Wheels Thread

[JimmyFive]

Bones Omega Review:
These wheels have been a disappointment. At 60mmx40mm/x99 I was hoping they would at least play ball on crust. They do not handle crust any better than an f4 99a or classic fomula 99a. The Omega slide is skittery, halting and inconsistent. They do not keep their speed on rough surfaces and feel plastic and jittery. Even at 60mm,  they are still outperformed by a 53mm 93a spit in terms of speed, smoothness and slide. I regret buying these, and I am frustrated that spitfire still has no full shape in the 93a formula, which is why felt compelled to try the omega in the first place.

Damn, that's a disppointment.. I think the 97's are more suited towards real crust but I thought these would be good crust busters. IME The X99's are very fast and thought these would be fast as fuck at that size! I'm sure I read a good review of the Omega a few pages back. Different strokes

[pinkeye fieri]

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Bones Omega Review:
These wheels have been a disappointment. At 60mmx40mm/x99 I was hoping they would at least play ball on crust. They do not handle crust any better than an f4 99a or classic fomula 99a. The Omega slide is skittery, halting and inconsistent. They do not keep their speed on rough surfaces and feel plastic and jittery. Even at 60mm,  they are still outperformed by a 53mm 93a spit in terms of speed, smoothness and slide. I regret buying these, and I am frustrated that spitfire still has no full shape in the 93a formula, which is why felt compelled to try the omega in the first place.

[close]

Damn, that's a disppointment.. I think the 97's are more suited towards real crust but I thought these would be good crust busters. IME The X99's are very fast and thought these would be fast as fuck at that size! I'm sure I read a good review of the Omega a few pages back. Different strokes

yeah I feel like any crust busting qualities these have are due to the 60mm diameter. They do not have a wide contact patch to begin with, and I anticipate having to retire them before they wear down to a diameter range (55-57mm)that would see the contact patch widen enough to provide any noticeable benefit

[JimmyFive]

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Bones Omega Review:
These wheels have been a disappointment. At 60mmx40mm/x99 I was hoping they would at least play ball on crust. They do not handle crust any better than an f4 99a or classic fomula 99a. The Omega slide is skittery, halting and inconsistent. They do not keep their speed on rough surfaces and feel plastic and jittery. Even at 60mm,  they are still outperformed by a 53mm 93a spit in terms of speed, smoothness and slide. I regret buying these, and I am frustrated that spitfire still has no full shape in the 93a formula, which is why felt compelled to try the omega in the first place.

[close]

Damn, that's a disppointment.. I think the 97's are more suited towards real crust but I thought these would be good crust busters. IME The X99's are very fast and thought these would be fast as fuck at that size! I'm sure I read a good review of the Omega a few pages back. Different strokes

[close]

yeah I feel like any crust busting qualities these have are due to the 60mm diameter. I anticipate having to retire them before they wear down to a diameter range (56-58mm)that would see the contact patch widen enough to provide any noticeable benefit

My 56mm V6 X99's are a "do-anything" versatile wheel. I enjoy being able to cruise to the park and not have to bring a set of SPF's in my backpack to change out. I think I'd still like to try the larger versions - if you are up for selling/trading with someone in Oceania let me know!

[Xen]

97s (or either 93s) are def more suited to conquering crust than the x99s.

Anyone kow the timing from testing of 93 spits to their release? Hoping the spit 97s are dropping soon.

[Texas_Tone]

What the fuck are y’all skating that you need that big of a wheel? Genuinely curious, I get that wider ride patches are good for high speeds and shit, but I’ve skated some crusty fucking ditches with a 56 max, purely doing Ollie’s and power slides, and I feel like a full wheel is harder to break into a powerslide than a smaller riding surface, can someone please enlighten me to the benefits of a wider riding patch besides for people that are constantly bombing hills

[pinkeye fieri]

What the fuck are y’all skating that you need that big of a wheel? Genuinely curious, I get that wider ride patches are good for high speeds and shit, but I’ve skated some crusty fucking ditches with a 56 max, purely doing Ollie’s and power slides, and I feel like a full wheel is harder to break into a powerslide than a smaller riding surface, can someone please enlighten me to the benefits of a wider riding patch besides for people that are constantly bombing hills

PNW crust. skating to the spot and encountering 10+ different harsh pavement textures along the way. dipping into brief stretches of dirt and grass whenever it is the most fun option. wallies on tree trunks and rock gardens. also I would say that if I am going fast enough to need to powerslide in the first place, "breaking into a powerslide" is not really an issue that is negatively affected by a wider contact patch.

