Can't thank you enough for how accesible you've made getting into Surfskating, even for peolple who had little to no experience in skateboarding. It's a great hobby and your recommendations on brands, trucks, accesories, and wheels do make a difference.
One note about the Meraki.... for bowl riding, you can actually stiffen up the board and lessen the easeof Jacknifing by simply putting a stiffer bushing on the rear truck. I imagine this would be even more effective with riptide bushings. How stiff the rear bushing is, greatly influences how easy the board leans while turning, and how easy the board leans controls how soon the front Meraki truck pivots, and also ultimately how far it pivots, so a stiff rear bushing can make it so you can really throw your weight into turns without the front turning too far. A stiffer bushing on the front truck can also offer some additional adjustability, but the rear one makes the biggest difference I've found and is quite remarkable.
I ride a Meraki front with a Carver C2 Rear and it Shreds.... my fav system to put on my decks.... I also greased the heck out of my Meraki spring.... Great vid man🤙
This is the most thorough and clear analysis on ANY TOPIC I have seen. Wonderful filming. Much appreciated lack of "music" and clear audio. I appreciate the time and hard work that went into this video!
Agreed that the Yow rear truck is not very good. Swapping a C2 rear truck greatly increases the overall board lean and keeps the rear wheels on the ground in hard turns . A reverse kingpin longboard truck also works very well on the rear.
This could be a possible candidate for flipping the rear truck to gain wheelbase and stability. I also imagine if I had one I’d take a rear waterborne rail adapter and mount it using just the bottom half like their carbon Scorpio deck to keep the ride height about the same as replacing the yow stock riser.
@@sageoz9886 How can you mount the rail adapter using only the bottom half? The top half holds the kingpin bolts in, and also provides a flat platform for the bushings. Are you gonna put the kingpin bolts straight through your deck? Even if you do, the deck is probably curved where one of the adapter's bushings is. Waterborne Scorpio deck is specifically designed to have the rail adapter integrated, I don't think you can easily do this with your own deck. Having said all this, the rail adapter is exactly 30mm tall. The YOW riser is 1" (25.4 mm). If the 3.6 mm height difference bothers you, add a 1/8" (~3.2 mm) riser under the front truck.
@@GenePavlovsky the ride height is not a big deal, I just thought it looks really clean on the Scorpio and it’d be cool to replicate that if possible though yeah I totally recognize the amount of modification that’d be necessary to make it possible. That said I’ve rail adapters on several boards and haven’t yet made the effort to mod any yet 😂
Incredible video! People don't even understand how much work went into this.... Well done! I want a YOW for summer snowboard carving exercise... Torn between a 19" and a 21" wheelbase of the Teahupoo and the San Onofre... Any ideas? 17" WB is definitely too snappy for what I need. Cheers and keep up the great work!! Lars
Great video Steve! I have been skating with a Yow Aritz Aranburu 32.5" for four years now. Apart from some minor issues with the pivot cup at the beginning, and the 3-4 times I had to replace the spring, it has been a smooth ride.
I really appreciate all the work and research you put into your videos. I only picked up my first surfskate last year, mostly thanks to your videos and surfskate selector! I was relieved to hear the bushing issue with YOW is pretty common. I was so worried last year that I'd messed up mine, but I picked up harder bushings at my local skate shop, and they've been great. Also, your video on maintenance for the YOW Meraki saved my bacon. The squeaking was driving me crazy. Thank you!
It's kind of weird how, to me and many others I've talked to, the YOW is a runner up to their favorite that nobody wants to give up. I've grown, personally, into a more skateboard hybrid using a Sol-Ride currently, but my YOW is irreplaceable as my favorite cruiser. It's how I get to the park, just not what I use to do anything technical while I'm there. Though, it's still fun to skate some transition with. Currently my main setup is the Sol-Ride front truck, and an Indy hollow for the rear truck, rolling on the softest/largest side set roller derby wheels I could find, and all mounted to an 8.5" Madness board. It's defiantly not a standard setup, but it's super nimble, super stable, reverse pumpable, and more surfy than a CX, but not as surfy as the YOW. Also it's crazy cheap for a surfskate setup.
