Dearest Lovers,
Have you heard the news? The news... the news I'm talking about, the news is that there is a new Sheriff in town in the Original Line-up. That's right, there is a new Apex hanging around and it goes by the name of the Apex 40.My Apex 40 after some serious riding |
Board
Specifications AVRockerConcave
|
|
Length
|
40.75in
|
Width
|
9.5in
|
Wheelbase
|
27.5in or 29in
|
Shape
|
Symmetrical, Topmont
|
Concave
|
.58in
|
Special Features
|
Dual Kicktails, truck mounting options
|
Board Specifications DoubleConcave
| |
Length
|
40.75in
|
Width
|
9.5in
|
Wheelbase
|
27.5in or 29in
|
Shape
|
Symmetrical, Topmont
|
Concave
|
0.55-0.62in
|
Special Features
|
Dual Kicktails, truck mounting options, 0.25in Drop Platform, Gas Pedals
|
I was super stoked to take this board out and put it through some runs around town, so I set it up right away with a combination I haven't beat since then (except a wheel change).
-Surf_Rodz 177mm Indeesz
-Orangatang Stimulus 86a wheels
-Orangatang Nipples Yellow (board side)/Venom SHR Barrel 86a (road side)
The reason I like this set up so much is that Indeesz have a similar geometry and surfy feel to the S-Series trucks that Original produces and design many of their boards around. Although I don't believe that Original necessarily recommends S-Series trucks for the Apex 40 because it is more of a freeride oriented board I DO think that they obviously consider their own trucks when making boards. Anyways, I just never found a set of reverse kingpin trucks that I felt suited the board as much as the Indeesz, they made the board lower, super pumpy, and really really slidey.
Now lets get down to how the Apex 40 performs in different styles of riding. This bad boy excels in that middle point right between intense freestyle and crazy freeride. Which means that it is super fun on both the flats and on the hills. Its not your typical super heavy stiff downhill deck or your featherweight flexy cruiser.
The Apex 40 is rocking some nice gas pedals, which are rails you can wrap your heel or toe around to get extra torque on slides, and they really add a lot of additional UMPH to your slides both 180s and long standees. The microdrop in the deck locks your feet in a surprising amount for being so little. You feel really confident in your stance when riding in the pockets. However, since the drop and concave are pretty mild holding long glove slides takes some getting used to, but once you figure out the positioning of your feet, it gets kind of awesome. The deck is a little light for a typical freeride deck which, in my opinion, made it much more agile on the hills. Throwing the board around for a slide takes very little effort and even more challenging tricks like slide shovits were smooth on the Apex 40.
My attempt at capturing the concavity with my camera |
Commuting around town on this board is pretty rad. It is not the light bouncy commuter many people think of when a commuting board comes to mind, however, the Apex 40 is sick at getting you from point A to point B. What I liked about it was that you could pop the board into a tigerclaw over a curb and immediately tuck and flew down your every day hill with an equal amount of confidence and ease. Mentioned above the board locks your feet for standies really nicely, which basically means you can add style points to your commute by busting some 180 slides all over the place.
Of course it can't all be good. I'm going to take a second to talk about some of the weaknesses of the board. The Apex 40 is not a dedicated downhill board, which does not mean it can't go down hills very fast, it does mean that there are better boards out there for strictly downhill longboarding. Having a lower drop down deck and deeper concave is generally desired for a downhill board. Additionally I think I would have liked to see the tailed dropped a little lower so tricks like ollies, which are better with some serious pop, would be easier on the board.
Thanks for Reading!
Any comments, questions, concerns, letters of Admiration?
Hit me up!
My Current Set-Up:
-Apex 40 DoubleConcave
-Orangatang Balut 72.5mm 83a
-Surf_Rodz 177mm Indeesz
-Bones Reds
-Orangatang Nipples (purple)
Great review, thanks man! Still not sure whether to get the freeride 41 or the Dc apex 40, on account that the freeride is drop through, so pushing around town would be easier. Whats the apex like for pushing around?
ReplyDeleteI have been riding both and I would say the apex is the better commuter board personally. Even though it doesnt ride quite as low its just as easy to push :)
ReplyDeletehow to you like the baluts on the board?
ReplyDeletesiiiiick, expect a review on the Baluts soon, but so far i have liked them a ton!!!
ReplyDeleteI have one question....Can you put Gullwing Sidewinder trucks on the Apex 40 AVRocker Concave???
DeleteHey Marcello, I am afraid I have never tried it and am not sure if it would work, but if I had to guess i would say yes because the original Apex line is designed to have lots of wheel clearance
DeleteAlright thanks for the help now my decision is made i will buy them and see if they work. Thanks for the help
DeleteMarcello. I have the AvRocker with 10" Gullwing Sidewinders, Sector 9 Race Forms and the Gullwings are perfect for it. I would highly recommend Sidewinders for the Apex 40 because it rocks tricks and sliding like its nothing. Also nothing I have ever ridden had better control than Sidewinders.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI surf has this got a similar feel to shortboarding ?
ReplyDeleteYou might want to consider a different board if you are looking for a surfy feel. Think of board with a big fat tail and a short wheel base. The Loaded Poke is a good option for sure
Delete