Want to be the coolest person in your skate crew and make educated wheel purchases? Welp. You have come to the right place.
Urethane
Urethane is a magical chemical compund that is poured around a supportive hub. The material creates the form and riding surface of a wheel. At Cloud Ride we chemically modify each of our formulas to perform specifically for our favorite types of skating.
Core
The core is the hard center of a longboard wheel. Stiff and durable, it exists to hold the bearings in place, maintain the circular integrity of the wheel, and support the urethane cast around it.
Wheel Design / Shape
Wheel shape and lip profile plays a big part in how a wheel performs. Wheels are made in a wide variety of heights, widths, and lip shapes. Choosing the right shape is critical to the overall performance of your board.
Contact Patch
The contact patch is the width of the wheel is where it is touching the ground while riding. Both the size of the contact patch and the style of the finish will have an impact on how the wheel rides. Most longboard wheels have a contact patch of 25mm to 70mm.
Durometer
The durometer, or “duro,” refers to the hardness of the urethane. Duro is used to measure wheels, bushings and some risers, and is an internationally recognized scale for all materials. A softer material will be paired with a lower number, while a harder material will be paired with a higher number. Most longboard wheels fall between 75a and 90a.