Making it Rain Thane!

The Mini Tsunamis are smallest of Rainskates’ 85a wheel series. They are a TON of fun in a smaller package. Our Rainskates Mini Tsunami review covers what these wheels from a high-quality manufacturer are best at.

Introduction

Rainskates is one of my favorite wheel companies because they make a lot of different wheel sizes, profiles and durometers that aren’t typically available from most manufacturers. Their first wheel was actually the original Tsunami coming in at a beefy 65mm and since then they have expanded their line to 27 different wheels with seven different duros! 

Setups used during testing:

• Bustin YoFace 35 – 16.5” Wheelbase
• Rayne Homewrecker – 22” Wheelbase
• Moonshine Firewater- 19” Wheelbase

Design

• Diameter: 59mm
• Durometer: 85a
• Width: 38mm
• Contact Patch: 22mm
• Weight: 12 ounces

The Mini Tsunamis are a sharp looking wheel, it’s not often you see bright orange colors like that rolling down your local slide hill or into the skatepark. They feature a supportive core which is a Rainskates staple. 

Coming in at 85a they are intended to be a, “true ‘street wheel’ according to Rainskates. I can verify that they are! They are some of the smoothest rolling wheels I’ve ridden, they’ll make the roughest spots and ditches skateable. The ride stays consistent and smooth even as the wheel wears down which is an added bonus.

Slide

When I got the Mini Tsunamis I took one look at them and thought that the slide was going to be right in between the Remember Pee Wees and Seismic Crybabies. The wheels come with the skin on, so they do require a few slides to break them in, but oh boy do they DUMP thane. Right away even as I was wearing the skin off, they left thick lines. This reminded me of the Seismics because those wheels also leave a lot of thane. 

The slide started off a little bit honky/chattery as the skin was being removed. After my first session with the wheels the slide was chalky and smooth. It’s very confidence inspiring which I loved. By the second session I was able to start doing stand up and squat sides confidently! The Mini Tsunamis slide when you want and grip when you need them to (at sub 25mph speeds).

After skating these wheels to the core, I’d say that the slide is more like the Pee Wees because it’s extremely smooth and easier to initiate slides with than the Seismics. This is because the wheel features such a small contact patch. For this reason, they are a fantastic low speed freeride wheel but I wouldn’t take them on corners above 25mph or try to downhill with them.

Freeride

The Mini Tsunamis kill it as a low speed freeride wheel which perfectly describes my style. I rarely skate above 20mph because there aren’t many big hills around me and the wheels were able to provide me with many fun slides at lower speeds! 

However, during testing I was lucky enough to skate a neighborhood with big hills and smooth pavement. The wheels slid wonderfully at higher speeds (20-25mph). The kickout at speed took barely any effort but I still felt safe doing my setup carves at speed as long as I stayed low and didn’t lean too far off the board.

Holding out long slides, both hands down and stand up, is effortless with the Mini Tsunamis. They are truly a perfect freeride wheel for smaller boards and boards with smaller wheelbases. You could easily throw these on your standard 31-inch popsicle board and have a blast too.

Tech Slide

Since these wheels are a softer thane they will not slide for as long or as easily as a comparable 100a Rainskates wheel at slow speeds, but they are still a fun tech slide wheel!

Want to learn how to tech slide? Click here for our tech-sliding guide.

I was able to do stand up and glove down 360s, a variety of one-foot slides, glove down blunts, and laybacks with ease. If you want a hybrid wheel that slows you down a little when sliding but you can still do more technical maneuvers with, this is the wheel for you.

I wasn’t able to do stand-up blunts with these wheels, but I think it’s possible with more practice and a higher skill level than myself because they really do slide well on two wheels.

Park/Street

If you like skating grippier wheels these will be perfect. They do hook up on concrete when trying to boardslide boxes, but for 50/50s and other truck-based grinds they work perfectly! 

They also eat rough pavement for breakfast. If there is a particularly janky spot in your neighborhood that you don’t want to take regular hard wheels to, the Mini Tsunamis will make that spot skateable. 

They absorb impact well and aren’t bouncy like other softer wheels which makes ledge drops, ollies, kickflips and other tricks feel smooth.

Durability

These wheels only lasted me three sessions; they are actually the first wheel I ever cored which was awesome! They left a decent amount of thane dust on my board and trucks at the end of my third and final test session. The reason they didn’t last long for me is because I put them through a ton of abuse sliding them at higher speeds. 

If you were to use the Mini Tsunamis as your park skating and cruising wheel with the occasional slide session, they’ll last much longer. 

One crucial point about the durability I want to touch on is their very high flatspot resistance. I would put their flatspot resistance in the same category as Spitfire Formula Four urethane. 

The one big difference between these Rainskates and Spitfires is that the flatspots don’t get bigger once they appear, which is fantastic. I noticed this on my 100a Rainskates too, the small flatspot I have is still the same size as it was months ago, and I can barely notice it on regular pavement. 

I flatted the Mini Tsunamis my second session 90 blasting a huge laid back coleman and it really didn’t impact the rest of the wheel’s life. I’ve flatted other soft wheels before and after the initial flatspot it was pretty much game over unless I de flatted them on a lathe/drill press.

I was still able to take the Mini Tsunamis up to 28mph with the flatspot safely, skate the park and roll away from slow landings fine. I even was able to slide the flat out of the wheel the next session which was an added bonus. 

Conclusion

If you are a street/park skater who wants a slightly grippier wheel that’s still fun to slide with on occasion, the Mini Tsunamis are perfect! If you are a low speed freerider who wants a super slidey wheel to learn new slides on they are also a great choice, just keep in mind that they won’t last you too long which is the only con about these wheels in my mind.

Want to learn how to tech slide? Click here for our tech-sliding guide.