I haven't spoken to Andy for a few years now. We've not crossed paths since 2018; he doesn't do any freestyle events outside of Canada. I don't think he ever has actually, now I think about it. Even when we saw each other in Japan, he wasn't competing - he just happened to be there.

Yeah, it's a huge difference. Also recommended: risers and/or taller trucks and stiffer bushings. Low and wobbly setups are a nightmare for rail tricks!

@@FreestyleTricktips lol my trucks are 47mm tall and I ride 45mm wheels eventually I'll have to get a freestyle skateboard

There's a dozen other wheels I'd recommend over these. Where are you based? Happy to point you somewhere that you can get something more suitable for less money.

@FreestyleTricktips I'm based in Ireland I'm been trying to find offset wheels here but no luck

@@Justin-pq6bo Yeah, there's not a lot of options on this side of the pond. I run the only shop specialising in freestyle stuff in the UK (www.offsetskatesupply.co.uk), but post-Brexit you might be better off having a look across the pond at Decomposed's offerings (www.decomposedskateboards.com/).

@@FreestyleTricktips thank you for your help

@@Justin-pq6bo No worries. I hope you find something that works for you!

I'm very surprised by this. I used to love Darkstar's decks back in 2001, but from what I've seen, they're basically just doing bottom-end stuff for children and beginners now?

Oh, god. I'd not even thought about what Dragon urethane + water would do. These were already sliding out on dry and grippy asphalt - a small amount of drizzle and you might as well be on ice.

Valid question. I'm going to pass it on to my secretary who'll look at my calendar and get back to you. (I don't have a secretary.)

Glad I could help. I think this is one of those tricks that a lot of people make the same basic mistakes on, though.

This is the thing: if you've never used any actual freestyle wheels, these will seem great. Like I said in the video, in the early 2000s, we would have killed for these! But in 2024, there's a lot better options available for a lot less money.

@@FreestyleTricktips yes that is true, my Walmart skateboard was the greatest thing ever until I got a REAL skateboard 😂. I'm genuinely interested in freestyle, but also street, what wheel would you know to take on both sides?

@@K_spawn Assuming you're looking for a skinnier wheel, have a look at some of Decomposed's options: www.decomposedskateboards.com/wheels The Mantis wheels aren't exactly top-class urethane, but they're a lot cheaper and more useable than the Nano Cubics are. That'd be my recommendation for people who don't want a "proper" freestyle wheel like Seismic or Mode's offerings.

@@FreestyleTricktips thank you so much! I really though nano was doing something new by covering the axle, but the mantis wheel do so too! The red ones are sick! I'll be ordering them this week

Wow! All these wheels even have bearings depth measurement!

That's precisely the case. No one would seriously try doing BMX on a folding commuter bike; similarly, no one would do flatland BMX on a downhill mountain bike. Getting the right tools for the terrain is very important.

I am, apparently, a glutton for punishment. I did manage to get one person to try some Axons, though. And he loved them. So that's a win.

Oh, that sweet, sweet engagement. Yummy.

So I double checked the packaging of the remaining Nano Cubics I have in stock, and you're right: those are listed as made in USA. But something is DEFINITELY off with these. As I said in the video, I've got a pretty good nose for Chinese urethane - it has a very distinct smell as something outgasses from it. Similarly, the look and finish is unique, too. This is how I knew Never Enough's Felines were made in China, for instance - they looked and smelt a lot like these Nano Cubics. I seem to remember Waltz did a batch in China as well (which, considering Osterman's close working relationship with Christian Heise at Never Enough, wouldn't surprise me). And while there's nothing inherently wrong with Chinese manufacturing, it does tend to be the case that American companies go there to get a cheaper product... or, if we're being really cynical, to do things that they're not legally allowed to do in the US due to environmental laws. But how would Powell put "Made in the USA" on the packaging? Well, either that's the truth (possible), they're just reusing their standard labels and hope no one will catch them out (unlikely, considering the size of the company), or they're using the way "country of origin" legislation works to make these *technically* made in the USA, even if they're poured in China. This, incidentally, is how Independent operated for a LONG time - all their parts were cast in China, then shipped to the US for final assembly so they could still say "Made in the USA". According to international law, as long as 50% of the final retail value comes in the final assembly step, you can claim the product is made where the assembly happens, *not* where the consitutent parts are made. It happens a lot more than you think, and is really easy to do. Again, I can't prove this. But it's not impossible, and it would explain why these look, feel, and smell like countless other Chinese wheels I've handled in the last ten years.

