The 3dm Avalon’s are hailed as the best Slalom wheel made, named after the legendary slalom racing site on Catalina Island, California. The Avalon’s have been proven in professional races and claim to have won more elite races than any other brand combined. By design, these wheels were made for grip with a wide stance at 55mm and dual lip square edge profile. The coreless offset hub wheel weighs 6 oz. each. 3dm wheels have probably the most plain appearance however they perform top notch. Grab a set of these if you are serious about slalom or GS.
So I’ve decided to combine the review for the brand new Orangatang In Heat and 4President because honestly, they are very similar wheels.
Incoming tech specs:
Developer: Orangatang (Developed by Loaded Longboards)
Name: In Heat, 4President
Diameter: 75mm/70mm
Width: Unknown
Contact Patch: 56mm/53mm
Hub: 25mm
Hub Setting: OS Offset
Edge Profile: Square
Composition: “Happy” Urethane
Durometer: Both 80A (Purple are both 83A)
Colors: Orange/Pink/Purple (Purple available Aug. 29, 2008)
The Orangatang wheels have been in development for quite a few years now and are the result of countless trial runs and testing. If you watch the video under the Retro BigZigs post, you will notice that Adam Colton is riding on the prototype Orangatangs. These wheels are meant for high speed and hard carving although in many videos you’ll see the Adams sliding out like crazy with them. Like Gumballs, the Orangatangs can break into controlled slides once the wheels have been broken in. However, Orangatang is releasing a freeride wheel in a couple months that will accommodate us sliders. With that being said, the In Heat and 4President are high quality high performing wheels that offer a very wide contact patch and square edges for tons of grip. The 70mm and 75mm diameters give you a smooth and fast ride. If the orange flavor isn’t fast enough for you, on August 29th Orangatang is releasing the purple flavors which are a bit harder at 83A for better top speed.
As new as these wheels are, I’ve read and seen a lot of good things about them and plan to get a set of my own for my Vanguard. The only noticable difference between the In Heat and 4President are the diameter and contact patch but the overall design is the same. They advertise that the ripples on the In Heat help for energy rebound but can you really tell? Either way, this is a bandwagon you definitely want to jump on so grab a set for you too!
Interested in picking up the brand new 83A Purple Orangatangs wheels that just released August 29th? Follow these links my friend =D
Abec 11 Grippins are obviously designed with grip in mind. Their square profile and 50.5mm contact patch makes them one of the slickest wheels out there perfect for slalom and hard carving. Design wise they are similar to Abec 11 Gumballs however they are slightly smaller at 70mm. They come in a huge range of durometers raning from 75A to 92A. Another excellent all around wheel if gumballs are too big for your setup.
I know there’s a lot of durometers to choose from, so if you’re interested in purchasing Abec 11 Grippins I’ve compiled some links for you. Enjoy xD
