Original Arbiter 36

Originals new Topmount Downhill/Freeride range is beginning to take form with the first deck released earlier this month.

At $99USD, its a very affordable deck and sturdy as hell compiled of 9 plys of Canadian Maple, as well as concave that will melt any skaters thane covered heart. If you're looking for a deck to bomb down the gnarliest of hills or freeriding down a local hill at any speed, this is a highly recommended board on my part!

The idea behind the deck was to keep it simple, which it appears Original, while still adding their own flair to it which they try to do to all of their Longboards. The tub concave was new to me, I had only ever skated on boards with rocker or W concave, never a tub concave deck and I didn't really know what to expect at all. From the images Original had shown us, the concave didn't look aggressive, and quite frankly extremely mellow which is exactly what I don't want in a deck.

Looks can be deceiving.

That mellow, boring tub concave burst to life once I started freeriding. It locked me in and held me there, even while I started learning toeside checks, the hard rail turned out ideal to stick you foot against and kick it out.Also as I am just learning toeside checks, as the image below shows, I'm using the side of the kick to kick the deck out which has helped me to get a feel for how much weight to apply.

 The cereal bowl kick in the above image looks really small, as if you would barely feel it but I found it super useful and like the concave, far bigger than it looks. Keeping to locked in for long stand ups and the option of a shorter wheelbase mean slide shuv' and variations couldn't be easier 

 In two weeks I have learnt Blunt slides using the Cereal bowl kick with the trucks mounted on the inner mounting brackets. Super stoked on this deck after loving Original work for the past few years and they have now answered my prayers with a topmount direction longboard which I can use for fast freeride and downhill.

Toesides on the Atbiter 36

The Arbiter like most directional topmounts work well for downhill when that's the style of deck you're more comfortable with using. (Other options being a Drop Down or symmetrical deck)

The concave is super comfortable to keep your feet in place when tucking and the Original Grip tape works a charm too so your back foot does slip back down a run. Its stable at speeds, although I have only taken it to around 75km/h, it held its own at that speed.

Arbiter 36 Raw run with Myself(Blue pred, Blue shorts) and Caleb Bradfield(White Charlie). 

The next board to be added to the new lineup will be the Maven, which I have summarised information Original has released right here: Maven 35 Information

-Adam

Bombsquad Pocket Ace

Right! So my newest edition to the seemingly endless string of boards I have owned is this Gem of a board.
I first got a look of the Pocket Ace around mark on Bombsquads Facebook page right {Here}.
When I saw it, I was shocked at Bombsquads amazing range of boards and how they keep making me come back for more, even though I own the Saltflat and the Dragula. I STILL WANTED MORE BOMBSQUAD! I know, I'm a whore, a Terrorist if you will ;)

The shape looked so nice and the fact it was nice and wide at the back meant my mutant feet would be perfectly locked into the concave.
It solved a lot of the problems I wanted fixed with the Saltflat. MORE Concave! MORE W! MORE Freeride/Downhill Hybridisation. After freeriding my Dragula for 2 months and using the Saltflat for Downhill I just had to try out the Pocket Ace!

My Pocket Ace w/ Kahalani 184mm and 72mm 83a Venom Cannibals.

The Concave on this thing is amazing! It keeps me perfectly locked in for freeride with my wide stance and large feet. I added some 3D concave to it, with a built up layer right after the last mounting brackets at the front and extra W concave right before the back mounting brackets. This gave a nice area for feeling my way around the board, knowing where my feet were at all times.
Now the Shape is SO SEXY!
Its like a Wolfshark and a Grease Shark had a love child. I love the added width of the back of the board, gives that extra weight at the back to control the board when doing big standup slides.

Now the board is relatively heavy, so you need that extra weight behind you to like this board as I do. There have been numerous Groms in my area who have sold or are selling their Pocket Ace after only a week or 2 of owning them because they dont have the weight behind them to kick it out. Myself weighing around 150/160 pounds or around 70/75kg, I find it nice to kick out.
I went from the Dragula to this for freeriding and going from a drop platform board, to a Top Mount board was the craziest feeling. I was able to kick the board around will little to no effort as my feet were right above the trucks, meaning more leverage when kicking out for standies.