Oh, as for the flatspot issue: I'm not sure that Dragon formula is inherently more flatspot-resistant than some other urethanes, and I wouldn't cite that as a reason to use them, personally. Also, I'm not sure what's special about basketball courts in the US to create flatspots - that seems like an odd thing to mention. That said, what I tend to find is that anything coming out of Creative Urethane (Momentum, most Decomposed, most Waltz until recently, Speedlab/Moonshine, Mode, Sk8kings) *will* flatspot a lot faster and harder than anything coming out of AEND (Seismic, ABEC11, Dogtown). In fact, I've never put a single flatspot in any Seismic wheel in ~14 years of using them, but I turned a set of Sk8kings Crown Jewels into cubes within one session back in 2006. I've since seen Waltz and Momentum wheels that look basically the same. You can resist this effect slightly by increasing ride surface (skinny wheels = easier flatspots), but Creative's always had this issue.

The problem with this idea is that it's temporary at best. Coconut wheelies are so abrasive that they reshape the outer edge of the wheel very quickly. It doesn't matter what the shape starts as - it'll be coconut-wheelie-shaped in no time. That's why I've always prioritised thick outer edges - that's the only way to ensure the wheel lasts a long time. Rounded edges just grind off to sharp corners.

@@FreestyleTricktips alright, I’m still working on the idea though

That is very much the opposite of what I've seen with both these and the 93a Dragons. Hell, you can see how rough this surface is, and they're still sluggish as all hell. As I said in the video, the best test is always to test them side-by-side with a better wheel with matching bearings. There's a lot of good softer wheels now - I'm glad we're finally getting away from the "99a or 101a are your only options" era - and these are genuinely some of the slowest out there.

They're INCREDIBLY slippery. I know a couple of guys in London who tried using the softer Dragon wheels for street and ditched them quite quickly. The urethane breaks into a slide far too unpredictably on a lot of surfaces.

@@FreestyleTricktips interesting! Thanks for the additional info. I’m gonna have to try dragon formula for myself I reckon. Pretty niche use case, even for street. Nothing wrong with having a second setup for those spots.

Jove

@@vorpalblades , maybe he's invoking Joe Humeres ;)

Andy himself said that they are designed for Freestyle AND street. He even said himself that they are for rail stands and coconut wheelies as well as slappys.

@@MikeArpeggio345 Thanks for pointing that out. And as I discussed in the video, if you're buying them specifically for that reason (i.e. rail and coconut wheelies), you're throwing money away. There's far better options out there.

@FreestyleTricktips I have waltz wheels and these wheels. Honestly, they're just fine for freestyle.

These were the 97a Nanos, not the 93a ones. Surprisingly, the two are quite comparable in terms of an absolute lack of friction. And the fact this was happening on such a grippy surface? That's both weird and alarming.

Genuine question: didn't you slide out weirdly at Paderborn or Brandenburg skating these wheels? Also, as for the "street skaters can use it without changing trucks" idea... that's not quite true. You still have to factor in the offset, as they add about 0.2" to the size of the undercarriage of the deck. Considering most street skaters don't even know the exact axle length of their chosen trucks, blindly adding Nano Cubics into the mix can really mess up your overall setup. For instance, say you've been told "139mm trucks are for 8.0" decks". Typically, 139mm trucks have an 8" axle, and this makes for a perfect match between the axle and deck - which is fine for street, but not ideal for freestyle (you usually want the undercarriage to be slightly shorter than the deck width). Add in the Nano Cubics, and all of a sudden your undercarriage is 8.2" wide and you're actually leaning towards the deck in rail, killing rail stability completely.

