A few months ago, LongboardEnvy HQ received two sets of wheels from Muirskate- the Markers and the Podiums, which are Muirskate’s most recent additions to their lineup of proprietary skate products, alongside their many washers, mini-cruisers, beer koozies and other plentiful accessories. We rode them extensively for an extended period of time- parkades, downhill, drifty downhill, and they were then shared with other members of our local community to get a taste of what they could do.
About a week and a half ago, the folks at Zenit Longboards, based in Montreal sent me a Morning Wood, one of the new double kick offerings in their new 2017 lineup!
Just a note about the whole experience; Zenit was one of the most wholesome companies I’ve had the pleasure of working with- everything from getting information and pictures for past articles to just chatting and geeking about skateboarding screamed family to me, a dynamic that many companies lack. It was never, “Hey, let me email Phil and ask if we can do this”, it was always, “I’m seeing Phil on Friday, I’ll chat with him about it then”. They all call each other by nicknames and prod each other with jokes all day, it seems. That really impresses me- those who manage to stay friends in the workplace create the greatest businesses, and with that thought, I have no doubt that Zenit will stay wholesome and succeed in the many endeavors that they take in the future. With that said, the product.
Simply put, the Zenit Morning Wood is a street deck that’s be re-thought, re-pondered, and re-engineered to be one hell of a do-it-all board. There are two kinds of quiver-killers in my mind. There are those that are built after a dancer board profile, such as the Zenit Marble 40 or Loaded Tesseract as a more classic example, and those built after a street deck profile, such as the Morning Wood. They’re slightly larger and offer larger wheelbases than street decks, and offer variations in flex to accommodate a rider’s style. The Morning Wood did so perfectly for me- coming from a street skating background, my style has meshed with downhill and freeride to result in a very street-surfy style, using the environment to my advantage in sliding banks, flipping trucks and hopping over obstacles; things that the Morning Wood is a gift from heaven for.
First, we should talk about the concave- because the first thing you do on a board is stand on it. The Morning Wood has progressive concave, meaning that the concave is steeper at one end of the board than the other due to the width being greater at the front than the back. Traditionally for downhill and freeride boards, the concave is steeper at the back for kicking slides out and whatnot- but Zenit decided to take the reverse approach and put more concave in the front. In the beginning, I couldn’t grasp the logic of it- why put concave where you need the least support? However, when I stood on it and cruised around with it for a bit, I understood the concept of it- most of your steering comes from the front foot, and it’s hard to keep leverage on both your toes and heels when carving back and forth. The steeper concave in the front allows me to rely less on a misplaced back foot and do most of my steering over the front truck with my front foot. The result is a much less tired ride, more agile carves, and powerful cornering. This concept is inspired from mid-80s ramp/pool decks, where your front feet really don’t move while the back foot pivots all over the place depending on trick, rotation and happenstance obstacles.
Second, the shape- it’s one of the first things you notice, and it’s one of the most important contributing factors to an efficient, responsive board. The Morning Wood is a classic popsicle shape (sized up), with a little bit of taper towards the tail. This works closely in conjunction with the concave to allow the back foot to go from rail to rail more efficiently, making the board incredibly nimble. Moreover, the taper allows the concave in the back to mellow out significantly, creating a better surface to transition your weight on. The board also features asymmetrical kicktails which visually gives the board a more directional feel and look when riding, and the slightly steeper nose kick is useful for skating park, pool and tranny when it comes to really leveling that board out during intense air. The kicks are the perfect steepness- less steep than a conventional skateboard for sure, but that’s appropriate for the larger size of the board. The shallowness mediates the amount of rotation you get off of twisting and flicking so that you don’t have a hurricane of a board when attempting a shuvit.
Third- the construction, because it constitutes the durability and feel of the board under your feet. Let me tell you about this board- it’s dead stiff. There is basically no play in the construction in terms of torsional or lateral flex- that makes the board feel as if my inputs have direct, clear output, which is an overwhelmingly positive feature on a double kick. After 5 days of absolutely shredding this deck, there’s only minimal wear in the kicktails- in the first few hours, there was some wear, but after reaching the point that it has, the speed of wear seems to have plateaued.
The kicks have tons of pop- I’ve had no trouble clearing curbs or obstacles.
Fourth- the auxiliary features. You know, the stuff that Zenit really didn’t have to include, but they did, being the wholesome people that they are. The squarish wheel wells are actually some of the most efficient, best looking wells that I’ve ever seen. Most wheel wells are circular or oblique- this is because of the convenience of lining up a drum sander and going to town with it in a certain place. This sometimes results in a larger-than-required area of non-graphic. The square shape of the wheel well on the Morning Wood removes excess trim and gives you a wheel well just where you need it, no less, no more.
