Jason Mitchell, Seismic Nationals 2007, Hybrid Slalom.  Photo by Greg Fadell Northern California Downhill Skateboarding Association
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Skateboard Wheel Reviews

 
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Wheel Reviews (7944 Posts)
Wheel Review
bertz
On 9/16/2008 david wrote in from United States  (71.222.nnn.nnn)

anybody skating abec bertZ? do they slide or are they sticky and jumpy?

thanks!

 
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yeap
On 9/13/2008 herbn wrote in from United States  (71.127.nnn.nnn)

it's been months(2)it's been like that's eight weeks of watching paint dry,well it has been getting a bit more fun lately,if you think riding an exercise bike is fun,really the only thing fun about it is that it shows an obvious improvement towards the real thing.It is a broken leg that effects the knee joint if i'd run into a tree and cracked the bone in the middle i'd probabely be pushing a skateboard already.

 
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1 more thing
On 9/12/2008 Sam of NY wrote in from United States  (68.193.nnn.nnn)

I think the outer lip on a wave is less "sharp" than that of a speed vent.

herbn- is this the same "angry" bike ride injury your waiting on?

 
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trick question?
On 9/11/2008 herbn wrote in from United States  (71.125.nnn.nnn)

or is this dan gesmer making sure we watch his ad carefully on the side of this page;? vents have two sizes 77x55 or 85X52 blastwaves are 78x50 i didn't notice if the core is different in diameter, probabely not. I have a set of 77's bolted up and ready to go as soon as i'm sure that my knee's healed up/rehabed enough to go.

 
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wheel comparison - vents n waves
On 9/11/2008 girl likes to skate wrote in from United States  (75.111.nnn.nnn)

hey im new here. whats the difference between seismic speed vents and blast waves? anyone tried both of em?

 
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yeah
On 8/28/2008 herbn wrote in from United States  (67.83.nnn.nnn)

on u tube there's a couple of video's on oranges one with skating that's pretty advanced stuff, while i was watching i was wondering about durometer from the slidey look i would've guessed mid to upper eightys, on the more techy vid they say 80a, ehh? maybe. They definitely look like pretty cool wheels but i'll stick with my trendy hype statement ,but you know what it might sound negative but it is the way things work,it's not all that bad it does push things,i'm guessing that if that rider were on lemon big zigs he wouldn't ride all that differently. Oh yeah while your on the utube check "how bearings are made" and "elephant on trampoline" yeah lots of time, my leg is still not totally fixed,everyday is like watching paint dry,almost,we've had the most amazing run of good weather here in jersey,ggrrr.

 
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loaded pics
On 8/28/2008 michael wrote in from United Kingdom  (87.114.nnn.nnn)

herb, loaded have pictures on their own website in the news section. Or you can look at vendors on this very site.

 
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orangetang in heat wheels
On 8/28/2008 herbn wrote in from United States  (67.83.nnn.nnn)

man,took abit of searching but i found a decent pic in daddys skateshop or something . com like that. Very interesting, well maybe just a little interesting,i don't really see the wavy lip profile as being the secret magic profile for speed,"ride these and win" is never valid, they are a smart medium size, the urithane might be really good maybe someones new formula,but chances are if a rider is winning on them there's a lot of talent or sort of a "hot streak" where a particular skater is doing really well for any number of reasons and if the skater is sponcered the sponcers get the really positive hype.Orange may be next years pink.

 
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Small Wheels
On 8/28/2008 David Longshorts wrote in from United States  (71.222.nnn.nnn)

Anybody riding any small wheels on the hills? I'm talking 60mm and smaller, 80 - 85a? I keep wearing out and breaking these types of wheels. The bones stuff seems to hold up best but..I dunno...maybe I'm asking for too much by going for soft AND small.

 
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orange tang?
On 8/23/2008 herbn wrote in from United States  (71.125.nnn.nnn)

what's that? i noticed a cool little under cut in lip of the core on the new seismic wheels , this would make for a smoother transition between the durometers, rather than the support of the core ending in sharp/sudden lip.

