29/02/2012
James Dixon wrote a well crafted review of the Penny Skateboard as part of his text entry into the Penny skateboard review competition.Thank you James.
''Where to begin? Well where does the fun inherent in a Penny Skateboard end? To put it simply, it does not.
The Penny skateboard is a throw-back to the early days of skateboarding and will be a familiar sight to older skaters who have ridden the concrete wave since the 80s. The board takes a bit of getting used to if like me, you are used to substantially bigger boards. Even my 26 inch Humu feels massive in comparison and I feel this is due to the width of a Penny. The small size can be quite practical for situations when you must carry your board as it is light and can be easily stashed. They’re skinny little things and only 6 inches across at the widest point which falls under your front foot. I kept stepping off the board when attempting to place my front foot on the board and accidently stepping over the edge. You adjust quickly though and within a day or two the shape of the board feels completely natural. I feel like I’ve been riding mine for years now and it has only been a month and a half since I bought mine.
Once you have acclimatised to the feel of the board, the fun soon begins. The board is incredibly nippy and the cheeky little kick-tail comes in handy. You can rest your rear foot on the beginning of the tail which achieves a ‘locked-in’ feeling when riding. The ride is smooth and the stock trucks on the board prove both responsive and stable at speed. The stock wheels provide a smooth roll that grips the road well considering the quick turns and therefore pressure that can be applied to them. I have achieved some high speeds on my penny and feel quite comfortable whizzing down medium hills.
The grip on Penny boards is not a novel invention however it feels fairly unique in the modern market. The board allows grip through the design of the deck. Some people have proved sceptical of the criss-cross wedge style however once ridden, it converts the rider quickly. With any pair of skate shoes on (Vans etc) the rider feels like they are riding a board with standard grip tape that adheres to their feet. The difference is not notable. This is true almost all of the time apart from when skating in the wet as the surface proves more slippy than standard grip. The wheels also lose a fair amount of traction in the rain too. This isn’t much of a downside though as skating in the rain is no fun regardless of board.
The sense of freedom of movement is a huge plus for the Penny as one feels they can do almost anything on it. There’s even scope for some skate park action due to the function kick. The plastic formula is really quite sturdy and can take quite the battering. Edges will get scuffed up however any damage will be superficial. I have a feeling my Penny will last a lot longer than the rest of my wooden longboards.
All in all, the Penny is a hugely enjoyable ride that has you itching to have one more run, take one more tight turn and hurtle past onlookers whilst effortlessly leaning into the next carve.
