Loaded Tesseract Review
Yet another Tesseract has emerged from the woodwork – the Loaded Tesseract. It seems Loaded has expanded its product line to cater to your unique quest for four-wheeled illumination. Look at this beauty and you can tell there is something other than pressed maple holding this deck together. The Tesseract sports a composite construction of two vertically-laminated bamboo cores sandwiched between fiberglass skins with a bottom layer of cork, while the cork being something unique to this deck. The first you’ll notice is how amazingly light it is, thanks to the composite construction which makes it way lighter than its sheer size.
The Tesseract integrates rocker, wheel well flares, W concave and multiple wheelbase options into a lightweight package designed for big mountain roads, high speeds, snappy slides, lofty ollies, and techy manual combos. The concave and double kick tails complement each other locking your feet in and conforming to the arch in your foot. The whole shape of the Tesseract itself has been thought to provide the best comfort in any situation. You can adapt the wheelbase in order to get a more or less playful board or a more or less stable longboard at higher speeds. The relatively small wheelbase makes the board very nimble and responsive when you’re trying to bust quick slides to slow down.
Specifications
- Riding Style: Power slide, Freeride, Downhill, Freestyle
- Length: 39” / 99.06 cm
- Width: 9.5” / 24 cm
- Wheelbase: 24.5” and 26” / 62.2 cm and 66 cm
- Tail: 7.25” / 18.4 cm (tip to inner bolt on 24.5” wheelbase)
- Concave: 0.30” / 0.76 cm (at W peak), 0.39” / 0.99 cm (at W trough)
- Rocker: 0.33” / 0.84 cm
- Wedging angle: 3.5°
- Weight: 4.8 lbs / 2.2 kg (with grip)
- Deck Construction: Double bamboo core – Composite – Cork veneer on the deck’s bottom
- Deck Stiffness: Stiff
- Shape: Top Mount, Twintip, Kick nose and tail, W concave
- Trucks: Paris V2
- Base Angle: 50°
- Hanger Width: 180mm
- Axle Diameter: 8mm
- Wheels: Orangatang Kilmer
- Wheel Spec: 80A
- Wheel Size: 69mm
- Bearings: Loaded JEHU, spacers included
- Hardware: Allen bolt pack
Pros
- The Tesseract is made out of two vertically-laminated bamboo cores sandwiched between fiberglass/epoxy skins with a bottom layer of cork to create a stiff yet light and damp structure. The cork is something quite unique to this deck. The composite construction makes the board way lighter than its size and thickness.
- The board is a little deceptive, coming in at a full 39 inches. The longboard gets most of its agility from the length of its wheelbase, which with only a 24.5 or 26 inch wheelbase, makes for a great board for getting around town. The relatively small wheelbase makes it very nimble and responsive to bust those quick little slides.
- Symmetrical rocker throughout the deck cups the outer edges of your feet and creates a subtle locked-in sensation, facilitating confident and natural movement up and down the length of the board. In addition, rocker slightly lowers your center of gravity for enhanced stability.
- Very aggressive and intuitive W concave really secures your feet to enhance control in all toeside maneuvers. The central hump is tall yet wide which provides strong lateral support near the transitions without compromising arch comfort.
- The 3.5° wedging angle allows for a wide range of interesting hardware configurations, providing a balance of lean and turn with low ride height.
- Flared wheel wells increase wheel clearance while creating surface transitions that provide laterals and longitudinal support for your feet, both inside the trucks and on the kicktail. These flares keep your feet locked into a compound contoured pocket while sliding, cornering and tucking.
- The granular, non-directional structure of the cork helps prevent abrasive damage from propagating.
- 5″ and 26″ wheelbase options allow you to fine tune your setup based on your riding style and specific truck geometry.
Cons
- The Loaded Tesseract seems to have less concave to it than some competitors on the market.
- The rough cork finish on the bottom makes it hard to put stickers on it.
The Bottom Line
Despite the fact that the Tesseract – which looks pretty damn similar to a tesseract – is super versatile and durable, it seems to really take a beating and show little wear. You can always accommodate up to an 80mm race wheel for downhill applications. You can thrash on this board pretty hard and the Tesseract will take it all in stride. That’s the beauty of this spectacular board.