[Texas_Tone]

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What the fuck are y’all skating that you need that big of a wheel? Genuinely curious, I get that wider ride patches are good for high speeds and shit, but I’ve skated some crusty fucking ditches with a 56 max, purely doing Ollie’s and power slides, and I feel like a full wheel is harder to break into a powerslide than a smaller riding surface, can someone please enlighten me to the benefits of a wider riding patch besides for people that are constantly bombing hills

[close]

PNW crust. skating to the spot and encountering 10+ different harsh pavement textures along the way. dipping into brief stretches of dirt and grass whenever it is the most fun option. also I would say that if I am going fast enough to need to powerslide in the first place, "breaking into a powerslide" is not really an issue that is noticeably affected by a wider contact patch.

Yea I’m biking to the spot, working the knee out… well props for y’all making that happen, I’m gonna stick to my V5s and continue to attempt tails and blunts in our crusty Texas ditches

[pinkeye fieri]

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Bones Omega Review:
These wheels have been a disappointment. At 60mmx40mm/x99 I was hoping they would at least play ball on crust. They do not handle crust any better than an f4 99a or classic fomula 99a. The Omega slide is skittery, halting and inconsistent. They do not keep their speed on rough surfaces and feel plastic and jittery. Even at 60mm,  they are still outperformed by a 53mm 93a spit in terms of speed, smoothness and slide. I regret buying these, and I am frustrated that spitfire still has no full shape in the 93a formula, which is why felt compelled to try the omega in the first place.

[close]

Damn, that's a disppointment.. I think the 97's are more suited towards real crust but I thought these would be good crust busters. IME The X99's are very fast and thought these would be fast as fuck at that size! I'm sure I read a good review of the Omega a few pages back. Different strokes

[close]

yeah I feel like any crust busting qualities these have are due to the 60mm diameter. I anticipate having to retire them before they wear down to a diameter range (56-58mm)that would see the contact patch widen enough to provide any noticeable benefit

[close]

My 56mm V6 X99's are a "do-anything" versatile wheel. I enjoy being able to cruise to the park and not have to bring a set of SPF's in my backpack to change out. I think I'd still like to try the larger versions - if you are up for selling/trading with someone in Oceania let me know!

if the 56mm v6 x99 are sufficiently versatile for you, I would imagine that you would definitely experience benefits with the Omega.

[Xen]

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What the fuck are y’all skating that you need that big of a wheel? Genuinely curious, I get that wider ride patches are good for high speeds and shit, but I’ve skated some crusty fucking ditches with a 56 max, purely doing Ollie’s and power slides, and I feel like a full wheel is harder to break into a powerslide than a smaller riding surface, can someone please enlighten me to the benefits of a wider riding patch besides for people that are constantly bombing hills

[close]

PNW crust. skating to the spot and encountering 10+ different harsh pavement textures along the way. dipping into brief stretches of dirt and grass whenever it is the most fun option. also I would say that if I am going fast enough to need to powerslide in the first place, "breaking into a powerslide" is not really an issue that is noticeably affected by a wider contact patch.

[close]

Yea I’m biking to the spot, working the knee out… well props for y’all making that happen, I’m gonna stick to my V5s and continue to attempt tails and blunts in our crusty Texas ditches

I miss Texas ditch skating, so much fun.

