Review on Retrospec Quip Skateboard 22.5-inch & 27-inch Classic Retro Plastic Cruiser | Complete Skateboard with ABEC 7 Bearings & PU Wheels by Gabe Evans

A few details before we get started: Rider weighs 205 pounds, US size 12 men's shoes and is an experienced skateboarder (12 years on the road) and snowboarder (21 years each season) so very comfortable on the desk. THIS IS IMPORTANT IF YOU'RE STILL LEARNING AND PLANNING TO RIDE IT TO YOUR FAVORITE PLACES. If this is you, I recommend getting a bigger board with a wider wheelbase to learn from. You can come back to this as you develop better balance/ability (that's just my opinion, don't worry). This review is for penny boards and mini cruisers only: Deca: Great quality for the price. Has some flex but not excessive and feels solid/tough. Trucks/Hubs: Absolutely does the job, the metal feels solid/trustworthy. I loosened my carriages 1, 1/2 or 2 full turns of the nut to get a nice carving on the board. Bearings: They are stamped ABEC-7 on the shields and rotate normally. Not the higher quality ones you can buy separately, but I don't think I'll be replacing them any time soon. I was riding on fresh tarmac with an incline of about 10% and while cooking I even had to drag my leg to pick up some speed. from a wheelset that costs more than this entire board. I will not replace them, they are great for my application/use. Here's a bug/area of improvement I found: The problem with wheels not spinning freely or "sticking" is not related to the quality of the bearings. It's two things: 1) The nuts might be too tight, when you take them out just loosen them a bit. Little bit. 2) Hanger pin (the axle that the wheel/bearing assemblies slide on) is about 1/8 inch shorter on both sides. The outside of the wheel hub (inside of the wheel/bore) protrudes beyond the shank (smooth bolt/axle surface) and onto the threaded portion of the bolt/axle. This results in the wheel actually having some play when the nuts are tightened to the point where they touch the spacers and bearings. Because of this, you don't have to loosen the lug nuts too far to have the wheels turn with less resistance/friction caused by over-tightening the nuts. I hope that makes sense. The problem here is the speed variation at higher speeds. I make boards/bikes/fancy wheel designs and that would be a big problem for a faster vehicle, but since it's a skateboard, especially a small one, it's not a problem. Definitely not a deal breaker. The board rides smoothly, maneuvers easily and climbs cracks/curbs with ease. If the company can get trucks with a slightly longer knuckle and pin to prevent this, this board is perfect. No need to buy additional parts to upgrade. I am incredibly happy with my $22.19 purchase and will be tearing up New York bike lanes with this bad boy!