CAMBIAR- portable tweakable longboard under test -- wicked!!

pavedwave

A buddy who lives in the city of Vancouver WA has quietly revolutionized the modern day longboard. With one simple, unique idea, he makes it:

1. quicker and easier to tweak and tune for different terrain,
2. even more portable for travel on airplanes, in cars, etc.,
3. just as high performing as other high-end longboards on the market.

The "Cambiar" as Mark Groenenboom calls it, is a tweaker's dream.

When it first arrived at the office, I shot a quick pic with a phone camera to show the size comparison against the 38" Mermaid.

I'm testing it over the next couple months, adding to a stream of feedback that a few other guys all over the country have been sending into Mark. The board just asks to be tinkered with. The brackets are sturdy, the machining is top notch, the functionality is fast and easy to use. Right out of the box, you can mount the brackets to the deck with 8 wing-nuts and be ready to roll in just a couple minutes.

So as I get more mileage in I'll try to keep updating here.

=== Thursday 2/14

Finally a dry day in Seattle. Rode the 12.5-mile Burke commute both directions on the Traveller version of the Cambiar.

24" deck
28" wheelbase
76mm BigZigs Lime+Lemon
Randal 150s
- Front: GreenStim bottom, Orange Khiro barrel top
- Rear: Yellow Khiro barrel bottom, Red Radikal top
Front wedged 10-degrees
Rear dewedged a few degrees

The deck is thin and light - springy somewhat like a Loaded flex 2 or 3, at my 165 pounds. With this truck setup, it makes an excellent hybrid carver-pumper, and on the slight declines, I could keep a strong pump going. I drove it really hard and could manage the slightest rail-bite in doing so, not something I would expect in typical usage however, as I was really investing a lot of downward force, cranking each pump really hard for just a minute or so. The springiness you get from it makes it a breeze to hop from one foot to the next, switching stances and switching push foot. I'd like a little more deck length, to be able to cross-step with more ease when shifting stances, and personally I'm into a little more deck width, but actually this deck is quite ample for most riders at 9-1/4" in the middle.

=== Friday 2/15

Spent another day on the Traveller, this time a shorter ride, just some smooth carves down a local hill. Quickly changed up the rear truck to wedge rather than dewedge (a total truck tweak taking about 5 seconds!) and carved a while. Nice, sticky turns. Didn't really crank it past 15mph, turning hard, even trying to carve back uphill before leaning into the next turn. Will try more of this on this board later!!

=== Saturday 2/16

Hacked up a Roe Blem, very rough cut, this is definately not the finished shape, but just wanted to get something functional onto the other set of burlier brackets to test out a longer wheelbase. This platform is wider, longer, stiffer, and the resulting feel is the kind of snap I'm typically looking for in a pumper. I'm amazed how versatile the Cambiar brackets are!

Longer deck (length and shape not final yet)
32" wheelbase
75mm Purple Skunk Avilas
Bennett front, SplitFire rear on Randal DH plate
- Front: Orange Khiro barrel top, Orange and White Khiro bottom
- Rear: Blue/Red Khiro combo in the Split
Front wedged 10-degrees
Rear dewedged a few degrees

=== Sunday 2/17

Brought the two boards to the garage and had a few other guys check them out. I played on the bigger deck for almost an hour before everyone showed up, a lot more plank to walk on, this is nearly the size I want, but the length might be creating a wheelbase that's just a tad too cumbersome to pump. Will plan on trimming the deck back another inch or so and redrilling.

Three of us ate some concrete due to wheelbite, actually "lever-bite", where the adjustable lever bit into the soft 72a Avilas. That was completely my fault, these were the first Bennetts to be mounted on the Cambiar system and running big wheels. Although I did check the turns by hand beforehand, it was the extra torque of the rider that pushed them just far enough to bite. At least Jackman and Corey had a slower fall and both rolled out of theirs gracefully. Mine came last and I was going at a pretty good clip, and slammed. Very Easy solution: moving to 5.0 Bennett hangar (fits this big a wheelbase better anyway), changing the bracket to the thinner one on the Traveller version, and changing back to BigZigs from Avilas, since the Zigs are more center-set, not as much "meat" on the inside of the wheel.

The ride is awesome. I'm already starting to ponder that this might be THE setup for some long distance cross-state rides already (STP anyone!?)

Off to Canada tomorrow for some R&R so I'm packing it along!

jat.

... Genious.
How available will these be for the public? .. if at all?
I would love something easy to pack... and that actually works.

camel

I am testing the Cambiar right now. This thing is cool. He says he may develop a top mount version of the system as well. Very fun ride...

edp_swakakin

How did I miss this!!!! I KNEW IT - I looks perfect!!!

I'm used to the extra height of the Cross Step already. (I feel I could push the ultra on it if I had too)

Even if I have to put a raiser on it - it will still be lower.

The big question for me is will the flex be too much. I see what you mean by a stiffer deck and tighter trucks now for a true ldp pumper.

2:25 am Gawd I have get some sleep....

pavedwave

Tinkered a bit more with the board shape.

Maximized the width at both nose and tail for best pumpability, and still finding the balance between getting max turn on the front Bennett, and yet avoiding wheelbite with that front notch.

The drum sander is coming in really handy now.

lone_deranger · Unsupported distance travel rig

I am very interested in the development of the Cambiar. I am looking for a travel rig that would complement my lightweight hiking kit for unsupported distance travel. At present my kit weight is around 12-15kg. Ideally I would like a robust, lightweight longboard that can be split into deck and running gear enabling me to pack the board WITHIN the pack and balance out the weight when the roads run out, as well as a lowered platform to minimize the stepdown when having to push big wheels while lumbered down and having my balance shifted. Over on SVF I noticed that Subsonic were drafted in on one of the earlier prototypes. I love the work and care Scott puts into his decks and would very much like one of his custom creations of my own. I'm planning a trip through southern Asia at the beginning of next year and was wondering as to the feasibility of such a setup having drawn much inspiration from Rob Thomson and his epic journey. Any advice would be most appreciated. Spread the stoke.

mrgumdropman · coincidce

but Cambiar means a bad word in spanish just saying. Soy un gavuacho pero yo hablo mucho espanol

egret · Re: coincidce

pavedwave

As for availability, I've pinged Mark again on this for you guys, it's been a while since he and I have chatted. The plans for the bracketed-deck "Fathom" are somehow tied in with Loaded, so it keeps the timeline a wee bit more mysterious and he may not be at liberty to divulge. I'll let you know if I hear anything back or maybe Mark will stop by here. Oh and it's gavacho Razz

egret

How does the wedging feel on the front truck? The brackets in the pictures look like they are better for dewedge than wedge. The front looks like it only wedges about 10 degrees. The brackets are designed with the needs of downhill in mind not LDP, am I right? Maybe a poormans version could be made without the adjustments. Just the bracket and then wedging could be done traditionally. The only advantage would be portability, though.

edp_swakakin

Gbomb Brackets Information Update:

James first introduced me to the Gbomb brackets, after the first Ultraskate I did with him. From the moment I stepped on them I immediately fell in love with them. I saw so much potential in them in ways that at the time I did not fully understand. At the time my goal was to create a hybrid board that was to be a full LDP board with the benefits of being lower for pushing. In setting up for my second Ultraskate Mark graciously gave me a set of his brackets free with the condition that I use them for my next Ultraskate. Over the next month I proceeded to dial his brackets combined with a Loaded Dervish deck as best that I could. Being new too pumping I had to learn fast in terms of setup and feel. James website has been an invaluable tool for learning. He took all of the guess work out of trying to setup a good board. The board minus the trucks were very similar to the Loaded Fathom board that Loaded and Mark are currently designing. My deck was based on the same length as the Fathom so we proceeded just to call the deck the Fathom Proto. The true Fathom was not designed to be a pumper deck. From what I understand the deck will be a commuter board.

