The Landyachtz Evo. This longboard has had more world championships underneath its belt than any other longboard since its creation. The Evo is designed for high-speed downhill racers and is undoubtedly one of the best downhill longboards that you can buy today. Want to know what makes this longboard so great that it’s won world championship downhill races? I’m going to go into detail about it below.
| Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
Landyachtz - Evo Longboard Complete 2017 | Downhill Cruising | Check Price Now! |
Landyachtz Evo: The Board
Built of 11 ply maple and with a wedged construction, this longboard is very sturdy and has little-no flex. The deck has a large concave in it which helps center the feet when riding the board. One feature that similar downhill boards do not have is the tapered construction.
When tucking, this allows for the rider to place their foot easily on the front of the board and wedge their foot into the rear of the board for stability. You won’t need to move your feet at all in the tuck position and the rails of the longboard will keep your feet nice and locked.
The deck also features large wheel cutouts so wheel bite will never be a problem no matter the size wheel you put on the board. Even with 78mm wheels, I have never had any problems with wheel bite.
Let’s examine the overall construction of the deck. See anything unique? It definitely does not look a typical downhill longboard.
Wedging Explained
One of the unique aspects of the Landyachtz Evo is the wedging. Wedging refers to the angle of the necks of the board. On the Evo, the front is wedged 15 degrees and the back is de-wedged 15 degrees.
What that does that mean to me, you ask? Let me explain. All longboard trucks have a base angle which is angle of the hanger of the truck to the baseplate. Typically the base angle is 50 degrees.
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With a wedge of 15 degrees, the base angle of the truck effectively increases to 50+15 = 65 base angle. With dewedging, the opposite is true so the rear truck would have a base angle of 50 -15 = 35 base angle.
Stop doing the math and get to the point! Ok, for the rider this effectively means that this board has lots of carving power in the front of the board. At the back of the Landyachtz Evo, the lower truck angle provides increased stability to prevent speed wobbles.
Truck Recommendations
Now the 50-degree trucks that I used above would feel terrible on the Evo. The Landyachtz Evo is primarily designed for Randall DH 35 degree trucks
but can work with any trucks with a base angle of 45 degrees and below.
Some other truck recommendations for you: Sabre
, Randall R2 with 42-degree plates
, Bear 840, and Randall DH.
Note: Also make sure the trucks are raked! With the 15-degree
drop in the back, unraked trucks feel very unresponsive.
Riding the Landyachtz Evo
First of all, this longboard is stiff and heavy. With 11 ply maple, the total weight of this board comes out to 10.5 lbs. It doesn’t sound like a lot but it sure feels heavy when carrying the board around.
However, this weight doesn’t make this board hard to push. Actually, due to the drop deck design, once you get started pushing you easily gain speed and cruise for an hour without stopping.
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During turns, the landyachtz evo felt responsive on the front and a little dead in the back. With a sturdy construction, this board will never be a carving machine but the wedging allow for some small and sharp turns to be taken.
The video below illustrates better than I can describe how well this longboard does at downhill. It is filmed at Maryhill which is world renowned hill for longboard racing.
The Evo is known for its downhill capabilities and after riding it, I can see why. I easily achieved 40 mph downhill without any speed wobbles whatsoever. With the wedge construction, I could feel my feet lock in to easily allow me to speed around corners without the wheels slipping.
Going downhill on the landyachtz evo simply felt amazing. Beyond a doubt, this is one of the best downhill longboards I have ever ridden. And I think it’s due to the wedging. Not a lot of longboards use that technique as it drastically changes the feel of the front and back of the board.
On the Evo, you can definitely feel it while carving. The front end feels responsive to input while the back end just kind of drags along. During downhill, though, this setup is exactly what you want. It’s the reason speed wobbles are not a problem on this board.
One additional aspect that I wanted to touch it. The Landyachtz Evo is really stable and feels comfortable to ride. With its sturdy construction, this board is built to last. As compared to some of the cheaper longboards, this board is meant for multiple years of riding.
Who should buy the Landyachtz Evo
I really like this longboard. However, I realize that a lot of riders want to do different things with their longboard. If you’re looking for one of the best downhill longboard on the market, then you cannot go wrong with the Landyachtz Evo.
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This longboard is low and stable and with the wedging, speed wobbles won’t be a problem at high speeds. This board also makes a great cruising board. Although it does weigh more than a smaller longboard, it is a really comfortable board to stand on and push for miles.
