Wheels Thread

[TheCrimsonShroud]

He meant the SF Bay Area, which is home to DLX as well as the GX1000 crew and a billion other skaters that bomb hills and like to skate shittier concrete and pavement.

Yeah, I know. My point is if they get input from dudes working and living locally—and those dudes skate similar styles in similar living conditions—then seems like those wheels would appeal to me. Which they do.

[rocklobster]

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spitfire should prioritize classic fulls, og classics and radial slims.

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Lots of us agree with this....and shake our fists at the Radial Full/Lock in Full skies =D

But...sales dictate what they put to market (for the most part...); I'd love to see data on why Lock-In FULLs are an actual thing people want vs. the demand for Classic Fulls. Hell, I'd like to see why Radial Full...fuck it, ALL FULLs vs their normal counterpart seem to take priority...tho I'd wager th e8 of use that want Radial slims is a small demographic

Is it cheaper/more cost productive somehow that I'm not seeing when using MORE 'thane to make a 'bigger' wheel should cost more due to increased materials? And hell, with fulls, actually/possibly require a new mold (?)?

Radial Slims are the only wheel I'd gladly ride in colored variants - the 3 orange + 1 grey or blue + green swirl were sick.

[Xen]

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spitfire should prioritize classic fulls, og classics and radial slims.

[close]

Lots of us agree with this....and shake our fists at the Radial Full/Lock in Full skies =D

But...sales dictate what they put to market (for the most part...); I'd love to see data on why Lock-In FULLs are an actual thing people want vs. the demand for Classic Fulls. Hell, I'd like to see why Radial Full...fuck it, ALL FULLs vs their normal counterpart seem to take priority...tho I'd wager th e8 of use that want Radial slims is a small demographic

Is it cheaper/more cost productive somehow that I'm not seeing when using MORE 'thane to make a 'bigger' wheel should cost more due to increased materials? And hell, with fulls, actually/possibly require a new mold (?)?

[close]

Radial Slims are the only wheel I'd gladly ride in colored variants - the 3 orange + 1 grey or blue + green swirl were sick.

Radial Slims had the BEST colorways, all the time. Still pissed I never snagged the green/blk or the black/teal ones.

[JimmyFive]

Looks like Skate One has dropped the X99's in the same sizes as X97. These things are gonna go. X99 vs F499? Still wishing for a 57-58mm...

[bombsaway86]

Looks like Skate One has dropped the X99's in the same sizes as X97. These things are gonna go. X99 vs F499? Still wishing for a 57-58mm...

I’m interested to see how they stack up against F4 99s. I like Bones shapes and speed, but hate the plastic feel of their harder wheels. F4s just feel right

[europa1991]

What’s the verdict on the new Loophole formula? Worth trying out? My local has a set of the 99a side cuts I was thinking about picking up.

[Mbrimson88]

.

I can't recall who asked or when, but I saw this and thought of this thread:




WHAT'S THE GO WITH STONEGROUND?

Stoneground finish is applied to the wheel after it has been poured to remove any lines or residue and give the wheel a worn-in feel so you can take them straight out of the packet and rip. Wheels are poured slightly bigger than their finished profile then ground back to achieve a perfect riding surface. For example, a 58mm wheel is poured at 58.5mm then ground down to 58mm. In our opinion it is the best running surface you can have. 

[TheCrimsonShroud]

What’s the verdict on the new Loophole formula? Worth trying out? My local has a set of the 99a side cuts I was thinking about picking up.

I’ve had mine for two weeks or so and there’s still tread on em if that’s any indication :/

[JimmyFive]

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Looks like Skate One has dropped the X99's in the same sizes as X97. These things are gonna go. X99 vs F499? Still wishing for a 57-58mm...

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I’m interested to see how they stack up against F4 99s. I like Bones shapes and speed, but hate the plastic feel of their harder wheels. F4s just feel right

I feel like these are the SkateOne answer to f4. My X97's feel much more "alive" - similar to F4. They just feel better than any of the other Bones/Powell wheels I've tried in the past.

Keen to hear a review of the X99's!

[Samsquantch]

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Looks like Skate One has dropped the X99's in the same sizes as X97. These things are gonna go. X99 vs F499? Still wishing for a 57-58mm...

[close]

I’m interested to see how they stack up against F4 99s. I like Bones shapes and speed, but hate the plastic feel of their harder wheels. F4s just feel right

[close]

I feel like these are the SkateOne answer to f4. My X97's feel much more "alive" - similar to F4. They just feel better than any of the other Bones/Powell wheels I've tried in the past.

Keen to hear a review of the X99's!

