What type of longboard wheels should i get

The contact patch is the part of the wheel that is in contact with the road and is usually 30 mm to 70 mm wide. The larger the patch the more grip it gives.

Narrower wheels will let you slide and drift better. Square edges will give you a larger contact patch and make it harder to initiate drifts. The very sharp edge provides grip and can be hard to push into a slide. Beveled edges 45 degrees are usually found on short board wheels. They are in between square edges and round edges and are easier to slide.

You will lose some grip on a wheel the same width as taking the corner off, reduces the size of the contact patch. Rounded edges are the easiest to slide, but the shape means once again you lose a little more contact patch on a wheel the same width.

Most longboard wheels have a core to keep the bearings square and true. A soft compound urethane will not support the bearings and they would just pull straight through the wheel with a little sideways force.

Longboard wheels with cores dissipate heat caused by friction coming off bearings at high speeds. Wheel cores are made with a harder material like hard urethane, plastic, aluminum and even fiberglass reinforced plastic. The hard core will improve roll speed and help prevent deformation of the urethane during slides.

These qualities can also make the wheel slide faster. A core can affect the ride of the wheel as well. A centered core makes for even wear, allowing them to be easily flipped, great for rotating your wheels for durability.

A larger diameter core will make will make a wheel roll faster, great for transportation, freeride, and downhill. What does scrubbed mean? Is it an exceptionally clean skateboard wheel? No, a scrubbed wheel means the contact patch has been machined so you can use it straight off of the shelf. Most urethane wheels are made in a mold and have a smooth shiny surface when they come out.

If you get a smooth wheel it can be slippery when you first use it. Scrubbed wheels are put on a lathe and the surface is either machined with a metal tool or a stone grinding wheel. This roughens up the surface so it performs as a broken in wheel would straight away. It also ensures the wheel runs perfectly true in relation to the bearing seat. Is scrubbed, is good! To get the best longboard wheels for you, first we need to know what you want to do with Them.

To simplify choosing the best longboard wheels we have spit this discipline into three different divisions. Cruising and carving is all about carving down gradually sloped streets and hills. You will also want something fun and easy to push from A to B on. What you are doing most will determine what is best for you. If you are mostly transporting a bigger squarer wheel is the go.

Want to get tricky and push it around sideways, then choose a round or beveled edge wheel. Freeride, Freestyle and Dancing is all about being creative. It involves many technical skills such as sliding, board tricks, regular and goofy riding, and dancing. There are 3 common core positions across the longboard wheel spectrum that each differ how your board rides.

Those include offset, centerset and sideset. The most common core setting with the core slightly set in from the inside area of the wheel. They provide a nice balance of traction and slide and accomodate a wide range of riding styles with their versatilty. The core setting is placed to the inside area of the wheel. This style provides the least amount of traction and works well for sliding. Here is a quick list of some properties of these common core materials.

The contact patch of a longboard wheel is simply the width or amount of wheel that actually touches the surface at any point. The texture of a wheel has to do with how grippy the wheel is out of the box.

However, going through the break in process with a smooth wheel is a good way to get more control from your slides but does take more riding to hit that sweet spot.

You should now more about how a longboard wheel works to make a more informed choice on what too look for when trying to find the perfect fit for your ride. If you want a quick overview on how to choose the right longboard or longbooard wheels you can look at our post on how to choose the right longboard.

We go over some quick points on what to look for in trucks, wheels and decks depending on the style of riding you want to do. Looking to find a wheel today? View our selection of longboard wheels here at Windward. Chat Now. Sign Up. Call Us. A professional will answer your questions within 24 hours. Picking the right wheel can seem like a daunting task when looking at the number of wheels on the market.

For there to be so many wheels, they much each have a unique ride, right? How can anyone possibly pick a wheel without second guessing every decision?

Our goal is that after reading through this guide you will not feel so lost in the world of wheels and be able to choose exactly what you want. There are several factors that go into choosing a wheel. They are listed below, but we will go into more details through the article. After this, we will talk about pavement and urethane types. These factors also play a major role in the feel of a skateboard wheel.

The height of a wheel is the distance between where the wheel touches the ground and the top of the urethane. The larger the wheel, the easier it will roll over cracks and rough pavement. However, the smaller the wheel, the faster it will accelerate going downhill. Often a rider's personal preference will determine the balance between the two.

Wheel measurements are generally given in millimeters mm and the height is usually listed in the title of the wheel. Going over 80mm can risk of bending the standard 8mm axles of a skateboard truck with aggressive riding. The width of a wheel is technically the distance from the outer to inner edge of the urethane, however, most often width is very closely related to the contact patch of the wheel.

In fact, width and contact patch can be the same in some wheel shapes. The contact patch of the wheel is the width of the wheel physically in contact with the ground, excluding the any extra urethane that may be rounded or beveled to make the edge of the wheel.

Generally, the wider the contact patch, the more grip a wheel will have. Durometer is also a factor in grip, but we'll get to that next. Mold release is not really the correct term, but it just refers to the smooth, glossy surface on a contact patch that has been untouched out of the wheel mold.

This surface is very grippy and will require some kind of break in period before sliding well. Sandstond grind refers to the process of removing the glossy contact patch. This makes the patch feel like a soft baby bottom and allows for easy sliding right out of the box. Almost all good freeride wheels will come with a sandstone grind to lessen the break in period for the wheels.

Durometer refers to the measurement of the hardness of the rubbery polyurethane and is represented by a number and a letter, which will typically be an "a" for polyurethane. The lower the durometer the softer and more rubbery the wheel is. Most wheels range from 75a to a, where a would be a very hard shortboard wheel.

The durometer often comes into play when understanding how the wheel will slide. It should also be noted that durometer plays a role in the speed of the wheel. Lower durometer wheels grip the road better by deforming. However, this deformation also slows the wheel down. A harder wheel will have less friction on uneven surfaces because it does not deform, but will be faster on smoother surfaces. Everything here is a balance. It is up to the rider to find that speedy sweet spot.

The lips of a wheel refer to the very edges of the wheel and vary in shape and thickness. Lips and edges control how the wheel grabs the road. The core is a circular hard plastic or sometimes hard urethane or aluminum ring that seats the bearings and gives the rubbery polyurethane a place to attach.