What do you guys think are the main issues I'm having with my 97d Spitfires are in terms of slidability? Do you think its the F4 being stickier than STF, the slightly wider shape, or the 97d softness?
I would really value some input from someone who has skated some F4 97d. Thanks!