Wheels Thread

[Xen]

Bones is pushing the 97a on Instagram so they’re presumably going to be available shortly.

Last official word from them was November for the bones x 97s; hopefully sooner.

Been on the 93s for a minute now. They work just fine in every scenario I've put them in so far...after the first few minutes I didn't even notice a difference other than them being quiet, super fucking smooth and bouncy on the drop; I matched them with race reds (so they're locked down) a slick deck and tensor maglights, no lie that setup opened up a few spots and makes a world of difference 'just cruising' or skating from spot to spot.

I'll also vouch for the increase in session time at rough spots, much less fatigue.

Slightly gummy on crooks (squeaky on slappy crooks), smiths and feebles...but I just go faster...scary for blunts (unless super waxed), can't trust them. Miss the speed check chirp.

If they can get close to a spit/stf 99a feel with most of the 93 functionality I'm betting (as predicted) the 97s are going to be my sweet spot.

[tzhangdox]

Got a set of 97a bones experimentals today. 52mm, v5 shape I'm pretty sure.

First impressions I'm pretty into them, they're basically harder, slightly louder, less gummy dragons. Still feel maybe a little softer than 97a f4s (if my memory serves me right). Noticeably softer and smoother than 99a f4s. Still sound different and more bouncy when you throw down though. Still throw you a little harder than 99a f4s when you wheelbite, but not by much not too bad.

Skated a waxed, chunky concrete ledge it was just fine, no drag or slide issues. But dragons did fine on those too. Locking into a 5050 does feel weird compared to an f4 though, you're almost a little less sure that you're locked in because you don't feel your wheel hit the edge of the ledge as much as they're softer. But you can get used to that pretty quick, and dragons had the same thing even more

Will skate some angle iron and curbs hopefully soon and report back, as thats where I dealt with most of the drag issues on dragons and all the preproduction formulas. The sidewalls are still a bit glossy on these right now, which probably makes them drag a bit more. My dragons grinded a little better after the sidewalls wore down to a matte texture.

Dragons for me were a tired legs/dont wanna push/don't care about getting tech/rough spot wheel for me, did not replace f4s. But these I'd definitely consider making these my main wheel. So far the compromises are worth the smoother ride, increased speed and reduced vibrations.

Verdict tbd but I'm optimistic.

Update on these skated some curbs today they still grip and drag a little more compared to f4s on slappies. Tried side by side with my friends setup that has 99 f4s. Not a dealbreaker, little bit better than dragons, and I imagine once the sidewalls wear in and are even less glossy they'll go better. But definitely a little slower and more unpredictable than f4s on curbs now. If they break in and get better will report back.

[Dwyck]

Ive broken in both my 56mm 99a Vee shape NFG and my 60mm 95a. After years of F4 99a and Keyframes I love how hard the softer wheels are, but the 99a are slippery sometimes. Not as versatile as F4s. Great on hard asphalt and smooth pavement/cobblestone, scary at the indoor. My powerslides keep going just a little bit on these - something about the way F4s break into slides make me feel way safer but I gotta have perfect form. Not with the NFGs.

Neither wheel is bouncy - the 95s don't really eat up crust so much as roll right through it. So I don't know how much chiller they'd be at a smaller size. But I've got two other boards in the quiver and a new indoor I dig so I might try a 95a in a rounder shape

[DirtCat]

What happened with those 95a Spitfire F4s that were rumored or speculated or leaked a while back?

[tzhangdox]

What happened with those 95a Spitfire F4s that were rumored or speculated or leaked a while back?

They're in the works

[Mbrimson88]

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what's up with pig wheels? i'm looking at some proline 58mm, f4s are nowhere to be found in my country in the shapes and sizes i like. pig wheels are cheap as fuck so i'm thinking about getting some, are they better that standard (non f4) spitfires? do they slide? my 58mm og classics are around 49mm now, so it's definitely time to get a new set of wheels. it's either these pig wheels or 57mm bigheads, but to be honest i'd rather get the pigs because they're cheaper and i'm going to get a set of f4s as soon as they are back in stock anyway.

