If you’re looking for a new skateboard or longboard, then you may have come across Retrospec skateboards. If you are unsure whether to purchase or not, this is the perfect blog post for you!
Get a comprehensive and reliable Retrospec skateboard review here and see how Retrospec compares to other brands. The first things we’ll look at are their decks, trucks, wheels, bearings, and overall build quality because this is what matters most.
Certainly, Retropec offers top quality skateboards and longboards, but the question now is whether this is suitable for you. Therefore, these articles exist to answer all your questions about the brand and make your investment worthwhile.
Retrospec Skateboard Review
Retrospec produces skateboards and several other products of the sports industry, including bikes, helmets, pads, mats, and more. When the brand came into the market, they started making bikes, and they got a good buyer response, so they expanded and started making other products as well.
The brand has a good image in the market, which is also clearly indicated by their growth and product demand in the market.
One more thing to consider about the brand’s success is they offer high quality products at an affordable price compared to other brands. They are since many years in the market, so they have mastered the art of making quality products at an affordable range.
Additionally, for buyer satisfaction, they also offer 50 days return policy which makes the brand very satisfying, reliable, and trusted for buyers.
Now let’s see each and every part’s quality of Retrospec skateboards and longboards.
Retrospec Skateboard & Longboard Deck
The first and most crucial part to consider in a skateboard is its deck, so let’s start with that. Usually, you’ll find Canadian maple decks on budget skateboards like skateboards under $100, which is not bad actually, but on costly skateboards, the maple wood deck is used because of its performance.
Hence, the Retrospec skateboard is reliable and different from other brands because they offer maple decks, even in budget skateboards, for their longboard or skateboard. This is not possible for any other brands, but Retopec does it by reducing its profit margin.
Due to the build quality, the deck used in Retrospec is lightweight, sturdy, and long lasting.
Further, the Retropec board deck is full of attractive graphics that attract everyone while riding on the front and back. The brand is also known for its graphic designs along with its built quality and performance. You can find it full of graphics boards as well as minimal professional looking graphic boards also.
Retrospec Skateboard & Longboard Trucks
After the deck, the second most crucial part of the board is the trucks as they connect the wheels with the deck and also handle the rider’s weight.
The Retrospec trucks are made of high quality hard steel with a steel baseplate, and it easily handles the rider’s weight. Further, the trucks are very long lasting and with good stability in cruising and performing tricks.
As said earlier, Retrospec is also known for longboards. Hence they add reverse kingpin trucks, which is quite different from skateboard trucks. This helps in better cruising and turning sharp. These trucks are ideally made for longboards only. Hence, last will say the trucks added in Retrospec are reliable and high quality.
Retrospec Skateboard & Longboard Wheels
When it comes to wheels, various factors need to be considered, such as their hardness, material, and size, as they are actually part of the board that touches the ground.
Retrospec offers smooth wheels with bigger sizes in their longboards because they are used for cruising and rough road riding, so they need good balance and smoothness.
While for skateboards, they offer small size wheels, which is hard because they are used mostly for tricks and skateparks. The small wheels are better for tricks and skateparks as they are fast and easy to balance on.
If we conclude Retrospec wheels, they are high quality, reliable and long lasting in both their longboard and skateboard.
Retrospec Skateboard & Longboard Bearings
To get a smooth and fast riding experience, bearings play a significant role located in wheels. The quality bearings are usually made of steel with different ABEC ratings.
The low ABEC rating bearings are not that smooth, but if you’re getting any bearings with the rating above ABEC 7 are good to go. These rating bearings roll smoothly and faster, which helps to reduce the board pushing effort.
Therefore in Retrospec, longboard or skateboard also get ABEC 7 or higher rating bearings made of steel. Hence we can say the quality of the bearing is good.
Color
When it comes to color, Retropec offers almost all types of attractive color options.
The same thing we’ve said in Cal 7 skateboard review article also, as these are the two best skateboard brands when it comes to color offering.
While riding on the streets or performing tricks, the Retropec skateboard will grab the attention of everyone due to its bold color.
Price
If we consider the price more and trying to get the quality board in the affordable range, Retrospec is the one who offers such skateboard and longboard.
