@@howardb.6205 It's obviously not about the weight... They are softer wheels with grooves that guide any pebbles away, meaning in _theory_ you should trip over rocks less. But in reality, it doesn't quite work so well I would say. Also, softer wheels really do make certain tricks way harder to pull off. It's not comparable to harder normal wheels at all. Especially if you also count slideability on ledges and so on. I'd go with a high quality 95a or 93a wheel if the surface is very rough, but stick with normal wheels. People also are sleeping on using a decent set of riser pads combined with hard wheels.
@@PHeMoX yeah seems like a gimmick tbh, I've been riding bonus x-formula 54s right now and they are surprisingly nice on rougher surfaces, though I just ordered some 56s for an 8.75 inch deck I'm building for when I cruise around the lake bike path in my town with my 20lb dog. When he gets tired I just pick him up and carve for awhile.
@@PHeMoX I've been riding long/short boards with a few sizes of shark wheels for ~10 years now and they definitely spit rocks out of the way no problem and handle rough roads nicely. Granted my prior wheel experience was limited to a few unknowns and the Orangutanss I'd been riding before. Though having tried the park shark wheels I can't say they're worth it at all to me. They felt harder and more slippery than I was used to and the single wave didn't really do anything to push out rocks which was the whole draw for me in the first place.
My best friends name is John M. Hill. I bought a Revive Tech Deck of yours some years ago. The peticular deck had the lifeline across the board, but where the lines came up in the center formed an M. So I gave it to my buddy, he certainly thought it was awesome.
I actually like to think a 2mm diameter difference is really just 1mm radius change, which is, but sometimes that detail gets lost/confused. For instance, one is 1mm higher off the floor when sizing up like that.
the big gimmick of the wheel is the pebble avoidance. I was waiting to see you line up a row of pebbles and skate on to them with regular wheels (confirm they stop wheels) and then line them up again and skate over them with the shark wheels to see if they really do eliminate pebble problems.
John, thanks man. Currently going through a break up but your videos have been a light of positivity for me and have been inspiring my creative side as well thank you.
you're so consistent and clean with your skateboarding. i would really love to see a video part of some sort from you, man. your talents need to shine.
I've been skating on and off since '98. When I first started out I rode 56mm 85A. I never had a problem with pebbles but, the softer wheels really affected my ability to gain and maintain speed. After I moved on to harder wheels the vibrations in my feet and adjusting to the pebbles was jarring but, the speed was amazing. Now I ride 52-54mm wheels and prefer 99-101A. The smaller wheels help a lot to prevent wheel bites but, are more susceptible to getting stopped by pebbles. I would definitely recommend softer, larger wheels for beginners if they don't have access to a skatepark or at least smooth surfaces to skate on.
Due it’s so awesome to see how far you’ve come over the years! I started watching watching you probably 7-8 years ago. I’ve been out of the skating community for a while now and coming back to see you with over a million subs is wild! So happy for you man. Been watching again for a few days and I’m feeling motivated to get back on the board!
Makes sense about having a smaller footprint to avoid stopping to pebbles. For instance, I do inline skate and I never ever got stopped by pebbles. In fact, I hear them pinging like a ricocheting bullet when I hit them. You need to test both wheels with a bunch of pebbles on the floor for a demo to be valid.
The camera angle w the steam roller and your hatch open had me confused. I thought those concrete forms and supports were new buildings going up. Perspective had me shook! Great vid, as usual!
I used Shark Wheels early on when I was in college on my longboard to get around campus. The campus was predominantly covered with sidewalks that had the pebbles cemented into it, making my regular wheels bog down within 15 feet and the ride was not smooth at all. When I switched to Shark Wheels, it was almost like riding on smooth pavement again. They were amazing for cutting out friction on strange surfaces like that, but I could not feel any difference when on smooth pavement.
Did you ever feel like you hit a pebble with the flat part of the wheel and rolled slightly side ways as the pebble pushed you laterally while it slid into the grove of the wheel? Or just ever feel the pebbles in any way at all when they were hit by the flat spot of the wheel?
The old school Hubba 38-48mm in 99A is how I learned blunts. I still skate 48-50mm 88-99a. Keep spreading the love and knowledge brother, thank you for being YOU.
