Here’s another older review that I did for the old version of bobstricktip.info. I’m going to alter it just a bit to make it fit in better here, but the board is pretty much unchanged, so the review should still be relevant. I’m finding that there is just a lot of interest in product reviews, so I want to get all the good info up here.

A few notes: Since the time I originally wrote this, Loaded has changed the setup a bit. First, they ship with Paris trucks, which are quite excellent. Also, Loaded came out with their Orangatang brand of wheels, which have become very popular. Their website addresses setup advice quite well.

Here’s the review…

I recently acquired the 42″ Loaded Vanguard. The Vanguard is an amazing board. I got the board as a complete. They offer a couple of different versions — one with Kryptos and one with big, green, ABEC-11 Gumball wheels. All come with Randal-II 180mm trucks.

I’m often pretty skeptical of completes. Its been my experience that a lot of companies stick cheap trucks and wheels on completes in order to keep the price down. Not Loaded. Both the regular and premium builds come with top-notch trucks and wheels.

Loaded also engineered this board to work with these components. They didn’t just design a board and then scatch up some components. A lot of thought went into the design of this deck and how it will work with good components.

OK, looking at the picture, the first thing you might notice is that the board is symetrical. Same both ways. I loosened one truck a little and marked that end as the front. You could very easily right this as a bidirectional board, and pay no attention to which way it is facing.

Loaded Vanguard with current (2010) setup of Paris trucks and Orangatang wheels. Sweetness. Click for full-sized image.

Grip: Loaded uses a clear grip coating on top. It works pretty well. I’ve tried some clear grip systems that just weren’t that grippy, but the Loaded grip is good. Combined with the concave, the grip works well enough to make the board feel solid under your feet, but you can still walk the board pretty easily.

The shape: The Vanguard is wide where your feet go, narrow in the middle, and the nose/tail areas are shaped so there is absolutly NO CHANCE of wheel bite. I’ve tried. Its impossible to make it wheelbite. With the Randal trucks and 76mm Gumball wheels, and no risers at all, the board simply will not wheelbite.

Why is this important? Because with no risers needed, the board rides like a formula-1 race car. Wide, tall, grippy, super fast wheels, wide trucks, but an overall low ride. Very, very stable.

Camber and Concave: This board is cambered, but also concave. The concave is just right to make your feet feel dialed-in and steady, and really help you do some nice fast carving turns. The Camber makes the board, which is flexible, nice and snappy. As you carve around you can really snap out of a turn and gain speed. Awesome.

Adam S., doing the seemingly impossible (to me) -- a G-Turn on a board with no nose!

Flex: This board comes in 2 flexes — Flex 1 being for heavier riders, and Flex 2 for lighter riders, or heavier guys like me who like a flexy ride.

Material: OK, here’s why this is an expensive board. It isn’t your average 7-ply maple deck. It is made of vertically laminated bamboo core, with epoxy and triaxial fiberglass on the outside. Because of this construction, the board is not only incredibly responsive but also very, very light.

Eco-friendly: Loaded has made a committment to make its boards environmentally friendly. Bamboo is a very renewable resource, and they use other good stuff in the boards too. Read more about it on their website.

I’ve tried to do some video, but I’m afraid none really turned out. That’s OK, because Adam Colton did a really good one called “Fly”. Check it out. There’s a bunch of other good vids on the Loaded site, where Adam has a section. The Get Loose video is also good.

Price: These are expensive setups, for sure. But worth every penny. It also comes in a 38″ version. I’d go with the 42″, unless you are fairly short. Anyway, the “normal” build costs $264. The Premium — the one with Gumballs — costs $298. Seriously, if you are going to spend the money in the first place, go ahead and get the Premium for $34 more. The wheels are soooooo much better – they really make the riding experience perfect. Don’t just get the deck and put some shitty components on it — that would be cheating yourself and the board out of some fun riding.

This may seem like a lot to pay for a board, but keep in mind these boards will last a long, long time. I have boards of similar construction that I’ve had for 7 years that are still in good shape. I expect this Loaded Vanguard to last, well, maybe my whole life.

I really can’t say enough good things about this board. I’m just beginning to really appreciate everything you can do with it. As you’ll see in the Adam Colton vids, you can do cool, stylish tricks on these boards, but I think the incredible flowing ride is the real selling point. This is the kind of board that reminds you what the real essence of skateboarding is.

So, a huge thanks to Loaded for supporting Bob’s Trick Tips, and to the Adam Colton crew for showing me how to ride this board properly!

Beautiful video work by Adam Colton. Read his thoughts on making this video here.

A rad downhill run by Dustin Hampton, filmed by Adam Colton. This kind of stuff makes all the shortboarding flip tricks and whatnot seem pretty unsubstantial. Great job, guys.