[close]

I haven't skated the most recent versions, as they have changed the urethane and production from what I heard, but the older ones were decent wheels and skated well, although like original formula Spitfires, they still had flatspot issues.

The generic versions that came out not too long ago were more like the cheaper pricepoint wheels and felt like any "blank" wheel on the market when I had a roll on a board from someone, but there are different options and different duros now too.

Might be a good chance to get them and see what they are like, as well as telling all of us too.

[close]

I've been on a set of Pig ProLine 51mm for a couple months now. The ride and slide is pretty identical to spitfire classic formula. They are definitely not Bones rejects as someone mentioned above.

I had meant to say thanks for the info, but only remembered when I was going back over the thread.

Always good to know.

[Murge]

I’m entertaining the idea of getting those 101a/95a OJs. I never skate ojs. There’s no way they will be better than the regular conical spits I have. But shit it’s tempting me

[PisstickleTypeExperience]

I’m entertaining the idea of getting those 101a/95a OJs. I never skate ojs. There’s no way they will be better than the regular conical spits I have. But shit it’s tempting me

The 95a Nomads are pretty tight. But if I could trade em in I'd probably drink the Dragon kool-aid.

[rob]

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Got a set of 97a bones experimentals today. 52mm, v5 shape I'm pretty sure.

First impressions I'm pretty into them, they're basically harder, slightly louder, less gummy dragons. Still feel maybe a little softer than 97a f4s (if my memory serves me right). Noticeably softer and smoother than 99a f4s. Still sound different and more bouncy when you throw down though. Still throw you a little harder than 99a f4s when you wheelbite, but not by much not too bad.

Skated a waxed, chunky concrete ledge it was just fine, no drag or slide issues. But dragons did fine on those too. Locking into a 5050 does feel weird compared to an f4 though, you're almost a little less sure that you're locked in because you don't feel your wheel hit the edge of the ledge as much as they're softer. But you can get used to that pretty quick, and dragons had the same thing even more

Will skate some angle iron and curbs hopefully soon and report back, as thats where I dealt with most of the drag issues on dragons and all the preproduction formulas. The sidewalls are still a bit glossy on these right now, which probably makes them drag a bit more. My dragons grinded a little better after the sidewalls wore down to a matte texture.

Dragons for me were a tired legs/dont wanna push/don't care about getting tech/rough spot wheel for me, did not replace f4s. But these I'd definitely consider making these my main wheel. So far the compromises are worth the smoother ride, increased speed and reduced vibrations.

Verdict tbd but I'm optimistic.

[close]

Update on these skated some curbs today they still grip and drag a little more compared to f4s on slappies. Tried side by side with my friends setup that has 99 f4s. Not a dealbreaker, little bit better than dragons, and I imagine once the sidewalls wear in and are even less glossy they'll go better. But definitely a little slower and more unpredictable than f4s on curbs now. If they break in and get better will report back.

Damn need these asap!!

[tzhangdox]

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Got a set of 97a bones experimentals today. 52mm, v5 shape I'm pretty sure.

First impressions I'm pretty into them, they're basically harder, slightly louder, less gummy dragons. Still feel maybe a little softer than 97a f4s (if my memory serves me right). Noticeably softer and smoother than 99a f4s. Still sound different and more bouncy when you throw down though. Still throw you a little harder than 99a f4s when you wheelbite, but not by much not too bad.

Skated a waxed, chunky concrete ledge it was just fine, no drag or slide issues. But dragons did fine on those too. Locking into a 5050 does feel weird compared to an f4 though, you're almost a little less sure that you're locked in because you don't feel your wheel hit the edge of the ledge as much as they're softer. But you can get used to that pretty quick, and dragons had the same thing even more

Will skate some angle iron and curbs hopefully soon and report back, as thats where I dealt with most of the drag issues on dragons and all the preproduction formulas. The sidewalls are still a bit glossy on these right now, which probably makes them drag a bit more. My dragons grinded a little better after the sidewalls wore down to a matte texture.

