GoldCoast Classic Bamboo Pintail Longboard Review

Today we are going to start analyzing some of the most popular and best-selling longboards on the market.

And we’re going to start with a GoldCoast classic bamboo pintail longboard review.

Old-School Cool

Longboard decks are as varied as the many disciplines they are built for.

There’s anything out there from Drop-Thrus and Double Drops, to Cruisers and Carvers (not to mention novelty shapes) and everything else in between.

Despite the seemingly endless variety of options on offer, one shape seems as stylish desirable as ever – the classic Pintail.

The popularity of the Pintail is greatly attributed to the grandfather of all the skateboarding disciplines – surfing.

Old-school surfboards tended to have a Pintail shape when the sport first gained international attention.

The signature tapered nose and tail made quick maneuvering and carving the waves just that much easier.

Combine that with a wide central platform to move on and what more could you want?!

The sleek, almost shark-like elegance of this shape, as well as it’s aerodynamic design easily caught on as a bold statement to others.

It’s therefore no wonder that longboarding companies keep making Pintails to this day.

There’s always a demand, because they’re always en vogue.

Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag

When I think of longboarding, I think of brands like Loaded, Arbor, Landyachtz, Bones, Grizzly, and Independent.

The truth is, these brands are well established today, but that was surely not the case from the day they opened their doors.

It takes many years in the industry – years of blood, sweat, research and development to make a name for yourself in longboarding.

Only the strongest survive!

Many brands have entered the low to mid price bracket in the past few years as the longboarding scene becomes popular and expands into the mainstream – each looking for its own piece of the market pie.

So enters the new kid on the block.

GoldCoast Skateboards

Founded in 2009 and based in Salt Lake City, GoldCoast Skateboards was created with ‘skateboarding and design’ at the core of its vision – its goal: producing the best longboards, skateboards and cruisers in the world!

GoldCoast offers not only some of the most popular shapes and sizes of longboards available on the market today, they also ship their products almost anywhere the stoke can be found.

The GoldCoast Classic Bamboo Pintail longboard is a great example of a stylish and affordable complete setup they have on offer.

GoldCoast Classic Pintail Longboard Review

Let’s have a quick look at the pros and cons of the GoldCoast Bamboo Pintail Complete.

Here’s the technical rundown:

Specs:

Verdict:

Great for cruising around a carpark or on campus and relatively cheap on the pocket too.

It should last long enough for a newcomer to find their feet (so to speak) and can be upgraded with non-proprietary components as the rider becomes more confident and capable in their chosen style.

Complete Honesty

I want to start by sharing an industry secret with you: There is no shame in buying a complete setup. Especially if you’re still new to skate/longboarding.

Figuring out the full technical aspects of each component on and of your board can be quite overwhelming to the casual rider.

It’s nice to have the budget it takes to fully kit out a killer board, but when you’re not sure if you’d even notice the difference as a beginner, rather stick to what is essentially a recommended setup from the supplier until you can tell or afford otherwise.

Smart Shopper

Be sure to do a bit of research before any purchase to ensure whatever is on offer is safe for your intended purpose.

Important things to consider include what materials the deck and all the components like the trucks, wheels bushings and bearings are made of.

If you can’t get the technical secs from the supplier then it’s best to avoid buying that setup altogether.

Things like your height, weight and level of expertise could have a big influence on the type of longboard and components that will be right for you.

The type of wood it’s made from needs to be stiff or flexible enough for pushing, pumping, sliding or bombing.

The trucks need to be made from strong materials so they don’t bend when you land a trick.

The wheels require the right urethane mix and duro for the right riding surface and the bearings need to actually make the whole thing roll smoothly.

But, whatever you do, don’t just buy a deck simply because it has a cool graphic on the bottom.

Buy it because it’s good quality, it suits your purpose AND it has a cool graphic on the bottom.

If your intended purpose is to actually ride any given longboard, then stylishness comes second to all else. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.

Lemme Upgrade You

If you ultimately feel like buying a complete setup is the right choice for you, then there are some things you can do to easily improve your riding experience.

Replace a few proprietary parts with those from established brands.

Some brands are popular for a reason. Their popularity stems from the fact that they are good at what they do and do so consistently.

They have spent the time and effort (read ‘money’) on the research and development of their products over many years and state their good reputation on providing you with good quality at a good price.

Thank you mass production!

If you have a few bucks lying around, the best component to replace is the bearings.

It won’t break the bank and will undoubtedly improve the feel of your board in every aspect from pushing to cruising.

Bones bearings always come highly recommended.

Trucks and wheels can be replaced at your own discretion.

If they seem fine and you are satisfied with their quality for now, you can replace them with a more mainstream brand once you’ve worn them out.

Some reliable brands to consider when buying longboard trucks are:

Some reliable brands to consider when buying longboard wheels are:

The names mentioned above are not the only manufacturers of these components, but some of the most well known and easily accessible in skate shops as well as on the internet.

Pro Tip

When all is said and done, it’s up to you to figure out what you want from a longboard.

Don’t listen to the naysayers who want you to believe that only expensive, high performance products and brands will ever be good enough.

If you want to be the best, you’re going to have to invest, sure.

But if you just want to skate down the street on a lazy afternoon without the burden of being a boffin on the subject, then get an affordable plank with some wheels on it and pay your dues on that.

You’ll figure out soon enough if it’s good enough or if it’s even what you want.

Only then comes the time to buy a powerhouse built for purpose.

Just remember that nothing is as uncool as a head injury and safety gear is not an option – it’s a necessity!