Testing the Orangatang “Kegel” 80mm 83a:

For our testing of this beefy wheel we spent the day riding down a Great Mountain Road.

Features:

The 80mm Kegel, by Orangatang Wheels, has a 56mm contact patch, an offset bearing seat, a stiff, high-strength core, and features Otang’s proprietary “happy thane”. Although this wheel comes in both 80 and 83a, we chose the Purple 83a durometer for our testing.

Pros:

The large diameter of this wheel matched with its not-too-wide contact patch and its uniquely designed core, combine to create a wheel designed for high-speed performance. Add the predictable slide provided by Otang’s time-tested purple “happy thane” and you have a wheel ready for most any steep decent.

Cons:

This wheel is made to accelerate fast and stay rolling fast. If you are looking to do slow speed sliding, then the Kegel 83a may not be the best option for ya.

Overall:

The 83a Kegel is a quick rolling race-worthy wheel best suited for hill bombin. Although this Purple 83a durometer is their harder offering of the Kegel, it’s still a big wheel and it’s balance between traction and slide is best achieved at high speed. You can def cover some distance pushing around on the flats with this wheel, but, ideally, this wheel begs for steep hills.

If you have any further questions hit us up at Wheelbasemag.com via our “contact us” drop-down tab, or visit OrangatangWheels.com

Skating: Devyn Roseman & Ryder Bordeaux

Filming: Barry Meksobeeste

Editing: Doron Dill

Music: “Skylight” by Gramatik