Customer Reviews

Surf One Robert August II Complete Longboard (8.875 x 43.75)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This particular longboard was the first one I've ever purchased, so naturally I had some reservations about purchasing it online through Amazon. What I recieved was a really good longboard that I hope to use far into the future. It rides well, provides good turning that gets me through even the tightest crowds at school. I use it primarily to get around campus and it works great. A little hefty, but manageable.

When I first got the board it had an unexplainable rattle that worried me, so I took it to a friend and we worked out the problem--tightened the trucks and wheels. That worked a little, so then we tried taking off all the wheels for good measure. What we found was that instead of having washers on both sides, as per usual, there were only washers on one side of the wheel. He had some spares so we just added those to the longboard, and it has been smooth sailing. Hopefully this was an isolated incident. If not, the washers are pretty cheap to get.

All in all a solid longboard. $130 was a decent price, and it rides great, not to mention looks beautiful. I have gotten many complements (many from seasoned boarding vets) about its appearance.

I bought this board for my son for xmas. He keeps telling me how great it is and how much he loves it. Awesome looking board and built strong. Highly recommend!

First off, let me poit out im not any kind of an aggressive longboarder. Im not out to do slides or bomb hills at 60mph, or any other crazy activities. I primarily skate from point A to point B, like to carve down some nice lazy hills, and catch a sweet ride.This board definitely delivers! Ive been longboarding since I was a teenager, and am not exactly a beginner (nor am I a pro by any stretch). Ive been on a lot of different boards and different board types, and this is one smooth rider. Completely helping you re-live your own endless summer fantasy. Riding this baby you could almost swear your surfing un-charted beaches w/ Mike Hynson into the sunset (*Obligatory E.S. refference. Im actually from central PA lol). But, seriously... The classic surfboard shape, retro grapics, and overall ride offer a very vintage surf-like feel to the rider.
My board in particular came equipped with Randall R-11 180mm Longboard Trucks. Which boast a reverse kingpin with non restrictive flat bushing cups, and an open pivot cup to help really cut into your carves. While offering a 180mm base for stability. The Wheels I recieved are Surf One Five Star 70mm 78a. Which are center set and have speed cores making them lighter and a little faster. It also came equipped with Bones Reds. Which I thought was awesome, because usually factory shipped boards come with a lower quality bearing.
All, in all. Im very impressed with this board. Right out of the box, complete and ready to go, my board had quick pick up, nice flex, nice response, and a long smooth ride... My only complaint, and its minor. It appears the top and bottom graphics are just that, graphics. Im pretty sure taht the attracive wood grain appearence is just inked on. Its not at all important. Everywhere I take it people always make positive remarks about the vintage looks. Some girl actually asked me if it was a really old skateboard. Kinda dumb but a little flattering.
I reccomend this board to any one just getting into longboarding. Kids looking to get around a school campus, or even an experienced rider looking for a nice cruiser. You wont be dis-apointed!
*NOTE This is shipped as a factory complete longboard. You may need to make adjustments due to size or riding preference.
-Enjoy =]

Bro, this is a nasty longboard that delivers a massive stoke!! I cruise down the pavement and wave to the ladies and they can't help themselves from waving back. They know I'm for real when I'm on this puppy! It's less forgiving than a skimboard at the wedge and more loving than a thai hooker.

I bought this board in March 2011 and it opened my eyes to the fabulous sport of longboarding. This is an excellent board for beginners.. Not only is the price reasonable (approx $131 then), the well made branded parts that came with it , Randal2 trucks, Bones Reds bearings, make it an awesome deal.. the 65mm 80A surf one wheels(1/4 inch risers) were also of great quality, albeit on the small side.. I was so stoked, I went on to buy a second board in June for keeps/display($151).. this time around, it came with 70mm 78A Surf one wheels + 1/2 inch risers.. So far, I`ve purchased a few other boards, the Moose drop through( from Amazon, which is also excellent for downhill, just change the stock trucks), a Loaded Dervish and a Loaded Tan Tien.. But the Robert August still holds a special place in my heart and it is my default city cruising board.. Its ample foot space makes it an ideal dancing board for cross stepping, Peter Pans.. and it`s generous nose and tail allow for shuvits and manuals.. Its smaller wheel base (despite its length) also allows for improved manueverabilty and a really small turning radius for a board its length.. It is rather stiff and suitable for heavier riders,my 90-100+ kg friend rode it and there was no issue of the board bottoming out..
The board picks up and mantains speed readily on flatground, which is something I love..
It is also very light and as other reviewers mentioned.. very beautiful..
The ladies do take notice(over here, they like to stroke the board,I dunno why..) and you`ll get compliments from lil kids and other riders..

So much for the pros.. the cons will include the issue of wheel-bite, especially if you`ve loosened the trucks too much and if you are sporting 70mm wheels.. 1/2 risers are absolutely necessary to prevent this..

Because of its raised height, pushing may be strenous to the 'pushing feet' , I had a severe case of plantar fasciitis and knee aches(Patella tendinitis) initially.. But with good insoles and heel cushions plus proper pushing techniques, you should be able to manage this..

It does not have any flex or camber (read: lack of suspension) so it doesn`t really soak up the minute bumps on the road well.. hence travelling over rough pavement can be a a little jarring to the sole and joints and you do 'feel' the road..

Its lack of a concave makes it hard for the feet to lock-in the board for heelside speed checks or slides, but toeside checks are possible.. It is also not very suitable for downhill.. speed wobbles do occur and I got thrown off the board once..

But other than that, it makes for a beautiful and affordable cruiser board.. the shipping from Amazon Exports was swift( 1 week to reach Singapore) and competitively priced.. Buy it, ride it and remember to wear a helmut when skating!! =D

This is an awesome board for fast transportation, stable downhill speeds, looks good for the ladies (or guys), and excellent handling. So it's a great bored.

Don't hesitate to buy if your okay with the price.

Only thing that might change your mind is if your comfortable at longboarding and are use to doing hard/sharp carving. This board gets a bit of wheelbite at first but that is just in the beginning.

this board is a very good board. the stock components are exelent. this board is primarily a cruiser but its still stable at speedes of 35mph.

This is the first long board I have ever purchased. I didn't really know what to look for or what would be a great buy. I was just browsing and I found this board and fell in love with it. I was nervous about buying it online, but I decided to go out on a limb. I'm very glad that I did. As soon as I got it I took it out just to see if the trucks needed any adjusting and it rode perfectly. It is awesome in turning and rides very smooth. My little sister even hopped on and rode it with no problems. Plus, the design is totally awesome! If you wan't a great board that you can have fun cruising on this is the board to buy!! :)

this was my first longboard and i was very pleased once i got it. Firstly, this board is beautiful and ive recieved many good comments about its surfboard/classic look. The board itself rides very well and handles "around town" boarding perfectly but its a fairly rigid board so i wouldnt expect to be carving too much although it does perform nicely for basic carving.
Ultimately, great board, looks great. buy it

This is my first longboard so I don't have much to compare it to. It rides pretty smooth and supports my weight (185ish)

Anyway, in case y'all was wondering, my board shipped with

Randal II 180 trucks
bones red bearings
surf one wheels 70mm 83a

Not bad for the price considering the price of the deck alone. I plan to swap out the bearings for something softer and make it more carvy ($6). When the wheels wear out I'm going for some abec gumballs. All in all a good board for cruising. And the ladies do like it, I've gotten a few comments already. Have your A game ready.