Wheels Thread

[munchbox]

just as i thought based off reviews
maybe spitfire cans the 97a and goes to work on a 95a

[Lou Strux]

just as i thought based off reviews
maybe spitfire cans the 97a and goes to work on a 95a

Or just retools the F4 97a duro.
Apparently, the new discovery in urethane science was that rebound is both a particle AND a wave. 🤷🏽‍♂️

[pops]

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just as i thought based off reviews
maybe spitfire cans the 97a and goes to work on a 95a

[close]

Or just retools the F4 97a duro.
Apparently, the new discovery in urethane science was that rebound is both a particle AND a wave. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Yup, definitely needs a retool. I found the f497 mostly a joke for me. It works at indoor park for me, everywhere else it feels sluggish.

[Light]

Setting up a vert board any suggestions on wheels?

I'm thinking bones 58mm spf 81b, I usually skate 54mm 99d f4's on an 8.25 will be throwing these on a 9.

[rikki]

As an old-ass crusty spot mediocre skater, I feel like a kid in a candy store with all the new recent "semi-soft" wheels hitting the market. My $0.02 as a quick summary:

Dragons: Great for super-crusty spots and just cruising around streets. On smooth terrain, I don't really love these -- they're a tad too bouncy and sticky plus they're way too quiet. But as for cruising, I most probably won't go back to "real" soft wheels that don't slide -- prolly gonna set up my cruiser with big Dragons from now on.

X97: Handles crust really well, but lacks a bit of speed. Seem to wear down fast. These somehow fall in between the Dragons and the X99s in a way that I feel that I won't be skating them that much. Still a good wheel for crusty spots, though. Not a bad wheel, but seems like I won't have that much use for them with regards to having other options.

X99: My favorite wheel at the moment. Been absolutely loving them in my dusty local indoor for the winter, and had a good time on them on my first outdoor sessions of the spring. These just might be the best all-around wheel of all time, provided there can be such a thing. They're faster than the Dragons and the X97s, work pretty great on smooth ground, slide great, give out a decent bark. They feel like a real wheel. Still haven't properly tested them on super smooth outdoor concrete parks/plazas, looking forward to doing that soon. In a nutshell, if one feels too lazy to swap from one set of wheels to another all the time, these might be the ones that cover all bases decently enough. Plus they are easier on one's knees, joints and old man's pains. Mind you, I'm not saying they are better than F4 99/101 on perfect ground, but they are definitely skateable pretty much anywhere.

F4 93: Based on various reviews, really looking forward to these. I don't know if I actually need them, but will buy a set for sure as I love all sorts of middle age Kool-Aid.

God bless the gods of urethane and their apostles.

[Xen]

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just as i thought based off reviews
maybe spitfire cans the 97a and goes to work on a 95a

[close]

Or just retools the F4 97a duro.
Apparently, the new discovery in urethane science was that rebound is both a particle AND a wave. ‍♂️

[close]

Yup, definitely needs a retool. I found the f497 mostly a joke for me. It works at indoor park for me, everywhere else it feels sluggish.

Never tried them indoors, but it only took one skate outside (~ hour) to know they were useless for me (this was pre-dragon/x99s) vs. a 99a spit; they're slow, sluggish and don't slide near well enough to be considered up to par by F4 standards imo.

A 95a would be pretty cool, but since they went after dragons/93s my money would be on a bones/x97 competitor and doubt they would ever do an 'easy' 99a.

X99: My favorite wheel at the moment. Been absolutely loving them in my dusty local indoor for the winter, and had a good time on them on my first outdoor sessions of the spring. These just might be the best all-around wheel of all time, provided there can be such a thing. They're faster than the Dragons and the X97s, work pretty great on smooth ground, slide great, give out a decent bark. They feel like a real wheel. Still haven't properly tested them on super smooth outdoor concrete parks/plazas, looking forward to doing that soon. In a nutshell, if one feels too lazy to swap from one set of wheels to another all the time, these might be the ones that cover all bases decently enough. Plus they are easier on one's knees, joints and old man's pains. Mind you, I'm not saying they are better than F4 99/101 on perfect ground, but they are definitely skateable pretty much anywhere.

F4 93: Based on various reviews, really looking forward to these. I don't know if I actually need them, but will buy a set for sure as I love all sorts of middle age Kool-Aid.

The [V5] x99s are the wheel if you skate everything, everywhere and can only have ONE wheel. Also, the black x99s are soooo much better feeling and sounding over the white x99s it's kinda silly. Not sure why.

God bless the gods of urethane and their apostles.

