We started Tried & True in our Print Edition over two years ago, and now we’re bringing this premium product feature to the comfort of your very own interweb-frendly device.
Introducing our first web-based Tried & True product feature, a monthly collection of skate gear we’ve tested ourselves and found to exceed our standards here at Wheelbase. We will be releasing these collections each month and including in them the newest and most innovative products we can find. So sit back, relax, and check out some of our favorite skate goods:
Bonzing “Diet Fatty”
The Bonzing Diet Fatty is a durable, skate-everything single kick. Coming in at 34.25 inches long and 9.25 inches wide, with an adjustable wheelbase of 19.25”-20”, this board is ready to skate everything in its path. This deck’s 7 Ply hardrock maple construction lends it a solid feel and gives it a level of durability–this deck is built to last. It has decently deep wheel wells that provide greater clearance without weakening the deck, and the pocket created between the wheel flares and gradual nose and tail give a good sense of board feel and keep feet locked in through sliding and downhill.
We took this board out to the hills, ditches, pools, parks, driveways, alleys, and anything else we could find to put it to the test of skating everything. We found this board to be the perfect deck for fast alleyway and driveway slashing, and we felt it was right at home in San Francisco styled terrain. That said, this deck was still perfectly capable for downhill and freeriding and provides a nimbler shape for riders with narrower stances and a more agile style. This board worked fine through pools and ditches, and proved to be fun, even with the 7ply construction giving it a bit heavier feel. It’s a tank and takes the normal abuse of curbs, flips, and tricks just fine.
We recommend setting this baby up with some 9 Inch Rkp’s for a downhill based setup, but for the driveway slasher We’d recommend a 169mm street truck to give a smoother grind and more fluid turn. We enjoyed this board with some narrower contact patch wheels, and found that as a skate everything setup an 86a duro gave the greatest support in all terrains.
Overall, we highly recommend the Bonzing Diet Fatty as an all around board; set it up to use as a commuter, downhiller, alley-slasher, etc. If we were to limit ourselves to a one board quiver, we’d enjoy the abilities of the Diet Fatty as a stiff and sturdy downhill deck that still feels comfy and agile in all other terrains.
Check out more from Bonzing Here!
Paris Street Trucks
The Paris Street Truck is a unique take on the conventional standard kingpin truck; it sits a little higher than most other tkp’s, and makes use of a full sized top bushing. Crafted from heavy duty gravity-pressed aluminum, and then heat treated for further durability, these trucks are ready to take on whatever you put them through. They have a 6 hole pattern to fit all types of decks, and come stock with 93a divine bushings and grade-8 axles and kingpins. These trucks sit higher up with a 57.15mm axle height for added clearance.
We took the trucks for a spin on a 9.5” wide single kick and they did not disappoint. The Paris’ offered a stable truck up to moderate speeds, and still handled grinds, carves, and tricks just fine. With these trucks we noticed no wheelbite throughout our time riding, and found them to remove the need for a riser on larger wheeled setups. These trucks felt great through all terrains and we found them to be a perfectly capable “skate-everything” design. In parks and pools, we found the yoke of the truck to have a smooth shape and hang up very rarely as well.
We suggest using the Paris 169mm street trucks for any boards that measure in between 9-10” wide, and for riders that enjoy a truck that can handle freeriding and moderate downhill without a worry, yet still like to get some grinds in. We’d recommend these specific trucks for use on either a shorter single kick around 34-36”, or setup on wider double kicks between 32-36”. They work great with most sizes of wheels, however we’d recommend them with a 65mm freeride shape for maximum shralping.
Check out more from Paris Here!
Orangatang “Skiffs”
The Orangatang Skiff is a narrow-contact patch freeride wheel, great for a wide variety of setups and terrains. These wheels measure out at 62mm with a 25mm contact patch. They come in three durometers like most other orangatangs–an orange 80a, purple 83a, and yellow 86a, and provide a smooth slide in a little package. Their core is center set, and made of a high-resistance glass-free urethane.
We put these wheels to the test through a variety of terrains and found them to be a great slide wheel and ditch wheel. The 80 and 83a sets offered a very smooth slide at higher speeds on hills, and also cruised over rough and chunderous terrain with ease. The 86a gave a nicer slide in a driveway, alley, and ditch environment, and we really enjoyed the roll speed of this harder duros in ditch racing. This wheel is designed with a very large and supportive core, which kept the roll speed fast and kept us from getting any flatspots. The 62mm shape also means the wheels fit on nearly all boards with little wheelbite, and can be used in a variety of applications.
We recommend these wheels as a buttery freeride shape, and would likely set either of the softer duros up on a single kick downhill board, and suggest putting the 86a’s on a larger double kick as an all around setup. The Skiffs are a buttery, slippin’ slidin’ wheel that want to go far, and are ready to slide for miles.
Check out more from Orangatang Here!
Cadillac Bearings
Brought to you by the folks over at Madrid and Full Circle distribution are the Cadillac Performance Bearings. These race bearings come fully equipped with spacers and rubber sealed casings, ready to ride and stay fast. These come pre lubricated and pressure sealed to keep the dirt out and keep your balls spinning freely.
We tried these bearings out on all of our setups and found them to work great for what they’re meant to do; spin freely. We took them through some mild dirt and ditch sludge and continued to run them for downhill, and noticed very little loss of performance over time. The price point of these bearings are very appealing, and offer a convenient option for upgrading all your setups.
We recommend these bearings for all setups, but especially found them to perform on downhill and racing setups where precision is required. The bearing fit precisely in our race wheels and kept up with us at speed, and provided all we could ask for out of a bearing. Ditch your old crusty set of off-brand’s and grab some of the freshest around, Cadillacs!
Check out more from Cadillac Here!
Venom Anodized Hardware
The Venom Anodized Hardware pimps your ride and gets some bling showing through on your favorite setups. Ranging in size from 1” - 1.75”, this hardware is a great option for the majority of setups out there, and adds some flare into any board.They are the standard size and philip’s head, and made of top tier metal.
We ran this hardware on a few of our boards, and it did not disappoint. The nylock nuts stayed secured and did not slip. The bolts are made of top quality metal, and therefore had no stripping, bending, or warping issues. The cut of the philips head was precise and fit our tools without a problem. We recommend this hardware for any setup; to add some flare and keep your board secure and stable.
Check out more from Venom Here!
Sk8ology Carabiner Tool
The Sk8ology Carabiner Tool is all about convenience; a pocket sized tool that clips to any belt loop, and works to hold keys, adjust trucks, wheels, and hardware, and grip boards, as well as open the bottled beverage of your choice–It’s the swiss-army knife of skate-tools. It has everything you need and nothing you don’t. Made of high quality metal and plastic, this tool weighs in at only 54 grams (1.9oz) and is the lightest skate tool out there.
We added this tool into our daily belt-loop carries and were stoked to find a skate tool by our side every time we needed it. The design of this tool is sleek and secure, and even with some heavy cranking the sk8ology tool has not shown any signs of cracking, flexing, or bending.
We took this tool along for some unexpected slams, and were surprised to find that it didn’t bruise or stab the crap out of our thighs; the flat design causes it to lay flat and slide right with the body when taking a slam, and leave nothing but a few scuffs.
We highly recommend adding this tool to your daily carries and tossing it on your keys–It’s something that every skater should have to make quick and convenient adjustments without scrambling for a tool, and with it attached to your keys, you’re not likely to misplace another tool. Sk8ology nailed it on this latest design, and made a product that will last for years to come.
Checkout more from Sk8ology Here!