After skating with James on the 2nd Ultraskate I also learned that even though the Fathom proto was pump-able it wasn’t really ideal for any real length for multiple reasons. One: the loaded deck proved to be too soft and even though the deck was fun to ride, there was a significant loss in power when pumping. Two: By having the truck essentially on top of the deck it created a pendulum effect on the board that again equated to loss in power for pumping. Having learned this Mark offered to continue to work with me in order to try to get this board as close to LDP as possible. Mark and I work for the next couple of months tirelessly going back and forth with different ideas and setups. What I learned is that the closer you get the truck to the bottom of your foot the better the board will pump. James had already proved this. This creates a flaw in the whole dropped LDP idea. As you pull the truck closer to the bottom of the deck you run into an unavoidable problem which is wheel bite. Even if you have the truck lower but away from the foot you will still lose power and again touch upon the pendulum affect.

After learning all this, again Mark and I just proceeded forward with still the idea of getting it as close to LDP as possible. What came next was a complete redesign of the front bracket, and a less aggressive drop back bracket. After many miles of testing it became very clear that a dropped design would most likely never become a Long Distance Pumper. But after much riding and testing I discovered that another trade off took place. What was gained, was leverage and control. Enough so that I now could pump up extremely steep hills. Having the deck at 4 inches instead of 4 ½. it does have a lower center of gravity. The trade off is that I have to exert much more energy to pump. So much that I generally only pump about a mile or two at a time. In comparison to other full pumpers the trade of is significant.

Even though the board was not the most efficient at pumping I still found myself gravitating towards the new design day after day. At times I love pushing as well and the extra half inch proved to be just enough to be a bit more comfortable. The board also became clear that it was extremely versatile. I quickly adapted to this, and by having a lower center of gravity sliding and other tricks started to seem a bit easier. That’s not to say you can’t do these things with a full pumper, because you can.

All of this simply started as a hobby to create something new. It was thought that we would not continue past hobby status. But Mark and I feel because of it uniqueness the board has merit, that perhaps others might enjoy. I am aware that I do not have years of skating experience, and perhaps this does not qualify me to design a board. But that doesn’t change the fact that I have a tremendous amount of love for all forms of skating, primarily LDP. This is all thanks to James Peters. I hope that all see my love and passion for the sport, and how grateful I am to James.

We are now trying to bring this board to light, and are still in the process of deck design.

This is how it stands currently:

There is the Loaded Fathom which Mark and Loaded are working in collaboration.

Mark currently sales a 24 inch Cambiar deck with a set of his normal 2 ½ inch wide brackets. These are the same brackets that I used in the 2nd Ultraskate.

FUTURE:

Mark will sale a less aggressive drop bracket that brings the truck closer to the bottom of the deck. This helps reduce the pendulum affect mentioned before. It also creates a more rigid feel in the entire board.

A new redesign front bent bracket that will be better suited for pumping for a front Bennett truck.

A new 28 inch shape Pumper\Carver deck is still in the works. It’s designed to capitalize on the new redesigned brackets.
.

This video was taken at Dorney Lake by Keith, it shows what the board will basically look like. I packed it in my suitcase for travel. It also shows the older back bracket. The new one looks the same but has a less aggressive drop.

I hope this helps clear up some information.

Eric

Link

rodgon

so has anyone tried a 6.0 bennet with a 149 tracker rts on these? i tried one out with some randall paris hybrids and it pumped ok, but since it was someone elses garage boards setup it had harder bushings and not really setup for pumping ( still was able to though, a little tiring but doable) well anyways.. i have started the process of getting one and i was hoping for some info before i bought the trucks.

thanks!

edp_swakakin

Bullwings

What's the difference between the new and old brackets?

Which brackets are currently on sale?

Are the brackets only available for sale? If so, how much? Length of time for delivery?

Thanks.

edp_swakakin

The difference between the original and the new curved brackets are the amount of drop. His new design has less drop. This is not to be confused with the new front bent bracket. The bent bracket was designed to get the truck as close to the bottom of the front foot as possible while still avoiding wheel-foot bite. It is not adjustable on the fly as with his other brackets, although you can still adjust the truck angle by de-wedging it. I was able to get his original curved brackets to work with the new front bent bracket. But in order to make this work and level the board I had to add thick back risers along with double black barrel bushings for the back truck. This is what prompted the change for the less aggressive drop performance curved bracket. I say performance because at the moment I received the prototype for this bracket I noticed a major increase in the way the overall board was responding. Everything became far easier; the board became more rigid. It effectively did away with the sagging pendulum effect I mentioned before. Even though with the new brackets the deck is effectively higher off the ground, the increase in performance is significant. Currently with the new brackets the deck sits at around 4 inches.

Currently Mark has in stock and sales his original “medium pusher” 20 mm dropped curved brackets. He also has in stock and sales his Gbomb signature 24 inch Cambiar deck.

He does sale the brackets separately, but it is my understanding that he prefers not too. I know for a fact he is extremely passionate about providing an unforgettable skateboarding experience. He spent a long time getting the Cambiar dialed just right for the brackets. And believe me it shows, the moment you step on it you will see why. It is an excellent pushing deck. For him to only sell the brackets without a deck is like yin with no yang. His fear is that people my go there own way in cutting a deck and not have a good experience with his brackets.

The new “performance” dropped 15 mm curved brackets may go on sale as soon as December.

The new front bent bracket will most likely come out before summer of 2009. (Maybe sooner)

The new 28 inch Pumping\Carving deck is yet to be determined for release.

For pricing feel free to contact him at his Website. He is always stoked to meet new customers.

On a side note I’m truly grateful to be working with Mark. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him as well. He has been a true friend to me from day one, and he brings out the very best in me. He is a class act in everyway.

Eric

Bullwings

Thanks for the info.

I'll probably wait till my next deck from Subsonic comes in before i make a move on another deck. I should probably try to watch the expenses a little bit now...

