Author Topic: Wheels Thread  (Read 777632 times)

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sk8n hugon

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5370 on: August 06, 2022, 11:02:46 PM »
All the great things that people have said regarding the 93a Dragons are true. They really are magical. However, they can be slippery on transition. My normal transition wheel is 99a OJ Elite which is as grippy as a wheel gets, so I know that the comparison is not really fair. But, I slipped out on the Dragons a couple times before deciding not to use them at the park. Similarly, my friend who normally rides 99a F4 also slipped out on the Dragons. Might be because the soft feeling makes you think you can push them more, but regardless I’ll be sticking to the Elites there. So, for me they are not a ride everywhere wheel. That said, they are my ride everywhere but the transition focused skatepark wheel. I’m curious how people have found them on indoor birch or skatelite mini ramps. My guess is that they would be slippery there as well.

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5371 on: August 06, 2022, 11:45:43 PM »
Had 2 sessions on the 54mm 95a V1 shape, non-cored over the weekend and I'm very impressed by them. Just pushing on asphalt felt more forgiving and faster than A4. They did have a slight bounce to them with a dampened sound but far from being springy like an OJ or Ricta. I found myself going at obstacles faster than normal because they kept their speed really well.

Slides wise was a mixed bag - nose and tail slides where your weight distribution of forward / side were perfectly fine, zero stick. The stickiness was felt when doing lipslides on ledges with more weight directly over the trucks / wheels. Not pitch you forward and eat shit kind of sticky, but you'd need more wax / speed to push through.

On concrete flooring at the park I did slip out a few times when doing a hard carve to turn. But that was on day 1, after the break in I didn't slip out today.

Last plus would be the slim V1 shape, you get the benefits of a tablet with a slight rounded edge, and skinny (which Spitfire doesn't get as narrow as Bones).

Overall very impressed, the 95a was so-so for light cruising and that's closer to 93a territory. The ride to the bus stop was a more pleasant experience compared to my 52mm F4s, and during the session performed like a softer Bones 99a.

I'd like to try the 97a even though it's in a weird spot. If I wanted a tier up in hardness I'd go for the Easy Streets (99a) and if I wanted something softer I'd do 93a./
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tzhangdox

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5372 on: August 07, 2022, 12:00:47 AM »
Had 2 sessions on the 54mm 95a V1 shape, non-cored over the weekend and I'm very impressed by them. Just pushing on asphalt felt more forgiving and faster than A4. They did have a slight bounce to them with a dampened sound but far from being springy like an OJ or Ricta. I found myself going at obstacles faster than normal because they kept their speed really well.

Slides wise was a mixed bag - nose and tail slides where your weight distribution of forward / side were perfectly fine, zero stick. The stickiness was felt when doing lipslides on ledges with more weight directly over the trucks / wheels. Not pitch you forward and eat shit kind of sticky, but you'd need more wax / speed to push through.

On concrete flooring at the park I did slip out a few times when doing a hard carve to turn. But that was on day 1, after the break in I didn't slip out today.

Last plus would be the slim V1 shape, you get the benefits of a tablet with a slight rounded edge, and skinny (which Spitfire doesn't get as narrow as Bones).

Overall very impressed, the 95a was so-so for light cruising and that's closer to 93a territory. The ride to the bus stop was a more pleasant experience compared to my 52mm F4s, and during the session performed like a softer Bones 99a.

I'd like to try the 97a even though it's in a weird spot. If I wanted a tier up in hardness I'd go for the Easy Streets (99a) and if I wanted something softer I'd do 93a./

Do you notice any drag compared to hard wheels for crooked grinds etc?

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5373 on: August 07, 2022, 01:54:16 AM »
Got myself a set of v6 dragons 56 93a.
For me they feel like a slighty softer 99a stf. Fast on rough ground and very slippery on asphalt. Almost exactly the same slide. Grip, grip.....almost ice out. The slide got more forgiving after the tread was gone and they started to screech.
I think I wouldn't want to ride them on slippery ramps(didn't try yet). 99a elites handle slippery ground way better.

