Everything you need to know about skateboard wheels: Durometer, Shapes & Sizes. Here we break down the difference between the different Bones Wheels and what kind of riding they are good for.

Bones Wheels are the most popular skateboard wheels on the market. They are one of the only skateboard companies who still manufactures their products in the USA, which is a pretty cool selling feature. Bones still pour their custom urethane formula in Santa Barbara, California. There is a lot of information you need to know when buying a skateboard wheel. The three big things you’re going to look for are size, durometer and shape. When you look on the bones packaging you'll notice one of 4 categories on their wheels: Bones ATF, Bones SPF, Bones STF or Bones Easy Streets (new in 2019).

Here is a breakdown of everything you need to know when buying Bones Wheels.



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SIZE:

Every skateboard wheel will be measure in millimeters. Bones makes wheels from size 50mm all the way up to 60mm wheels. Around 75% of the wheels we sell are 52mm or 53mm, so if you’re just starting out this is a good general wheel. However, buying a wheel depends a lot on what kind of stuff you’re going to be riding.



So what?

People who are more tech (lots of flip tricks and manuals) and who usually ride on smoother ground (skateparks or smooth cement) will often ride a smaller wheel because is cuts off a little weight and makes flip tricks easier (50mm-53mm). People riding bowl or who want to cruise will usually ride a larger wheel (53mm-58mm). People who are only cruising and never intend on doing tricks will often ride something even bigger (58mm-60mm). A wheel that is bigger will roll faster but be harder to do tricks with.

DUROMETER:

Durometer is the measure of how hard or soft a skateboard wheel is. Higher Durometer rating = a harder wheel. One thing to look out for is different durometer scales. A standard skateboard wheel is measured on the A Scale durometer between 1 and 100 (with 100 being the hardest). But with skateboard wheels, often they need to be harder than can be measured on the A scale, so Bones Wheels uses the B scale to accurately rate the durometer of their wheels. (A bones wheel that is rated 84B is equal to 104A which is technically higher than the A scale goes). We agree with this and think all skateboard wheels should be using the B scale.







A softer wheel on the durometer scale is going to ride better on rougher surfaces without vibrating your feet and be able to cruise over tiny pebbles and rocks. A harder skateboard wheel is going to ride faster on really smooth surfaces like skateparks, last longer and be more flatspot resistant.



So What?

If you are just going to be riding skateparks and super smooth ground we recommend 84B called Bones Skatepark Formula Wheels.

If you are going to be riding all over from skateparks to downtown and sidewalks we recommend riding 83B Street Tech Formula Wheels. These are great all around wheels.

If you are going to be riding really rough ground (older pavement and parking lots) or strictly using your board for cruising around town, we recommend riding 60B All Terrain Formula Wheels.

SHAPE:

All wheel brands make a bunch of different shapes in their wheels. Shape is the least important factor when picking wheels. But each shape you will notice are slightly better for different terrain. Every shape has slight advantages and disadvantages in terms of weight and versatility. Check out the different shapes below.



So What?

Check out the wheel shapes below and match them to your skate style. Note: ATF doesn't have a shape chart because they only come in a couple shapes.















THANKS!

Thanks for reading! We hope this helped you figure out what kind of wheels you need! We’d love if you shared this article and drop us a comment below if you have any questions or notice we missed anything!



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