Nord Boards
Archive for the ‘Longboard Wheels’ Category
Ladyachtz Evo longboard review
Hey everyone, I’m finally back from hitting the books and apparently we have some new longboards in. The Ladyachtz Evo longboard is an all out racing board, rumor has it that it’s won more racing competitions in the last 3 years than any other board, and has been the choice for 3 world championships. The great thing about the Evo longboard is the 2″ dropped platform that keeps you low to ground for a lower center of gravity, which will send you zipping down hills. Now, although the Evo was built with racing in mind, these boards have become a staple in today’s cruising, with its stability and speed. I recommend the Ladyachtz Evo to anyone looking for a super speedy, and extremely stable board.
Now, the Ladyachtz doesn’t get it’s speed and stability from just the deck itself, it’s some quality accessories to go with it. If you have racing in mind I definitely recommend going for some gullwing bombers or chargers, however if you want to just cruise around I suggest getting some gullwing sidewinders instead. As for wheels, sector 9 puts out a really good wheel for the price, however if you really want to tear through town or down hills I recommend getting orangatang wheels . The Ladyachtz also can’t zip through town without a good set of bearings. For bearings I recommend getting either reds, rushs, or greaseballs, but if you want a better quality for a little more money I suggest bones swiss or sector 9 ceramics.
Sector 9 Lombok Longboard
The newest cosmic series longboard in the sector 9 series is the Lombok. It is the largest board at 46″ long. This board is great for cruising at high speeds, and surfing the streets. It has a nice amount of flex to make for smooth riding and flwoing turns. It also sports a kicktail that can be used to help you manuver around tight spots or lift the nose up over a curb. The lombok is a great super cruiser style longboard.
The lombok was built for speed and cruising. So make sure to set it up with a nice 70mm wheel such as the sector 9 nineball wheels in either blue or green. A nice fast bearing like some bones reds will make it fast and smooth when cruising the streets or boardwalk. And last and most important for smooth carving are the trucks. I would recommend anything either 10″ or 180mm such as gullwing chargers, paris, or randal trucks. They are all a great choice for the lombok.
Landyachtz Evo Best Set-Up
The evo is an amazing all around board. The landyachtz evo longboard was designed with racing in mind. It has the perfect shape, weight, and design and that is why this board wins more races than any other longboard. It is not just a racing board though. The evo is amazing for downhill freeriding, it offers tons of control with its drop down platform. It is super stable and carves great. The lowest performance rating for the evo is the cruise rating which to be honest with you I would give it a 10 for a cruise. It is fast and can get you where you want to go super quickly and without sketchiness.
I like to set the evo up with some 852 bear grizzly trucks for a freeriding downhill board that offers tons of stability. My favorite wheel on the evo is the orangatang durian 75mm in yellow which is a super fun wheel that allows for some good carves but can break free and allow for some super smooth slides, just like being at the water parks on a hot summer day.
Landyachtz Drop Carve Longboard Review
Landyachtz Drop Carve Longboard
The drop carves got more flex than Jean Claude Van Damm. The type of forgiving flex that makes for a smooth flowing carve like a cascading water-fall. This board is thicker than the dervish which gives it a snappier rebound and allows you to really carve down the mountain with control and aggression. The drop carve has a super mellow concave that helps lock your feet into place for extra control. It was designed to be light weight and is easy to carry around if it was to be used for a campus commuter. The drop thru design lets you loosen up the trucks a little and get squirrly.
The drop carve is made from 100% bamboo wood. The length is 39.25″ with a nice wide deck that comes in at 9.75″ wide which is perfect for 10″ or 180mm trucks and a nice fat wheel like some hawgs or orangatang in-heats. It has a 30.25″ wheelbase which creates a nice smooth carve but is short enough to get around tight corners.
I would set this board up with some grizzly 852s in black with some red hawg monster wheels and a super fast bones swiss bearing.
Sector 9 Longboard Wheels
Longboard wheels are a popular item these days. With the growing popularity of longboarding, good longboard wheels are becoming easier to find. Sector 9 offers a wide variety of wheels for all different types of riding. The have the smaller 54mm-60mm sized wheels that are great for your regular skate such as the deep end series sector 9 boards and for hitting up the parks that come in a range of durometer from 78a(soft) to 101a(very hard).
They also have the highly popular cruise style wheels from 61mm to 81mm in size. For your mini longboards you probably want something in the 61mm to 65mm size as they will offer a nice smooth ride and still allow the board to turn without wheel bite. The most popular size of wheel has to be the 70mm size wheel it is a great wheel for speed and also offers a smooth ride over most surfaces.
Another style wheel sector 9 makes is a carving or slalom style wheel which are highly recommended if you are using gullwing sidewinder trucks. They have a 69mm size, 72mm size, and 74mm size. Personally I prefer the 74m sector 9 wheels over any of the nineball, slalom, or top shelf style sector 9 wheels.
The newest addition to the sector 9 longboard wheels are the race formula wheels, out for a little over a year now they are made with a top of the line high quality urethane. They are available in 69mm to 81mm sizes in both cruise style and slalom or carving style wheels. Make sure to check these wheels out as they are many down hill riders favorites.
