Longboard Wheels

Longboard Wheels

Some of the different brands specializing in longboard wheels include Abec 11, Independent, Orangatang, Sector 9, Landyachtz, and HAWGS. Other popular brands worth checking out are 3DM, Acid Chemical, Blood Orange, Bones Wheels, Cadilac, and Cloud Ride. You may also consider wheels made by Earthwing, Fireball, Free Wheel Co, lobe, Gravity, Kryptonics, or Kebbek.

The different types of longboard wheels available include cruising, freeride, downhill, mini, large core, round lip, sharp lip, centerset, offset and sideset wheels. When the board measures over 40 inches, cruising wheels that are at least 70mm in diameter are often the best choice. If you want more acceleration when pushing off, wheel with less than a 70mm diameter are more effective. However, the 70mm longboard wheels do make it easy to slide around town without much effort.

Most longboard wheel sizes range from 59 to 85mm. The smaller wheels range from 50 to 53mm and are often a bit slower. The average wheel size ranges from 54 to 59mm and are often ideal for beginners or larger riders. Wheels over 60mm in diameter are typically designed specifically for longboards, downhill, speed and riding over rough surfaces.

If you're more interested in maneuverability than speed, going with a 50 to 60mm diameter may be a wiser choice than the 70mm designed for longboard cruising. When freeriding, the optimum wheel diameter to use ranges between 68 and 72mm. For downhill, the diameter of the longboard wheels should be closer to 70 to 75mm. It's worth noting that the shape and lip profile of the longboard wheel impacts performance as well.

The duro, or hardness, of the longboard wheels usually ranges between 74a and 101a. Harder wheels are faster, but they don't offer the superior grip that the softer wheels provide. If you want to enjoy a smooth ride over bumps and cracks with ease, 78a to 87a is ideal. The duro of the longboard wheels typically correlates with the size of the deck and the weight of the rider.

If you want to go faster on rough surfaces and you're willing to sacrifice a little bit of grip or slide occasionally, the 88a to 95a wheels are the best option. Beginners favor the 96a to 99a, as these all-around longboard wheels provide good speed, good grip and minimal slide on smooth surfaces. Anything over 101a are considered to be professional-grade wheels that are the fastest and hardest and with minimal grip, making it easy to slide on rough or smooth surfaces.