Rayne Timeline Review

The Rayne Timeline is a compact pumping, carving and shredding machine.

I got lucky and picked up the Timeline for over 50% off since it was considered to be a blemished deck (extremely hard to tell), so I’m super stoked on that. I’ve had the board for about a month now so I know how the deck performs and have really worked with trying to find the best setup.

 Camber View

The Rayne Timeline is only 33 inches long, 9.25 wide and features offset camber and variable concave making it an awesome carver and pumper. The shape is quite different and it really is designed with slalom in mind (the front of the deck is wider in the front to really leverage turns). The board has been great for commuting, campus cruising or just carving the heck out of a parking garage and since it’s so light (Bamboo construction) its no problem to pick it up and carry it if need be.

 Bottom View

Setup

Bennett 5.0 Front Truck (Venom Yellow Cone Bottom Bushing, Venom Barrel Top)Tracker RTS 129mm Rear Truck (Venom Red Barrel Bottom Bushing, Khiro Orange Barrel Top)1/2 Inch Khiro Angled Risers, Wedged Front Truck 5 degrees, Dewedged Rear Truck 5 degreesRetro ZigZags 70mm (Lime 80A)

First of all this setup is amazing for pumping and I couldn’t be happier with it so far. If you do want to run a similar setup you’ll need some angled risers to make sure you don’t get wheelbite with 70mm wheels. I definitely recommend sticking with narrower trucks in the 129mm range since it will make it a super nimble carver. Took me a little getting used to how hard this thing can carve (I was used to riding a Rayne Nemesis) but now I love it and is no problem to control.

 Top View

The Bennett truck up front works amazingly well for pumping since it can turn on a dime allowing you to get those tic tac turns back and forth going. Of course the bushings are very important and I’ve tried different setups in the Bennetts but found a cone bottom with flat washer and a barrel top worked very nicely.

 Bennett 5.0 Front Truck

The Tracker RTS truck works really well as a rear truck since its very stable and is very common in popular pumping setups. I’m still messing around with changing the degree of wedging/dewedging on the trucks and I’d recommend keeping the front in the range of 5-12 degrees and the rear a little less. Also I can’t emphasis enough how important it is to change the stock bushings to something like Venoms which provide better turning ability and rebound out of hard carves.

 Tracker RTS Rear Truck

Overall Impression

The Timeline is an insane carver and pumper that is a whole lot of fun to ride. It’s become my go to board if I need to get to the store in a hurry and don’t want to lug one of my heavier decks. You can tell just by riding it that Rayne really designed this deck to be a functional ride and every detail is there for a reason. The combination of flex, offset camber and variable concave all come together and work perfectly together. The only thing I haven’t tried with this board is big hills since its really not designed for that because of the flex and short wheelbase.

The Timeline definitely has some flex to it but its different then most boards out there. I’m about 180 pounds and I feel it has a very snappy flex that allows you to sink into a hard carve then pop back out of it without losing a beat. The flex is not saggy and trampoline like at all and its really hard to explain in words how great it feels.

Overall the Rayne Timeline has become a major part of my quiver.  If you want an aggresive, carving and pumping machine then this is the board for you.

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Loaded Dervish Review

I thought I’d give my take on the ever popular Dervish by Loaded Longboards. The dervish is a drop-thru style, desgined to accomodate the Randall R-II, Paris, Holey, Bear, Gullwing Charger and Tracker Fastrack Trucks. The dervish is also available in two flexes depending on your weight. The guys over at Loaded Longboards really wanted to create a great all around, fun board when they created the Dervish and they certainly did a good job.

The first thoughts on riding the dervish was how similar it felt to riding a snowboard. I think that’s really what the design was going for and it feels extremely lively. The dervish can take on lots of stuff you throw at it, whether it be carving and cruising or sliding and a little downhill action. Keep in mind it is not a downhill board and the flex on it makes the Loaded Dervish very hairy at high speeds (45mph+). Sure there’s some people out there who have gone faster on one but there’s a reason all the best downhill boards are stiff. I personally took it to about a max of 35mph on one of my runs and although it felt fine, the Loaded Dervish definitely wouldn’t feel comfortable at a higher speed.

Anyway overall the board felt solid and was super easy to ride. The dervish sits nice and low thanks to its drop-through design, so pushing is a breeze. Speedchecking with 75mm Lime BigZigs was not a problem and coleman sliding was a blast. The board is definitely fun to just ride around and do some hard carving. Pumping around the neighborhood on the Dervish was really fun and the longboard just felt super lively under my feet. I did take it to a parking garage longboard session as well and it handled the 5-story garage no problem.

