RJKZLB Longboarding League 1st Race: Spanish Rice

Spanish Rice was the first race of the season, held on Gateway in Bressi's. We had 6 members of Team Candy Bus come out. Basically, we only speed clocked and freerode. The actual competition was for top speed. The average speed was 22.6mph, the top speed was set by Ryan Pili and Kevin Zheng (through drafting) at an average of 28mph. I planned on wearing my new Corrosive Steel MX goggles to this, but they did not come in time. However, I plan to try out the new goggles to attempt a faster time around the technical course surrounding Gateway. This really gave Team Candy Bus a chance to bond and learn new techniques. Brendan pulled some sick slides, and Aidan ripped up the flat ground. Hopefully next time more will come out. It was all great fun, and I cant wait till our next event.

Longboard Wheel Review: Venom Sidewinders

The venom sidewinders. Measuring in at 70mm and 80a. Get the multicolor (1 red, 1 blue, 1 green, and 1 yellow) for some crazy thane marks! Or that's too wild for you, Venom now offers Sidewinders in all blue (the same blue included in the multicolor sets). Dropping at your door pre-stone ground, these wheels are ready so slide out of the box and are more slidey than a greasy pig on a frozen river in a hurricane. But still have a safe grippy feel to them. If you love to freeride but don't want to be riding rocks, these wheels would be great for you. Now, if 80a doesn't sound butters to you, these wheels will change your mind. They will slide on command, and well too. The slide is has an icy feel to it, versus a gummy resistance feel. Not only will they slide like heaven, they hold their speed pretty well too. Now remember, these are freeride wheels, so don't expect to run a drop through on a tech course without some scrubbing around corners. Now on a topmount it maybe a different story but for the most part, these will scrub around corners at high speeds. Now if you can predrift well, then this wont be much of a problem. However, I do not suggest these for racing. As I said, being a freeride wheel, they are built centerset and completely symmetrical for even wear, just rotate/flip and you're good to go. My favorite part of these wheels is the price, you can order these wheels for just $44.95. So, if you've got an extra 50 bucks from last week's poker run, I recommend purchasing these wheels for your freeride setup.

Longboard Wheel Review: Abec11 Flywheels

The Abec11 Flywheels are larger wheels with sizes 76mm, 83mm, 90mm and a massive 97mm. With a softer set of duros, 75a, 78a, and 81a. Now these wheels will grip like super glue, you'll be flying past others who slow for corners. You can put these on a carving board or a commuter board and easily roll over any cracks, offering a smooth and easy ride. These wheels were named accordingly as 'flywheels' are metal discs meant to spin for a long time by using momentum. These wheels act in the same exact way, you'll get more out of your push, whether it be pushing to the store, or pushing past the competition. Now I can't say these are so great for sliding. So don't be thinking you'll put these on your nemmy and leave thane marks all up and down your local hills. At higher speeds these will slide for predrifts or shutdowns, but you'll need to push it. These wheels are a little pricy in the higher sizes but if you have the money, get a set, you won't regret it. Ride'm on your commuter for the most out of your push and to easily ride over cracks and bumps. If you love carving hard down hills, put a set on there and you'll never slide out. Finally, if you're a speed demon who wants to grip all his corners but still have the ability to slide for safety and speed control, these wheels will fit perfectly on your downhill board. Remember, 75a will not slide well, 78a will slide, but you'll need to push it, and if you're a little heavier of a person like me, these would work like the 81a. The 81a will slide well at speed and still grip corners safely. Another small trend in these wheels is to make cutouts or ruts for rain riding, so if you're looking for a wheel to race in the rain with, look no further.

Because these are a larger wheel. You may need risers if put on a Bellyracer, Voodoo, 'Speedy Topmount' Shaped Board or Bamboo Pinner/Bamboo Ripper Shaped board. But, they'll work fine on a Evo, Nemesis, Dropspeed, or other cutout type board.

Longboard Wheel Review: Abec11 Grippins

The Abec11 Grippins are one of the most versatile wheels out there. Throw'em on your Downhill Board and you'll feel safe gripping and railing crazy turns, but even in the 75a you'll be able to slide them out like butter on ice for that predrift or shutdown. Put them on your Freeride Board and you'll be pulling slides left and right, but still having full control. Don't worry about coning or flatspots, they're center set and you can rotate them around, flip them and everything for even wear. These are also great for your commuter board, being 70mm they'll be at home on your smaller boards, throw these on your Frequent Flyer, Super/Mini Glider, Ethos, Fattail etc. and you'll be flying over cracks and bumps, and holding grip dynamic slaloming around freshman on campus. 

The Abec11 Grippins are wheels you can put into any setup and it will work, and work well. If you're looking for a wheel for a setup but don't know if it will work. You can't go wrong with Grippins. And even if you don't like them on the first setup, they can easily work for any other. If you're looking for versatility, and consistent performance, get a pair of Grippins. Remember, slidey in the high duros, grippy in the low but it will still be able to slide well even at 75a.   

Boardshop Review: Bustin Board's Factory Store

Today we are reviewing Bustin Board's boardshop in Brooklyn, New York. You can find them at 340 Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211 or bustinboards.com.

Bustin Boards is a company who makes longboards with a distinctive board shape, for functionality. Their board styles range from the small, compact cruiser board; the Spliff to the snowboard inspired, freestyle twin kick board; the Maestro to the stable bomber, the 42inch; Complex.

Their shop based in Brooklyn, New York, is a large warehouse with a shop section, walk into the warehouse pick out what you want and buy it, its like a candy store. The customer service is excellent, they helped out with everything we needed and knew their stuff, so feel free to ask any questions you need to. They even let you try out their boards to find the exact one you're looking for. As you go out to test the board you just picked up, you'll find a small hill to try it out on, it wont push you to your limits but you'll get the feel of the board.

So if you're ever in the area, Bustin's Factory Store would be a perfect place to hit to get a Bustin board, or just buy some longboarding products not sold in regular skate shops.

About this Blog

This blog is about, as the title implies, Longboarding. We will review products; wheels, trucks, decks, bearings, bushings, you name it. We will also review boardshops/skateshops/skate spots/skateparks and competitions/races/poker runs/etc. If you have any questions or requests for reviews feel free to email us at rjkzlb@yahoo.com. If you disagree with any of our reviews or posts feel free to express yourself, but don't just be hating or trolling.