Gold Coast Longboards: Best Deals

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Dennis 14 Comments

Gold Coast Longboards: Low Prices

Click Here to Get Great Deals on Gold Coast Longboards.

Just build’n sweet rides!!! Cruise over to the Gold Coast Longboard’s website if you want to flash-back back to the “lay-back” days of “endless summers,” back when it was all about building the best longboards and capturing that perfect ride. Since word of mouth seems to be their marketing strategy, here a quick review on three GoldCoast Longboard Classics.

Gold Coast longboards: The Rebirth Moon Board

Longboard newbie?? Here is an awesome first time board that will give you plenty of action and help you quickly get the feel of cruis’n, or even some downhill carving.. The Deck is 40 by 9.5 with a wheel base of roughly 24 inches.. Which means more deck leverage as you feel yourself power into each turn. The board flex is a little tight at first from the 7 ply Canadian maple, which is perfect to start with. But after a couple weeks, this deck really loosens up just when you are ready to handle more flex and more fun. The Trucks are century 7″ and should be good for a while with a nice reverse pivot design and a fairly tight turning capability. The wheels are 68 mm and a little on the soft-side (80a). However, that gives you more grip, and fewer unexpected slides.. Ideal for cruising, the ABEC-7 bearing with Teflon, allows you to spend more time on the dusty off roads and less time cleaning parts.. plus, with just a couple kicks your coasting for a while.. Lastly, I like the concave deck design along with the printed Grip Tape, both give my feet that feeling of total edge control, while I slalom through the mall crowds.. (that is when security is not watching…oops)

The Boozal-Gold Coast Longboards

Now this has a definite cruiser feel without the extra length/weight.. at 44 by 9.5. This deck is a true bamboo ,a little lighter then I would expect for a 44 inch board, with lots of flex. The hardware is much the same as the rebirth moon, described above with a 24 inch wheel base and century 7 inch reverse pivot trucks. The wheels are slightly bigger at 70mm, but with the same softness rating so the grip and turning capabilities are pretty much the same. the Boozal features a more pronounced kicktail but the extra board flex makes getting off the ground a little more challenging at first.

Gold Coast -Classic Floater Longboard

How could I do a review and not include their Classic Floater Longboard.. … The widest of the boards reviewed so far, at 10 inches, but still at an overall 44 inch length. The deck with 7-ply construction was a little stiff, however the wider wheelbase of (26.5 inches) allowed foot placement well within the wheel base giving me on-demand flex when I wanted it… Again, the century 7 inch reverse pivot trucks gave me all the maneuverability I needed. While I don’t normally talk about looks, I really like the clear grip tape, showing off the natural wood look..

Too Many to Review- But Check Out This Video.

Gold Coast longboards… Nice.. Clean.. Sweet Ride…

Well, I hope I did justice to these guys… I love their complete boards, and at this moment have not found any reason to mix and match hardware on any of the components that come stock with each complete board… Gold Coast Longboards, just another of my best longboard selections..

Sector 9 Longboards: Best Downhill

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Dennis Comments Off

Longboards are becoming the choice of many boarders and Sector 9 Longboards may have a pretty good head start on their competitors, considering they have been in existence since 1993.
Click Here to Get Great Deals on Sector 9 Longboards

A little Sector 9 History told by the man himself:

Key Features of Sector 9 Longboards:

• Fully customizable because you can purchase every component separate once you purchase a complete board. If you have any problems with any part, it is easy to swap that part out for another without much technical knowledge.

• Decks are available in various shapes and sizes, such as the pintail and the flat-nose rider. The pintail deck shape allows the rider to “carve” much like a surfer does in ocean waves.

• Larger wheels than standard skateboards. In fact, Sector 9 Longboards have five lines of wheels ranging from 58 mm up to 76mm. The lines are Nine Ball Formula (for deep carving), The Biothane Formula Series, The Park Formula, The Race Formula and the BIothane Soy Compound wheels. Quality urethane is the compound used in the wheels, and they are designed to take a beating. The wheels can also be purchased in different hardness ratings from 78A up to 101A.

• The ball bearings are protected by removable rubber shields which are designed for easy removal and cleaning. The bearings can be interchanged, but the two main types manufactured by Sector 9 Longboards are the Ceramic bearings and the Silicon Nitride ceramic bearings. Great bearings assure that you don’t have to worry about bone grinding sudden stops anymore, because debris is all but destroyed if it does manage to make its way into your bearings.

• Extreme Deck art designed by such artists as Robb Havassy, Drew Brophy and Nate Reifke who have a knack for creating graphics that are sure to turn heads.