I like that analogy, they do feel more "alive". Other Bones wheels I've tried just felt like dull, slow plastic. I mean, 84b SPF actually felt good on smooth skatepark, but unskatetable in the asphalt parking lot, you push and just grind to a stop. It was actually funny how bad they were on asphalt.

X97 feels a bit rubbery, but it is lively and really does smooth crust out remarkably well and slides easy.

[hiljentaa]

Ghetto Child Muska wheels circa ~2000 unearthed from my parent's house.

Almost tempted to toss a set of bearings in and see how terrible 20+ year old wheels are hah

[moonordie]

Old ass set of wheels unearthed from my parent's house. Ghetto Child Muska???

Almost tempted to toss a set of bearings in and see how terrible 20+ year old wheels are hah

100% those are GC Muska. I remember his pro wheel being 55mm

[TheCrimsonShroud]

I like that analogy, they do feel more "alive". Other Bones wheels I've tried just felt like dull, slow plastic. I mean, 84b SPF actually felt good on smooth skatepark,

Dull, slow, and plasticky are definitely good ways to describes the bones I’ve skated. 100s are probably the best I’ve used and I’d describe them as “tolerable”

[logjammin]

Bought the new Loopholes today in a classic round shape 54mm. Giving my rolled ankle a few more days to heal, though. Did anyone ever confirm where these are being made now? They don't look like creative urethane. Much more of a bright white dye color, and definitely not natural urethane like NFG.

[pointandclick]

Bought the new Loopholes today in a classic round shape 54mm. Giving my rolled ankle a few more days to heal, though. Did anyone ever confirm where these are being made now? They don't look like creative urethane. Much more of a bright white dye color, and definitely not natural urethane like NFG.

i believe they are poured at the acid chemical mfg.

[rikki]

Spitfire 97s vs. Bones X-Formula 97: opinions, differences, tips?

[Musicaldeath107]

Cross post from the Bones X series thread since I figure it would.be appreciated here too.

Bones X99 first session thoughts:

The air quality here in Pittsburgh is fucked today so didn't exactly skate too hard but these wheels are great. They don't feel like Bones wheels to me which is a huge compliment.

I took a board with F4 Radials 53mm and X99 53mm V5 to the same spot. Smooth concrete the roll is very close to F4 maybe slightly better. Unscientific test 1 push same starting spot, both on Quantum Atoms. X99 rolled maybe about a foot more on average.

Small hill starting at the same spot on rough asphalt no pushing the X99 went way further like 8 feet further.

Lastly rolling wise on the same street I pushed first on F4s about 100 yards down and back. Immediately hopped on the X99s and went "oh shit" . They didn't make the F4s feel awful or super slow but it was VERY noticable how much more speed I carried and had to push less.

Power slides and reverts on smooth ground ever so slightly stickier than F4s but these are brand new so that could change.

Power slides/reverts on rough ground X99 slid better.

Ollies/flip tricks felt the same besides being lighter because thinner wheels. They bounce every so slightly less on throw downs and landings than F4s

Didn't do much grind/slide wise but I didn't stick on 50/50 on a not very waxed bench.  And a few slappy nose slides on a sticky not waxed at all curb slid a few inches. Both felt the same to me there but that's clearly not a lot of grind/slide testing.

Definitely excited to try these at the DIY and a smooth park here soon. First impressions are stellar F4s have some very serious competition I think.

[munchbox]

i would think they arent comparable but fuck it
how do the X99s stand up to X97s?

[rikki]

Cross post from the Bones X series thread since I figure it would.be appreciated here too.

Bones X99 first session thoughts:

The air quality here in Pittsburgh is fucked today so didn't exactly skate too hard but these wheels are great. They don't feel like Bones wheels to me which is a huge compliment.

I took a board with F4 Radials 53mm and X99 53mm V5 to the same spot. Smooth concrete the roll is very close to F4 maybe slightly better. Unscientific test 1 push same starting spot, both on Quantum Atoms. X99 rolled maybe about a foot more on average.

Small hill starting at the same spot on rough asphalt no pushing the X99 went way further like 8 feet further.

Lastly rolling wise on the same street I pushed first on F4s about 100 yards down and back. Immediately hopped on the X99s and went "oh shit" . They didn't make the F4s feel awful or super slow but it was VERY noticable how much more speed I carried and had to push less.

Power slides and reverts on smooth ground ever so slightly stickier than F4s but these are brand new so that could change.

Power slides/reverts on rough ground X99 slid better.

Ollies/flip tricks felt the same besides being lighter because thinner wheels. They bounce every so slightly less on throw downs and landings than F4s

Didn't do much grind/slide wise but I didn't stick on 50/50 on a not very waxed bench.  And a few slappy nose slides on a sticky not waxed at all curb slid a few inches. Both felt the same to me there but that's clearly not a lot of grind/slide testing.

