Monday, October 10, 2011

Diminutive Dynamo -- Bustin Mini Maestro Review



Mini Maestro

    A while back I picked up Bustin Boards' Mini Maestro, a sick little campus destroyer that is more fun than watching Santa Claus fight the Easter Bunny. The Mini Maestro is a short 32 inches long with an even smaller wheelbase because of its two kicktails.

Board Specifications
Pro's
Con's
Length: 32.5” Compact Small Platform
Width: 8.5” (widest) Light Razor Tail
Wheelbase: 21.75” Flip Tricks Narrow Stance
Shape: Rocker
Concave
Kick Tails

Special Features: Dual Kick Tails
Symmetrical





   As a college student this board offers me mobility in more than one way. The first, obvious way is that it is a fun way to and from classes and a perfect board for people slalom. I have to admit that this is one of the most agile boards I have ever ridden. I threw some venom SHR bushings on my setup to give me that crazy pumpability that this board is just begging for, I can totally pump up small hills on this bad boy. Not to mention the rocker on the board locks your feet in so you can really dig into each pump. The second way this board gives me mobility is that it is so stinking light. Picking this board up and carrying it into a class is awesome! I'm so used to carrying some of my other heavier boards that I can literally forget I'm carrying it sometimes.

   The mini maestro can accommodate a large selection of wheel sizes for its own small size. I have rocked several different sets of 70mm wheels on it and wheels as small as 65mm. It is my own opinion that this board's true bad ass potential lies in its extreme light weight so I exclusively ride 65mm wheels on it now because they suit it sooooo well. Keep it light keep it right.

   Small wheels and the size make this board a freestyle machine, in many ways it almost feels like a really fluid street deck. Manuals and shove its are made easy on the mini maestro due to the dual kicktails. I would say that the only downside to freestyle tricks on such a small board is having a small landing platform, but hey, worth it. Besides its really not that hard to land on anyways. So yeah, flip tricks like shoves and the old school kickflip are super easy on this bad boy, but funny enough, tricks like tigerclaws take some getting used to because you have bend down so far to reach this little board, haha.

   Hitting slides on the mini is a little awkward at first, especially for a guy who is used to riding bigger boards. The really small wheelbase on the board makes initiating slides really easy, its really just a matter of getting used to holding a more narrow stance on the board than you would on most other boards. Keeping that narrow stance took some getting used to it, but it's a worthwhile adaptation. Sliding from the tail on this board is super neat because coming out of a 180 slide into a nose pivot is just too much fun! And of course, like with any drop through, watch out for footbite, haha.

   The only thing I was sad about with the mini maestro was that I couldn't rock my 150mm trucks with 65mm wheels. No matter the bushing or 65mm wheel combo I tried I always got wheelbite. The reason I was searching so hard for a combination of that sort was to make the board EVEN LIGHTER and MORE AGILE! Cause it would just be all the more sick.

   That being said everyone, remember this board was meant for crushing your city/town/campus not bombing the steepest hills in the world. This is a freestyle board not a downhill/freeride board. I have heard a bunch of people on forums complain that they don't like the board, and when you check their setups its easy to see why: downhill wheels and trucks. It seems like a no brainer to me, don't set it up for DH cause it's not meant for it.

   In closing, I commend Bustin for the production of a super sweet agile board that I love to travel around campus and town with. It took my people slalom to a whole new level!!

As usual, any questions or comments, hit me up!
Love,

Wayne


current setup:
-Bustin Mini Maestro
-Paris 180mm Trucks
-Venom SHR Standard 88a
-65mm 80a Orangatang Fat Free
-Bones Reds