Black Ops

[WAX]

Interesting reading.....

I must say I have to agree with whoever said that riders styles can get accustomed to certain formulas and shape. I had a hard time riodethe Zigs originaly, they seemed to bounce for me when they broke loose, but I learned how to make them work for me in testing, and when I switched back to my trusty #1 old Hot Spots the broke free too easy for me, I made the adjustments back and they stick like glue. All the modern slalom wheels are a huge step forward, and more times than not it seems to me that wheel choice for the masses (not the top pros or really fast ams) comes down to how they feel about certain manafactures (yes, I was guilty of this at one point).
I like the info that Fluitt has posted about TESTING in real world conditions, fairly and in several scenarios to find the best wheels. I have done similar testing and found that certain wheels from different guys do different things for changing scenarios, there is no golden bullet. I have learned thru testing that most of the statements made online in haste when a new wheel is tried without really testing it against its competiton in a fair manner isnt the way to do this. If you have proof (Ie Pics of Karls non existent chunked wheels) great, go ahead and blabber, but wait till youve done all the real world testing with results to back up your keyboard diahrea. (thats what I have learned in the last few years).

I tend to support the local guy(thanks Dan) who has done huge amounts for our local scene, and I am sure there are several who support CC for what he has done for them and their scene, but I have learned (and maybe Karl will too) that you shouldnt post #### like this until you have ridden both in subjective tests and have proof to back up, or pics to substantiate your claims.

[Momona Boe]

dave pirnack
chris barker
zak maytum
jim weatherwax
cat young
jeff goad
jason mitchell
greg fadell
chris bara
eddy martinez

if you are from the canadian region please ask
mike cividino

Is that a list of jackasses?

Just kidding! I know and have raced with almost all of those people - top notch folks!
Texas Eddy RULES!!!!

After reading all of this, I think I've come to the conclusion that certain wheels work better for certain styles. If you watch racers, there's several different styles of riding - some guys throw their arms a lot, some don't; some face forward more than others; some pump really hard, others carve a bit more; some are heavy, some are light.

For example - Jason is wicked fast, so is Mig. I'm guessing that Mig miiiiiiiight put a bit more sideways force on his wheels when he's wailing. But if you look at their boards, Jason's wheels cone and Mig's wheels hourglass. I'm thinking it has to do with size and style of rider.

Bottom line is this - none of these wheels in this discussion suck. Some work better for some people and their styles. Doesn't that apply to trucks and decks too? Pretty much everything I see at the races works well and doesn't break too often. And the guys behind the products - Chris, Dan, Chicken, Donald, Mig, Keith, etc. - ALL contribute to the sport and support their gear. I've seen Keith stick a truck in a hotel oven to get out a stuck bolt. I've seen Mig loan out his race board. Dan is ALWAYS packin' wheels and replaces even questionable stuff without hassle.

I think maybe in the future when you create a review of a product, maybe just talk about how much you like it and not how much something else sucks. "This works better for me for my style of riding. If you're 220lbs, wear a kilt when you race, and have limited abilities - check out the new Acme 5000 wheels. I had the Ashenbecker 2's before this and they worked real well too, but I find the Acme's to feel a little better coming out of the turns for me. They're worth checking out".

[stevie]

...I think maybe in the future when you create a review of a product, maybe just talk about how much you like it and not how much something else sucks...

I agree to an extent. "This is great and therefore the other thing sucks" is probably unnecessary, but I think there should still be room for plain old "This sucks" threads

[Karl Floitgraf]

If you have proof (Ie Pics of Karls non existent chunked wheels) .

My intention in this thread wasn't to talk crap about zigs but just to provide my own experiences with wheels this summer.
That being said here are the wheels:

[WAX]

looks like a cut more than a defect chunk to me, is that 1 wheel or 2 different wheels?
I have ran things over and had wheels cut, but I guess I wouldnt consider that something I could blame on the wheel manu.

[OldSkateGuy]

Pavement is hard, wheels are soft....they wear and chunk, differently for everyone of us.

Personally, I'm thankful for all the great gear we have available to us these days. We are truly in the "golden age" of skateboard equipment.

Now get out there and enjoy.

[Formerlyproductive]

this has almost nothing to do with this thread but I just have a story to recall, one time Mollica ran over a staple or some damn thing during a race. I can't remember what race it was, maybe Morro Bay the one time in my life that I beat him.... Anyway, he was running his trusty white 80a Avalons and he gets this shrapnel stuck in his wheel and he did several runs with this thing stuck in the wheel. How he didn't feel that think I have no idea. The fact that he could keep racing and winning still blows my mind. How he didn't see me throw the thing onto his course, is another question (just kidding). Someone must have a picture of that somewhere.

Another story. Jet lagged and out of my mind I went straight to the Trocadero from CDG and started practicing around the permanent paint circles. Felt totally sketchy. Rode for like an hour and was loosing confidence in every run, and then Terri Mitchell asked me why I was running a Cambria on one axle, and Avalons on the other three.

[bean-a-reano]

Oh man Donald up to his old tricks. Donald I liked it better when you weren't posting. Go back to making nice skate gear and leave the internet alone.

[GPymp]

this has almost nothing to do with this thread
Another story. Jet lagged and out of my mind I went straight to the Trocadero from CDG and started practicing around the permanent paint circles. Felt totally sketchy. Rode for like an hour and was loosing confidence in every run, and then Terri Mitchell asked me why I was running a Cambria on one axle, and Avalons on the other three.

This reminds of a story of a "pro" slalom skater setting up his daughters board and wheels for a race. I would say this was about 2 years ago..anyhoo..get this folks..he forgets to put some bearings in a couple of wheels.

sorry I interrupted the argument...again

[Raymondo]

Another story. Jet lagged and out of my mind I went straight to the Trocadero from CDG and started practicing around the permanent paint circles. Felt totally sketchy. Rode for like an hour and was loosing confidence in every run, and then Terri Mitchell asked me why I was running a Cambria on one axle, and Avalons on the other three.

Yeah, exactly the same happend to me this year in Amsterdam. One 66 and one 70 up front. Still won the GS like that.

rmn

[Bruce22]

I must say my speedvents don't wear very well when being pushed to their limits on the Downhill, but while they last they are grippier than zigs or otangs. Chattery slide is annoying to deal with though.

not being centerset sucks to. I rotate them and zig zag them anyways. They'll be coring soon

[Umibuta]

A newbie question. When it says better rebound does it mean that they roll over rough terrain better? Does that mean that the 85mm 79a Black Ops SV might be good for shitty roads? I am looking for a fast commuting wheel for rough roads and wondering if the black ops will fit

[Formerlyproductive]

A newbie question. When it says better rebound does it mean that they roll over rough terrain better? Does that mean that the 85mm 79a Black Ops SV might be good for shitty roads? I am looking for a fast commuting wheel for rough roads and wondering if the black ops will fit

Yes, high rebound (a.k.a. High resilience) would better for crappy roads. Generally the softer the wheel, the better the rebound, but I think on crappy road surface, softer wheels deal with vibration better, and thus create better (more efficient) roll.

[Umibuta]

Thanks for the information. I will try to get some and see how they fit.