By then, the second gen of the brackets shoudl be out, and the 28 inch pumper deck too.

pavedwave

Eric, some very cool evolutions, I'm stoked to see what comes of the pump brackets!!

I totallly hear you on the yin-yang deck thing. I think anyone who wants to support Mark in this endeavor as an "early adopter" should pony up for his complete setup, the brackets PLUS the Cambiar deck that he designed. One thing for sure is that Mark's deck fits the randal 150's perfectly with a huge assortment of wheel sizes, and zero chance of wheel bite. That's because he and many others have tested that fun/egg shape deck to work all the kinks out. Depending on your preferences, what you really end up with there might be a little too flexy for a long distance commuter, as Eric notes, but I think of the Cambiar deck as more of a perfectly symmetrical, springy and lively carving machine, very similar to the Dervish. Yet the cool thing is with the brackets you can switch from a deep, soulful carving machine to a more stable carver in seconds, by just quickly dewedging the rear.

So if you do contact Mark, I agree, don't just ask for the brackets, get the whole deal. I think it's inevitable people will tinker with the brackets on other boards, but the "tried and true" goes a very long way here. It's really easy to set these up just a wee bit off, and end up face-planting because either your trucks were too wide or carved too deep and you didn't allow enough clearance on the corners of the deck.

That all said, I've been playing a bit again Very Happy

Mainly for three reasons. I wanted to try something out that would 1. be uber-lightweight, 2. have a kicktail, and 3. be waterproof for the Northwest.

I just so happened to have an old Roe Foamcore to chop up. It was one of his few "Torsion Core" decks, from some testing we did a couple years ago, trying to make a 44" LDP deck, but I compromised the deck toward the rear, after some longer pump sessions. Basically, the rear end of the deck folded. So I really didn't have any problem taking the jigsaw to it.

The results are pretty sweet, although I'm probably going to bust even this length of deck as well. It's almost all foam, and very little wood, very little fiberglass -- the sheet of Carbon is really what's giving the foamcore support. I hope to commute on this deck a few times then comment more on the ride. So far I've just taken it up and down the neighborhood and it does ride smooth.

The stance is about the same width as Mark's Cambiar deck, the kicktail is just subtle enough to not get in the way, and has just the right pitch to "lock" you in. I'm already pretty sure I'd rather have some harder red or green springs in that rear Seismic.

rodgon

just got one, ill post a full review in a few days

rodgon

i put mine with a 5.0 bennet and a rts129mm. in the back. the boards pumps like there is no tomorrow, its not as effective as my dedicated pumper ( galac with same trucks and heavy risers) at straight pumping BUT!!! its a very close second, given that and the fact that its very low to the ground to push just makes it a very very very good hybrid pushier pumper.

well taking away from the pumping aspect of it, i went ahead to a garage sessions and set up the deck with some mission 1 trucks and some 76mm superballs. the deck rode very stable, but the turning was bad, i had red khiros all around on it too. it made for a very nice garage board, but the stability i had at a front truck at 0 and the back dewedged by 15 was a bit excessive. i reduced it to 10 in the back and added 10 to the front and it was a completely different ride.

i will have to say though, the board seems to feel alot better with smaller trucks. the mission 1a were around 190mm, and even though it felt good i think something along the lines of 139 or 150 would be way better all around.

which brings me to the question of the hour.

to the people that have ridden these bracket with the cambiar deck. what would you think of runnning 2 5.0 bennets for the trucks with some 88a bushings on them? ( abec 11 bushings) would that make the deck too uncomfortable for speed? because of the narrow trucks? ( in which you still get no bite at all) or would that be too small?

just out of curiosity,

edp_swakakin

Garage Bombing (Pump Brackets)

This is basically the same setup that I used in the Dorney video, the only difference is that I’m using the new 15 mm drop back bracket now that has more leverage and control. Up until now my main focus with the hybrid had been longdistance skating and LDP. Garage bombing is something new to me and I have only been about 4 – 5 times. I knew that having a front Bennett made for very versatile riding. By nature you want a loose front truck for pumping. Over the last number of months I have just gotten used to it and grown extremely fond of it.

The video was taken in the beginning of the night by my good friend Hanael (Many Thanks). By the end of the night I was speed pumping quite aggressively most of the floors. Having loose trucks didn’t seem to bother me. In fact I prefer it. In retrospect when I try to ride what would be considered a garage board I am unable to do so and tend to fall off the board because I am not used to having tighter trucks.

Visually the board looks small but with a 28 inch deck the wheel base is that of about a normal size pumper setup. Nevertheless I feel very comfortable on it and feel very aggressive with it. I was able to pump up the floors pretty easily and that was a first for me. I was told the average speed in the garage was in the mid to low 20 mph. I definitely could go faster. But maybe I should start thinking about a helmet……

Link

Here is some additional footage of some bank skating. Same setup, no changes - 5.0’s and 139’s.

Link

Hanael

You should really consider entering the race. Very Happy

..well, you will need proper protection though...just in case stuff happens lol.

Barry

How Do All Wink

Wicked garage session footage Eric, looks like you had a blast Dude Very Happy

nice vidiography Hanael.
I wish I could find me a Garage to ride in here, it P*****g it down here Sad

Eric; with that new rear bracket you are killing it man, I think you have a winning combination going on there Wink

Take care,
Barry Wink

edp_swakakin

Hey Barry thanks man…I appreciate the kind words. But honestly Mark has just been amazing to me. It’s really all him on the design. I’m just gratefully to be friends with him and skating his brackets. It’s crazy how we hooked up through JP. Thanks again man…

Speaking of friends….

I can’t wait to hit up Dorney again with you. I will do my best to bringeth the SUN…..

Barry

Sweet Dude Wink

I hope we get a spell of calm dry weather when you come over. It would be good to pump and shred a whole day away at Dorney with you again.

Take care,
Barry Wink

rodgon

ive got mine setup with 5.0 and 75a tarantula wheels and it rides very nice,

the effect of the brackets make it feel more like a 4,3 or just a smaller truck though. might have to try thee 6.0s to make sure ^_^

rodgon

ok so i decided to go buy some Bennet 6.0s since i felt the brackets made the trucks feel like they were a smaller size.
I have to say that i was right. I currently have a Galac setup with 5.0 bennet and it feels the same way now. nice and surfy and stable when i push.

I think im close to getting this thing dialed in as the ultimate pusher pumper for the next ultraskate event, i have a proto 5 ply deck from mark ( since i weigh 200 pounds) and what i believe are the newish brackets.

The set up is as follows:

5ply cambiar deck and brackets
6.0 bennets:
Front: abec 11 super bushing ( to match bennet standard bushing) and a orange khiro cone
Back: Standard bennet bushings
=== the reason to have 2 bennet bushings it to reduce the time needed to mod the deck for garages. now i just swap out the bushings in the front and adjust the wedge and its set. ==

front wheels: 70mm Seven ohs ( testing them out, seem nice and reboundy and soft so far)

Back wheels: 76mm Superballs ( bigger contact patch for more traction, and a bigger wheel to keep momentum, plus the slight incline it gives you makes it that much easier to push power to the front. Will sub out for pink big zigs soon, to match the seven ohs. )

edp_swakakin

Awesome rodgon! How does a Bennett for the back truck feel?

