The Wheel Debate: Dragon 93 vs Spitfire 93 vs x97 Bones

[@Jim-g3q]

we got a new player in town now eh? the powell 88a dragons!

[@fatdadskatesbad]

Didnt even know they had them until after this video so cool to know. Maybe eventually I will try them out!!

[@Love4boost]

I have only skated spitfires in the softer wheels. I grew up skating tiny hard wheels. Now I stay between 54-58mm and prefer wider wheels. I have the 93’s in 54 and 58 radials, the 97’s in 54 radial full and 55 radial. The 54 and 55 radials are both too slick for my taste, but I like the 93’s more. The radial full is my favorite but it’s a bit harsh to land on. 58 is just a fun cruise around wheel for me and does everything above expectations. I am going to be trying the dragon 93 a2 54 v6 which is the closest to what I want spitfire to make. I’m dying for the radial full in 93 so these dragons may be the answer till spitfire decides to give me what I want

[@fatdadskatesbad]

@@Love4boost i love the look at the feel of the oldschool dragon rat bones my buddy gave me a pair for free so I am back on those!! But 60mm are so huge 🤣. Big wheels just feel right to me I dont like skating small wheels at all. But see everyones different!!

[@kimrice394]

Nice honest review! I have dragons in 52, 58 and wide 60. Newb’s best bet/friend! Fast enough, grip perfect. Currently in “The Cool Guy” zone with Slimeballs Snake Vomit 95a rears and 97a Vomits on front in my local small smooooth bowl. The 95a is still sticky, the 97a has that good skeert and classic tone aka chatter😀. They are HUGE! I still take the wide 60mm dragons to the bigger rougher bowl.

[@fatdadskatesbad]

@@kimrice394 nice man never heard of mixing wheels up on one set up like that before thats cool!! So many different set ups to skate cool to hear what everyone likes thanks for sharing man!!

[@diplenski]

I don’t skate much transition. not opposed, just skate what’s available. I switched to bigger wheels mid-late ‘90s, 56-60mm, bc they roll faster and smoother especially on rough ground and last longer. I always preferred 97 as a standard multi purpose wheel. The x97 are really nice

[@fatdadskatesbad]

Yeah I def agree the x97 are best wheel for skating I have ever skated but they are just harder on my joints and bones then the 93 dragons and spitfires but eons better than even 97a formula fours or 99 bones skatepark formula etc. They are just so damn good.

[@diplenski]

@@fatdadskatesbad i think softer wheels that don't slide very well help you to get better at fully rotating your tricks, bc you kinda have to

[@fatdadskatesbad]

@@diplenski def a solid point!! Never thought of it that way.

[@simonvidetta1976]

Great review. Hope you’re feeling better soon. Bad back are shit, just got back from Physio and been diagnosed with a bulging lower disc which explains my pain for the past week. Going to be a long road to full recovery 😳

[@fatdadskatesbad]

Thanks man!! I have been working construction since I was 16. Nothing but back problems. I am never not in pain. But I stretch everyday. Core workouts. And recently switched chiropractor and its been helping a lot. Good luck man back problems have plagued me for decades now. But it aint stopping me thats for sure!! Hope you heal up soon.

[@ickeyshufflin1288]

Feel better buddy, I enjoyed the video! I am a Dragon guy but I want to try the soft sliders

[@fatdadskatesbad]

@@ickeyshufflin1288 thanks man!!! Yeah they are all great wheels!! Dragons are def the nicest on the joints and so smooth everywhere. Soft sliders are nice too give them a shot next time around!!

[@cakebabyman5090]

Wheels sliding on rough ground does make sense as there is actually less wheel surface in contact with the ground if it's rough. 58mm 101a all day baby, as long as they are round, just skate!

[@fatdadskatesbad]

@@cakebabyman5090 weird to me because rough ground is like sand paper and all the hard wheels I ever had barely would slide on real rough ground except for the dragons which slid better on rough ground in my opinion anyway. Such a weird formula that everyone had been trying to replicate. But maybe I am power sliding the wrong way or something then who knows.

