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| Wheel Reviews (7945 Posts)
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Center bearing wheels
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On 10/6/2000
Bob
wrote in from
(192.73.nnn.nnn)
I agree with Chris. Centered bearing wheels wear much better. I don't think they cone out as badly as offset. I think its possible that offset might grip a little better, but grip is never really an issue for me.
Bones Bombers are center set, and also quite excellent. Power Paw makes a center set 65mm wheel in bothe 78a and 74a. I've had the 78a, and they are very good.
Bob
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centered bearings
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On 10/6/2000 Mark
wrote in from
(199.46.nnn.nnn)
Wheels with bearings that are set all the way to the inside edge of the wheel really annoy me.
Does anyone care?
Centered bearings are BETTER, for many reasons, and I don't understand how this antiquated
practice of offseting them to the inside has remained since the 1970's ?!
Kryptonics, Power Paw, are you listening?
Of course, I'm just angry because there aren't ANY big wheels in the skate shops in my town.
I'll be OK.
Mark Colden
Dallas, TX
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Center bearing wheels
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On 10/6/2000
Chris Chaput
wrote in from
(63.168.nnn.nnn)
Personally I like wheels whose bearing seats are dead center, rather than set to the inside of the wheel. I like the wear pattern better because they don't get coned out as badly as offset wheels. The downside is that most people are used to taking a truck's hanger width and adding two wheel widths to get an overall width that matches the board width. With centered wheels, the width between the wheels as well as the overall width is narrower, and so you need wider trucks to maintain the same overall width.
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bearing seats
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On 10/5/2000 That one guy
wrote in from
(128.193.nnn.nnn)
What's the difference between offset bearing seats and centered bearing seats in wheels? Are there any certain benefits of either in certain situations? Thanks
sK
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Mixed wheels
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On 10/4/2000 Nick
wrote in from
(203.96.nnn.nnn)
I,m off to try a little experiment, I,ve put 78a,s up front for smoothness and grip, and some old madrids (pretty hard,not sure,probably about 90a) on back. I,m gonna attack the local bowl on my 48". Hopefully the hard wheels at rear will enable me to pull off some killer slides.
I am also wondering about the effects of diffrent sized wheels back and front, but will have to wait till I get some new wheels to try this as all of mine are getting pretty worn down due to the fact that I love sliding so much.
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durometers
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On 10/4/2000
hugh r
wrote in from
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For more info on durometers (the instrument used to get the readings) check out these two sites:
www.durometer.com/help.htm
www.ptc1.com/durometers_info.htm
HR
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Wheels in general
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On 10/3/2000
Neil G
wrote in from
(198.169.nnn.nnn)
The durometer is a measure of how soft the wheel is. The higher the number, the harder. Most wheels are measured on the A scale, but after 100 that scale is not meaningful. Wheels which are harder than 100A are often measured on the D scale, I think 54D is about the same as 100A.
For general purpose long boarding, most people like much softer, bigger wheels than shortboarding. Most kids like a 50-55mm wheel close to 100A, or frankly don't even know how hard the wheel is. For moves like blunt slides, you need a really hard wheel, and for modern tricks it has to be small for good ollie pop and to minimize chances of hanging up.
For street use most people like a 65-70mm wheel. How hard depends on what you want to do. For all-round riding, 78-82A is pretty good. If you want max grip then the 74A wheels are good. If you're learning to slide maybe you want a little harder, like 85-90A but then you might find the ride pretty rough if the pavement isn't smooth.
For park use even longboarding where you are always on smooth surfaces you want a mid-sized hard wheel. If you are going to be on concrete you can run pretty hard, 97A or 99A. If you are going to be on something slippery like masonite you want a little softer, maybe 95A. Most park skaters like a 60-63 mm wheel. Too much smaller than that and it's hard to keep speed up when pumping, too much bigger and you'll tend to hang up on the lip.
Neil
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Re: wheel hardness and wear
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On 10/3/2000
DT
wrote in from
(24.4.nnn.nnn)
The lower the number the softer the wheel 78a is considered soft and 90a+ is hard.
I have found that by sliding different styles and directions you can wear your wheels away evenly.
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rotating
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On 10/3/2000
k2000
wrote in from
(208.30.nnn.nnn)
just like spacers - rotating your wheels on a regular basis is a necessity of sk8 2 live
or you could pick up a set of g&s rollerballs on ebay for a thousand dollars
better yet - make counterfeit rollberballs and sell them on ebay for a thousand dollars
heh heh
k
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Wheels in general
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On 10/2/2000
Ryan
wrote in from
(207.233.nnn.nnn)
How does the hardness scale work for wheels? 78a is harder or softer than 82a for example. Can someone explain it to me? Also what are the best size wheels for ramp and pool riding? Anyone help me out?
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Used,Coned wheels
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On 10/2/2000 Pre-School Rider
wrote in from
(209.198.nnn.nnn)
Ed if you have any tendency towards pushing the grip limits,or sliding,your wheels,put the thicker side inboard.The inner edge of wheels usually takes the brunt of wear if you slide.Ramp wheels(Pool,Ditch,Freestyle)wear differently,towards the outside.If your wheels are center-bearing in design,consider putting little marks (use permanent markers)to denote the inside/outsides of each wheel.I also mark right rear(RR),left front(LF),ETC. onto my wheels so that I can rotate them to distribute the wear more evenly.Of course,this only works IF you remember to rotate the wheels on a regular-ish basis.