For my usecase the 93a dragons are way better than spitfire f4. I keep them on my board

manysnakes

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5374 on: August 07, 2022, 07:33:35 AM »
That video is a little off-putting, but I think everything he described has been detailed to some degree by posters here. In particular, the one thing I haven't seen mentioned here (although these posts are long and I'm not always paying attention) is fatigue. I am able to skate longer with less fatigue on these wheels, especially on rough concrete which would normally jar my bones. This is a big one, hard to quantify, but I think older skaters will probably agree.
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Xen

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5375 on: August 07, 2022, 10:54:48 AM »
Ricta/OJ bouncy?  Clouds maybe…regular/from concentrate/Nomad OJs maybe……but not naturals or elites.
« Last Edit: August 07, 2022, 01:49:46 PM by Xen »

LebowskisRug

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5376 on: August 07, 2022, 04:08:31 PM »
What I don't get is people being like "I can skate so much longer". How are you that broken as a human where the small vibrations are what tire you out not actually pushing, jumping, and smashing into things.

FatGuy92

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5377 on: August 07, 2022, 04:59:48 PM »
What I don't get is people being like "I can skate so much longer". How are you that broken as a human where the small vibrations are what tire you out not actually pushing, jumping, and smashing into things.

I get this to some extent. As I've gotten older, vibrations from harder wheels on crusty ground really take a toll on my lower back, knees, and feet after awhile.. maybe tiring out isn't the best way too put it. I remember skating 92A ricta clouds for awhile and those helped but I wasn't a fan of how they slid. For what it's worth, I'm overweight and not athletic whatsoever so I guess people that fall into the same category as me might feel an improvement.

X-post from the UWTB thread in case it's interesting to folks here

I remember reading/watching a G-Slides review and the reviewer mentioned that they slid fine for a bit then started behaving more like a typical cruiser wheel. I'm curious to see how if these new joints will keep the same slide as they break in

FuzzGNU

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5378 on: August 07, 2022, 05:42:20 PM »
What I don't get is people being like "I can skate so much longer". How are you that broken as a human where the small vibrations are what tire you out not actually pushing, jumping, and smashing into things.

You don't have exert as much energy due to not having to push as much, nor to stand up through rough terrain deceleration, etc.

Less deceleration means less overall effort required.

I think the Nine Club guy's video thing might have exaggerated the effects (he probably skated for longer because he was hyped on the wheels and that gave him the energy/motivation to skate more), but its definitely true. I skate to further spots on this wheel for a few reasons. Don't have to pick up my board as often (can ride streets that F4 99a can't), less pushing and more coasting, less getting thrown off my board unexpectedly by rocks and shit (which adds up in terms of fatigue having to catch yourself like that).

The wheels aren't perfect, but they really do make skateboarding more enjoyable overall for me. Its like a ~97a wheel without the downsides of a 97a wheel. Really impressive.
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rocklobster

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5379 on: August 07, 2022, 06:36:18 PM »
Expand Quote
Had 2 sessions on the 54mm 95a V1 shape, non-cored over the weekend and I'm very impressed by them. Just pushing on asphalt felt more forgiving and faster than A4. They did have a slight bounce to them with a dampened sound but far from being springy like an OJ or Ricta. I found myself going at obstacles faster than normal because they kept their speed really well.

Slides wise was a mixed bag - nose and tail slides where your weight distribution of forward / side were perfectly fine, zero stick. The stickiness was felt when doing lipslides on ledges with more weight directly over the trucks / wheels. Not pitch you forward and eat shit kind of sticky, but you'd need more wax / speed to push through.

On concrete flooring at the park I did slip out a few times when doing a hard carve to turn. But that was on day 1, after the break in I didn't slip out today.

Last plus would be the slim V1 shape, you get the benefits of a tablet with a slight rounded edge, and skinny (which Spitfire doesn't get as narrow as Bones).

Overall very impressed, the 95a was so-so for light cruising and that's closer to 93a territory. The ride to the bus stop was a more pleasant experience compared to my 52mm F4s, and during the session performed like a softer Bones 99a.

I'd like to try the 97a even though it's in a weird spot. If I wanted a tier up in hardness I'd go for the Easy Streets (99a) and if I wanted something softer I'd do 93a./
[close]

Do you notice any drag compared to hard wheels for crooked grinds etc?

