Category: Skateboarding

I remember my first experience of buying trucks, It would have been around 12-14 years ago now, I had a Tubo 2 board that I bought with my pocket money for £12 off some guy in the market. This was the very beginning of a life long passion for skateboarding, sadly this was cut short after my brother stood on my new rig and the cheap nasty trucks crumbled under his measly 8 stone in weight.

Thus the first lesson of trucks being important started here, I immediate realised that this piece of shit skateboard was not up to the job, I fondly remember grabbing my copy of RAD and flicking through to the Rollersnakes advert and begging my Dad to buy me some ventures, he was amazed that just one truck cost the price of my whole first board and here in lies my point, These ventures changed everything and venture treated me well and in return I stuck with these trucks for many years, and this is the thing once you settle on a certain truck it becomes a long term relationship.

So with some trepidation I agreed to try out the new Tensor Lightweight Response Trucks in a great black and red colourway. I know everyone has their truck of choice and I am sure that all the pro riders for Tensor are getting a truck they love to ride and money in the bank, which can’t be bad by any means. I on the other hand found none of these benefits, yes they looked amazing, but to be blunt they were total shit, and this is the reason.

They were to low for a start. Wheel bite was now a daily occurrence and I am not just talking about landing and getting it but even carving round bowls it would happen sending me flying off the front, and the biggest issue was the back truck developed a crack all the way around the axel within a week, yet there was mostly ledge skating taking place that week and at the most a few games of skate, but I don’t recall any supper heavy landings. I can only assume they were faulty as in 14 years of riding venture and Indies only two trucks have broken and mostly it’s the base plate or kingpin.

If you want a honest review of these trucks I guess a cross section of different riders would be the best way to go, If you want my opinion on Tensor, they had the opportunity to steal away a customer from one of their competitors and they simply blew it.

Trucks are an integral part of your rig and you need to know that they can perform and perform these did not. There is some good news to come out of this, whist on a trip to Barca I gave away my set up to a young kid that had fucked old trucks and a board that had seen better days, so in one sense there is a past it thirty something skater moaning about Tensor Trucks and on the other there is a kid in Barca shredding on a new set up, with a slightly cracked axel.

I guess it all worked out well in the end. Dirty Blood is nothing to worry about.

Harrison
3/10

Terrell Robinson is straight outta Compton, paid his dues and deserving of his first pro-model and Darkstar have totally pimped his ride. The technology behind these decks is actually a work of genius – nothing like Powell Peralta’s attempts with “Bonite” (cardboard layer that went soggy!) way back in the day.

Armor Light has a carbon composite layer that runs down the core of the board allowing the other plies to be really thin – combined with new resin glue it comes out super stiff. The stiffness gives it a deceptively brittle feel and at 7.5″ it’s a little smaller than my usual ride, so I thought I’d hit up Meanwhile 2’s new banks and blocks to test it out.

This thing has pop – actually, it’s not like normal pop, it’s more like a snap – and it’s such a crisp feeling. The concave and tail angles are all pretty deep and aggressive, so for sticking to your feet this is perfect, shifty ollies are a breeze and the big nose is spot on for popping nollies, especially as the concave runs full length so your back foot sticks on switch tricks. The board kept its shape 100%; a lot of decks with deep concaves tend to straighten out a little as the ply is battling to return to its pre-pressed shape – but the bonding is so tight, it didn’t sag a bit, maybe due to it hardly flexing.

There is something I never understood about Darkstar. The products they put out are super tech, the wheels have advanced cores and formula, and the decks are years ahead of most wood shops, plus the team are bang up to date and on point street technicians. So why are the graphics so gnar? This deck has Terrel getting snuffed out in an electric chair – what’s up with that? I don’t know who the company is aiming at but the quality product and team are going to attract the Transworld reading street crowd, rather the slash-dawgs from some backyard pool session.

Darkstar wood is unique, and fun to ride – and has the added bonus of a warranty. If you break this deck in 30 days, they will hook you up with a fresh one – I rode their last wood and snapped one on an ollie to rock on a ¼ pipe – to be fair, most decks would have snapped with the bad landing – I went back to the shop (Halfpipe) and they just took the date I bought it down, my receipt number and gave me a new deck right off the bat! With such a confidence in their wood you can happily go out and push it to its limits knowing that the warranty has got your back

Go get some, shit’s tight!

9/10

Philip Procter

Times change and people do too, Vans understands this better than most brands and instead of sticking they’re nose in the air, they adapt to the changes and roll with the times!

Chosen by curb surfers in the 70’s, Vans quickly became the skateboarder’s choice for comfort and style and still remains a core brand in our industry today. They’ve come a long way since 1966 and have tapped into many different markets since then, they stretch from goth to punk, hip-hop to funk, bikers to boarders, sneaker freaks to thread heads and the list goes on and on. Vans listened to the people and catered for these genres, thus leaving them in the position where they are now able to specialize in all these different fields to bring the consumer quality through experience.

AV FLANNEL II
Flannels are definitely a focus point at the moment, it seems to be a must have in every line that’s out at the moment, some get it right, others fail miserably, but Anthony made sure he designs stuff that he himself would actually wear. The result speaks for itself, it’s a blend of simplicity and practicality with performance in mind, with a recipe like that, it’s pretty hard to get it wrong. The shirt is 100% cotton, subtle on the eyes and comes with a removable jersey hood! It’s handy on cooler days when worn as a casual shirt, but it also works well as a hood under your jacket when the temperature drops a little more and you need to cover yourself up! Good quality and definitely worth a look at for a looming winter.

AV REVERSE COACH
Coach jackets have always been a favourite of mine, it’s a practical garment and it looks cool with any type pants. This one comes with a modern twist, it’s reversible and therefore becomes a BOGOF when purchased. One side is 100% cotton with AVE’s custom flannel design, where the other side is PU poplin coated to keep you nice and dry on them rainy days. It’s a great jacket, really tough and very warm too; practical in the day time when it’s cold and wet outside, then flip it over if you’re heading out to wow the ladies with your stylish choice of shirt.

VANS ERA – LX45 (FIXED)
Probably the best selling classic in their range, the Era, has been reinvented to cater for a whole different type of riding; this model has been designed around the needs of the fixed gear cyclist, a phenomenon that’s sweeping the skate world with no brakes in mind. Most fix heads that I know ride Vans regardless, so I think for a brand to go out of they’re way to build a shoe that now compliments the way a these guys live, is a pretty neat thing to do. On appearance, the shoe remains exactly the same, only when you actually try it on will you notice that they’re using nylon and leather instead of canvas to give the shoe a longer lifespan. The laces have 3M running throughout for added reflection and they come with a cute little saddlebag which straps around your seat post to carry bits with you whilst riding. These are a lot more stable than you’re average Era’s, but they break in quite easily and come in some decent colour ways too. If you dig Vans and ride brakeless, give them a go, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the minor changes.

Live FAST, Ride FAST
2P