There’s no such thing as ‘the best skateboard wheels’, it really depends on the surface you usually skate on. There are some great all-around wheels out there that are great for bowls, parks and still manage to perform on the street. Now I’ve already gone to great length in explaining how to choose your wheels, so I’ll keep this one short.
I usually don’t want to give too many options as it only makes it harder to pick the wheels that fit you best, I kept it to a minimum but you really need to decide for yourself what you want to use them for. There’s always a trade-off, and not all wheels are suitable for all types of surfaces.
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Best Wheels for Street Skating
Probably the best wheels in this category are the Spitfire Formula Four Classics (link to Amazon). These wheels are crazy fast and very durable. Great for reverts and power slides without worrying about flat spots. These wheels perform well on the street and are perfect for indoor skate parks. There just aren’t any cons to them except maybe the price. Spitfire is also known for its fancy graphics.
Don’t forget to consider Bones!
I personally love the Bones STF’s. They’re ridiculously fast and have an amazing slide. Just like the Spitfires, there aren’t any cons to Bones. For street skating go with the Bones Street tech formula V1 (Amazon link). It’s up to you to make a choice between Spitfire and Bones. If your budget is tight, go with Bones STF you won’t regret it.
Cheap Wheels
If you’re looking for cheap wheels that perform consider Mini Logo. They’re great for parks but tend to flat spot and won’t last as long. They also are a bit hard so they are louder than the average wheel. Good choice if you’re on a budget. If you go for these wheels make sure to start saving for a better set as soon as you can.
Transition Skateboarding Wheels
Any size between 54mm and 58mm is fine for transition skateboarding. If you pick a smaller size, it’s hard to keep speed. Bigger and you run more risk of wheel bite. It’ll raise your center of gravity and you might also need riser pads. Go with the Bones SPF P5‘s (Amazon), I ride them often when I visit parks or my local mini ramp.
Best Wheels for Vert and Bowls
Again Spitfire and Bones, only you should get the formula four conical 101a 56mm or the Bones SPF V5 56 or 58mm (Amazon link). I took me some time to get used to them and get my timing right again, but man these things are crazy fast. I admit I don’t have them anymore I gave them to a good friend who as in need of wheels.
This also was a good opportunity to try I wanted to try out the Bones SPF V5 – 58 mm. I had to get used to them because of the ridiculous speed and was all over the place. My tail slides improved incredibly as my old wheels would always block my slides. It was scary at first, but now I don’t want anything else. From what I remember the Spitfire wheels were a bit faster, but not much.
Riding small wheels is exhausting, I pushed like a madman for a long time before I got proper wheels. If you want to have more grip you could also go for the 99a conical full shape wheels.
Wheels Diameter and Width Explained
Smaller wheels roll slower and are more suitable for technical tricks. Smaller wheels make it easier to control your momentum. Smaller wheels are mostly used for skate parks and street skating. In general, they are lighter and make it easier to pop your board and offer more maneuverability during tricks,
Larger wheels keep their momentum more so than smaller wheels. These wheels are great for cruising and vert. You’ll be able to maintain speed more easily. They also are better suited to absorb bumps.
The wider your wheels are. the more grip you have and the more you can maintain your speed. More surface means more grip and there’s less chance of your wheels from slipping. When you skate flat and smooth surfaces like vert you should go for wider wheels.
If you go for 54mm wheels you can’t really go wrong, they are in between small and large wheels which is perfect if you want to skate parks and street while still maintaining speed.
There Is More!
Make sure to check out my updated Best Skateboard Wheels post! Lots of wheels there that me and my friends tested!