Electric Skateboard Wheels: Street or All-Terrain?
Wheels change an electric skateboard more than any other component you can swap. Same board, same battery, same motor, and a different set of wheels makes it a different vehicle.
The decision is not really street versus all-terrain. It is how rough is the ground you actually ride, and how much range you are willing to trade to deal with it.
The short version
- Smooth sealed paths: street wheels. Best range, quietest, most precise.
- Cracked Australian footpaths: cloud style wheels. The commuter sweet spot.
- Gravel, grass, dirt, tram tracks: all-terrain pneumatics.
- All-terrain costs you range, adds weight, noise and punctures.
- Belt drive boards can often swap. Hub motor boards generally cannot.
- Tyre pressure matters on pneumatics and most riders run them too soft.
- Be honest about your route rather than the route you imagine.
What we cover
The three types · How to choose · What all-terrain costs you · Can you swap? · Pneumatic tyre pressure · Wear and replacement · FAQ
The three types
| Street | Cloud style | All-terrain | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | Solid urethane | Large soft honeycomb urethane | Pneumatic, air filled |
| Range | Best | Slightly reduced | Noticeably reduced |
| Rough ground | Poor | Good | Excellent |
| Gravel and grass | No | Limited | Yes |
| Noise | Quietest | Quiet | Loudest by a distance |
| Weight | Lightest | Middle | Heaviest |
| Punctures | Never | Never | Yes, and they need pressure checks |
| Maintenance | None | None | Pressure, tubes, wear |
| Best for | Smooth commutes, range | City riding on imperfect surfaces | Mixed terrain, trails, comfort |
How to actually choose
Walk your commute mentally and ask what the worst fifty metres looks like. That decides it, not the best fifty metres.
Street wheels if your route is sealed bike path or decent road. You get the most range, the quietest ride and the most precise feel. On a good surface nothing else is better, and the range difference is substantial.
Cloud style wheels are the underrated answer for most Australian commuters. Melbourne footpaths are cracked, patched and gravelly, and cloud wheels absorb that without the punctures, noise, weight or pressure checks of pneumatics. You give up a little range and precision. For a lot of riders this is the right compromise and they never consider it.
All-terrain pneumatics if your route genuinely includes gravel, grass, dirt, tram tracks or badly broken footpath, or if you want to ride trails. Nothing else handles those surfaces. They also absorb impacts that would throw you off a street setup.
The honest test: if you are choosing all-terrain because it looks capable rather than because your route needs it, you are paying range, weight and noise for capability you will not use.
What all-terrain actually costs you
Four things, and only the first gets discussed.
1. Range. Pneumatic tyres have far more rolling resistance than solid urethane. The reduction is significant on the same board and same battery, and it compounds with soft tyre pressure.
2. Noise. Pneumatics on rough ground are genuinely loud. Riders coming from street wheels are consistently surprised. It matters more than you expect on shared paths and at night.
3. Weight. A board you have to carry up stairs or onto a tram becomes noticeably heavier, and electric boards are already heavy.
4. Maintenance. Punctures happen. You now own a tyre pressure problem, spare tubes and levers, and a job that is more awkward than a bicycle puncture.
None of that is an argument against all-terrain. It is an argument for choosing it because you need it.
Can you swap between them?
This depends on your drivetrain, and it is worth knowing before you buy the board.
Belt drive boards can often run both, with a conversion kit that changes the wheels and sometimes the pulleys. This flexibility is one of belt drive's real advantages and a reason plenty of riders choose it.
Hub motor boards generally cannot, because the motor is inside the wheel. You can sometimes fit sleeves over hub motors to change the ride feel, but that is not the same as a genuine all-terrain conversion.
Direct drive boards sit in between and depend on the model.
Kits are not universal. Check that a conversion exists for your specific board before assuming it. If the ability to swap matters to you, factor it into the purchase rather than hoping.
Plenty of riders keep two sets and change based on the ride. It is not a quick job, but it genuinely is two boards for one purchase.
Pneumatic tyre pressure
If you run all-terrain wheels, this is your highest-value maintenance habit and most riders ignore it.
- Check the sidewall range and stay inside it.
- Lower in the range: more grip and comfort on loose surfaces, more rolling resistance, less range.
- Higher in the range: better range, faster feel, harsher and less grip on gravel.
- Heavier riders want the upper part of the range.
- Check with a gauge, not a thumb. Small tyres feel firm well below correct pressure.
Running soft is the most common cause of disappointing all-terrain range, and riders reliably blame the battery. It also causes pinch punctures.
Wear and replacement
Street and cloud wheels wear like any urethane. Watch for coning, which makes the board pull, and flat spots from hard braking. Rotate them if the board starts tracking to one side.
Pneumatics wear faster under power than most riders expect, particularly on the drive wheels. Watch the centre strip, since electric boards spend most of their life going straight under power.
Both: the drive wheels on a belt or direct drive board wear faster than the free wheels. Swapping front to back periodically evens that out and is free.
Electric skateboard wheels FAQ
Should you get street or all-terrain wheels on an electric skateboard?
Street wheels if you ride sealed paths and want maximum range and quiet. All-terrain if your route includes gravel, grass, tram tracks or broken footpath. All-terrain costs you range and adds noise and weight, but it handles surfaces that stop a street setup entirely.
How much range do all-terrain wheels cost you?
Expect a noticeable reduction compared with street wheels on the same board, because pneumatic tyres have far more rolling resistance. Tyre pressure makes a real difference here, and running them soft costs range faster than most riders realise.
What are cloud wheels on an electric skateboard?
Large soft honeycomb urethane wheels that sit between street and all-terrain. They absorb rough ground far better than street wheels without the punctures, weight and noise of pneumatics, at the cost of some range and precision.
Can you swap between street and all-terrain wheels?
On many belt drive boards yes, and it is one of their advantages. Hub motor boards generally cannot, since the motor is inside the wheel. Check whether your board supports a conversion before assuming it, because kits are not universal.
Are pneumatic electric skateboard wheels worth the maintenance?
If your route genuinely needs them, yes. They transform rough terrain and absorb impacts nothing else can. If you ride sealed paths, you are accepting punctures, pressure checks, weight and noise for a benefit you will not use.
What wheels are best for commuting on an electric skateboard?
Street wheels if your route is sealed and reasonably smooth, since they give the best range and the least noise. Cloud style wheels are the better commuter choice on cracked Australian footpaths, because they smooth the ride without the puncture risk.
Not sure which suits your route?
Tell us the actual trip you do, including the worst part of it, and we will tell you which setup suits. Come to 435A Bridge Road, Richmond, open seven days. Frosty runs the electric workshop here and fits conversions.
Free shipping Australia wide on orders over $90. Call 03 9421 2293.
Keep reading: How to Choose an Electric Skateboard · E-Skate Maintenance · Problems and Fixes · What Does One Cost?
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