Hey guys, so with the 2018 season kicking off with the Maryhill Ratz Spring Free-4-all, we noticed a lot of people asking which is the best wheel for the event.
The guys behind the counter at Motion Boardshop have been skating Maryhill for years now without missing a single Maryhill Ratz Free Ride event, so we have quite a bit of experience testing different types of wheels on that road and are confident that we have a good understanding of the best wheels for the free ride events.
For starters we recommend a wheel that has a lot of grip, this is because the hard corners and high speeds of Maryhill, also you do not need to slide on Maryhill so it is best to get a wheel that can grip all weekend long. Fresh wheels with skin, the mold release, still intact typically hold up better on the hill than wheels that are already broken in or stone ground. Our next recommendation is to use a wheel with sharp square lips. Wheels with sharp square lips have a large increase in traction compared to wheels with rounded lips. Often times we are trying to push ourselves to achieve higher speeds as well as maintain a strong amount of grip, for this case we recommend a fresh square lipped wheel that feature a large core. A large core increases the amount of support of the urethane wheel, increasing roll speed, acceleration and in many cases the amount of grip a wheel has to offer.
The Maryhill Ratz Spring Free-for-All is a two day event, and we have seen as many as 40 runs taken throughout the weekend so we recommend searching for a wheel that can maintain its fresh mold release skin for the duration of the event. Wheels that typically hold up well are poured in a high rebound formula creating a much more resilient wheel that wears slow and maintains an incredible amount of grip. Wheels with this high rebound formula also are general quicker than wheels poured in a more forgiving formula, so naturally the faster, grippier wheels are our favorites.
Some wheels we recommend for high amounts of grip, speed, and long life are the following:
Poured in a super high rebound formula with the extremely strong and supportive Venom Cobra Core this wheel is one of our favorites for Maryhill, for the average downhill skateboarder this wheel is sure to last all weekend long with no worries of scrubbing around corners.
The 78mm Magnum Mach One is the extra large big brother to the classic Mach One. Same formula and core as the 76mm Mach One but an extra 2mm of height and a 9mm wider contact patch. This wheel also feature much thicker square lips creating even more grip around corners. This is our wheel of choice wheel if your board will allow it without getting wheel-bite.
Powell: 75mm Krimes Race Wheel
Kevin Reimer pro model Race Wheel, If you are looking for a faster wheel and not so much worried about needing to put on another set of freshies for day two we would recommend picking up a few sets of these. Extreme grip and roll speed when fresh but the urethane does wear quicker than other wheel options and the grip and speed start to quickly fade once you break through the wheels mold release.
Seismic: 75.5mm Alpha Defcon Formula
Brand new to the market so we have not tested these out yet but you can bet that you will see us riding them at the upcoming free ride! From what we know about these wheels and information we gathered from testing many other types of wheels we have a strong feeling that these are going to be the wheels to get for this season. the 76a Mango Defcon formula is a super high rebound formula that offers incredible grip and has a mind boggling long life time. This wheel also offers an extremely large and wide core that supports the wheel like no other downhill wheel currently on the market. This is sure to greatly increase the amount of roll speed a 75.5mm wheel can offer and the grip due to the large soft lips being extremely well supported.
Cuei: 74mm Killers Power Formula
Cuei killers power formula is a incredibly resilient urethane formula that so far has lasted the longest amount of time for us on the hill. With an amazing amount of grip this wheel is a great choice if you only want to buy one set of wheels and are not worried about breaking speed records.
Generally Softer wheels have more grip, but wear faster, and harder wheels wear slower and have more acceleration. Keep all these things in mind when choosing which wheels you want to ride! if you have any questions about any of this information or about the Maryhill Ratz and the free ride events please do not hesitate to give us a call or shoot us an email at Info@motionboardshop.com
SEE YOU AT THE FREE RIDE!!!!
-mobots