One of the other decks I visited during the most recent spell of The Madness (see previous posts) was the Anti-Hero “Raney” shaped deck. I liked this deck for a bit, but with more time, came more clarity. I’ve had this a few times before, and the end results have always been, well, the same. Did anything change this time? Nope. There are some non-tangible elements to this deck which have appeal, but in the end they are substantively mitigated by other detractors. This deck just isn’t for me. It sparks fear, not joy.
I think I previously stated that this was a fun board to ride, as long as I didn’t take it anywhere near any kind of transition, even smaller stuff. The reason for that, of course, is the smaller wheelbase. When my feet get too cramped together, esp. on transition, bad things happen to me. Moreover, the shorter wheelbase feels really tight on some per se street stuff, too (e.g. smith/feeble grinds, 5-0 grinds, lipslides, etc…all tricks I do a lot). And the reality is, either from DIYs or smaller parks, most of the skating I do these days involves some form of transition…and that’s a No Go for the Raney. To be honest, I don’t feel SAFE on the Raney in those situations…the cramped feet thing is just too precarious for me. Hell, even the 8.75” is a better all-purpose set-up for me than the Raney. In fact, the Raney isn’t better at anything compare to my other two set-ups (8.75” and 8.25”)
This begs the question: Why do I have this set-up? I can’t justify it anymore. I like the way it looks—def a cool shape. I just don’t like way it performs. It’s not a set-up I will ride for more than 5-10 min at time, because I quickly shift back to something more functional (with an emphasis on the “fun” part of that word). I will always love the idea of this set-up, just not the reality of it. In the end, I gave this deck away to some kid at a park. If this shape came in a longer wheelbase…man, that might be awesome. Always nice to dream. Until then…I will always cherish the original missconceptions I had about this deck. ;)
Anti-Hero “Raney” Shaped Deck
Length: 31.75
Width: 8.5 (8.62)
Wheelbase: 14.25
Nose: 7
Tail: 6.5
