Nord Boards
Archive for May, 2009
Arbor Bamboo Bug Female Longboard
The arbor bamboo bug longboard is a great board for the female longboarder. It features a nice light colored top layer of bamboo wood which is very popular among female riders. The bug was designed for women riders and is light weight and is great for cruising the streets. It turns really good as it has a mid ranged wheelbase at only 20 inches long. Make sure to set the bug longboard up with some nice soft 65mm arbor longboard wheels as they make for a great ride. One of the most important things to remember to allow for a great turning longboard is the correct type of truck. The best truck for this longboard would be either a paris, randal, or gullwing charger truck which are longboard specific and are great for smooth turns.
Arbor Bug Longboard Review
Longboards are an amazing way to get around town and an easy way to learn how to skate. The one problem some people tend to have with them is they are too large, especially for the female riders. With that in mind Arbor Longboards designed a women specific longboard called the Bug. The bug is avaliable in two different styles one with bamboo wood and the other with koa wood. The board are essential the same exact longboard. The arbor bug longboard is 36-inches long which is small to mid ranged in size which makes it easy to manuver and also easy to lug around as it isn’t as large as most longboards. It has a 20-inch wheelbase which is the length between the front and back trucks. The wheelbase of this board really allows for nice sharp smooth turns. This longboard also features a slight kicktail which is great if you want to ollie or even to help you turn the board in tight spots.
There are 2 different recommended styles of set-ups for the arbor bug longboard. One is a cruiser specific set-up while the other is more performance driven for your local skatepark as this board is a true hybrid style longboard. The cruiser set-up should have some gullwing charger trucks that allow for nice smooth turns and give the deck enough rise to put some nice 70mm soft wheels on the board which give it the nice smooth ride. If you want a more performance driven ride I would recommend a standard skate truck like some 169mm indy trucks with a harder durometer wheel around 84a or harder so you can shred the parks and still cruise the town. This is a great all around longboard and is highly recommended for any female rider!
Arbor Pin Longboard Review
If you are looking for a great all around cruising, surf styled, carver longboard look no further than the Arbor Pin longboard. This board is great for any rider and is super stable, fast, and smooth! It comes in 2 different styled graphics and wood; the bamboo top layer wood and also the highly popular hawaiian koa wood. The bamboo arbor pin will have just a little bit more flex to it while the koa wood is much stiffer than bamboo wood. This longboard has one of the longest wheelbases in the arbor longboard series behind only the cross step longboard. It is 46-inches long which makes it great for even riding down hill and the wheelbase creates very smooth surf styled turns. The one draw back you might have with this board is that it tends to be pretty heavy if you have to lug it around campus or for travel.
The recommended set up for the arbor pin longboard is gullwing charger trucks in 9 or 10-inch depending on how aggressive you are going to ride the board. The wide the truck the better for the more aggressive rider as it will have a more sturdy base and make turns easier at high speeds. Set it up with some nice abec 5 bearings and 70-mm arbor longboard wheels to create a smooth fast ride. If you are looking for more of a carving feel then get some retro zigzags in 70mm as they have a wider contact surface to allow for harder carving turns!
Wearing the Right Skate Shoes
If you’re interested in the world of skateboarding, it’s important that you are stocked with the right equipment. One particularly important piece of equipment is the skate shoe. After all, having the right shoes will enable you to more accurately and more easily perform skateboarding tricks. And if you’re seriously interested in skateboarding, it would be in your best interest to purchase a trusted name in skateboarding shoes.
To that end, many people choose to purchase DC shoes. Specializing n snowboarding and skateboarding shoes, the company first made its debut in 1993. As of 2004, the company was acquired by the larger and more established company Quiksilver. Many extreme sports enthusiasts are a fan of DC and always opt to wear this footwear. These shoes have also spilled over into everyday wear, as DC shoes have found mainstream popularity.
Sector 9 sidwinder longboard review
The sidewinder series sector 9 longboards are becoming ever popular as the news spreads about these double king-pin styled trucks that take carving and slalom riding to a new level! It is the only cosmic styled sidewinder longboard which means it has lots of flex and utilizes the fiber-glass layers. It has a super small wheelbase which makes the turning on this longboard insane! It will turn sharper than any other sector 9 longboard. It is great for crusing around town or campus as it is super small, stealthy and very light weight. The biggest draw back of the board is the height you stand off the ground due to the gullwing sidewinder trucks. The other boards in the sidewinder series utilizes a flushmounted truck that allows the longboard to be at a normal height. It doesn’t take long to get used to the height though and if you are a beginner you wont even know the difference.
The sector 9 dawn patrol longboard should be set up with the gullwing sidewinder trucks and nothing less! You want the 69mm slalom sector 9 wheels for this longboard as they were designed for this board specifically for its hard carving turns. The bearing is where you can save some cash and keep it simple with a nice smooth abec 5 bearing.
Sector Nine Scarab Longboard Review
The most popular carving style sector 9 longboard has to be the scarab. It is the rasta inspired carving longboard that you have probably seen around as it quite possibly is the most popular longboard of all time! It is a true pintail shape at 40-inches long and 9.2-inches wide which creates a nice mid ranged size board that is easy to balance and is very sturdy for carves and high speed. It is a taco mold deck and has a mild concave to help grip to your feet. It really is the best all around longboard. It is great for slalom style downhill riding, cruising, and is even great for slides. It has one of the shortest wheelbases of the carver series sector 9 longboards which creates better turning capability.