Dragons for me were a tired legs/dont wanna push/don't care about getting tech/rough spot wheel for me, did not replace f4s. But these I'd definitely consider making these my main wheel. So far the compromises are worth the smoother ride, increased speed and reduced vibrations.

Verdict tbd but I'm optimistic.

[close]

Update on these skated some curbs today they still grip and drag a little more compared to f4s on slappies. Tried side by side with my friends setup that has 99 f4s. Not a dealbreaker, little bit better than dragons, and I imagine once the sidewalls wear in and are even less glossy they'll go better. But definitely a little slower and more unpredictable than f4s on curbs now. If they break in and get better will report back.

[close]

Damn need these asap!!

The drag got maybe a teeny bit better but not by much, I sanded down sheen on the sidewalls with some grip so they're fully matte I think thats what helped a tad. All in all they definitely still feel like a soft-ish wheel to me.

All my friends on formula fours thought I was still on the "quiet ass dragon wheels" and thought they were bouncy and gummy. Definitely still more similar to a dragon than a 99 f4. The grind will still feel "gummy" even if they go just as good on the right obstacle. Whether thats worth the smoother ride or not its up to you, sometimes it is to me, sometimes it isnt.

The one thing thats bothering me is that they're still really pitching me super hard on wheelbite. To be fair, I did just set up some indys with new bushings and they're 144s which bite easier than 8.5 trucks which I'm used to skating. I've gotten my shit rocked a few times landing hard in wheelbite and getting sent, the wheels definitely made it worse. Have some 149s on the way and hopefully that plus broken in bushings make it a bit better.

[rob]

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Got a set of 97a bones experimentals today. 52mm, v5 shape I'm pretty sure.

First impressions I'm pretty into them, they're basically harder, slightly louder, less gummy dragons. Still feel maybe a little softer than 97a f4s (if my memory serves me right). Noticeably softer and smoother than 99a f4s. Still sound different and more bouncy when you throw down though. Still throw you a little harder than 99a f4s when you wheelbite, but not by much not too bad.

Skated a waxed, chunky concrete ledge it was just fine, no drag or slide issues. But dragons did fine on those too. Locking into a 5050 does feel weird compared to an f4 though, you're almost a little less sure that you're locked in because you don't feel your wheel hit the edge of the ledge as much as they're softer. But you can get used to that pretty quick, and dragons had the same thing even more

Will skate some angle iron and curbs hopefully soon and report back, as thats where I dealt with most of the drag issues on dragons and all the preproduction formulas. The sidewalls are still a bit glossy on these right now, which probably makes them drag a bit more. My dragons grinded a little better after the sidewalls wore down to a matte texture.

Dragons for me were a tired legs/dont wanna push/don't care about getting tech/rough spot wheel for me, did not replace f4s. But these I'd definitely consider making these my main wheel. So far the compromises are worth the smoother ride, increased speed and reduced vibrations.

Verdict tbd but I'm optimistic.

[close]

Update on these skated some curbs today they still grip and drag a little more compared to f4s on slappies. Tried side by side with my friends setup that has 99 f4s. Not a dealbreaker, little bit better than dragons, and I imagine once the sidewalls wear in and are even less glossy they'll go better. But definitely a little slower and more unpredictable than f4s on curbs now. If they break in and get better will report back.

[close]

Damn need these asap!!

[close]

The drag got maybe a teeny bit better but not by much, I sanded down sheen on the sidewalls with some grip so they're fully matte I think thats what helped a tad. All in all they definitely still feel like a soft-ish wheel to me.

All my friends on formula fours thought I was still on the "quiet ass dragon wheels" and thought they were bouncy and gummy. Definitely still more similar to a dragon than a 99 f4. The grind will still feel "gummy" even if they go just as good on the right obstacle. Whether thats worth the smoother ride or not its up to you, sometimes it is to me, sometimes it isnt.

