Wheels Thread

[tom]

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I wasn't going in the waaaay back machine to the OG OG Spits, F1s are more 'relevant' to most people since they are not that old and were just before F4s.

[close]

Ha yeah sometimes I think I say too much and talk a whole lot of crap, as well as being unable to get rid of anything, so I have way too much "history" in skateboard product still.

At first I thought F1 came out earlier than that but the earliest I can find is 2009 from old catalogs and online info.

Before that was like the Bronze Age for skateboard wheels, I guess.


I had seen a few older / early Spitfire wheels around too, but never had any interest in collector prices for wheels I didn't even know existed back in the late 80s.

All we had back then was Powell and Santa Cruz wheels, as far as I can recall from the big names, along with Cockroach wheels here in Australia.

I know this comment is a couple weeks old, but I want to say the F1’s were 2007ish. You can find posts from 2008 asking opinions about them. Deluxe prototypes to a handful of Slap posters about a year before they came out. That might be what’s throwing my timeline off a little bit


I finally got to skate some ideal(rough as fuck) spots for my 95a NFG’s the past couple of days. They do feel like a softer wheel, but on rough ground they perform the way a harder wheel does on smoother ground. They powerslide when you want them to without slipping out skating around. They’ll roll and keep speed over rough ground that’ll rattle you to a complete stop with a harder wheel. They’re a little slower on smooth ground and can catch on slides, but that shouldn’t matter if you’re skating them for what they’re intended for

I got some G Slides to try out as well. I’ll eventually report back on those

[Mbrimson88]

I know this comment is a couple weeks old, but I want to say the F1’s were 2007ish. You can find posts from 2008 asking opinions about them. Deluxe prototypes to a handful of Slap posters about a year before they came out. That might be what’s throwing my timeline off a little bit


I finally got to skate some ideal(rough as fuck) spots for my 95a NFG’s the past couple of days. They do feel like a softer wheel, but on rough ground they perform the way a harder wheel does on smoother ground. They powerslide when you want them to without slipping out skating around. They’ll roll and keep speed over rough ground that’ll rattle you to a complete stop with a harder wheel. They’re a little slower on smooth ground and can catch on slides, but that shouldn’t matter if you’re skating them for what they’re intended for

I got some G Slides to try out as well. I’ll eventually report back on those

Re Spitfire F1 wheels

Yes I was sure I had heard or seen them before then, but just didn't look hard enough at the time.


Re NFG 95s

Sounds good too!

[Mbrimson88]

I had some 53 F4 classics I got from my neighbor in a trade a while back and I could never remember why I stopped using them. Turns out if I land remotely off kilter or primo the wheel will slip and cause the bearings to bind. No spacers and this didn’t happen in my 52 classics that are now sub 50. Is this a defect?

Not sure if it is a defect or just how the wheels are now, as this sort of thing needs to be determined when new and usually within a certain period of time from purchase.

This also could be why they ended up as a trade, if the previous owner had issue with them, but there is not really anything to do about used or old wheels having that sort of issue, as some do as they get older.

If they still looked relatively new and fairly fresh, there is more chance to get something sorted, but as you didn't purchase them, it poses more problems.

[yourbreakfsat]

Not sure if this was covered but Cockroach Wheels is coming back

https://instagram.com/cockroach_wheels?utm_medium=copy_link

[Frank and Fred]

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First session on some Loopholes today. 54mm Tear drop shape. Very impressive. For a hard wheel they felt really good and fast on crappy ground. Maybe a little faster than 54mm 99a F4 Classics. They definitely feel grippier than 99a F4s though, which might be good on hills and the type of skateboarding you see the likes of Chris Athans doing. I will have to take them to a skatepark next and also see how durable they are after a few sessions,  but zero signs of wear and tear after a few hours.

I'd put them in the same high end category as F4s and STF. Certainly not your run of the mill urethane. Recommended.

[close]

once you warm them up and break them in a little, the slide will be very similar to F4 99s, perhaps even more controlled depending on the batch you got.
I’ve let multiple people ride my setup with 56 v-cuts on it and almost all of them will immediately convert to loopholes, but will then tell me their wheels are “broken” when they put a fresh set on their own board. Even my first few sessions on my teardrops had me doubting myself but once they break in it’s hard to ride anything else…

Good to know, thanks. Yeah, I find that with most wheels. You don't really know what you're getting until you've given them a good couple of sessions.

[LebowskisRug]

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I had some 53 F4 classics I got from my neighbor in a trade a while back and I could never remember why I stopped using them. Turns out if I land remotely off kilter or primo the wheel will slip and cause the bearings to bind. No spacers and this didn’t happen in my 52 classics that are now sub 50. Is this a defect?

[close]

Not sure if it is a defect or just how the wheels are now, as this sort of thing needs to be determined when new and usually within a certain period of time from purchase.