You may think various other brands offer low cost skateboard even than Retrospec then why do we choose Retrospec boards. We also previously made a Kryptonics skateboard review which offers very low cost skateboards. But we also included that such low cost skateboards are only for starters to explore how skateboarding works.
The Retrospec skateboard is very high quality and is made for both beginner and pro riders. Hence, if we consider such quality boards brands, it costs very high, but Retropec is very affordable compared to them.
Design
Along with the various color options, the board is beautifully designed with attractive graphics. Their skateboards look good looking, but their longboards are outstanding in design.
After the Magneto skateboard, if we like the design of affordable skateboard, then it’s of Retrospec boards.
1. Retrospec Rift Drop-Through Longboard
If you’re looking for a quality longboard at an affordable price for cruising, carving, commuting, and downhill riding, Retrospec rift drop through longboard is for you. This longboard is also one of the most popular boards of Retrosopec.
Firstly, if we talk about the deck, it’s 41 inches long and made of 8 ply Canadian maple wood, making the deck very durable and strong. Further, it has a drop-through design that makes the board more balanced, flexible, and fast, reducing the lower center of gravity. If you are a full day skater or the same board ridden by different riders continuously, this deck will easily sustain the weight and durability. This is possible because the deck has 80AB fully covered grip tape on the deck, giving good grip and balance.
Additionally, the brand offers different colors and graphics longboards with the same specifications and price to choose better.
The trucks added to this board are 180mm reverse kingpin, which is smooth and quickly responsive. These trucks allow you to ride faster, make tight turns, and handle the rider’s weight without getting a wrap.
Further, the wheels in this longboard are soft 78a with the size of 70mm, which is ideal for cruising, commuting downhill, and rough roads. These wheels are made of polyurethane which is durable and long lasting. These wheels make your ride smooth and balanced.
The bearings are also added to the wheels, which are ABEC 7 stainless steel bearings to make your ride smoother. The bearings can be of higher ratings, but for beginners and intermediate, this is good enough. For pro riders, we recommend replacing the bearings with higher rating bearings like ABEC 9 or 11.
2. Retrospec Zed Bamboo Longboard Skateboard Complete Cruiser
The brand’s second most popular skateboard or longboard is the Retrospec Zed Bamboo longboard, which is designed specifically for cruising.
What makes this longboard different from other longboards is its pintail deck shape. This shaped board is easy to balance and stands comfortably. Furthermore, these shape boards make an increased speed also.
The deck of the board is 9 inches wide and 44 inches long. To make the deck long lasting and flexible, it’s made of Canadian maple and bamboo wood. The board looks quite lightweight, but it can still handle rider weight up to 220 lbs due to deck build quality.
In longboard and skateboard usually, while cruising, the rider faces wheel bite in turning or overweight, but here the deck is shaped pintail, so there is no chance of wheels touching the deck. Hence we can say the board is wheel bite free.
Further, the wheels are polyurethane made with a hardness of 85A and size of 70mm. The wheels are large to provide stability, also having a rock finish for a smooth ride.
The bearings on this longboard are ABEC 7 same as the above reviewed skateboard. The bearings are pretty good with a decent rating which provides good speed. In this longboard, we also recommend that you replace the bearings with any high rating bearings, and you’ll see a big difference in riding if you’re a heavy cruiser.
The trucks added to this longboard are made of aluminum and are 7 inches which are again beneficial to avoid wheel bite as it makes more gap between wheels and deck.
In conclusion, if you’re looking for an affordable longboard with a great design and quality, this may be the best option for you.
3. Retrospec Alameda Skateboard Complete
If you’re looking for a skateboard instead of a longboard from Retrospec, this Retrospec Alameda skateboard is for you. For this board, Retrospec gives two size options, 7.5 inches, and 8.0 inches. Hence if you’re going with a small size and for young or adult, the big size is suitable.
This board is ideally designed for tricks and skatepark, so if you’re looking for an affordable and high quality skateboard for such riding style, this is for you.
The skateboard has a 31 inches long and 7.5 inches wide (Also available 8 inches wide deck) 7 ply Canadian maple wood deck. This shows the deck is reliable and of high quality. Furthermore, the deck has a double kicktail feature which helps in performing tricks easily.
