Longboard Wheels

Lets get straight to business:

• Developer: Abec 11
• Name: Grippins
• Diameter: 70mm
• Width: 52mm
• Contact Patch: 50.5mm
• Hub: 25mm
• Hub Setting: CS Centerset
• Edge Profile: Square
• Composition: Urethane
• Durometers: 75A/78A/81A/84A/88A/92A
• Colors: Green

Image courtesy of www.abec11.com

Technorati Tags: abec 11, grippins

The Retro BigZig is a popular all around wheel that resembles the Abec 11 Gumballs in a lot of ways.

Here are the tech specs:

• Developer: Retro
• Name: BigZigs
• Diameter: 75mm
• Width: 53mm
• Contact Patch: 51.5mm
• Hub: 25mm
• Hub Setting: OS Offset
• Edge Profile: Square
• Composition: Urethane
• Durometer: 77/80/83/86A
• Colors: Per Durometer respectively Pink/Lime/Lemon/Orange

Right off the start, the Retro BigZigs have very similar technical specs as the Abec 11 Gumballs. Notable difference is the contact patch for BigZigs is 5mm longer than the Gumballs resulting in even more grip. Other than that, the two wheels perform quite similar for all around use whether it be downhill, carving, pumping, or just cruising. They are a popular wheel that fit the preference for many skaters. In my opinion, I would say these wheels are difficult sliding platforms, but if you have ever seen the Whirling Dervish video which I’ll post, you’ll see that Adam S. has no problem doing stand up slides using BigZigs. Also, don’t pick a BigZig based on your color preference since all the colors have different durometers.

Check out Adam S. riding and sliding on BigZigs!

Image courtesy of www.retroskateboards.com

Technorati Tags: abec 11, bigzigs

The Abec 11 Strikers are excellent wheels to get you into sliding and learning those 180 slides in no time.

Here’s the technical info:

• Developer: Abec 11
• Name: Strikers
• Diameter: 66mm/77mm
• Width:47mm
• Contact Patch: 38mm/32mm
• Hub: 35mm
• Hub Setting: SS Sideset
• Edge Profile: Round
• Composition: Urethane
• Durometer: 75/78/81/84/88A
• Colors: Green

The Abec 11 Strikers are excellent wheels for people interested in sliding and what a wheel that can break into predictable controlled slides. The round edge profile is a lot less grippy than square and the contact patch is smaller than most other wheels. The 77mm version has a contact patch of 32mm while as the 66mm has a contact patch of 38mm. The two sizes should accommodate most boards out there and are available in a variety of durometers ranging from 75A to 88A. So if you want to learn the Coleman and Sergio but just can’t get your Gumballs to break loose, try these out for starters.

Image courtesy of www.abec11.com

Technorati Tags: abec 11, strikers

The first set of longboard wheels I’ll review are one of my all time favorites; Abec 11 Gumballs. I’ve personally used Gumballs on my Loaded Vanguard and they are easily one of the best set of longboard wheels I’ve ever rode on.

Let’s start with some basic technical information:

• Developer: Abec 11
• Name: Gumballs
• Diameter: 76mm
• Width: 53mm
• Contact Patch: 46.5mm
• hub: 25mm
• hub setting: OS Offset
• Edge Profile: Square
• Composition: Urethane
• Durometers: 75A/78A/81A/84A/88A
• Colors: Green or Pink

The Abec 11 Gumballs have been developed primarily for the downhill race discipline however they make for perfect all around skating. Their improved traction makes them especially useful for hard carving such as slalom and giant slalom. Because longboarding is a sport that revolves around speed and maneuvering, these wheels fit for almost any longboarder. They come in various durometers depending on the softness you desire ranging from 75A to 88A. One notable thing about gumballs is that once they are broken in after a decent amount of runs, they actually break into well controlled slides. So if you are looking for a good high traction downhill wheel yet you want to try stand up sliding or learning the Coleman slide, these wheels will work for you. I’ve tried sliding before on a sector 9 complete with sector 9 wheels and had a piece of the wheel actually chip off from only one days worth of sliding. Believe me when I say that the Abec 11 Gumballs are one of the highest performing and highest quality longboard wheels in existence. I personally use 78A Gumballs on my Loaded Vanguard setup and they’ve been my favorite wheels for years. I easily recommend these wheels for anybody serious about longboarding so give them a shot! You won’t be disappointed.

Image courtesy of www.abec11.com

Technorati Tags: abec 11, gumballs

The Abec 11 Flywheels are the pinnacle of Abec 11’s speed lineup. As described on their site, they are big, smooth, tank-like wheels for rolling over everything in its path.

Here is the technical information:

• Developer: Abec 11
• Name: Flywheels
• Diameter: 76/83/90/97mm
• Width: 52mm
• Contact Patch: 43mm
• Hub: 45mm
• Hub Setting: CS Center Set
• Edge Profile: Round
• Compostion: Urethane
• Durometer: 75/78/81A
• Colors: Green

The Abec 11 Flywheels are designed with speed in mind, with a hollow hub core that sets more of the mass further from the axis of rotation improving top speed. Their huge size makes them capable of easily clearing road cracks and sidewalk divisions smoothly without losing too much speed. Abec 11 makes four different sizes starting at 76mm like the Gumball and up to 97mm. The contact patch is slightly smaller than the gumballs and with its round edge profile any sliding setup can achieve the fastest controlled slides possible. Make sure your setup can accommodate these monsters since any wheelbite would be disastrous! The only thing that will hurt is your wallet, since these wheels don’t come cheap. But believe me, for any serious downhill enthusiast, these wheels are definitely ones you want to consider. I have 97mm Flywheels on my 80″ Jam Silverback and after only a couple strong kicks it feels like I can coast for ages.

Image courtesy of www.abec11.com

Technorati Tags: abec 11, flywheels