by Ryan Lee

Atlas – Street Trucks

Atlas has redefined the traditional kingpin truck in both geometry and precision! Check them out.

As the popularity of traditional kingpin trucks on larger decks increases for freeride and slashing purposes, companies are catching on and producing traditional kingpin trucks of their own. First it was Caliber, then Paris, and now, Atlas Truck Co.

For more details on the difference between different types of trucks and tips on finding the best trucks for your longboard, read our ultimate guide to the best longboard trucks.

Some trucks are much too specialized for any general use. Trucks like Tracker (specialized for pool) aren’t useful for flatland. Others, like Independents (specialized for street), aren’t particularly good at high-level pool skateboarding.

Raw Atlas TKP Top
Raw Atlas TKP Bottom
Raw Atlas TKP Front
Black Atlas TKP Top
Black Atlas TKP Front
Black Atlas TKP Bottom

With these issues in mind, Atlas burst into the market with an innovative truck that offers the same strength of their reverse kingpin trucks, with a geometry which capitalizes on a do-it-all, generalized geometry that can realistically be used to do everything. In technical terms, the truck is a split between Thunder and Independent, a healthy mix of two of the most popular trucks on the market today.

The Atlas TKP really gains inspiration from recent trends in RKPs. For example, there are built-in speed rings; a modern innovation to nuts and the inside of hangars to eliminate the need for extra, bothersome washers. Precision is also offered- a CNC machined pivot ensures a tight fit and slopless operation when turning or carving into flips and tricks. The ride height is a while 1mm lower than Independents, and come with a 91a stock bushing pair to combat stock hangar/wheelbite. The strong chromoly steel axle tops it off, making this truck a future opponent to the street trucks of the old.

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by Ryan Lee

BamBam – Pucks and Gloves

These new pucks all the way from Switzerland will light your skateboards on fire! Check them out.

For years- no, decades, Swiss engineering has been hailed as some of the most elite. Luxury cars and sports cars come with Swiss engineering inside of them, as do many expensive watches and clothing. In fact, the Swiss have even perfected the art of engineering chocolate! We all know Swiss chocolate to be some of the best and most decadent.

But they didn’t stop there. The Swiss have broken into the longboard market with BamBam, a new slide puck and glove company right out of Switzerland! Following closely after Crema Fire, BamBam reworked their design and production process for flint-impregnated slide pucks which spark and fire up during slides due to abrasion with asphalt. The result is bright, hot and dangerous (well, not really, the sparks are cool to the touch).

4 Colors of Packaging
Packaging Close-up
Spark Pucks
Sliding 1
Sliding 2
Sliding 3

Sure, those pucks look super uber-cool, but the best part about BamBam is their gloves. Their gloves are some of the best we’ve seen so far, hugging every crevice of your hands, all the while being supremely flexible and comfortable. One of the riders we talked to said that he forgot he had them on at one point! These gloves come with built-in knuckle protection and a thick but breathable leather skin, so you can have confidence that these won’t fail you in the worst of falls! The strap is made of durable plastic straps, so you won’t have to worry about them falling off mid-slide.

BamBam Gloves

 

Also from BamBam, these quirky little tail pucks for your kicktails so you can spark up your bluntslides! These aren’t available in North America, unfortunately. (We’re just as sad as you are.)

BamBam Tail Pucks

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by Ryan Lee

Bustin Boards – Thermoglass Shrike

The new Bustin Shrike will strike you amour! Check it out and fall in love.

Double-kick quiver-killers have been the fad of the decade. Having a board that can freeride, downhill, and also kick around and do some freestyle all in the same session is definitely one attractive prospect.

Through the years, many board companies have tried and tried to create their best interpretation of the quiver-killer. And Bustin Boards is not an exception- the Shrike has been a part of the Bustin arsenal for many years. However, this year, Bustin really knocked it out of the park by solving many common problems with their new Thermoglass construction. Thermoglass includes fiberglass topsheets coupled with urethane bumpers and kicktails. It’s the epitome of durable board technology. 

With their new lightweight, fused fiberglass construction, the Shrike is newly advantaged for freestyle and dancing tricks- a lighter board means that airtime is increased and the setup is more responsive. When doing freeride and downhill, rider input is amplified.

The new 5-0 urethane bumpers are incredibly resilient and are able to take the worst of beatings- Will Royce is no saint to his boards and the shape and layout of the urethane bumpers focus on strength more than aesthetics. A truly utilitarian philosophy previously unseen in longboard production.

Bustin Shrike Topsheet
Thermoglass Construction
Bustin Shrike Custom Graphic
Bustin Shrike Complete
Bustin Shrike Concave

The new Bustin Thermoglass Shrike. Get it before it gets away!

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Longboard Envy Apparel - Shop Now

Longboard Envy Apparel - Shop Now

savant trucks
by Ryan Lee

Paris Truck Co. – 165mm Savants

These new, narrow Paris Savants will give you superpowers! Check them out!

Over the years, it seems, trucks have been decreasing in width. Back in the original days of longboarding, way back in the early 2000s, wide hangers up to 210mm were looked favorably upon because they were believed to be more stable. And that’s true- wider hangars are less responsive and they’re great for going fast in straight lines.

But that’s not downhill anymore. Now, we’re talking technical downhill/freeride courses where fast braking and deadly quick rail to rail action is required. And for that, shorter hangars are necessary and beneficial.

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by Ryan Lee

Powell Peralta – Snakes

These new Powell Peralta wheels are bound to knock your socks off with their durability, slide, and versatility!

There’s always been a movement in the longboarding wheel industry to find a perfect balance between durability and thaney, sugary wear. Too much durability, and the company risks making a wheel which doesn’t grip the pavement enough to create an attractive slide. Too much wear, and the wheels don’t last long enough and become extremely expensive for the rider.

There’s people who prefer all points of the spectrum- racers enjoy wheels that are extremely durable. This way, they don’t have to replace wheels very often even if they must drift and periodically wash out. Some people, mostly freeriders, prefer wheels that leave thick, cocaine-esque lines behind them. These wheels wear quickly, but for freeriding hobbyists, the cost is worth it. For everyone else though, a freeride wheel that’s both durable and consistently slidey is an attractive prospect. And that’s what Powell Peralta has created this year with the Snakes.

Snakes White
Snakes Red
Snakes Green

Coming in 66mm and 69mm varieties, the Powell Peralta Snakes are a continuation of the These Wheels project, an initiative to create the most balanced freeride wheel on the market. The Snakes are a little different though, with a different, more durable formula this time, and a different shape and contact patch to alter the slide a little bit.

Snakes Red Side
Snakes Green Isometric
Snakes Green Side
Snakes Red Isometric

The shape is a little more square than previous iterations, to ensure a consistent contact patch through the life of the wheel. The core is the same proprietary PP core as previous These wheels, which gives it a firm grip on bearings to make sure they don’t chatter. The 38mm contact patch gives the rider a nice kick-out and a smooth hookup. The Snakes come stone-ground out of the box, for your convenience; an upgrade from These wheels. The wheels are deceptively soft- the 75a durometer feels like jelly under the finger, but as they slide, they feel nothing like jelly. They rather feel more like an 83a wheel.

 

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