Short lived Sector 9 Longboards
With the new spring 2010 longboards coming out soon they are getting rid of some short lived boards. Here are a few that are no longer going to be in production or are getting a maker over to the graphic; carbon tr3 (discontinued), sunset(new name and graphic), whistler(new name and graphic), off the wall 2(new name and graphic), sand wedge(new graphic), most pit(new name and graphic), seedling (new name and graphic). So in total that will be 7 changes. One board discontinued completely, 1 with just a graphic update, and 5 new names and graphics.
Favorite new graphic has to be the newer version of the off the wall 2. Soon I will release the new graphic of this board which is now called the sector 9 tree barrel. Another great graphic change for spring 2010 is the sand wedge. Not too stoked on the change of the seedling graphic however I do think it will suite a lot of female riders as it is converting back to the older style graphic similar to the scarab or makosa that some of you may be familiar with.
New Spring 2010 Sector 9 Longboards
Yes, it is finally time! The spring 2010 sector 9 longboards are just about ready to hit the shelves. This week the new version of the sand wedge with a new graphic will be hitting the shops for the first time. In total there are 7 new changes being made to the boards. It seems the carbon tr3 is no longer going to be around as they are adding a new carbon fiber board called the carbon decay which is similar to the carbonite just a lot smaller at only 37.7″ long and 9.2″ wide. It is going to be a great little board that will manuver super tight and is light weight, highly recommended for college students looking to get to class. The small size of the carbon decay will also allow for easy stash under your desk or strapped to your skate-pack.
Recommended set up for the carbon decay:
I would set it up with a nice wide truck for added stability such as the 10″ gullwing chargers or even some 180mm randal trucks. A nice smooth abec 7 bearing such as the sector 9 cosmic bearings would be a perfect fit or this little speed board. I would set it up with a slalom/carving style wheel such as the orangatang in-heats in either orange or purple. I would go with the orange wheels for a rougher surface or the purple if the riding surface is somewhat smooth. This board is available in 3 differnt colors; yellow, green, blue.
Sector 9 Mini Longboard Skateboards
Ok here are my top 5 favorite sector nine mini longboards along with my recommended set up for trucks, bearings and wheels. Keep in mind these are in no particular order just the top 5 that come to mind.
Sector 9 City Crusher: Trucks- 9″ Gullwing Mission trucks, 76mm abec 11 flywheels, rush abec 7 bearings. The city crusher is one of my favorite mini’s that incorporates flex into the board
Sector 9 Montage: Trucks- Gullwing mission trucks, 60mm abec 11 noskoolz, bones reds bearings. I picked this board as it is the smallest sector 9 mini out and it is great for travel.
Sector 9 Coconut: Trucks- Gullwing Charger, 65mm sector 9 wheels, sector 9 platinum bearings. This board has a great little pop to the deck with a nice smooth flex which helps create smooth flowing turns for a shorter wheelbase.
Sector Rasta N8V: Trucks- Independent 149mm, 60mm abec 11 no skoolz, sector 9 greaseball bearings. Well why not a rasta graphic board. You always need a rasta inspired board in your list of tops.
Sector 9 Big Rock Bamboo: Trucks- Gullwing Mission, 61mm sector 9 wheels, rush abec 9 bearings. Ok so bamboo wood is great for the environment as it grows crazy fast. This little mini is super lightweight and can turn on a dime a great choice for a mini especially if you are looking for a bamboo board.
Landyachtz Drop Hammer Longboard Review
The landyachtz drop hammer longboard skateboard is a super fun board. The drop through board is a carvers dream and the short wheelbase and low center of gravity allow it to carve like few other boards can. It turns very tight, and is super stable and responsive. The super wide foot platform allows for tons of leverage around corners and gives you plenty of room so you never feel cramped on this little mini. It is great for nice mellow hills on a blue sky day.
Specs:
100% Bamboo Wood
Length: 36″
Width: 10″
WB: 24.5″
Foot Platform: 22″
Perfromance ratings from 1 to 10
Push: 9
Crusie: 9
Carve: 8
Slide: 7
Freeride: 7
Downhill: 5
Boards on Nord Recommended Set up:
Trucks: Bear Grizzly 852s or 10″ Gullwing Charger
Wheels: Orangatang In-Heat Wheels
Bearings: Bones Reds
Top Brands and styles of longboard Wheels
So here are a few of my tops in brands of longboard wheels then broken into my favorite styles for each brand.
Abec 11: These wheels have been proven over the years so that is why they are on top of my list. The 3 styles of wheels from abec 11 that are most popular have to be Gumballs, Flywheels, and Grippins. Gumballs come in 76mm with several different hardnesses for yout style of riding or surface of riding. Flywheels come in sizes from 76mm-97mm with a few different ranges of durometer. The grippins are a great all around slalom, carver style wheel available in a full spectrum of hardness.
Orangatang: Probably one of the most popular wheels out right now. Could possibly be in my number 1 spot just haven’t been around long enough to sit atop the rankings list. Top styles: Durians, Inheats, 4-presidents.
Retro: These are some of the top slalom and carving longboard wheels out. Top styles are Bigzigs and Zigzags and they come in several colors all representing a different durometer. My favorite are the bigzigs in lemon which I currently have on my dervish longboard.