A couple details before we begin: Rider weighs 205 lbs, men's US sz 12 shoe, and is and experienced skateboarder (12 years on/off) and snowboarder (21 years every season) so very comfortable on a board. THIS IS IMPORTANT IF YOU ARE STILL LEARNING AND PLAN TO RIDE THIS IN BUSY/CROWDED AREAS. If this is you, I recommend getting a larger board with a wider wheel base to learn on. You can come back to this when you've developed better balance/skill (just my opinion, don't freak out).
This review is in the context of "penny" boards and mini cruisers only:
Deck: Excellent quality for price. Has some flex, but not excessive, and feels solid/sturdy.
Trucks/Bushings: Absolutely get the job done, metal seems strong/trustworthy quality. I loosened my trucks by about 1 & 1/2 to 2 complete rotations on the nut to get the board carving nicely.
Bearings: They are stamped abec-7 on the shields, and spin okay. Not the higher quality you can buy seperate, but I don't think I'll replace them anytime soon. I rode down fresh asphalt at about 10% grade and was cookin', even had to drag my foot to scrub some speed.
Wheels: Feel soft when cruising on rougher concrete, but like the bearings, not the higher quality urethane you'll get from a set of wheels that cost more than this entire board. I will not be replacing them, they're great for my application/use.
Here is the one defect/area of improvement I found: The issue of wheels not spinning freely or being "stuck" is not due to quality of bearings. Its two things: 1) the nuts might be too tight when you get it, just loosed them up a tiny bit. A TINY bit. 2) the hang pin (axle that the wheel/bearing assemblies slide onto) is about 1/8 of an inch too short on either side. The outer side of the wheel hub (inner portion/hole of wheel) extends past the shank (smooth area of pin/axle) and onto the threaded area of the pin/axle. This causes the wheel to actually have some play in it if the nuts are tightened to the point where they contact the spacers and bearings. Because of this, you won't want to loosen the wheel nuts too much in order to get the wheels to spin with less drag/friction caused by the nuts being too tight... hopefully this makes sense. the concern here is speed wobble at higher speeds. I build boards/bikes/funky wheeled creations and this would be a major concern on a higher speed vehicle, but since its a skateboard, specifically a lil' one, it's not really an issue. Definitely not a deal breaker. Board rides smooth, easy to maneuver and manual over cracks/off curbs. If the company can get trucks with a slightly longer pin/axle shank to prevent this, this board would be perfect. No need to buy additional parts to upgrade. I'm incredibly happy with my $22.19 purchase and will be tearing up the bike lanes of NYC on this bad boy!
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 22.5 x 6 x 5 inches |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 1.72 Kilograms |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 23 x 7 x 4 inches |
| Item Weight | 1 Kilograms |
| Brand Name | Retrospec |
| Warranty Description | Limited Warranty |
| Model Name | Retrospec Quip 22.5" |
| Color | Americana |
| Material | Plastic |
| Suggested Users | unisex-adult |
| Manufacturer | Retrospec |
| Part Number | 4030 |
| Model Year | 2021 |
| Style | 22.5 In. |
| Included Components | Complete Cruiser Skateboard |
| Size | 22.5 in. |