This also could be why they ended up as a trade, if the previous owner had issue with them, but there is not really anything to do about used or old wheels having that sort of issue, as some do as they get older.

If they still looked relatively new and fairly fresh, there is more chance to get something sorted, but as you didn't purchase them, it poses more problems.

Oh I definitely can’t warranty them and don’t care too much. The individual I got them from was my turn 13 year old neighbor who skated them twice and just wanted a really big wheel so I traded him for my cruiser board wheels.

[FuzzGNU]

What exactly is this NFG teardrop shape? Their site gives no actual info, just a poem?

It's it an asymetrical round/square wheel like other brands have?

[LebowskisRug]

Basically a copy of a Spitfire Classic. I just got some in 54 and they caliper out to 53.4mm diameter with an 18.2mm riding surface. The center of the wheel is a little fatter than a Classic so as it wears I think it will get closer to a radial shape.

Only skated them for like an hour today but fuuuuuuck they felt slippery as shit on smooth ground.

[Murge]

What exactly is this NFG teardrop shape? Their site gives no actual info, just a poem?

It's it an asymetrical round/square wheel like other brands have?

I think it’s their classic shape. Like a spitfire classic

[Frank and Fred]

Yep, very close to a spitfire classic. maybe the tiniest bit wider.

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

Not sure if this was covered but Cockroach Wheels is coming back

https://instagram.com/cockroach_wheels?utm_medium=copy_link

that’s crazy if true! He had some of the best urethane outside of the US, most Aussie skaters will swear by his other wheel brand in the late 90s whose name escapes me at this point …

[rocklobster]

What exactly is this NFG teardrop shape? Their site gives no actual info, just a poem?

It's it an asymetrical round/square wheel like other brands have?

Essentially the same as a Spitfire Classic

[Ok]

Interesting that truck weight is discussed, wheel weight never.
I’m riding 54 99 f4 classics. Not sure where to go from here, can’t imagine going smaller with the ground where I live, going larger starts the wheel bite problems. I like the classic shape for the flipping. A wide, yet rounded shape would probably work well for me. Conical fulls are definitely harder for me to flip with. Which is a personal problem.

[rocklobster]

Interesting that truck weight is discussed, wheel weight never.
I’m riding 54 99 f4 classics. Not sure where to go from here, can’t imagine going smaller with the ground where I live, going larger starts the wheel bite problems. I like the classic shape for the flipping. A wide, yet rounded shape would probably work well
for me. Conical fulls are definitely harder for me to flip with. Which is a personal problem.

Wheels differ maybe 2-3 grams each per wheel assuming same shape but sized up, to 8-12g total. Not much on paper but I definitely feel it the flips are slower and more force is needed to get them around. Could be something with how the lever (back trick) is affected by the load (wheels and front truck), maybe something to do with contact patch.

Going way into the weeds here.

[Mbrimson88]

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Not sure if this was covered but Cockroach Wheels is coming back

https://instagram.com/cockroach_wheels?utm_medium=copy_link

[close]

that’s crazy if true! He had some of the best urethane outside of the US, most Aussie skaters will swear by his other wheel brand in the late 90s whose name escapes me at this point …

It will be interesting to see what comes of it.

Tim (the original creator of Cockroach, Electric, Cosmo and other brands) is done and not doing them again, but they have tried to get as much info from him and others who are keen to see the shapes, sizes and durometers in good options and not just put "Cockroach branding" on generic wheels out of a mass produced factory, so it is looking good in that regard.

As to exactly what and where, I don't have details, but they are being made here in Australia, will be printed in Brisbane and should be a really amazing product, all going to plan.  Then when is still not finalised, last I heard, but they are not too far off.

[munchbox]

wheel weight is a step too far if you ask me
we really gotta focus on how bearrings tip the scales

[tzhangdox]

wheel weight is a step too far if you ask me
we really gotta focus on how bearrings tip the scales

On paper its not that much because its fairly minimal compared to other components if you keep the size constant. But in practice, classics and conical fulls can feel very different for some flatground tricks due to the slight weight difference.

This is exacerbated when you have very wide trucks as it pushes the weight towards the edges further away from the center.

[rocklobster]

wheel weight is a step too far if you ask me
we really gotta focus on how bearrings tip the scales

Only grip 60% of the board where your feet will be.
No washers, if you must only titanium ones.
4 bolts, titanium only.

[LebowskisRug]

There was some pro nerd on the Nein Club who was saying that the main difference is Conicals have a squared off edge so they don’t scoop the same. It’s also more surface area for slides and on some crooks it might effect the pinch.

[Ok]

Agree with the pro nerd then, on the 9. The square shape feels like it kinda blocks some stuff (obviously this is super subtle, and really just more of an excuse for me than anything else).