(Manual Pump Bent Bracket)

I had been tossing around this idea for a while, ever since I saw the thread on the Walkabout in regards to manuals. I missed trying to do them on my Dervish. I threw the idea out to Mark and one week later a prototype arrived at my door. Mark you freaking rock!!! Right off the bat I could tell I was getting good leverage, he created just enough lip to allow it to be comfortable. The nice part is that it is the exact same angle as my original bent bracket. Which means all of my other skating\pumping is unchanged. Although I can’t fully manual yet to speak of, within a couple of hours I was starting to hold it longer and longer. It does change the look of the overall appearance of the board. But I must say it’s extremely functional.

Hanael

zomg what i have done....

the frankengalac!

rodgon

i did about 10 miles today, through a semi hilly sidewalk bay area. its getting there thats all i have to say. hahaha have to dial in the front truck a little more and itll be there definitely. ^_^ incredibly easy to pump... incredibly easy to push... ( and stable to skogg a little ^_^) and even with very heavy wind it was a breeze to transition between pushing pumping without losing the enjoyment of the ride.

Barry

Hanael

It actually is.
i can't use it for anything else, other than LDP.

Using it on the garages, too sketchy and drifts too much.
Cruiser, just too heavy.
campus cruiser....don't get me started on it.
Slalom? lol, impossible.

Barry

How Do Hanael Wink

I think you got me a little wrong on my meaning there, I know the Galac / Pavedwave LDP deck is LDP specific; but what I meant was it looked as if the deck had been custom made just for those truck brackets.

Take care,
Barry Wink

Alec

Hanael

Barry

edp_swakakin

rodgon

even more modifications to the board. i got it setup with some bennet 6.0s and the board pumped good and pushed very stable. i was able to go on semi steep hills with just minor carving, with the front truck setup with an orange abec11 barrel top and khiro cone and barrel combo bottom.

i decided to see how the deck would differ if i switched my big zigs inside out as to make the turcks feel narrower. I LOVED IT!!!! not quite the feel of a 5.0 but a little more pumpability than with the wheels run normal. so i basically have the perfect hybrid or very close to it.

right now this is what the board looks like

the front truck i have found that having it at 13-15 degrees gives you the turniness you need. and if you want to run garages or heavier hills instead of changing the degree of the wedge i just replace the bottom bushing ( from the white khioro combo to a 83a Abec11 bennet size bushing) and TAAADDAAA and amazing board at speeds lower than 40.

well this is what ive found so far. more tweaking to come. ^_^

saturdaysfiesta · what deck?

Rodgon,
Is that the stock cambriar deck?

I've been kind of interested in these lately as a good pumper/carver/travel board.

I have an insect mosquito with a crack in the nose that is most likely going to be sold since Steve over at insect is sending me a new one.

But I was thinking, maybe I could get some (maybe galac0 to chop it up for me so I could mount these brackets on it.

hmmmm...

what do you guys think?

rodgon

i actually have a proto 5 ply deck since im a 200 pound rider. so its not the stock, but it looks exactly the same.

it does make a very excellent pusher pumper and distance deck. i will try to put some distance on it once im sure the rain wont hit me suddenly.

that insect might work wonders. the deck is 24" long so as long as you can at least get that much out of the board you should be very well. and im sure Galac will be able to help you out. ^_^

pavedwave

the Frankengalac is a fun experiment, it reminds me of the Flexdex Pro 60's that Derek and I used to experiment on. the main downside for LDP is that with 40"--44" of wheelbase (depending what trucks you use) you're only going to get a little wiggle pump in the front, and not much of a big, sweeping cruising pump for very long, unless you're 8 feet tall with a 5-foot wide foot stance.

but i do remember finding that even with the 60" board and 44" wheelbase, the overall weight of the setup was NOT as big an issue as you might think. as a cruiser, at least for flatland and slight declines, the added weight carries itself, the old momentum principle.

however, it's climbing hills and pumping for acceleration, that inspire LDP deck wheelbases in the 27--29" range, and getting the materials as light as possible, although foam-carbon is still an elusive beast, for various reasons...

egret

It would be nice to have a slalom deck size deck with a bracket just on the rear that can extend out and allow for adjustable wheelbase on the fly.

Bullwings

egret

I'm no engineer or designer. The Pulse shape to me is two wide pads for foot placement and an extension on the rear to get the wheelbase to 26 to 29 inches right? What if you had a 30 inch or so deck (long enough for a nice stance) and on the rear some sort of bracket that could trombone and make the wheelbase adjustable. The ideal would be to make it functional for slalom and then you could extend out the back truck for LDP.

pavedwave

gboom

Hi,

Ok, I'm the buddy of James that has been developing this design, for the record I pinged James to get his nod before posting this on Pavedwave. I want to respect JP's site for not being about marketing, but we do want to share our new specification promo for the Cambiar. He assured me he would make sure it stays in check and provide a vendor forum if needed.

So, we are finally to the point where we can start promoting the Cambiar with the G-bomb Integrated Binding System. The viral marketing and all the great feedback kept the development pace just right to get the design dialed in without having an oppressive schedule.

I can't seem to get the specs promo to upload here, so until I figure it out here is a link to the posting at Silverfish

http://www.silverfishlongboarding...gbomb-cambiar-specifications.html

We are proud that the design has stood up to all the aggressive riding and stresses that the pumping folks subject a deck to. Many thanks to James for providing the attention to our design here at pavedwave, and also for all his great testing and feedback. We look forward to riding out this year and providing updates here at Pavedwave. Oh, and feel free to tell us to shut up if it seems like we are marketing more than sharing. We prefer to leave the forum format for customer feedback that speaks for itself...but we really are proud of what we have here. Stay tuned to hear more about other advantages and the added reliability that we have discovered in the design. Sorry, there I go again...but we really are stoked!

If you are interested, you can contact us at sales@gbomblongboards.com or contact me at mark.groenenboom@hotmail.com

Thanks

Mark

edp_swakakin

(Specs Promo as mentioned by Mark above)

blake

dude that looks sexy i want it

barefootboarder

W O W... that is an amazing photograph! It's so hot it looks like the wheels are melting Very Happy

These brackets look and sound absolutely incredible, a very exciting development in the LDP world... keep up the good work guys Wink

samhell

Hanael, mounted his GTCPLDP on these..
I'm intrigued, I think I'll be aquiring a set
in the near future...
Here's his beast. I never dreamed when I built this board
that it would become a FrankenGalac... Very Happy

pavedwave

Mark I can't say the "H" word enough-- you are one humble guy, creating an innovation like this that has people riveted to their seats waiting for the release. The image is brilliant. It still feels like a "soft release"... do people understand they can contact you and get one right now??