I couldn't tell, the park I was at had the coping and top replaced so you barely feel any grind. You're right about the harsher pitch when you wheelbite versus a harder wheel.

Ricta/OJ bouncy?  Clouds maybe…regular/from concentrate/Nomad OJs maybe……but not naturals or elites.

I meant to say the Clouds 92a.
« Last Edit: August 07, 2022, 08:21:35 PM by rocklobster »
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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5380 on: August 07, 2022, 07:16:51 PM »
Can anyone share what the drag is like in angle iron?  I don't think I've seen this one covered yet.  Thanks

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5381 on: August 07, 2022, 08:15:58 PM »
I thought that the drag was higher on the angle iron at my local park.

LebowskisRug

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5382 on: August 07, 2022, 08:23:52 PM »
Expand Quote
What I don't get is people being like "I can skate so much longer". How are you that broken as a human where the small vibrations are what tire you out not actually pushing, jumping, and smashing into things.
[close]

You don't have exert as much energy due to not having to push as much, nor to stand up through rough terrain deceleration, etc.

Less deceleration means less overall effort required.

I think the Nine Club guy's video thing might have exaggerated the effects (he probably skated for longer because he was hyped on the wheels and that gave him the energy/motivation to skate more), but its definitely true. I skate to further spots on this wheel for a few reasons. Don't have to pick up my board as often (can ride streets that F4 99a can't), less pushing and more coasting, less getting thrown off my board unexpectedly by rocks and shit (which adds up in terms of fatigue having to catch yourself like that).

The wheels aren't perfect, but they really do make skateboarding more enjoyable overall for me. Its like a ~97a wheel without the downsides of a 97a wheel. Really impressive.

I could see that if you have to commute via skateboard. The number of pushes is lower, but I don't see this being a massive difference in cardiac output since you might usually push 1 less time. For me the physical stress is actually popping and whatnot. If I still commuted by board I'd probably use em.

I'm going to put more time into my production 93 this week. I haven't put much time into them at a few parks and spots and they seemed ok at the slappy spot.

I think that comparing them to F4 can be kinda tough. I didn't lie 97 that much but love 99. They're neither of those and that's fine. But if people are constantly comparing them to various Spitfire duros I think it creates the idea that they only combine the things people like about each of those duros with no downsides and for some people there might be some downsides.

One thing I did notice was doing 360 no complies when you do the last little revert they definitely don't feel as controlled. Same with half cab flips when I pop them shitty.

manysnakes

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5383 on: August 08, 2022, 04:04:33 AM »
What I don't get is people being like "I can skate so much longer". How are you that broken as a human where the small vibrations are what tire you out not actually pushing, jumping, and smashing into things.

I say the same thing every time I see someone in running shoes! Toughen up, buttercup!
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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5384 on: August 08, 2022, 11:58:49 AM »
everything people are describing is exactly what i already had on my OJ Natas 95a Wheels for like a year now... they dont slide amazing but definitely good enough. because i am skating a bit better ground now i kinda want to bump to 97 or 99a F4s cause i have never tried them and just want to see how it compares. I came from Bones STF 104a so maybe something in between would be tiny bit better.
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LebowskisRug

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5385 on: August 08, 2022, 12:01:34 PM »
Expand Quote
What I don't get is people being like "I can skate so much longer". How are you that broken as a human where the small vibrations are what tire you out not actually pushing, jumping, and smashing into things.
[close]

I say the same thing every time I see someone in running shoes! Toughen up, buttercup!

Completely different. This is like debating if a specific density of insole foam would improve a 3km casual run.

Mean salto

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5386 on: August 08, 2022, 12:11:10 PM »
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
What I don't get is people being like "I can skate so much longer". How are you that broken as a human where the small vibrations are what tire you out not actually pushing, jumping, and smashing into things.
[close]

I say the same thing every time I see someone in running shoes! Toughen up, buttercup!
[close]

Completely different. This is like debating if a specific density of insole foam would improve a 3km casual run.

It probably would but I run in classic vans. Probably the reason that I'm that broken as a human

Xen

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5387 on: August 08, 2022, 12:20:06 PM »
The one common denominator I keep reading is drag on crooks. Has anyone put them to the bluntslide test? I find blunts to be very picky about wheel duro more than any other trick in my arsenal.

