Just got my hands on the new yellow 75mm Orangatang Durian wheels by Loaded and so far I have no regrets in my decision. Loaded designed these wheels with radiused inner lips and come prebroken in so their certainly slide ready from the get go. My previous wheels were the Landyachtz Hawgs 77mm (78A) and were great for downhill and sticking to the road but I was really looking for a wheel I could really break loose with ease. The new Orangatang’s come in 86A and are very slippery yet grip when it’s needed.

For my first test of the Orangatang’s I decided to hit up a mellow hill and really put them to the test. On my first run I was throwing standup slides on these badboys no problem, which is something I’ve really struggled with in the past. Also many people might think that because these wheels are so hard that the ride will be really harsh and that’s simply not the case, the Durian’s actually ride more like a softer wheel then anything and can hold a line just fine when you want them to. The wheels are very pumpable, carveable and gain speed extremely fast.

Again the Durian’s are really designed for freeriding and really shine when the board breaks sideways. I felt as if these wheels could read my mind and broke lose whenever I wanted them to, really can’t say enough on how great standup slides feel on these. Coleman slides on these were retardedly fun and it seemed as if the slide was never going to end (this is a good thing people!).

I did do a few decent downhill runs with some hairpins and they performed well and I had no major issues with losing traction during hard carves (that I didn’t initiate of course!). I can definitely see that for some serious downhill (speeds over 50km/h) with tight turns these wheels would be very sketchy unless you’re a really good rider.

I can’t say much about durability so far as I’ve only had a few sessions on these but they seem to be holding up great so far. The only problem I can see is with all the sliding I’m doing on these wheels I may need a new set in a month or two!

Overall if your looking to step your freeriding ability up to the next level, you will be very happy with Loaded’s new wheel. The only real downsides I can see with the Orangatang Durian’s are the price (quite expensive compared to BigZigs) and some durability issues that some Loaded wheels have had in the past but don’t let that stop you from checking out these great longboard wheels.