As far as your website update goes, I think you should post just a single home page: just that picture, your email, and short instructions to contact you directly to order a complete.

I'm glad you can finally offer these, and IMO there's no uber-over hype or marketing pizzazz about any of this, please feel free to post whenever and wherever. The Cambiar is an incredible revolution and many -- Senor Eric Lowell in particular -- have tested the HELL out of this thing!

I just hope people stop asking for "just the brackets" and get the damn board!! It's totally worth it... I really like the original egg shape and will go back to it again and again between "experiments". It's got a really lively flex, perfect for carving up the hills in my 'hood-- this board reminds me to go CARVING again Very Happy

gboom

Thanks JP. Yes, we have the decks available. I will take up your offer and share a couple things here.

First, slow development has been key to getting this thing dialed. We have had a great couple of years producing boards for those who have been willing to try out the idea. The feedback from these folks, present company included, has gotten us to the point where we tweaked things and are REALLY proud of this thing. My attitude has always been, “if it is a good idea, it will work out”. There are more advantages than just the adjustability and folks are really starting to appreciate these. But these are details that come out after a design has had a chance to stand the test of time. You of all people understand that GOOD solid board development is a process not an event.

I’ll take a second here to acknowledge EloveE a.k.a. Eric Lowell. Eric has been a true catalyst in pushing (or pumping) this project along. Eric has tried so many things with the binding system in such a short period of time. From serious distance riding, to garages, to parks, to pumping. His reviews just fueled me and kept me going. I don’t think you two should ever be in the same room together b/c the stoke could ignite. Well, enough with the group hug.

Second, thanks for bringing up the platform issue. I am only offering the bindings with the Cambiar right now. Here is why. The point of this year for G-bomb is to really pound in on the reliability of the design. If a customer tries to shape their own deck and has a bad experience with the deck shaping, then the bindings could get an undeserved “black eye”. We can’t afford to have unhappy customers, it is not worth it. Also, YOU know that the Cambiar platform is a high-end lay-up that is done professionally. I am not going to name names, but when it comes to quality, experience and quantity of decks, these guys are the real deal. They took a chance to run some smaller quantities for me b/c they saw the potential in the binding system. That little 4 ply, bi-axial glass, egg shape rips it up, shows off the binding performance, and I am proud of the simple shape (Scotty Moore helped with that). I am proud that it comes back into your quiver now and again. It is flexy, but a wider stance minimizes flex. Heck, I am 6’3” 230 lbs and I love it, but I do enjoy some flex. Bottom line, I want customers to first experience the Cambiar ride and then experiment from there if their heart desires…just like you have done. We have intentionally priced the deck below the high-end decks for near future, but we believe the ride exceeds decks that cost a lot more. Yeah, we are biased, but reviews like yours keep us going. 

Thanks for the soap box. I will now step down and put back on my humble hat.
Mark

pavedwave

Hanael

So, today i decided to be retarded with my..um..brackets.

Original S6 in front, seismic 180 back.

holycarp, the S6 dives & pumps like crazy.
i never imagine it to be like that..especially with the dead center, which in reality, adds stability while pushing.

However, i dunno how long this truck will last...

gboom

Cambiar soon available in 2 flexes!

Quick update and a bump for the Cambiar. For those of you who think the Cambiar is a little flexy for your liking - The stiff version of the Cambiar will be available the beginning of next week. We thickened it up a wee bit but kept the same bomber tough bi-axial fiberglass top and bottom.

It's been raining up here in Portland, so just for fun we have been playing around with the cad system...here is a Cambiar with RII 180s and 90mm flywheels!

gboom

Still raining, and we are still playing with the cad system.

Here is the organic version of the cambiar.

Just kidding around here, but the stiffer version is for real!

Hanael

Not really LDP related..but Eric requested a pic.

the G-Baby...

Pureadrenalin

Guess what i got in the mail today. My first gbomb and wow this thing is one quality built ride. I was'nt expecting it but its just amazing. Just looking at it I want another one.

Pureadrenalin

Ok I took it out where we would usually go out and do some pumping and man this board is wicked. Being able to adjust in seconds could never get better than this even my wife enjoyed it. I bought a complete from Mark with Randal 150's and this is the bomb. Cant wait to try it with different bushing and maybe a 4.3 bennett. I tooked the Gbomb to my local skate shop where I buy my gear and they was like man how come we don't have that. So Mark I will be ordering another one really soon. Mahalos bra.

gboom

The Cambiar is now available in a stiffer flex. We added a ply, but kept the same thermoplatistic fiberglass shell on the top and bottom that allows you to beat the heck out of this deck. Video to come. We also kept the black paint off the rails b/c we found that black rails show scratches. Here is a picture.

In addition, we have a stiffer version of the bindings now available. We added 1.6mm to the thickness. Here is a picture.

So we now 4 combinations of bindings and platforms to offer for 09.

Mark

nubz69

Hey gboom I pmed you and haven't heard back from you.

pavedwave

I kinda doubt mark is checking PMs here all that much. try him on email from previous page: "....If you are interested ... contact me at mark.groenenboom@hotmail.com"

gboom

thanks JP...

By the way, we have new info at our website. www.gbomblongboards.com

skatesharper

the website is sick. i just painted the gbomb logo on my gbomb and it looks good i just need some slip tape so that the graphic does not get scratched up in the bowls at the skatepark

pavedwave

Pureadrenalin

I was going to try those wheels on my second cambiar but with 90 flywheels instead. I decided to try some 77/75a speedvents and they worked out fine if the surface is smooth and they were faster all around than my in heats. On ther other hand these speedvents suck on just a bit of rough surface it must have to do with the center core being more stiff. Other than that I wish I went with flywheels but the Cambiar still rocks with whatever you throw at it. Thanks again Mark for the great service.

gboom

Here is a plug for my nephew in Bogota Colombia on a GBomb. Definitely brings back memories. Check em out. Very Happy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1i74aosHdg

pavedwave

Too cool... yet another skeel we gotta work on, hippy jumps!

Had an amazing experiment-filled and skatey weekend with Gbomb Mark and ELove. Eric flew up to the Northwest from Texas and I shot down by Amtrak, we wrenched and tinkered in Mark's garage / laboratory for a while and skated a lot more!! Your family's such a joy Mark.

We rode a really varied-terrain 16-mile round trip bike trail with faster and hairier turns than I dared before on this kind of setup. The brackets open the door to massive and FAST tweaking...you get an idea, you can test it out on the spot without unbolting trucks and dinking around with risers again.

The main thing I was checking out was the front "pump" bracket which gets you as close to the nose as possible, sacrifices a little bit of the drop (my Mermaid and this setup are about 1/2" different in deck height) but makes the system complete. Eric and Mark have been working on the pump bracket system like a madman and it shows. The perfect way to get set up on these IMO, is a gbomb complete with original dropped brackets, plus a pump bracket. Just by having a set (or two) of these you expand your quiver by multiple boards. You can recycle old decks, and the pairing of stiff decks + thinner brackets, flexy decks + thick brackets...endless tweaks. Infinitely rideable and solid, not a gimmicky-feeling board.