The one thing thats bothering me is that they're still really pitching me super hard on wheelbite. To be fair, I did just set up some indys with new bushings and they're 144s which bite easier than 8.5 trucks which I'm used to skating. I've gotten my shit rocked a few times landing hard in wheelbite and getting sent, the wheels definitely made it worse. Have some 149s on the way and hopefully that plus broken in bushings make it a bit better.

Thanks for the update

I’m still down for these cause as of recent months I prefer the feeling of bones formula over the spits only cause when I got a distance to cruise not trying to be serious the bones just absorbed more vibration and felt grippier but still felt I could break out a slide no issues

I love formula fours don’t get me wrong, the 99a are okay standard premium street wheel but to me the 101a are better cause they feel more aggressive for street and faster

I’m on the dragons right now and I love them! So fast, so soft, but still feels like a street wheel mostly(not as sticky as a cruiser wheel in my opinion) and if these bones experimental are a bit harder im down bad for them, I’ll pay the ridiculous price I paid for the dragons maybe more

When are these bones expected to release?

[tzhangdox]

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Got a set of 97a bones experimentals today. 52mm, v5 shape I'm pretty sure.

First impressions I'm pretty into them, they're basically harder, slightly louder, less gummy dragons. Still feel maybe a little softer than 97a f4s (if my memory serves me right). Noticeably softer and smoother than 99a f4s. Still sound different and more bouncy when you throw down though. Still throw you a little harder than 99a f4s when you wheelbite, but not by much not too bad.

Skated a waxed, chunky concrete ledge it was just fine, no drag or slide issues. But dragons did fine on those too. Locking into a 5050 does feel weird compared to an f4 though, you're almost a little less sure that you're locked in because you don't feel your wheel hit the edge of the ledge as much as they're softer. But you can get used to that pretty quick, and dragons had the same thing even more

Will skate some angle iron and curbs hopefully soon and report back, as thats where I dealt with most of the drag issues on dragons and all the preproduction formulas. The sidewalls are still a bit glossy on these right now, which probably makes them drag a bit more. My dragons grinded a little better after the sidewalls wore down to a matte texture.

Dragons for me were a tired legs/dont wanna push/don't care about getting tech/rough spot wheel for me, did not replace f4s. But these I'd definitely consider making these my main wheel. So far the compromises are worth the smoother ride, increased speed and reduced vibrations.

Verdict tbd but I'm optimistic.

[close]

Update on these skated some curbs today they still grip and drag a little more compared to f4s on slappies. Tried side by side with my friends setup that has 99 f4s. Not a dealbreaker, little bit better than dragons, and I imagine once the sidewalls wear in and are even less glossy they'll go better. But definitely a little slower and more unpredictable than f4s on curbs now. If they break in and get better will report back.

[close]

Damn need these asap!!

[close]

The drag got maybe a teeny bit better but not by much, I sanded down sheen on the sidewalls with some grip so they're fully matte I think thats what helped a tad. All in all they definitely still feel like a soft-ish wheel to me.

All my friends on formula fours thought I was still on the "quiet ass dragon wheels" and thought they were bouncy and gummy. Definitely still more similar to a dragon than a 99 f4. The grind will still feel "gummy" even if they go just as good on the right obstacle. Whether thats worth the smoother ride or not its up to you, sometimes it is to me, sometimes it isnt.

The one thing thats bothering me is that they're still really pitching me super hard on wheelbite. To be fair, I did just set up some indys with new bushings and they're 144s which bite easier than 8.5 trucks which I'm used to skating. I've gotten my shit rocked a few times landing hard in wheelbite and getting sent, the wheels definitely made it worse. Have some 149s on the way and hopefully that plus broken in bushings make it a bit better.

[close]

Thanks for the update

I’m still down for these cause as of recent months I prefer the feeling of bones formula over the spits only cause when I got a distance to cruise not trying to be serious the bones just absorbed more vibration and felt grippier but still felt I could break out a slide no issues

I love formula fours don’t get me wrong, the 99a are okay standard premium street wheel but to me the 101a are better cause they feel more aggressive for street and faster

I’m on the dragons right now and I love them! So fast, so soft, but still feels like a street wheel mostly(not as sticky as a cruiser wheel in my opinion) and if these bones experimental are a bit harder im down bad for them, I’ll pay the ridiculous price I paid for the dragons maybe more

When are these bones expected to release?

