Gumballs?

LDPanda · Gumballs?

Have you tried 'em? If so, in what duro(s)? What's your impressions? If possible, can you compare them to BigZigs, Speedvents, Otangs, Avilas or any other standard LDP wheel?

Bullwings

no LDP experience on them, but i've used them for carving on my vanguard. it was in 78a duro.

My impression is that they're not as grippy as any of the other wheels you've mentioned. I found that i had a relatively easy time breaking them loose while carving on a very mild pitched hill (and this was when i just started longboarding).

They were pretty smooth though, which was nice. Other than that, I haven't been on them in over a year now, so I can't really remember much, other than that i didn't think they were that stellar. Nothing wrong with them, just nothing great about them either comes to mind.

Comparison wheels for me are, hotspots (in black ops), 73mm speedvents (black ops), and 76mm superballs. I really like the 73mm speedvents, they "feel" fast and are easy to pump. I prefer the superballs though because they don't have a core and really absorb crappy surfaces well.

pavedwave

That's mostly what I ride -- I don't even have an official set of 75mm BigZigs. I bought five or six sets of 76mm Gumballs in the new retro thane when it first came out, and thats mostly what I rode over the last couple years. Also have some of the original green thane Gummies.

The main difference from BigZigs is that the Gumball shape has a rounded radiused lip, so slightly less traction. But for flatland pumping, I find it negligible. Otangs, Vents, and Avilas all have a sharper or more defined outer lip. The retro Gummies have served me well and the only ones that are showing significant fissures and small chunks are the Pinks.

If you were going to try out the original green Gumballs you'd probably find them a lot more slidey at speed, and a little bit slower on the flats.

jat.

Gumballs are my Dervish wheels, meaning their one purpose in life is to power slide. Now don't get me wrong, I've skate plenty of long distances on these just fine, but compared to my lime bigz these are not cutting it in roll speed or grip. They're loads of fun though, I just don't think these will satisfy your LDP needs if you've already tried superior wheels.

Bullwings

ah, that explains alot. i had the original gumballs and not the new retro thane.

pavedwave

Yeah I've found that the shape of these two wheels (BZ vs Gumball) is a lot less important than the quality of the urethane. That's why the retro Gummies work great for me. I've actually gotten to like the way I can make them grind just a little when I really feel like cranking the turns (not practical for distance, just pumping hard and sliding intentionally) -- whereas my old reliable green Gummies stay on my cruiser board.

randelpink03

just bought some brand new pink gummys of a kid on the fish. Never even ridden yet! Mucho testing to be had once I mount them. I still have not ridden anything better than the black ops avilas though, but seeing pavedwaves post on the gummys I couldn't pass them up.

Ian the Groove Worshipper

Just a thought -
If you already have all of those other 75-77mm wheels, why not branch out?
Broadening your experience can be enlightening
And those Gumballs will be more similar to your other wheels than not
I'd say, try some 85mm Vents instead

randelpink03

Yeah this will be my 3rd set in the 75 to 76 mm range. I have tried a few smaller wheels, mainly ZZ and 4prez but I love the added roll speed of the 75 mill. Plus my sub just got repaved and the black top is sooo smooth that I cant even feel the pavement!

85mm??? theres no way I could make those fit! I still get some moderate wheel bite on my current setup with the avilas and thats with 1/8" pad, khiro wedge and 15* khiro risers. Cant imagine how much more I would have to add. Does anyone else rock 80mm+ sized wheels??? Thanks for the suggestion, but my deck is almost 5" tall as it is!

egret

speaking of 85 mm vents, didn't you order some, Ian?

What do you think of them?

I tried the 77 mm purple and am am not digging them too much. The Big Zigs and Otangs just perform better for me. I'm curious how the 85 mm are. The ones I have maybe are too light and don't hold momentum, dunno, or maybe too hard. I have particularly good and particularly bad sessions and the vents became the common denominator on the bad ones. I'm going to wait for summer when the pavement gets hot and I'll try them again.

I wonder if the 85 mm may have more weight yet not too much, around the same as BZ's.

(I apologize for the attempted thread hijack)

RiPPer

I still feel that 75/76mm without the big core makes the best wheel size/style for distance pumping or pushing.