My experience with the Aera RF-1

I tested my first set of Aera RF-1 prototypes in May 2017. From the first time stepping on them I was surprised by how lively they were - especially with the hardcore bushings that came stock. Soon after I threw in some RipTide 90a APS Canons (slightly larger barrel) roadside, and some 90a Krank Fatcones boardside. This change gave a lot more stability to my ride, and I felt much more comfortable tackling the steep Californian slopes.

I then tried flipping the hangers for negative rake and got ever more stability out of my speed and fast slides. Still not as much stability as my K5s, but definitely an improvement over how they felt stock. The only downside to negative rake was that the ball pivot allowed for extra flex and slop in the truck so the turn became super dead at slower speeds. I soon switched back to positive rake and felt these trucks come alive once again. Although, the benefits of the ball pivot design seemed to be more of a downside when going really fast. The more I experimented with the RF-1s, the more I realized how amazing they were for slower speeds.

In late 2017 I was just getting into longboard dancing, and decided to throw some 180mm 50° RF-1s on my Moonshine Hoedown. These trucks were definitely a game changer! They’re lighter than almost any other truck on the market and have such a very responsive carve. On top of that, they’re much much stronger than any cast I had on my board before. Technical freeriding, city slashing, longboard dancing and freestyle is where these trucks really shined for me.

Currently, I have one set of 176mm 46° RF-1s mounted on my Moonshine Elixir and one set of 180mm 50° RF-1s mounted on a 46” Moonshine prototype dancer.