Gotta give credit to where credit is due. George Powell in the lab for 10 years (if it's to be believed)...without him and the dragons, the 93s might never have come about (Spit has been resting on their laurels since the F4 became #1 and rightfully so...no, I don't count full shapes to existing shapes worth noting ); DLX tweaks trucks on occasion, and certainly fuxs with boards, e.g., R1, Reazy-C, low pro/IIs, twins, heavyweights (RIP), slicks, Fulls/SEs, Tru Fits, easy rider, ffs that's a lot, probably forgot some too...etc.

[rikki]

The [V5] x99s are the wheel if you skate everything, everywhere and can only have ONE wheel. Also, the black x99s are soooo much better feeling and sounding over the white x99s it's kinda silly. Not sure why.

Yeah, absolutely, forgot to mention that V5 is the bee's knees with regards to shape. Best ever?

Interesting about the black X99. I just can't skate black wheels, though. They look... wrong. A personal issue of mine, of course.

[goodatmeth]

Finally skated X99 for the first time today and I'm amazed. They still do what the x97 do in terms of smoothing out shitty ground, but crooked grinds on sticky angle iron work much better.

[rikki]

Possibly reviving a beaten-to-death old horse, but is the general consensus around here that the OJ Nomad 95s suck ass?

Asking for a friend, for real. He's drank some weird Kool-aid.

[Frank and Fred]

I thought the Nomads were decent. I used them for one winter mainly sessioning a slippery car hole where I had to navigate really rough patches and oil slicks. I think I won an OJ giveaway, so being free made the better.

[rocklobster]

I thought the Nomads were decent. I used them for one winter mainly sessioning a slippery car hole where I had to navigate really rough patches and oil slicks. I think I one an OJ giveaway, so being free made the better.

[schralp pal]

Shape of the nomads is weird for me, too tablety. I don’t mind the feel on streets, slide mostly sucks though. And they’re slow on smooth concrete

[bombsaway86]

Possibly reviving a beaten-to-death old horse, but is the general consensus around here that the OJ Nomad 95s suck ass?

Asking for a friend, for real. He's drank some weird Kool-aid.

They’re not bad, but I feel like Dragons/X formula/Soft Slide wheels have made them obsolete

[bombsaway86]

Skated x99s at the DIY today. The concrete is very smooth but also slippery from being under a bridge. The grip was perfect, but they felt a lot slower on the smooth concrete. Still decently fast, but noticeably slower than F4 99s on the smooth concrete.

The x99 are faster than F4 99s at my local park where the concrete is a little rough but by no means crusty.

Either way I still think they’re great, but I’ll still keep one board setup with F4s and another with X formula

[pops]

Had fun session on this little asphalt hill near my house. Skated the Gslide shape Dragons and they're nicely worn in now. Finally learned longer bs powerslides. I didnt get any slipping out and the surface varies between crusty and smooth. I think I just getting really adjusted to these wheels and like em even more now.

[rikki]

Either way I still think they’re great, but I’ll still keep one board setup with F4s and another with X formula

This is pretty much how I'm gonna roll for the foreseeable future.

[Lou Strux]

Recently donated my Spitty F4 97s to a homey, as I feel like this new F4 93 formula does all of the things the 97s do, but better.
Ride is even softer feeling w/o being "bouncy," the slide actually sounds better AND they break into that slide w/ less effort than the 97s require.
I am noticing some light "gouging" (for lack of a better term) in the riding surface after running the usual speed checks on these SF hills.  Jury is still out on durability & wear factor for these fun little fucks, at least until I get more time on them.
Over all, I'm liking them a lot as a softer option, even though I'm pretty sure these will be a one time thing for me, as the F4 99s still feel like home.

[flocke]

spitfire 93 vs bones x97

which one feel softer?

which absorbs crust better?

which one feel better to your body (especially if you struggle with backpain)

[frtzgn95]

spitfire 93 vs bones x97

which one feel softer?

which absorbs crust better?

which one feel better to your body (especially if you struggle with backpain)

and which one slides better? easy, predictable, under control... dad board says that after a month, dragons get gummy. does it happen to these two? (too early to answer this for spit 93s, i think.)

[boneless900]

spitfire 93 vs bones x97

which one feel softer?

which absorbs crust better?

which one feel better to your body (especially if you struggle with backpain)

93 spits feel softer/faster than the x97s for me. They're both solid wheels, but I've felt like the 93a soft sliders do much better on slides/grinds where the wheels make contact (like krooks).

Both wheels absorbed crust well for me, so no issues there. After trying both (albeit the spits for only 4 slappy sessions and one dusty indoor), i prefer the feel of 93 spits.