A few shots from the best weekend so far this year... there's a lot more, but I gotta get to work!!

...horns growing from eric's head?

Skateboarders rousing the locals at Vancouver's Saturday market.

The G-baby!

The G-Man!

barefootboarder

Awesome photos... I am loving the G-Bomb stoke Smile

I'm having fun experimenting with my Cambiar, I've got 97 Flywheels on it after seeing your recent post James, with the pump bracket and I'm trying to get it moving. Did you get a good pump out of it with the big wheels? I'm using Randals as I haven't got a Bennett yet, it pumps OK but it's quite hard work at low speeds.

Another thing that the G-Bomb is absolutely brilliant at is turning heads and making jaws drop. It gets lots of admiring looks, well done guys Laughing

LDPanda

So, is this 'pump bracket' you keep talking about the same thing as the 'thicker' bracket that was mentioned a while ago? If not, what is it and is it still a proto or is it production-ready?

edp_swakakin

James Uber Stoke!!! Thank you so much for a great time. I have lots of awesome video to go through (Gigs) - pumptastic video that I will post soon. It was so good to see you again.

Sincerely Thank you.

Mark and I covered a lot this week together. We will post updates soon on what will be available.

pavedwave

It was an insanely fun trip fellas. To top it off, pretty cool to see the ncdsa listings on the Annie Ross -- Mark you did well! But I didn't see Eric's name, sup? Maybe you were you one of the "Racer X's"? Pretty cool you guys made that race after our 16-mile warmup the day before!

Jo, to be honest with wheels 85mm or larger I don't really expect to pump much, at least in the sustained sense. Takes a lot of effort unless you're going 12mph or more, and then it still takes a lot to keep pumping them on flats. With 97's I just expect the roll time to cook, making the pushing really fun and effort-free. Lot of people speculate that the 97's are unwieldly for pushing, but I've found that once you've reached a certain roll speed, they're so easy to maintain and I still feel like you get more coasting meters per push.

skatersjourney

Wow - great photos guys! I'm lovin' the G-Baby!

You all look like you had a terrific time. Great to see you wearing a helmet Eric - perhaps you'd like a nice little Man U sticker to go on that somewhere? Or perhaps not... Very Happy

The pumping bracket is pure genius, and I count myself very fortunate, here in the UK, to have one in my kit. I'm using a 15mm drop bracket on the back, and a standard Egg shaped deck. It's not a very efficient pumper, with all the flex and crazy camber, but it is the most fun I've ever had on a board. With the right tailwind, I fairly fly along on it.

Also good to see those Subsonic decks being tried out.

Wonderful stuff guys. I dream of playing skateboards with you all one day...

barefootboarder

Ahh James, thanks for the reassurance that it's not just me finding it a bit of an effort with the Flywheels Laughing

I liked the idea that the GBomb system might allow me to LDP on the big wheels, but I guess 'Ye cannae change the laws of physics Captain' as Scotty would say ha ha ha...

gboom

JP,

They botched Eric's name, pretty sure the Eric Seville is Eric. Eric kindly held back and finished the race with me...but he was pumping past the kids on the finishing flat, while I was, almost literally, pushing my heart out.

I am not much for blogging out my skate experience, but I definitely want to express a few items about this last week and thank you for hooking me up with Eric.

First of all, a big thanks for introducing Eric to the brackets a year ago. Since then Eric and I have become great friends and Eric has been a huge catalyst for pushing the G|Bomb bracket and deck designs to levels and performance I had not known were possible. To be able to share a great weekend with both of you, was a once in a lifetime. We will do it again, but there was something about the level of respect for each other’s opinions and values that has been unmatched for me. Of course the incredible stoke you guys bring and perfect conditions of the weather and pavement (gotta love Vancouver USA baby!). Anyway, thank you.

Eric got me out for three 20+ mile days and a total of about 80 miles over 5 days. The 16 miles with Eric and you was the highlight. I am proud to say I held my own, and only really got sore after I pushed my limits in the Annie Ross. My achy muscles have since recovered.

Oh, and I want to take a second to brag a little about Duane Rodakowski, he is a 40 year old with a light lanky frame that took the “master” category in the Annie Ross, AND he did it on a Cambiar. Here is the kicker, he got off track and had to back track, this cost him a good bit of time. He still finished under 30 minutes. Duane has a passion for fast motorcycles, but is finding skating fills the adrenalin void while his bike is down. Glad to have him now as friend, and he will remain a force to contend with in these pushers. He can FLY on the flats, and is not afraid to throw down some powerful pushes even on a decent downhill and at speeds where I am looking to foot brake.

Well, anyway, let’s do it again. Eric is already talking about the same time next year. BE THERE!

Mark

Pureadrenalin

Hey guys what the gbaby about? I aint got one of those.lol i recently changed my pumping cambiar using a bennet 5.0 instead of the randal and put on some lime zigs and this thing is great. With the 4.3 it was just to turny for me feeling unstable on some harder pumps/carves. Can't wait for my subsonic 28''.

edp_swakakin

skatesharper

I got the chance to shred my cut gbombs for downhill in austin this past sunday and absolutly loved it. i got to push it at 35+ on some of austins finest hills with some of austin and houstons greatest riders. it was a lot of fun and i was riding the cut deck with 5/16 thick brackets, randals, and green bigzigs. my friend richard was riding a gbomb 32 with thick brackets, fast trucks, and fast wheels. we also got great opinions from austin downhill guys. they said it was very stable and fast. we got the chance to go to a ditch later on and i was riding my shorter looser gbomb boards and was pulling nice slides.

overall we had a great time and thanks eric for suplying the trucks and thankyou mark for building them they are great Very Happy

eric yuo are definatly coming next time!

pavedwave

Bike + Cambiar combo I was using a few times last month.

Bike the wet morning ride in, stuck the board together at work and flew home.

Nam

Are those the bindings for the "Dark Matter" that's hinted at on the website? Is it a fixed angle plate, or am I missing out on something? I'm pretty close to purchasing one of these for myself but would like to know my options prior to settling on this wonderful investment!

(Yes, it's been a while since I've posted anything on here. Hiya!)

edp_swakakin

Nam

Thanks so much! Definitely looking forward to it.

edp_swakakin

(Update Message from Mark G.)

Please accept our apologies for being quiet around here. For the last few months, we have spent our time avoiding distractions so we could focus on the final design, shaping, and testing of the Dark Matter and the Illuminati decks. Yep, 2 decks coming out at about the same time and a revamp of the website coming up too.

James gave us a wakeup call last week, and asked that we clear up some confusion.

