Primarily I like street skating (my group courses are designed with that in mind) and my wheels of choice, like so many street skaters, are the Hyper Concrete wheels. They give a nice ride, give good grip in the wet, and last a good while. But my new Powerslide FSK Hardcore Evo (read the review of those skates) came with the yellow Matter Slalom F1 wheels, so I decided to try them out in my normal Seba FR1 skates.
Ride
I wasn't expecting the Matter wheels to be that different from the Concretes: sure, they have that narrower profile but the durometer of the wheels is the same (84A). Boy was I wrong!
The only thing I changed on my FR1s was the wheels but the efficiency of the roll was markedly different. After a long day of skating, I typically skate from Hyde Park Corner roundabout down to Victoria by taking the pavement and just rolling; with Concrete wheels I have to start striding near the flat section of the road. The Matter rolled much, much further: from the roundabout all the way down to near the main junction where I have to cross.
I won't say I'm faster in them but I'm way, way more efficient. My flat out top speed is around 20mph and, with the Concretes, I feel it: I have to work to get there and hold it for a relatively short distance. In the Matter wheels I find I can hold the speed for longer and I think that comes down to the grip: I notice that my heel carve is earlier in my push because I can feel that grip.
And the grip is noticeable in slides. I'm still learning the parallel slide but I find it relatively easy to initiate in slightly worn Concretes. In the Matter wheels I have to get much deeper edges to even get a slight slide but the real difference comes in the feel of it: Concretes feel like they slide-grip-slide-grip but these Matter wheels have a much smoother sensation.
I hardly noticed the rough surfaces when skating the Matter wheels. A good example, in London, is Constitution Hill and the roundabout that joins to The Mall (the front of Buckingham Palace): on the Concrete wheels I make for the smooth section in the middle of the road (like most people on the organised street skates do) and absolutely hate the roundabout. In the Matter wheels I did the entire length, on what is an absolutely horrible surface, without really thinking about it; I didn't even need to change my stride to keep the tempo up.
In a flat-80 setup (80-80-80-80) with any other wheel I have a tendency to shift my weight onto my toes, especially on rough surfaces, but the Matter wheels seem to give me quick feedback on when this is happening, allowing me to adjust my posture and get a much better ride.
The wear of these wheels seems comparable to that of the Concrete wheels and, if anything, slightly better. Where the latter wheels would have edged in some circumstances the Matter wheels have held their profile well. However, I have heard of older versions of the Matter wheels giving up dramatically, like falling apart when they get to a certain point in their wear. If that happens I'll come back and update this review but, at the moment, I'm pretty impressed.
Conclusion
The profile and roll of these wheels reminds me of the Seba wheels, which are 85A; the grip is reminiscent of the orange Hyper wheels used, primarily, for hockey, but they are 83A. It's weird: here's a wheel with, what seems like, high grip that are actually quick! Although the name suggests that they are slalom wheels, and Matter do make a freeride wheel, they have some great qualities for street skating.
I've yet to use them in the wet, where the Concrete wheels perform well, but I honestly don't see myself using the Concrete wheels again: these Matter wheels just blew me away. They really are just amazing, there's no other way of putting it.
With Club Blue Room stocking them, for £28 for 4, they certainly are worth the money. Matter have done an excellent job on these wheels.
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