Description
What Makes the Supersonic LDP Different
For those who already understand this type of LDP board, let’s just get a couple key features out of the way that distinguish this board from any other deck of this type made before. Firstly, it has been designed around our most classic and readily available RKP cast trucks available. The intention here is to offer a super high functioning but cost effective setup.
The inherent geometry of our Supersonic LDP longboard will allow you to run Bear 130mm, 155mm or Paris 150mm effectively. You’ll want either the 40 degree (Bear) or 43 degree (Paris) in back, and either the 50 or the 40/43 in front. Because of the very similar base geometry of these trucks, they will run within about 1.5mm axle height from front to back regardless of which truck position you use. You can run WITHOUT any riser with a 50 degree front up to 90mm wheels, and you may need to add a little bit of riser when choosing a lower degree front, depending on wheel size. Both are excellent choices.
Any further tinkering is certainly welcome, but this is an incredible starting point for a top of the line LDP longboard setup, with the stock setups already being super effective right out of the box.
The deck features a mild camber between the drops and incredibly tight curvature, considering the required curves necessary to make this geometry work. And we integrate very mild versions of our crescent drops in all curvature points (even the down-curve of the de-wedged back end!) on this deck, making them stronger than boards of the past and allowing us to control where the board flexes. Our concave is mellow, as it should be, so that you’re comfortable no matter what distance you’re skating. But the curves are subtle and strong, and there are no true flat spots on the board anywhere, resulting in superb board feel.
Supersonic LDP Longboard Design Explained
For LDP riders looking to pump, a classic wedge front, de-wedge rear setup is a must. You want high degree turning in front and a nice low degree solid back end to throw your weight off of and create power. For the Supersonic, the built-in angles provide a ton of riding options. Riders will have a blast dialing in this setup and even changing it around for different riding styles.
The front of the Supersonic mounts at a positive 15 degrees. That means that a Bear or Paris 50 degree truck will run at 65 degrees. A quite high starting place for sure, but a high degree front with soft bushings will pump super easily. It will also result in a more front-weighted pump on your LDP longboard. This is ideal if the P stands for pushing AND pumping, especially. If you’re looking to dial it down a little, a truck in the 40-45 degree range will be a little more forgiving for all-out pushing speeds, while still netting a high angle around 55-60 degrees for efficient pumping.
The rear of the Supersonic is where even more options come into play. There are two mounting options. Mounting is available on the high, 40-degree angled wedge or on the far rear -17 degree angled tail. The -17 degree rear is obvious enough. We will typically use a lower degree cast truck in this position—either a Paris 43 or a Bear 40. The wedged 40 degree rear is actually designed for a FLIPPED rear truck, netting zero or near zero degrees in the back. The zero degree rear option is incredibly stable for high speed pushing. It is also effective for top-end speeds in pumping, although more effort will be required than when using the conventional -17 degree rear.
Flex options explained
Supersonic 6 Ply
We believe the 6 ply option to be ideal for riders under 170 pounds. If you’re on the high end of this, we recommend picking this board ONLY if you’re intending to ride primarily on the zero degree rear option, and you want it to flex. You will likely need to be around 150 lbs or under to use the far rear option.
Supersonic 7 Ply
Our 7 ply option will be ideal for middleweight riders, around 160 to 210 lbs. This deck is effective on both mounting positions for LDP longboard riders in the lower ranges of this weight range. Up to around 200 pounds and beyond, riders should get this flex only with the zero degree rear mounting option. Keep in mind that riding style has a big component of flex. Riders that throw their body super hard into the board will flex the deck more. Less aggressive pumpers will likely be able to ride both mounting areas even if they’re above that 190-200 pound mark.
Supersonic XL 8 Ply
Our 8 ply XL is not only thicker and stiffer, but it is also a touch wider than the 6 and 7 ply options. Our max width on the XL is 9.5”, which is 0.3” wider than the more slender options. We are thinking about our XL riders, and often times, these riders have larger feet.
Supersonic XL Versatility
Equally, the 8 ply version is also an ideal deck for our middleweight riders doing up/down events. LDP longboarding doesn’t always have to be on flats! If you’re trying to mitigate flex for confidence at speed, the extra stiffness and width will add confidence. It’s also great for more technical rides! While this is not a speed stiff board for true downhill, it is stiff enough to manage most scenarios one could encounter on a distance ride. And it still offers a subtle flex for riders over 170 lbs so that distance feels comfortable.
Riders on the lower end of our weight range may notice a touch of camber underfoot. The camber may not completely flatten out if you’re pushing in the middle of the deck. However, it’s not so much that it is uncomfortable for these types of rides. If you’re a rider that really doesn’t like camber, we would recommend making sure that you’re on the upper end of the weight range. Most LDP longboard riders will likely find the deck quite comfortable regardless.
For LDP riding, we expect the 8 ply to be ideal for riders over 190 lbs. The 8 ply should be good up to around 250 pounds in both mounting positions. We cannot say with 100% certainty where this deck maxes out. In the zero mount position, it can certainly handle much more weight than in the -17 rear position. Above 250 lbs, we would suggest keeping this deck in the zero degree mounting position.
The deck has been tested up to 285 lbs in the far rear mount, but whether or not that works for you will largely be dependent on your riding style.
Setup for your Supersonic LDP Longboard
We are offering three truck options for our Supersonic. The deck has been designed specifically with Bear Trucks or Paris Trucks in mind. You can certainly use whatever setup you want to your liking. Setting up outside of our recommended setups may require risers or angled risers. This will depend on your truck choice and the angles of your baseplate. You’ll want to consider your wheel choice in correspondence with your trucks to keep your setup from getting bite.
