The Classic with a Twist -- Original Pintail 40 Review

   The pintail 40, by Original Skateboards is the quintessential longboard. I mean anyone can look at it and see that it is exactly what most people think of when they think of a longboard. Original tends to push innovation in all their board designs so I was pretty shocked when I saw that they came out with not just one, but a whole series of  pintails which is one of the most traditional of all longboard shapes I was a little surprised. Fortunately when they were released I was in the market for a new board and I was thinking a pintail might serve me well, so I went ahead and ordered me one!

The Pintail 40

Board Specifications		Pro's	Con's
Length:	40”	Flexy	Weak Grip
Width:	8.8” (widest)	Light	Flat
Shape:	Concave	Slidey
Special Features:	Functional Tail	Durable

   My original setup from Original came with their S8 trucks (red springs), 70mm 83a Orangatang 4 Presidents, and bones reds. Unfortunately, either the picture on the Original website or my specific deck is misleading, because my board got wheelbite with 4presidents on it. However, Original's top notch customer service reps hooked me up with a set of 70mm 86a Orangatang Stimulus wheels to rock on my board instead.

   As I said earlier I was surprised to see a pintail from a company that values innovative decks so highly, but when I stepped on my pintail 40 for the first time I saw why they put their name on this board. The pintail 40 is no normal pintail. Although its the same shape it is not the rock of a board that most similar boards are, it actually has a really nice flexiness to it that pops you in and out of carves. Another one of the first things I liked about the board on this setup was that the trucks were mounted flush to the deck and didn't have the huge riser on it that older original boards come with. This lowered the ride and kept you a little more stable when you were going a little faster. In addition being lower made slides kinda crazy awesome. But if you have ever ridden original trucks you know that busting a 180 slide on them is super effortless.

   I rode that setup on the board for a while and I really liked it for cruising campus and mild freestyle. However I decided I wanted to make it a little lighter and more stable at speed. So i slapped some 195mm paris trucks and 75mm 83a orangatang durians on the board and kicked up my freeride and downhill another level or so. I have to say that although nothing will give that surfy ride you get with original trucks, but throwing my bushing based trucks on the board were an awesome improvement for what I wanted to do with it.

   My current set-up is rocking some slightly smaller wheels, 70mm 80a metro motions, and venom shr standard bushings, and I must say, I am a big fan. This setup is great for swinging through campus and for getting a little speed and for some freestyle. This is the board I actually learned my tigerclaw on. The tail on the pintail is not a kicked tail but it is super functional. Coming out of a 180 slide you can easily hit a nose shove it and then tigerclaw up a curb. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of freestyle this board offers. And being a 40inch board left enough room for some nice cross-stepping peter-panning action. It seems to me that 40 inches is really the sweet spot for a board like this it really helps with the flex on the deck, it's kinda bouncy and kind of damp. The deck offers a mild concave to lock your feet in place which is pretty freaking nice when going fast.

   I really enjoy this board and wouldn't change a thing about it. Of course I wouldn't change it from its current construction for the exact use I am putting it to. The board is not a dedicated freestyle, downhill, or commuting board, it is right at the intersection of those disciplines. So don't expect this board to be the "best" at any one thing, its more geared towards being pretty good at lots of things.

Any questions, comments, or concerns, hit me up!
Love,
Wayne

My current setup:
Original Pintail 40
195mm Paris Trucks
Venom SHR Standard 83a
Bones Reds
70mm 80a Metro Motion Wheels