Hay Steve, I really enjoyed the review and explanations. I am looking forward to investing in a Long Island Mossel with the Genesis truck system as it uses a bushing system that has the same amount of rail to rail lean as the Yow Meraki. The price to quality relationship is also very good. The Fog Haze 31 inch is also a model I am considering. I hope that you will do a test on these models as well. I have seen some French test and they were very positive. I want the board for surf training and bowl riding. Have a nice day. Best Regards, Hayward 👍🏄
I just bought a YOW pipe and even tho I'm somewhat new to surfskating, I quite like it :) It is a bit squeaky tho, but I'll take your advice and change the bushing in the front. Thanks for making this video :) My first surfskate was the carver CX and it was a good one to learn on. I also love the Waterborne adapter as well.
Meraki ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. Sometimes Carver CX. Either way - you rippin'!!!!!!! Whooooooooo!!!!!!! Thanks as always for the insights/video. Steve = one of the greats!!!!!
I got into surf skating just a few weeks ago. I have 2 Yow’s, the mundaka and the snapper, as well as the waterborne which I converted my mini cruiser. I’m hooked. I don’t think I’ll ride a regular cruiser again.
Ditching Yow's big riser for a rail adapter was a huge upgrade for me. Makes the lean of the board extremely tunable as well. I like soft 78a on the adapter and 87a on the truck for lots of lean and moderate turn. I find almost all stock systems to have too much turn per lean for me though, especially as you pick up speed.
have you tried Grasp trucks? They are awesome steve. would love to see a review on what you think. I feel they have the stability of a cx and the forward momentum of a yow meraki. If meraki and cx had a baby, that would be it!! Also very versatile in the skatepark.
Thank you for another great video 👍 you mentioned that you prefer the rear C2 truck over the yow rear truck. A few people are using the carver on the rear with the Meraki front and really rate it. I wondered if you do this or have tried it? Atb
I just ordered the YOW snappers deck. I have the waterborne fin system on the pisces. I do not like how the pisces deck feels. I'm excited to see the combo of the YOW snappers with a deep concave on my waterborne in super carve! Also just ordered the right bushing set and bearings from your company. Thanks for all you do. I love surfskate, the work you put in has helped me.
Nice review! A bit unrelated but have you tried grasp trucks? Do you think they would make your top 10 if they weren't as similar in design to the carver cx? I've heard they are somewhere in between the cx and meraki in feel. Curious your thoughts thanks!
I started skating with the Meraki but now i love the Polorizers by Heated wheel. They are like the 60s style surf skateboard. Closer to the ground easy to push and almost as nimble. The new fiber rider is like skating on glass
I love my YOW, the La Jolla deck is really comfortable for my big feet. Gonna try replacing the rear truck with a Carver C2 per your suggestion. I guess the only weak point is the spring, mine broke after 6 months when I was showing to my buddy how the truck works. Just did something like you're doing at 05:25, and felt a snap. Opened the truck up, and saw one of bent ends of the spring broke off at the bend, obviously their weak spot. YOW sent me a replacement spring as they give a 6 month warranty for the spring and bearings, but I can't help but think that they consider it as a wear item, to be replaced from time to time (I mean, they sell spare springs in packs of 2 or 4, which suggests you will need more than one over the time :D). But well, these springs are not so expensive, just have to stock up on spares...
Hi, congratulations on the videos. I learn a lot by watching your videos 😊. I would like to know your opinion about Loaded's Fathom skateboard. I want to buy a skateboard to have fun riding in a park close to home and also riding around the city. I was going to buy Fathom from Loaded but after watching your videos I became very interested in La Jolla from YOW. Is the Yow skateboard good for gaining speed in the city?
wanting some reqs for snowboarders as i’m coming from a snowboarding/snowskating background with no other board sport experience but seeing as this is the most surfy and i ride a snowboard very surfy and carvey so it’s seeming like this would be my best approach to skating
As always, thanks for all these reviews and advices. But all that said, I ve got a noob question : can I set a C7 on a Yow deck ? And with the specific wheelbase measures you ve pointed in your video, does it means that with à C7 a 18in stance Will still be a 18in on a yow deck (if that makes sense) ? Thanks for your reply or anyone knowing the answers 😊 Best wishes for this New year
Yeah I'm planning on it. In the meantime, here's my bottom line: It sucks, don't buy it. It's lighter than the C7-in fact, lighter than the CX. But IMHO, that is it's only advantage. Although it's essentially a carbon copy of the C7 in terms of visual design, it feels much worse.