[@cakebabyman5090]

@@fatdadskatesbad Interesting topic for sure. I have always just stuck with one setup and just skated. You adapt to whatever you're riding, it's 90% the rider not the board. I once witnessed a guy shred a backyard pool without any bushings in his trucks! Sounded like crap, but amazing.

[@fatdadskatesbad]

@@cakebabyman5090 thats true. But for a mere $45 dollars here and there I think its worth experimenting and breaking in a few different variables to find what you really like. But thats just me man everyones got different styles and likes. And thats what makes skateboarding so great!!

[@OldBrokenSkater]

Dam homie hope you feel better and get well soon. Great review, love my nano red and current bones wheels I'm skating. Dont forget I have the 60mm wheels for you I'm almost certain they're are the ones in the very beginning of the vid. Talk soon!

[@fatdadskatesbad]

Thanks man!! Ill def take those if you dont want em bring em by next time we skate would love to slap em on my winter set up!! Hopefully skate soon!!

[@DadLeisureSkateboarding]

I need to try those spitfire 93s now!

[@fatdadskatesbad]

Oldbrokenskater just gave me a set of huge 60mm dragon rat bones yesterday so I been skating those on my oldschool set up was riding them last night. Honestly all these wheels are awesome in their own way. But I think the spitfire 93’s are a great do it all wheel. Give them a shot next time.

[@SpliffTalks]

Can confirm spitfire 93 56mm feel good. But also dragons 56 93a. I also riding on a pair of powell peralta 58mm 90...they feel good as fuck

[@SkateboardingWithYerDa]

I've just set up a new board with a set of x97's, still getting used to them but so far they seem decent. I don't really have much to compare to though since I've never skated dragons, I did have a set of ricta 86a clouds which were far too bouncy for my liking 😂 but have to agree with everything you said about them, they skate real nice on smooth and even semi smooth ground, not great in super rough areas but definitely handle better than any street wheels I've ever skated!

[@fatdadskatesbad]

@@SkateboardingWithYerDa they break in really really nicely man I think you will like them. For powerslides they are the best!! The grip is so good yet with that little bit of force they slide so nicely. Hope you like them!!

[@AndySo2000]

I don't like dragons in parks honestly. They also don't have much of a lockin cut. I did recently get the 97a nano rats and I really like them. I use to ride 2 setups one for parks that's slightly bigger and a smaller setup for street. Honestly you should check out bones SPF (skate park formula) they are way more grippy on smooth concrete skateparks than spitfire 99a or 101a. Prior to dragons coming out it seems like everyone only skated skateparks so I think the market swung in that direction. I don't skate parks anymore so I've loved dragons, these nano rats have been game changers for curb skating. But when I do skate parks again I'll probably set up a seperate park board with 103b Bones SPF 58s on a 8.75. They lock in to coping so well and they won't slip out. I went through wheel madness years ago and still go through it. But I'm so glad powell came out with the dragon series, great stuff for over 40s guys like me who had knee surgeries recently. I think dragons are more for street skating which they rule at, but they're slow in smooth parks, don't have a good side cut for lock ins, and they slow me down on coping in 5050s etc.

[@fatdadskatesbad]

@@AndySo2000 i dont know where you are from but here on the east coast a lot of our parks can be rougher then street spots lol. I agree too dragons dont slide for shit on real smooth ground and they are a little slow but they are still great wheels. I been skating the dragon formula on the rat bones wheel in a 60mm and its the wheel that locks in the nicest on coping and is most forgiving on my old man joints. Also I hate hard wheels which is why I made this video to let everyone know about my experiences on these softer wheels. I havent skated the nanorats and dont plan on it either I am good with my current set up. Also the nanocubics I skated in a 97a have that “lock in cut” and I never noticed any difference but to be fair I dont skate any hand rails and am just a transition skater.

