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Featured, Longboarding

Landyachtz Hawgs Longboard Wheels

No Comments 15 April 2009

The Landyachtz Hawgs were developed as a freeride wheel to slash, carve and bomb your way to your destination. The 77mm 78a set of Hawgs I tried gripped when I needed it and broke into a controlled slide when I needed to.  The wheels are center-set as well so your free to rotate them when they begin to wear.

Running the Hawgs on my Rayne Nemesis is working extremely well since I love how well the wheels grip yet drift when needed. The wheels also tend to drift really nicely around corners as opposed to chattering like some wheels did. Landyachtz really built a durable wheel with the Hawgs, chunking hasn’t been an issue at all for me which tends to be a problem when riding wheels hard. With such a durable wheel you definitely get what you pay for.

If your looking for a fun, versatile longboarding wheel then check out the Landyachtz Hawgs, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by these unique wheels.

Longboarding

Landyachtz Evo Review

No Comments 15 April 2009

The Landyachtz Evo is a 11 ply drop board that is super stable yet very responsive at the same time.

Taking the Evo on the first hill of the day felt great as I busted some hard carves and felt just how fast she could go. This thing just begs to be taken fast with such a stable platform. Dodging obstacles like potholes and rocks were no problem on the Evo and I was actually very surprised at how nimble it felt for such a heavy board. Did I mention this thing is super low? Pushing is a breeze on the Evo thanks to how low it sits.

Flex on the board is pretty much non-existent since it is designed to be a downhill board. The Evo sports aggressive concave to help keep your feet locked in and it certainly felt good for me. Tucking on the Evo and taking some tight turns was no problem and felt smooth as butter the whole time.  I did get to take it for a parking garage sesh and it handled it really well, just had to loosen the trucks up a tad.

The setup I was riding had Bear Grizzly (10mm axle) trucks, Abec11 Flywheels 83mm (78a) and Venom bushings. Keep in mind that using Flywheels on the Evo made it super drifty, so be warned if your looking for a really grippy ride. Since the board sits so low sliding the Evo is a dream with its concave keeping your feet locked in the whole time.

Landyachtz Evo Blacktree Concave
Landyachtz Evo Concave Shot

The Landyachtz Evo has won more downhill skateboarding races than any other speedboard out there and for good reason. This longboard isn’t exactly the best commuter thanks to its heavines. Sure it is possible to commute with the Evo but it is heavy and does lack a kicktail for going over curbs. This board really craves going fast on some steep grade hills so don’t dissapoint.

Whether your slashing your way through allies or bombing  that monster hill, the Landyachtz Evo is sure to fit the bill.

Longboarding

Loaded Vanguard Review

No Comments 15 April 2009

The Loaded Vanguard is an absolute carving machine. This board is hands down one of the most comfortable and energetic rides you can find out there today.

The new Vanguard sports a core full of bamboo goodness. This gives the board a snappy, responsive flex while reducing the overall weight as a bonus. As soon as you step on the Vanguard you’ll realize just how much flex the board has. Carving is awesome on this thing since the bamboo makes the board super snappy and responsive when coming out of turns almost like your snowboarding.

My Setup

Trucks: Randal RIIs 180mm
Wheels: Abec 11 Lime Bigzigs (75mm, 80a durometer)
Riser Pads: None

No riser pads are needed for the deck as the wheel cutouts on either end take care of any chance of wheel bite that you may experience. I’d recommend sticking  in the 66-76mm range for wheels.

For trucks I’d recommend sticking with the Randal 180mm trucks or Paris 180mm trucks.

This thing is super easy and enjoyable to pump along on the flats. Pretty much any longboarding style can be handled by the Vanguard. Whether your commuting to work dodging pedestrians or wrecking havoc pumping and carving that parking garage, the Loaded Vanguard can handle it all.

Now downhill is where the Vanguard starts to struggle. Since the board has so much flex the board simply can’t remain stable at higher speeds (30mph+). Although you might be able to ride the Vanguard at a higher speed, it simply isn’t as energy efficient as using a stiff board.