I checked my knees at the Dr. , Got MRI & found I got a crack that I'm living with now. (That's why I don't surfskate anymore) 😔🥲 I don't know if it was from a fall (I don't remember falling nearly ever) or overtraining. Take it easy . It's probably a very old injury that I had and now with age and the stress of training it started to show up.
Can't thank you enough for how accesible you've made getting into Surfskating, even for peolple who had little to no experience in skateboarding. It's a great hobby and your recommendations on brands, trucks, accesories, and wheels do make a difference.
One note about the Meraki.... for bowl riding, you can actually stiffen up the board and lessen the easeof Jacknifing by simply putting a stiffer bushing on the rear truck. I imagine this would be even more effective with riptide bushings. How stiff the rear bushing is, greatly influences how easy the board leans while turning, and how easy the board leans controls how soon the front Meraki truck pivots, and also ultimately how far it pivots, so a stiff rear bushing can make it so you can really throw your weight into turns without the front turning too far. A stiffer bushing on the front truck can also offer some additional adjustability, but the rear one makes the biggest difference I've found and is quite remarkable.
I ride a Meraki front with a Carver C2 Rear and it Shreds.... my fav system to put on my decks.... I also greased the heck out of my Meraki spring.... Great vid man🤙
This is the most thorough and clear analysis on ANY TOPIC I have seen. Wonderful filming. Much appreciated lack of "music" and clear audio. I appreciate the time and hard work that went into this video!
Agreed that the Yow rear truck is not very good. Swapping a C2 rear truck greatly increases the overall board lean and keeps the rear wheels on the ground in hard turns . A reverse kingpin longboard truck also works very well on the rear.
This could be a possible candidate for flipping the rear truck to gain wheelbase and stability. I also imagine if I had one I’d take a rear waterborne rail adapter and mount it using just the bottom half like their carbon Scorpio deck to keep the ride height about the same as replacing the yow stock riser.
@@sageoz9886 How can you mount the rail adapter using only the bottom half? The top half holds the kingpin bolts in, and also provides a flat platform for the bushings. Are you gonna put the kingpin bolts straight through your deck? Even if you do, the deck is probably curved where one of the adapter's bushings is. Waterborne Scorpio deck is specifically designed to have the rail adapter integrated, I don't think you can easily do this with your own deck.
Having said all this, the rail adapter is exactly 30mm tall. The YOW riser is 1" (25.4 mm). If the 3.6 mm height difference bothers you, add a 1/8" (~3.2 mm) riser under the front truck.
@@GenePavlovsky the ride height is not a big deal, I just thought it looks really clean on the Scorpio and it’d be cool to replicate that if possible though yeah I totally recognize the amount of modification that’d be necessary to make it possible. That said I’ve rail adapters on several boards and haven’t yet made the effort to mod any yet 😂
Incredible video!
People don't even understand how much work went into this....
Well done!
I want a YOW for summer snowboard carving exercise... Torn between a 19" and a 21" wheelbase of the Teahupoo and the San Onofre...
Any ideas?
17" WB is definitely too snappy for what I need.
Cheers and keep up the great work!!
Lars
Great video Steve! I have been skating with a Yow Aritz Aranburu 32.5" for four years now. Apart from some minor issues with the pivot cup at the beginning, and the 3-4 times I had to replace the spring, it has been a smooth ride.
