Honest Review of the Don't Trip Poppies

The Poppy Review 

Pictured right here is my AZ, with some Poppies and SpeedVents.

The SP 55° 125mm Poppy is a phenomenal truck.

Pictured here is the Poppy Truck installed on my GBomb Setup, with a front DDR, and rear TTS, on the X-26 platform.

The Good

This truck has been amazing so far. With my recent(-ish) injury, I have had to cut back on the DH aspect of my career, but now I'm focusing on Long Distance Pushing/Pumping, or LDP, and so far, it's been a blast. Let's get the good things out of the way.

High Angle

These trucks sit at an astounding 55°. For reference, the average truck sits at about 50°. What this high angle means is that you can carve, or rather, pump, your board. Paired with a low degree rear (like my TTS, or a TTA, or an ECOLITE) it'll be good for high speed pumping. Oh yeah, did I also mention that this truck is on a DDR, which is essentially a front bracket, that is adjustable? It adjusts the angle, so currently, I have it at about 65°, and boy it's perfect. 

Width

The Width on this hangar is perfect, it's 125mm adjustable to 143mm. Now granted, I did have the wider version, 152mm adjustable to 170mm, and I did not like the wider version one bit. I had a friend, we will call him Tommy , he was able to pump a Genesis I had, but the thing is that he had to use his WHOLE body. I can't really do that, I can get into the groove, sure. But doing full body pumps, I cannot do, I can wiggle and get going that way. So that's why I opted to get a new hangar that's a little more narrower. With narrower hangars, they actually travel less distance than with wider trucks in the same amount of time.

The Old Genesis, pictured right here

SP Vs. Pivot Cup

I opted for the SP (Spherical) baseplate for this truck, mainly for one reason. The reason being that I was thinking of taking this truck out onto smooth pavement. I was being stupid and took it out on a really rough road, and man, it is brutal!! Constant vibration from the road, I think that if I could go back in time, I would have opted for the Pivot Cup version. But I am not complaining much. 

I knew what I was signing up for, and to be honest, I think I know what to do in the future, aka not take it out on rough roads!!

The Look

It looks like a really good truck. It comes with one color for the hangar, Silver, and one color for the Baseplate, Black. It truly looks badass.

The Bad

I've read a lot about this truck, and apparently there's a known issue with it. Apparently around 1000km (or roughly 621 miles) to 3000km, the kingpin will snap, rendering the truck useless. 

It's mainly a safety issue, but some preventative work can be done to it for sure. But , alas, the kingpin is luckily replaceable.

And that's what is essentially going to make my review harder on the Poppies. I love these trucks, but, the fact that they are only "durable until..." , let's just say that it's not ideal. 

9/10

These are a great truck, but there are some improvements to be had.  

My injury, The Boardshop, and other News

Hey guys...

So I was recently injured in a longboarding accident where I basically went head over toe. But, a bit of backstory. I got cocky, and decided to take a really steep road, like a 15% grade kind of road, and then I fell. I got speed wobbles , fell head over feet. Hit my head. Suffered a TBI, and now I'm partially deficit on my right side.

So, that's no fun...

...But now...

I have my own boardshop in it's very own building. I'm very happy and proud to have it in my hometown of Centralia. Let's see, what else is new with me - oh yeah, I am focusing more on LDP, or Long Distance Pushing/Pumping. Now granted, I don't have all the movements back, but, hopefully, with time/practice, I will be able to get it down to a science.

A new product we have in the Boardshop is Loaded boards, which is a big deal. And also, along with Loaded, we have Orangatang wheels, which is such a massive achievement. 

I don't know though, but I am happy. Not just happy with the personal progress, but happy for the present and future. I'm excited to see what this crazy journey called life throws at me, and hey! I might just freeride again one day. But for now, I'm happy.  

Honest Review of the Ahmyo Vibez

Honest Review of the Ahmyo Vibez

The Ahmyo Vibez is a 64mm tall, 41.5 wide wheel. It has a 36.5 contact patch, and it's duro is 84a, making for a really steezy wheel.

To me, I don't see anything wrong with these wheels. They're a good freeride wheel. They're fast. They thane, and they last for a good while, too.

They come stone ground, so it's very easy to slide straight out of the package.

8/10

My own business

New Skate Shop

So...there's the news. I'm filing for a business license already, and I'm excited! There'll be the standard stuff, like decks, trucks, bushings, wheels etc. But, I'll have other stuff, too. Bikes, and Downhill trikes. Plus, clothes and shoes and shit, too. It'll be sick, and will be coming up, very, very soon. :)

New Helmet

I haven't really been skating for a lil' bit.

"Why's that?"

You may ask. Well, my helmet broke. So, I ordered a Predator FR7 Helmet, as a replacement. I chose this because it's well know, it's semi local (Canada is close to Washington, so it works.) and it has a small visor.

I'm digging it so far. Feels really light, durable, but I'll do a more extensive review once I get more experience.