2017 brings a welcomed update to one of King Lui’s most popular rides, the Wachter. Translated as The Guardian, new features include a drop-thru/topmount option, shorter wheelbase and a double-kick on either end. Designed with freeride in mind, the Wachter’s symmetrical shape work keeps you comfortable in either direction.
The King Lui team added a tail on either end for a little extra fun – kick it up on a curb, nose manual or a just dance a little. The updates make the Wachter more versatile for rider’s who like their boards to do a little of everything. Other new features include a double micro drop and just a bit more than a 1/2″ of concave. They’ve removed the rocker on the drop-thru version so ride height should be just right. It weighs in at 4.5 pounds with a wheelbase of 25.5 inches.
King Lui expects the drop-thru version to be available in roughly two weeks (beginning of April) but the top-mount is still in development. Hit the link to visit King Lui and check back here for more news when the top mount is available!
King Lui 2017 Wächter Grip
King Lui 2017 Wächter Belly
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Surprisingly enough, it seems that downhill longboarding is actually popular in other places in the world! Who would’ve thought, right? The UK is no exception- and it’s been a thing for long while now! Lush Longboards is the UK’s premier supplier of rollyplanks and their reborn 3D Machine is both a nostalgic trip to their early days and a refreshing take on a classic shape that works.
Lush 3D Machine Graphic
Lush 3D Machine Overview
The 3D Machine features a mellow radial/rocker combination concave in the middle of the deck that’s comfortable for your feet when you’re pushing to a spot, but also steep enough to lock you in for tucking and other related shenanigans. The concave also features blocky, geometrically-shaped wheel flares that are incredibly useful for creating toe and heel pockets for sliding and gripping the board in a number of different ways.
Lush 3D Machine Side-View
Lush 3D Machine Concave
Lush 3D Machine Concave
This board is also well-rounded for park and freestyle because of its steep, street-inspired kicktail. There’s no telling how much it pops, but it seems to be useful for pivots and steep enough to give you leverage for bluntslides and tail-drags.
The current 3D Machine is built with Lush’s new XTUFF construction, which is a traditional maple construction that incorporates diagonal fibreglass stringers in an attempt to reduce or eliminate torsional flex and make sure that only some dampening flex is left on the board.
XTUFF Fiberglass Layup
XTUFF Flex Patterns
Lush 3D Machine Wheel Flare
XTUFF Flex Patterns
XTUFF Fiberglass Layup
Lush 3D Machine Concave Graph
Lush 3D Machine Logo
Lush 3D Machine Overview
Lush 3D Machine Concave
Lush 3D Machine Concave
Lush 3D Machine Topsheet
Lush 3D Machine Graphic
Lush 3D Machine Side-View
Lush 3D Machine Complete
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When it comes to manufacturing longboards, not many companies have taken on the endeavor of making custom longboards with custom concaves and custom shapes for the customer- most companies engineer a diverse lineup of boards and sell them throughout the year. This means that in many cases, the rider’s style comes to match the board- not the other way around. Now you might think that it should be that the board is made to the style of the rider, and the guys and gals at Subsonic Longboards feel that way! Since 1999, Subsonic has been creating boards of all kinds for all different people.
This year, they emerged with a new, sexy line of boards that are pre-made, but nonetheless incredible. The Blackout Series features a high-contrast graphic made of a white overlay on a black background. The graphics are then accented by colored side-rails of various bright colors, which really gives the boards a futuristic look.
The catch on these boards is that they’re extremely cheap- that’s because they’re actually cosmetic blems that Subsonic has repainted and refurbished to sell as their Blackout lineup- and if I may comment, that sounds like they’re reducing waste and making sure each longboard goes to a loving place!
This year, they have many variants of two boards- the Shadow 37 and the Talon 37. All boards come with the signature black and white graphic, but are stained on their sidewalls and wheel wells.
The Shadow 37 is 37 inches long with a hefty kicktail on the rear end. The board features slight rocker on the front end to give it a +4 degree wedge, and has Subsonic’s proprietary tri-plane radial, which is a smart mixture of large tub and radial concaves. There’s a small, half-inch microdrop at the front and the board is overall, 9.5 inches wide.
Dark Blue Shadow 37
A Variety of Shadow 37s
Shadow 37 Concave
Shadow 37 Kicktail
The Talon 37 is a board of the same length, with a unique wedging scheme going on for pumping, dh, and long distance pushing. The +12/-12 degree wedging scheme is extremely powerful when it comes to dh and pumping, and it doesn’t have a bulky drop like some other wedged drop decks. There’s also a slight taper, which is comfortable to stand on. It’s great for drfting, as your back foot doesn’t have to move as much between rails.
