Skateboarding, and skateboarders, are not exactly known for embracing new technology. We are a culture of core lords who live by if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

But over the past few years, a small operation has been quietly bubbling in Salzburg, Austria. Led by skateboarder Peter Karacsonyi, it started with a simple question he asked at a young age. Why can’t skateboard decks be updated. That question led to countless hours spent in his parents’ garage with his father, experimenting with different methods to create what he hoped would be the ultimate skateboard deck.

Fast forward to today, and Peter is running his own board company and factory, KAPE Skateboards. Using cutting edge manufacturing techniques, KAPE produces skateboard decks made with recycled ocean plastic and glass fibers. Boards that do not chip, do not snap easily, and still promise to feel like a classic wooden deck. Their first commercial release, The Vanguard, launched about a year ago at 200 euros. Since then, they have slowly built a team featuring tech wizard Levi Löffelberger, fresh off a Berrics part, and Adrien Bulard, the mad Frenchman who backtailed El Toro. They also dropped a little video with the guys together skating in Barcelona. While gaining momentum, KAPE has continued refining its technology, offering new shapes and sizes, and steadily bringing the price down.

THE IDEA

Traditional skateboard decks are made by stacking seven sheets of maple plywood with alternating grain directions, placing them into a mold, and pressing them with extreme heat and pressure. Once pressed, they are cut and shaped into the decks we all recognize.

KAPE does something completely different.

After nearly ten years of experimentation and feedback, they have developed a construction based around three elements. A foam core, an injected melted plastic composite, and glass fibers for strength. Everything is molded rather than pressed, creating a deck that is fundamentally different in how it is built and how it behaves.

IMPRESSION

I got my hands on one of the first production runs of The Vanguard, which even came with a skate bag and carried a 200 euro price tag. Honestly, my biggest concern was not chipping or pop. I wanted to know if it felt like a wooden board.

One of the reasons new technology struggles to gain traction in skateboarding is the mental barrier skaters have toward change. I definitely felt that. The first few sessions were strange, not because the board felt bad, but because my brain refused to accept that the piece of plastic under my feet actually felt normal.

I have been skating the board for six months now and I am still skating it. Here is what stood out.

The pop was surprisingly good. There is a solid balance between flexibility and rigidity. Once broken in, the pop stayed consistent throughout the entire six months.

The durability was exceptional. There was no chipping at all, even with heavy wallrides. A friend tried snapping it by stomping on it and had no luck. It may have warped slightly, but it did not break.

The feel took the longest to adjust to. It feels like a wooden board, but slightly denser and softer. The tail still sounds crisp, but the composite construction seems to absorb impact better, making landings feel more forgiving.

The shape was my biggest drawback. I rode an 8.25, but it felt a little smaller than a standard 8.25. Probably a mental thing, but it took some getting used to.

OVERALL

This is an extremely well designed product, and it is obvious how much thought, testing, and feedback went into it. My biggest challenge was not the board, it was my own mindset. Skateboarding does not change easily, and this board forces you to confront that.

They say an open heart leads to an open mind. If you are willing to give this board a fair shot, I am confident you will walk away more impressed than disappointed.

THEIPETERIINTERVIEW

I sat down with Peter for a quick interview. It’s no secret that the business side of skateboarding benefits from shoes wearing out faster and boards breaking more often. Turnover drives sales. At a time when brands are struggling to compete for business, Peter is pushing something completely new. I wanted a glimpse into the reality he saw.

What became clear very quickly is that Peter is someone who figured out what he wanted to do early on, developed the skills to make it happen, and is completely committed to seeing it through.

Weartested: Hey Peter, tell us a little about your self and how you got started doing this?