I really appreciate all the work and research you put into your videos. I only picked up my first surfskate last year, mostly thanks to your videos and surfskate selector! I was relieved to hear the bushing issue with YOW is pretty common. I was so worried last year that I'd messed up mine, but I picked up harder bushings at my local skate shop, and they've been great. Also, your video on maintenance for the YOW Meraki saved my bacon. The squeaking was driving me crazy. Thank you!
Top notch info cheers, especially taking apart the meraki mechanism 🤓👍
Thanks for the great and complete review!
Pumping is cool!
P/S Sorry for the automatic translation.
It's kind of weird how, to me and many others I've talked to, the YOW is a runner up to their favorite that nobody wants to give up. I've grown, personally, into a more skateboard hybrid using a Sol-Ride currently, but my YOW is irreplaceable as my favorite cruiser. It's how I get to the park, just not what I use to do anything technical while I'm there. Though, it's still fun to skate some transition with.
Currently my main setup is the Sol-Ride front truck, and an Indy hollow for the rear truck, rolling on the softest/largest side set roller derby wheels I could find, and all mounted to an 8.5" Madness board. It's defiantly not a standard setup, but it's super nimble, super stable, reverse pumpable, and more surfy than a CX, but not as surfy as the YOW. Also it's crazy cheap for a surfskate setup.
Hay Steve, I really enjoyed the review and explanations. I am looking forward to investing in a Long Island Mossel with the Genesis truck system as it uses a bushing system that has the same amount of rail to rail lean as the Yow Meraki. The price to quality relationship is also very good. The Fog Haze 31 inch is also a model I am considering. I hope that you will do a test on these models as well. I have seen some French test and they were very positive. I want the board for surf training and bowl riding. Have a nice day. Best Regards, Hayward 👍🏄
I have one and it’s great. You’ll love it for surf training.
Very informative and in depth review. Thanks!
This is awesome I have a Cx set up and looking in to getting a Yow and this made me feel good about it.
I just bought a YOW pipe and even tho I'm somewhat new to surfskating, I quite like it :) It is a bit squeaky tho, but I'll take your advice and change the bushing in the front. Thanks for making this video :) My first surfskate was the carver CX and it was a good one to learn on. I also love the Waterborne adapter as well.
Meraki ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. Sometimes Carver CX. Either way - you rippin'!!!!!!! Whooooooooo!!!!!!!
Thanks as always for the insights/video. Steve = one of the greats!!!!!
I got into surf skating just a few weeks ago. I have 2 Yow’s, the mundaka and the snapper, as well as the waterborne which I converted my mini cruiser. I’m hooked. I don’t think I’ll ride a regular cruiser again.
You and me both!
I love my yow meraki with the 81a surfskate wheels!!!! It flows so well. The squeeking of the pivot cups and bushings is the only downside
Ditching Yow's big riser for a rail adapter was a huge upgrade for me. Makes the lean of the board extremely tunable as well. I like soft 78a on the adapter and 87a on the truck for lots of lean and moderate turn. I find almost all stock systems to have too much turn per lean for me though, especially as you pick up speed.
have you tried Grasp trucks? They are awesome steve. would love to see a review on what you think. I feel they have the stability of a cx and the forward momentum of a yow meraki. If meraki and cx had a baby, that would be it!! Also very versatile in the skatepark.
JOEY CUT HIS HAIR!! LOOKS GOOD!! GONNA MISS IT!
I go to bowl, tight all the truck, when back to park, loose it... It working very nice, I love it
Thank you for another great video 👍 you mentioned that you prefer the rear C2 truck over the yow rear truck. A few people are using the carver on the rear with the Meraki front and really rate it. I wondered if you do this or have tried it?
Atb
Yep, and it's fantastic. Helps with the turning radius, as well as more grip in the rear through turns.
I just ordered the YOW snappers deck. I have the waterborne fin system on the pisces. I do not like how the pisces deck feels. I'm excited to see the combo of the YOW snappers with a deep concave on my waterborne in super carve! Also just ordered the right bushing set and bearings from your company. Thanks for all you do. I love surfskate, the work you put in has helped me.
When are you going to review waterborne dream? Their truck system is slick. Coming from a cowboy lol.