The pointed nose may seem like a bad idea for a board(I know its used a lot, but looking at a structural sense where it can be smashed into a curb) but the deck seems to hold up very well. I have curbed this board afew times, the nose and the tail, and I have to say I'm impressed at how well it took the impact.
Next to no damage to the board, no delam, no chipping or even blunted ends. Just scuff marks on the Ends!

Now for some NEGATIVED to this design:
The GAS PEDALS.... Now I'm not sure what the idea of these were, but they do not work for me at all!
They are way to far forward to be functional in my opinion. I have tried Toeside Pre-drifting using the gas pedals and it just did not work, my legs are too long to have my legs in a comfortable place for a pre-drift. It just too far forward to be used effectively in my opinion. Needs to be pushed back onto the Fat tail of the deck.

The W is quite small when compared to other W concave boards, its hardly there really, while still keeping you relatively locked in. If it was a tad more aggressive, I would like the board even more than I do now!
I love this board and 90% of its elements so I am currently getting a Custom deck made Including micro drops with Symmetrical noses with the Fat end at both ends! Gonna be a hell of a beast!

So to conclude this rather lengthy Review, and if you dont want to read the whole thing, I guess ill sum this up as best I can. Beautiful concave for freeride while the gas pedals being relatively useless, amazing shape and weight for someone over 150 pounds or 70kg and very durable to hard impacts!

-Adam

Rayne Amazon

Rayne amazon
38.5" long
10" wide
5/8in radial drop

     I came from a Rayne baby killer TM to this beauty. I'm very happy I did! I grew out of the baby killer as i was standing on the necks of the board. I thought about it, what were my only complaints about the baby killer? "I would like a longer deck, larger drop and having a drop through option would be nice" then I searched the internet for a couple minutes and found this, read its longer, wider, larger drop, but no w concave, but there's no need for it because the "mean cave" is ridiculous and holds you in amazingly. The 3 stage rocker plus the 5/8in radial drop plus the mean cave will lock your feet in and not let you move, slap some vicious, super coarse jessup, gator grip, anything like that and you can barely move your feet. Something else very unique is that is has different wheelbase options in a drop through board.  it also has rayne's "speed stiff" flex which is pretty much none (i'm 200lbs and can flex it a little) which stands for great control when doing dh, freeride, or anything else it is you like to do. I personally have mine set up with 45* surf rodz rkp trucks (set at 186mm), and abec 11 flashbacks. the only problem ive had is the surf rodz base plate is huge and doesn't fit when dropping them through on the outer mounting holes but fits fine on the inner ones. I am still not sure if i like it dropped through or top mounted yet but both are awesome! I haven't had any problems with cracking, chipping, chunking, or delam yet but I have no curbs in my neighbor hood so that helps a bunch. It is also very light because it is bamboo sandwiched between fiberglass. Another cool aspect about Rayne's boards are that there graphics are "tattooed" into the fiberglass so it takes some good hits to scratch the graphic. I cant say enough about this board and how sweet it has been. I will say that it is my favorite board in my quiver and cant stop riding it!

~Theo.

Loaded Fattail

Loaded Fattail Flex 2
Paris 150's
83a Fat Frees

After riding the Loaded Fattail almost nonstop for 2 and half weeks and thrashing it almost beyond recognition, I am comfortable writing this review. I have pushed this boards limits and tested it's freeride capability on 15% grade hills as well as using it for freestyle in parks, sidewalks, even on the beach (I know that sounds ridiculous..I skated it for a bit on some really packed down sand). With the exception of the Bhangra, this board has outlasted every other freestyle board I have owned. After 3 or 4 days of thrashing it, I noticed some slight delam in the nose and began to worry that it would start to get worse immediately. After continuing to thrash it for a few more weeks, the condition stayed just about the same except for some wear on the rails from old school tre's and fakie bigflips. Before experimenting with the board's freestyle capability, though, I used it as a freeride board.

 My second time ever riding the board was when I brought it to a freeride competition. After getting highsiding a couple times and catching a few edges, I became comfortable on the board. I was surprised to realize that by the end of the day, my toeside checks on the Fattail had become bigger and cleaner than they had ever been on any of my legitimate freeride setups. This board is nimble and very responsive, especially with 150mm trucks, and with 83a Fat Frees, sliding had never been easier. I was shocked at how easily freeride-able this board was. After successfully being able to skate pools, hills, and beaches, I can conclude that the fattail is a great do-everything board. While it has not been Loaded's most popular release in comparison to boards like the Tan Tien and the Bhangra (both great boards as well), it exceeded my expectations by far and I know that when I eventually thrash it until is no longer ride-able, I will likely want another one.