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coned wheels
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On 10/2/2000
Ed
wrote in from
(205.188.nnn.nnn)
I bought a set of used wheels and theyre coned.When I Put them on should i have the biger side of the wheel facing the truck or the outside.
Ed
sk8 or die
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Inline wheels
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On 9/30/2000
Chris Chaput
wrote in from
(63.168.nnn.nnn)
I think that the only way to get thin profile wheels to work well on a skateboard would be to have a huge hub and a relatively small amount of urethane around it. They wouldn't last very long and would therefore be expensive "disposable" wheels unless you could easily swap out the used "tires" and keep the "rim" and hubs. These wheels would need to be run in tandem or in triplicate on a Kwiksplit like setup to increase the aggregate contact patch to that of a conventional board. More bearings usually means more weight but if you used Mini Miser bearings in wheels with large lightweight hubs and very little urethane, you could have a winner. If you just put inline wheels on a skateboard the wheels bend to the side in a turn, slide out easily (due to their tiny contact patch) and have too much weight distributed to too little urethane. A well designed wheel and truck system using tall and skinny wheels could be very practical and cool for racing where the longevity of a wheel is unimportant compared to its speed, but most companies don't have the faith in the research and development to put their money into racing when they need to sell what they design and tool up for.
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scooter wheels
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On 9/29/2000 Lono
wrote in from
(205.179.nnn.nnn)
I've seen them at Long's Drugs! Carefull!! Very low traction with such a small foot print.
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125mm Yaks on Kwiksplit!
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On 9/29/2000
roger
wrote in from
(198.206.nnn.nnn)
Imagine eight of those 125mm Yaks mounted in extra large, Kwiksplit like, brackets… I wish. Now that would be smoooth! Seriously, anyone know where to get these huge Yaks without forking up a $400 minimum?
Roger
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Scooter wheels at Yak
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On 9/29/2000 Some guy
wrote in from
(128.193.nnn.nnn)
Wouldn't it be rad to put a set of those 110mm - 125mm spoked scooter wheels on a longboard? Does anyone know if it could somehow work (without major renovations)? It would kick some serious arse.
sK
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Spacers & Washers
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On 9/28/2000
Chris Chaput
wrote in from
(63.168.nnn.nnn)
Hamm (Dave), Great minds think alike.
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Spacers&Washers
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On 9/28/2000
Hamm
wrote in from
(152.163.nnn.nnn)
All my wheels have the proper spacers(even the 8mm ones) and I use speed rings(washers) on the inside AND outside of all setups(except the internal thread Seismics).
Its been mentioned here before that when running Exkates on Randals you can be a little short on axle. Whenever I get a new set of Randals the 1st thing I do is throw that big,ugly washer away and put on the little thin ones that come stock on Indys.
And yes, I tighten down the lock nut as far as I can without it affecting how long the wheel will spin.
Dave
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sector 9 64mm 78A
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On 9/28/2000
Oliver Bonaccorso
wrote in from
(210.8.nnn.nnn)
scomo,
these wheels are great for sticky carving, colemans and any other hard riding methods. although they're wearing out a bit already. they'll last about 2 years (maybe)
peace......
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Power Paw 70mm 74a Orange Kelvar Core
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On 9/28/2000
Kaylee
wrote in from
(65.0.nnn.nnn)
Someone posted a while back that these wheels wobbled. Well, I just got some and though they do wobble a little bit, it is not as noticeable as some wheels I have had in the past. I took them up to semi-high speeds (30mph) and they felt smooth and fine. The grip is very nice and the mushy-gushy (yet another technical term) 74a is awesome, since the core is very small. These are great cruising wheels, but I like cored harder wheels for speed. If you are looking for a smooth cushioned ride at low to moderate speeds, these are the wheels for you!
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???????
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On 9/26/2000
scomo
wrote in from
(207.62.nnn.nnn)
what's a good wheel that compromises between sticky carving and super smooth easy slides? i have been told the bones bombers, but my friend just got em and says they are really slippery. any suggestions?
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Long park skate
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On 9/26/2000
Bob
wrote in from
(64.28.nnn.nnn)
I recommend Spitfire 63mm Big Heads -- about 99a. They are really good in smooth concrete parks. I am pretty stoked about mine.
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loose axle nuts
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On 9/26/2000
roger
wrote in from
(198.206.nnn.nnn)
The only advantage I can see of riding with loose axle nuts, with or without spacers, is if the bearing seized the wheel would still spin. Would rather than floating axle rather than "floating bearing" anyday.
Roger
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park wheels
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On 9/26/2000
k2000
wrote in from
(208.30.nnn.nnn)
i think it depends more on the park you'll be skating most often - surface wise - is it concrete? masonite? then choose a wheel based on durometer
a 38" is really barely a longboard, what with the length of most noses these days
i've been riding a 36" gravity with 95a beer city's and a 44" lib with the same
k
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park wheels
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On 9/26/2000
Jeff C
wrote in from
(166.36.nnn.nnn)
Don't forget to check out Beer City wheels. I have a set of 95a 65mm, and they are great. A couple of other geezers that hang out here have them as well. A set of 4 "beer stained" wheels is only $15. They are yellowed from the sun, but work fine. http://www.beercity.com/specials.html for the cheapies, and http://www.beercity.com/wheels.html for the normals which are $25 a set, and come in a larger variety of sizes.
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