Doing tricks in the streets and carving around bowls is what draws most people to skateboarding, but it’s not the only way to enjoy riding a board. Riding a board with cruiser wheels is a great way to ease your way into learning the fundamentals of skateboarding. They’re also good for finding new skate spots, general transportation, and they make filming smoother and easier.
Cruiser wheels are softer on the spectrum of skateboard wheels. Typically, skateboard wheels range on a durometer scale from 75a-101a. The lower the number, the softer the wheel, and the higher the number, the harder the wheel. Cruiser wheels fall in the 78a-92a range. Having a softer construction means that the wheel can absorb more of the vibrations from the ground, making the ride much smoother. Very soft wheels like OJ’s Super Juice will cruise extremely smooth, even on rougher pavement. Whereas a wheel likeRicta’s Clouds 92a will still be more smooth than a standard skateboard wheel, while still being hard enough to do some tricks and slide.
These wheels also tend to be on the wider and larger side so that they can easily run over small rocks, sticks and cracks without throwing yourself off of your board. Wheels come in a variety of sizes and different sizes excel in different situations. Larger wheels roll faster and hang up less on things, while smaller wheels keep the weight of your board setup down. With big, soft wheels you will want to use riser pads to avoid getting wheel-bite.
For more information on cruiser wheels, be sure to check out our guide on how to choose skateboard wheels or hit up our knowledgeable customer service team.
