Loaded
Pintail 35" - Composite Longboard Skateboard
The Loaded Pintail lives up to its name. It really is "loaded"
with some sort of energy, that gets emphatically released as
you spring out of each turn. The tight turning radius, the ultra-responsive
flex system and the lightweight deck make this a formidable
addition to any quiver...
Our first impression of the Loaded Pintail was, apart from
a unique construction and cool appearance, it just seemed like
an average, cambered longboard. This impression changed immediately
upon stepping on it, and powering into the first turn. I could
not believe how responsive this board was; it almost came out
from underneath my feet... It feels like you're riding a cross
between a normal cambered cruiser and a diving board. There
is some serious "snap" present with this board, unlike
most other composite slalom or other cambered decks.
Technical Info - Specifications
The loaded Pin came equipped with Randal 150's and 70mm "Loaded-Kryptonic"
Wheels. I have never really fully appreciated the purpose of
the smaller Randals until riding this board. (I always found
the 180's better at carving and turning). However, the 150's
can keep up to the Pin's rapid "snap-turns", whereas
the 180's would likely not respond as quickly or deftly.
The Deck itself is constructed out of vertically laminated
red oak (literally about 100 or so strips per deck), pressed
with fibreglass top and bottom. The deck is unbreakable, and
posesses a highly responsive flex and feel. In comparison, most
cambered decks are constructed somewhat similarly, with either
a pine, foam or other composite core, secured with fibreglass
on either the bottom or both top and bottom. However, the Loaded
Pin has an added, if not mysterious "life" about it,
that the others do not posess. The v-lam oak strips give the
board a certain rigidity unavailable elsewhere - while still
offering the same amount of flex... I find it hard to write
about this, as it sort of needs to be experienced to be understood
in full.
We were generously given two decks to test, one was the "Flex
3", the other the "Flex 2". I mainly rode the
Flex 3, as it was more responsive in proportion to my weight,
about 180 lbs. The Flex 2 is a bit thicker, and slightly less
flexy. I somewhat enjoyed the more stable ride on hills, although
for general cruising and carving purposes, I stuck with the
Flex 3 (thinner). There are actually 4 levels of flex available
for the Pintail, covering a range of riders from 80 lbs, to
240 lbs.
Our Impressions / Other Stuff
The Loaded Pin is the ultimate carving experience on smaller
hills and around town. Though it is not specifically engineered
to be a slalom board, it would fare very well. These oak decks
demand the attention of any serious slalom rider.
You are able to achieve quite a deep carve due to the shape
of the deck. The ends of the pin are quite narrow, so as to
prevent wheelbite and give the boards more flex. The standing
area of the deck, however, is considerably wide, so that there
is a lot of leverage available to turn the board. This, combined
with the very responsive and somewhat solid characteristics
the board, create a carving experience not unlike some hybrids.
The deck, while maintaining a certain rigidity, is maluable
and contorts so as to further increase the turning angle of
the Randal 150 mm trucks. However, the true beauty of the deck
comes into play when this action is performed very quickly -
2 or 3 turns, or "pumps" per second - without any
"flex lag" or resistance from the deck.
The Loaded Pin is able to carve harder and faster than most
people can push it.
We found that the Pin does well at speeds of 20 mph or more,
but becomes twitchy at speeds over 30+ mph. This is due to it's
higher center of gravity, its wheelbase and it's very responsive
turns - a little too responsive at higher speeds. We'd reccomend
outfitting the trucks with the red bushings (or harder) before
attempting higher speeds. However, this is hardly a bad aspect,
because this isn't its purpose.
Sarah gets ready for the initial cruise around
the parking lot (below).
The Loaded Pin is king of smaller hills, parks, ditches, banks
and trips around town. It would make a perfect campus cruiser.
What I love most about this board is that you can literally
just pump your way around, without really having to kick at
all. True, this can be done with most shorter longboards equipped
with the right hardware, but it's definitely alot easier with
the Loaded Pin. It really is "loaded".
We were very impressed with the board construction, performance
and value. The Loaded Pintail is an engineering accomplishment.
Loaded Carving Systems has very thoughtfully constructed these
highly responsive boards, while being very particular about
rider suitability and performance. We highly reccomend these
boards to anyone looking for a new level of carving ability,
or an otherwise very responsive ride. It will stun you. But
be careful, the safety is off, and this thing is loaded...
As an aside: We can't wait to
get our hands on the "Hammerhead" (or "Floaded"),
which sports both the composite technology from Loaded, as well
as the "Deep Carve" system from Flowlab. From what
we saw in the Pin, a Loaded - Flowlab carver would be awesome...
-Chris
Rempel, Editor, LongboardDirectory
Check
for more Videos and Pictures in February...
Check
out these related websites for more information on the Loaded
Pintail:
www.loadedboards.com
SilverFish
Longboarding Review - Loaded Boards
Hugh
R's Review - Loaded Vanguard
Boarding.com
Review - Loaded Boards
View
Online Magazine Review - Loaded Fish
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