Pantheon Supersonic Bamboo 36.5″ LDP Longboard Deck

Pantheon Supersonic Bamboo 36.5″ LDP Longboard Deck

Why bamboo? No, we’re not going to give you some line about bamboo having some properties that make it a better longboard. We’ve tested so much bamboo in the past. I don’t think it’s better. I think it’s just as good as maple but that it’s more expensive. No, the reason we did a bamboo core on this board is because we wanted to get the flex right. While a normal maple ply is 1/16 of an inch in thickness, we can machine our bamboo cores to within 0.5mm tolerances. This allowed us to find and hone in on what we call our “medium flex” and to bring the multiple flex options together in closer increments. So, our “heavy flex” is less stiff than an 8 ply maple core, our “light flex” is a little stiffer than a 6 ply maple core, and our “medium flex” is just about in line with our 7 ply core maple Supersonic.

Additionally, we’ve been listening, and we wanted to offer a higher end Supersonic model that had more waterproofing elements so that the deck lasts longer. Riders of the Supersonic are putting on A LOT of miles. The new Supersonic Bamboo will support as many or more miles, but it will definitely keep your board looking stronger for longer. The glass top is more resistant than the former’s maple top, and the veneer bottom with glass right underneath satisfies our requirements of protecting the fiberglass from bumps and bruises on curbs or flicking up rocks, but provides a much longer lasting construction on the bottom ply so that the elements don’t get into that bottom layer of maple and break it down.

While the old all-maple Supersonic still has been lasting riders for thousands of miles, the elements will break down the dyed bottom veneer and cause it to look quite worn. We have not seen significant early failures, but we understand that this isn’t a great look, and it certainly doesn’t hurt to have a board where the bottom plies resist weathering. For riders truly logging tons of miles in all sorts of conditions, this is the better option.

Key Features

For those who already understand this type of LDP board, let’s just get a couple key features out of the way that distinguish this board from any other deck of this type made before. Firstly, it has been designed around our most classic and readily available RKP cast trucks available. The intention here is to offer a super high functioning but cost effective setup.

The inherent geometry of our Supersonic LDP longboard will allow you to run Bear 130mm, 155mm or Paris 150mm effectively. You’ll want either the 40 degree (Bear) or 43 degree (Paris) in back, and either the 50 or the 40/43 in front. Because of the very similar base geometry of these trucks, they will run within about 1.5mm axle height from front to back regardless of which truck position you use, WITHOUT RISER and the Pantheon Karma Wheels.

Any further tinkering is certainly welcome, but this is an incredible starting point for a top of the line LDP longboard setup, with the stock setups already being super effective right out of the box.

The deck features a mild camber between the drops and incredibly tight curvature, considering the required curves necessary to make this geometry work. And we integrate very mild versions of our crescent drops in all curvature points (even the down-curve of the de-wedged back end!) on this deck, making them stronger than boards of the past and allowing us to control where the board flexes. Our concave is mellow, as it should be, so that you’re comfortable no matter what distance you’re skating. But the curves are subtle and strong, and there are no true flat spots on the board anywhere, resulting in superb board feel.

Supersonic LDP Longboard Design Explained

For LDP riders looking to pump, a classic wedge front, de-wedge rear setup is a must. You want high degree turning in front and a nice low degree solid back end to throw your weight off of and create power. For the Supersonic, the built-in angles provide a ton of riding options. Riders will have a blast dialing in this setup and even changing it around for different riding styles.

The front of the Supersonic mounts at a positive 15 degrees. That means that a Bear or Paris 50 degree truck will run at 65 degrees. A quite high starting place for sure, but a high degree front with soft bushings will pump super easily. It will also result in a more front-weighted pump on your LDP longboard. This is ideal if the P stands for pushing AND pumping, especially. If you’re looking to dial it down a little, a truck in the 40-45 degree range will be a little more forgiving for all-out pushing speeds, while still netting a high angle around 55-60 degrees for efficient pumping.

The rear of the Supersonic is where even more options come into play. There are two mounting options. Mounting is available on the high, 40-degree angled wedge or on the far rear -17 degree angled tail. The -17 degree rear is obvious enough. We will typically use a lower degree cast truck in this position—either a Paris 43 or a Bear 40. The wedged 40 degree rear is actually designed for a FLIPPED rear truck, netting zero or near zero degrees in the back. The zero degree rear option is incredibly stable for high speed pushing. It is also effective for top-end speeds in pumping, although more effort will be required than when using the conventional -17 degree rear.

Setup recommendation for your Supersonic

The deck has been designed specifically with Bear Trucks or Paris Trucks in mind. You can certainly use whatever setup you want to your liking. Setting up outside of our recommended setups may require risers or angled risers. This will depend on your truck choice and the angles of your baseplate. You’ll want to consider your wheel choice in correspondence with your trucks to keep your setup from getting bite.

With the 50 degree front (Paris or Bear), you cannot get bite between our 92mm Karma wheels or the optional 90mm Boa Hatchlings. This is as long as you have a stock cupped washer in the board-side position of your bushings. Once you start bringing down that front degree, wheelbite can start coming into play for the larger wheel option. This can be easily mitigated with risers and/or bushing and washer modifications.

We recommend 50 degree front trucks for most riders using the Supersonic LDP longboard for long distance riding and pumping. This will push the pump power toward the front of the board and make pumping more effortless.

For riders looking to max our their top speed, dropping the front angle may be considered. This can be combined with zeroing out the rear truck angle. Ultimately, between riding a 50 front or a 43/40 front for maximum pumping speed will come down to riding style. It is worth noting that a the lower degree front does feel a little more stable when pushing absolute maximum speed. Riders just looking to leisurely cover large distances will appreciate the efficiency of the higher degree front end.