The Sector 9 Nuts n’ Bolts

Sector 9 longboards feature decks built from several different construction processes, depending on your preference and riding style. These boards are rock solid and durable, in short, they are built to last. Deck varieties include the 7 ply maple cold pressed variety, the Bamboo Series – 5 ply vertically laminated bamboo, the Platinum Series, featuring 5 ply maple topped with 2 ply carbon fiber and the Cosmic Series which is a choice of 2 ply or 4 ply maple topped with fiberglass.
Having the correct turning mechanism and wheel mounts is a crucial feature Sector 9 has tackled this with Gullwing Trucks. The history behind Gullwing is that they have been in truck manufacturing for 36 years and counting. As boards have evolved, so have Gullwing Trucks and they continue to work on designs that improve handling and the rider’s ability to perform.

Sector 9 Longboards may just be your new addiction!

Whether you are a long time longboard rider, or you are just looking to start with a quality longboard, Sector 9 Longboards has the perfect board for you. Of the eight main designs, it is difficult to make a decision on just one board, and a true board addict will have a favorite or they may purchase more boards to complete their collection and compliment their riding style mood of the day.

Sector 9 Longboards Best longboards, Gullwing trucks, Longboard decks, Longboard wheels, Sector 9 Longboards

Loaded Dervish Longboard Deals

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Dennis 6 Comments

Loaded Dervish Longboard, a 30 Mph speedsters designed for improved edge control with maximum recoil, ideal for easier sliding and higher speed stability.
Click Here: Dervish Deals

Loaded Dervish: A little Everything

So what is your riding intentions? Are you into major downhill speeds? Are you into dancing…? Maybe it is free styling or carving or just slip sliding away. The chart below, shows you a comparison between the top five loaded Longboard models.

Loaded Dervish Longboard Assessment Chart

From the above chart, you can see that the Loaded Dervish Longboard is meant to do it all within “limitations” making this perfect if you are moving from skateboarding into longboarding and are still determining your “eXtreme” style.

Size is Everything, Yet Not Too Heavy a Load

The specs on the Dervish describe it as having an overall length of 41.5 inches with a width of 8.5 inches. The wheel base is a little longer than some at 33 inches allowing for more control over the flex for maximum stiffness during those major downhill slides. No lugging around some anchor weight here , due to the bamboo core which helps lighten the deck to a mere 3.5 lbs, leaving it fully loaded at less than 7.8 lbs.

Big Wheels Keep On Turning

Fully Loaded or built piece by piece, this drop-thru design works well with most all reverse-kingpin trucks specifically modeled for truck widths of 180mm and above. Not exclusively, but including Paris, Randal R-II, Gullwing Charger and the Fastrack.
Recommended wheels in line with the intended use are the 75mm Orangatang in Heats, or the 70mm Orangatang 4President… But as usual, carving versus sliding, may dictate that you keep a couple different durometer rated wheels in you tool box at all times.

The Dervish can Flex some Muscle

One of the nicest features of loaded longboard is their flex rating system, which continues to allow riders of different weight groups to achieve similar riding experiences by altering the flex within each model design. The Dervish flex-1 is built for rider within the weight group of 170-230+ lbs. While the Flex-2 is for those under 185lbs. Now if you are to compare riding based on soft or stiff flex one would say to stay soft at lower speed, tighter turns, and cruising styles in general, but go stiff when stability at higher speeds is required. Speaking of Speed, here is a Dervish pushing 38 Mph.

Needing a little bounce?

So what is your taste in camber? Well, the Dervish has camber and concave which is, in my opinion, the best feature of this board. The camber allows me to really feel the energy recoil under my feet when carving while the concave lets me grip the edges securely under my feet. With the Dervish deck design I get an experience of empowerment while either carving or sliding.

Identity and Deck Graphics-Just “so-so”

The graphics are ok… Personally, I’m not really inspired by the whole “Whirling Dervish thing” but I like the overall “wood look” which IS pretty nice.

If the Loaded Dervish Longboard is not exactly what you had in mind, here are a few of Loaded other longboard models.

Loaded Longboards loaded Dervish Longboard

Comet Longboards: Great Prices and Environmentally Friendly

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Dennis 2 Comments

Comet Longboards: “Built to Bio-degrade!”

Probably not the first stat a skateboarder thinks about, but it is for the owner and designers of Comet Longboards.

