When selecting a complete skateboard or longboard for the first time, you can usually buy in confidence knowing that the installed parts have been chosen to deliver a satisfying and balanced experience ‘out of the box’.
However, understanding how the parts contribute to the board’s abilities can lead to a more satisfying long-term experience. This is particularly true of the wheels, which are composed with a variety of traits that can significantly impact performance.
If you later choose to upgrade your board or buy a custom one, understanding the wheels will be a core part of the decision-making process.
Skating style and wheel performance
Whether you want to tear up the skatepark ramps on a classic skateboard or cruise across town on a longboard, when it comes to how you want to use your board, the characteristics of the wheels will play a significant part in delivering the best performance for the job.
There are a few distinct properties that should be considered or intentionally selected to help your ride gain the feel that you want.
· wheel size
· wheel hardness
· contact patch and shape
Wheel size
When considering the ‘size’ of the wheels, this is foremost a discussion about the wheel diameter. The diameter (in millimetres) will be the first measurement provided in a product description and will often be displayed on the wheel exterior.
The size of the wheels has a direct effect on the board’s speed, turning ability and the ‘smoothness’ of the riding experience. Most wheels you’ll find range from 50mm up to 70mm.
Smaller wheels (50mm to 54mm)
Smaller wheels are not the fastest, but they are lighter and closer to the ground than bigger wheels. Because of this, they afford a good level of control, and respond well to sudden turns or acceleration.
Because of this, you’ll find that double-kick boards are typically graced with smaller wheels, between 50mm and 54mm, due to their suitability for performing tricks and street skating.
Of course, small wheel size isn’t the only consideration for optimising technical skating; it is one of several factors – but it is an important one.
Larger wheels (65mm+)
Larger wheel diameter is synonymous with speed (as opposed to acceleration). This is a more common feature of longboard wheels or skateboards used for activities that place an emphasis on maintaining speed, such as bowl skating or surfskating.
A benefit of larger wheels is that they achieve a ‘smoother’ ride; they are less likely to be affected by cracks and gaps in the surface under the wheels.
However, it’s important to note that larger wheels have a greater propensity to cause ‘wheel bite’: when a wheel makes contact with the deck, resulting in unintentional braking. To prevent this, riser pads may need to be fitted or cutouts made within the base of the deck.
A wheel size of around 65mm to 70mm offers good all-round performance in this category, particularly for beginners. At this point, the wheel won’t be too large to make wheel bite a persistent concern, but it will offer the advantages that a larger wheel affords.
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Sessions 78A Longboard Skateboard Wheels (70mm Orange) with Two Bare Feet Pro Series 7 BearingsSpecial Price £14.99 Regular Price £20.99 -
Sessions 78A Longboard Skateboard Wheels (70mm Blue) with Two Bare Feet Pro Series 7 BearingsSpecial Price £14.99 Regular Price £20.99 -
Sessions 78A Longboard Skateboard Wheels (70mm Black) with Two Bare Feet Pro Series 7 BearingsSpecial Price £14.99 Regular Price £20.99 -
Sessions 78A Longboard Skateboard Wheels (70mm White) with Two Bare Feet Pro Series 7 BearingsSpecial Price £14.99 Regular Price £20.99 -
Edge Series Longboard Wheels Set of 4 70mm / 78A plus Bearings (Green)Special Price £12.99 Regular Price £19.99
Wheel hardness
As a broad rule of thumb, softer wheels offer a smoother ride and are great for absorbing impacts. This makes them a good choice for cruising the streets. However, the higher level of grip can make performing tricks more difficult.
Harder wheels offer less grip but improved acceleration and sliding. Riders will have better overall control of the board to turn, perform tricks and power slide.
The ‘durometer’ scale is used to measure wheel hardness. In short, the higher the number, the harder the wheels. There are two versions of this scale: A and B, which rate hardness slightly differently. Most wheels will be measured on the A scale.
Softer wheels, e.g. around 78a rated, are often paired with boards that need grip, speed and smoothness, as is often the case with longboarding. Higher durometer wheels, e.g. around 85a rated, provide a mid-to-firm ride with greater scope for movement and control.
For optimum performance on smooth surfaces and skatepark infrastructure, a high durometer rating is preferable (e.g. 102a-rated wheels). They’re slick and fast.
Wheel geometry
Contact patch
The part of the wheel that is in contact with the ground at any one time is referred to as the contact patch. How wide the wheel (and the contact patch) is affects the wheel’s grip and speed.
With a larger contact patch, more of the rider’s weight is distributed across a wider area. This leads to a decrease in rolling resistance, which can cause the wheel to be slower. However, it will also mean a more stable ride. A smaller contact patch has the opposite effect.
Wheel shape
The shape of the wheel can also affect the size of the contact patch. What shape a wheel is comes from the appearance of the wheel in profile (looking at the rolling edge).
Narrower, rounder wheels can be better manipulated into slides, as they make less contact with the ground. This tends to make rounder and narrower wheels a more popular choice for classic skateboards used in technical skating.
Wider, squarer wheels apply a greater surface area to the ground at any one time. These are more suited to cruising on longboards. They are stable at high speeds but offer less opportunity for sliding.
An intermediate shape (i.e. conical, bevelled wheels) can be a good compromise, better suited to downhill longboarding. This shape provides more scope for sliding turns while maintaining decent speed.
Factors that may affect wheel performance
While the wheels themselves are critical components, you’ll get the best out of them if they are chosen with a few other details in mind.
A more obvious one is that the size of the board and the rider can potentially influence wheel size. Smaller boards will generally run well with smaller wheels, and vice versa.
The size of longboard or skateboard trucks, which connect the wheels to the board, are also a consideration. They can potentially determine a useable size range for the wheels; which need to fit on the trucks to be usable.
Skateboard bearings, used to mount the wheels to the trucks, are also a factor. This really comes down to the quality of the components, which can be determined from their ABEC rating (on a scale of 1–9).
Bearings with a higher ABEC rating will spin longer and faster. This potentially translates into more speed and efficiency, requiring less drive from the rider. Most skateboard and longboard wheel bearings will have an ABEC rating of 5 or 9.
Quality wheels for longboards and skateboards
At Two Bare Feet, our range of complete boards are supplied with durable polyurethane wheels, selected for their good overall and balanced performance, which makes our boards accessible to beginners and veteran skaters alike.
Our complete classic skateboards come in two varieties. The standard 8” decks have 85A-rated rounded 54mm wheels, which provide a good starting point for ambitious street skating or popping tricks at the skatepark, but still offer enough grip to keep you stable.
If you’re looking to push your performance further, our premium laser-etched logo double-kick boards come with harder wheels (102A-rated), ABEC 9 bearings, and are available in either 52mm or 54mm diameters, depending on deck width.
Almost all our extensive selection of complete maple and bamboo longboard decks come with our 78A-rated Sessions 70mm wheels, supplied with ABEC 7 chrome bearings to ensure a smooth and stable riding experience.
However, for the adventurous skater, who knows what they want, you can go further by using our separate skateboarding wheels and precision bearings to customise your build.