Loaded Vanguard Flex

Loaded Vanguard Flex

Sliding on the other hand is no problem for the Loaded Vanguard to handle. The board can break into a controlled slide no problem with Abec11 Bigzigs on my setup which means taking on those steep grade hills should not be a problem. Taking on bigger hills for me wasn’t an issue as speed checking and shut down slides were a breeze for the board to handle.Loaded Vanguard Sliding

Sliding On the Loaded Vanguard

Sliding On the Loaded Vanguard

Overall the Vanguard is a great freeride board and it should be treated as such. If your looking for a longboard with some flex and an extremely responsive ride, then look no further. The Loaded Vanguard is hands down, the most similar ride to a snowboard I’ve experienced. Carving, pumping and more carving is what this board is all about.

Amazing all around board. Definitely worth the $280-$300 hit to your wallet for the value you get with the Vanguard.

Longboarding

Loaded Dervish Longboard Review

3 Comments 12 April 2009

I thought I’d give my take on the ever popular Dervish by Loaded Longboards. The dervish is a drop-thru style, desgined to accomodate the Randall R-II, Paris, Holey, Bear, Gullwing Charger and Tracker Fastrack Trucks. The dervish is also available in two flexes depending on your weight. The guys over at Loaded Longboards really wanted to create a great all around, fun board when they created the Dervish and they certainly did a good job.

The first thoughts on riding the dervish was how similar it felt to riding a snowboard. I think that’s really what the design was going for and it feels extremely lively. The dervish can take on lots of stuff you throw at it, whether it be carving and cruising or sliding and a little downhill action. Keep in mind it is not a downhill board and the flex on it makes the Loaded Dervish very hairy at high speeds (45mph+). Sure there’s some people out there who have gone faster on one but there’s a reason all the best downhill boards are stiff. I personally took it to about a max of 35mph on one of my runs and although it felt fine, the Loaded Dervish definitely wouldn’t feel comfortable at a higher speed.

Anyway overall the board felt solid and was super easy to ride. The dervish sits nice and low thanks to its drop-through design, so pushing is a breeze. Speedchecking with 75mm Lime BigZigs was not a problem and coleman sliding was a blast. The board is definitely fun to just ride around and do some hard carving. Pumping around the neighborhood on the Dervish was really fun and the longboard just felt super lively under my feet. I did take it to a parking garage longboard session as well and it handled the 5-story garage no problem.

The setup I was on had Paris 180 trucks that were setup extremely loose with Venom bushings. I feel like the Paris trucks really make this board come alive with some aftermarket bushings. The Dervish is a bit on the expensive side with a complete running about $230 or so which is comparable to other high end longboarding manufacturers such as Rayne and Landyachtz. Also note that a drawback to the Dervish is it lacks a kicktail, so keep that in mind if your needing a board to ollie lots of curbs and ledges. I personally don’t own one but it would certainly be a nice addition to anyone’s quiver if your looking to carve, slide and just cruise around. The Loaded Dervish is a definite great choice for someones first board as long as their not looking to do serious downhill.

Check out this great video of the Adam’s brothers ripping it up and making it look easy on the Loaded Dervish.

Longboarding

Rayne Nemesis Board Review

No Comments 08 April 2009

So just recently I decided I needed to add a new board to my quiver, since my Gravity Hypercarve wasn’t the best for downhill. I ended up choosing the Rayne Nemesis as I felt it would be a great versatile board for whatever the situation. Many people will say the board is too wide but until you try it I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

First of all you have plenty of foot room and the deep tub concave just seems to lock your feet in, almost feeling like a snowboard. Carving hills on this thing is effortless and throwing down slides is no problem with all the leverage you get from a wider board.  Downhill riding is great on the Nemesis also since it’s quite a stiff board making it very stable at high speed. Another great thing is the board isn’t that heavy which is nice when you have to walk back up that hill a couple times.

As far as setup goes, I’m running Bear Grizzly trucks, Landyachtz Hawgs 77mm 78a wheels and orange barrel Khiro bushings. The Nemesis is just a great all around board for sliding, carving and bombing hills. I definitely recommend getting some new bushings as well such as Venom’s or Khiro’s as the board just comes alive with softer bushings. The guys over at Rayne really hit it right with the deep concave as well, you just feel glued to the board when riding.

I recommend the Nemesis to anyone who is looking for a seriously kick ass and versatile board.

Specs

Length- 39″
Width- 10.25″
Wheel Base- 32″ or 33″
Deep Tub Concave, Dropped Platform, Flush Mounting
Flex: Stiff

Check out some photos of the Nemesis @ Rayne Longboards.

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