Casual John Hill viewer here. I know this is skateboarding channel in which he claims to have quit skateboarding a few times but still uploads skateboarding content immediately after. I feel like he would excel in a podcast style content
That's kind of why I hate his channel tbh. I know there are some die hard fans here, and yes, he's really good, but he goes on a rant where he quits because he's gotten all he can get out of skating, there's no where for him to progress to, etc., and then 1 week later there's more content and a video titled "I'm back!" or some sht. Makes me wonder if it's for attention and more viewers. 🤔
"Feel like I fell out, not popped out" Bro I could not be fucked to give a bother about that LOL I'm on the board, wheels are rollin... I'm taking it XD
The idea for me, as a 1980s vert skater, that anyone would use a harder wheel than 92 or 95 on street is crazy. Anything over 95 is for ramp or park only.
Hi! New skater here, I'm definitely curious about the shark wheels for rough terrain. Currently my preferences run: Cruising/off-roading: Spitfire 80HD or Bones ATV Street/Freestyle: Nano-Cubics 97a Pool/Transition: Pool Shark 84b I think I generally prefer a softer wheel cause I love to lean and pump. I can't do any flip tricks yet so take this with a grain of salt. I just started learning 180s and varials and the Pool Shark wheels help me slide around and do bigfoot tacks, but i wipe out when I try to push my board in a banked turn. I want to learn how to powerslide so I can bomb hills!
I've done the homework. I skate mostly crusty street spots. Powell dragon wheels 52 or 54mm 93dur. Ricta cloud 52 or 54 92. They still slide and significantly smooth out a crusty run-up
Great review John. I'm a big fan of 53mm - 54mm.. I usually buy 54 knowing that they'll be 53mm in no time at all, it also helps get a little more juice out of a set. As for size differences, If I have worn down to 50mm and then put on some 55mm I notice an instant improvement in pop height but also notice a higher likelihood of ghost pop when my legs are tired or I am not feeling it. I'd say 52mm is better for more consistency, balance and if feeling lazy on the legs, while 54 gives a little extra pop/speed, but there is a chance of less consistency, especially for beginners, those who have tired legs or brains, or those who can't get out to skate regularly enough to maintain a super refined technique or who have health problems that limit skate session time.
Nails are tools. You can open packages and cans. Or cut your veggies from the garden with them. Cutting your nails is like cutting the tail off you board
I ride an electric board everyday as my car. Wheels are 90mm 78A. In the e-board world there are Cloudwheels which are a hybrid: downhill wheel meets all terrain tire like a scooter. But I really like "skateboard" wheels on my eboard. They keep contact with the ground. Just today I rolled over roughly 1000 rocks and pebbles in an 8 mile journey. These wheels would be perfect for me. I could still feel the ground like flat downhill type wheels but roll over rocks especially at slow speeds. So cool.
Clear is generally cool right now. lol I talked to spitfires manager, and He said they are working on more "Sapphires Wheels" I requested them in Different shapes, not just radial. Brands are pretty dope now adays they really listen to feedback. Slappy trucks released bushings because i asked for them. Independent Trucks reached out to me for some input on new trucks. They released a Hollow Kingpin Standard Indy I requested. and they dropped bushings for the Stage 4 because I suggested it. OJ wheels released some extra wide wheels Called "chubbies" because I suggested it. Brands are really cool these days. anyone can get in touch with them. I didn't get paid for any of those things, consults, but got product for free.
You know you’ve been in the game a long time when you can’t remember if you already made a video for a concept(that little bit at the end) 😂 Good stuff John, I remember watching you skate these when they were first released back in the day. Oh, & Whenever someone complains about a 55mm wheel being too much of a size difference for them, you could always just say ‘I don’t notice because my deck is too big’.
I have moved to Bones X99 and X97. I think they are the best wheels I have skated in 6 years. I skate between a 54 and 56mm for street boards, I like the bigger wheels for locking in grinds. I skate up to a 64mm for the bowl. I started skating in the 80s so it just feels right for a bowl board.
