What Are The Best Skateboard Wheels
Find Our Good Picks For Street Skating & Tricks
Choosing the best skate wheels can improve the performance of your board, and help get you the best skating experience. When trying to find the right ones, it can be quite hard due to the wide variety of factors that contribute to having a good quality wheel. So in this article, we’ll help you filter through the junk and help you find the best skateboard wheels for you.
Quick Look At Best Picks For Street Skating
How to Choose the right Skateboard Wheel?
There a few different factors you should consider when choosing, so we’ll go through them now.
Diameter
Diameter is a huge factor in picking one for your board. They are usually measured in mm, with most ranging from 50mm - 60mm. With the Diameter, it depends on what your planning to do with your board.
Smaller Size
50mm - 54mm = The Smallest size on the market. Good for stability, recommended for skateboard beginners.
55-59 mm = This is a perfect size. Great for intermediate riders along with beginners.
Larger Size
60mm+ = These are what intermediate riders will normally use, they are better for tricks and are better for rougher terrains.
Durometer
Durometer is the measure of a wheels hardness. Most skateboard manufacturers will use a scale from 1a-101a. 1 is the lowest hardness, and 101a is the highest hardness available. A softer choice will usually offer better grip and more stability, while a harder choice will provide a faster ride but with less grip and control over your board.
78a-87a
In this range of durometer, the ride is very smooth and also great for rough surfaces. They are able to ride over rough terrain very easily and are mostly designed for cruising, longboarding, and hills.
88-95a
In this range of durometer, the effect is a faster ride, but will have a little less grip. This durometer is mostly designed for street and rougher terrains.
96-101a
Best for fast street and park skating, mainly used by pro's. In this range of durometer, there is a lot more speed but with a little less grip. These are really good all-rounders, able to perform lots of different styles and ride in many different areas.
Durometer is an important thing to look at when purchasing a wheel, as it can really change the feel and dynamics of your board a lot.
Contact Patch
Another factor you should look into when purchasing is the contact patch. Contact patch can affect the performance hugely. Contact patch refers to the surface area that actually is touching the ground.
So, Contact Patch is important because the larger your contact patch the more your weight will be distributed over the board. A Smaller contact patch will eventually squash down the urethane (the material that is used to create good skateboard wheels) and over time it will eventually start to slow down.
So look for ones that are more round rather than square shaped, round shapes have the best contact patch and can help improve the performance.
Best Skateboard Wheels - Rated & Reviewed
The Bones STF Annuals Skateboard Wheels are some of the best quality sets available on today's market!
Bones is a very reputable brand in skating, and always provide top of the mark products, these are no different. STF stands for Street Tech Formula and has been specifically engineered to create the best street performance available. These are highly rebound and are able to provide high amounts of speed and outstanding slide and turning capabilities while keeping a good quality of grip. They rate in at 100a, which means they are very hard which gives them lots of speed.
Overall, Bones always provides great quality products and this is no different, this set is fast and engineered very well to provide one of the best riding experiences available.
Pros
Cons
The Shark California Skateboard Wheels are some of the most unique and best looking around, along with that, they are also some of the best performing ones available.
Measuring at 60mm in length, they give more contact patch to the surface which will give these a longer lasting life. The durometer is 78a, which is the perfect hardness for rough terrains, allowing these to be one of the best choices to to make when riding over rougher terrains. As far as the noise factor,they are extremely quiet and smooth so you can glide over most areas very fast with full control over your board. The Shark California also have a variety of colors to choose from, giving you lots of choices to pick the wheel that is right for you.
Overall, these are very fast, but also very smooth allowing the perfect ride for all users.
Pros
Cons
The Santa Cruz Slimeball are very old-school, but have been re-imagined by Santa Cruz and turned into an outstanding wheel!
If you were into skating in the 80’s, you would know this kind of style were very popular, so Santa Cruz have re-issued these and transformed them into one of the best wheels for street skating around. These are 60mm, which is the perfect diameter for all different styles of skating. The durometer is a high 97a which allow them to be very smooth over all different types of terrain. The Graphics on these are also really amazing, giving you a retro look and feel which make you really stand out when skating.
Overall, the Santa Cruz Slimeball have been modernized for the current generation of skateboarder with some of the best technology to create an outstanding and great performing ride.
Pros
Cons
The Spitfire Skateboard Wheels will guarantee you an enjoyable and stable ride.
Available in a large choice of 7 different colors, and 9 different sizes! This gives you so much choice so you can choose the wheel that is right for you. They are all a durometer of 99a giving a smooth and enjoyable ride for all users. These are great for beginners due to their strong grip and large contact patch giving all beginners great confidence when riding with these. These are very smooth and able to withstand the roughest of terrains and even have great traction which is great for all riders.
Overall, the Spitfire will provide a very stable and smooth ride for beginners to even intermediate riders, with the wide variety of colors and styles, you can be sure to find the right style for you!
Pros
Cons
The Ricta Clouds will provide a great experience for all riders!
Ricta Clouds Wheels are some of the softest and have some of the best rebound available on today's market. The Urethane (the product used to create most wheels) on this board is really soft and provides a really smooth and relaxing ride. These are 60mm in diameter which will provide great turning potential. These also come in many different colors, allowing you to color match your deck to find the best-looking style that fits your taste. These are an all-rounder, allowing them to really excel at a wide variety of different styles, especially for skateboard tricks and cruising!
Pros
Cons
Conclusion
In Conclusion, all these choices that have been reviewed can provide a really enjoyable and outstanding riding experience. All have been well-designed for top a riding experience and also for eye-catching graphics. That's why the 5 choices above have made it into our list of the best street skateboard wheels.
If your looking for more more riding style wheels, then check this out if your want out best selection for street cruising.
