If you want to have a lot more fun skating bowl, you need to have the right set of wheels. I first started skating bowl with a set of 51mm wheels, would pump like my life depended on it, and still couldn’t come close to matching the speeds of other skaters. So I thought that maybe I didn’t quite have the “technique” until I bought a new set of wheels and my whole life changed.
Suddenly skating bowls felt effortless, gaining speed was easy, and if I pumped hard enough, my cheeks would jiggle in the wind after reaching Mach 1.
Ok, maybe that’s an exaggeration.
But what isn’t an exaggeration is how significant your wheel choice is when skating bowls and pools. Whether you’re a casual carver, a coping connoisseur, or a vert phenom, your wheel choice will directly impact how well you can skate.
So let’s break down what exactly makes a good skateboard wheel for the bowl and talk about some good wheel options if you’re in the market for a set.
What Are The Best Type Of Wheels For Skating Bowl?
The best wheels for skating bowl are ones with a diameter of 54mm – 58mm, with a durometer between 97a and 100a. Wider wheels with a larger contact patch are ideal for providing extra traction when sharply carving. These wheel specs will make keeping speed much easier in the bowl.
To understand the advantages of these diameters and durometers, we need to dive a little deeper.
Since we are talking about dedicated bowl wheels, the goal is to roll as fast as possible without sacrificing grip when doing tight carves. This is especially important when skating pools where the transition is often steeper, forcing your carves to tighten up. Let’s break down the advantages of the different aspects of these wheel specs.
– Choosing Wheel Size For Bowls
Larger wheel size is key for gaining speed and keeping your momentum going. The reason for this simply comes down to the leverage a larger wheel has over the axle.
Without getting too sciency, let me slip on my lab coat and explain how this works.
When you are on a teeter-totter, the further away you sit from the other person, the easier it is to lift them. That’s because the further away from the weight you are, the more leverage you have when moving it.
Another example is when turning a tight bolt. With a shorter wrench, you will have a super hard time untightening the bolt because you’re close to it, therefore losing leverage over the bolt. By using a longer wrench, suddenly, the bolt loosens off easier.
Now bringing this back to skateboard wheels, a larger wheel extends further from the axle than a smaller wheel. This means as the wheel spins, the extra leverage the wheel has against the friction of your axle allows it to spin for longer and faster than a smaller wheel. With a smaller wheel, that friction against your axle and bearings starts to overcome the leverage the wheel has, therefore slowing it down faster.
To add to this, a larger wheel covers a larger distance per revolution, making it technically travel farther at an equivalent speed. So with these two factors of leverage and ground coverage, larger wheels are ideal for skating bowl since they keep your speed going with less effort.
For a dedicated set of bowl wheels, something between 54mm and 58mm is ideal. If you plan to skate ledges, rails, and other street features, opting for the smaller end of this range would be best.
– Choosing Wheel Durometer For Bowls
Next to consider is the wheel durometer, which is the wheel’s hardness. Durometer is measured on a 100-point scale known as the A scale. The closer the wheel is to 100, the harder the wheel is. So that means an 87a wheel would be much softer than a 99a wheel. The “a” represents which durometer scale is being used for measurement.
With that said, some manufacturers choose to use the B scale for durometer ratings. This scale is the equivalent of 20 points less than the A scale. So, for example, a wheel rated 79b would be the same hardness as a 99a wheel.
Besides this technical scale rating that you probably don’t care about, the wheel hardness changes how much grip a wheel has, along with how smooth it rides.
The higher the durometer of a wheel, the less grip it will have. That’s because a harder wheel has less friction compared to a soft wheel, allowing you to pivot and powerslide much easier. This is awesome for street skating, but it can be much easier to wash out of a carve for bowl skating.
Since a higher durometer wheel is harder, it will also roll faster on smooth surfaces because there is less resistance force. Think of how much faster you can pedal a bike with inflated versus flat tires. Since most bowls, pools, and vert ramps have smooth surfaces, going with a harder durometer is a better option because the wheel will roll smoothly, and you don’t need to worry about vibrations.
That’s why the ideal skateboard wheel durometer for bowls is between 97a and 100a. You still have sufficient grip for carving in this range while still having a hard wheel that holds speeds.
– Wheel Contact Patch
The contact patch of a wheel is the surface that actually rolls on the ground. All skateboard wheels vary in shape, especially with the contact patch’s size. In general, a larger contact patch is better for bowl skating because it offers better traction, even at a higher durometer. This is because there is more surface area on the ground, increasing the amount of friction (aka traction) the wheel has.
So besides the ideal diameter and durometer of your wheel, opting for a wider wheel with a large contact patch will help with stability and grip at high speeds.
With all these factors in mind, a few wheels stand out as some of my favorite wheels for bowl skating. Many of these wheels I’ve skated myself over the years or have heard from friends how great they are. So If you’re looking to get a new set of wheels to help slay your next bowl session, listen up.