Definitely excited to try these at the DIY and a smooth park here soon. First impressions are stellar F4s have some very serious competition I think.

Good insight, thanks.

[rikki]

i would think they arent comparable but fuck it
how do the X99s stand up to X97s?

I'm interested in this comparison as well.

[Xen]

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i would think they arent comparable but fuck it
how do the X99s stand up to X97s?

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I'm interested in this comparison as well.

My x99 arrive tomorrow, I’ll check back in.

[DeepSpace9mm]

Has anyone tried those Spitfire Sapphires yet? I’m curious if they slide or not. I’m guessing they don’t but it would be pretty rad if they do.

[Daydream]

Wondering the same. And just overall feel

[logjammin]

Finally got around to skating the new 99a loopholes. After the tread wore off and they were nice and broken in, they performed beyond my expectations, for sure. Grippy and controllable where I need them and a nice easy loud chirping powerslide. And I was flying fast as fuck for them only being 54mm.

Honestly, I like these better than the NFG formula. NFG's really turned sluggish and slow on me after awhile, and I noticed the ones I have sitting in my junk box are just horribly aged fraying potatoes.

[skatebruh]

Spitfire 97s vs. Bones X-Formula 97: opinions, differences, tips?

I have both. I have two setups. I prefer the Bones X97s.

The X97s are faster on rough ground and powerslide better, but they don't feel as fun at a smooth park and I've slipped out a few times on them when I didn't want to slide. They feel like a harder Dragon if you've tried those.

The Spitfire 97s feel like a slightly softer Spitfire 99. I would recommend the Spitfire 97s if you're skating smooth parks and want more grip.

Both wheels will do crooked grinds if you bring wax. Both wheels will have you bringing wax.

[rikki]

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Spitfire 97s vs. Bones X-Formula 97: opinions, differences, tips?

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I have both. I have two setups. I prefer the Bones X97s.

The X97s are faster on rough ground and powerslide better, but they don't feel as fun at a smooth park and I've slipped out a few times on them when I didn't want to slide. They feel like a harder Dragon if you've tried those.

The Spitfire 97s feel like a slightly softer Spitfire 99. I would recommend the Spitfire 97s if you're skating smooth parks and want more grip.

Both wheels will do crooked grinds if you bring wax. Both wheels will have you bringing wax.

Thank you! Yes, I've skated the Dragons for a while now on rough ground and really like them. But I don't enjoy the stickiness to metal coping on transition. I would imagine the X97s would perform better with metal coping/ledges.

[pops]

Got some more time on the Spit 97s. I have to agree, they feel kinda slow, but they smoothen things a little bit. Not sure if that sluggish feel will wear out as the urethane hardens over time. I was skating on quite smooth and a bit crustier asphalt. I often felt like I wanna go faster but the wheels are holding me back. I tried my Super Juices on same flat and they rolled so damn well.  What I liked was the feeling of slightly smoother ride on crusty spots (compared to 99s) and feeling of control when doing powerslides. Not sure if I like the weels or not but first impression is kinda shallow.

[Xen]

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Spitfire 97s vs. Bones X-Formula 97: opinions, differences, tips?

[close]

I have both. I have two setups. I prefer the Bones X97s.

The X97s are faster on rough ground and powerslide better, but they don't feel as fun at a smooth park and I've slipped out a few times on them when I didn't want to slide. They feel like a harder Dragon if you've tried those.

The Spitfire 97s feel like a slightly softer Spitfire 99. I would recommend the Spitfire 97s if you're skating smooth parks and want more grip.

Both wheels will do crooked grinds if you bring wax. Both wheels will have you bringing wax.

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Thank you! Yes, I've skated the Dragons for a while now on rough ground and really like them. But I don't enjoy the stickiness to metal coping on transition. I would imagine the X97s would perform better with metal coping/ledges.

Dragons>X97>x99

They only work better as they get harder and you lose very little on rough terrain compared to what you gain.

[jkadams]

spitfire sapphires, my 2 cents: probably not dlx's answer to dragons, or anything like a 90a f4 might be; closer to the old slow/dead soft d's (maybe a little faster/smoother), but pretty much zero slide, so gummy.  i would rate them below ricta cored clouds 92a, oj/slimeballs non-nomad 95a, and sml 92a (and dragons, though they sometimes slide when i don't want them to, and now i can't seem to get a set that doesn't have at least two wobbly wheels).  (caveats: all 56mm; it's about 80f here, and i'm old, tall/heavy, and only skate crusty midwestern streets/spots, no skateparks.)

[jkadams]

@logjammin (or anyone) have you skated the new 99a loopholes on rough streets/spots?  if so, how do they compare to other wheels (fairly typical 99a feeling, or softer/harder feeling)?