 Dervish Top

The setup I was on had Paris 180 trucks that were setup extremely loose with Venom bushings. I feel like the Paris trucks really make this board come alive with some aftermarket bushings. The Dervish is a bit on the expensive side with a complete running about $230 or so which is comparable to other high end longboarding manufacturers such as Rayne and Landyachtz. Also note that a drawback to the Dervish is it lacks a kicktail, so keep that in mind if your needing a board to ollie lots of curbs and ledges. I personally don’t own one but it would certainly be a nice addition to anyone’s quiver if your looking to carve, slide and just cruise around. The Loaded Dervish is a definite great choice for someones first board as long as their not looking to do serious downhill.

Check out this great video of the Adam’s brothers ripping it up and making it look easy on the Loaded Dervish.

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Landyachtz Evo Review

The Landyachtz Evo is a 11 ply drop board that is super stable yet very responsive at the same time.

Taking the Evo on the first hill of the day felt great as I busted some hard carves and felt just how fast she could go. This thing just begs to be taken fast with such a stable platform. Dodging obstacles like potholes and rocks were no problem on the Evo and I was actually very surprised at how nimble it felt for such a heavy board. Did I mention this thing is super low?Pushing is a breeze on the Evo thanks to how low it sits.

Flex on the board is pretty much non-existent since it is designed to be a downhill board. The Evo sports aggressive concave to help keep your feet locked in and it certainly felt good for me. Tucking on the Evo and taking some tight turns was no problem and felt smooth as butter the whole time.  I did get to take it for a parking garage sesh and it handled it really well, just had to loosen the trucks up a tad.

The setup I was riding had Bear Grizzly (10mm axle) trucks, Abec11 Flywheels 83mm (78a) andVenom bushings. Keep in mind that using Flywheels on the Evo made it super drifty, so be warned if your looking for a really grippy ride. Since the board sits so low sliding the Evo is a dream with its concave keeping your feet locked in the whole time.

The Landyachtz Evo has won more downhill skateboarding races than any other speedboard out there and for good reason. This longboard isn’t exactly the best commuter thanks to its heavines. Sure it is possible to commute with the Evo but it is heavy and does lack a kicktail for going over curbs. This board really craves going fast on some steep grade hills so don’t dissapoint.

Whether your slashingyour way through allies or bombing  that monster hill, the Landyachtz Evo is sure to fit the bill.

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Loaded Vanguard Review

The Loaded Vanguard is an absolute carving machine. This board is hands down one of the most comfortable and energetic rides you can find out there today.

The new Vanguard sports a core full of bamboo goodness. This gives the board a snappy, responsive flex while reducing the overall weight as a bonus. As soon as you step on the Vanguard you’ll realize just how much flex the board has. Carving is awesome on this thing since the bamboo makes the board super snappy and responsive when coming out of turns almost like your snowboarding.

My Setup

Trucks: Randal RIIs 180mm
Wheels: Abec 11 Lime Bigzigs (75mm, 80a durometer)
Riser Pads: None

No riser pads are needed for the deck as the wheel cutouts on either end take care of any chance of wheel bite that you may experience. I’d recommend sticking  in the 66-76mm range for wheels.

For trucks I’d recommend sticking with the Randal 180mm trucks or Paris 180mm trucks.

This thing is super easy and enjoyable to pump along on the flats. Pretty much any longboarding style can be handled by the Vanguard. Whether your commuting to work dodging pedestrians or wrecking havoc pumping and carving that parking garage, the Loaded Vanguard can handle it all.

Now downhill is where the Vanguard starts to struggle. Since the board has so much flex the board simply can’t remain stable at higher speeds (30mph+). Although you might be able to ride the Vanguard at a higher speed, it simply isn’t as energy efficient as using a stiff board.

 Loaded Vanguard Flex

Sliding on the other hand is no problem for the Loaded Vanguard to handle. The board can break into a controlled slide no problem with Abec11 Bigzigs on my setup which means taking on those steep grade hills should not be a problem. Taking on bigger hills for me wasn’t an issue as speed checking and shut down slides were a breeze for the board to handle.

 Sliding On the Loaded Vanguard

Overall the Vanguard is a great freeride board and it should be treated as such. If your looking for a longboard with some flex and an extremely responsive ride, then look no further. The Loaded Vanguard is hands down, the most similar ride to a snowboard I’ve experienced.Carving, pumping and more carving is what this board is all about.

Amazing all around board. Definitely worth the $280-$300 hit to your wallet for the value you get with the Vanguard.

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GoPro Hero HD Camera Review

Want to show your buddies what it looks like to bomb a hill at 40mph? That’s where the GoPro camera comes in. It’s easy to carry, helmet mountable with a waterproof casing and records video in full HD quality.

