Known for their elegance in design and visually stunning boards, the Arbor Axis Walnut is made by Arbor skateboards which is a subset of Arbor Collective. Arbor started in 1995 with snowboards and soon expanded their renowned snowboards to the street with their skateboards. All of Arbor’s skateboards are defined by their clean look and artistic design which draw envious stares from passerby.
Made to feel like a snowboard gliding down hills, the Arbor Axis Walnut 2016 is Arbor’s newest foray into the longboarding world. With a simple yet clean design, this board is eye-catching in the best possible way.
| Product | Best For | Price |
|---|---|---|
Arbor Axis Walnut Complete Longboard New | Cruising Carving |  |
The Board
The first indicator that this board was inspired by snowboards is the perfectly symmetrical shape. This shape allows the board to respond instantly to any shift in the rider’s weight. Shown below is the promotional video for the Arbor Axis longboard. Although some of the components stated changed in the new version, it gives a good overview of the board’s capabilities before this review goes in-depth.
The Arbor Axis Walnut deck is constructed out of walnut and is 40” long. This length allows the board to feel sturdy and allows the board the capability to go fast on downhills.
The Arbor Axis Walnut is a drop through board which means that the trucks go through the main deck of the board. Some of the advantages of this design are that it stabilizes the board when riding down steep hills and allows riders to power through sharp turns.
Designed for maneuverability, the board comes with Black Reverse Kingpin trucks which fit the look of the board. These trucks combined with the walnut deck allow the board carving capability usually only seen on snowboards.
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Typical on longboards, the Arbor Axis Walnut comes with standard 70 mm black wheels which fit the overall look of the board. The stock bearings it comes with are Abec 5’s which are among the lower end of the bearings market.
Upgrading these components is easy and cheap, though. To improve the downhill performance of the board, Review Longboards recommends Summit wheels
to give the board a smooth ride over any surface. For the bearings, the Red Bones bearings
are high end and universally rated the best for the price.
Riding the Arbor Axis Walnut
After talking to numerous riders of the board, it was universally said that this board provides a smooth ride over any surface. When going fast, the Arbor Axis Walnut was said to be “the most stable board” riders have ever experienced. The drop through trucks virtually eliminate speed wobbles and improve the stability of the board.
One unique feature of the Arbor Axis Walnut is the clear grip tape. The grip tape allows riders a secure footing on the board while also showcasing the vibrant design on the board.
Clear grip tape is unusual among longboards on the market and for good reason. As the grip tape is sprayed on as the board is assembled, the Arbor Axis Walnut grip tape will lose its grip over time.
One solution for this is to simply re-grip the board. Given an afternoon, a sheet of coarse sandpaper can grind down the current grip tape to a thin enough level. Then, replacing the grip with a high rated alternative such as Vicious Grip Tape is as simple as placing it on the board.
It’s worth noting that often times riders do not even notice the difference in grip tape. The grip tape on the board functions perfectly well for beginner riders. As you progress and attempt harder maneuvers, however, the grip tape might be worth replacing.
Who should buy the Arbor Axis Walnut?
Overall, this board rides perfectly out of the box. With its superb carving ability, it provides riders with a sense of snowboarding on dry land. For riders who want to go fast, the drop through trucks provide enough stability to prevent speed wobbles at even the highest speeds.
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While this board comes with good components, it can easily be upgraded to be the best and most capable board that you own.
