Concrete Wave: 2013 Buyers Guide
Posted on Monday, 18 March 2013
The well known and infamous 'Buyers Guide' from Concrete Wave has just dropped. Often featuring the top brands pre-released lineups and new gear, its a must read!
We've picked out some of the stuff that's caught our eyes in the latest issue;
Firstly, new offerings from Gunmetal. Their latest concoction is the V2 Mac 10 truck. Sporting a 184mm hanger and a 46º six hole baseplate, therefore getting the both of both worlds. The trucks will be running stock with black Venom barrels (91a). The colour-way on those hangers is looking gnarly! Looking forward to these hitting the shelves!
Next, onto the Earthwing ad. Starting with their two latest topmount speedboards, the re-designed 'Belly Racer' and its new little brother the 'Hoopty'. The 'Hoopty' is a smaller topmount with a length of 34" a width of 9.75" and a 26" wheelbase, perfect for the smaller riders, or just fans of a tighter wheelbase. The deck itself has a composite construction - "Pre-cured composite weave base layer for strength, and dampening."
The 'Belly Racer' has received a complete update this time round. A new shape and array of wheelbases coupled with what looks to be some deep wheel wells could put this as a top contender in todays ever growing market.
The 'Drifter' looks to have returned to its older graphic, while continuing with the same wheelbases and width.
And lastly, a completely re-worked 'Thruster' with a new shape, length, width and wheelbase! It looks to have returned as an all terrain hybrid deck. More news to follow as updated information arises! Big things are coming from Earthwing this year, watch this space!
Really stoked on this one, Amanda Powell has always shredded since she blew up onto the scene. She has been with Riviera for a while now and has finally made the big step in the skateboarding world by getting her own pro-model, every skaters dream! Coming in two shapes, the first with less kicks and a more directional shape, and the second with beefier kicks. Both of the decks are running at 38.44" inches in length with widths of 9"for 'Black Buddha' and 9" 9.75" for the larger model the 'Amanda Powell'. The 'Amanda Powell' model features a fixed 26" wheelbase and micro drops front and back, creating a locked in yet nimble board. More info to follow on the 'Black Buddha'.
Landyachtz have been hard at work judging by the amount of changes to their already large wheel lineup. The Mini and Monster Hawgs have stayed the same shape and just received a colour and graphic makeover, as have the zombie Hawgs. The Biggie Hawgs have a much larger core than last years, making an already fast wheel even faster! The Street Hawg line has kept its graphics from 2012, but gained a durometer. A 90a Street Hawg is now available, bridging the gap between the 82a and 99a models, a new duro is not all the Street Hawg's have gained, the larger size now has an extra millimetre to its it name. No longer a 62mm but a 63mm, not exactly groundbreaking news. And finishing up with the last two wheels; the KM FSU's and the 'mystery freeride wheel'. Prototyping of the FSU's have been going on throughout 2012 and fingers crossed Landyachtz have fixed the strange wear pattern associated with the old thane.
And last, but by all means not least , the Kebbek 2013 lineup. There are so many changes and tweaks I could talk about and bore you with, so I shall just focus on the new additions to the family!
Starting with the Topmount 33. With an adjustable wheelbase from 23.5-25" this is for you small guys and gals, or just fans of a miniature wheelbase. Similar in looks but not in features is the Amane Kishida pro model. A same length overall, but more adjustability in the wheelbase (15.8-21.5"), a nice meaty kicktail and a narrower width of 9.5". The Pierre Gravel has taken a back seat this year and has been replaced by the 'Snaker', Kebbek's latest slalom creation. This thing is fully set for tight, hybrid and giant slalom with the wheelbases it's running. A huge range starting at 15.8" through to 21.9".
The 'Rockin Rookie' has been replaced by the new Topmount 36. Essentially just an updated and tweaked version of the Rookie, it has a shorter wheelbase range overall (26.25-28") and comes in at 10" wide. The Kebbek topmounts often give themselves as a 'blank canvas' topmount that can me 3D gripped and tweaked to your preference.
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