Dark Blue Talon 37
Yellow Talon 37
Dark Blue Shadow 37
Blackout Boards
A Variety of Shadow 37s
Yellow Talon 37
Dark Blue Talon 37
Shadow 37 Concave
Shadow 37 Kicktail
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Rayne’s been busy for the new year! These past few weeks have been hectic at the factory, and the work has only just slowed down enough for our Rayne Representative to get back to us with a report and wrap-up of everything that’s happened at the headquarters this holiday season.
First off! For Black Friday in 2016, Rayne gave to us 4 boards in Quad-Beam Deelite Technology, the latest and greatest in Rayne’s special constructions! The new construction is hand-made in the Rayne factory, with 4 foam cores meticulously placed into tight chambers CNC’d in-house. Then, it is saturated with bonding agent, and laid over with a sleek carbon topsheet which reduces torsional flex and increases the longevity of the deck. The 4 boards offered in this construction come with a sleek rainbow graphic, newly designed by Rayne artists! As always, these graphics are sublimated under durable topsheets.
The 4 decks currently offered in this Quad-Beam Deelite Technology are the Demonseed, the Darkside V2, the Exorcist, and the Genesis. They are made to order, so you know they’re of top-notch quality.
For Boxing Day, Rayne revealed two very exciting prototype boards- the Rayne Ego and the Rayne Deep V, two incredibly shapes that Rayne’s never tried before- pre-wedged downhill decks.
The Ego is a +7/-7 wedged drop-through board which pays homage to the original days of downhill, when everybody rocked downhill boards with gnarly wedges to them- they’re making a comeback, and Rayne’s new board is a top contender.
The Deep V is a front-wedged deck that gives the rider a nice +12 degree wedge, creating both a large pocket for tucking and a turny front truck to really dive into corners like you mean it. The shape of the board also creates a front-leaning board, which helps relieve muscle aches and pain during long tucks, which many riders will find to be a plus.
Check all of this out at Rayne.com! Some boards may be sold out.
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Joypulp returns with updates to their 2016 lineup, incorporating both aesthetic and functional improvements in all the right places. These refinements illustrate new manufacturing processes, community feedback and all around passion for building great decks. Less than six months after their release, all three Joypulp decks in an already great lineup see some action: IKO, W.I.L.D. and Zeno’s Bane.
Updates to the Zeno’s Bane include a new profile that features a waist, and colored plys that accentuate the tapered construction. Designed for downhill and freeride, the taper keeps the deck rigid and light despite the smaller amount of material. An 11-ply center tapers to 7-plys at the edges, meaning no wheelbite and a full ply across the entirety of the belly. It measures 35″ L by 9.75″ W with a 29″ foot platform and a 27″ wheelbase. Features include a micro-drop with W concave, razor sharp top edges, a slightly sunken back foot contour. Graphics courtesy of Edmonton/New York based designer Steph Hsu and applied via screen printing.
Joypulp Zeno’s Bane Back
Joypulp Zeno’s Bane Nose
Joypulp Zeno’s Bane Belly
Joypulp Zeno’s Bane Profile
The IKO now features tapered construction! The light, yet rigid construction lends itself very well here because the IKO can be used as a hybrid of both downhill and push disciplines. 10 center plys taper to 6-plys at the edge in this application. It measures 37″ L by 10″ W and features a 29″ wheelbase. Features include forked drop-thru or top mounts, razor sharp top edges, and a micro-drop into W concave. The especially cool Jellyfish graphic courtesy of Edmonton Artist Chaisi Glover and applied via screen printing.
Joypulp IKO Profile
Joypulp IKO Back
Joypulp IKO Forked Truck Mount
Joypulp IKO Belly
Updates to the W.I.L.D. include a redesigned shape with a wider tail and nose and an extra ply. The extra ply adds some rigidity while the tail makes it a comfortable cruiser, both improvements making the W.I.L.D. better suited to handle a mix of disciplines. Construction features the same 10-ply center that tapers to 6-plys at the edges. It measures 33.875″ L by 9.25″ W with a 22.25″ wheelbase. Features include a large, round-lipped kicktail, W concave and razor sharp top edges. Graphics are courtesy of New York based artist Wellington Sun and applied via screen printing.
Joypulp WILD Nose
Joypulp WILD Belly
Joypulp WILD Back
Joypulp WILD Profile
Hit the link to head to Joypulp and pick up a new deck!
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