[Texas_Tone]

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What the fuck are y’all skating that you need that big of a wheel? Genuinely curious, I get that wider ride patches are good for high speeds and shit, but I’ve skated some crusty fucking ditches with a 56 max, purely doing Ollie’s and power slides, and I feel like a full wheel is harder to break into a powerslide than a smaller riding surface, can someone please enlighten me to the benefits of a wider riding patch besides for people that are constantly bombing hills

[close]

PNW crust. skating to the spot and encountering 10+ different harsh pavement textures along the way. dipping into brief stretches of dirt and grass whenever it is the most fun option. also I would say that if I am going fast enough to need to powerslide in the first place, "breaking into a powerslide" is not really an issue that is noticeably affected by a wider contact patch.

[close]

Yea I’m biking to the spot, working the knee out… well props for y’all making that happen, I’m gonna stick to my V5s and continue to attempt tails and blunts in our crusty Texas ditches

[close]

I miss Texas ditch skating, so much fun.

I got an extra room and live far enough away from DT that you don’t need to worry about traffic, if your ever up this way don’t be a stranger!!

[Xen]

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What the fuck are y’all skating that you need that big of a wheel? Genuinely curious, I get that wider ride patches are good for high speeds and shit, but I’ve skated some crusty fucking ditches with a 56 max, purely doing Ollie’s and power slides, and I feel like a full wheel is harder to break into a powerslide than a smaller riding surface, can someone please enlighten me to the benefits of a wider riding patch besides for people that are constantly bombing hills

[close]

PNW crust. skating to the spot and encountering 10+ different harsh pavement textures along the way. dipping into brief stretches of dirt and grass whenever it is the most fun option. also I would say that if I am going fast enough to need to powerslide in the first place, "breaking into a powerslide" is not really an issue that is noticeably affected by a wider contact patch.

[close]

Yea I’m biking to the spot, working the knee out… well props for y’all making that happen, I’m gonna stick to my V5s and continue to attempt tails and blunts in our crusty Texas ditches

[close]

I miss Texas ditch skating, so much fun.

[close]

I got an extra room and live far enough away from DT that you don’t need to worry about traffic, if your ever up this way don’t be a stranger!!

Where in TX are ya?

[Texas_Tone]

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What the fuck are y’all skating that you need that big of a wheel? Genuinely curious, I get that wider ride patches are good for high speeds and shit, but I’ve skated some crusty fucking ditches with a 56 max, purely doing Ollie’s and power slides, and I feel like a full wheel is harder to break into a powerslide than a smaller riding surface, can someone please enlighten me to the benefits of a wider riding patch besides for people that are constantly bombing hills

[close]

PNW crust. skating to the spot and encountering 10+ different harsh pavement textures along the way. dipping into brief stretches of dirt and grass whenever it is the most fun option. also I would say that if I am going fast enough to need to powerslide in the first place, "breaking into a powerslide" is not really an issue that is noticeably affected by a wider contact patch.

[close]

Yea I’m biking to the spot, working the knee out… well props for y’all making that happen, I’m gonna stick to my V5s and continue to attempt tails and blunts in our crusty Texas ditches

[close]

I miss Texas ditch skating, so much fun.

[close]

I got an extra room and live far enough away from DT that you don’t need to worry about traffic, if your ever up this way don’t be a stranger!!

[close]

Where in TX are ya?

Austin, San Antonio has the ditches though, ive got a monolithic ditch spot pinned that’s tucked away in the woods over there, haven’t seen any footage of it so I think it’s virgin, those omegas might actually be the thing to unlock that one, ground looks super haggard

[BhaktaDon]

I just realized that Bones/powell did come out with the nano rat 97a which is a wider wheel for powell.

Will they release a wide 99a wheel in smaller diameter?

Only a matter of time.

