Nord Boards
Archive for April, 2009
All time most popular arbor longboard
I would have to say the #1 most popular all time arbor longboard has got to be the koa fish longboard. It’s a compact sized pintail shape. It is great for downhill, carving, and cruising around. It has 7 plys of hardrock maple wood and a top layer of the popular koa wood that is imported from hawaii. It makes for a nice stiff board which helps stabilize it when bombing hills at high speeds and gives you great control while turning. The clear grip is perfect on this board as it really allows you to enjoy the koa wood grain. Every single top layer of koa wood is unique and varies so much in color and grains that it makes it an amazing piece of artwork. It also features a hyper extended wheelbase for maximum stability and smooth turning.
The set-up for the arbor koa fish longboard can vary greatly depending on what you typically will be using the board for. Beginners can get a standard truck with some 65mm wheels and some abec 5 bearings which helps to keep the cost down and still be able to enjoy the board for its art and crusing abilities. If you are wanting high performance get some gullwing chargers or revenge alpha 1 trucks with some bones swiss bearings and some solid 65mm wheels!
Bamboo Pintail Longboard
One of the most popular arbor longboards is the bamboo pin. The deck is a classic tapered carver shape. The wheelbase is extra long for good stability and lots of speed. It is built with six plies of maple wood and a top layer varied shades of bamboo wood. This longboard is light weight for the size and very durable. Something I think is very interesting is the clear grip on the top of the arbor longboards. They are all gripped with recycled crushed glass! Just another way arbor is trying to help the environment. The asian style graphic on the bottom was created by, Jake Pickle one of arbor’s artist’s. It’s a great new graphic that lots of people will enjoy.
The arbor bamboo pin longboard isn’t just an art styled board. It truly is a performance driven longboard. It has a great shape and design for maximum speeds and can be used for downhill riding and is also a true style carver longboard. Make sure to set this board up with the 70mm arbor wheels and some good bearings such as bones reds or abec 7 or higher rated. I would also recommend gullwing charger trucks for maximum performance on this longboard!
Sector 9 Mundaka Surf Style Longboard
If you want a surf styled longboard that is fast and easy to ride the Sector 9 Mundaka is the board you are looking for. It is from the cosmic (surf style) series of longboards. It is a good size for someone wanting a stable longboard. It has a slight camber which allows for a good amount of flex and makes for smooth turns like riding a wave. The long wheelbase of this board helps for maximum stability and maximum smoothness. It is the number 1 recommended cosmic series longboard for beginner riders as it provides the most stability so it is super easy to learn on.
The sector 9 mundaka longboard can be paired up with any style of trucks. If you’re just looking to cruise keep it simple and go cheaper. If you might want to carve some hills and go for speed get some gullwing chargers. A larger 70-74mm wheel will allow for faster cruising and is also good for down hill riding. A simple abec 5 bearing will work just great for most riders but if you want more speed and performance get some abec 7 or higher rated bearings!
Flexy Downhill Bamboo Longboard
One look at the loaded dervish longboard and you know this is an insane performance styled longboard. You get the people who ask….Why are the trucks like that? How do you get the trucks like that? And you know that this board isn’t a beginners longboard. It is vertically laminted from bamboo and fiberglass which creates a strong very light weigth board. It is pressed into 2 formulas of flex for the rider that likes a stiffer board which would be the flex 1 or the ride who likes to bounce which would be the flex 2. It has a super low center of gravity which allows more stability at high speeds. The nose and tail are tapered to allow for large wheels and no bite. A mid ranged 33″ wheelbase allows for the perfect turns that aren’t too sharp but are smooth and responsive.
Unlike some drop through style boards this loaded longboard can be matched up with just about any style of reverse kingpin truck. It really shouldn’t be matched up with anything less than chargers, randals, paris, or bear trucks. Any of these trucks will allow you to get the most out of the turns and will provide a stable smooth ride. For the wheels you should go with gumballs or some orangatang 75mm wheels. These wheels are fast and high quality which will last a long time. If you’re going to fork out the high dollars for this board you mine as well get the best and go with some bones swiss bearings. These bearings are super fast long lasting and are easy to clean to allow for a longer life span!
This longboard is platinum for a reason!
If you’re looking for a an all around, high performance, down-hill, carving style longboard…Look no further than the sector 9 wedge longboard! The board is vertically laminted with aspen and mahogany wood and wrapped in fiberglass for extra strength. The board is super flexy and very light weight which will allow for fast hard carving turns at high speeds! Sector 9 was very smart with wheelbase design on this board as they pulled the back truck forwards just a bit to allow for a shorter wheelbase which creates better turning capabilities on smaller areas.
The board is one of the best so make sure to add the best parts to it! 10″ gullwing charger trucks are a perfect fit for this perfect sector 9 longboard. I would put some abec 11 grippin wheels on this board as they are made with the perfect shape for this board and last a long time when carving down hills at fast speeds. Make sure to put on some abec 7 or higher rated bearings to get the maximum speeds on this longboard!