In paderborn i slided because of my rigidity in contest! Im super stiff even just cruising in competition and was the result. Still too nervous. Never happen that during my trainings, even on smooth surface. Seems that more experienced people like Christian have no sliding problems with the nanos! Of course they slide more and are a lottle bit harder to control in freestyle than larger and wider freestyle wheels, thats granted! As i said, they are not good freestyle wheels. But for me using same wheels aldo on miniramp bowl and street is just gold. I care just about fun, not about performance! These are just my opinions. And for the offset, 90% of the nano cubics owner just dont care about rail/primos, that offset is just to barely cover the nuts for slappies and other street tricks. That said i absolutely agree that they are overpriced (as well as anderson decks that i will not buy again in the moment i find good big symetrical freestyle usable decks, as its happening now). Of course my personal opinions. I just have fun with these wheels and thats all i care

93a is usually quite a grippy durometer, so yeah, I would expect Decomposed's 93a to be quite sticky compared to the sudden slide-out characteristics of the Dragon urethane. 95a is usually my sweet spot - good grip, but not too sticky. A regular 97a is usable, but doesn't soak up the bumps the same way. Anything above that just doesn't work for pushing around here, realistically.

What concerns me about this not-quite-freestyle product is more that people are buying them *thinking* they're suitable for freestyle and being disappointed. And like I said in the end of the video, these are quite expensive compared to (genuinely) better products. Running Offset Skate Supply for the last five or six years, I've run into this a lot - people sending me emails saying "I'm using *insert product here* for freestyle and having a terrible time". Hell, there was a post on r/freestyleskateboard about these very wheels just yesterday. Freestyle is a weird niche with weird demands on setups. "Hybrid" stuff rarely works for it very well.

I have had the same issue with the offset of the wheels. I ride an 8.5‘ popsicle shape for street with 149 independent trucks and the occasional freestyle in between. The wheels would be a tat too short for nice even and stable „primos“ or in freestyle terms: in rail and my wheel nuts would get scratched when practicing on rougher grounds. So when I „tinkered“ around to fix this issue I thought about putting an additional washer behind the wheel. It‘s not perfect but feels pretty even to me and I had no issues. I hope this helps 🙏🏽

no its def pitched as a street wheel for curbs and FS is the “oh btw- if u care abt this, it can coco!” Its not a freestyle intended wheel, its an all around wheel, same way how Andy’s board isnt a freestyle board, its all around with FS intended features

Andy does do a lot of freestyle stuff. So even though they aren't pitched as for freestyle or designed purely for freestyle, I think reviewing them from that aspect is fine but calling them a freestyle wheel is wrong tbh. The Powell website says "NanoCubics are inspired by and developed for Andy Anderson to help him expand his wide range of street, park and freestyle tricks across all terrains", at no point is it called a freestyle wheel.

This dude is clueless.

They weren’t advertised as such Witter just did a short video trying them. And the wheels Tony is talking up as better option he’s sponsored by them.

@@vorpalblades "This dude" is one of the best freestyler skateboarders in the world, actually, and is totally correct in every way.

There are larger versions with lower durometer, which is what kinda makes this video and this comment a bit misleading.

I know. I looked at the bigger ones and they are bigger, yes, but the surface in railstand is exactly the same. I haven't tried the softer ones

@@thommccarthy1139 Do you know the funny thing? I actually got the 58mm/93a ones at the same time as these and they're even less suitable for freestyle than these are, which is why I made the video about these ones specifically. You'd expect the 58mm ones to have more axle coverage, for instance. They actually have less (2.45mm of urethane past the axle nut; the same measurement for the 52mm Nano Cubics is 2.65mm. For comparison, Speedlab Shrimps and Seismic Focus both have 4.45mm of urethane past the axle nut). Also, having skated both the 93a Dragons and the 97a Nano Cubics, I can confirm they both are slow in a straight line and break into a slide very unpredictably. It's due to an additive in the urethane compound, not the durometer. (Seismic do a similar thing with some of their longboard wheels - they call it Elixir, but it slides much more predictably than "Dragon" urethane does.)

