If you are filming clips and have a rough spot in mind, these would be the wheels to check out. Each of these wheels has two important characteristics in common:
- They have a specialized formula that makes rougher pavement feel a little smoother.
- They still slide similarly to a standard 99a+ street wheel for ledge tricks.
In other words, this is a list of street skateboarding wheels that roll like a soft durometer cruiser wheel while still being able to get down in the streets to hit ledges and crusty spots.
Street Skateboard Wheels for Rough Spots
Here are some excellent wheels designed for rough pavement and crusty spots.
3 Products
Powell Dragon Formula Wheels
Price: $41.95
Spitfire 93a Reynolds Formula Four Wheels
Price: $44.95
Bones X-Formula X97 Skateboard Wheels
Price: $41.95
Powell Dragon Formula Wheels
Pros:
- You can ride on rougher asphalt. These wheels slide like a harder 101a wheel while riding smoothly like a softer 93a soft wheel.
- They don’t get flat spots.
- They are fast and smooth on regular, skateable pavement.
- The smoother ride lets you skate longer.
Cons:
- They are a more expensive set of wheels.
- They have a different sound for slide tricks and powerslides.
- The softer formula can slice or rip if you hit a sharp object in just the right way.
Price:
$41.95
Durometer:
The durometer is 93-DF. It skates like a 93a soft wheel that is still capable of sliding like a 101a hard wheel.
About the Powell Dragon Wheels:
The Powell Dragon Formula really shines as the right street wheel to power through rough skate spots. For me, these wheels actually made previously un-skateable spots skateable again, which was a huge win.
While they don’t magically transform rough pavement into the smoothest feeling pavement you’ve ever been on, they definitely dampen the vibrations considerably while keeping their speed, and that allows you to hit the spot, get the clip, and move on to the next one.
In other words, they make rough street skating feel a little easier. So, while you can skate rough pavement with these wheels, they don’t make anything feel like you’re suddenly skating on a cloud. They’re just a softer, shock-absorbing wheel that allows you to power through a little easier, and that’s an outstanding tool for your filming kit.
While you’d get these more for rough pavement, they were noticeably fast on smooth pavement. I felt like the number of pushes I needed to hit a rail or ledge decreased by one or two, which saved me a noticeable amount of energy through my sessions.
Overall, the wheels reduced the vibrations felt while skating on rough pavement, so my legs didn’t get as tired, all while allowing me to slide across ledges. The Powell Dragon Formula wheels live up to their claims, and if that sounds interesting, I highly recommend you check them out.
Read our full review of the Dragon Formula Wheels.
Spitfire 93a Reynolds Formula Four Wheels
Pros:
- Feels and sounds like a normal Spitfire wheel.
- Ride rougher street spots like tiles and ditches.
- No flat spots.
- Excellent middle of the rough wheel between a Dragon and normal Formula Four Spitfire wheel.
- Absorb vibrations allowing you to skate longer
Cons:
- Slightly more expensive / They are $3-$5 more than Dragons.
- The softer formula can rip or chunk if you hit a sharp object that catches it just right.
- They have a 2-3 day break in period before they slide like a street wheel.
Price:
$44.95
Durometer:
The durometer is 93-DF. It skates like a 93a soft wheel that is still capable of sliding like a 101a hard wheel.
About the Spitfire 93s:
If you want a street wheel but are more of a Spitfire than a Powell or Bones fan, then check out the Spitfire 93a Reynolds “Soft Slider” wheels. These offer the same “go anywhere and skate anything” perks as the Dragon wheels, just in a familiar Spitfire Formula Four feeling way.
I’d say the Dragons are a hair better on rougher pavement, but they have this near cruiser-like soft feeling to them that takes some getting used to for any street skater who’s used to a 99a and up wheel. If that sounds like you, I recommend giving the Spitfire 93a a try because it’s basically the balance between a Dragon wheel and a normal Spitfire 99 Formula Four wheel.
Speed-wise, I’d say the Spitfire wheel is comparable to the Powell Dragon Formula wheels in that it isn’t soft enough that you feel like you’ll lose all your speed, but it is noticeably softer than a standard skateboard wheel durometer.
Just like with the Dragons, the Spitfire 93a wheels do a great job at absorbing some of the shock and vibrations you feel while skating. I’d say the Spitfire wheels might even do a better job, but it’s probably more about the shape of the wheel than the formula itself for why I think that. Either way, this is a great wheel for anyone skating rough spots like ditches, trenches, or plazas with tiles. The wheel is soft enough to just power through all of it while keeping a lot of that vibration in the wheel rather than traveling up through your feet.
It’s worth noting that because both the Spitfire 93A and Dragon wheels are softer, they can be more susceptible to getting chunks taken out of them, depending on where you skate them. So, while neither wheel gets flat spots, you still have to watch out for sharp objects.
So, how are they different from the Dragon Wheels? They cost $3-$5 more, and the main reason you might want to go with a Spitfire over a Dragon wheel is more about the shape of the wheel and what you’re already used to skating. These wheels have the classic Spitfire classic conical shape that I love for locking into grinds. I also find that the roundedness of the wheel helps me with landing flip tricks compared to the shape of my Dragon wheels.
I like to bluntslide and prefer the slide of the Dragons and the added grip of the Spitfires. The Dragon wheels felt like they slide so well right out of the wrapper, while the Spitfire wheels take around 2-3 sessions to break in and allow you to powerslide them with their initial bite or grip getting taken off. That said, I do prefer the sound of the Spitfire’s slide. They sound closer to a normal skate wheel, while the Dragons sound softer and quieter. I like that skirring sound you get when you powerslide and the Spitfire wheels still have that.
