I finally got a Globe Bantam yesterday. I got it from a local shop, Reno Beach. The owner also has Johnny Reno's, a bar and restaurant on the St. Pete Pier that my friends and I eat at a lot during our BMX rides. After going there all the time and talking with Johnny about skateboards quite a bit we agreed on some of our impressions of the Penny, Nickel and Stereos. He was out of the Globes but I decided I would finally get one when he got them back in.
So last week he lets me know they are in. It took me a week to get down there and buy it, but I picked it up yesterday. Reno Beach is an awesome shop and the folks there were really cool, if anyone is in the area please check it out.
On to the board. I rode it for a while as soon as I got it home without changing a thing.
The deck is a little bigger than a Penny or Stereo, and there is a little more nose. The flex didn't jump out as being drastically more stiff or flexy but I didn't compare side by side yet. Pretty grip pattern, I like it more than the Penny, maybe not as much as the Stereo, but that doesn't matter much as I think it will soon be covered by grip tape. Nice design deck, that stands out from the similar Penny, Stereo, Fish and Brighton Boards.
The trucks are more like new school skateboard trucks than the Penny or Stereo's. They are made by Slant, a company I knew made some long boarding trucks, but these are the first traditional trucks I have seen by them. They aren't bad.
I was surprised that they had pretty stiff bushings in them. I didn't adjust them at all and as soon as I hopped on the board I was surprised by how tight the trucks feel stock. I will adjust them a little and try them out, but will definitely be changing the bushings soon.
The wheels are similar size to the Penny and Stereo wheels, but Globe branded. I will have to ride them for a while before I form a solid opinion. The bearings are also Globe branded and say ABEC 7 on the shields. They didn't feel bad, but I will have to ride them a little more before I decide on keeping or swapping them.
Over all it is a solid board. I am going to have to spend some time on it before I know if I like it better than the Penny style boards because they are all really similar and this is quite a bit different. So far it is a really fun little board, can't wait to get some more time in on it.
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So the stock Bantam beats the stock Penny/stereo by far? In your opinion, what could be done to the Penny/ Stereo to surpass the stock Bantam (if possible)? (with a $40 budget)
ReplyDeleteI think the Bantam comes with better parts stock.
DeleteFor the upgrades, I would do a set of Midtracks or maybe Ace 00s, whichever you can find the better deal on and a sheet of grip tape and a set of bones reds. That would go over $40 but is will be far better than any bantam/stereo/penny comes stock in my opinion.
If you absolutely do not want to go over $40 then grip tape, bearings and bushings.
Would you be able to turn sharper or better with the Bantam than the stereo or penny with Midtracks? What if they also had Midtracks?
DeleteCan you actually skate with it, atleast ollie, shove it, pop shove it?
If you put some softer bushings in it would turn similarly. Out of the box the Bantam is a little stiff. Yes you can do all the basic tricks with this board.
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