General Information about types of wheels. READ and LEARN

[Shimotakimas]

THIS KNOWLEDGE COMES FROM NONE OTHER THAN CHRIS CHAPUT HIMSELF.. Read and embrace the power of knowledge. Hopefully this sticky will decrease the number of repeated wheel questions.

There are so many factors that it's impossible to have one definitive answer on speed, control, traction, etc.

Generally Speaking:

Harder wheels wear longer
Harder wheels have less traction
Harder wheels drift and slide more predictably
Harder wheels steer more quickly from side to side
Harder wheels deform less in a turn, and work well for heavier and/or more powerful skaters

Super soft wheels (72a, 75a) can almost "melt" in hot track conditions
Super soft wheels are easier to deform, and tend to be better for rough roads and/or lighter riders

Sideset wheels slide the easiest
Sideset wheels cone the quickest
Centersets cone the least
Wheels will wear where the bearing seats sit

Large core wheels slide predictably
Large core wheels without a lot of urethane depth feel harsher
Large core wheels without a lot of urethane depth have less traction

Hard edges provide more traction
Round edges have less traction
Round edges and chamfers slide more predictably
Super thin edges slide unpredictably

Downhill turns and drifts and slides are done very differently than Slalom and hard carving. When you have a slide glove down and you are grabbing the outside rail at high speed, you can "man-handle" softer wheels without worrying about high-siding. When you are doing Slalom, you want firmer wheels for "snappier" standing carves so that they don't deform too badly or feel "sluggish".

Low boards with slower steering angles and wide trucks are stable, but "push" a lot because of the sideloads in the turns, and give up traction. Higher boards with steeper steering angles and narrower trucks turn more easily, allow more downforce, and give you better traction.

Slop is not your friend. Precision trucks provide better traction and control. Loose bearings also chatter more - crank 'em down. Try and have your front truck out-steer your back truck by about a 2:1 ratio (60/30, 50/25 for example) in Slalom. You also want your front to out-steer your back in Downhill as well. One simple tweak is to use a 50 degree R-II up front and a 35 degree DH in the back. Or wedge 10 into the front and 10 out of the back to end up with a 45/25 setup from DH trucks. Too much rear steering is the devil. It's slow and induces a slide.

If you want more drift in a wheel this size, try Gumballs.
We'll be at Pump Station tomorrow putting Pinks, Limes, and Lemons through their paces.

edit: Orange bigzigs exist now!

[billdee]

ok................hard to cram this in my brain, but good tips

[Frankito]

can u put serggio yuppies on a skateboard?

[HerBDerb]

can u put serggio yuppies on a skateboard?

No, you put them on a bicycle.

[kookyfish]

how will strikers 84a differ in proformance to a 78a gumball on an evo
what would one expect the handle changers be .... please answer o great one before I slide my ass off into side rail,
cheers

[scratch]

A nice summary, thanks.

[dh4life]

A nice summary, thanks.

word

ten char

[kayakr]

Sideset wheels have the least amount of traction, but offer more predictable slides in wheels with small cores.

In order to increase traction, you want to add the flexible inner lip that offset and centerset wheels provide. The

most traction comes from a deep, hard edged flexible inner lip like the one found in the Grippins.

Wheels like the Gumballs, Avalons and Manx get their traction from a shallower hard-edged flexible inner lip, as

well as a decent contact patch and flexible outer lip.

NO SkoolZ and Flywheels have good traction but more predictable slide characteristics due to the rounded edges.

Strikers are offset, but with very round edges that make it a predictable slider for technical high speed courses.

If I were to make a 70mm Gumball, here's how the following wheels would compare with one another:

70mm Flashback (sideset) = Lowest traction
70mm Gumball (offset) = More traction
70mm Grippin (centerset) = Most traction

People tend to underestimate the amount of traction that the flexible inner lip provides. Also "deader" urethane is

stickier but has a slower roll speed. Slalom riders are overcoming the slow roll speed by using the extra traction

to pump (propel) themselves up to speed. Downhillers need faster roll speed (high rebound wheels) and good traction

only in the technical turns.

The size and shape of the hub, and the design of the wheel also contribute to the amount of traction.

[SDBatman619]

So what would be the scale for like too soft, soft, medium,hard, too hard ?

[pistol pete]

No, you put them on a bicycle.

hahah that was cold

[pistol pete]

So what would be the scale for like too soft, soft, medium,hard, too hard ?

depends on type of riding and your weight

[bad420fish]

what do you mean by orange bigz will be poured in a month?

[Phosphorus]

If the inner lip is responsable for the most traction how come there arent any wheels with an "outer" offset (bearings closer to the outside rather than inside) For one of my slalom boards that I dont use much and am setting up for a friend, which has too wide trucks for my taste I have just flipped my trimmed avilas to make it a bit more responsive. Havent really used it enough to figure out if traction, speed out of corners etc has changed but the narrower wheel set certainly makes it more responsive.

Anybody want to share his thoughts on this? Any reason why no manufacturer makes wheels with a larger inner lip than outer lip?

Thanks for your thoughts

Edit: Just tested the setup a bit with flipped and unflipped wheels. Feels like in the normal way i can generate more speed while pumping. For carving I couldnt tell what I prefer. No paddings atm so I wasnt pushing trying to see how traction compares.

[sweed]

how long do wheels last for say if you use your longboard for commuting 3days a week??,and also 1day a week going down hills and undercover parking...

or how long in general do they last eg Abec 11s flywheels,Gumballs,No skoolz...

im new to this soo all the info would be most appreciated.

need to decide weather or not i will buy some or even go through with my longboard that i have on order at the moment. within the next day or 2.

[evan.blacksheep]

if used for commuting 3 days a week and hitting hills and garages every so often, your abec 11s will last you the rest of your life.

[Rayce]

Thanks man, this helped a lot.

[HesThatGuy]

If I was going to buy wheels SOLELY for town to town commuting (always flat) what would be my best choice?

(Cost doesn't matter)

I don't care about sliding or anything else on this board.

[TheRosen]

If I was going to buy wheels SOLELY for town to town commuting (always flat) what would be my best choice?

(Cost doesn't matter)

I don't care about sliding or anything else on this board.

probably larger flys. maybe ace 102s

[nedd0]

Ok, Harder wheels are best for sliding
but big or small, hard wheels?
What would be the characteristics of the ultimate slide wheel?
e.g. 66mm, 100a, offset, large core
(all random characteristics) but what would be the best contributers to the ultimate slide wheel?
Cheers,
nedd0

[gavmck]

Ultimate slide wheel:
- Hard as all hell
- Centre set for even wear and flippability
- Rounded edges for predictable slides
- 60-65mm diameter for lowest possible ride whilst still getting good speed and rolling over stuff
- Earthwing superball slide-A DONE