You can set this longboard up in so many different ways. It really just depends on what you are looking for so I’ll give a few ideas on how to set it up for a few styles of riding. If you are looking for speed, carving, and downhill riding you want the 10″ gullwing charger trucks, some sector 9 platinum abec 9 bearings, and the 69mm slalom style wheels in the red color! If you want to use the sector 9 scarab longboard for a pure cruiser, keep it simple with a standard truck, 64-65mm wheel, and some nice abec 5 bearings. If you want a mix of each get the charger trucks, abec 5 bearings, and the 65mm nineball wheels.
Sector 9 Bintang Longboard Review
If you are looking for a surf inspired longboard with lots of flex the sector 9 cosmic series longboards are what you want. The bintang is the original sector 9 cosmic 1 longboard with a new graphic but the same old feel. This board is 38-inches long and 8.5 inches wide and provides lots of flex for smooth flowing turns. It is a great crusier style longboard that is very popular among the college student wanting to cruise the board to and around campus. It has a 25-inch wheelbase which is a mid range size that allows for good manuvering. It is super light-weight as it is pressed with a few very thin layers of maple wood and fiberglass that gives it the flex and strength. The sector 9 bintang wasn’t designed as a carver or downhill style longboard as the flex doesn’t give the rider enough control at high speeds. It does however provide a nice smooth cruiser that is great for sidewalk surfing.
The sector 9 bintang longboard is a good longboard and is a good mid ranged price that usually ranges from $130-$160. You can keep this sector 9 board simple as you don’t need any fancy trucks, wheels or bearings as it truly is just a cruiser longboard. I would recommend a 64-65mm sized wheel and a stanard gullwing mission longboard truck. A nice simple abec 5 bearing will do the trick for a smooth fast ride and also helps to keep the cost down.
Arbor Slater Carver Longboard Review
Out with the OLD and in with the NEW is what arbor did with the kelly slater edition longboard. The slater longboard used to be part of the flex series of arbor longboards which is their surf style longboard. It made for a nice smooth ride and flowing turns but it also made for a very expensive price tag with the fiberglass layers pressed into the board and the kelly slater name. What they have done this year to give it a new feel and keep the price a little lower with the recession in progress was press the slater graphic onto a carver series board which is maple wood with koa wood top layer. They also changed the color scheme of the graphic but keeping the same feel slater wanted on the longboard. The board was shortened by 1-inch and it is on a swallow-tail shaped deck similar to the surf board. It has the same width and wheelbase as the older board but it much more stiff and more responsive which makes it a better carving style longboard.
Recommended set-up:
The arbor slater longboard is best fitted with 9-inch gullwing charger trucks that allow a nice smooth carve and good stability. The 65mm arbor longboard wheels in the white color really make the graphic of the board pop and are a good choice. If you are looking for a higher end wheel look for some abec 11 grippins which will give more surface area and more friction for better carves. I would also recommened bones reds bearings as they have a good smooth feel and can be easily cleaned for a long lasting price point bearing!
My new Loaded Dervish Set-up
My new Loaded Dervish Bamboo Longboard
So I decided to set up a new longboard last week as I have been wanting the dervish longboard for quite a while now. I ended up with the dervish flex 2 as that was the only one we had left from the older graphic which is the one I prefered. It has a little more flex than I wanted but I still really love the board. I set the dervish up with some 10″ all black gullwing charger trucks that give it a nice sold sturdy wide base that is great for carving, sliding, and downhill riding. I ended up putting some retro bigzig 75mm lemon wheels which are 83a hardness as I wanted something that would grip the ground really well but also was hard enough for smooth slides. I had some extra sector 9 greaseball bearings laying around so I just put those on the board to break it in for now.
The results: The board is super fast, light and carves great! I keep the trucks very loose to allow for sharper carves. The down side is you have to watch yourself a little closer at high speeds as you can get wobbles. My first ride on the loaded dervish longboard was about a 15-minute all out sprint around my neighbor hood to get the feel for the board as it has been a little while since I had a brand new longboard. It resulted in a very sore leg the next day! So I had to wait another day before I could get my loaded slide gloves out and really start the break in the board. My next ride was with my wife who rides the vanguard flex 3. She was just out for a cruise and I was out to really break in my board and test the limits. I was interested to see how the wheels (retro 75mm lemon) would perform at high speed slides. First time I broke traction on the wheels they were a lot more slick than what I was expecting and I over rotated just about to 360 degrees which was a little surprising. It took a little while to get used to the wheels but so far I am really enjoying them! I’ll make sure to give another update of my next ride! Should be soon!
Sector 9 Luke Longboard Review
The big daddy of all the sector 9 longboards is the luke longboard. It is the largest sector 9 longboard. This thing truly is massive! It is 55-inches long which is nearly 5-foot long! It is also 11-inches wide which gives such a huge base and is the smoothest riding board I have ever been on. I don’t know what it is about this longboard but it seems to turn in such a small circumference and surprises me each time I cruise around on it. The board wasn’t made for carving but truly for sidewalk surfing. It is a great crusing longboard that can get you to your destination very quickly. The best and worst things about this board are the size. It is a good thing because it makes for a stable fast good crusing board. At the same time the large size is a draw back because it isn’t easy to lug around or store once you get to your destination. This board weighs around 15 pounds, so it is good to keep in mind that the large size can be a hassle at times.
Something that I feel makes this board able to turn the way it does is the wheel size. Most people want to throw on a huge wheel for more speed and smoother riding however I think the sector 9 luke longboard should have a smaller wheel nothing larger than 64mm in size. The smaller sized wheel lets you lean into the board and allows the board to turn really sharp. If you put a larger wheel on the board you will have to tighten your trucks and it will take away the turning ability. Gullwing missions are the best fit for this board as they have nice soft bushings that make the turns smooth. A good abec 5 bearing is also a good choice for this board.