X99’s vs x97 report:
X99’s are higher pitched squeak, sound like normal wheel but not as crazy barky as SPF.
Noticeably more hard than x97 and rolls over crunchy asphalt pretty well, but not as good as x97… but still magically good.
Easier to slide around than x97.
I think for my rickety old joints, I may go back to x97 if only for the softer landings.
If I was young and buck, I would enjoy the x99’s more as they are closer to “normal” skate wheels, and don’t have the weird soft rolling sound.
Definitely getting V1 next time as well, as they are more fun than V5 to do any tricks on.
(V1 and V5 have the same ride patch for 52mm so it shouldn’t have anything to do with ability to smooth out crust)
Final thought: if x99 became the only option, I wouldn’t be mad because it surely could be more widely accepted by skaters since it doesn’t have the soft wheel dead sound like the x97’s kind of have. And if I get too old to skate hard wheels completely, then I should move my ass to Dragons anyway. I do like the middle ground of soft vs. hard with the x97’s though. I can see why Bones did x99’s on rider feedback because the x97’s don’t sound or feel EXACTLY like a “normal wheel” even though they slide and grip just fine, if not for just maybe a little too grippy for bluntslides.)