The wheels added are medium size 52mm and made of high rebound polyurethane, making it perfect for performing tricks on streets and skateparks. If you’re into skateboarding, you know you need a smooth and fast skateboard in tricks and skatepark; hence, the wheels include ABEC 7 precision chrome steel bearings. These bearings help wheels to roll faster and smoothly, which is crucial for tricks skateboard.
The trucks are also small, size 5.5 inches, because the small size trucks and wheels help maintain balance when landing tricks. Further, the trucks are made of high quality aluminum alloy with carbon steel kingpin and high rebound polyurethane bushings.
4. Retrospec Tidal 41-inch Drop-Down Longboard
At spot four, we’ve Retrospec Tidal drop down longboard, which is quite affordable and a high quality board for cruising, commuting, and downhill.
This board is more attractive than other Retrospec boards because of the design and multi-colors.
The deck is 9 inches wide and 41 inches long, with a drop down feature that makes the rider’s standing very comfortable and balanced. If you’re planning to take the board for commuting daily for work or college, this will not make you tired or uncomfortable. Furthermore, the deck has been shaped in such a way that you’ll never face a wheel bite even if the overweight rider rides this board.
The deck is fully made of Canadian maple wood, which makes it long lasting and flexible. In addition, for better grip on board, the deck has OS780 grip tape, which helps maintain a grip on board for a longer time.
The wheels on this longboard are also polyurethane made which is high quality and recommended material for longboards. The wheels are big 70mm to make a good balance while cruising, with a hardness of 85A, which is also good for cruising and rough roads. Same as other Retospec boards in this also, the wheels consist of ABEC 7 steel bearings for a smooth ride and less exertion.
As all the longboards are quite heavy because of their long and wide deck, the same way these boards are also 9 pounds. Hence, make sure to carry the longboard is traveling will be difficult.
Are Retrospec Skateboards Suitable For You?
Although we’ve briefly given a Retrospec skateboard review above, if you ask us, we would say their longboard and skateboard are good for beginners and pro riders.
Also, they offer skateboard and longboard, so if you like cruising, commuting, or downhill then prefer their longboard, and those who like tricks and skatepark riding should prefer their skateboard.
Retrospec boards are good in performance, quality and are also affordable. Hence, if you’re on a budget, you can get premium boards at a low cost.
Overall, Retrospec boards fit all types of skateboard ride; you just need to choose longboards or skateboards accordingly.
Is Retrospec a good skateboard brand?
Yes, Retrospec has been one of the best skateboard brands in the market for a long time. They are mostly known for providing high quality skateboards and longboards at an affordable cost.
They’re not only popular in skateboard manufacturing but also in other sports products. Hence, the brand is making a strong base in the sports field. This is only possible because the brand is working hard on its product quality, so buyers get attracted to their product.
Retrospec has a very strong fan base in skateboard manufacturing by providing high quality boards at an affordable cost. Hence, Retrospec is a good skateboard brand.
You may also like checking out CCS skateboard review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, Retrospec boards are a great option for beginners. They are easy to use and provide a smooth ride with easy maneuverability.
Retrospec skateboards are a great option with the strong build quality. They’re affordable, easy to use, and come in various colors and designs. Plus, they’re perfect for experts and beginners who want to learn how to skate.
Retrospec skateboards are made in the United States of America in California.
Retrospec skateboards are a budget-friendly option that typically costs less than $50.
Retrospec skateboards come in a variety of sizes to fit a variety of riders. They include small, medium, and large sizes.
Retrospec is a well-known brand when it comes to longboards. They are known for making high-quality durable, and easy-to-use boards at affordable prices.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoy this Retrospec skateboard review as well as its most popular skateboard and longboard reviews.
The Retrospec longboard or skateboard is an excellent choice if you’re on a budget or if you want to save a few bucks without compromising quality. End up saying Retrospec is a good and reliable skateboard brand.
I am James Buckridge, the founder of skateboardidea.com. Skateboarding is my passion, and I have years of teaching experience in this field. Our vision and mission is to provide you with accurate information on everything related to skateboarding. Catch me on Twitter & Pinterest.