[Xen]

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What the fuck are y’all skating that you need that big of a wheel? Genuinely curious, I get that wider ride patches are good for high speeds and shit, but I’ve skated some crusty fucking ditches with a 56 max, purely doing Ollie’s and power slides, and I feel like a full wheel is harder to break into a powerslide than a smaller riding surface, can someone please enlighten me to the benefits of a wider riding patch besides for people that are constantly bombing hills

[close]

PNW crust. skating to the spot and encountering 10+ different harsh pavement textures along the way. dipping into brief stretches of dirt and grass whenever it is the most fun option. also I would say that if I am going fast enough to need to powerslide in the first place, "breaking into a powerslide" is not really an issue that is noticeably affected by a wider contact patch.

[close]

Yea I’m biking to the spot, working the knee out… well props for y’all making that happen, I’m gonna stick to my V5s and continue to attempt tails and blunts in our crusty Texas ditches

[close]

I miss Texas ditch skating, so much fun.

[close]

I got an extra room and live far enough away from DT that you don’t need to worry about traffic, if your ever up this way don’t be a stranger!!

[close]

Where in TX are ya?

[close]

Austin, San Antonio has the ditches though, ive got a monolithic ditch spot pinned that’s tucked away in the woods over there, haven’t seen any footage of it so I think it’s virgin, those omegas might actually be the thing to unlock that one, ground looks super haggard

I miss Austin, all those ditch spots and DIYs (RIP Lego Land)

I just realized that Bones/powell did come out with the nano rat 97a which is a wider wheel for powell.

Will they release a wide 99a wheel in smaller diameter?

Only a matter of time.

They already had the nano cubic and omega out before the nanos.

[heinzketchup]

Has anyone experience with standard ace trucks with 58 mm wheels, i skate the trucks on the looser side, should i try it or will the wheelbites be way too bad?

[Easy Slider]

Has anyone experience with standard ace trucks with 58 mm wheels, i skate the trucks on the looser side, should i try it or will the wheelbites be way too bad?

I have wide 58s on Ace 55s on a cruiser/slappy set up. I run it with risers, not much wheelbite and I run them rather loose (nut flush with flat wahsers).

[bombsaway86]

Has anyone experience with standard ace trucks with 58 mm wheels, i skate the trucks on the looser side, should i try it or will the wheelbites be way too bad?

I use 1/8” risers with 58s and wheelbite is not an issue

[caiiro]

Has anybody recently tried the spitfire burners?

[heinzketchup]

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Has anyone experience with standard ace trucks with 58 mm wheels, i skate the trucks on the looser side, should i try it or will the wheelbites be way too bad?

[close]

I use 1/8” risers with 58s and wheelbite is not an issue

thanks guys, i should have said that i usually dont ride risers
i usually skate 56 mm wheels but the shop didnt have any
i will try it without risers, if its too bad i will get some

[Xen]

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I also tried 103a STF for the first time and they are wicked, I love em coming from x99 they make X99 feel mushy, without going too far the other way of being uncomfortably hard (honestly they don't even feel hard at all).

[close]

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I finally tried some Bones wheels (103a, V3 Slims). They’re fast, but feel softer than my 99a Spitfires. I thought the smaller contact patch would = instant death when I hit a pebble, but the speed just destroyed them lol.

Overall great wheels, just gotta get used to the softer, plastic-like sound.

[close]

The 'new' 103a (and the 99a) are nowhere near as hard as what people remember STFs being; BONES changed everything up when thy tried to chase spit by making their wheels brown (dirty birds, then naturals). Current 103 STFs are way more offwhite and are much more forgiving than a proper 101, let alone a 103 - closer to a 99a (but not the bones 99).  Shame really for those that like the old STF feel.

V3 is always the wheel I default too eventually. Thin (more hanger room), light, great wheel shape.

[close]

Did this switch happen in 2019? I noticed a slight change but I switched to wider ones so thought it was just that.

Looks like the thin bright white is back!
https://www.skateone.com/bones-wheels-stf-skateboard-wheels-salmon-dinner-54mm-v3-slims-103a-4pk-white

[close]

Not sure when it happened but it for sure did. That photo isn't what they'll look like tho. Just as dirty off-white as usual. The last  sets of STFs I've ridden were off-white, not bright white.