My Video of me riding the Fattail!

-Alec

Original Custom 35

35 inches long
10  inches wide
  
 Setup

• Retro zigzags 78a 70mm (their is a review on these) 
• S8 trucks from Original
• Some type of reds bearings

This was my first Originalskateboards and it was great and still amazing. For the complete its $219 with the basic setup. Starting off my board has been run over by a Ford SUV and the board is fully intact and fully rideable . The car ran over the trucks. This board is and all around performance board, meaning you can do any type of riding with the board. Though it exceeds in cruising and carving. 

This board is incredibly flexy but dont worry there are 3 different types of flex that you can get. I got this board when i was younger and i have the flyweight but now i weigh a lot more, therefore it will bottom out if I do any huge tricks. This board will pop you out of your carves because the flex is responsive. They get this flex by using special lamination technique. The center layers of the board has mahogany strings running from front to tail with e sheets of maple sandwiching it one on top and the other on the bottom and then the same thing again but wit fiberglass.
 

This board is decent for learning standies and other slides, although you need to watch yourself because the flex will pop you off the board. Riding hills is a piece of cake with the Custom 35 and also a joy. With the Original S Series trucks you will carve hills like crazy, they cut so hard and have so much control (as you can see from the pics above). I say when you get the board go with original S series trucks they are a perfect match for the board.

This board has sand sprayed grip tape and a logo under it that gives the look of a surf board.

Over all I would recommend this board to anyone who is starting longboarding or anyone who is looking into carving hills up.

Longboard Carving Bliss

-Ryan

Bombsquad Saltflat

 37 inches long.
10.25 inches wide.
28.5, 29.5 or 30 inch wheelbase

 Current Setup- 81a 72mm centre set Abec 11  Freerides, Abec 11 Biltins and 42 degree gunmetal baseplates and Caliber(10inch) hangar w/87a venom barrel roadside and Caliber Blood Orange Barrel Roadside. For downhill I use 80a Inheats.

Ok so we haven't posted a review in a while and I feel I'm ready enough to review my Saltflat which I have been riding for the past 3 months.
Right so I got this board early January and made it my primary Downhill board, as I was getting into that kind of style.
It has a very very mild W concave which I feel could be more aggressive. However the concave that it does have is extremely nice. It locks you in  perfectly for freeride too.

As i mentioned I got this board for DH but now it has become my favourite freeride board too. I used this board with Caliber 50s, biltins and Sayshun Plasma A+ 81a which i found a decent freeride wheel, with the Plasma A+ making for a smooth slide.

While the deck isn't symmetrical, it really doesn't need to be as there isn't a huge difference in their shapes, the front has a slightly pointed nose, and the backs a flat cutoff.
It is quite a heavy board when compared to say, my freeride 41W or apex, but that's expected as a thick downhill board.

This board is extremely stable at speed, I was able to hit 70km/h on it, straight from hitting 50 no problem. It is very easy to control and has nice pockets to lock your foot into.
The Saltflat is quite a wide board, so unless your feet are big like mine(size 13US) then it may not feel as nice for freeride as the platform could feel really big.

However there are a few points I would like to see this board have, which would make it all the better:
-Gas Pedals: while I did sand some in myself, they really should come with some, even if you wouldn't use em, they wont get in the way or anything and are needed on toeside standups and predrifts.
-W Concave: It needs a more aggressive W concave, as it is only very very mild and you can barely feel it.
-Micro drops: This would be an idea for a new version of the Saltflat, having half inch or so drops just before the cutouts would be really good, I personally love this shape and would love some slight drops added to it.


-Adam

Original Skateboards Freeride 41

41" long.
10.25" at its widest point.
9 Ply NE Maple
0.620" rocker concave with 0.25" W concave.

I received this deck thanks to the generosity of Scott Imbrie, Co-owner of Original Skateboards for my efforts prior to this boards anticipated release. When I was contacted by Scott and asked if I wanted any Freeride of my choice on the house, I happily obliged and opted for the 41W.

