“Performance” is absolutely subjective, and depends largely on riding styles which progress and change over time. Most of what I’ve targeted was a high level of control at a high level of speed. This is because I love competition and raced in several skate-related disciplines. I’ve raced downhill in packs, single rider downhill for time and/or speed, Giant Slalom, Hybrid Slalom, Tight Slalom, Super-G in water drainage ditches, street luge, buttboarding, push races, LDP, etc. If I’m 100% honest, I’ve also raced downhill inline, and did some short-track speed skating and ice hockey to better understanding “blade” type wheels that take only radial loads instead of the non-radiused wheels that are needed for sideloads.
The great news for consumers is that if a wheel is great for racing, it’s fantastic for carving and cruising and skating outside of competition. And they’re getting the exact same wheels that are being used in racing. There are reasons that virtually no one races on wheels with huge cores and little urethane. They can’t win. They can’t hang in the turns, they can’t handle imperfect track conditions, and they wear out quickly. So if someone looks at “performance” as the ability to out-race, out-maneuver, out-corner, and out-run the competition, I agree.
I personally believe that the performance requirements for electric skateboards are very close to what racers want. You want to have control at speed. You can compensate for not having “fast” wheels by having more power, but it comes at a cost (draining the batteries prematurely). You can compensate for having components with less control by developing more skill, but when someone else has the skill AND the control, they’re gonna win. Some racers are paid to ride a certain product, even if the performance is substandard. And they can even win on inferior equipment. But I don’t want or expect my customers to have to overcome equipment deficiencies in the products that I market. I make products that I love so much that I can’t wait for people to feel what I’m feeling. Not everything I’ve made are studs, but I’ve managed to avoid making very many duds.
I think back to some of the cars in the late sixties and early seventies that had big powerful motors but objectively horrible braking and handling characteristics. The truth is that it’s understandable that they were made (testosterone and all), but they are dangerous. Putting all that power into something that can’t handle it is not a good idea. I need the full package.
We choose asphalt and concrete to be our medium. We choose wheels sizes that are less than 5" in diameter. And we choose to turn using lean-steer. Our wheels are our interface -our connection to our chosen medium. It is a critical choice. And since I’m basically choosing for a pretty large group of people, I’m going to make sure that they get smooth, fast, controlled, and long lasting wheels with lots urethane on them. And when, as, and IF I do some hub motors, they will be very tall wheels indeed.