I think November? Not sure. If you like the dragons and would want to try a slightly harder version of those, then you’ll probably love these. Both these and the dragons make me miss f4s for things. But when I’m on f4s I also miss having these on lol. Pretty conflicted overall.

Powerslides, like dragons are really really really good for the most part. I’m 100% happy with these or dragons or f4s for reverts n powerslides. It’s more sidewall drag on grinds and some slide tricks on some ledges (most of my skating is ledge tech shit)… and the wheelbite thing

[FrankRizzo]

Been rolling on Bones SPF 84b (alleged 104a equivalent) 60mm V5 Side Cut wheels since January. I have ridden the wheels down from 60 to 55mm.
Was on F4 99a 56mm Conicals prior.

I have enjoyed riding the Bones wheel very much. At first I used as prescribed keeping to relatively smooth skate parks. As the contact patch widened I tried a hill bomb and some switchbacks. Enjoying the wheel on rougher ground while going fast I started to use the wheel almost exclusively when normally I run 78-80a on roads.

Pros
    Super hard, allows one to feel the ground below.
    More grip than F4 99a.
    Shape is very lite for a large wheel.
    Contact patch changes from classic like to conical full which is a pleasant transition.
    Wheel size overpowers crust.
    Holds up to desert southwest triple digit temps and the sun baked concrete.
Cons
    Wheel picked up metal coping slivers on the side which stayed in until contact patch reached it.
    I had one flat spot from hitting rock at full speed at skate park. Was able to work most of it out sliding on rough concrete the day it happened.
    The wheel goes from grippy to ice cube really fast. I actually like the feeling of how the grip hooks back up once in line with inertia.
    Once ground down to 56mm the wheel chips slightly.

I highly recommend this size/shape/formula combo if you like rolling fast on a hard wheel. Want a wheel that lasts longer than most. Desire a large yet lite wheel. Want a wheel that can jump over cracks/rocks firstly due to 60mm height, secondly due to wide contact patch manifesting once worn down.
I think the wheels could be ridden down to around 52mm. 

[PisstickleTypeExperience]

How bad is the Bones original formula? Looking at some V5 sidecuts in 100a mostly because I just love black wheels and the shape looks real nice. I skate park almost exclusively.

[Frank and Fred]

Been rolling on Bones SPF 84b (alleged 104a equivalent) 60mm V5 Side Cut wheels since January. I have ridden the wheels down from 60 to 55mm.

I hated those things on anything but smooth skateparks (where they were insanely good).

[tzhangdox]

I'm sure most people are sick of me going on about all the different soft wheels but just an update on the Bones experimental 97s, since nobody else on the internet seems to have any opinion on them.

I've had them for 10 days, skating lots and they're all about 51.2, 51.3ish mms from 52mms. Haven't bombed any hills. Like the dragons and all the prototypes, they definitely wear down noticeably faster than a formula four. Not a dealbreaker for me personally but worth noting.

Grind drag hasn't gotten any better since the initial break in. Grinds on street ledges still feel gummier, pinching and holding long grinds is less predictable (again, a little better than dragons but not as good as f4)

For example, on a long slappy crooked grind on a curb, it goes if you lean back and push it a bit further, but if you try to adjust mid grind and stand up straight on it it definitely catches and sticks a bit easier than a hard wheel.

A lot of this can be fixed with wax, but everything else constant these absolutely grind worse than a hard wheel and I'm not about to wax a curb or some ledge that everyone else is skating. And there's still less tactile feedback because the wheels are soft and that kinda matters when you're trying to make small adjustments mid slide/grind

How much this will affect you depends on how and what you skate, but if you had no problems with dragons then these will be alright too. Probably a little closer to dragons than f4s in the grind/slide department.

All that being said I still find myself skating these because pushing less on rough spots is nice, and I do think they make me a little less sore after a long session. If a harder dragon with many of the same problems (to a lesser degree) is what you're after, this is it.