As Eric touched on, the design intent of the Dark Matter is to fill the need for a longer carver in our line-up, while maintaining a platform that can be pumped for fun. The Dark Matter is a 28 inch platform, a full 3.5” longer than the Cambiar. We think of it as the big brother of the Cambiar. Stretch the Cambiar out and shape it for more leverage in front. Add a pump bracket that angles a Bennett and tucks it in close to the platform for pumpability. Next, take the Dark Matter teardrop shape and make it from a durable v-lam aspen/mahogany stringer core. Coat it with some super robust black stained pre-cured glass from folks laying up decks for 25+ years and there you have it. We have around 1k miles of aggressive testing on this recipe/shape. We are loving it and we are looking forward to having this deck available in two weeks.

Now, the Illuminati. This has been a labor of love between G|Bomb and Subsonic. After testing many different deck and shape combos, the design ended at a mild camber/concave. We had a new mold made up for it. It is a pumper. The shape flows with the brackets in a functional way that optimizes leverage and wheel clearance, and the design drops the deck down about ½” from a traditional top mount pumper. We have this deck ready for sale and Eric will be sharing some video shortly. It is also on our aspen/mahogany v-lam, and then Scott adds his lay-up and shaping craftsmanship. The Illuminati has a glass top and glass/carbon fiber bottom. We have a stiff and medium flex available and we will be testing a soft flex in the near future. If you are interested, lead times are longer b/c these are still crafted on small scale.

Thank You,

Mark

Dark Matter

Illuminati

Link

Barry

How Do All Wink

That Illuminati is a mighty fine looking board Eric Very Happy

I am pretty chuffed that you have used a fixed rear bracket on it, that makes me feel really good about my Om board that you used the same setup.
I hope you get some positive feedback and sales from it.

Take care,
Barry Wink

edp_swakakin

Hey Barry!

Yeah that back bracket idea came straight from your OM picture. I’m still kind of test riding it at the moment. I had Mark make one up for me and I really took a liking to it. We were thinking of it as an option to the binding. With the back Tracker, I really didn’t change the angle much. When I first started pumping I did change it a lot. But as time passed I narrowed in to a single angle. When someone’s first starting out I think it’s awesome to be able to adjust that back truck on the fly. It really makes a difference in the board’s performance and a person’s preference. What I’ve also notice is that the angle I like may not necessarily be what others like. And different types of trucks can also have a different angle that feels best. What I think Mark is looking at in the future is fully custom angled brackets. In the case of the back bracket a person could use the adjustable binding and if they found an angle that they really liked then Mark could custom make one to that setting. He is becoming a complete bracket connoisseur…

Cheers Barry

Barry

How Do All Wink

That's and awesome idea, Custom angle brackets would be a great add on option for the board.

Glad you are digging the fixed bracket. it looks great on the deck and I like the highlighted stringer shown through the grip tape cut out.
The shape and size of the deck is also Rad and really appeals to me.

It's got attitude dude Cool

Take care,
Barry Wink

Ian the Groove Worshipper

Eric's videos are so inspiring. They capture all that is awesome about pumping a longboard. I want to go skate now, go express myself, go flow. Very expressive skating!

Nam

They look beautiful! Again, thanks so much for sharing. It's really great to see GBomb in such an active state of evolution. They were really eye catching a few years ago when I read about them on the Fish then seeing them pop up on Subsonic's website. It seems like they've really come a long way from then.

I think once the website goes live, I'll be ready to start bugging them to fill a gap in my quiver I've been meaning to fill!

gboom

Thanks nam, we will be ready when you are. When we started playing with brackets and truck positioning many years ago, we did not realize how critical the deck design would be to the total package of aesthetics and function…and also how much effort, research, testing, craftsmanship and just plain WORK go into quality deck design and manufacturing. Thanks again for keeping an eye on us over the years. Hope to see one of our decks under your feet soon. Can I ask what is the hole in your quiver, and how much you weigh? Very Happy

angelo_pb

One of these bords is a Gbomb Illuminati.

I see these as the ultimate travel board, especially if you travel with one piece of luggage and it is 28-30". I like how it rides. It's a different feel and Mark's description on the web site is very accurate.

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
crappy cell phone pic de jour - Typical T-Storms pop up evey late afternoon in the summer. It's kind of a way the heat is kept in check I suppose. So you must be careful when you are planning your sk8 sesh- not only rain, but lightning bolts can strike everywhere

gboom

We are proud to be part of that quiver. Thanks Paul. Dark Matter decks are in. This one is set up as a carver with Randals.

Photos of the more pump oriented setup to come.

Nam

My apologies for the very late reply!

The hole in the quiver is a nice, somewhat flexy (under my 173 lbs), responsive, versatile ride. As tempted as I am to get another pumper, I've found that my quiver no longer has anything I'd really trust to both carve down hills while also being able to pump across those inevitable flats and push up the even more inevitable hills, and I see G-Bomb being able to adapt to all of these quite nicely.

As of now, I'm leaning toward the Dark Matter with two adjustable brackets, just like the one pictured above me. I think I'd appreciate the longer platform, additional stability, and shape (with front leverage) but there's the part of me that is really attracted to the portability of the Cambiar. I'm also wondering if you guys still offer that convenient twist-on/off hardware.

You'll be getting an E-mail from me soon. : )

gboom

You are right in the sweet spot for the weight of the Dark Matter. Lighter than you, then I recommend it as more pump oriented. Heavier than you, then we start thinking a bit more carve oriented. We are working on how to communicate this to our customers at the website. It is hard to just slap a weight recommendation on it. The deck is robust and great for most weights from light to heavy...just different functions in the light guy vs heavy guy's quiver.

Stability is an area where we shine. The bit of drop that we offer trades off leverage with stability. We don't pride ourselves as being about speed. We want to make exercising and getting around as fun as possible. We need to communicate this better. To this we want to embrace all the advantages of the brackets. Sorry, off topic. Yes, stable.

At 175, I recommend the medium flex brackets.

I do like the pump bracket on the front of this deck, but if you are looking for a little less pump and more carve, then doubling up the GBombs is the way to go. We also can fine tune the drop for you on the double GBomb. How much of a trade-off in leverage are you willing to take to get the deck down low for pushing?

Mark

SoloRider

How much does the pump bracket cost? The website only shows the G-Bomb bindings(unless I'm missing it).

Nam

Considering that I've gone from riding boards that are quite high, I think a slight amount of drop will be just fine. I'm used to riding boards that are very responsive; reverse kingpin feel klunky by comparison to torsion or wedged Bennett's, but to be fair, I haven't tried wedging or dewedging Randals all that much. It's been years since I've ridden them. From the looks of the pictures I've seen, the drop looks even lower than that of drop-thru boards (which is nice!).

I'm not a big fan of the noodle-like flex of the Loaded boards which have become so popular; their turn feels very delayed and sloppy for my tastes, something I'm hoping can be remedied by increasing the wedging when I need to. I think ultimately, I won't know exactly what'll be right for me until I try it out myself.