Click Here For Outstanding Prices on Comet Longboards

The Bio Behind Biodegradable Commitment

So what is the story behind Comet Longboards’ environmental mindset? “Skateboarding has been responsible for up to 40% of the maple trees harvested annually and millions of tons of VOCs (volatile organic compounds). I saw two great opportunities to help the skateboarding industry have less of an impact: make stronger boards, and do it in partnership with people focused on the future health of communities and environment.” (Quote by Comet’s president, Jason Salfi in an interview with concrete wave).

Mr. Salfi had to know that a shift in the manufacturing process would force their manufacturing cost upward. However fortunate for us, his background in natural resource management, made him an expert in “closed loop” design and manufacturing principles. These principles consider all product cost to the environment , like deforestation or the effects high VOC lacquers have on global warming. In addition to that, he understood about waste resources management, knowing that product waste in one industry could be a valuable resource to another industry. Armed with that knowledge, he was able to keep cost reasonably low by teaming up other like-minded businessmen throughout the country.

Comet longboards’ Deck Quality Control?

I know this environmental stuff is very responsible and I should really care, but if you are like me, I just want to know the board has a life-time of shredding before it actually starts to Shred. So I set-out to investigate complaints. Although, I found several referrals to warping or laminating issues, most were inquires from shoppers, not actual complaints. However, I did find one video, from a young man who definitely had an issue.

But, keeping it real, I found dozens of other broken board videos covering most all the popular brands. However, I did not find any evidence that indicated that boards manufactured with Bio-degradable materials had any shorter life expectancy.

Community inspired designing

It started with the redesign of the Voodoo Speed board at the request of JP Kaloi back in 2008. Comet was asked if they could use the Voodoo deck design, but make it longer and wider. Comet then put the idea out to the blog community for comments. After a flood of comments and additional ideas, the Voodoo XL was developed. Since then they never looked back, and the following year their total design for the FSM-”Flying Spaghetti Monster”, was community assisted, all the way down to the name and the colors. So if you are looking for a brand name that really listens it’s community or gets it’s visions from “melted cheese sandwiches,” then these are your guys.

Built for Speed…

Seems only fair after that broken board video, that I share the really good stuff.. Comet Longboards are designed for speed with emphasis on “sliding ability,” and are becoming popular with the DH racing community. When you are planning for speeds above 55mph you’re not choosing decks that are going to self-destruct in the middle of an 80 ft slide.. I’m just saying… So check this out:

Comet longboards something for the DH racer in you:

Comet Longboards Comet Longboards

Loaded Longboards: Perfection at a Great Price

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Dennis 5 Comments

Loaded Longboards: Shopping Made Fun

Loaded Longboards: Something for Every Style

A Model for Every Riding Style

Click Here For Great Deals on “complete” Loaded Longboards

If you have struggled in the past trying to figure out if a board is going to fit your riding style, you can stop being frustrated. The Loaded Longboards application chart pairs your riding style with their various models, helping you decide which one is more appropriate for you. So if you are a Downhill racer, or a slalom champion, or maybe just like visiting friends down the block, you’ll quickly find what you need.

Why do designers just assume you know?

As a reviewer of longboards, I must admit that even for me, it is often difficult to guess from longboard spec data, what kind of ride a particular model will have. Understanding each component, from the truck design down to the amount of contour and camber has been helpful in making a presumptive guess as to how a board might ride. But even knowing these things, there are still a lot of missing information, that only weeks of riding can generally determine. Wouldn’t it be great if a Longboard designer would simply tell us about their design ideas and the intended riding style for which they designed each particular model?

Loaded Longboard Assessment Charting

It is all here in one consolidated chart. You may be into downhill, but not as much as a racer, but more for freestyle and dancing. So with this chart you can quickly determine that the Vanguard, and the Fat Tail may not be suited for your overall intent. However, the Dervish, Bhangra, and Tan Tien might be the models you will want to start spec shopping.

Loaded Longboards Excellent Spec Data Sheets

Each longboard model is broken down into 6 points of interest. The Ride tab holds model reviews from outside sources. The Specs tab contains the overall dimensions including wheelbase and weight. The Construction tab explains the material and the Camber/concave design, which is seldom included with other manufacture spec data. Probably my favorite tab is the Flex tab which gives an asssociated flex index to the various deck designs within that model. Also include in this tab is a targetted rider/weight rating that allows each weight class to experience the same ride as intended by the designers. Next is the Setup Tab, which is perfect for the more knowledgable rider who actually understands each longboard component and the specific component specs. Then lastly, is the graphic tab, featuring a little about the artwork designer, if you follow artists.

