Stub 29"

The media could not be loaded. I have considered purchasing a surfskate for over a year. When this one came on sale for $73, it was a no-brainer and I had to buy it! I am glad that I did because it is so much fun.After owning it and riding it for a few days, I discovered a few things that I wanted to pass along. The most important thing is that you have to buy a board that fits you! To do that, you will have to determine what your natural athletic stance is. The way you would do that is to take a half step and land in a ready position. This is the same motion a tennis player uses when preparing to receive a serve. Once you have done that, measure from the middle of one foot to the middle of the other. From that measurement, purchase a board that has an axle to axle measurement that is within 1 inch plus or minus your measurement. This will be the board that fits you. Flow has a few different size board options available.The reason some people are saying they couldn’t get the board to move or they had to pump the board was because the board did not fit them. I am 6‘6“ tall. My bindings on my snowboard have to be set at a certain distance so I am able to maneuver the board. If someone was 5‘8“ tall, they would not feel comfortable in the bindings that I have set. This is no different than using a surfskate. Your feet have to be positioned close to the axles of the trucks in order to move it efficiently. If you order board that does not fit you, you will be fighting the board to move it and potentially injuring yourself.I read one review that spoke highly of the board but stated he needed to pump it every now and then with his foot to get it going. He then compared it to a board he bought that is five times the amount of this and stated he doesn’t have to pump this board. I can ride this board for miles without touching it my foot down. If you buy a board that fits you, you’ll be able to do the same thing!There are some other issues that I have read about that I want to make sure you’ll be able to correct if you have the same problems.Firstly, before riding your board anywhere, you have to make sure that all the bolts on the trucks and the wheels are properly readied. The first thing you want to do is remove the rear truck. If you aren’t familiar with a skateboard truck, make sure you make a note of how everything needs to be reassembled. After removing it, you’re going to take some paraffin wax (household candle works) and put it in the pivot cup (see pic). You then want to apply some grease to the bushings (see pic) before putting the rear truck back together. This will prevent any noise coming from the rear truck. When tightening the bolt, make sure the thread comes just a little bit through the nut. That will allow the rear truck to flex the way it should.The front truck does make some noise when the spring is moving in and out. There is an access hole that you can spray lubricant or WD-40 in. This would be the easiest way to rectify the noise. I actually took the front truck off and coated the spring with grease. This should last longer than spraying it with WD-40. If you’re going to do what I did, you just remove the screws and take off the whole truck as a unit.The other complaint I read from other reviewers is that the wheels don’t spin that well.You want to make sure the bearings in the wheels are seated properly. To do this you are going to remove the nut to gain access to the bearings. If you want to remove the bearings, there are YouTube videos that can show you how to do that. It is not a difficult job and is not something you should be afraid of because you will need to do it to clean your bearings or to replace them. The important step here is to tighten the bolt a little at a time and continually check the wheel. You will know that the bolt is tight enough when you cannot hear a clicking sound when you try to slide the wheel back-and-forth. Once you have reached that point, the bearings will spin at the optimal rate. You do not have to add anything to the bearings or wheels. You are just checking to make sure they were spinning properly.I started wondering what would make the more expensive surfskates better than this one and I concluded that the bearings are probably better than the ones that are installed. I used the surfskate for one day with the bearings that were in it. I will tell you that you will still be able to enjoy the board. I weigh 247 lbs so I wanted bearings that were better for my weight. I ended up buying Bones Reds and they made a huge difference. You can get them on Amazon. They were less than $20 and they came with a tool that enables you to fix anything on your board.The board itself is great. It has a slight concave that allows you to feel the sides.The wheels are perfect. They make little work of cracks and small pebbles. They glide over them like they weren’t there.One “concern” that I heard online is that the trucks have what they referred to as a hard stop. If you are just buying the board for cruising, you won’t even notice it. The trucks tilt more than enough for the majority of riders to make a hard turn.I know this is a long winded review but I wanted to make sure that everyone that purchased this board would enjoy it as much as I have so far. And I wanted to make sure the board is set up perfectly for you. Good luck and happy surfskating

The media could not be loaded. This board is an AMAZING deal for the price. The build is very solid. The wood and grip tape are great quality. The trucks are especially solid and seem to last forever, not sure what kind of springs they got in there but they work amazing. I’ve skated the board hard for weeks before I’ve had to change the bearings. The wheels seem to have the perfect amount of friction to let you move on smooth concrete without slipping while grabbing onto harder concrete when you want to really carve. With enough practice you can even add some slides and drifts on smoother surfaces.Now for the difficulty, it is not beginner friendly UNLESS you’re a beginner that wants to just cruise slowly and already have good balance. The board is made to be wobbly so you can CARVE. It took me 2 weeks of practice to get stable on the board while being able to push off and go fast (I have very good balance from snowboarding). It took another 2 weeks of practice to use proper techniques to be able to propel myself with just momentum. Once you get the stability, pushing off, and carving down though. You can start going very fast and with proper technique on flat ground, you can keep moving virtually forever. You really feel like you’re surfing concrete. It’s incredibly fun!!I’ve only tried this version of their surf skate boards so I don’t know the differences between the others. I’d like to have different design options for the art on the back though, since they only offer 1 design.Highly recommend for anyone looking for a challenge, a board with a very high skill cap, an alternative to snowboarding or surfing, a way to train balance, and a great workout for cardio/ legs/ waist.

I have not ridden the newer Slide surfkate truck that reportedly offers a better performance, so I only reference this truck as it is. The Flow offeres a comfortable ride and with the surfskate action, you can carve harder than a traditional cruiser or self-propel through the pumping action. The wheels are smooth, if not the fastest. I had such a good time with this board that I bought other styles of surfskate. I still ride this board around the neighbprhood and go to it to introduce a new rider to the style. It is more stable than other brands which means you have to deliberately pump and carve and are less likely to lean into an accidental carve or wheelbite to a surprise stop. It also rides relatively low which feels easier for stepping off if necessary. The stabilty also allows you to push the board like a cruiser to gain momentum a little more comfortably than other surfskate truck systems that I have tried.All that said, this is not my best board but is a fun one and a good confidence builder. The truck sytem is a legit, solid system and not a cheap knock off.