Stoked...
Realised I had been esk8ing too much to notice I had not updated the blog since last summer... Oops
So, here comes the normal promise to do it more often. Also, although I am old, fat and crap, people always say I have a shit loads of experience and knowledge skate wise that people would find interesting... Remains to be seen, but doing more useful stuff on this page might be more manageable than doing a Vlog on YouTube which is what is tempting me.
EVOLVE STOKE
New kid on the block...
Let's talk about the Bantam, err I mean Stoke board from my favourite Aussie company Evolve (look at the board in the header). Excitement had been mounting since last September when word starting spreading about the new cruiser size board, originally named Bantam (as in light weight not as in Bantham the chook) Evolve had to change the name when the public bought it to their attention that GLOBE surf company already had a Bantam board (with basically the same looking deck as well), I suspect someone in research got a bit of a bollocking as it was not hard to do the 'google fu' on the name.
So Stoke was chosen which is a far better surf inspired name anyway. In England the word is not in such wide public usage but in Oz it is very common place to mean that excited feeling. There is a Stoked Board from another company but Evolve decided it would be OK for various reasons. Held the release back slightly as Bantam was blocked out on the decks and Stoke stencilled underneath but still, all for the best in the end.
I will not bore you with the stats which are easily found on any of the local Evolve sites but suffice to say this little brother comes in at 850mm/33.5 inches long by a solid 24cm/9.5 inch across the concave deck with a faux surf deck pad on the kicked fish tail. People who don't surf always seem a bit perplexed with the fish tail but it is perfect as the board fills that niche that the quad fin fishtail does in surfboards.
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| My quad fish surf board.... |
Strong, forged CNC double kingpin 'super carve' trucks carry the 85mm Caguamas wheels from Orangatang which come in three flavours of hardness, I went for the blue 77a 'Happy Thane' flavour, mainly because of the local streets needing the softer thane. You could however choose 80a or 83a which will of course have an effect on the traction and speed (to a small degree). For push skaters the 85mm soft wheels will feel like heaven (you think 75mm red kryps feel nice on the road?) but for esk8ers used to 97-107 wheels or all terrain set ups the initial few rides are a shock to the feet if your roads are anything like my local London roads - can't wait to get them around the smooth Tasmanian roads when I go 'home' though.
Ride wise it is incredible if you are looking for that cruiser size fun board. With around a 8-10 mile range and a couple of hour charge time it probably isn't going to be your ideal commuter board (especially with 85mm wheels on UK road or pavement surfaces) but as a general everyday board for fun, parks and shop/beer/food runs it is ideal. Most people will be able to carry it by the trucks without the old having to lift it so it doesn't do drag the ground routine, which makes it ideal for hopping on and off transport or carrying around the shops. Obviously it is heavier than a push skate cruiser (weighing in at just over 8kg) but then you will not really be carrying it anywhere to be honest.
Riding at speed it feels stable, even with loose trucks, having the back truck tighter (which you do any way as the rear truck has less pivot room due to the belt and drives) and knowing that a forward pressure on the front truck area will eliminate the dreaded speed wobble to a great degree (there is another article right there). Carve ability wise there is little to say really, apart from the few surf-skate trucks I have on boards the double king pin trucks give you the best carve (and turning circle which seems at odds with the width of the trucks which are 12") yet allow you to dial in just how you want them to behave. Trusting the trucks and a gentle squeeze on the accelerator as you reach the turn apex gives you a very tight turning circle.
Surprisingly, as I keep mentioning the cruiser size of the board, the riding stance is basically the same as I find I use on my GTR. Part of the reason I think is that the trucks are mounted like on a normal skateboard and not dropped through the deck like the GTR. Everyone who has tried my deck says the same, stance is basically the same width and the kicktail locks your back foot in to a comfy 'over the trucks' stance and it is easy to shift your foot back when you need to put the tail to use (think kick turns or unweighting for curb drops). The deck feels nice and wide being 9.5 inch and has a 'just right' concave which helps lock your feet in on banks and obviously helps with the carving as well. The shorter wheelbase, the concave of the deck and having your feet planted over the trucks means there is little, if any flex like feel you get on the bamboo. But then you wouldn't want flex on the terrain this little rippa is made for.
While the deck is higher than a normal skate cruiser this is really just down to the 85mm instead of 65-70mm wheels you normally find on a cruiser board. But to be honest you wouldn't really notice it I think. One thing skaters will notice if this is there first esk8 is the weight in the back of the board (from the motors, drives and the motor cage) makes it a lot harder than normal to lift the nose even if it feels it should be easy with the kicktail. Also once you have it up the motor guards stop it going too high. This is noticeable when trying to kick turn around on the flat, you need to use more spin action than normal stomp and turn (if that makes any sense). All this however is unavoidable and you suck it up and get used to it. Manuals (wheelies for us oldies) are harder to commit to but I have it on good advice once you do the motors will make it easier to keep up.
All in all this little rippa is a dream board and I will do better videos to show this when the UK weather plays along - until then here is a little vid I made with my phone which sort of shows the stoke you get from the STOKE...
Phone video of the Stoke in action
Well done for reading this far and I think by now it is obvious what I think of the board. It is the board I am loving to bits, more and more each time I get to use it and definitely the board I wished I could have had 35 years ago in my early 20s ! BUT there is one thing that has been talked about which I should mention - the price point. Now, to me this is a mute point, the Stoke shares all the hardware, software and battery as the bamboo street GTR with the travel battery the only thing different is the size and shape of the deck and the Stoke is £288 (343 if you include the motor guard cage) CHEAPER and it could be argued the deck is more complex to make with the deeper concave, kicktail and wheel wells. Actually when looked at it is a bargain. However, when compared to other so named cruiser or mini boards that are on the market it can seem like a lot of extra money. But then you are paying for a premium product and really on point with component price when compared to the GTR. It is not an entry level price, but it is not an entry level board either.
Hope this has been informative in some form or other and let me know your thoughts...
Official Evolve Stoke intro...
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