Never having owned a W concave board before and had been using my Robot 41 for a few months, I was very keen to give this board a whirl!
My first Impression of the board when opening the box was simply WOW. This thing was an absolute BEAST, hence its nickname funny enough. The Stag graphic is beautiful and my favorite of the bunch.The large kicks caught my eye first, followed by the W. The kicks are massive on this board, which is a Love/Hate deal for myself. While i love the kicks for freestyle, making it easy to flick around, it leaves less of a standing platform which is a shame, because my stance is very wide. But that didn't stop me one bit!

I started riding this board straight away, on Caliber 50s and found my Cult Classics were the best match for freeride, and man did it work! This thing shredded like nothing I've used before, in 2, 1 hour sessions I had my standup's dialed after never trying them before. I was shocked at how fast I would progress with no only the time, but the right gear.

The W concave locked me in beautifully, i only have to keep part of my heel of the rail and the W does the rest. Having size 12UK(13US) feet, means i need a wide platform most of the time, and this was perfect. However as mentioned before I have a wide stance.....which meant i had to adjust a tad. My feet were on the screw when i was freeriding which isn't very good, so i made my stance shorter and locked into the W more, and I was set.


The board itself is surprisingly light, being about the same weight as the Apex 40 Double Concave which made this board quite easy to Early Grab with. However the durability of this board is not great. I have banged it into a curb about 5 times, and chipped both ends into crumpling piles. The noses may be weak but the rails are not, I flipped this board at around 60km/h and it slid for about 50m without any kind of rail damage!

Being a drop-through board, Its quite a low, which makes it easy to push and a feature I prefer on a board. It means my center of gravity is better and I can focus on my slides a lot easier.
I would give this board a 5/5 for freeride, 5/5 for looks 3/5 for durability and 4.5/5 for All Round stoke production!



-Adam

Original Skateboards Apex 34

INSANE. this board is crazy!!! It's super light (with bears and stims) and is the best freestyle board I've ever ridden. Flip tricks are a breeze and taking it to the park is great too! Kickers, bowls and launch ramps are a blast with the '34.

While stll being light and stiff, the slight flex is all you need to throw some hard carves and sharp turns. The kicks are great and in my opinion shov-its and manuals are tricks that practically come with the board. All in all great board would recommend for anyone looking for a freestyle, commuter, campus cruiser, or gnarly shredder.

-Lewis

Original Skateboards Carbon Apex 37 2011

This was my second Original board after the Pintail 40. At first i absolutely adored this board!
It was just what i needed to progress into different disciplines of Longboarding. I had s8 trucks with Big Zigs 83a on this board to start with. It was the best carver EVER, even better than my Pintail 40.
Then when i started freestyle i switched to Randal 180s. This board is light as a feather and stiff as! I had the middleweight and i weigh 140 pounds, and it didn't flex much at all which I loved! It meant i could use it for speed, as mentioned before hitting 50km/h or 30mph with supercarves 81a/85a. I learned shuv-its in the first day and ghost-ride and old-school kick flips in a few weeks.

I would recommend this as a first board, to get into freestyle, but not for freeride. I'm 6"1' and it has too short of a wheel base IMO. However its a great freestyle/cruiser mix, but if you want a more all round board, then get the Apex 40, and more freestyle Orientated board, the Apex 34.
5/5 for Freestyle, 5/5 for Looks, 3/5 for Freeride and 4/5 for all round performance.

-Adam

Bustin Ibach

Length- 40 inches
width- 10 inches

I have had this board for a solid 2 months. It has held up very well to repeated abuse. For DH, this is the best board you could ask for. Having a 3/4 inch drop in the platform makes it a bit lower to the ground, making it extremely stable. You get the stability of a drop through, and the traction of a top mount. You can wedge your back foot up against the drop when you are in the tuck, making it an extremely comfortable board to ride. For free ride, this board is pretty decent. In the end. this board gets a 4/5 for performance. It misses one point because for me, it isn't that good for free ride IMO. But if you are looking for a dh deck that can handle anything you can throw at it, this is your board.

~Eric

Original Skateboards Apex 40

Ok, so I actually had the chance to have both concaves right next to each other, and I used the opportunity to make some video reviews.

