WORDS & PHOTOS Jake Grove
Welcome to our revamped and selectively sized July, 2017 edition of Tried & True. Through this ever-progressing monthly product feature we are excited to showcase a new and tighter collection of innovative, unique, and top-quality skate gear from across the industry.
We started Tried & True way back in our first Wheelbase Print Edition, and for the past year have continued it through our online platform. With this July collection marking our one year web-iversary, we have decided to showcase less products each month, but in further detail. Our ongoing selections will remain gear that we’ve tried ourselves and found to be true to quality skateboarding fun.
Sit back, relax, and check out a few of our favorite and specially selected skate goods this month:
Hi5ber Carbon Wasp Deck
The Hi5ber Carbon Fiber “Wasp” Deck is one of the raddest slalom and small-sized downhill setups we’ve had the honor of putting to the test, and we are excited to kick off this July’s edition with it!
The Wasp is the latest and most advanced downhill deck produced by Hi5ber yet, and comes in at a nimble 32″ length, 9″ width, and adjustable 18.25″ to 20.25″ wheelbases. But beyond these specs, the Wasp truly stands out in terms of construction; this deck starts with a foam core, cnc-machined to provide the ultimate concave and strength. Wrapped around this core is a high-quality honeycomb carbon-fiber weave, which enables this board to hold stiffer, stronger, lighter, and sleeker than typical multi-ply maple boards. This unique construction lends the wasp to be the “ultimate pump machine”, and has an abundance of board feel from the spoonbill kick, to the tapered nose and cambered rails.
We chose to feature the Wasp through Tried & True, as it is a highly innovative and unique product new to the slalom and downhill market. We recommend the wasp, setup with a 9″ traditional truck such as a bennett and a sharp lipped 70mm wheel, for multi-pursuits from cone-course racing, to Maryhill lines, and every freeride, death race, and wiggleboarding in between. The wasp comes in at a very affordable price point for such an in-depth and hand-crafted board, and after seeing some of the top downhill contenders sweep podiums on slalom-styled setups, we are excited to see the wasp hit the market. Hit the link here to Preorder!
Brian at Hi5ber has been crafting and innovating downhill boards from carbon fiber for years, and we are excited to stand behind the brand and put their products to the test. This humble, yet growing crew also creates top-quality downhill, freeride, cruising, and street shapes. Check out more on Hi5ber here!
___________
Bonzing “Lurktron”
We kicked off our first online Tried & True collection exactly a year ago with some Bonzing goodness, and we are glad to continue the tradition and seeing their bay-area crew holding strong!
Tying together our latest Tried & True collection is the just-released Bonzing Lurktron deck. The homies over at Bonzing have been perfecting this shape and design for a while now, and with rider input, several prototypes, and a fresh graphic, the Lurkton is alive!
Coming in at 33.5″ long, 9.25″ wide, and with 15.75 to 16.25″ wheelbases, the Lurktron is built to be an all around double-kicked shralp-mobile, with art from it’s own shaper Chad Lybrand. The large, yet not bulky, nose and tails provide plenty of pop, and along with the gradual radial concave give plenty of board feel through all aspects of riding. This is a Bonzing; it’s built to skate-everything from city-slashing alleyways, to crusty-coping pools, slippery-sliding slopes, flaking-paint curbs, and whatever else it’s thrown on to. It is also proven durable and built to last; Bonzing sources all of their boards from longtime so-cal shapers Watson Laminates, and with each new shape ensure that everything is in check and approved from rider, to shaper and every step in between. We still have our year-old Diet Fatty setup and shredding with plenty of life! Grab a Lukrtron while it’s fresh on the market Here!
We chose to feature the Lurktron through this focused edition of Tried & True, as Bonzing is a company we fully back; made by skaters for skaters with every factor kept in mind through design, Bonzing creates their own unique shapes to fit their rider’s needs. They host their own artist’s work on their graphics, build boards with an attention to detail, and are an all around rad and humble crew of shredders!
Bonzing has been crafting top-quality skate goodness, and from their Deforestation protection through FSC sourced wood, to the portion of every sale going back to the individual shapers and artists, and their detailed manufacturing, they offer near everything we could ask from a brand. Check them out here!
___________
“Powdered Sugar” Wheels
Another product to just hit the market, the Powdered Sugars by Sugar Urethane are a fresh and innovative take on sugar’s lineup of freeride wheels. With a 65mm diameter, generously rounded lip profile, 42mm width, 28mm contact patch, and slightly offset core, the wheels are made to perform through all slides, corners, and freeride pursuits. A further unique feature of this wheel is its 76a softer-than-common durometer. After prototyping through diverse conditions, the sugar crew found that in this specific urethane formula and shape/size, a 76a durometer allowed for the smoothest and most predictable slide that Sugar is known for. We would describe the powdered sugars as a powdery, chalky type slide that is both controllable and leaves fatty thane-lines.
We chose to feature the Powdered Sugars this month, as they are a new and innovative wheel to the freeride market, and truly provide one of the best slides we’ve experienced. Sugar is a skater-run company, and holds the know-how and application to produce some of the best wheels around. With every detail perfected through rider feedback, and urethane experience, we highly recommend sugar wheels for all freeride and sliding setups. They come in at an affordable price point for such a smooth slide as well!
Sugar Urethane has been crafting some of the highest quality freeride and downhill wheels for years, based out of Michigan, and continues to prototype and bring innovation to the longboard market. Check out more from them here!
___________
TSG “Meta” Skate Helmet
Kicking off this July’s safety feature is the TSG Meta Skate Helmet. This helmet is newer to the market, and features something innovative to half-shells; the Meta holds an in-mold construction that lends it to be lighter and less bulky.
As compared to a standard half-shell that has eps-foam glued to a plastic shell, the Meta is a single construction; that means no more foam separating from shells, and an all around sleeker look and feel. The snug-fit inner lining adjusts to fit snugly yet comfortably to any rider’s head, and with its dial-fit system in the back of the helmet, proper fit can be ensured through every ride. Providing further comfort, this helmet has 11 vent holes throughout for optimal airflow to evaporate-away sweaty foreheads. As far as safety specs, this helmet has fully cpsc certified EPS foam, a durable polycarbonate shell, discretely reflective straps, and a low-fit profile that covers more of the back and side of the head without impairing vision. The Meta comes in a variety of colors and style, as well as sizes to suit most any rider. Pick one up and protect your skull Here!
We chose to feature the TSG Meta as a safety feature, as it provides everything we could ask for from a helmet and more; it’s sleek and stylish, yet is built with safety in mind and has been tested and proven to protect. TSG provides some of the highest quality safety gear on the market, and with their innovations to this line of helmets have further advanced their offering of protection, style, and comfort. Check out more from TSG Here!
___________
Thanks again for tuning in to our revamped and selectively-sized July, 2017 edition of Tried & True! Be sure to check back next month for another collection and fresh skate related products, and let us know your input; both on the products featured, and the constantly progressing Tried & True column itself. Thanks, and stay shreddy wheelbase readers!