Nice review! A bit unrelated but have you tried grasp trucks? Do you think they would make your top 10 if they weren't as similar in design to the carver cx? I've heard they are somewhere in between the cx and meraki in feel. Curious your thoughts thanks!
Yes, I have them and I'm currently working on a review. Stay tuned...
How is it going with the Grasp review? :)
I started skating with the Meraki but now i love the Polorizers by Heated wheel. They are like the 60s style surf skateboard. Closer to the ground easy to push and almost as nimble. The new fiber rider is like skating on glass
I love my YOW, the La Jolla deck is really comfortable for my big feet. Gonna try replacing the rear truck with a Carver C2 per your suggestion. I guess the only weak point is the spring, mine broke after 6 months when I was showing to my buddy how the truck works. Just did something like you're doing at 05:25, and felt a snap. Opened the truck up, and saw one of bent ends of the spring broke off at the bend, obviously their weak spot. YOW sent me a replacement spring as they give a 6 month warranty for the spring and bearings, but I can't help but think that they consider it as a wear item, to be replaced from time to time (I mean, they sell spare springs in packs of 2 or 4, which suggests you will need more than one over the time :D). But well, these springs are not so expensive, just have to stock up on spares...
What do you think of the mick fanning carver series?
Hi, congratulations on the videos. I learn a lot by watching your videos 😊. I would like to know your opinion about Loaded's Fathom skateboard. I want to buy a skateboard to have fun riding in a park close to home and also riding around the city. I was going to buy Fathom from Loaded but after watching your videos I became very interested in La Jolla from YOW. Is the Yow skateboard good for gaining speed in the city?
wanting some reqs for snowboarders as i’m coming from a snowboarding/snowskating background with no other board sport experience but seeing as this is the most surfy and i ride a snowboard very surfy and carvey so it’s seeming like this would be my best approach to skating
I like my Yow, but is a bit heavy.
The newer smooth star mimics the geometry and it's lighter.
Você é o melhor, grato.
As always, thanks for all these reviews and advices.
But all that said, I ve got a noob question : can I set a C7 on a Yow deck ? And with the specific wheelbase measures you ve pointed in your video, does it means that with à C7 a 18in stance Will still be a 18in on a yow deck (if that makes sense) ?
Thanks for your reply or anyone knowing the answers 😊
Best wishes for this New year
Oh no, Joey cut off his Dreads.
He looks like a typical street skater now.
please do a review on "globe" surfskates and their "slant" surfskate trucks
Yeah I'm planning on it. In the meantime, here's my bottom line: It sucks, don't buy it. It's lighter than the C7-in fact, lighter than the CX. But IMHO, that is it's only advantage. Although it's essentially a carbon copy of the C7 in terms of visual design, it feels much worse.
@@SurfskateLove wow..thanks for the input and opinion..much appreciated ..i'll probably go with the C7 or CX then 👍🏽👍🏽
hey steve! have you made a review on the grasp trucks?
In the works! Hope to have it out by March at the very latest. But should be sooner.
@@SurfskateLove awesome!!
what do you think of the YOW medina?
I'm going to buy a new surfskate and my stance width is 18. I was wondering if you tried Yow Amatriain and if you liked it?
How do you tighten the front truck so it doesnt turn so easily?
Are yow good for beginners?
Difference between Yow and Slide? I've a Slide, and here in Italy is difficult find Yow..
Night and day difference. YOW has much more range of motion, much deeper rail-to-rail lean, and it's way smoother and more fluid.
I checked my knees at the Dr. , Got MRI & found I got a crack that I'm living with now. (That's why I don't surfskate anymore) 😔🥲 I don't know if it was from a fall (I don't remember falling nearly ever) or overtraining. Take it easy . It's probably a very old injury that I had and now with age and the stress of training it started to show up.
Oh man, I'm so sorry to hear that! Take care of yourself. 😢
Those riptide pivot cups definitely aren't flush @3:00 ... it causes my hanger to tear up the metal rim which is a bummer
Interesting. I've never had that problem.