WORDS & PHOTOS Jake Grove
Welcome to our third online edition of Tried & True! Tried & True is 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:
Shut NYC “Sifu” V2
The Sifu V2 deck by Shut NYC is a modern tale on a classic design. The 33” long and 10” wide pool shape gives a wide standing platform for all around skating, while the solid 7-ply construction of this shape keeps it stiff and durable. The board comes with an adjustable 15” to 15.5” wheelbase, and with a solid tail and nose scoop that keeps feet locked in and provide optimal board feel through transitions and tricks.
We’ve found the Sifu to be one of our favorite all around pool, bowl, and transition shapes, and have also put it to test through city slashing, driveway popping, and a little bit of everything else, and it does not disappoint. We recommend setting it up with some 9.5 to 10” standard trucks to match the width of the board, and with your choice of hard wheels for pools, or some softies for a slashable commute.
Shut skateboards have been around since 1986, marking the first skate company to come out of New York City, and continues to keep the dream alive designing, riding, and producing top notch products. We’re stoked on the Sifu along with the Shut brand, and have found this board to be the perfect addition to our all around quiver.
Check out more from Shut NYC here!
Caliber “Hollow” Trucks
The Caliber Hollow Street Trucks are built to perform and handle the abuse of every day skateboarding, while keeping your setup light and dialed. The “Tombstone” hanger design provides a higher level of support for the grinds, gaps, slaps, and everything in between, while the T6 High-Strength aluminum build keeps these trucks solid, straight, and precise no matter what you put them through. The greatest innovation with the Hollows however is there weight - the truck consists of a hollow grade 8 kingpin and hollow heat treated steel axle that shave off a solid 40 grams. These trucks come stock with 92a Ultra-HR Blood Orange bushings, and just like the standard caliber street truck, have a precision fitted bushing seat, low profile kingpin, and come in an 8”, 8.5”, and 9” sizing, with a truck height of 54mm.
The Caliber Hollow works best on boards where shralping, slashing, grinding, and popping is experienced. That said, we’ve found these to be an ideal truck for a wide range of street, pool, and other kick shapes, and with the three sizes, the Hollows will fit most boards between 7.75” to 9.5”. This truck has proven time and time again to handle its face being smashed, slashed, and generally bashed around into a variety of features, and we have found the design of the standards to be a perfect truck for all out shralping. Pick up a set of the Hollows for your street, pool, single-kick, or skate-everything setup and feel the difference!
Check out more from Caliber here!
Harfang “Roman Candles” Wheels
The Harfang “Roman Candles” bring a fresh, innovative, and creative alternative to the standard downhill wheels, modifying this mold with flint stones throughout the wheel, creating a spark sliding wheel. Harfang Wheels have always taken an innovative approach to downhill wheels, and have a history of making customized and newly designed rain wheels, dry wheels, and experimenting with other concepts including offroad wheels.
The Absolute Roman Candles are a square lipped downhill oriented wheel, and with the flintstone modifications, slides will become instant fire, with spark trails through every slip. Harfang not only offers this Roman Candle wheel in the Absolute mold, but they also offer custom preparation of any wheels, meaning they can make any downhill or freeride wheel into sparking fiery goodness.
We’re stoked to see companies like Harfang redefining the designs, modifications, and uses of skate products, and recommend Harfang wheels for any application, be it adding some flare to your slide, or some grip to your rain setup. Toss the Roman Candles on any of your sliding, slipping, drifting setups and stay lit.
Check out more from Harfang Wheels here!
Paris Skate Tool
The Paris Skate Tool takes an alternate approach on the standard T-tool design, and the result is a collapsible tool that actually fits in pockets comfortably. The full skate tool collapses into a mere 4” metal tube, and includes all of the standards needed in a tool; a double sided screwdriver/allen-head, 3/8, 1/2 and 9/16” socket heads, and has plenty of clearance in the heads to allow for adjusting longer hardware. We couldn’t ask for much more out of a tool, and with its beefy metal build, this tool is made to last. Paris knows a thing or two about making high quality products, and have taken that knowledge from designing a range of trucks, to a tool that lives up to their standard.
Toss that bulky T-tool and grab a collapsible Paris tool, it won’t disappoint!
Check out more from Paris here!
Blood Orange Bearings
The Blood Orange Abec-7 Bearings have brought yet another top-notch product to Blood Orange’s already extensive lineup. These bearings are built of high quality steel, and include everything needed to keep rolling; eight bearings, four spacers, and 8 speed rings. Blood Orange designed these to be ultra low-friction, but also kept in mind the need to easily clean and lube after heavy riding. The removable nylon inner-casings make for easy cleaning, and the deep groove iron outer-casings are strong enough to handle the demands of downhill riding and keep the crust out.
We recommend swapping Blood Orange bearings into all types of setups, and have found that they are a viable and affordable option that will stand the test of time. Blood Orange is always putting out some of the best hardware products to upgrade any setup, and have been doing so for years.
Check out more from Blood Orange here!
Thanks again for tuning in to this edition of Tried and True! Be sure to check back next month for another collection and some fresh products in the mix!