pavedwave longboarding

barefootboarder · Joined: 28 May 2008 Posts: 51 Location: England

Thanks James. I've moved house recently and my new local trail is a bit rough, although nearer the beach! Razz

- I'm pleased to know that the Avilas will be fine as I really like them.... they look like giant sweeties Very Happy

Bullwings · Joined: 01 Aug 2008 Posts: 62

My Earth Wing 76mm Superballs came in.

First off, when i took the plastic wrap off of them, they were so sticky that they were sticking to each other. I was holding one wheel, and the other three were litterally hanging on to each other through pure stickiness.

So, for wheel comparisons. I've used three wheels so far in my LDP career - 69mm hotspots (81a up front and 78a in back) in the black ops formula, 73mm speed vents (80a) in black ops formula, and now these 76mm EW superballs.

The superballs are by far the plushiest and smoothest ride out there. I don't know exactly what rebound is, roll speed, etc. etc. is. What i do know is that these are smooth and cushy. There were a ton of rocks on one of the roads i was on, and it was spitting them out without the slightest feeling of being thrown off of the board. Rolling over the crappier asphalt felt great too, because i couldn't really feel it. Also, since they're so massive (no core like speed vents), they just roll forever.

I haven't been on the 72a avilas, but these superballs are definitely nice. They're super sticky and grippy too. I've heard rumors of them being grippier than avilas - possibly hype, i wouldn't know from personal experience. They are nice though. If people think they're slow, ah well, they're probably not riding miles and miles on crappy asphalt. Wish i could have ridden further to test the limits more, but my ass and hamstrings are super sore from snowboarding.

northcoast · Joined: 09 Sep 2008 Posts: 64

Bullwings · Joined: 01 Aug 2008 Posts: 62

^^^

I agree. It definitely is not a beginner wheel or good to learn to pump on. It holds its momentum well, but is harder to get going.

Anyway, it appears that these wheels are being discontinued... Earth Wing is replacing them with the Superballs OBombers. They are a white 76mm x 50mm wheel. It appears as if their whole line of wheels is being replaced or revamped.

I know nothing about the new wheels or if anything has really changed, but if you're dying to try these out, you better get them while they last. thelongboardstore and milehighskate no longer carries them.

you can still find them at daddiesboardshop and a few other places, but i'm pretty sure it's only while supplies last.

model.citizen · Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 4:33 pm Post subject:

Tell me more about the 72a Avilas...

I've been looking for something myself that'll handle the varied conditions of roads and footpaths down here in NZ but i've always been a little worried that there will be too much trade off between speed and comfort.

I'm running 78a Tarantula STRs on my Walkabout at the moment, and they're a nice wheel, but skip all over the place when hitting any chipsealed road (which, for some reason, alot of good hills around here are).

I've got 83a 77mm Speedvents on a Rayne also, they roll over things a little more nicely but still feel nasty on the rough stuff.

Do the Avilas make a huge difference in speed at that duro?

Thanks!

LDPanda · Joined: 21 Nov 2008 Posts: 418 Location: Seattle, WA

I just got my 73a clear red Avilas today. Im running them on the back with bigzig 80a (limes) up front. I was riding on a mildly slippery trail (it didnt rain today but there was a lot of fog and the trail was far from dry), i couldnt make them slide even when i tried. I pushed my weight into them in the spots that looked wetter and zero slippage. Im pretty darn impressed. Admittedly, theyre straight out of the box and havent had a chance to break in, but still, darn grippy. I cant really speak to the speed factor, i didnt notice anything different but i dont time my runs. Im pretty sold on Avilas, i like the wide contact area. Next time i buy wheels ill prolly grab some avilas for the front too.

model.citizen · Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 5:15 pm Post subject:

cool.

Do you hit much chipseal at all?

The main problem i've been finding on the rough stuff here (chipseal, those funny speed ripple things on footpaths) is the wobbling/chattering of the front truck when rolling over this stuff - makes the board kinda drift all over the place.
I'm thinking/hoping that something real soft will make those surfaces finally rideable.

Maybe i'll just bite the bullet and get some of the red Avilas...at least if (for some reason) they don't work well for me for LDP (ie slow) then I can slap them on another deck for slow/controlled half-boozed downhill excursions.

LDPanda · Joined: 21 Nov 2008 Posts: 418 Location: Seattle, WA

I dont hit much chipseal on my usual route, but i met up with james today on the trail and we went on some unfamiliar territory. It was a little rougher than im used to, but still no slippage. I cant really say about how they perform on the roughest of terrain, but if james vouches for em on the stp, id say theyre the best. As a side note, if it were me, i wouldnt run the red avilas in front, id go for whites in front and reds in the rear for nasty roads. My bet is that combo would be plenty cushy for your needs without sacrificing the kind of speed you might lose with such soft wheels in front. Sk8kings sells them in pairs and carries both duros.

pavedwave · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 1120 Location: seattle wa usa

yeah that was great checkin out your setup today! uber smooth.

i would definitely recommend 72a's for chipseal, and since I learned just last year they laid 10 miles of fresh new chipseal on the STP, and the RSVP had even more, I'll be mounting up the 72a's both front and back. I think that's totally wise to have the red-rear, white-front for most semi-nasty conditions (like that Kenmore section of the Burke trail) but for long, extended bouts on chipseal, I'd go softeees all around.

and from what Sheldon told me about his ride across NZ early last year, there were huge stretches of solid chipseal that were literally maddening, so I do empathize with you MC! you may be surprised how well they do hold speed even back on the smooth stuff. yet another thing to "test" on the cyber mile? Exclamation