Bones STF Advice

bretaincrab3 · April 2020

First off, wanted to say I've been lurking this subreddit for awhile and what an awesome community this is.

Secondly, I just bought some Bones STF V2 53mm wheels because they seem to be pretty recommended around the internet and were reasonably priced at my local shop. The issue is while riding them, I noticed my speed seems to be slower than my previous wheels that were also 53mm. I noticed I have to push twice as much to get the same speed results. This may sound like a dumb question, but is this something that I will need to get used too? Or are they relatively slower in general? Don't get me wrong though, I love the wheels. They're loud and HARD. I'm new to skateboarding so any advice would be appreciated.

Some background: I ride a lot of pavement and sidewalks. Jumping up and down curbs, and hitting really small stair cases. Just some really basic beginners skating.

brigade_bill · April 2020

welcome to the forum! and maybe u have slow bearings also how much did u pay for them

SkaterRick · April 2020

What duro/hardness were the old wheels? That likely accounts for a lot of it. 103a STFs are hard. Harder wheels aren't going to give for cracks, rough surface, expansion joints, etc. I've pitched myself off on expansion joints more than once. In addition I think having a narrower contact patch on rougher surfaces hurts speed as well. Conversely, I think that narrower wheels on a very hard, smooth surface will go faster due to decreased friction with the ground. I have loved my Bones V1 and Spitfire Classic wheel shapes in parks. They are fast, lightweight and slidey, but I don't ride them anywhere else.