$299 for the HD version$189 for the standard

This is the best mountable sports camera out there by far. It can be used for pretty much any sport and can be mounted on surfboards, handle bars, helmets and anything else you want via a suction cup. It’s solidly constructed and is enclosed in a hard plastic case that can be submerged to up to 180 feet (100 feet for the standard version). There’s a reason the GoPro has been the best selling sports camera for the past few years and the quality speaks for itself.

You’ll get about 2 hours of battery life out of a single charge which can vary a bit depending on the conditions and how your using it. The new rechargable lithium ion battery is a major plus over the older versions which took AA batteries. Also the GoPro takes SD cards, so toss in a 32GB and you can store 9 hours of footage to get you stoked whenever you want.

The GoPro is ridiculously easy to use even for the most inept at technology. All you do is make sure the battery is charged,  mount the camera on your helmet  and then film away. Mounting is a breeze since theres so many options, if you were trying to film some surfing for example you could just mount it on the nose of your board facing you. Imagine capturing the moment of getting barreled by an overhead wave to show off to your friends. Lets face it, this thing is just cool.

The quality is simply amazing on this camera  thanks to the full 1080p quality the camera records in. The resolution is stunning at 1920×1080 pixels and will be sure to make your buddies drool when you show them video on your big screen TV. Seriously I was just blown away when I first got a peek at how great the quality of video this thing can record.

Included are mounts for attaching the camera to three helmets and two pieces of gear/vehicles, as well as a head strap allowing you to wear the camera like a headlamp. You can also pull this strap over helmets for easy camera sharing between friends. One of the above mentioned helmet mounts is a lace-through strap-mount designed for vented helmets.

If your looking for an affordable high quality sports camera then I highly recommend the GoPro Hero for you. The $299 price tag may seem a little steep to some but for the quality you get its surely worth getting one. I’ve only had the chance of testing one for a few sessions of downhill skateboarding but once I have the cash I plan on buying one right away.

Go get one and Go Pro!

GOPRO HD VIDEOS

GoPro Hero HD Specs:

Camera Optics

• Lens Type: Fixed Focus (2ft/.6m – ∞), glass
• Aperture: f/2.8 (high performance in low-light situations)
• Angle of View: 170º ultra wide angle in WVGA, 720p, or 960p mode
• Angle of View: 127º wide angle in 1080p mode

Video

• HD Video Resolution Modes: (subject to change, pending final firmware release)
  • 1080p = 1920×1080 pixels (16:9), 30 fps, 15 Mbit/s data rate
  • 960p = 1280×960 pixels (4:3), 30 fps, 12 Mbit/s data rate
  • 720p = 1280×720 pixels (16:9), 60 fps, 15 Mbit/s data rate
  • 720p = 1280×720 pixels (16:9), 30 fps, 8 Mbit/s data rate
  • WVGA = 848×480 pixels (16:9), 60 fps, 8 Mbit/s data rate
• Sensor Type: 1/2.5″ HD CMOS, 2.2µm-sized pixels
• Light Sensitivity: Super low-light sensitivity (>1.4 V/lux-sec)
• Video Format: H.264 compression, saved as Windows- & Mac-compatible MPEG4 (.mp4) file
• Exposure Control: Auto with user selectable center weighted average and spot metering settings
• White Balance: Auto

Audio

• Microphone: Built-in, mono with AGC (automatic gain control)
• Audio Format: 48 kHz, AAC audio compression

Photo

• Resolution: 5 megapixel
• Capture Modes: Single shot, photo every 2, 5, 10, 30 or 60 secs.; 3 photo burst; self-timer

Storage

• Memory: SD card, up to 32GB capacity (SDHC)
• Average recording times (using 32GB SD card):
  • 1080p (30 fps): 4h 21m
  • 960p (30 fps): 5h 26m
  • 720p (60 fps): 4h 21
  • 720p (30 fps): 8h 09m
  • WVGA (60 fps): 8h 09m

Camera Connectors & Cables

• PC Connection: USB 2.0 (data connection and battery charging)
• HDTV Out: HD NTSC & PAL (component cable incl.)
• Audio Out: Combo 2.5mm jack with stereo audio and composite video out
• PC Compatibility: Windows® XP (Service Pack 2 or later) or Vista; Mac OS® X 10.4.11 and later

Power & Battery

• Battery Type: Rechargeable 1100 mAh lithium-ion
• Battery Life: Approx. 2.5 hrs
• Charging: via USB to computer or optional power adapter
• Charge Time: 80% capacity after 1 hour with optional power adapter; or 2 hours with a computer’s USB port

Waterproof Camera Housing

• Depth Rating: Up to 180 feet / 60 meters
• Construction: Polycarbonate and stainless steel
• Hardware: Stainless steel

Size & Weight

• Dimensions (H x W x D): 1.6” x 2.4” x 1.2” (42mm x 60mm x 30mm)
• Weight: 3.3oz (94g) incl. battery, 5.9oz (167g) incl. housing

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