Part rolling tray, Part Longboard
The sector 9 joel tudor longboard was designed with the certain type of rider in mind. It comes with a custom rolling tray on the bottom middle section of the deck. It’s perfect if you’re on a long trip and need to stop and roll one up for a smoke break. It’s a super fun board to ride and has just a small amount of flex in it which is just perfect for me as I don’t like too much flex. The deck is right around 38 inches long and 8.75″ wide. This board really isn’t a high performance style board, and doesn’t do great carving down hills but the daring rider can make it do.
Most people get this sector 9 longboard for one reason. You guessed it, the rolling tray. As the board isn’t super high performance you really don’t need to put expensive trucks and wheels on it. I would recommend a standard cheap longboard truck and a cheap mid sized 64-70mm sized wheel. If you want to be able to cruise fast just get some good bearings like some bones reds or abec 7 or higher rated bearings.
Sector 9 downhill racing longboard
One of sector 9’s best downhill or racing style longboards is the Carbon Spoontail. This board is a revamped carbon trylam board. They took the older styled carbon trylam longboard and added a little length with a bit more of a kicktail and added just a small amount of width around .10″ to the board. The length and width added to the board make for a much more stable riding area. This isn’t the only change they made to the board though. The biggest change was how they shortened the wheelbase of the board signifcantly. The new wheelbase is 26.25″ while the older style board has a wb of 29 inches. With the added lenght and shortened wb this really makes this board a hard carving highly tuned board that is great for slashing down hills from side to side.
This board is super high performance with its carbon fiber/fiber glass/maple mix in the deck to keep it light weight and strong while allowing it to have just a little bit of flex. If you get this board make sure not to cut yourself short by not assembling it with the best components. This board was designed for a 10″ or 180mm sized gullwing charger or randal truck. The perfect wheel for the sector 9 carbon spoontail longboard is the 74mm sector 9 wheel or the abec 11 gumball wheel. If you’re spending nearly 200 for a board you mine as well spring the little extra cash and upgrade the bearings for something that will last long and is super fast like the bones swiss the or sector 9 platinum abec 9 bearings.
Flexible Arbor Longboard
The arbor waterman man aka gun is one of arbors newest longboards. It was the first of the flex series of arbor longboards other than the kelly slater board. This board is a highly tapered, flex style pintail longboard. It has a slight concave with an extra long wheelbase for more stability and softer smoother carving turns. The waterman is built with 4 players of maple would with reinforced fiberlass layers to allow for a lightweight high performaning board. The waterman also uses the popular hawaiian koa wood top layer which is arbors trademark.
A high performance set up for this board would be 10″ gullwing charger trucks with some bones swiss bearings allong with some 70mm soft grippy longboard wheels which will allow for smooth hard carving turns. If you just love the arbor waterman longboard and want to use it as a cruiser and not looking for the ultimate performance I would pair it up with a basic truck and a cheaper abec 5 or abec 7 bearing with some 70mm wheels and you’ll be good to go and it wont be so hard on the wallet.
Sector 9 Cosmic Longboard Review
The sector 9 cosmic series longboard are surf driven style longboards. It’s a great tribute to the surf community as they really are the ones who started skateboarding. This series of longboards has 7 different boards to choose from. They range from just under 30 inches to 46 inches in length. The cosmic series boards are all constructed with maple and layers of fiber glass which helps keep them light weight and also gives them their unique flexible feel. This flexible style longboard is great for cruising and make for a super fun ride. When you pump in and out of your turns on this style of board the trucks are really pushed hard to the ground and the flex in the board allows them to rotate just a bit more allowing for a smooth riding turn. It really is the closest thing to riding a wave when crusing one of these sector 9 boards.
The sector 9 longboards in this series that are the mid sized boards from 34 inches to 38 inches should be paired up with a 65mm wheel and some gullwing mission or independent skateboard trucks. The smallest board the city crusher is designed for a large 75mm(+) sized wheel for a fast riding campus cruiser style board. These boards really are unique in style and feel when riding. If you’ve ridden a skateboard before I would definitely recommend one of these boards to you.
Constructive Activities For Teenagers
Most teenagers, at some point or another, ask their parents to buy them a skateboard. Skateboarding is one of the most popular activities amongst teens, and while not all will develop a passion for the sport, many show interest in it, even if it’s just casual interest, at one point or another. While too much of any activity can become a problem, skateboarding encourages teenagers to stay active, allows them to interact with their peers, and is safe provided the proper equipment is worn. In addition, skateboarding can be a constructive activity that engages both mind and body. Constructing skateboards from their base materials (deck, bearings, wheels, trucks, and other accessories) is an enjoyable activity that allows customization and teaches teens about engineering.
Skateboarding is a great hobby for teenagers, and can translate into maintaining an active lifestyle throughout life. Teenagers will have fun interacting with peers, and also building and customizing their own skateboards. If your teen talks to you about skateboarding, make sure to encourage it!