Peter: I was born and raised in Austria, but both of my parents are from Hungary, so I grew up speaking Hungarian at home. I started skateboarding in 2004. Before that, I went to a sports-focused school and was always around different kinds of sports equipment. When I started skating, I remember thinking it was strange that skateboards were still made of plywood. Other sports had moved on to better materials, so I kept wondering why skating hadn’t. By the time I was 16 or 17, I was breaking boards all the time. I’d save money for months and sometimes snap a deck in the first session, and that’s when I thought there had to be something better. I tried reaching out to skate brands for old molds, but no one replied. That’s when I realized most companies don’t actually make their own decks—they buy them from woodshops and put their name on them. So I started making my own boards in my parents’ garage. My dad, who’s actually a doctor but really handy, helped me build presses and molds. We used scrap metal, hydraulic presses, and CNC-cut parts. Once I started building decks, I became obsessed with the materials. I studied sports equipment technology, learned how fibers behave, and applied everything directly to the boards. I built a new deck almost every day—skated it, found what didn’t work, adjusted fibers, weight, and stiffness, and built it again. That constant cycle of riding, changing, and refining is where everything really began. Every board was a progression. Sometimes it didn’t work at all, but that was part of it. And yeah, that was really the beginning.

I started experimenting with wood combined with fiberglass and carbon fiber. What you see now in boards like the VX, Flight, or DBX decks—I was already doing that about ten years ago. In some ways, those boards were better: they had more pop, they were stronger, thinner and more responsive. But they also chipped like crazy. By 2018 or 2019, I felt stuck. I didn’t really know how to make my boards better using the conventional skateboard-making method of pressing wood layers. So I had to completely rethink how a skateboard could be made. That’s when I started thinking about casting boards instead, because casting would let me control the shape and structure much more precisely. The problem was that a fully plastic board just felt wrong—it was too heavy, too flexible, and didn’t ride well. So the real question became: how do you get fibers into plastic, and how do you keep it light enough? The answer ended up being a technology I’ve been developing over the last five years. It took five full years of R&D. I quit making my old products, stopped selling skateboards, and spent up to eighty hours a week just experimenting. A lot of it didn’t work. But in the end, it did—and now I’m genuinely happy with where it landed.

Weartested: Who’s on the team?

Peter: Officially, the team is kept tight for now. Right now it’s Levi Löffelberger and Adrien Bulard—that’s the core team. Both skate at a very high level, but in fundamentally different ways. That contrast is key—it produces distinct feedback, which helps us improve the boards for a wide range of skating styles, which is ultimately making the product better.

Weartested: So for Kape there will be different boards created for different types of skating? Like different decks made for technical skaters and impact heavy skaters?

Peter: Yeah. Right now, Levi is riding a board that’s lighter and flips faster. What’s unique about our technology is that we can control where we use denser or lighter materials, which lets us fine-tune how the board reacts. For Levi’s setup, we reduced weight around the edges, so the board flips faster and higher. For Adrian, we did almost the opposite—his current shape has more strength across the width of the board. These are still prototypes, but that’s how the process starts. Once everything is dialed in, the changes flow into standard production.

We are currently developing a board that is tailored for shorter skaters. Wheelbase, angles, flex and weight must be different for people with shorter legs and lower bodyweight compared to standard boards. That’s not personal preference – it’s bio mechanics. Our technology allows endless possibilities.

That said, skateboarders are pretty conservative. A lot of skaters, especially older ones, have been riding wood for decades and had the best moments of their lives on those boards, so change is hard. Younger skaters tend to be much more open. The interesting thing is that once people actually try the boards—even if they were skeptical—they’re usually stoked and surprised by how good they feel.

We’re already selling boards in 46 countries, and we see that once a board lands in a new place, more orders follow. That shows how much skaters rely on word of mouth. They trust their friends and riders they respect—not marketing or ads. In the end, that’s how real change happens: trusted skaters riding the boards, and friends convincing friends to try them.

Weartested: Skateboarding business seems to be in a challenging time, how do you fare through this?

Right now, the skateboarding industry is at a low point. After COVID, there’s a massive oversupply of product—shops and brands are stuck with inventory and cutting prices just to move it. But instead of seeing that as a problem, I see it as an opportunity.

Yes, the market is smaller than it’s ever been, and that’s not good. But a smaller market is also easier to reach. It’s much easier to convince a small group of skaters than a massive one. If we can get people to actually ride our boards and feel the difference—not just understand it on a technical level, but really experience it—then we can grow with the market when skateboarding grows again.