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5388 on: August 08, 2022, 12:47:03 PM »
The one common denominator I keep reading is drag on crooks. Has anyone put them to the bluntslide test? I find blunts to be very picky about wheel duro more than any other trick in my arsenal.

On waxed concrete ledges I had no problem doing different blunt/noseblunts, felt good, just as good as f4s. Yet to try on different surfaces: wood/metal/granite etc but I suspect they won't be as good on those surfaces.

I feel like these slide well when its the contact patch of the wheel making contact (lips, blunts, powerslides etc), but when its the sidewall of the wheel making contact (slapping into a 5050 on a curb, smiths, crooks, feebles etc) it behaves a little bit more like a soft wheel

goodatmeth

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5389 on: August 08, 2022, 12:55:51 PM »
Any news about the 95a drop? It's getting harder every day not to buy these wheels.
Also, I wonder which shapes the bones 95a will be? V2, V3, V5 would be sick

Xen

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5390 on: August 08, 2022, 01:07:34 PM »
Any news about the 95a drop? It's getting harder every day not to buy these wheels.
Also, I wonder which shapes the bones 95a will be? V2, V3, V5 would be sick

Same boat. My guess is v1/v4 or the ‘normal’ shapes.  Would love a 95a v5.
« Last Edit: August 08, 2022, 02:40:41 PM by Xen »

FuzzGNU

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5391 on: August 08, 2022, 01:37:05 PM »
Any news about the 95a drop? It's getting harder every day not to buy these wheels.
Also, I wonder which shapes the bones 95a will be? V2, V3, V5 would be sick

On the SkateOne forums they seemed to suggest that would be out early this month.

No idea on shapes, but I think we can assume they will definitely have V1. Beyond that is anyone's guess. They were kicking around some cored V2s in preproduction. I personally would want some V5 or V6... But no idea what they have planned.
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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5392 on: August 08, 2022, 03:10:14 PM »
One big difference for me is that my production are 52mm V1 and my pre-prod were V4. I do wonder if that's why the prod ones I have are sorta underwhelming? I haven't noticed any 50-50 slappy issues myself yet. I did a simple test pushing from a specific spot on my street with 2 pushes and just seeing how long it took me to roll to the end. Pretty much in the noise vs my 52mm F4. Decent asphalt, not crusty. I recall the pre-prod actually feeling faster on it in addition to smoother. I really wonder how many people are interpreting smoothness as speed.

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5393 on: August 08, 2022, 04:32:06 PM »
For crooks with the 93A and 95A (moreso with 93A) I noticed a kind of break in period with sticking. Like when I first was skating the 93A's at the curb spot I was sticking on slappy crooks at first quite frequently. Waxing helped for sure.

But after a certain point, the sticking eased up and got to the point where I wasn't really sticking anymore.

Slappy crooks and sw slappy crooks are some of my favorite tricks, so just wanted to give my 2 cents since I saw someone asking about crooks on the dragons. I'm about to set up my production dragons for the first time so I'll give an update if I notice the initial sticking on them.

I didn't really notice the sticking as much on the 95A, but I feel like those had a slight break in period too.

For blunt slides, I can't do them personally but my homie has a set of production dragons and slappy blunts are not problem for him on them.

Really dig these wheels, IMO they are something special for sure and worth trying. George found the krabby patty secret formula or something. I do agree that Nine Club video was pretty weird though.

I'm also looking forward to the 95A and 97A X formula as well. Really want to try the 97A. I hope that the X Formula comes untreaded, that's my main complaint about the dragons.

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5394 on: August 08, 2022, 04:44:39 PM »
V5 or v6 would be great.  it’s the best shape wheel in my opinion so bones should capitalize on that.
« Last Edit: August 08, 2022, 05:41:42 PM by Murge »

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5395 on: August 08, 2022, 04:46:22 PM »
For crooks with the 93A and 95A (moreso with 93A) I noticed a kind of break in period with sticking. Like when I first was skating the 93A's at the curb spot I was sticking on slappy crooks at first quite frequently. Waxing helped for sure.