Ultimately, you’d get the Spitfire over the Powell Dragon wheels if you want a more familiar street skating wheel but just need something to help you power through the rough cracks at a particular street spot. Both are so similar, but many of us grew up skating Spitfire and are used to that familiar feel, shape, and sound of a Spitfire Formula Four wheel.
Read more about the 93 Spitfire Wheels here.
Bones X-Formula X97 Skateboard Wheels
Pros
- Feels exactly like a street wheel, just capable of rolling on rough pavement too
- Fast on smooth skatepark-like pavement
- Slides well for ledge tricks and powerslides
- Lightweight
Cons
- Sensitive to temperature and can feel slow on really hot days
- Don’t offer as much grip as others
- Don’t offer as much shock absorption as others
- There is a limit to the roughness of pavement (because you’ll feel every bump)
Price:
$41.95
Durometer:
The durometer of Bones X Formula 97A skateboard wheels is 97A
About the X97s:
Where the Dragons and Spitfire 93a wheels lean into that softer, go-anywhere, smoother ride, the X-97s feel more like a traditional street skate wheel with a pinch of rough terrain formula to help them roll over slightly rougher pavement than usual.
So why get these? Because they’re faster on smooth pavement, and depending on the roughness and frequency of skating rough pavement, these might be better. The X-97s are basically a standard street wheel capable of keeping speed over slightly rougher street spots.
Both the Spitfire 93 and Powell Dragon wheels can feel a hair slower on smooth skatepark pavement, and the X-Formula 97 wheels don’t compromise on smooth pavement. From the moment you skate them, you’ll notice how incredibly fast these wheels are on smooth, skatepark pavement while still being able to cruise over slightly rougher pavement like older asphalt and city tiles. I wouldn’t say these are right for really rough spots like cobblestone; for that, go with Dragon Wheels.
It’s worth noting, the X-97s are noticeably harder feeling than the Spitfire 93 or Dragon wheels, which are awesome for absorbing vibrations at rougher spots. The X-97 wheels don’t feel nearly as smooth on rough pavement, feeling more like any other 99 durometer and up street skate wheel, just with better speed retention over rougher pavement.
These wheels can slice, but they don’t seem to get entire rips or chunks taken out of them as easily as the others do.
So why not just skip these and go with the Dragons? Well, for most, that’s probably the right move for rough spots. The Bones X-Formula 97 wheels are more for the street skater looking to hit rough spots occasionally rather than most of the time. It’s a street wheel that can hit rough spots, not one you’d actively seek for rough streets every time. These wheels suit the skater who wants that level of board feel from a street wheel and skates slightly rough spots around 40% of the time.
The main reason you’d want these is if you skate smooth terrain and ledges a lot. These feel and slide exactly like a street formula wheel, just with the ability to hit lightly rougher pavement. If that sounds perfect, give them a try.
Read our full review of the Bones X Formula Wheels.
Why Do You Need a Special Soft Wheel Formula To Skate on Rough or Bumpy Pavement?
Street skateboard wheels typically have a harder durometer rating, such as 99a, 100a, or 101a. This hardness allows your wheels to powerslide and slide across ledges as you grind or do a slide trick. However, the drawback of harder street skateboard wheels is that you feel every bump and crack while you’re skating. On cracked, rough, or bumpy pavement, it becomes challenging to roll over obstacles because your wheels either don’t roll on it, or the vibrations are so distracting that you can’t pop your trick. This is where the softer street wheel formulas help you.
The lower the durometer rating of a skate wheel, the softer, or more pliable, rubbery, and smooth the urethane will be. The softer urethane helps with rolling over cracks and uneven surfaces because it squishes down and molds around the bumps instead of just smashing against them as you skate, forcing your legs to absorb the shock. Because of this, a soft durometer wheel offers a smoother feeling, cruiser-like ride with added shock absorption and grip. However, the downside for street or ledge skating is that soft wheels are generally too grippy to slide across ledges.
The Powell Dragon, Spitfire 93, and Bones X Formula wheels solve this by offering a balanced formula. They’re a softer skateboard wheel that is specifically designed to feel and slide closely to a traditional harder street skateboarding wheel.
Steve Weber is the passionate snowboarder, skateboarder, and author behind Board of the World. He understands that most gear reviews focus on having the perfect snow conditions, but his testing methodology is different. Living in Pennsylvania, Steve describes exactly how a board performs when the conditions aren’t perfect. His reviews cover performance on ice, hardpack, and flat-out brick conditions. In other words, he reviews boards for the conditions that East Coast riders actually face.
Bringing 27 years of East Coast snowboarding and 21 years of skateboarding experience, Steve is a 42-year-old intermediate park rider. His recommendations are informed by decades of battling icy conditions, ensuring every review accounts for the board’s performance on the roughest of terrain.
For the last five years, Steve has poured his passion into writing in-depth, unbiased reviews that help riders make informed decisions about the gear they’ll use. He also works part-time at a snowboard shop in Northeastern Pennsylvania, which gives him a direct line to learning about the new gear tech months in advance. When he’s not writing reviews, Steve is often found riding at Montage Mountain and testing out new boards.
Steve’s goal with Board of the World is simple: to help every reader find the right gear so they can have fun outside from the first time they use it.