We’re not trying to be a brand for every skater. Long term, the bigger goal is to become a white-label manufacturer, similar to a woodshop, and open up our technology to other brands that are willing to use it. Instead of competing in an oversaturated deck market, we want to help other brands make better boards.

The deck market is crowded because there are simply too many brands selling essentially the same product. That makes it hard for any deck company to stand out. That’s why I think it’s essential for board brands to genuinely care about how their boards are made, how they feel, and how they can be better—not just how they look.

For us, it’s product first. You have to believe in what you’re making. A lot of skate companies are really media companies—they focus on image and marketing more than the actual product. We’re doing the opposite. If the product is right, everything else follows.

When skaters ride our boards and experience the difference for themselves, trust follows. And when skateboarding grows again, we grow with it.

The post KAPE Skateboards appeared first on Weartested - detailed skate shoe reviews.

Originally launched in 2021 and reborn in 2024 under the wing of Polar Skate Co., Lurpiv ditched its early inverted kingpin setup in favor of a sleeker, more traditional design – without sacrificing performance. With a refined mix of aluminum and steel, they claim better turn response, more durability, and less wheel bite. Bold claims from a young brand that’s already seen a relaunch.

So, are they just hype – or the real deal? We hit the streets to find out.

Design

Lurpiv’s truck design speaks volumes about Oski and the team’s commitment to quality and performance. Every material choice feels intentional – built for durability, precision, and a smooth, responsive ride.

The trucks feature a slim, streamlined hanger made from injected AA357 aluminum alloy, a high-strength material also used in aerospace applications like landing gear and structural components. This isn’t just for show: the injection process allows for tighter tolerances and a shape that’s engineered directly into the manufacturing, not milled in after. The result is a lightweight, durable hanger that holds up under pressure without sacrificing grind feel.

Lurpiv also didn’t cut corners on the kingpins, opting for specific steel grades selected for their mechanical strength and long-lasting performance. One standout detail is the built-in hanger spacer, a subtle but smart touch that shows just how much thought went into the design.

Available in both standard and hollow versions, with the latter shaving off weight via hollow axles and kingpins – Lurpiv trucks are clearly built with serious skaters in mind.

TurningI

One of the standout features of Lurpiv trucks is their ability to turn deeply while maintaining a stable, controlled feel. The geometry is clearly designed with carving in mind, and the stock 92A bushings, paired with built-in hanger spacers, contribute to a smooth, responsive ride.

In testing, the trucks delivered an almost surf-like carving experience without ever feeling twitchy or unpredictable. The bushings are on the firmer side, which helps maintain stability, but they still allow for tight, controlled turns. Compared to other trucks, Lurpiv strikes a solid middle ground, offering more maneuverability than Thunder, but with a bit more stability than a typical Independent setup.

Overall, they manage to feel both planted and agile, offering a tight turning radius without ever feeling too loose or unstable.

Anti-Wheelbite

Lurpiv’s design puts a clear emphasis on reducing wheel bite, an issue that often comes up when riding looser trucks. The combination of hanger and baseplate geometry provides added wheel clearance, helping to minimize the chance of wheels contacting the deck during sharp turns or deep carves. The slim hanger profile plays a big role here, offering a tighter turning response while still keeping the wheels clear.

That said, while the anti-wheelbite design is noticeably effective and does reduce the problem, it doesn’t eliminate it entirely. Wheel bite is still possible in certain situations, especially with softer bushings or larger wheels but overall, the improvement is definitely there.

Durability

Grinding performance is a strong point for Lurpiv trucks. The injected aluminum construction provides a consistent, solid feel across a variety of surfaces, with the first few grinds feeling especially smooth. The hangar texture strikes a good balance – grippy enough to lock in, but not so polished that it slips out easily. Durability was also impressive; after several weeks of skating, there was no noticeable axle slipping or unexpected wear.

Summary

Lurpiv trucks strike a solid balance between sharp turning, stability, and grind-friendly construction. Their geometry gives them a uniquely responsive feel that sets them apart from more established brands.