It feels like even if they made a 99a version of this formula, it would still feel softer than a 99a f4, I'd be interested in that.

[Xen]

As far as skating rough terrain how much 'worse' are the 97s over the 93s? Noticeably different?

[tzhangdox]

As far as skating rough terrain how much 'worse' are the 97s over the 93s? Noticeably different?

Yeah they're definitely harder and I guess 'worse' than the 93s. If you had me draw a spectrum between dragons on the left and 99a f4s on the right, I'd say these are definitely a little left leaning on that scale in all aspects.

For me thats a good thing overall because the 97s still handle the rougher spots I skate just fine (to me they still feel softer and a little gummier than a 97a f4), but on smoother asphalt and concrete I like to have a tad more ground feel and feedback.

But if you go to either 93 or 97 coming from a 99 f4, they'll both feel like a significant improvement in handling rough terrain.

[FrankRizzo]

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Been rolling on Bones SPF 84b (alleged 104a equivalent) 60mm V5 Side Cut wheels since January. I have ridden the wheels down from 60 to 55mm.

[close]

I hated those things on anything but smooth skateparks (where they were insanely good).

I think I know what you mean. At slower speeds just a little bit of sand getting pulverized by that 84b slows the wheel way down.
Growing up near Niagara Falls in Upstate NY crust was all I knew.
Navigating crust on a hard wheel must remind me of my childhood.

[goodatmeth]

All this soft wheel hype made me realize that I simply like hard wheels and need to sacrifice not riding smoothly up to the spot. Completely backfired and made me buy 103a stfs.

[roba]

what's up with pig wheels? i'm looking at some proline 58mm, f4s are nowhere to be found in my country in the shapes and sizes i like. pig wheels are cheap as fuck so i'm thinking about getting some, are they better that standard (non f4) spitfires? do they slide? my 58mm og classics are around 49mm now, so it's definitely time to get a new set of wheels. it's either these pig wheels or 57mm bigheads, but to be honest i'd rather get the pigs because they're cheaper and i'm going to get a set of f4s as soon as they are back in stock anyway.

i got a set of them, my friend bought a set earlier and he liked them so i thought why not. so far i've only skated to the store on them, but on the way there i skated on asphalt and bricks and they slid very well, a little stickier than f4s (those are truly unfuckwithable in that aspect) but i really didn't have to adjust where i put my body weight when powersliding like i had to with other wheels. i don't know the hardness, it's nowhere to be found on the packaging or the wheels themselves, they feel harder than 99a spitfires, so i'm guessing they're like 100s or 101s. i'm heading to the skatepark after work so i'll write more tomorrow (or maybe tonight because i'm going to a party after that so we will see where that goes) but i'm pleasantly surprised as for now. they're so much cheaper than f4s too, like price point wheels without really feeling like price point wheels.

[j....soy.....]

Annoyed Bones only come in 99 for V2’s…

[Xen]

Annoyed Bones only come in 99 for V2’s…

I feel you, would much rather have nabbed some 103s the last time I picked up some V2s...been bouncing back and forth on 51mm V1 103s, and 52mm dragon v1s (bluntslides be damned) they just work...and my sessions are longer on the dragons, so bizzare.

I'm usually a 101/103a rider by choice, surface be damned...I'm hoping the 97a feel better on blunt slides as that is the only tricks I have that seems to really suffer on the 93s, they're just to unpredictable and not a trick you want to gamble with.

[tzhangdox]

Depends on the surface tbh. On waxed, slightly more porous concrete ledges, the 93 dragons were great for bluntslides and the 97s better. But on stuff like skatelite, wood, less porous less waxed concrete the 93 dragons struggled, and so do the 97s albeit a tad less.

[Xen]

Depends on the surface tbh. On waxed, slightly more porous concrete ledges, the 93 dragons were great for bluntslides and the 97s better. But on stuff like skatelite, wood, less porous less waxed concrete the 93 dragons struggled, and so do the 97s albeit a tad less.