Nice to see some V2/V3s hitting, will snag some.

THIS is what they used to be:

[close]

scroll down to the similar items, you see the 99a dirty off white side by side. We won't know until they are in hand but I I trust them when Kam told me are making a batch of original 103 formula and happy to see them back on the site.

[close]

I'm happy to eat my words and I WANT to be wrong, I really do; I'm one of the few (if the only vocal) STF rider here, but in the wake of X-formula, using the term 'original STF' is just to say we're making STFs (not x-form); no way in hell they'd ever admit to changing the STF formula (which they did).

They're going to be off white.

You are also not looking at the current STFs on their own, YES they are brighter than the dirty 99s, but the 103s are NOT white, not now or what they used to be. I know this because I actually ride/buy them regularly (just last month in fact).

If they brought back the OLD, HARD, bone ass WHITE STFs, it'd be a miracle,

https://www.skatewarehouse.com/search-skate.html?start=0&count=200&searchtext=stfespecially given how successful the softer spit, by comparison (101/99a/93), and dragons/x-formula onions are.

From the latest run, same old off white STFs as they have been for a minute now. V2 will have to be my radial slim fix.



Also, if anyone actually skates them, SW has their pricing weird, (other online shops are all 34.95 that I've seen so far), both the V2 and V4 STF 99s and 103s pricing are $24 (one set of V3 99a is as well) while V3/V1 are $35 (and not basesd on size like spit does/allows places like SW to do).

https://www.skatewarehouse.com/search-skate.html?start=0&count=200&searchtext=stf

[rikki]

Regarding wheel durability -- lot of posts in several threads about how some of the new generation softer wheels (Soft Sliders, X-Formula, Dragons) wear out hella fast.

Just to chime in: I've been on 55mm X99s for a good while now (several months, 1-3 sessions per week on average), and skated a lot of very shitty and crusty spots (with some smoother parks thrown in the mix), combined with repeated powersliding on my home stretch which is a fun crusty downhill.

Just calipered the wheels yesterday, and they're all still at minimum of 54.5mm, no joke.

I know, I don't skate every day, but still, for me this equals as pretty durable for a "softer" wheel.

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

A bunch of years back, I emailed Powell and they were pretty responsive about sharing info on product. 

I tried someone’s spitfire classics and it felt so familiar, like vulc shoes….but like vulc shoes, I kinda know it’s best to air on the side of longevity….

[Too Frank To Fred]

Regarding wheel durability -- lot of posts in several threads about how some of the new generation softer wheels (Soft Sliders, X-Formula, Dragons) wear out hella fast.

Just to chime in: I've been on 55mm X99s for a good while now (several months, 1-3 sessions per week on average), and skated a lot of very shitty and crusty spots (with some smoother parks thrown in the mix), combined with repeated powersliding on my home stretch which is a fun crusty downhill.

Just calipered the wheels yesterday, and they're all still at minimum of 54.5mm, no joke.

I know, I don't skate every day, but still, for me this equals as pretty durable for a "softer" wheel.

how is 99 a 'soft' wheel?

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

Have you tried them?

[Too Frank To Fred]

Me? I tried the 97 X formula. Great wheels. Not my cuppa but def good wheels and not soft by definition and actual feel.

I wouldn't even consider the Dragon 93s a soft wheel.

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

101 and up were the standard like 30 years, this new formula feels softer too….so yes an X99 is soft…. Give it five years

[Too Frank To Fred]

softer

I'll give you that.

[Mbrimson88]

.

I still hear from some older "street skaters" that any Spitfire 99 duro wheels are "too soft" which always makes me laugh a little on the inside, but compared to some of the other older bowl skater types, who think almost any of these normal wheels are too hard, it seems it is definitely down to personal preference.

Can't say I have had much experience on any of the X formula from Bones, only one roll on a board with X97s on a fairly new skatepark and they felt a lot like my Spitfire 97s only a little different, but I can see why some people would be all over the X97 and X99s for various things, if it allows for a little more give than other normal / harder wheels.