Our stock setups with 50 degree fronts are your safest choice. With the 50 degree front (Paris or Bear), you should be able to run bite free up to 90mm wheels. This is as long as you have a stock cupped washer in the board-side position of your bushings. Once you start bringing down that front degree, wheelbite can start coming into play for the larger wheel option. This can be easily mitigated with risers and/or bushing and washer modifications.
We recommend 50 degree front trucks for most riders using the Supersonic LDP longboard for long distance riding and pumping. This will push the pump power toward the front of the board and make pumping more effortless.
For riders looking to max our their top speed, dropping the front angle may be considered. This can be combined with zeroing out the rear truck angle. Ultimately, between riding a 50 front or a 43/40 front for maximum pumping speed will come down to riding style. It is worth noting that a the lower degree front does feel a little more stable when pushing absolute maximum speed. Riders just looking to leisurely cover large distances will appreciate the efficiency of the higher degree front end.
Picking Between Bear and Paris Trucks
The main benefit of the Bear Truck option is that Bear offers a 130mm option. It is also quite stable at speed because of its insert bushing and the more restrictive bushing seat. While this is great for straight-on pushing, some (or many?) riders may prefer the more open free-flowing center feel of the Paris Trucks. We don’t have a favorite yet. They’re both awesome.
The Bear Trucks are a little bit more stable for all-out pushing. The Paris are a little more effortless to pump. That’s our hot take and we’re sticking to it.
Of course, there are many variables presented when changing around bushings and washers. You can change these to help drive more or less stability between the two trucks. We’re sure there’s plenty of overlap between the two options, depending on your variables. With 130mm trucks and Hatchling wheels, the outside of the wheels rail match quite well with the 9.2-inch wide models.
With McFly wheels, the trucks and wheels will be just a touch slimmer than the deck. With the wider 9.5″ Supersonic XL, riders will likely feel more comfortable on 150-155mm. That said, running the slimmer 130mm is totally fine for LDP longboard purposes. There’s really no wrong answer here.
Happy Larry –
This one is special. I weight 170lbs and I got the 6 ply. Lots of flex and I love it. Rides low. Rear truck in the zero position. 130mm Bears 40/40, so my front is at 55°. Currently on 86mm Mcflys, but I may try the Megawatts if I sell my left kidney (they’re about 180USD in Europe). I also love the standing platform. It’s finally for people with normal feet unlike that of the Trip, the Prana or the Nexus. So why only 4 stars? I can’t take it out for a longer ride if there are rain clouds in the horizon.
Jeff Vyain –
For what it’s worth, the entire board is pressed with epoxy, and under the top and bottom layers of maple are triaxial fiberglass layers. It’s not COMPLETELY waterproof–like urethane sidewalls level (solid would cores would NEVER make these bends)–but it’s pretty dang weatherproof. You should be able to get 2000 miles on it in rain, sleet or shine! That’s be the experience from our team so far. I wouldn’t baby it!
Bob (verified owner) –
I gave Jeff some undeserved grief about the slightly delayed release of the Supersonic over the winter and opted for a competitor’s model. That board worked fine, but it always felt like it was disconnected from the trucks. That sounds odd I know, but if you’ve ever stood on one of those hammocks with the stand alone metal frames and swayed it back and forth, you know the feeling. The board for lack of better terms felt lifeless. Ended up letting that set up go, because it just wasn’t what I was looking for. I picked up a carbon Trip in the spring because I had always wanted to try the Trip, and that review is coming, but riding that Trip made me realize something., and caused me to pick up a Supersonic. You see I’ve now skated a Pranayama, Nexus, Gaia, Trip, and the Supersonic, and one thing I’ve noticed about all Pantheon boards is they have soul. Now I know that sounds a bit woo-woo, but it’s true, some makers just have things so dialed that there feels like there’s life in them. Now onto what I have discovered about the Supersonic. I was keen to try the flipped truck in the rear for pumping, wow that really makes the board feel like it’s on rails, a little too much so for me, so I moved it to the back and played with the bushings like everyone does. I finally got it feeling the way I like and am quickly becoming a hardcore fan of the design. It pushes, carves, and wiggle pumps. Where I have it now, I wouldn’t say it’s perfect at all three, but does them all well. My analogy for the rear truck placement pertains to surfing, so I may lose some folks here, especially if you haven’t ridden a lot of different surf craft, but here goes. Placing the rear truck upfront in the flipped position makes it feel like an old school heavily glassed log with a big old D Fin right on the back. It’s great for riding the nose(read wiggle style pumping) and it trims really well(read stable for pushing) but not the most agile set up. Pick your line, and go. Switching the rear truck to the back and having some bushing fun, and you have yourself a nice well foiled mid length that can really turn if you want it to, but also have stability, and the ability to try just about anything you want on it. It’s a fantastic Jack of all trades board for the push/pump community. If you’re curious my set up is Paris V3 150mm 50/43 with Orange Nipples upfront and Purple in the back. I tried some Riptide Kranks and Seismics in different duros but have always liked Nipples in Paris trucks. Currently rolling Mint Megawatts, but will be trying the Karma’s when they are available. Great job on this one Jeff, and sorry for the grief I gave ya.
John Mcguire (verified owner) –
I like this board so much I bought a second one. I had several extra trucks and a barely used set of mcflys laying around that I had tried on my other boards. My first supersonic is set up to be torquey, big pump medium high speed fun machine. This second board, I put bears in the rear at the 0° position, Paris 155 mm 50° and 5° dewedged up front with fat cones and the mcflys. It’s a fast pushing, high speed wiggle punk for fairly straight courses.