Here's the double concave review. Please note, I didn't get to ride it, so this review is strictly for clarifying what double concave is:

Here's the AvRocker concave review: 

Here's my video comparing the concaves: 

If you have any questions, just post them in the comments on youtube and I'll be sure to answer them!

~~~Stefen


Apex 40 Double Concave
I have had this board for 2 weeks, and i absolutely love it. It is an amazing board for all around riding. Pretty good for freestyle, and decent for dh. I love this board for free riding. because of the nice and tight wheelbase, you get a lot of torque when sliding. All in all, this board gets a 4/5, because it is a bit on the heavier side, it looses one point. for more freestyle than free ride, look into an apex 37.

~Eric

EDIT: After having this board for about 6 months, i have been able to try many different setups. All i have to say is that it is absolutely amazing. So happy i got it. All my opinions are the same.

Here is my review on youtube:

Original Skateboards Pintail 43

Length - 43"
Width - 9"
Wheelbase - 30.5"

Alrighty, to start, I've been riding this board for 1 and a 1/2 years now, and I use it for everything. My current setup is s'8 trucks with Orangatang Simulus 86a wheels. This board is a great beginner's board. I would reccomend this board without a doubt. It's shape really utilizes the s'8 trucks to give you the best carve you will ever get. If you don't mind it getting banged up, you can use it for a little freestyle but, the board was not meant for this purpose so you'll damage it. There's really no incredible aspect to this board, except the fact that the pintail shape was one of the first longboard shapes made, and the fact it features artwork by artist Jay Alders. A great board, all-in-all, if you are a beginner to longboarding or want to add a fun cruiser to your quiver.
4/5 for performance and 5/5 for looks.

~Stefen

Bustin Robot 41"

Slide Rails

41"
9 ply maple.
10" wide.
5/8" Radial Concave.
31" wheelbase.
The Bustin Robot 41.

What can i say? This board is an absolutely amazing board to ride and one of the only boards i felt the absolute HUNGER to buy from Bustin. After the release i just had to have it!
The price was relatively cheap at $135US for the deck, which is almost 1/2 that of other freeride orientated boards.

This board is made for GRIP! The grip tape is one Vicious mother, extremely rough and grippy which I love about the board.
To add to this it has Slide rails, so as the board gets to the edge it drops and kicks back out. |__     <-------Like this. Then over these trails there is grip tape which acts almost like a gas pedal which is great when you're freeriding.
The wide wheel base means it gives a comfortable stance for someone like me who loves a wide wheels base, and luckily this board come in 36" also, for smaller riders.
The noses of the Robot are awesome and with the Robot being a drop through, I was surprised to find that the trucks don't get in the way for tricks like Shuv-it's at all.
The deck itself is quite heavy and very rigid, which makes it Ideal for speed and freeride! This is my favorite board for freeride and Downhill.
Another notable feature are the dropped in parts at the center of the rails. This makes early grabs a breeze as there is a handle to grab onto.
The Wide platform means you have plenty or room for you feet, and also a nice platform for dancing, if you enjoy the casual walk up your board like I do from time to time.
I would give the looks for the board a 4/5, freeride and Downhill capabilities a 4.5/5 and General ride a 4/5. Great board!

-Adam

Rayne Mini Killswitch Topmount

Ok, where to start?
Specs i guess
Length - 35.5"
Width - 9.5"
Wheelbase - 29" 
Add a 3/8th radial drop and a crazy ass graphic and you have a Rayne Baby Killer.
When i first got this deck about 4 months ago i was shocked at how light the board actually is and also how agressive the W concave was.
It is far more intense than i ever expected, and when i first rode it it felt rather invasive, but after about half an hour i began to settle on the board and find the sweet little pockets up against the drop.
Being a radial drop, when in a tuck it positions you're foot up beside the drop rather than just behind it, this creates a massive feeling of control at speed, also with the massive W it helps position your back foot for toe side corners and it honestly feels amazing.
Having a 29 inch wheelbase and being as stiff as it is, it is nice and stable yet still very responsive.
I have had this board up over 50 comfortably on rather loose Paris trucks.
Another nice feature of the board is the complete lacking of tails, this is great because it is far easier to drag the board back up the hill rather than carry it and without tails it makes this so much easier.
This is also a bit of a bummer when you want to have a play with shuv-its and other freestyle tricks as it makes them all but impossible.
All in all this is a solid DH/freeride board and is surprisingly comfy for taller riders (some of my mates are 6 foot and don't feel cramped at all).
-Saxen (painy)