They’re a great option for skaters looking for an alternative to the usual names, especially if you’re after a setup that prioritizes tight turns and reduced wheel bite. If those features are high on your list, Lurpiv is definitely worth a look.

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For those who haven’t read out first SKF review, here’s a refresher. In the field of engineering, bearings facilitate rotational or linear motion by reducing friction between two moving parts, thereby improving the speed and efficiency. Additionally, bearings can handle various amounts of stress. For instance, skateboard wheels require bearings as support to withstand lateral and horizontal stresses between the truck axle, axle nut, and hanger.

Skateboard bearings, classified as ball bearings, have a unique construction. They consist of an inner and outer ring, which hold metal balls in place with the help of a ball cage. The balls are shielded to safeguard the inner components of the bearing from dirt. As one of the rings rotates, the balls also rotate, causing the bearing to function smoothly.

SKF Skateboard Bearings

SKF, which stands for Svenska Kullagerfabriken (Swedish Ball Bearing Factory), is a manufacturer of bearings and seals that was established in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1907. The company’s own factories produce and supply bearings, seals, lubrication, and a variety of other industrial products. As the world’s largest bearing manufacturer, SKF is regarded as a leading authority in the field of bearings.

Wear test

The wheel with popped shields did not have a lower durability, but as expected, it collected more dirt and particles since the shield protection was gone and the particles could easily stick to the grease. If you choose to remove the shields for the sound, we recommend de-greasing the bearings to prevent them from collecting too much dirt.

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In engineering, a bearing enables rotational or linear movement. Bearings are essentially machine elements  used to reduce friction between two moving parts to help enhance the speed and efficiency of a system. In the case of a complete skateboard, the system includes our wheels and trucks. Aside from this, bearings are also used to support other parts of a system by handling various amounts of stress. Thus, a skateboard wheel needs bearings also as a support element to handle lateral and horizontal stresses between the truck axle, axle nut and hanger.

Skateboard bearings are a specific type of bearings, termed as ball bearings. It consists of an inner and outer ring, and metal balls are held in position by a ball cage. In order to protect the inner parts of the bearing against dirt, the balls are protected by a shield. As one of the bearing rings rotate, it causes the balls to rotate as well.

Ball bearings are an extremely well studied engineering element and could play the role of safety in some applications of use. As a result, there are industrial standards defined to assess a level of quality among bearings. For bearings, the ABEC grades are a set of standards for manufacturing tolerances. A higher ABEC rating has tighter tolerances, and that means better precision. In the end higher precision helps to increase the revolutions per minute (RPM). As an example, an ABEC 7 or 9 bearing could withstand up to 127 MPH with a 54mm wheel. Thus, such high precision is not required at skateboarding speeds and ABEC in a range of 3-5 is sufficient for skateboarding applications.

SKF Skateboard bearings

SKF which is Swedish for Svenska Kullagerfabriken (Swedish Ball Bearing Factory) is a bearing and seal  manufacturing company founded in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1907. The company’s own factories produce and supply bearings, seals, lubrication and many other industrial products. With that said, SKF is basically THE expert when it comes to bearings, being the world’s largest bearing manufacturer.

SKF has offered skateboard bearings in the market for quite some time, also partnering with Andrew Reynolds when they approached the US market in 2007. But recently, SKF Skateboarding has been building a top notch team with heavyweight skaters such as Ishod Wair, Oski, Louie Lopez, Kader Sylla, Alexis Sablone and Beatrice Domond. As the world’s largest manufacturer of bearings and having a fully committed in-house R&D team, there are extremely high expectations from the skateboarding community, who is known to be critical when it comes to skateboard hardware. We at Weartested got our hands on SKF’s newest skateboard bearings for a review, read on below to see how they performed.

Wear test

Before our actual weartest, we inspected the bearings first. The new bearings come in a nicely designed metal box, so no plastic waste. The packaging and the bearings itself have a premium look and feel. They are made in one of SKF’s own manufacturers in Italy and are ABEC 5’s. As mentioned earlier, the tolerances and quality requirements for an ABEC 5 grade of bearing should be perfect for skateboarding. The bearing shields are made of metal and covered with a thin and soft plastic coating. Since some people like pop ping the shields off to get a special sound when skating, we removed the shields on one side just to see the difference. Before the test, it was quite noticeable that SKF had used lots of grease between the metal balls. This is was quite unique since most other brands don’t use that much grease.