Burbank cvs dock or what used to be known as savon dock. Crazy you are skating there. When I lived in California that was the meet up spot for local kids. Good times
the little nuances add up. lol I always scale all my set ups accordingly. 8.25 - 8.5 board I usually skate 52mm wheels or up to 55mm sometimes on a 8.5. skate a bigger board! if your riding 54mm wheels at least set up a 8.5 or 8.6 a lot of things involving wheels size have to do with proportions, a 54mm wheel on a 8.75 feels nice. just saying lol for instance anything above a 9.00, 60mm wheels feel amazing, nothing like a fat 9+ deck with some big "9" in trucks and and some 60mm Bones or Spitfires. oh gets me hyped lol
Back in the 80's they used to have almost the same wheels out, but they were called tubes, or toobs. They were really wide and probably 62 diameter or so. They didn't catch on at all, but weird and interesting back then. I never rode them personally, but knew a guy that had them for a minute and I rode his board once. They were smooth, but too wide for my taste
have you messed with the x99 bones wheels? Really nice slide despite being a bit softer and faster than F4 99a. So great for asphalt and your knee joint 😂
They also make a difference when you're going long distances, I used to skate the boardwalk with them and they would roll forever, just also pump when moving
i dont get the priciple of those wheels other than they have maybe a third less surface on the road. how do they cancel pebble stopping? and i think its just in your head that you can feel- 1-4 mm difference in your wheels radius...
in downhill skateboarding we would have competitions and the weather would always change day to day, if it was raining we would have rain wheels that we cut three or so grooves into so the water could pass through like tread on a tire. I wonder if in the rain the shark wheels would still grip instead of feeling like you're skateboarding on ice? would be cool to know!
Shark wheels are literally just rain wheels and nothing else in my own longboard experience. The promise better speed and slides and carving but it's only marketing.
Honestly have been slowly downsizing through the years. I believe I learned how to Kickflip on 56mm 89 duro and now ~13 years later I rock spitfire formula four’s 54mm 99a as I mostly skate street
They used to have the edges of the wheels with those sinusoidal waves as well and it made the wheels appear as if they were squared off. I wonder if the trued up the edges because there was some shimmy or if they did it because it was turning people away that didn't understand it. The old ones at least had an identity but maybe too uncanny for some people
What’s funny is when I skate I typically have 52/53 and yeah there’s no difference in a 52-56 imo … however in bmx I went from 175mm cranks to 170mm cranks and the 5mm difference is extremely noticeable due to pedaling and responsiveness …
When comparing wheels you should definitely include the nano cubics. I don't known this for sure but because of the wider shape they should weigh more and the difference in size should be either amplified or negated depending on what you compare them to. What I'm saying is mass affects flick I guess.
Wheel size doesn't bother me too much, I usually skate 52mm or 54mm. Hardness of the wheels never bugged me either. However, deck size does bug me. I prefer 7.75 which used to be considered on the larger side back when most people skated 7.5. I also hate a smaller tail than the nose. I prefer them to be the same size and I hate how hard it is to find decks like this.
I have one setup with 56mm SML coffee cruiser wheels that are like 80a or something, and one setup with 55mm Formula Four 99a wheels. Bigger wheels are so much more enjoyable to ride for me.
I always thought the rationale of these wheels just wouldn't work for street size/duro. The design, in theory, allows them to give more grip in wet patches which is useful for downhill, of course. Unfortunately, scaling down the wheel width for a street size and the fact it's now the hardest duro the company can provide means you don't have a usable amount of tread on the shark wheel to actually interact with wet patches, nor would it provide more/less grip than a regular street wheel, since it's no longer a soft wheel. I think the main advantage you could expect from this is the weight reduction, assuming you replace the same size wheel, which is so negligible though.
For those curious, 2mm is literally 1/5th of a CENTIMETER. Whoever claims they notice a “huge difference” in anything under like a 5mm change or 1/2cm. If you remember 1cm is equal to 10mm it’s simple to keep track of. I only know this from bmx parts like the Stem and Bars and Cranks and shit that are all in different mm measurements.
Wheels feel different for many reasons other than the size. Most 54s are also wider than most 52s, so there is that variable as well. The shape can be different too. Although I would say board shape and concave has a much more profound affect than trucks and wheels do
even more than that, 54 is actually only 1mm difference to a 52, if you looked at it like a compass NESW, you are expanding 1mm in each direction. So unless you are The Princess and the Pea on a skateboard, any difference (height wise) is in your head.
It is really like actually insane to me how good John is at skating and can land almost every flat ground trick first try I wish I could be that good 👏🗣️🤓