The Spitfire 99 duro wheel I think might always be my base level as far as what a normal 99 duro wheel feels like - more so in Formula Four than original, but I still have enough of both to feel the slight differences and appreciate them for what they are too.

Skating some of the other formulas and duro options in Spitfire, Bones and others is always fun, but I know what works best on pretty much everything for me anyway.

[Jackismydogsname]

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I also tried 103a STF for the first time and they are wicked, I love em coming from x99 they make X99 feel mushy, without going too far the other way of being uncomfortably hard (honestly they don't even feel hard at all).

[close]

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I finally tried some Bones wheels (103a, V3 Slims). They’re fast, but feel softer than my 99a Spitfires. I thought the smaller contact patch would = instant death when I hit a pebble, but the speed just destroyed them lol.

Overall great wheels, just gotta get used to the softer, plastic-like sound.

[close]

The 'new' 103a (and the 99a) are nowhere near as hard as what people remember STFs being; BONES changed everything up when thy tried to chase spit by making their wheels brown (dirty birds, then naturals). Current 103 STFs are way more offwhite and are much more forgiving than a proper 101, let alone a 103 - closer to a 99a (but not the bones 99).  Shame really for those that like the old STF feel.

V3 is always the wheel I default too eventually. Thin (more hanger room), light, great wheel shape.

[close]

Did this switch happen in 2019? I noticed a slight change but I switched to wider ones so thought it was just that.

Looks like the thin bright white is back!
https://www.skateone.com/bones-wheels-stf-skateboard-wheels-salmon-dinner-54mm-v3-slims-103a-4pk-white

[close]

Not sure when it happened but it for sure did. That photo isn't what they'll look like tho. Just as dirty off-white as usual. The last  sets of STFs I've ridden were off-white, not bright white.

Nice to see some V2/V3s hitting, will snag some.

THIS is what they used to be:

[close]

scroll down to the similar items, you see the 99a dirty off white side by side. We won't know until they are in hand but I I trust them when Kam told me are making a batch of original 103 formula and happy to see them back on the site.

[close]

I'm happy to eat my words and I WANT to be wrong, I really do; I'm one of the few (if the only vocal) STF rider here, but in the wake of X-formula, using the term 'original STF' is just to say we're making STFs (not x-form); no way in hell they'd ever admit to changing the STF formula (which they did).

They're going to be off white.

You are also not looking at the current STFs on their own, YES they are brighter than the dirty 99s, but the 103s are NOT white, not now or what they used to be. I know this because I actually ride/buy them regularly (just last month in fact).

If they brought back the OLD, HARD, bone ass WHITE STFs, it'd be a miracle,

https://www.skatewarehouse.com/search-skate.html?start=0&count=200&searchtext=stfespecially given how successful the softer spit, by comparison (101/99a/93), and dragons/x-formula onions are.

[close]

From the latest run, same old off white STFs as they have been for a minute now. V2 will have to be my radial slim fix.



Also, if anyone actually skates them, SW has their pricing weird, (other online shops are all 34.95 that I've seen so far), both the V2 and V4 STF 99s and 103s pricing are $24 (one set of V3 99a is as well) while V3/V1 are $35 (and not basesd on size like spit does/allows places like SW to do).

https://www.skatewarehouse.com/search-skate.html?start=0&count=200&searchtext=stf

 You where right.
I'm sorry to disappoint. They went from them not being on the site at all to hearing they where fully coming back. I am going with the x99s from now on or the new Spitfire blend.

[drinny]

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I just realized that Bones/powell did come out with the nano rat 97a which is a wider wheel for powell.

Will they release a wide 99a wheel in smaller diameter?

Only a matter of time.

[close]

They already had the nano cubic and omega out before the nanos.

as far as I could work out from measurements, the nano cubics and nano rats, at least around 52-54mm seem almost the same shape, just the cubics are bearings offset and the rats center set.

barely a quarter inch in it