[MichaelJacksonsGhost]

Question for those who have some experience with softer wheels:

I’ll be in Europe over the summer, and I’m hoping to bring a board to actually skate but also as a means of transportation around the cities I visit. What would be the best wheel set up to be able to both cover long distances easily but also skate if I happen to stumble onto a spot? I’m thinking a set of dragons for when I'm mostly just moving around, then a set of 97 durometer wheels for when I think I’ll be skating a little more seriously. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[tzhangdox]

Spitfire 93s

[Lou Strux]

Spitfire 93s

I 2nd this^^^

[moonordie]

Question for those who have some experience with softer wheels:

I’ll be in Europe over the summer, and I’m hoping to bring a board to actually skate but also as a means of transportation around the cities I visit. What would be the best wheel set up to be able to both cover long distances easily but also skate if I happen to stumble onto a spot? I’m thinking a set of dragons for when I'm mostly just moving around, then a set of 97 durometer wheels for when I think I’ll be skating a little more seriously. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Also depends of the city. Some are totally not skate friendly in the sense of using your board as transportation device. IE: Prague.

[Xen]

Question for those who have some experience with softer wheels:

I’ll be in Europe over the summer, and I’m hoping to bring a board to actually skate but also as a means of transportation around the cities I visit. What would be the best wheel set up to be able to both cover long distances easily but also skate if I happen to stumble onto a spot? I’m thinking a set of dragons for when I'm mostly just moving around, then a set of 97 durometer wheels for when I think I’ll be skating a little more seriously. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Thanks in advance.

93a dragons/spits are great for crust, doesn't matter the brand; I'd pick the spit 93a over dragons every time only because they sound better.

If you want the benefits of the new 93a wheels but also want to skate spots that are not crust: X99s - they will give you almost all the benefits of the 93s while also giving almost all the benefits of a regular 99a.

[Slugboi22]

 i’m between SML OG formula in the V-cut shape or OJ chubbies in 99a for my next wheel. Does anyone have experience with either?! i do a lot of slides and skate a parking structure with slick ground so im looking for something with decent grip to slide ratio! i’ve skated Spit f4 in 99a, 101a, and 97a in numerous sizes and shapes but im looking to try something new! :-)

[cliff]

i’m between SML OG formula in the V-cut shape or OJ chubbies in 99a for my next wheel. Does anyone have experience with either?! i do a lot of slides and skate a parking structure with slick ground so im looking for something with decent grip to slide ratio! i’ve skated Spit f4 in 99a, 101a, and 97a in numerous sizes and shapes but im looking to try something new! :-)

The SML OG's are the ones I ride. Obviously I'm extremely bias but they're close to what the F4s would feel like from what I've been told. Def good grip to slide ratio in my opinion after they're broken in.

[JM]

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Question for those who have some experience with softer wheels:

I’ll be in Europe over the summer, and I’m hoping to bring a board to actually skate but also as a means of transportation around the cities I visit. What would be the best wheel set up to be able to both cover long distances easily but also skate if I happen to stumble onto a spot? I’m thinking a set of dragons for when I'm mostly just moving around, then a set of 97 durometer wheels for when I think I’ll be skating a little more seriously. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[close]

93a dragons/spits are great for crust, doesn't matter the brand; I'd pick the spit 93a over dragons every time only because they sound better.

If you want the benefits of the new 93a wheels but also want to skate spots that are not crust: X99s - they will give you almost all the benefits of the 93s while also giving almost all the benefits of a regular 99a.

Will second that spits sound better.

But x97 is an absolute champ in all conditions.

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

so the updated preferences are more so Spit 93/97 and Bones X 97 and 99, correct?

I think it's funny how we all are about one degree away from each other, I'm wondering if it's the terrain, we skate differently, do you think there are any inconsistencies in the formula?  Imma guess, it's just super subjective as always....

I had to go to the store tonite and usually I take my zip zinger which has 91 dragons, my daily park driver is X99's and today I took out my giant football which has 94 ditchechs which was sort of 'ahead of it's time', I think they are essentially 94 park formulas....the ditchtechs were so slow....like almost unrideable. 

[Xen]

I wouldn't count the spit F4 97a in the mix tbh, these 'soft formula' wheels are a different breed altogether compared to them.

From personal experience, and what's out there on youtube and here (barring the local spit fangirls) it seems like the spit 93s compete more directly with x97s/x99s in terms of feel and performance as they are harder/louder feeling than the spongedragons (while still doing what dragons do, just differently).

Some feel the x97s slide better than the x99s, while the x99s sound/feel more like a normal-ish wheel (whereas the x97s still has that gummy 93a dragon feel and sound, especially with pinch shit) - this is where the spit 93s sort of stand apart, they literally do the work of all three x-formulas: absorb good enough like dragons, slide a bit better like x97s (subjective, I couldn't fucking tell) and feel/sound more like a regular wheel like x99s, but sound better...however, I give the edge to the x99s because of speed on regular (smooth/non-crust) terrain, it's just faster than either 93a offering...

Personally, I've ditched them all unless I'm hitting a certain spot or two and have fallen right back into riding 103a STFs at my regular spots.