The 4 Best Wheels For Skating Bowl & Pools
1. Spitfire Formula Four Conical (99a)
Wheel Profile – Wide
Wheel Shape – Conical Full Shape
Color – Blue & White
Size Options – 52mm, 53mm, 54mm, 58mm
Best For – All-Around Bowl Skating
| Size | 52mm | 53mm | 54mm | 58mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Width (MM) | 32.5 | 33.5 | 34 | 37 |
| Contact Patch (MM) | 21 | 21.5 | 22 | 27.3 |
These wheels in the 54mm and 58mm sizes are some of the best for bowl skating for several reasons. The first is the Formula Four urethane Spitfire makes these wheels with. This urethane makes the wheels have insane grip, are harder to flat spot, and roll as smooth as butter. These wheels almost feel like you’re surfing for carving bowls because it feels so effortless to maintain speed.
Another advantage to these wheels is how wide they are. With a conical shape, they have a larger contact patch with less of a beveled edge like other wheels do. This wider profile significantly impacts grip, even with really tight carves.
These wheels are technically rated “99d,” but that’s Spitfire’s way of saying it has a 99a durometer. At this hardness, it’s a great all-around wheel for carving and coping tricks that require a bit of sliding.
If you opt for the 54mm, you could get away without a riser. However, with the 58mm wheels, I’d suggest getting a 1/8″ riser to help avoid wheel bite. Something that’s very likely when airing out of a bowl or turning sharply with 58’s.
2. Spitfire Formula Four Conical (101a)
Wheel Profile – Wide
Wheel Shape – Conical Full Shape
Color – Red & White
Size Options – 52mm, 53mm, 54mm, 58mm
Best For – Coping Focused Bowl Skating
| Size | 52mm | 53mm | 54mm | 58mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Width (MM) | 32.5 | 33.5 | 34 | 37 |
| Contact Patch (MM) | 21 | 21.5 | 22 | 27.3 |
Although the exact same wheel as the first, this version is a fair bit harder, making the wheels slide easier. For coping-focused tricks, these wheels are awesome since they can pivot and slide into and out of tricks better than the first set of wheels on the list.
These wheels still have a large contact patch that’s perfect for keeping you secure through your carves. They just make things smoother once it comes time to lock a grind into the coping.
Just like the last set of Spitfires, these wheels are technically rated as 101d, but that’s just the equivalent to 101a. Opt for the 54mm or 58mm wheels for bowl-specific skating, ideally getting a 1/8″ riser for the 58’s.
If you love doing tricks on the coping more than just casual carving or doing airs, then this wheel is the one you should go with.
3. OJ Elite Hardline (99a)
Wheel Profile – Wide
Wheel Shape – Hard Line
Color – Gold/Black and White
Size Options – 53mm, 54mm, 55mm, 56mm, 58mm
Best For – All-Around Bowl Skating
| Size | 53mm | 54mm | 55mm | 56mm | 58mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Width (MM) | 33.6 | 34.3 | 34.8 | 35.6 | 36 |
| Contact Patch (MM) | 23 | 23.4 | 23 | 23.7 | 23.8 |
Last summer, I gave these wheels a try on my bowl setup, and they quickly became one of the favorite wheels I’ve ever skated. They are super wide and have a wider contact patch for smaller diameters than Spitfire. It’s also nice that there are more size options to choose from. I went with the 55mm, and I haven’t had any issues despite not having risers.
With that said, if you are going for a larger diameter like 58mm, the Spitfires would be a better choice because they have a significantly larger contact patch, offering a better grip.
These wheels are made with OJ’s “way too fast” urethane that helps keep these wheels durable and fast. Despite this, I did find these wheels to flat spot easier than Spitfires. To make up for that, though, these wheels roll incredibly fast and have a stone ground surface out of the box. This textured surface on the wheel ensures there’s no break-in period, and you can skate hard from day one.
For just about any style of bowl skater, you’ll be super happy with these wheels.
4. Powell Peralta G-Bones (97a)
Wheel Profile – Wide
Color – Green
Size Options – 64mm
Best For – Casual Bowl Cruisers
| Size | 64mm |
|---|---|
| Width (MM) | 42 |
| Contact Patch (MM) | 28.2 |
Although these wheels are significantly larger than the ideal size range for bowl skating, they are perfect for a specific style of skater. These wheels could be perfect if you don’t care so much about airs or coping tricks. They are some of the smoothest wheels you’ll skate, roll quietly, and absolutely rip in the bowl. For those who love to just pump around the bowl, these wheels are fantastic.
Since there is just one size, you’ll definitely need to get a riser before using these. A 1/2″ riser should do the trick for this diameter.
This wheel is also the softest on the list, meaning it grips like crazy but somehow will still slide when you want it to. It also rolls over bumps and small rocks more smoothly than other wheels, which can be ideal in some bowls and pools with uneven cement.
So for the casual bowl skater, these are certainly worthwhile and super fun to skate on.
The right set of wheels for your type of skating will depend on what kinds of tricks you want to do. For example, if you want to get better at coping tricks like slashes and grinds, a harder wheel durometer would be the way to go. On the other hand, if you are just wanting a wheel that rolls fast in the bowl and makes carving more enjoyable, a more in-between wheel like 97a or 99a is a better option.
But with all that said, if you still can’t make a decision, go with the Spitfire Formula Four 99a’s. These wheels are super long-lasting, roll fast, grip well, and work for all types of bowl and pool skating. You can pick up a set of the Spitfire 99a’s on Amazon or at Tactics Boardshop.
Happy Shredding!
– Brendan 🙂
