Quantcast

Skyways?

v-digit

Turbo Monkey
Apr 3, 2006
1,218
0
Brooklyn, NY
sorry to plug, but i got a atomlab gi dirt laced to a odyssey hazzard on sale in classifieds for a 100 shipped :) :)
sorry to jack.
 

Evil4bc

Turbo Monkey
Jun 17, 2005
1,080
1
Nor-Cal
Looks like they weigh about a pound more than spoked wheels. I can handle that, I am just riding DJs with roll-ins.
There sorta flexy also , just a word of warning .
Back in the 80's there was a reason for people taking these off their bikes .. weight , lack of good braking and they flex like no other.

They still look cool , I have a 24" set on order for a bike I'm building for Disney right now .
 

seth505

Monkey
Jun 9, 2006
519
0
CA
I would vote against them after my older experiences with mag wheels on my 20" bikes...yikes
 

eaterofdog

ass grabber
Sep 8, 2006
8,187
1,428
Central Florida
Found out one of the dudes I ride with is getting some, so I get to check them out first.

I really wish Halo SAS MX24's didn't cost $350 to import. Maybe I'll import some Halo hoops and have wheels built.

Why can't I get nice 24's in the US? Damn you biking industry! (Shakes fist at sky.)
 

eaterofdog

ass grabber
Sep 8, 2006
8,187
1,428
Central Florida
Thank you all for the info. Definitely helps me make a better decision.

Skyway uses the H spoke design on the 24s instead of the t spoke. This should make the wheel a little stiffer. There is supposed to be a release of the 24 Graphite series wheel this year. They will be much stiffer. They will probably also be expensive.
 

Bryan67

Chimp
Nov 23, 2007
83
0
Fresno, Ca.
Well, the newer ones should stiffer than the ooooold ones I had around 20 years ago. New ones have an h cross section to the spokes and the old one had a cross shep. I still would run them.
They are heavy and sluggish compared to spokes. And for some reason I could never get the sidepull brakes to work very wee on mine. I did however run them on a few 20" ers back in the day and liked those. They are also a lot wider in the braking surface and you have to open your brakes up quite a bit compared to alloys.
 

DirtEveryDay

Turbo Monkey
Nov 24, 2003
2,692
4
Pacific North Wet
MAAAAAAAN... I remember when I first posted up about goin back to mags and I got FLAMED! Now it's the shiz. Well, should say it's GOING to be. I see a new generation forthcoming. And everyone's starting to run brakeless everywhere anyway, so no biggie there. I rode flatland on mags, I don't remember bitchin too much. That was also pre-48 spoke wheels, though...so I didn't really know anything better! Where'd all that balance go....
 

eaterofdog

ass grabber
Sep 8, 2006
8,187
1,428
Central Florida
I have put in about 15 good DJ sessions on the Skyways and I think they are an excellent deal for the $100 I paid.

They are a little heavier than spokes, but due to the relatively small size of the wheel, it doesn't slow the bike down much. I only noticed it a little the first time I rode.

The 24s are not too flexy. They will flex if you hit them hard from the side, but they pop right back. As Bryan said, the H spoke design on the 24s seems to have a lot more side to side support than the 20s.

No brake problems. Some old timer told me the trick is to never use new pads. Scrub em on concrete or something to break the surface.

These things are tough. My buddy 360d onto the front wheel super hard and twisted his fork about 10 degrees and the wheel was not affected at all.

edit: I probably wouldn't ride these on 20.

 

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,335
2,448
Hypernormality
I used to rock some 20" Skyways so many years ago, I remember they were heavy, but forgiving on tough landings. Also you used to be able to buy Skyway brand brake pads specially for them which were not too terrible.
 

DirtEveryDay

Turbo Monkey
Nov 24, 2003
2,692
4
Pacific North Wet
Nah, Eater hit it right on the nuggets. Scuff the faces. Hey, just for fun you gotta soak down the brake surface in Coke! It actually worked really well...until the first alley.

ANYONE know what the weight difference will be between the graphites and the composite/plastics? Hell, I don't even know what they are right now..what the hell ARE Tuffs made out of? To be honest..I think I always thought they WERE graphite. I'm confused now...