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SOULARC SKATEBOARDS | SOUL STREET SURFING
[07.12.2009] Category: Skateboard
"The Soularc is a 'retro' board for the land quiver."
SOULARC SKATEBOARDS
A review by THE COLT
I'll be honest, when this skateboard first arrived and was sitting on the office floor I couldn't help but think how much the Soularc skateboard resembled a giant bug, something that would have been running around in the pre-historic ages. Sounds stupid, but was something that had me freaked out every-time the lights went out late at night. As they say 'never judge a book by its cover' and drugs are bad...hahahaha
Like the name suggests, the 'SOULARC' skateboard brings that 'soul surfing' feel to the streets. Designed with a point of difference, the Soularc is unlike any other skateboard on the market. It looks like a creature from the prehistoric ages but offers a sweet and stylish ride.
Over the past month the Soularc skateboard grabbed everyone's attention that came by the office, with people instantly bouncing up and down on the thing like it was a trampoline. With concern someone was going to bust the little guy before we even had a chance to ride it we decided to pack up the beast and head out to a sweet little road that has a few quiet hills to roll around.
Once we arrived and pulled out the little sucker the first thing you notice is just how high the board sits off the ground. It's unique inverted base has the board standing out from any other skateboard on the market. Sitting higher than a standard skateboard, the (inverted) base of the 'board' flexes, giving the Soularc a soft 'glide' feeling when in motion.
Getting out on open hills on the Soularc is pretty sweet, and let's you make the most of what's on offer. It's similar to the different experience between thrashing a performance board and soulfully cruising on a twinnie. While the board moves in a similar motion to a normal skateboard, it works best when 'gliding' and pulling nice smooth carves and turns and riding on the nose.
I noticed the Soularcs' higher centre of gravity (COG) makes the skateboard feel awkward at slow speeds, and pushing around the flats can be a bit tricky. It's not impossible to push around, but it's not as easy as a smaller or lower skateboard or cruiser. On the other end of the spectrum however, the Soularc handles speed very well. I wasn't tempted to bomb any large hills, but when I missed a turn off during a run I found myself at close to 40km/h, and to my surprise the board was sitting pretty sweet. I can't see it holding much more speed, and pulling up without gloves is a little sketchy! (Difficult when using the foot break technique due to the height of the board.) Anyway the board's not designed for fast paced hill bombing but good to know it will handle a fair bit of pace.
The Soularc falls into its own when it sits at a nice comfortable pace around 15 - 20km/hr. You really notice when you hit that sweet spot, a speed where you can feel the board glide through its turns. The unique design of the board allows you to drive in and out of turns with reasonable power and gives you a very smooth ride, similar to that on a twinnie or singlefin as I described above.
The unique design allows you to transfer weight around the board without concern of losing traction. You can step up onto the nose of the board with grace and style, or bring all your weight back over the tail when you need extra bite to drive in and out of turns.
With the right equipment (slide gloves) you can push the board pretty hard through slides, 180's and a few other little tricks you'll pick up over time. The board is very well designed and all parts are of high quality. We gave the Soularc skateboard a reasonable thrashing with minimal damage and I'm pretty sure it will handle almost anything you can throw at it.
In summary, the soularc is a 'retro' board for the streets, and if you're into logging, twinnies or singlefins then you'll be frothin' on one. It's a cruisy board and one that will get you through those long flat spells. You'll also get a few looks from around the traps at the crazy contraption you're burning around on.
For more info and video's of the Soularc in action, 'PUSH THE BUTTON'...
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