Dampening cobblestone streets - pneumatics?

ESK8 Mechanics
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My commute to work is about 40% super old cobblestone streets. I’ve got a set of these 80mm wheels and while they get the job done my feet are basically numb from the vibrations by the time I get to the office. I’ve been toying with the idea of pneumatic tires, but not sure that my deck will work with them without suffering from some wheelbite (or even fit at all for that matter). Trucks are Caliber II 50s. I’ve got a 3D printer at home and a CNC machine at work so I’m good to make my own hubs if it looks like I need 5in tires and there’s a reputable source for 'em, but if people think I can get away with a set of Sixshooters I’m happy to buy those to save some effort/time.

Deck is a Loaded Tan Tien: deck (Ignore the hanging DB9 :slight_smile: )

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I ride cobblestone on 107mm SuperFly but if it was 40% of my commute I would STRONGLY consider pneumatics. That’s also the only scenario I would consider pneumatics

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You’ll likely need a TB 218 truck on the back for clearance.

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6 shooters ftw. The flat profile of the tire makes it feel more grippy on the regular streets than other pnumatics. Also you will loose 90% of the cobble Stone feeling it will be almost like riding on a normal road.

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yeah, cobblestone is one area where its hard to argue for urethane.

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How badly does your belt skip? It looks like a 9mm belt.

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What about the rain? I know all the talk about not riding your boards in rain but purely from commuting perspective i think thats the one thing why i would still need a bike. And leave my board at home on a cloudy day, with tear in my eye. :cry: The goal is to make a system for fast swapping between street and AT tires.

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In the rain I just ride like I’m on ice. Slower and very careful. If you do it a lot, you could get/do a Harfang treatment

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Could get Harfang Kegels or Boas (not available right now)

Edit: @b264 beat me by a sec

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But do they actually make a difference? Its still urethane on rain :fearful:

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@Blitz Not much, assuming you tension the belt enough. The only time I’ve noticed it skipping is when the original 3D printed truck clamp began sagging (15% infill wasn’t enough, and clamp gap was too narrow).

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Well… the problem with slicks is aquaplaning. The wheel cant dissipate the water and consecutively does glide “on top” of the water. The harfang channels, and all the car tire profiles too, creathe a dissipation path that helps with the effect mentioned above.

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not really… just a gimmick most people think works because they see the price point and look and assume it does…

it’s like scraping a tire design into those cheap motorized mini-car children under 5 have… just because it looks better doesn’t mean it performs better…

it’s still urethane and will still slide on water.

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That must be why we all roll around on slicks in our cars. Understandable.

I agree that the price for harfang is silly but channeling your wheels is not.

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yup water still has to go somewhere, without channels you will just aquaplane

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it’s the same as channeling plastic wheels… it will not affect the grip in any way noticeable… urethane isn’t meant for water, channeled or not.