When it comes to the rolling performance of the eight-week wear test, there were highs and lows. In the beginning, it felt like the grease was holding back some of the rolling speed of the bearings. This was noticeable when spinning the wheel with your hands; the wheel didn’t spin for long and stopped abruptly. However, once the boards was on the ground and rolling, everything was fine. Very important thing to mention is that this first impression improved significantly over time as they slowly broke in. The bearings needed 2-3 weeks to fully develop their rolling performance and once reached, their performance stayed on a constant high level. Also, no differences were noticed between the bearings with and without the shields.

Durability of the SKF skateboard bearings are very good for several reasons and the most noticeable was the amount of grease used from the start. It helped to increase the lifespan of the bearings. The grease is there to lubricate the bearing but also works as a second shield protecting the ball bearings from dirt and other particles. After the 8 weeks tests, we popped off some more shields and the bearings looked brand new. So the shields in combination with the grease made a huge difference in increasing the durability.

The one wheel with popped shields did not have a lower durability, but as expected, did collect more dirt and particles since the shield protection was gone and the particles could easily stick to the grease. If you remove the shields for that bearing sounds, our recommendation is to de-grease the bearings so they don’t collect a lot of dirt.

Overall, the SKF skateboard bearings are on the upper echelon of skateboard bearings, especially with their added measurements to increase durability. Give the bearings two-three weeks to break in and fully develop their rolling performance and you will be coasting with hella RPM’s with the SKF bearings.

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Skateboard hardware is exposed to extraordinary stresses and strains, especially when it comes to the skateboard deck itself. Thus, there are deck innovations and technologies that are developed with the promise to improve the lifespan of a skate deck. Now the industry standard, seven wood layers of North American maple have proven to be the all-purpose weapon. Most top technologies of the past, such as the use of special adhesives, various materials and new production processes, have slowly disappeared from the scene – a classic 7-ply deck will always be the tried and true staple of skate deck technology.

We have tested two Primitive 8,25 deck – one Wade Desarmo and one Trent Mcclung. One huge positive is that Primitive shows a clear sizing on their website which helps skaters compare it to the previous boards you have rode and also helps with possible adjustments to your foot placement.

Usually the complete set up plays a role in the way how hardware performs, especially with the shape of a board, height of the trucks and size of the wheels. For instance, a low truck and wheel set up results in a rather snappy pop. This specific test was done with Thunder low trucks and 52mm wheels. The decks we skated have a rather mellow concave so with the complete set up, the boards felt close to the ground which created a stiff and responsive feeling.

Overall, the stiffness of the deck is from the start noticeable. When you stand on the mounted deck it is clear that it stays quite rigid and doesn’t flex immensely. This rigidity also makes itself felt when you land a trick, as landings feel less cushioned. The pop for tricks as a result of the from the rigidity is quite significant, there’s a particularly clear sound of the pop, which is, very clear and loud.

Over time decks lose its stiffness – it’s just a matter of time. We have noticed that even with inaccurate landings of the nose or tail, decks stay longer, stiff and still maintain their pop, which isn’t the case with many decks. Aside from the stiffness, decks also tend to lose their concave form over time. The  Primitive decks were tested over multiple weeks and the concave, especially in the nose and tail area, showed a good durability, with no apparent flattening even with consistent tricks done over the first few weeks.

With regards to quality, we have noticed some chipping on both the top and bottom layer of the deck. But come on, it’s a skate deck, this should happen after skating it for a few weeks.

Summary

All in all, the first impression on the Primitive decks was their rigidity and pop; this was great for skaters who like doing technical flatground and ledge tricks.  The most noticeable was that the concave of the deck didn’t significantly decrease over time, as it does with other decks. There’s a reason you don’t re-invent the wheel, and in this case, the classic 7-ply used by Primitive proves to be a reliable option for decks.

