Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Rockin on Surf-Rodz -- 176mm RKP Fixed Axle (8mm) Trucks Review


   I have recently had the privileged of riding the 176mm Reverse Kingpin (RKP) Fixed Axle Trucks by Surf-Rodz trucks. I have been riding them on my Bustin Ibach and let me tell you that they are quite the craziness. I had never ridden a set of precision trucks before and I was kind of unsure that there would really be that big of a difference. 
   However, let me clarify, the difference between a cast truck and precision truck is huge and incredible. Stepping on my board for the first time after installing my Surf-Rodz was awesome. Not only were these trucks much lower than my paris trucks they were clearly more stable (and that was clear just by standing on the board without moving). The trucks were so much lower that I was a little afraid that my board my bite the ground when turning because my Ibach is already a low board, but it was fine.
   I immediately ran out of my house to try these new trucks. I have a nice hill in front of my house and figured that it would be a good place to start. I initially took it from the top with a few carves, then I bombed it, and then I played with some slides on the way down. These trucks literally made me better at each of those things, ok maybe they didn't make ME better, but everything was much cleaner and smoother on these bad boys.
   I was amazed that the Surf-Rodz were not only pretty carvey but that they had a super smooth and consistent carve. I had always thought that precision trucks tended to sacrifice agility for stability which I assumed was a desired trade off for most people trying to go super fast. However these trucks can not only carve, but they can carve super hard. The turning radius of my board was drastically altered and my carves were instantly tighter. In addition to helping me make cleaner carves the way the trucks turn is unbelievably smooth. It literally feels like butter as you carve.

   I ran back to my house (and by ran I mean skated, haha), and told my friends that I wanted to go downhill now, and we piled into a car and headed out to the big hills. We definitely have some fast hills around Chapel Hill, hence the name, and we went to some of the best ones. I was a little nervous on my first run down a big hill since I wasn't as used to my new trucks as my old ones, and as you probably know DH is all about being comfortable on your setup. But my nerves were instantly dissolved when I got some speed. It felt like I wasn't even on a board but on a sidewalk. The trucks are insanely stable. I still can't even believe it. We went to a hill called Brookeview, which I had never hit from the top before because it is soooo fast (people regularly peak at 45mph on this hill), and I had to sit up top for a minute while I got my courage up. Once I found some marbles I took it once from like 3/4 of the way up and realized that it was a joke with my new trucks, so then I took it all the way from the top. These trucks made it awesome, I got such an adrenaline rush from the pure speed, but I never felt like I was in danger. Oh and wobbles... what are those? I haven't felt them since I got my Rodz. 
   Now lets talk about the slide-ability these bad boys. The same day that I put these on my board, we went downhilling, but that was actually kind of impromptu because we had a slide jam scheduled for that day. I have recently been working on holding longer and longer slides and getting 6 or 7 feet pretty regularly on a nice hill. Today however was different. I won longest standing slide of the day with a slide that was around 10-12 feet long. These trucks don't only keep you stable when going fast downhill facing forward, they keep you stable when you're sliding downhill too. My slides the whole day were not only better than my older slides but I felt much more in control than I normally did. I LOVE to slide these trucks.  

   I hate to be that guy who can only write good things in a review of something, but in this case I can't think of much negative feedback to contribute. I mean I would say the price tag, but these trucks are way cheaper than most precision trucks. I guess the bad thing about these trucks are that they have killed my love for any other trucks, haha. I don't know how I'll go back to riding my cast trucks on my other boards now...
   Yeah I literally cannot think of a bad thing about the Surf-Rodz 176mm RKP Fixed Axle Trucks. They are fantastic and I am super stoked on them. This makes me really want to try their non-fixed axle trucks!!! Great work Surf-Rodz, Tip of the hat to you.

As usual, any questions, comments, concerns, or hate mail...
feel free to contact me!
Wayne

PS I rode mostly the trucks with Solidz Bushings (a barrel and a cone) but Surf-Rodz work with Orangatang Nipple Bushings and with Venom Bushings (so I imagine with most longboard bushings)

3 comments:

  1. Which degree did you choose? I have a jet tomahawk x board and I was thinking about the 35 degree ones but is that too low? Please get back to me! jjh22@yahoo.com

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    Replies
    1. Hey Josh,
      I personally don't think I anyone needs the 35 degree plates unless you are strictly doing downhill and you are going super super fast. I would recommend 45* plates for just about anything

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  2. I plan on getting these this coming week, what bearings and wheels do you use with them now? Seeing as it his post is two years old

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