[@Steves_SkateXplosion]

Dude I feel like I’m looking in a mirror regarding wheels. Dragons. Nanos. Spits. I was using 99 spits for a long time, and then dragons came along and my world changed forever. 😮

[@fatdadskatesbad]

@@Steves_SkateXplosion i never realized how terrible 99a spitfires felt until I got on a pair of dragon wheels. Made the biggest difference in my skating and how long my legs held up in the skatepark. Def agree!!! The duro makes such a big difference atleast to me anyway.

[@Steves_SkateXplosion]

@@fatdadskatesbad That happened to me also. I tried the 99 spits after being on the 93 dragons and I couldn’t believe how awfully hard they were. How did I ever skate those damn concrete circles? Jeez.

[@fatdadskatesbad]

@@Steves_SkateXplosion so true lol concrete circles are a great way of describing them 🤣

[@RikRiorik]

Absolutely great review. Very thorough through and through. Personally I like all of them although I might be slightly more inclined to just go 99As instead of the X97s if I intend to ride a wheel harder than the Spitfire 93s. As for the skating you're looking so much more relaxed on the transition these days. High arms and flailing seem to be going the way of the dodo! Also popping those beasts you ride is impressive for me especially after I've been trying it myself on semi beasty boards. Which are those crispy looking New Balances you're riding? They look very nice!

[@fatdadskatesbad]

@@RikRiorik thanks man!! They are the new balance 440’s. Honestly not crazy about them been skating the nike sb react leo and its the best shoe I ever skated past month or so. So much cushion and great board feel. I kept hurting my heel in the 440’s.

[@RikRiorik]

@@fatdadskatesbad the Leos look good but the reviews aren’t selling them to me.

[@fatdadskatesbad]

@@RikRiorik we all have different shaped feet, weight, etc so one mans trash can be another mans treasure. Wont know until you try. For me and my kind of skating by far the best shoes I ever skated. And to be fair first session I hated them for 30 minutes and at the end of the session was completely in love. Either way experiment and find what works for you.

[@RikRiorik]

@@fatdadskatesbad for sure. These thin dudes hucking stuff saying they have low impact protection was what worried me the most.

[@fatdadskatesbad]

@@RikRiorik compared to the blazers, vans, and new balances the nike sb react leo have awesome heel cushions in my opinion anyway. Also I dont do big drops or jump down stairsets but I do spend most of my skate sessions running down big transition 🤣🤦‍♂️

[@PhilipBrown1967]

Nice review with good information

[@fatdadskatesbad]

@@PhilipBrown1967 thanks Phil!!

[@sonnyrico]

Ive been skating 60mm slimeballs , really soft for skating every thing. Don't slide for shi! But for what ever reason I've keep putting them back on after I buy a different wheel, try them for a day then back to the old squishy wheel. Kinda like me old n squishy

[@fatdadskatesbad]

@@sonnyrico hey man whatever works. Keep in mind it usually takes a while to break in wheels and to get used to them. If you like what you skate then def keep skating them but theres nothing wrong with experimenting every now and then. Stuff I hated first few sessions turned out to be my favorite thing ever after I broke them in.

[@brucebruno842]

Ricta Crystal Cores 95a are right in between 93a and 97a, and the hard core causes them to make sound. They don't Powerslide as well. When are Bones and Spitfire going to hit that sweetspot in the middle with their formulas.?

[@fatdadskatesbad]

@@brucebruno842 never tried em heard good things tho!!

[@brucebruno842]

16th to 8th inch shockpads help with absorption, too. Matters at 45.

[@markprice2225]

What Up @fatdadskatesbad I just saw that you just uploaded about an hour ago. I use the 93a🐉56mm. Powell has a new dragon formula wheel now, they have green rats on em & 88a maybe 89?

[@fatdadskatesbad]

@@markprice2225 thats cool I didnt even know they came out with a new formula will def check them out sometime down the line!! I just skated these 3 so far past 2 years or so and thought I would finally release a review comparing the 3!! Thanks for the heads up!!

[@75YBA]

99a still sux.

[@fatdadskatesbad]

@@75YBA amen I just hate hard wheels.