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When it comes to skateboard wheel brands, Spitfire has undoubtedly held it down since day one. As one of the most dominant wheel brands in the market, Spitfire has seasoned experience in developing the best wheel formulas that can handle heavy shredding. We used their portfolio of wheels as a reference for this buying guide and also tested Spitfire’s newest wheel additions over a span of two months, which included the Spitfire Tablet Shape Formula Four 52mm in two different durometers, 99 Duros and 101Duros.

Material

The material composite that the wheel is made from is the important and currently the industry standard is the use of a plastic polymer called polyurethane. The advantage of using polyurethane as the main composite is the ability to control the variation of hardness; this means with different blends, the wheels can be fine-tuned to achieve different skateboarding performance properties like slide ability, response, and durability. Spitfire Tablet wheels are made out of a special polyurethane which Spitfire has termed Formula four.

The choice of material correlates with the durability and lifespan of the wheel. The durability of a wheel can be evaluated with two aspects – flatspot resistance and it’s ability not to chunk out.  Flatspots are related to the slide-ability of a wheel, the better it slides the less risk for flatspots because there is less friction between wheels and ground. The Spitfire Tablets did not show any flatspots in our two month test because they have very good slide characteristics on flatground due to the Formula Four material. The second aspect to keep in mind when testing durability performance, is how the inside of the wheel holds up when grinding. Usually when grinding on ledges with sharp metal edges (e.g. crooked grinds), the inside of the wheel will show cuts and chunks. However, the Spitfire Tablets did not show signs of wear except for a couple marks.

The Spitfire Tablets come in two different hardness grades, which are termed 99Duro and 101Duro. The advantage of the harder 101Duros is that they feel very smooth and fast on nice even grounds ground (e.g. skateparks), but on rough grounds the wheels feel more shock-direct because they can’t dampen out the crusty parts of a chunky ground. The softer 99Duros Tablets make a slower impression on smooth grounds, but have a noticeably improved feeling on rough grounds because they have more margin for cushioning over the uneven bits of the ground.

Shape

The conical shape of a wheel is another characteristic that’s often brushed aside. There is a clear difference in performance when it comes to a wheel’s riding surface and width. The riding surface has direct contact with the ground, while the width is more relevant in terms of sliding and grinding. Compared to other Spitfire shapes, the Spitfire Tablets have an average riding surface but a rather skinny width. The 52mm Tablets have a width of 29mm and riding surface of 20mm, where as the 52mm Radials have a width of 32.5mm and a riding surface of 19mm.

The Spitfire Tablets feel like skinny wheels with a wide riding surface; they don’t feel as slick as a regular slim shaped wheel, because the riding surface of the wheel provides enough friction with the ground. This is especially the case on smooth ground, where a larger majority of the wheel’s surface area is touching the ground, which increases the drag. On crusty grounds the surface area helps to ride over the crusty bits and give a smoother ride.

Different shapes also result in a weight difference. A Tablet wheel weighs 53 grams, where as a Radial wheel weighs 56 grams. No doubt, the difference is not significant when it comes to just one wheel, but if you sum up all four wheels, in combination with lightweight trucks, the difference is noticeable.

The shape of a wheel comes into factor for slides and grinds, as it provides a lock in. The Spitfire tablets have a straight, edge-like shape so the lock-in is very good. Usually on slides, there is more friction with a straight wheel since the whole side of the straight edge wheel can slow you down. There slightly noticeable slower slide characteristics with the Tablets but the Formula Four composite helps.

Size

The last aspect of a critical component of a wheel is its size. The size of the wheels influence the pop. A 54 mm wheel makes the whole board higher from the ground, which means there is more pressure needed to push down on the tail or nose to get the pop needed, compared to a 50 mm wheels. Smaller wheels make the board closer to the ground for a more responsive and quick pop but also result in less lock-in. We tested the Spitfire Tablets in 52mm, however they are also available from size 51-55 mm.

Summary

The Spitfire Tablets are good for a smooth ride, they have characteristics of wide wheels with a big riding surface but still offer an exceptionally good lock-in due to its stright shape.