Blunts on curbs the 93s were unpredictable (but more than 97a spits were, loss cause here), they'd go but not consistently compared to the 103 stfs (I do my best blunts on 103 stfs, nothing comes close)...where the dragons would grab occasionally (much like when you get your angle wrong and blunt not slide) the 103s were glassy all the time...spit 101a will work too; blunts to me just require a hard wheel as I need all the slide help I can get.

[tzhangdox]

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Depends on the surface tbh. On waxed, slightly more porous concrete ledges, the 93 dragons were great for bluntslides and the 97s better. But on stuff like skatelite, wood, less porous less waxed concrete the 93 dragons struggled, and so do the 97s albeit a tad less.

[close]

Blunts on curbs the 93s were unpredictable (but more than 97a spits were, loss cause here), they'd go but not consistently compared to the 103 stfs (I do my best blunts on 103 stfs, nothing comes close)...where the dragons would grab occasionally (much like when you get your angle wrong and blunt not slide) the 103s were glassy all the time...spit 101a will work too; blunts to me just require a hard wheel as I need all the slide help I can get.

Yeah thats basically my experience with these soft bones wheels. If its situation where you get in the perfect position and have your weight distributed perfectly, don't jam your wheels against the curb/rail/ledge at the wrong angle or anything, then it goes just as good as a hard wheel.

But if your execution isn't perfect on the obstacle, there's less margin for error and you're more likely to catch.

These wheels grind and slide due to the special formula not the hardness. But in some cases the hardness of the wheel is what gives you the control and response needed and a fancy formula cannot make up for that.

This is all splitting hairs of course, and obviously I'm happy to be skating these right now, but grinds n slides is basically 95% of what I do so I definitely notice these subtle differences when compared to f4s

[Xen]

I'm sure I'll get used it (more wax would help too) but the 97s seem like they'll be ever so slightly less fussy than the 93s so I'll take it.

FWIW, I don't particularly like blunt sliding on 99s no matter the brand, unless on slippy curbs, and then any wheel can be as dangerous.

It's like rails or slicks. Sure, I CAN slide that double sided curb quite well and decently far with a waxed board, but it's effortless with rails...and my tail/nose slides are much nicer feeling on slicks or grinding ATGs...half speed/effort needed to meet or beat what you can do on other brands...That's how I feel 103s are for blunts.

[sacking rails]

just go faster

[tzhangdox]

I'm sure I'll get used it (more wax would help too) but the 97s seem like they'll be ever so slightly less fussy than the 93s so I'll take it.

FWIW, I don't particularly like blunt sliding on 99s no matter the brand, unless on slippy curbs, and then any wheel can be as dangerous.

It's like rails or slicks. Sure, I CAN slide that double sided curb quite well and decently far with a waxed board, but it's effortless with rails...and my tail/nose slides are much nicer feeling on slicks or grinding ATGs...half speed/effort needed to meet or beat what you can do on other brands...That's how I feel 103s are for blunts.

Thats funny I actually prefer like the way 99 f4s slide on adequately waxed stuff, a teeny bit of resistance for you to push through makes it feel like you're actually in control as opposed to just icily gliding across.

[tzhangdox]

just go faster

Generally the correct advice. But a little trickier on these soft wheels.

On a hard wheel lets say you're rolling up at a speed of 7, and once you lock into say a crooked grind you naturally slow down a bit and you're grinding at a speed of 6, slowly decelerating to maybe a 4 upon exit over the course of a long grind

On these wheels its you can make up for it by rolling up at a speed of 10 (which to be fair is easier because these are generally faster and smoother), but once you lock in due to the softness and grip you decelerate and drag a lot more so you may still end up grinding at a speed of 6 and you'll probably decelerate to a 3 much quicker

But decelerating from 10 to 6 upon impact is a lot more jarring than from 7 to 6 so its a little harder to adjust to, control and sit in the grind properly for as long.

Pulled these numbers out of my ass but I think you get what I mean, definitely something I noticed. Again you can compensate for this with wax, but I try not to wax shit if possible so...