There’s also the curious quirk of the rounded popsicle shape- if you flip it, it just rolls instead of skidding and ruining your rails. Makes for a very durable board.
With all these great features put together, Zenit has created one of the best, most versatile do-it-all longboards on the market. After doing some research and talking to the guys at Zenit, I’ve found that many people have incredibly diverse setups on the Morning Wood.
My personal favorite setup on the Morning Wood so far is Paris 150s (43 degrees, symmetrical), Free Wheel Co. Ballins, with 90a Riptide Bushings all around. I’ve been using it for commuting to school and cruising around with friends in a variety of situations. It’s great for freeride- the small wheelbase makes for some very nimble turning, and it’s awesome for kicking out 180s and the occasional 360 if you’re feeling ambitious. The smaller wheelbase can be a twitchy at speed, so downhill isn’t exactly ideal for the board, but with an asymmetrical truck setup with upwards of a 30 degree split, the board may actually handle some gnarly downhill!
Other people have their Morning Woods set up differently. I’ve heard of 160mm Kodiaks, 165mm Savants, and one particular setup with Don’t Trip Trippins on it. Adam, the board designer and team manager at Zenit, has a street-esque setup on his board, with Independent 169s and Orangatang Skiffs, a slashy, cruisey, carvey hybrid.
All in all, the Morning Wood is one of the best street-inspired DKs that I’ve ever used. It’s replaced my previous board as my daily commuter, and my park DK for street skating. I am thoroughly impressed with the product and can’t wait for more developments from the guys over at Zenit Longboards!
When it comes to community involvement with a company’s creation of a product, Jeffrey Vyain of Pantheon is one of the best. Ever since the founding of Pantheon, Jeff has always been active online on Facebook groups, writing posts and comments engaging his local community and riders spread far and wide about the validity of his concaves and shapes. He posts in-progress pictures more than any other company we’ve ever seen before, and he takes the comments from under these posts into consideration- much of the time, you can pinpoint the exact comment that inspired a shape change that made it into final production.
Jeffrey also understands that although concave can be similar across a few boards, that the shape can have a significant impact on the function of a board. For this reason, Jeff sometimes releases different shapes that are made from the same mold. Surprisingly enough, the decks ride and handle differently from each other.
A prime example of this is the Pantheon Sacrifice, a kickless, taperless re-imagination of the 2017 Sage mold, with previously unseen W-concave that spans the whole board, minus for a few inches surrounding the quarter inch drop in that trademark Pantheon crescent shape. The W placement juxtaposed against the drops creates a supreme lock on the arches of your feet, as the W digs into your arch, while the drop supports the outside of your feet. The crescent allows for more efp into the edges of the drop, where there’s an incredible toe/heel pocket to really dig that foot in for stand-up slides and glove-down drifts.
Along with a gnarly brand new graphic and tons of wheel clearance compared to older-generation Pantheon decks, the Sacrifice is one board that you won’t want to miss this year.
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Interested in more about Loaded products? We’ve pulled together our favorites so you can check out their most up-to-date releases and the classic gear that makes them so special. Ok, now let’s get to the interview.
Product research and development has usually been a highly secretive thing- companies would produce prototypes within their factories, and only reveal the products to inside members. This is a totally founded strategy- many products, in the early days of the development, are flawed and can tarnish the reputation of a company if revealed to the mass public. Sometimes, prototypes are released to the public in the last few months of development, but this is mostly as a marketing strategy and hype-building exercise. That means that realistically speaking, the consumers don’t have a direct influence on an end product.
Many of us dream to partake in this secret research and development that happens behind the scenes at many skateboard companies- I know that when I was a wee little grom, I slobbered at the thought of being let in on company secrets. If only companies would tell us what happens in their secret Area 51 warehouses…
Oh wait, Loaded does. In April of 2016, Loaded launched the Loaded Labs initiative- a program to include riders and consumers in the prototyping process of various Loaded/Orangatang products. This time, it was the Menopause; a modified Orangatang In Heat with a larger, more supportive core. The results of the Loaded Labs Menopause run can be seen here!
The Loaded Labs process is unique- Loaded invests more money into making a higher quantity of stages and prototypes, releasing the prototyped product to a higher audience than would be available if prototypes were given to merely just the team riders at the warehouse. These products are sent out with a survey form, and when a substantial amount of data is collected, Loaded takes it into consideration in order to make a better next batch, and repeat until a new product is created.
Here’s an interview we did with Loaded back a few months ago, check it out! Loaded is just as wholesome as they say they are!
LNV: What prompted Loaded to begin the Loaded Labs initiative?
Loaded: Product development at Loaded has always been incredibly exciting for us, and we’re constantly exploring ways to share that stoke with the world. Loaded Labs was hatched as a way for us to more actively involve the public in our development process, allowing them to not only see and test product before it’s launched but to also have a voice in evaluating a prototype’s performance and shaping its design direction in a constructive manner.