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In this particular review, we’re here to talk about Deluxe Distribution’s oldest brand, Thunder Trucks. The company has a heavy roster of seasoned veterans like Mark Appleyard, Jamie Thomas, Erik Ellington, Chris Cole, Marc Johnson, but they aren’t slow to pick up ripping young guys like Zion Wright, Jamie Foy, Ish Cepeda, and Tyson Peterson. 

TRUCK BASICS

But no matter how stacked the team roster is, hardware is key. When it comes to skateboard trucks, you can’t re-invent the wheel, so to say, but there are a few basic truck standards that can be altered for an overall improvement. For starters, the turn response of a truck affects the balance of weight distribution when it comes to skating, popping tricks, and carving. New trucks, for instance, feel strange because the bushings aren’t broken in; they need to be tightened or loosened to get the turning you want. For those used to skating tighter trucks, new trucks off the bat are often extremely loose, which means your legs need to compensate for the uneven weight distribution.

If you really nerd out over hardware, you’ll feel that the height of a truck is also influential in the overall “feel” of popping tricks. But when you bring science into, your skateboard deck acts a lever and the higher the axle is, the further the tail needs to be pressed down to pop an Ollie or a trick. When the truck height is lower, the distance between the tail and ground is reduced; it’s easier to pop faster, which helps for “quick snap” ollies.

Lastly, the weight of a truck is influential to the overall feel of your skateboard since trucks account for the majority of your skateboard’s weight. When it comes to reducing weight, many companies try new metals other than the tried and true aluminum and steel. In fact, titanium and magnesium blends have been popping up in the market for quite some time now. But besides just changing the material of the truck, companies are rethinking new ways to redesign certain characteristics of trucks. So far, hollowing out the king pin and axle has been the most well received feature.

IMPRESSION:

Thunder trucks have a high-end truck in their product portfolio, called the Thunder Titanium Lights 148. It is a truck that is a bit higher than most and is a good fit for board widths 8.125 to 8.3, with 8.25 being the jackpot winner of sizing. Firstly, the material used in the name of the truck undoubtedly defines the strength of the truck. Titanium is a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, very low density and high tensile strength. The truck’s axel is made out of titanium, which makes it a bit harder to wear down through grinds, compared to trucks made out of steel alloys. Secondly, the Thunder Titanium Light 148 trucks are much lighter than other trucks in the market due to their hollow kingpins, the aluminum OG Thunder baseplates, and titanium axles. These all work together to keep the weight down without sacrificing tensile strength or durability. Lastly, Thunder has been stressing for years that their trucks have a specific geometric design that offers exclusive Quick Turn Response. When it came down to the weartest, the fluidity of turning and carving was definitely noticeable. As a result, the time to break in these trucks was also reduced to a minimum since the Quick Turn response was on point right from the start. Overall, the trucks were shredded for about 5 months, and the quality of the titanium axle helped increase the lifespan of the truck.

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When it comes to developing the perfect set of wheels for skating, there are a couple factors that need to be considered. Material is of the utmost importance, and currently the industry standard is the use of a plastic called polyurethane. The advantage of using polyurethane is the ability to control the variation of hardness; this means with different blends, the wheels can be fine-tuned to achieve different skateboarding performance properties like slide ability, response, and durability. The wheel size also has a lot of influence on the physics of skateboarding. The wheels, in combination with the trucks, define the total height of the board from the ground. Similar to what we mentioned with high trucks, thicker wheels also contribute to the large distance your tail has to travel to hit the ground to pop a trick. Although it’s a small difference in millimeters, thicker wheels mean the tail has a longer time to smack the ground, which also means the nose is at a steeper angle in the air; in theory, this makes for a higher pop as long as you have the physical strength in your legs to blast a quick and high pop. The hardness of wheels are measured on a durometer scale. Softer wheels are perfect for rough grounds because they absorb and dampen the impact from uneven surfaces or cracks in the ground. Softer wheels also offer a lot of grip but do not have a comparable response and quickness compared to harder wheels. Hard wheels (99A – 101A), on the other hand, are perfect for slides and speed. They do not adapt well to uneven surfaces but do offer excellent slide properties, which makes them perfect for technical skating. The last and perhaps most important factor to consider in making skateboard wheels is the susceptibility to flatspotting. There’s always a big discussion about flat spots. Flatspots are dependent on the type of skating, and currently in the industry, there is no 100% flatspot safe wheel option. Companies always try to develop polyurethane based recipes that try to prevent flat spot and although some work well, there is no 100% guarantee.