 
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do otangs have a tangible difference?
On 8/21/2008 Sam of NY wrote in from United States  (68.193.nnn.nnn)

what do you guys think about orangatang In Heat's rippled inner walls for progressive energy return? is this geometry the next big thing as far as jumping out from a turn goes? and would such work and have a similar affect on the average speedboarding corner or is the extra jump only going to be noticed in a slalom situation?

 
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Thanks PSR
On 7/17/2008 martin wrote in from United Kingdom  (78.86.nnn.nnn)

Cheers for your input, always welcome...I will try to keep using the wheels til they cone, but life gets in the way, plus being a stay-at-home Dad with a 3 year old, and having an evening Restaurant job - I know as a newer Dad you understand.

MD

ps.Oh, and by the way...I DID ride ice, as I raced Slalom and GS on the US Grand Prix circuit and the Snowboard World Cup...

 
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sims snakes
On 7/16/2008 mario smith wrote in from United States  (76.185.nnn.nnn)

These wheels rule the grip fast and super great for carving these old school street wheels are also used for bowls speed and plan competition i highly advise you to buy some of these wheels another awesome skateboard companie thats gone and is like impossable to find a board is the legendary zephyr... awesome!

 
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XT Wheelz
On 7/14/2008 Jason wrote in from United States  (70.230.nnn.nnn)

Looking for a set of XT Wheelz by Xtreme Wheelz Inc. Offroad, solid rubber wheels that can fit standard skateboard trucks. i have a set but my dad wants a board just like mine...i can't find these things anywhere! The company stopped making them or went out of business maybe 10 years ago. If you can help me out, please call 619-757-4876 im in san diego. thanks a lot.

 
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Coned vs. new; 'Read my Lips'
On 7/5/2008 PSR wrote in from United States  (75.68.nnn.nnn)

Martin, ya used to use Lazers, F/R!! Of course you're light on the feet![frippin' Utah powhound!, oughta ride Ice] Of course, not having to scrounge really hard (ie, begging for) wheels would mean less coning too! Kenny is freaky, btw, as he'll run wheels down 10mm before swapping out(well, he also skates barefoot, snowboards nakee?) I try for +- 5mm from original size on race-day, and bearings less than 3 years old (hey, still have Fafnirs that're J.G. fast!). Coned IS faster in grip, and I've even 'pre-coned' wheels for racers to break them in quicker. But, in terms of roll, newer is faster, coned is a bit slower. Time it on hills Vs. flats, you can see it. One other thing of note here is wheel shape: Grippens are center-set, and Zig's are nearly so, neither 'cone' much until "worn in". Avalon/Hotspots are less centered (not much compared to Zigs or Manx), but DO have that angled lip we've loved/used since the Road-Rider/Tunnel/OJ days of yore, which does flex in a 'curl', thus creating a low-pressure zone and generating Coning from the lip of the wheel. It does indeed add grip. I can prove that with my [excuse me Chris, and please don't sue!] experimental "Slashbacks", where I've taken good Ol' Flashbacks (TM) and ground the lips to a curvatured angle that has a mean rake of 37* (more-or-less, as it is curved) from vertical [yup, you can do the math from there], and removed all of 3mm from the width at the lip. These 'hang' through turns that would make an Avalon start to slide , and can be pumped for excellent acceleration, too. However, Zigs in 70mm are faster overall (fresh, not even coned in), and once coned in consistenetly, are faster yet. Now, I've yet to run B.O. Hotspots thru a course with a timer, but i've been on fresh ones around some cones; they seem bouncier, and more 'pumpable' than Zigs, though overall roll was pretty darned the same thing with either wheel. So, my outright guess is that the wheel shape of the Seismics has more usable traction, which becomes speed thru a course. A straight-liner run may even put the Zigs ahead of even? Dunno. The 'bounce' factor cannot be underestimated, either, as a more resilient formula will roll over imperfections better, while a 'flatter' bouncing 'thane may yield more grip. I know my Roadie Racers [esp. the 'faced' lip ones!] have snuck up on some 'fast' wheels in the right conditions, as had Power Paws and Pacers back when O.J.'s first appeared. BTW, I'm now really curious about the new Tunnels... Seems that they might just, um, Work, in the the right courses. That Lip, ya know..

