Which ABEC11 97mm should I buy?

Question....I would like to purchase a set of street wheels and think the 97mm will be really nice.



Before purchasing these and finding the best deal (I can get them in NL for 129 euro in any choice or a little cheaper via Evolve but not the 81a so I have 2 questions:

1. Can I re-use the standard drive gear for the Evolve street set or do I need to purchase this one: Evolve kompatible Longboard Rollen : Evolve Drive Gear ABEC11
2. ABEC11 97 has several flavours: 75a, 78a, 81a which one would be the best choice?

appreciate your feedback

 

The stock evolve street hub works on the ABECs but not the clones. I'd go for the softest durameter, the 75a, that's what I run for that I want my board to stick as much as possible to the pavement.

 

Perfect, I will be ordering the ABEC11 97mm 75a!

 

I have 97mm ABEC11s, 75a & they're great street wheels! They have good traction on clean, smooth pavement but they do slip & slide over bumps &/or dirty pavement whilst carving hard & accelerating in Fast or GT modes.

 

Do these wheels need spacers?

 

yes.

 

They are fantastic at 75a, that's what I'm using and they carve like a dream.

 

Got hem, took 2 days for delivery via www.evolveskateboards.de and I paid 130 euro for delivery in NL. Other shops did not have stock at all for the 75a.

Did a quick ride today and they are less wide but because of the 97mm and 75a softness they absorb everything just a little better compared to stock gt street set. Gonna do some more riding tomorrow.

 

I think Evolve 83mm wheels are some special order to get that width, I ordered a set of 83mm clones and they're just as wide as 97s, same with my 90s.

 

Did around 20km with the new wheels and on nice asphalt they are super smooth, on the brick roads (which tend to be a little wet) they are a little slippery (looks like less, compared to GT street but not sure).

And on this type of roads (example images of the type of roads I am referring to) you do notice a smoother ride compared to GT street but AT would handle it much better:


1. These are the worst to drive on as there is a lot of vibration going on but ABECs do a much better job compared to GT standard set


2. Very doable but you will notice huge impact on speed and some good vibration will require some attention to the road.

So in short my advice......

1. Buy any Evolve board with the AT set as the standard
2. Buy a set of ABEC11 97mm 75a as an extra together with the right drive gear

 

cool post Thewhizzy thank you . Do you think the wheels are worth 130€ compared to the standard 83mm wheels? Can you go over street curbs with them? And have you noticed any range decrease? I would love to buy the AT wheels but sometimes I need 30km range, so I'am thinking about buying the 97mm wheels for my commutes .

 

The ABEC11 97mm 75a are definitely worth the 130 euro. Much smoother ride and they roll over a lot of things (small street curbs also) and absorb vibrations better. If you need range and comfort but are still using the "normal" roads this is what I would use.

For range I have not really noticed any difference. To be able to really check this I should ride the same road and test both setups. 30Km is also something you will only get on a flat road.

For anything more rough like dirt roads, higher curbs, long rides with cobble stones all the way you will need the AT setup to enjoy these rides.