IMPRESSION

We tried out the Spitfire Wheels Formula Four 53mm 99Duro set. At 99Duro, the wheels were made out of a softer urethane blend. The differences between 101Duro hardness blends are minimal, but the 99 Duro does offer more control on different surfaces since the softer material compound has better grip for similar speed properties. Our wheels were 53mm, which is a good medium thickness for high trucks; this combination ensures that wheel bite isn’t a problem. Formula Four is a special polyurethane blend developed by Spitfire to combat against flatspotting, but the real highlight of this wheel is the new special shape termed “Lock-Ins”. The concept stems from slipping out on round ledges when grinding because the inside surface of the wheels are also symmetrically round. When the round wheel touches with the round ledge, the control behind holding the grind is much harder. Spitfire’s Lock-In wheels are designed asymmetrically; while the outside of the wheel is round, the inner is shaped with a straight line. This was noticeable when we put the wheels to the test by skating round ledges; we could not only feel better control in grinding from the lock-in but could also hear the difference in sound as well when the wheel and ledge made contact.

Other than the lock-in design, we tested out the susceptibility to flatspotting. From power slides, to lipslides, and blunts, our test showed that the Formula Four blend had really good resistance for flatspots compared to the other Spitfire wheels we’ve tried. After shredding them up for a while with a bunch of power slides, one wheel eventually got a small flat spot. As we said, no wheel is 100 percent safe from flatspotting, but Spitfire’s Formula Four Lock Ins are damn close.

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Idea

The Heavyweights technology is a standard 7 ply deck which promises an improved strength through two cross-directional X-Band plys. Cross-directional layers can improve the stiffness of a composite like a skateboard deck because the stresses are distributed and compensated. The two plys are also thicker to support the strength. In summary, the decks offer more stiffness and strength.

Impressions

Overall, the improved stiffness of the deck from the start is very noticeable. When you stand on the mounted deck it is clear that it flexes much less than a regular deck.  The rigidity of the deck also significantly improves the pop of the deck, with one characteristic quite noticeable: the sound of the pop. It is not dull, but very clear and loud. An advantage of the Heavyweights technology compared to normal decks is that the deck stays stiff for a much longer amount of time, which helps the board’s pop retain longer and inaccurate landings on nose or tail have no impact to the overall strength of the deck. In addition, the Heavyweights construction decks are lighter than regular decks. Usually a 7 ply wood deck weights about 1,350 kg the Heavyweights deck weights about   1,250 kg. The tendency to chip at the edges, however, can’t be decreased by the contraction inlay and happen to a Low Pro II deck as with any other deck.

Summary

Real decks with the Heavyweights technology offer stiff pop due to their special layer construction. The decks do have better strength, however, the tendency to chip the deck at the edges still remains.

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Idea

The Krooked (Deluxe) Slick deck technology is an additional ribbed polymer (plastic) that is fused in a certain shape all-over the deck. In general, sliding is limited by the surface friction between the deck and the obstacle. Due to the added surface textures the contact area that is actually slowing down a slide by the friction is slightly reduced and thus, it slides better.

Impressions

Overall, sliding improved and there is a noticeable effect compared to usual decks. Especially on rough surface obstacles the effect was noticeable and it was interesting to see how durable the ribbed surface texture was. Within the scope of the deck test the texture was still visible (picture). The degree of improvement is still arguable, however, we saw this technology definitely as a valuable adding to a deck.

Summary

Krooked or Deluxe decks with the Slick slide technology offer a surface texture that improves sliding, especially on rough surfaces and sticky obstacles.

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