88a 64 mm review
Posted on 2015-12-02
Good.
Lots of thane. These wheels thane the most out of any other wheel I have owned so far. (Getting the 84a soon so that might change) I have gotten thane dust on my hangers after a 45 minute session of 20 mph slides. Keep in mind that I am 110 pounds, so they will thane even more for heavier people. They are also ridiculously consistent. Over one of the largest cracks in my neighborhood, the wheel doesn't hook up unexpectedly.
Easy kickout and hookup. You can tell about 5 seconds beforehand when the wheels are about to hookup. Once you warm them up, the kickout is just barely enough to grip around corners, but you can kick it out at any time to shave a tiny bit of speed. If you haven't warmed them up by doing a couple of small slides before each session, the kickout and hookup are a little more abrupt. Once you warm them up though, it becomes a chalkyish, butteryish slide.
Small size. You can fit it on any setup. If 64 mm is still too big, don't worry. It will be smaller soon. Very soon. Also, these wheels are great for a park/pool setup in a pinch. On concrete, they are fast, but grippy due to their soft-ish duro for a park wheel.
Bad
Lots of thane. If you hold your slide at 90°, prepare for flatspots/ovals. But if they aren't too bad, you can do some long, glovedown slides below 90° to get rid of them. Also, you will have to rotate your wheels often so the size of all 4 are close to the same.
Small size. Not for downhill.
Not stone ground. I know, with the way they thane, it doesn't take long. It took me 30 minutes in 30 degree Fahrenheit weather doing 10 mph slides. For a heavier rider, or someone doing faster slides, it won't take nearly as long.
Slide feel
The slide feels very interesting. (In a good way) It is not quite in the pavement, but it isn't gliding over top like some other wheels I own. It almost feels like the center point of the wheel is gliding over the pavement, but the lip is dragging in the pavement. This makes the initiation very easy, like a icy wheel, but the actual slide very sugary.
Slide length
The slide is very long, and doesn't kill too much speed. (Not like some other wheels I own. Looking at you 86a Keanu.) But, because it is long doesn't mean it isn't controllable. If you are doing a toeside standup, you can easily pull it in whenever you want. You can also push these wheels past their normal hookup point if you want a little extra steeze. However I have found that if you do that, the wheels are more likely to flatspot. (That might just be the way that I push them out a bit more though)
All in all, this is one of the best wheels I think you can own if you like long sliding, thany wheels.
Lbibass out. (I couldn't post it on the 64 mm, wouldn't let me)