ISSA - International Slalom Skateboarding Association

Here's what I usually use, no matter the temps. My choice is more influenced by course and hill.

Tight --> 89a 66mm Zigs or 92a 63mm Hot Spots on the front, 86a or 89a 66mm Zigs rear.

Hybrid --> 89a 70mm Zigs on the front, 86a 70mm Zigs on the rear. I've been experimenting with the 84a 69mm PPS Conecrushers on the rear and they feel great. They feel harder than listed and a lot faster then the 80a, more like the 86a Zigs...

GS --> 89a 70mm Zigs or 86a 75mm BigZigs on the front, 86a 70mm Zigs or 75mm BigZigs on the rear. I've been experimenting with the 85a BlackOps Avila on the rear. Only done two sessions last fall before the snow came, and me likey!

That all makes a lot of sense, most of the guys I race against are light weights compared to me, so I will persevere with the harder duros. Like you suggest, if I am running flat tyres I am gonna be slow. I will try and give the 84 Grippens a go on the rear this week.

John, I agree with Jani, as I think most people would. Why? Because TS and GS typically make very different demands of a wheel. GS tends to have wider, more drawn-out turns (across the fall line) that favor traction, while TS tends to have much quicker, less offset turns (down the fall line) that favor snappiness and fast reaction; they still need some grip, obviously, but not as much as GS. (This is also why some riders will shave down the width or the lip of their wheels for TS; by shaving off some or all of the flexible lip(s) of the wheel, the wheels react even more quickly to turns instead of "mushing" or flattening out.) So yes, most riders can and do use softer wheels for GS than for TS.

That's the general "rule." However, as Robert and Philip point out, some people find that if the weather and/or pavement gets really hot, a firmer wheel might actually offer better traction than an overly soft wheel. Also, although the durometer of a wheel is "fixed," how it actually feels is somewhat relative, depending on the rider's weight. An 80A wheel may feel firm and cushy and fast to someone who weighs 120 lbs., but to someone who weighs 260 lbs., that same wheel may feel extremely mushy, like trying to drive your car on underinflated tires. That explains why Philip, Miguel "Mig" Marco and other bigger guys tend to ride harder wheels. For them, an 86A or 89A rides more like a softer durometer does for lightweight riders.

I often find softer wheels a bit slippery when it´s hot, regardless of pavement.

Hi Guys, I have been experimenting of late with harder duro wheels, Being damn hot here in Australia, especially in summer. I have found Orange + Zigzags work really well and boy are they fast. I am gonna give some 84 Grippens a go too, on the rear of the same set up. I haven't had any problems with the original 80a green/lime Zigs I just wanna see how the fair and if they offer enough grip in the heat. Obviously come the cooler months i guess I will have to down shift the duros of the wheels and probably the bushings too, I find Pink/Green Reflex combo barrels work well, but the white Khiro is better in cooler conditions. Let me know what you have tried and failed/succeeded with in hot conditions, and what are your general feelings on this subject.

Yes, I think that's most often true. I have a hard time imagining the reverse.

In TS Ramon and some of the best Euros typically use 90A and sometimes even harder. I think you'd very rarely see that in TS.

/Jani

Lets say conditions (temp and pavement) are constant, do most riders tend to use softer wheel duros for GS than for TS?