As to wheel weights, I don’t think there is a wide variance in weight based off of shape. Or that I want to forgo skating wheels or anything, more that it is a piece of information that is not listed is all. When EE3 came out and we all upgraded to 60s overnight, I recall thinking my shit weighed a lot more. Wasn’t necessarily bad, just heavier.
I did have one of my all time best days riding a skateboard, 20 ish years ago, on a setup that had these really fucked up spitfire cored wheels that were noticeably lighter. Shit was poppin. Wheels were terrible tho. Lasted a week and felt gross. 10/10 would.

[Murge]

There was some pro nerd on the Nein Club who was saying that the main difference is Conicals have a squared off edge so they don’t scoop the same. It’s also more surface area for slides and on some crooks it might effect the pinch.

Effect pinch in a hood or bad way?

[beandemon]

Exemplary instances of pinch shall henceforth be referred to as hood.

[Murge]

Exemplary instances of pinch shall henceforth be referred to as hood.

Foy got that hood pinch.

[LebowskisRug]

I think it was Joslin actually but I don’t wanna re watch.

2nd sesh on these 54 loopholes and they feel slower than the 99a F4 they replaced. How long is the break in?

[FuzzGNU]

Ben Degros has some great videos on all of the stuff being discussed on this page.

The way he describes flips on Round vs. Square wheels:

Round Wheel: Starts rolling over earlier in the trick and easier with less resistance. A sooner and more natural flick that doesn't require as much force to start.

Square Wheel: Requires more force.Gives you a more sharp edges resistance to the flick, but then once it finally starts flipping (later than the round wheels) it flips faster. He actually says the flip almost doesn't start until he is in the air, where-as round wheels start the flip before airborne.

For grinds...

Square Wheels: Can really dig in and wedge the wheel on grinds like crooked grinds which can really give you too much resistance. Generally more friction with that hard edge. However, it does a great job locking into grinds (50-50s for example) especially on certain edges/coping like ledges.

Round Wheels: Tend to not have as much drag on grinds, but may be harder to lock in certain tricks on certain edges/copings. The rounded shape reduces the surface area dragging in most cases. You don't have to go as fast with less friction, but you may have troubles staying locked on to certain surfaces (again, notably ledges).

[Frank and Fred]

Surely, if you are good at flip tricks like Ben, you pop first and then flick, thus negating the influence of wheel shape?

If you do shitty early 90s flip tricks like me where the board is often rolling on the ground, then I can see the wheel shape helping.

[FuzzGNU]

As far as cruiser wheels go, what do people think of Powell G-Slides?

I want to get a proper cruiser wheel that can still powerslide stop on flatground. It seems like they are the biggest/softest wheel that still slides on flat. 59mm 85a with some slide-ability sounds pretty good to me, but might also be a bit hard for a cruiser. Does anyone know if they chunk?

What do you all think?

[Sundaynuggets]

As far as cruiser wheels go, what do people think of Powell G-Slides?

I want to get a proper cruiser wheel that can still powerslide stop on flatground. It seems like they are the biggest/softest wheel that still slides on flat. 59mm 85a with some slide-ability sounds pretty good to me, but might also be a bit hard for a cruiser. Does anyone know if they chunk?

What do you all think?

I had two sets of Gslides and they both slid well until the outer layer of urethane wore off, then they were just another super grippy cruiser wheel. That took maybe a day or two. They didn’t chunk for me, though the rough riders chunked like crazy when I tried those.

I’ve found the Powell bombers to be way better in this department because they are still soft, but slide decent and the slide never goes away. They also don’t chunk at all, in my experience.

[Mbrimson88]

As far as cruiser wheels go, what do people think of Powell G-Slides?

I want to get a proper cruiser wheel that can still powerslide stop on flatground. It seems like they are the biggest/softest wheel that still slides on flat. 59mm 85a with some slide-ability sounds pretty good to me, but might also be a bit hard for a cruiser. Does anyone know if they chunk?

What do you all think?

I have a couple of sets, used from other people and they look near mint, even though I know at least one set has had a beating over a few years on his setup.

To ride, they are very smooth and fast and yes I can slide with a little "EEERRRR" to a stop on smooth concrete from a couple of pushes.

I seem to recall seeing they were one of the highest priced wheels on the market too, but I could easily be wrong there.

Going back over comments from a search, I cannot find the posts, but I do recall others had them and liked them a lot.

With the more normal sizes and wide squared shape, they work well on a normal board setup with minimal risers on the ones I have set up, which is easier than having to get or use taller risers with much bigger 60+ mm wheels on cruisers too, so you can have them on a board you can still easily pop up a curb or ollie over something.


Edit:

I found some in the Cruiser thread, best example here from @yourbreakfsat


https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=38836.msg3156248#msg3156248


And more recently here:

https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=38836.msg3731013#msg3731013

[LebowskisRug]

3 sessions on my Loopholes on pretty good ground and still don’t feel as fast as the smaller F4 they replaced. Another weird thing is they’re shedding chunks. It’s not abnormal for wheels to do this especially on asphalt, but I never have that happen with F4 on the same ground. So far I’m not super sold on em.