Pick a Model, any Model then fly Loaded…..

Vanguard: The icon of Loaded Longboards

I must apologize. Up to this point, I have been so impressed by Loaded longboards documentation skills that I haven’t actually shared about any of the boards themselves. Ok… The first of my Loaded Longboard review will be on their Vanguard also known as “V guard.” Its symmetrical shape is designed to maximize turning radius and better distribute torsional energy from turn to turn. The Epoxy tri-axle deck has been designed with both camber and concavity to give the rider considerable feeling of edge control, while believing that more flex equates to more fun. With five flex ratings to choose from, boarders from 80 lbs to 230 lbs can experience the same riding thrill, while staying under speeds of 25 MPH.

Loaded Longboards: More reviews to come.

After glossing over the basics of the V guard I realized that I really want to go into more depth but was already out of time. Look to the future to find complete postings of all 6 loaded models. Including a more detailed look at the Vanguard, the Dervish, The Ceviche, the Fat tail, the Bhangra and lastly the Tan Tien. You just can’t go wrong with a Loaded Longboard.

Loaded Longboards Loaded Longboards

Sector 9 Longboards – Best Price

Posted on November 13, 2011 by Dennis 5 Comments

Sector 9 Longboards- It’s About Quality

Click Here to Get Great Deals on Sector 9 Longboards

If you are shopping for a gift this holiday season and are trying to avoid accidentally buying an inferior Longboard, then stay with the name Sector 9 Longboards. They are not cheap, but neither are they cheaply made.

Sector 9 Longboards Start with Great Deck Materials.

Although a large percentage of their decks feature the traditional 7 ply maple cold pressed construction, you can also find a large variety of other construction materials featured through-out their 8 lines of longboard designs. Maybe you are looking bamboo, then look to the Bamboo Series featuring 5 ply vertically laminated bamboo. Or if you want rugged how about the 5 ply maple sandwiched by 2 ply carbon fiber found in their Platinum series, or 4 Ply maple with 2 Ply fiberglass sandwich construction in the Cosmic Series. Whatever you are looking, for you will find it scattered through-out like maybe 8 ply maples or 11 ply birch. Each deck series also includes a variety of shapes, concavity, and camber designs, to meet your specific riding needs. To see some deck properties which are important to new longboards, refer to my earlier blog about first-time buyers.

Durability and Maneuverability Requires the Right Truck.

Sector 9 exclusively features Gullwing Trucks, a manufacture of trucks for over 36 years. Gullwing pioneered truck designs beginning with the split axle, next came the Gullwing groove for locking into grinds, then the release of the Magnesium and titanium axle reducing weight while improving strength. Through the 90′s Gullwing worked on bushings and pivot points coming up with a double stacked bushing system improving both the turning and carving characteristics. Now that longboards have become more popular, Gullwing is re-releasing an earlier model the Pro III, to help bring back that old school retro setup.

Deep Carves versus Predictable Slides it’s all about Wheel Selection.

Sector 9 leaves nothing to chance with 5 lines of wheels including the Race Formula Series, The Biothane Formula Series, The Park Formula, and the Nine Ball Formula. You can find wheel sizes anywhere from 58mm up to 76mm with rounded or boxed shaped edges, varying hardness ratings from 78A to beyond 101a. Not stopping there, the more seasoned rider may look for wheels constructed with a hardness factor gradient from inside to outside edges, that is one that goes from a softer to a harder inside to outside edge, or the other way around. The Race 70mm round lip is designed with a center set round edges for more predictable slides allowing you to draw out your slides to a predictable release point. However, the Nine Ball Formula Series 69mm 80a was built for those looking for deep carving abilities and less sliding. No matter what your style, Sector 9 has a wheel for you.

Let the Good Times Roll and Roll and Roll

I’ve heard it said that if you got the balls, you can do just about anything. Sector 9 takes that to the next level and makes sure that you keep those balls clean, dry, and shielded, while making sure that each bearing set remains honed to that specific ABEC tolerance. Depending on your riding surface conditions, you may prefer the platinum series with 7 Stainless Steel Ball bearings, a nylon ball retainer, and removable rubber shields for easy cleaning. Or for a few dollars more you might go with a Ceramic, having the same 7 ball design but made from Silicon Nitride ceramic. This bearing material is so hard, that it literally keeps the races clean and polished by crushing any debris that might get picked up. The last word here is that with the right set of bearings you can avoid busting your balls for nothing.

Just saw this Sector 9 Video and had to share it.

