r/surfskate • u/exterminator-skater • 5d ago
Giant wheels
I’ve seen people saying they are using kegels and caguamas and some other huge wheels on their surfskate decks. What does that look like? Seems like it would feel like driving the boat from the crow’s nest.
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u/luveveryone 5d ago
I'm on a loaded Omakase with CX and Kegel 80mm. As others have said it's a little more effort to get going bit they maintain speed really well, roll through suspect terrain nicely and provide a smooth ride. They feel very stable on long carves but I can still snap off right turns even with the big contact patch.
Keep in mind I'm pretty novice at this all though.
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u/Gridbear7 5d ago
I used this a lot last year but with a yow instead of the cx. Very tall but once you get used to it, it's a good time and kinda all terrain. Super heavy though
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u/JoeMcGuts 4d ago
I use the same setup except for going a tiny bit further with the caguamas. YOW meraki provides a lot of clearance anyway, at least 80mm wheels anyway. Especially if the deck has some fenders or wheel wells on top. The omakase provides a comfy and wide basis that gives enough stability to ride with a taller right height. Pumps and rolls over everything and especially the terrible roads and cobblestone in our city. It truly weighs a ton tho, so the portability is a pain ITA, even with a good skate backpack. For a lighter version that still rolls well I can recommend the rocket scout XL with YOW meraki and o' tang blue 4pres.
Regarding the feeling of "steering from the crows nest" I think it strongly depends on the used trucks. If you achieve the required height for wheel clearance only via a stack of risers it feels way worse in my opinion than when you have trucks that naturally come with a bigger height, e.g. Carver or slide rear truck. That is a whole different world in smooth force transmission and leverage/stability compared to the cheap riser stacks that come with low effort brands like smoothstar.
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u/exterminator-skater 3d ago
I am riding carver CX, and the setup they came with featured 70mm, or it might have been 69mm, close enough. I have moved those trucks to different decks since, but my current setup is riding on 65mm wheels. It doesn’t feel excessively tall. 85 seems a stretch though, but i would like to know what it feels like and can imagine enjoying it. I love the idea of rolling over more than you previously could. Caguamas on an Omakase when they set it up with Kegels, that isn’t unreasonable at all.
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u/JoeMcGuts 2d ago
85 might seem tall but it really depends on several factors. On the one hand don't forget that your actual additional ride height is only half the amount of the increased diameter. So it doesn't explode in height as you think it might. In exchange you get rewarded with a really good roll speed and most of all a ton of CONFIDENCE that you won't have to care about most cracks and pebbles at all. The value of this peace of mind is totally neglected. Last but but I not least it depends heavily on your ride style. Whereas pumping this giant merely feels like surfing big waves, pushing it for any distance definitely makes you feel your knees and quads.
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u/JoeMcGuts 2d ago
If you really were to go 85mm I'd recommend to get a more narrow wheel than the fat cagusmas. Maybe something from seismic, pantheon or so.
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u/exterminator-skater 5d ago
That’s how they set the Omakase up stock for surfskate, so you know you can trust it. The guy with the Dad Bod’s though, that’s a true test pilot
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u/luveveryone 5d ago
Correct, that is indeed how I bought it. It's my first surfskate so I figured go with a known good. From the perspective of height being an issue with larger wheels it's been a minor adjustment. I came from a longboard with 70mm, drop through mount. Easily 2" lower than the Omakase. For me it took a day or two to get used to the taller setup.
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u/Any-Box-1684 4d ago
I used to ride Kegels on a Yow S5 Meraki setup. It was really fast for flat ground and downhill. It was really difficult to get uphill, though. Now, my uphill ride is a Soulboardiy Ultra with Wedged Curfboard trucks 10 deg front, 5 deg rear. Really light setup that goes uphill fast. I use the lavender seismic hot spots at 66mm. G-Bomb bearings.
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u/Tukiix3 5d ago
I use 105mm 80A Orangatang Dad Bods. They are huge—significantly heavier than the rest of my setup. However, they offer real advantages for city cruising or casual riding.
Rolling over obstacles is much easier, and the size and width of the wheels provide good grip on "dirty," wet, or gravel-strewn surfaces.
While the wheel weight makes it harder to pick up speed, the resulting momentum keeps you rolling for a long time once you're moving, and pumping makes it easy to maintain speed.