Why the 97mm?

I know this has been brought up countless times by a number of people (i made sure to read through them all just in case my answer was buried somewhere within those threads) but I'm really torn on the 97mm Abec 11's. I know they're significantly better than the stock 83mm street wheels but I'm really curious as to the real difference. I put on my street kit for the first time yesterday after a flat and I absolutely love having the board a little closer to the ground. It was such a smooth and fun ride, until I hit the bumpy asphalt... That's when I felt literally everything, and the noise made by the tires just sounded awful. (Which is so odd because i've long boarded for a long time and never had that issue on a non-electric board) But I really want to know if i'll notice the difference over rough asphalt in particular. I know it won't be the same as the ATs and i'm okay with sacrificing that for how comfortable i felt on the board, but where I live rocky asphalt and uneven sidewalks are the norm. Will these actually give me a sense of comfort hitting those bumps in the sidewalk without worry that i'll be thrown from the board?

TLDR; I just want to know if these will provide a more comfortable enjoyable ride over sticks, small bumps in the sidewalk, and rocky asphalt in comparison to the 83mm. (also the street wheels are rated at 76a but they seemed extremely hard for a 76a wheel, am I crazy? Or are they harder than the Abec wheels?)

 

I can only compare the 97mm to the at tires and the Kegels on my b.b. I think the 97mm are the best all around. Run smoother than the kegels, handle better than the at tires.

 

The 97's definitely help with the bumps and sticks and I don't use smaller wheels solely because of this issue.

Since the 97's are bigger they will feel softer due to your finger having more rubber to push through before the resitance of the hub pushes back on your finger. Hopefully that's clear it's quite hard to explain.

 

The 97s are much better. 75a is noticably different from 78a, BTW.

That said, AT is much MUCH better for rough pavement. They do raise the height, and make it basically impossible to slide on pavement though.

107s, are amazing in any hardness. I still feel low enough that it feels "natural". They are very quiet, and dampen everything. They make the Bamboo GT ride nicer than the Boosted V2, IMHO. I also like how they, to me, seem more porpotional. They're hard to find, and have to be narrowed, but it definitely worth the effort, again IMHO.

 

I really appreciate the replies! If i had the means to narrow the wheels i would get a set of 107s without a doubt, but i don't necessarily have the vice to make it as even as i would need it to be. But i think I'm going to get a set of 97s to try them out, if they're as amazing as everyone says I'll eventually give the 107s a shot as well.

 

where can i order does, it is always sold out on the evolve site?!

 

I've noticed the same pretty much everywhere. Evolve is sold out and it seems like the rest of the internet is out as well sadly.

 

After riding both at and 97, I prefer 97's. AT is great if heading on to seriously rough or off road tracks but never had an issue on 97's and they roll and carve so much better!! I found them from evolve Germany.

 

You've ventured into a realm of subjectivity, my friend. If people have only ever ridden on one size of ABEC11 Flywheel, they will tell you that size of Flywheel is the best above all others (usually by saying something along the lines of "##mm all the way baby!"). Do you know why that is? It's because of the quality of the thane and the duro. They're not really commenting on the size as much as they are the quality of the ABEC11 Flywheel thane and the duro, which is far and away a million times better than the Evolve stock wheels. However, 97mm isn't essential to this improved feeling that you get from the ABEC11 Flywheel thane and duro. 90mm Flywheels achieve the exact same thing.

Is there a little more cushioning that can be garnered from an extra 3.5mm of wheel? Sure, of course, but we're talking about the law of diminishing returns here.

The bigger the wheel the higher the (short term) top speed, but you also lose torque and range and add weight and shorten battery life. This is why I think the 90mm option is the forgotten (and probably best) option. All of the strengths of the ABEC11 Flywheel thane and duro, slightly increased (short term) top speed over the stock wheels, but you don't lose as much torque, range and added weight and shortened battery life as you would with the 97s.

I also object to people saying "I only ride AT's because street wheels are too dangerous" or "I only ride 97mm because they roll over everything/every stone, crack and twig of death". In other words, "Only ride AT or 97s or YOU'LL DIE!" Seriously? 80mm Kegels roll over everything and flick out the way or snap everything else too! And they're 3mm smaller than the stock wheel! How? Again it's the quality of the thane in Orangatang wheels.

Why are the Evolve GT stock street wheels so bad? Crappy, cheap, Chinese thane. I heard somewhere you can pick these up for about $10 a set from China.

Yes, you should swap out your stock wheels for something else, but whether that's 80mm Orangatang Kegels or ABEC11 Flywheels of any size doesn't really matter. Just get those rubbish Chinese things off of your board before they crumble off!

(I've ridden 80mm, 83mm, 90mm, 97mm, AT).

 

Well after that i think I've definitely had everything i wanted to know answered. Thank you for the more in depth description on a larger range of wheels outside of the normal 83 and 97mm. I've ridden a lot of wheels on my longboards but never abecs due to how large they are. But the stock evolve just felt cheap, even compared to the 30 dollar pair of butterballs I have on my sliding board, so thanks for the confirmation on that. I'm probably going to try out a set of 90s if I can find them anywhere and hopefully they'll be what I'm looking for. Thanks again!

 

I, mostly, agree with RejectBabylon.

I've ridden all these too, in various brands, and more. And, for me, the jump from 90s to 97s wasn't nearly as dramatic as 97, to 107s. 107s have all the drawbacks you're aware of, but the adavatages are real and were above my expectation. If you want a smooth, quite ride, that still feels "street" find some 107s, rent (or buy) an electric planer to cheaply to modify them easily (no vise needed, and go for the 38t drive gears.

If they don't meet your expectations, and you do a clean planing job, I'll buy them from you for your cost plus 15%. I don't think you consider selling. I think you'll really enjoy them, if your OK with the issues of reduced range (if doing a lot of stop/go), weight, price, sourcing them, planer rental a etc...

 

Interesting. I'd certainly like to give them a go. For most people however, the trade offs are too high (particularly if you're on the Bamboo). And if you're a plug-n-play guy, like me, some of the appeal of going that big also washes off; too much messing around. Messing with the integrity of the wheel and/or belt covers etc isn't really up my ally.

To each their own though. Still not adverse to giving them a go, but 90-97 Flywheels and AT wheels is enough for most people to get the most out of their boards.

 

I tried the stock 83mm street wheels and found that i clipped the motors going over dropped crossings; so much so it knocked one of my motors out of alignment - So I went back the AT wheels and thought these are perfect for whatever the pavement surface is like and they are; the only thing for me is the severely reduced range. I read about the 97mm abecs and went and bought some and tried them and yeah they handle things better than the 83mm but they still get twitchy over dropped crossings and especially tactile paving so much so that I went back the AT wheels. Like Rejectbabylon said; this is all subjective and my opinion.

 

I recently upgraded my wheels from the stock streets on the GT Bamboo to the 97's ABEC Flywheels. I personally find the difference to be great. What you lose in acceleration (off a cold start), you more than make up for on cruising speed. They rolllllllllllll and feel terrific. Is it worth the $150 investment? I guess that would all depend on what you can afford and how much you want to invest in after-market upgrades. Footnote: I upgraded the wheel bearings to Bronson G3's at the same time ($30). Very happy with my new set up.

At the end of the day I think it's a bit of a "horses for courses" type of scenario. Hope that helps.