In the beginning, freestyle scootering was born from foldable Razor scooters that were modified by young jumping enthusiasts. The sport slowly evolved to specialized freestyle scooters, starting by having something rigid (not foldable nor ajustable), followed by alloy core wheels, flex brakes, bigger wheels, and so on. All of that to have a scooter that can take a hit! But one thing never changed, the wheel bearings.
The standard wheel bearings never evolved to endure the stress of today's riding, that's why Ethic DTC brought the 12 Standard (12STD) to the game! Switching the standard 8mm axle for a 12mm one to be stronger, allowing for bigger bearings and bigger wheels.
Bearings
Not only are the impacts on the scooter getting bigger as the riding evolves, but the actual scooter itself is getting a buff too. Decks are getting larger, needing bigger wheels to accommodate turning and with bigger wheels, the side impacts the wheel bearings are getting is worse than ever. With the bigger 12STD bearing, you don't have to worry about side impact even on 125mm wheels.
Simply said, standard axle / bearing combos are coming from the rollerskating world. The 12STD combo is basically what's used on BMX hubs. Let that sink in ;)
Wheels
The bigger «everything» enables the wheel to be massive! As such, you'll be able to put 125mm diameter wheels on your scooter without worrying at all! The 12STD wheels are also larger (30mm) to gain more control and put that set-up to work. Not a fan of having that big of wheels? There are smaller ones available like the Ethic DTC Incube V2 115mm.
Other parts
If you want to ride 12STD, you'll need to have a compatible deck and fork. For more info on these other parts, check out our 12STD page on the buyers guide!
