Nord Boards
Archive for January, 2010
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.
The Heart Of An Adventurer
My son is such a thrill-seeker and he really loves pushing himself to the limit. He has practically tried virtually all of the daring rides, stunts and other outdoor adventures that he finds exhilarating. Some of them are bungee jumping, paragliding, mountain climbing, parachuting, deep-sea diving, and cross-country cycling.
Last Holiday season, I was really having a hard time figuring out what present to give him. I really wanted to get him something that he will really be thrilled to have. He has been skateboarding for years and has several different boards that he uses. I decided to get him something a little different, so I bought him a downhill longboard. My son loves the screeching speed and turning precision that the board provides.
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.
Sector 9 Longboard Skateboards
Sector 9 Longboard Skateboards
Yes spring is near and you know what that means. Yep, it’s time for the release of new longboards. It seems like just a few weeks ago sector 9 release the entire new line of boards and now they are coming out with some new ones??? That’s right a handful of boards are in production right now and will be hitting the skate shops in the next 4-6 weeks. There are going to be some really cool editions to the new longboard skateboards coming out. One of my favorite is a newer version carbonite board that is just a little shorter that will be great for pushing, cruising, and carving.
I can’t give out too much information yet but just be ready for the new release which will be available soon. Also soon to come all the new landyachtz longboard skates will be introduced so keep an eye out for that. This spring should be epic in the longboarding world.
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.
Orangatang Stimulus Free Ride Wheels
The stimulus wheel was designed for freeriding, it is a mid ranged sized wheel that is great for sliding and also has the perfect amout of grip when needed. These wheels are 70mm in diameter with a 42mm contact surface patch.
Durometers: 83a purple, 86a yellow
The stimulus freeride wheels were designed with a nice wide contact surface that is great for freeriding and can even crossover to a carving wheel in most cases. However if you want a solid carving or slalom style wheel check out the in-heat or 4-president wheels. Like all the orangatang freeride wheels the surface is stone ground for a ready to ride wheel right out of the package. 70mm is the all around size for quick acceleration and enhanced control for a longboard wheel.
Orangatang Durian Longboard Wheels Review
Orangatang Longboard Wheels (Durian)
The durians were designed for freeriding, they are grippy when needed with consistent slide characteristics to allow for smooth slides unlike some of the other wheels that create a bumpy slide. The durains are a great all around wheel.
Specs:
diameter: 75mm
contact surface: 45mm
durometers: 83a purple, 86a yellow
The durians have an offset design and relatively wide contact patch for a nice solid grip (If you want more grip check out the in-heat wheels). It was designed with rounded innner and outer lips with stiff flex characteristics for clean slide initiation and smooth quite slides. The surface of the durian wheels are stone ground for to help create a consistent slide right from the start with no need to break them in. These wheels are intended to build confidence and elevate your riding caliber to the next level.
Arbor Longboard Skateboards
Due to release in early sping 2010 are the new arbor longboard skateboards. A lot of new editions and changes are being made this time around. I’m very excited to check out all the new skates coming out and to demo them. Some of the changes to this years boards are several new shapes/styles as well as the carry over boards as always but with some cool new graphics. Lets start with the mini longboard skateboard called the pocket rocket, not too much has changed other than the graphic. The biggest change is the new assorted colored bottom graphic with 4 new colors on the bamboo version as well as a new bamboo board itself. The sizzler is going to have 2 colorways this year blue and red. One of the biggest changes is the remake of the older bogart board. One of the other new changes arbor is making is some boards with black grip tape with arbor logo die-cuts.
The biggest surprise for the longboard skateboards from arbor is the arbor axis which is a drop through top mount that is awesome looking. The axis skate is 40″ long and 8.5″ wide a great all around style board available in both koa and bamboo wood. Also a similar board called the assault with some of the black grip with a koa die cut will be coming out as a drop through top mount. It is a little longer at 42″ and a little wide at 8.75″ for someone that wants that little extra stability. These boards should start showing up in shops in early march, 2010.