I am looking for a board more on the carve/push side because like I said, I'm happy with my current LDP. Additionally, I need a tad more stability in my quiver (which LDP boards do not specialize in), but nothing on the level of 45+ mph DH runs. If we're talking bike terms, what I have in mind is a hybrid, a board that doesn't do one thing especially well, but can fair well in many areas. In other words, if I were to head out for an all-day skate trip with just one board under foot and no knowledge of what kind of terrain I'd be facing, I hope to see the G-Bomb as my go-to board.

And in terms of interface and interacting with your customers, in addition to a write-up of your recommendations for weight on the website (with the expressed understanding that it varies from person to person and his/her riding preferences), what also may be helpful is to have a topic on Silverfishlongboarding dealer forum so that you can be very much in touch with your customer base. That'll also give those who have your boards the ability to answer others' questions on one consolidated space. Daddiesboardshop has a review section for their components they sell and will respond right under the comments. That way, if other people have questions, they can see what the dealer said before sending an E-mail with the same question.

gboom

Happy Labor Day. My family is still asleep giving me and my coffee a chance to respond. If you don’t mind, I am going to break up your email and address it point by point. You have given me some great opportunities to clarify some FAQs. By the way, this is a good discussion and I am not worried about making a sale here so don’t feel obliged.

"Considering that I've gone from riding boards that are quite high, I think a slight amount of drop will be just fine. I'm used to riding boards that are very responsive; reverse kingpin feel klunky by comparison to torsion or wedged Bennett's, but to be fair, I haven't tried wedging or dewedging Randals all that much. It's been years since I've ridden them. From the looks of the pictures I've seen, the drop looks even lower than that of drop-thru boards (which is nice!). "

The 15mm drop is equivalent of positioning the truck between a drop thru and a top mount. Think of it as being able to adjust the angle with the truck in the middle of a non-drop deck. The 20mm drop does put you a couple mm below a drop thru. When I started playing with the design I got obsessed with drop, but then as my skating improved I had more fun with less drop and more leverage. I skate the RIIs less and less as I want more responsiveness. For me the responsiveness allows me to pump some and SPEED CHECK to keep my skating under control in tight areas and on trails. This safety and control aspect of speed checking does not get as much attention as it should.

For you I am going to recommend the 20mm drop medium flex. I also am going to try to sell you both the bent bracket and the 20mm drop for the front. You can pick out either and go with it for starters, but I hope you eventually try both. Once this is decided, there are a couple more details to discuss regarding risers and also if you want the custom bushings.
We also offer a 25mm drop, but this is only available on the stiff flex bracket. When cantilevering the bracket to offer a 25mm drop. There is a lot more flex with the medium thickness/flex bracket, so we go to a thicker and stiffer bracket for this.

"I hope to see the G-Bomb as my go-to board."

We second that.

Regarding the Silverfish forum…we use this some and, like you say, we should get organized with it. I honestly am much more comfortable posting over here at Pavedwave. We like that there are fewer posts here, but with much more critical thought. We also like James, and his noble cause of getting skateboarding cultural accepted as a form of transportation. It amazes me how much more energy that posting at one site vs another can be. The customers that we get from this Pavedwave forum are very educated about our GBomb products and honestly more fun to deal with. Dare I say…like you, or would that be considered schmoozing the customer.

Nam

Now that I've successfully (apparently) highjacked this thread ...

I understand what you mean about the environment here! Pavedwave definitely is incredibly unique, fun, yet intellectually mature in its attitudes toward skating. So with a similar sentiment of schmoozing in sight, some talk on skating:

Responsiveness (and leverage) is definitely key, and like I said, I have yet to ride a reverse-kingpin truck (Randal, Paris, Bear, Gullwing, etc) that comes close to the responsiveness of Bennetts, Revenges, or even Carvers. However, stability is on my mind as some of the hills I've tackled are really quite scary for me on Bennett 5.0 + Tracker RTS 129's. I definitely have the ability to do speed checks on the setup, but it makes me sad to scuff and chunk those beautiful Blast Waves.

Bottom line: the only thing that I have worries about in terms of this setup (as I am willing to try both brackets if I can afford it!) are the trucks and how it will affect the ride (I'm fine with the wheels, bearings, deck, brackets, etc you offer). With the adjustable brackets, can I trust the Bennetts (6.0?) to help maintain stability at speed, or will I prefer the peace of mind of Randal 150/180s? Yes, a question that I have to answer for myself through riding, but perhaps something that your experience (and anyone else who can vouch) can help shed some light on. Since you also are seeking responsiveness in your own rides, what have you found works for you?

The 20mm drop and medium flex seems quite snug. As for risers, what do you have in mind? As far as bushings go, definitely soft (white, orange, or blue Khiro).

And definitely no pressure to buy on this end; I've already decided. It's just a matter of dialing it in and forking the cash when the wallet's ready.

gboom

Ok, need to clarify some confusion about the front pump bracket and how we see ourselves relating to LDP…

First, I am getting a lot of emails and questions from people who are just getting into LDP and wondering if the Gbomb Illuminati or Dark Matter is a good starting point. I really want to be clear and honest about this.

We are proud that we have decks that are dropped a bit from traditional top mount LDP decks and are still very pumpable. Are they as efficient as a top mount LDP deck?…NO! But watch the video of Eric pumping uphill and you realize that they are pumpers. Dare we say “LDP Inspired?” Now, I sometimes think that Eric could get on a brick and pump it up a hill. He is so in tune with the deck. I do not want to step on anybody’s toes here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcuPkGIKFfw

We also are proud that the bit of drop makes the deck a lot easier to push and more stable for some sliding and speed checking fun. It is a trade-off that we are happy to make. We are obviously biased.

Second, why have the pump bracket front if you have the adjustability of the Gbomb? While the Gbomb adjustability can achieve the truck angles for pumping, the mechanism puts the truck further forward of the rider than the simple bent (pump) bracket. This makes pumping tougher. The bent bracket tucks the Bennett 5.0 in as tight as possible to the deck. We really went after tucking this truck in as close as possible to the Illuminati platform. We worked to get the deck shape aesthetically pleasing while addressing any wheel-bite issues. The chamfers (edge relief) on the bottom of the Illuminati deck are the final touches to add a couple more mm clearance.

Nam

E-mail sent!

skatesharper

once the new website is up GBomb will be out to dominate and take over the world there will be no stopping us. I have been doing 180 slides and 1 footed speed checks on a reversible GBomb( and so has eric not to brag or anything Very Happy

) and have found that the weight on either ends of the board really help to swing out and around for any kind of slides. To help respond to nams questoin I have also takin a stiff cut GBomb out to a fast hill in Austin Texas and have taken it to 40MPH it had randals with venom downhill bushings in it and it handles great and the quick wedging always helps.

edp_swakakin

CAMBIAR- portable tweakable longboard under test -- wicked!!

Unsupported distance travel rig

coincidce

Re: coincidce

what deck?