Martin, go CONE some wheels, will you? Just don't run them if they ovalize, but let 3-4 mm of scuffage over the bearings do it's thing, and then clock it in. ;-)

 
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Coning...
On 7/5/2008 Martin wrote in from United Kingdom  (78.86.nnn.nnn)

Maybe I don't ride hard enough, but I don't think I've ever coned a wheel! I've always tended to be light on my equipment on concrete and on snow - I guess I'm more finesse than power?
The old Hot Spots I took off were actually pretty new with very light use, so the comparison was as fair as it probably could be...It was also the same set of bearings in the same positions, just a straight swop of the wheels.
Hope that helps,

Martin.

 
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Black Ops
On 7/5/2008 Ravitch wrote in from United States  (70.231.nnn.nnn)

Excellent discussion. Yes - I think an apples to apples comparison would be nice, Martin. Can you run that through your R&D analysis!? I just ran some purples today on the rear of my board. Without a timer it is hard to tell the difference. Pauliwog is right, a coned wheel would increase contact patch which equals more adhesion - but the $64k question does a coned Seismic run faster than a coned Abec11 of simular diro? What about this BO formula is different than a comparable Abec11 duro products - does Black Ops claim to have a different performance characteristics? Dan or Fluitt wish to comment? One thing is clear, Black Ops are more offset which means they stick out further. A good thing for the rear truck.

 
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More Black Op's Questions for Martin or Anyone else
On 7/5/2008 Paul Howard wrote in from United States  (65.122.nnn.nnn)

Hey Martin, Just curious, are your NEW Black Ops formula wheels coned down the same your other wheels(I'm assuming you're talking about HotSpots) and did you use the same set of bearings? Thanks -P

 
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Black Ops in use.
On 7/1/2008 Martin wrote in from United Kingdom  (78.86.nnn.nnn)

I've been using the Black Ops for a while now and continue to be hugely impressed. I know in the past the general concensus was that Zigs were faster out of the box, but lost their top end speed sooner than the regular Hot Spots. As far as I can tell, this has been rectified as far as the Seismic wheels are concerned.

They are much faster than the original version, from the word go. I established this by changing wheels 1/3rd of the way through a session and running the same courses. I then reduced my time for 50 cones @ 1.6m from 11.22 to 10.81secs on my first attempt.

I have now tried them on a variety of courses at various speeds and they seem pretty amazing - fast, very grippy and you have the ability to use even harder wheels on surprisingly rough surfaces AND have the grip of the older softer equivalents.

Two big thumbs up for me!

martin.

ps.Now...If Dan can just re-pour the Cambrias in this formula....BOOOO-YAAAAAH!!!!

 
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black ops
On 6/30/2008 PSR wrote in from United States  (75.68.nnn.nnn)

Sam, so far, all the 'Black Ops' wheels I've seen (all 8 of 'em) have been from familiar molds that Seismic has been using. That's kinda expected, as Seismic has figured out what grips already, they just needed a little more speed to stay ahead of the pack. Maybe Dan will put down for a new wheel sape here and again, but, hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

 
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black ops thane
On 6/30/2008 Sam of NY wrote in from United States  (68.193.nnn.nnn)

is the black'ops thane a wheel or is it the formula they use in the molds?

 
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Black Ops
On 6/25/2008 P.N.D. wrote in from United States  (74.141.nnn.nnn)

Any one tried out the new Seismic Black Ops 'thane?

 
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Centerset sliders
On 6/20/2008 MP / Speedo wrote in from United States  (71.48.nnn.nnn)

Consider....the Abec11 No Schoolz.
Multiple durometers.

 
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Replacements for Comet Wheels?
On 6/18/2008 EthanOB wrote in from United States  (192.12.nnn.nnn)

I've been carving and sliding on 68mm centerset wheels from Comet for years. I use soft grey ones for carving, and hard yellow ones for sliding.

Does anyone know of similar wheels? Comet only seems to make 68mm 78a wheels now.

 
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friction > formula
On 6/18/2008 Sam of NY wrote in from United States  (68.193.nnn.nnn)

I'm guessing the greatest factor for speed on a hill like Rist is how fast your tuck allows you to go. not say which is fastest, just that a rider that weights about 160lbs might be able to distinguish what difference the wheels do allow for if they had 0 air resistance. however, unless anyone gets really clever I don't think we'll be able tuck like that any time soon. =]

 
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