@@FreestyleTricktips You know, I folded and ordered some axons earlier today simply cause you rep it so hard and I can tell it comes from a place of genuine conviction.

@@thommccarthy1139 It genuinely does. Over the years I have tested every single setup variable I can think of to the point of obsession and, oddly enough, I'm not in the habit of making an outright recommendation without really having the data to back it up. In the wheel world, there's some wheels which are decent (Mode's OG freestyle wheels), there's some which are hot trash (the white Kryptonics, the old Momentums), and then there's the Axons. I don't think I know anyone who's tried them who hasn't absolutely loved them. Which duro did you go for, out of interest?

Have been riding 93a 56mm all summer and they have been a godsend but moreso the dragon formula than the shape I think

The axion is great. The last model did have some issues but the Axion is bullet proof. Consistent feel & grip that you feel confident on. Good stability in rail & they are fast & maintain bearing alignment. Its just a better wheel

@@michaelmacisco2566 would you keep trying a brand that isn’t durable enough to stand to a simple rail stand?

@@michaelmacisco2566 I will pick up some axons considering I can well afford it and some of my favorite skaters (Tony included) highly recommend them, but the 56 93a cubics have been my favorite freestyle wheel up to this point after using many others from decomposed, mode, waltz etc.

@@thommccarthy1139 ive skated a bunch of wheels also. But the Axion quickly became my fave.

And - as I believe I may have said in the video, but I've definitely said in the comments - that's fine. You're perfectly entitled to do whatever you enjoy. The problems really start when people then start engaging with the larger freestyle world or community in some way - whether it's digitally, through something like Instagram, or at competitions. I've seen far too many people have their soul and spirit completely crushed because they've adopted an "anything goes" mindset and the cold wet fish of reality has slapped them in their face when (for instance) they place last at a competition because their tricks all look truly awful or ridiculous. But even if you're not competing or interacting with the world at large, I think you can still get a lot out of thinking more holistically about your skateboarding. I know I get a lot more enjoyment out of freestyle now I'm really looking at how things flow together - it feels a lot more effortless, fluid, and fun now I've thrown out all the janky nonsense I was convinced was "genius" and "original" when I was 15 years old and didn't know any better.

@@FreestyleTricktips oh for sure man hahaha and believe me I get exactly where ya coming from haha and as you said you are getting more enjoyment out of it which what I think it's all about, it's just that I personally love when I see a Masahiro pop to pogo and I enjoy it when I see someone doing something I haven't seen every other person do, like even if it doesn't look as good as when some of the ogs did it I still enjoy seeing someone try to mix it up a little haha not a lot just a little haha like down to how someone gets out of a stall and I think hey why didn't I realize the board could do that till now (like when I first saw it the first time like 23 years ago hahaha) like how people used to be all "only 360s matter" haha like when I saw Rodney spin like crazy that's all I wanted to do at age 4 then I discovered all the other tricks that are possible and just didn't care if people thought they were cool or not I just liked them and wanted to try them myself hahaha but trust me dude I get your side completely but I just don't think I've seen a trick I absolutely hated hahahahahaha atleast enough to never see where it could fit depending on the right setting haha but keep up the vids man your tutorials and videos like this do help a lot of people see things in a different way which is always good 😊 cause different can mean better as much as it can mean worse afterall but that's upto the person watching haha and growing up with people telling me freestyle isn't "real" skating most peoples opinions couldn't matter to me if I wanted to skate how I enjoy hahahahahaha also thanks for the reply man you are 👌🏻🔥❤️🔥😊

They really are. An ollie kickflip is a bit of a dainty flick of the ankle, but the original kickflip involves a lot more of an explosive launch to do it properly. The differences get a lot more pronounced once you start adding more flips. Double ollie flips are just a bit more flick, but double kickflips are all leg power - and triple kickflips are exhausting.

I'll be honest: if you need a trick tip for lying down, then you probably need more help than I'm legally able to provide.

That's me. Still here, still tired. Well, actually considerably more tired, to be honest.