As you may know, mostly because I’ve been crying about it on the internet, I broke my collarbone. Boohoo. It hurt, it sucked, and I had to get surgery for it. But the worst part? I can’t skate! I can’t slide, I can’t drift, I can’t put on my suit, I can’t do a lot of things. But what can I do? I can drink coffee, cruise to the store, and talk shit on the internet. So, how do I fix this problem? I figure out how to combine all of the things that I can do, do them, write about it, and hopefully feel a little bit better.

So what’s the first thing I did? I casually stalked the internet till my heart’s content, lurking the world of skateboarding. And there it was. I found something that peaked my interest, and made my toes curl. The guys from Rayne Longboards had just released the all new Rayne Mini Cruiser series.

Finally, after years and years of cruising to the coffee shop on mediocre skateboards, I could finally get my hands on one of the most elite boards the market has to offer. I immediately mapped out a plan to get my hands on this board. With shipping confirmation from Rayne, thanks Marin, I slowly started to twiddle my thumbs awaiting the mailman like it was christmas. Minutes, hours, days went by. Being patient, leaving out milk and cookies. And to my surprise, the board had arrived! It actually only took three days, I’m just being melodramatic. But hey, I was excited to ride! I needed this thing underneath my feet. There was only one thing stopping me… Product photography… Damn you Mitch! But hey, he’s the boss. So our photographer Matt and I set out to get ourselves some grub while getting ourselves some product photos. Two birds one stone. So we started out with a sweet little ramen spot, board in hand.

So we ordered our ramen, shoutout Akasaru Ramen for 1. being the best ramen spot ever, and 2. for letting us obnoxiously shoot photos in the ramen house. ​Seriously the best ramen spot on Alberta ST in Portland Oregon. We sat there, sitting in awe of how well put together this board was. The song Sharp Dressed Man by ZZ Top was written about this board.We checked out the construction and the build of this thing. A bamboo core sandwiched between 2 layers of fiberglass gave this board an extremely durable construction. Knowing this board was covered in fiberglass is one reason I was so astonished about this setup. With how much it rains in Oregon, I needed something that could weather the storm. Pun fully intended. No matter the amount of rain or snow, this board would be able to withstand the warping and waterlogging most boards get from their all wood construction. I’ll be like Don Lockwood but skating in the rain instead. With a little bit of singing…I continued to examine the specimen and saw the board was equipped with all Rayne everything. Rayne wheels, trucks, and risers. And from my experience with Rayne wheels, I knew right off the bat this board was gonna be smooooooooooth sliding. 65mm 75a provides a cushioned ride. With a stone ground finish, the wheels slid very smooth and was easy to control right out of the box.The thing that I haven’t tried were these trucks. So we rounded up our product shots, wolfed down our ramen, and proceeded to do one of the activities I can still do.

We finished up our product shots, found some awesome street graffiti, and we were finally able to skate the board.

Next stop? Coffee shop! I noticed right away that this setup was very lively and turny. No matter what I was looking to do, I could whip and weave with ease. It made for an awesome sidewalk slasher. Little stand up slides around corners were very controlled, and really helped me take on the city streets. The Rayne risers were a nice touch because no matter how hard I wanted to turn, there wasn’t a chance of me getting wheelbite. And trust me, I tried really hard to get wheelbite. I cruised into the coffee shop, ordered my go to hazelnut latte, and chilled with my new whip.As I sat there, sipping on my cup of happiness, I contemplated life and my skateboard. I realized I had reached cruiser board nirvana.A water resistant board, that’s both turny, and wheelbite free. A smooth slide for extra aggressive turns, and I could easily people slalom. And as I sat there with my board, I realized the icing on the cake. In such a small compact design, I could take this board anywhere.This board is absolutely limitless. A fun kicktail, and a durable design. What’s next? Well, more internet lurking and healing up. When that’s all done, lets see how fast I can take this board…