YOW EKI 60mm 101A

The YOW EKI is the outlier in YOW's wheel lineup. Every other YOW wheel — Lurra, Tanta, Ura — sits in the 78A-82A range tuned for grip and surf-style carving. The EKI breaks that pattern at 101A: closer in formulation to a skatepark wheel than to a traditional surfskate wheel.

Why a 101A wheel on a surfskate? Three concrete use cases. First, riders who use a YOW for the bowl and want predictable slides instead of sticky 78A grip. Second, transition skaters who like the YOW Meraki front truck but want a wheel that survives concrete. Third, riders chasing speed on long flat runs — the harder durometer rolls noticeably faster on smooth asphalt at the cost of vibration absorption.

What you give up. Grip on cracked or rough pavement is significantly worse than YOW's softer formulations. Wet surfaces are dangerous at 101A — the wheel hydroplanes much earlier than a 78A. Vibration transmission is high; long sessions can fatigue your knees in a way a 78A would not.

Sizing. At 60mm × 40mm wide with a 30mm contact patch, the EKI is the smallest and lightest wheel YOW ships. That keeps wheelbite at bay even on shorter wheelbases, which is part of why it works in bowl contexts. For deeper context on wheel size and durometer trade-offs, see our surfskate wheels guide.