The Bottom Line…

Although I generally avoid talking about deck art work, I have to admit that Sector 9 has some of the most awesome graphics I have seen on a board. Artists like Drew Brophy, Nate Reifke, and Robb Havassy are three of this generations best artists when it comes to capturing the simple and expressing it in an eXtreme fashion. So, don’t stop with the ride, flip it over and check-out the bottom, and just tell me you have seen better… Sector 9 longboards are probably one of the best quality brands on the market today.

Sector 9 Longboards Best longboards, Longboard shopping, Longboarding, Sector 9 Longboards

The Best Longboard Gift Packages at Great Deals

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Dennis 5 Comments

Best Longboard, Best Gift Ever!!

Click Here to Get Great Deals on the Best Longboard.

When buying a gift, choosing the Best Longboard is extremely important.

So your son/daughter said something about a Longboard, but your not sure what to look for? Well keep reading and I will help you avoid the rubber footballs.

I’m sure everyone has been disappointed by a gift. For me it was that no named rubber football I got instead of the Wilson pro leather football I was anticipating.. Well, choosing the best longboard for the first time could be problematic. However, if you follow the tips below, I am certain your gift will meet his or her approval as the best longboard (gift) ever.

The Best Longboard is not necessarily the most expensive one..

I’m assuming this is his/her first Longboard ?? If so, AVOID the urge to buy anything touted as a “beginner” longboard (it’s the “rubber football”). Next, be prepared to spend $175-$280. Although name brands will have models below this price, they anticipate the new boarder to quickly upgrade with better trucks, wheels or bearings.. Naturally, there are the $350+ models, but, don’t do it.. By the time your boarder is ready for this price range, they will be specifying deck shape, flex, truck mountings, wheel durometer ratings and bearing materials.. .. in other words they will want to customizing their own rides..

The Best Longboard is the sum of all its parts…

Now it is not my intention to make you a longboard expert, but here are a few of the terms you will want to know as you begin shopping. The Deck: Simply stated, that wood-like part they stand on. The truck: the metal looking thingy connected to the bottom of the deck that hold the wheels. The wheels: yes you guess it .. the round spinny things.. (generally 4 of them) and finally the bearings: things you can’t see but without them the wheels won’t spin.

The best longboard decks are not about the graphics

Mom, Dad.. Listen up.. Ignore the graphic art when picking out the board..Yes.. A good logo is like wearing designer clothes, but chances are, if your boarder has friends, really into longboarding, they are buying plain decks with the desired properties of length, flex, kickups, and truck mountings, and are then doing their own paint and artwork. So.. it is not about looks, but feel and performance. With that in mind, here is what I would look, for a first time boarder. Stay with a brand name that is well known, Sector 9, Arbor, Gravity, Loaded, Comet, Original, Flexdex, Rayne, Landyachtz, or Gold Coast Longboards , just to name a few. Pick a deck length between 38-46 inches (40 a typical length to start with ) and 7.5 to 8.5 inches wide. If your boarder weighs between 100 and 135 lbs go with a soft flex, weights between 135 and 175 lbs- a medium flex, and above that go with the most ridged flex for that particular brand. Although the shape is very unique to the boarding style and activities performed, I’d recommend an all purpose general tear-drop shape, to include a slight kicktail (the skinny end curves up slightly). Then lastly, initially go with a top mounted truck system, as opposed to drop or drop through.

The Best Longboard for the newbie is “complete”

Unless, you have been given a specific shopping list for longboard components, stay with those marked “complete”. That means that the trucks have already been sized for the deck and the risers installed are compatible with the flex rating.. So the only other thing you might want to look at is the wheel hardness factor, and the brand of bearing used… Again, once you boarder becomes experienced, they will have a specific desire for each of these ratings, but for now, use the following guestimates. if your boarder is between 100 lbs and 135 lbs.. look for wheel durometer rating of 78a-80a, 135-175 lbs 80-83a and above go with 86a.. Lastly, the bearings. Let’s keep this simple.. if you see bone red anywhere on in the longboard description, your are probably ok..

The Best Longboard Gift Ever…

Just follow some of the basic tips above and what ever you pick will be sure to give your new boarder a sweet riding board, with enough versatility to try a variety of longboard activities. But most of all it won’t embarrass them when they show their friends… Who knows, when you start talking about deck flex, wheel hardness, or top-mounted trucks, you might just be the coolest mom or dad on the block.. So shop with confidence and know you are about to buy the best longboard your boarder has ever had..

Need More Ideas? Check-out this Video..

video commission formula

Best Longboards Best longboards