Pantheon Hoku wheels are a product of working directly with one of the world’s best competitive distance skateboarders, Adam Ornelles. Adam helped Pantheon hone the 92mm Karma wheel, but even though he loves those wheels, he still wants to compete in races on even larger wheels, and that’s when the 102mm Hoku Wheels come into play.
Can you imagine Jeff (owner of Pantheon) and Adam collaborating on a project? No detail forgotte, no expense was spared, just one goal: fastest LDP race wheel.
The process involved testing multiple shapes and molds. The wheel shape evolved through experience. A deeper flex channel on the inside lip provides extra edge flex needed for this larger diameter. A relatively small 52mm contact patch both keeps the weight down while also providing consistent grip that can be counted on. Adam did test wider contact patches and found that while they could get slightly more maximum grip out of certain widths, it made the wheel less predictable and it would release grip unexpectedly, while this 52mm contact patch was consistent and felt more comfortable and trustable when pushed to its limits. It doesn’t hurt that the smaller CP drops a few grams either!
The Hoku are the lightest wheels in their size category, featuring Pantheon's 55mm lightweight custom core and just the right amount of urethane and in the right shape to get the job done. Although they are light for their size, they’re still quite hefty unless you’re used to riding wheels this large!
Choose the Hoku when you need to maximum roll speed over less than perfect pavement and extended momentum. The large diameter will even out road bumps and debris, and at 10mm larger than the 92mm Karma wheels, they will increase the ride height by 5mm. Getting them going requires more power, but they hold momentum like nothing else!
SPECS:
- Diameter: 102mm
- Width: 56mm
- Contact Patch: 52mm
- Weight: 326g each
- Durometer: 74a
- Lip profile: small radiuses edge
- Core placement: offset
- Wheel surface: smooth