LNV: The program has been underway for the better part of 2016 at this point. What kind of feedback and results are you seeing (Feedback on the Program, Rate of Response, etc)?
Loaded: Participation has been phenomenal, and feedback on the program has been overwhelmingly positive. We get a lot of people commenting that they’ve loved this opportunity because they feel like true and valued contributors to the company. On a more fundamental level, they’re just stoked to have the chance to ride new gear that isn’t widely available!
LNV: What kind of feedback have you received on the Menopause thus far (How do people like them, what do they say)?
Loaded: So far, most test riders have been very happy with the Menopause. To our surprise, a good majority of testers found the Menopause to be a smoother feeling ride, even with the larger core. You can read a more detailed synopsis of the feedback results here.
LNV: How does it compare to the feedback of the In Heat?
Loaded: We’re hearing many testers describe the Menopause as being faster, grippier, and smoother than the In Heats. But it’s definitely not a unanimous consensus; some riders are reporting that the In Heats have the upper hand in many of these performance categories. It’s interesting to analyze all of this information and try to determine what’s causing these discrepancies; we think a lot of it chalks up to testing conditions (temperature and pavement consistency being two big factors), other testing equipment (decks, trucks, etc.), riding style, rider experience, and much more.
LNV: How will Loaded apply its experience with wheels in the Loaded Labs to Decks?
Loaded: We’re hoping to continue expanding Loaded Labs to include many more products in the future. Developing decks is an iterative process that typically involves several rounds of prototypes, so these are likely inclusions. Decks in Loaded Labs will probably be offered in a similar manner to the Menopause where customers will agree to provide feedback from their testing.
LNV: Any tips for readers on what they might see from the lab next? A new deck or wheel?
Loaded: Neither! Think “squish,” but not the kind on your kingpin.
LNV: At what point do you plan to incorporate feedback from the Lab and it’s products into production runs?
Loaded: We’re constantly reading and digesting feedback as it comes in from our testers! Once we’ve gathered as much data and feedback as possible, we’ll distill the most applicable insights into the next steps in development and report on the collective findings.
LNV: Are any proceeds from these sales donated to STOKED.org as with the Carbon Tesseract?
Loaded: Not currently. We are proud to have been able to donate to STOKED with the Carbon Tesseract and hope to be able to do so again, with them and with other awesome organizations. If you’ve got a charity organization you think we should be supporting, please let us know.
LNV: Do you think it’s important as a company to keep the riders meshed in with the research process? How does it improve your side of things?
Loaded: We think that one of the most valuable things a company can offer to the riders is a genuine interest in hearing and implementing feedback. Loaded and Orangatang ambassadors and in-house riders/employees have always been part of that conversation, but opening up the dialogue to include the public is an exciting way to increase transparency and strengthen the development process. The additional feedback is really valuable to us as it helps us understand and critique products from perspectives beyond those of our immediate team.
LNV: Are there any sacrifices that you are making as a company to allow this initiative to happen?
Loaded: We’re producing more prototypes for Loaded Labs product than we would normally need to test amongst our in-house crew and ambassadors, but being able to include so many more people in the development process has been worth the expense.
Keep your eyes out for something new from Loaded Labs in the coming months- we’ve been told some juicy new information.
Venom has been at the top of the urethane game for a long time now. The original mass-producers of a huge variety of bushings, Venom has also been the greatest creator and designer of many cores, urethane formulae and shapes on the market since day one.
Much of Venom’s well-deserved fame comes from their Cobra cores- a proprietary core that’s almost unmatched in speed, grip and slide characteristics. Debuting in late 2015, they replaced the generic cores in the old Cannibal wheels, a downhill wheel offering that’s infamous for being grippy as sandpaper with fresh skin, and a freeride-able goodie when broken in. Since then, the Harlot was born into the Cobra Core lineup, a freeride wheel with the same urethane formula as the Cannibal, but in an addictive round bevel shape.
This year, Venom created the Hard in the Paint urethane formula, a formula we covered last month that’s reputed to leave thane lines when you kickturn. However, there was a small mishap during the release, when Venom’s wheel factory mispoured the production models with an 80a Mach 1 urethane formula, which is another one of Venom’s Cannibal formulas. Riders found this to be incredibly resilient and durable, prompting Venom to embrace one of their mistakes and release the wheel in that same mispoured formula, now named the Enhanced Durability formula.
Rider testimony has been incredibly positive- it’s said to be fast (after all, the 76a Mach 1 formula broke the speed record) and awesome for all different kinds of asphalt pavement. The resiliency of the formula is good for practicing, as you really don’t need urethane lines for practice.
Get a set now! Venom is sold out, but Muirskate has a few Harlot sets left!
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