But after a certain point, the sticking eased up and got to the point where I wasn't really sticking anymore.

Slappy crooks and sw slappy crooks are some of my favorite tricks, so just wanted to give my 2 cents since I saw someone asking about crooks on the dragons. I'm about to set up my production dragons for the first time so I'll give an update if I notice the initial sticking on them.

I didn't really notice the sticking as much on the 95A, but I feel like those had a slight break in period too.

For blunt slides, I can't do them personally but my homie has a set of production dragons and slappy blunts are not problem for him on them.

Really dig these wheels, IMO they are something special for sure and worth trying. George found the krabby patty secret formula or something. I do agree that Nine Club video was pretty weird though.

I'm also looking forward to the 95A and 97A X formula as well. Really want to try the 97A. I hope that the X Formula comes untreaded, that's my main complaint about the dragons.

How long did it take for it to go away on the pre production 95a? And were your pre production 93/95a cored or coreless

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5396 on: August 08, 2022, 04:51:10 PM »
Accidentally bought some Spitfire f4 54 classic 101a.  I thought 101 was softer.  Pretty fucked on sidewalks and feeling the rattle.  Might be okay for parks but definitely slower.  I'm hoping they slide better because I've always wanted to do slide tricks.  Coming off a conical full 53 this wheel feels super weird, round, and narrow.  Wishing I bought a fuller 99 right about now.

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5397 on: August 08, 2022, 05:09:54 PM »
Expand Quote
It’s the tensor mag of wheels….there you have it….
[close]

Yep. Can't wait to pair them with a slick and some tensors....easy vibes.
What's up with all the Mag Light hate? 90's Tensors sucked, but I got a pair of Mags for my daughter's set-up and I actually love them. It's wild how light they are, but still durable. I'm more of an AF1 guy, but still.

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5398 on: August 08, 2022, 05:15:00 PM »
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
It’s the tensor mag of wheels….there you have it….
[close]

Yep. Can't wait to pair them with a slick and some tensors....easy vibes.
[close]
What's up with all the Mag Light hate? 90's Tensors sucked, but I got a pair of Mags for my daughter's set-up and I actually love them. It's wild how light they are, but still durable. I'm more of an AF1 guy, but still.

The axles bend really easily, hangers and baseplates deform and crack. Grind down stupidly fast. Also on certain metal coping they seem to catch.

Grind insane on concrete, turn great and love how light they are though. Definitely have a market, but a bit high for me and I don't want to get new trucks every month.

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Re: Wheels Thread
« Reply #5399 on: August 08, 2022, 09:12:10 PM »
Skated my production 93a dragons one last time today before giving to a friend. Some more observations on grind drag:

Rockridge curbs (so those in the bay area have some reference). Ground ish rough ish but nothing 99 f4s cant handle. Curbs are pretty good, but I'm guessing nowhere near as icy as the venice curbs. Everything I previously said was true, but on curbs this smooth (or better), I could see myself getting used to pushing tricks like reg/sw slappy crooks a bit harder to compensate, and just getting used to the way these wheels climb onto curbs. Its pretty noticeably worse than a hard wheel after doing side by side comparisons, but if you value the smooth ride that much, you could probably adjust and deal with a bit more grind drag.

There's also a wooden box with metal coping there right now. If you wax the metal coping, it crooked grinds, tailslides etc just fine. But if its a little drier then it'll be noticeably stickier than f4s.

What I noticed about the drag for other tricks (smiths, 5-0s etc) is that its fine if you lock in perfectly... but if you don't lock in perfectly and have to adjust into the correct position, these aren't as forgiving as a hard wheel. I could see this being an even bigger problem on round rails where often you shimmy into a cross lock after your trucks make initial contact with the rail.

Again, a hearty coat of wax would solve most of these problems, but I really don't like waxing stuff too much, especially if there's a bunch of people skating the obstacle.

I don't skate around and between spots much nowadays, and even for spots with less ideal ground that I often skate, the increased grind friction, and other minor drawbacks, isn't worth the much smoother ride 90% of the time.

Still keeping my protoype 95as for the occasional days where I really dont want to push but still want to skate a little bit. Maybe the production 95 or 97as are going to be perfect