Pantheon Supersonic Longboard - The Best LDP Longboard - Shrewsbury Skateboard Shop - Wake2oPantheon Supersonic Longboard - The Best LDP Longboard - Shrewsbury Skateboard Shop - Wake2o
BOARD TALK:

Pantheon Supersonic
Setup

HOW TO SETUP YOUR PANTHEON SUPERSONIC LONGBOARD

So, you have got a new Hybrid LDP Pantheon Supersonic Longboard but when you get on it, it doesn't seem to ride like you thought it would.

Don't worry help is on the way. We will talk you through everything you need to know, and have your Supersonic setup the way it should be for optimal performance and enjoyment. You will learn how to dial in a Pantheon Supersonic that rides perfectly for you. We will also talk about the benefits of the Supersonic vs other longboards.

Part 1
The supersonic overview.

Pumping requires a highly active front truck that can quickly turn and a stable rear truck with more traction so you can push off of it without sliding out.

We can achieve this by changing our truck angles and our bushings.

The Pantheon Supersonic is a longboard designed for skating long distances as efficiently as possible. It is what we refer to as a hybrid LDP board. LDP stands for Long Distance Pumping, and Hybrid means its really good at both pumping and pushing.

The deck has a deep drop that makes it way more comfortable for pushing and it also makes it more stable, which is nice on a hill - especially when you need a foot brake.

Its nose and tail are angled in a way that transforms conventional trucks into pumping machines. The Supersonic has 2 wildly different mounts for your rear truck, which give it versatility and cost effectiveness unseen in other boards. 

The Supersonic is a super choice for easy cruising and commuting on your way to work all the way to top tier push racing or week long events.

Pantheon Supersonic Longboard - The Best LDP Longboard - Shrewsbury Skateboard Shop - Wake2o
Part 2
Truck Geometry

With the board set up for pumping, the front truck somewhat determines your speed, while the rear truck determines your window of efficiency. A more efficient set up also affects how fast you can go. 

Think of your base plate angles as being loosely like the gears on a bike. You can choose many different combinations of different gears except on an LDP board, the front truck determines the frequency of your pump, and needs to be tuned to the speed you intend to ride at. Adjusting the rear truck, trades torque for power. The more power, and less torque you have, the more focused or limited your front pumping speed will become.

While a higher degree equates to more torque, a lower degree helps with a higher top speed - but you will likely have to push yourself up to your pumping speeds.

If you want more leverage on gentle hills or you hope to use pumping to build your speed, you will want a higher degree base plate angle - this can be achieved by either wedging or dewedging.

Part 2 - Continued
Wedging And De-Wedging

First, we need to understand the terms of Wedging and De-wedging. Both these terms are used to describe using an angled block, or a wedge, to change the angle of your truck

Wedging is when we angle the base plate to increase steering. It rolls the truck and increases how much the truck will turn.

De-wedging is where the pivot end of the truck is rotated more towards the ground. This adjusts how much the truck will roll and reduces steering, making the truck more stable.

Pantheon Supersonic Truck Mount Angles - Wedging And De-Wedging Explained - Wake2o

The Supersonics unique shape offers a great deal of customisability when you pair it with different baseplates and angled risers.

The decks nose is angled upwards for a wedged +15º.

The longboard decks tail has 2 different mounting options. The rear most is angled downwards, or de-wedged -17º, and the other mount has a -40º wedge. This -40º angle is meant to be paired with a backwards mounted truck to achieve a baseplate angle of 0º.

So what does this mean? We can use these mounts in combination with different baseplates and wedge risers to change how the board rides. 

Simply add these numbers together and you will get your effective truck angle. For the tail, we subtract either 17º or 40º from our rear truck.

Pantheon Supersonic Paired With Paris Trucks Showing The Effective Angle Of The Rear 43 Degree Truck And The Front 50 Degree Truck Mounted To The De-Wedged And Wedged Deck Mounts -  Wake2o

Set up no.1

If we take the Paris Trucks, 50º front baseplate angle and a 43º in the rear.

So if we subtract 17º from the 43º rear truck we end up with a tail of 26º.

At the front end, is we add 15º to the 50º base plate, this gives us an effective nose angle of 65º.

This is a great set up for medium speed pumping and it allows for a lot of torque. Enough for some riders to be able to pump up some mellow inclines.

Setup no.2

We have 40º Bear trucks at the rear and 50º in the front, but you could set it up with 40º in both front and rear - As seen in the above photo.

If you have a 40º in the front, adding the 15º would make it a 55º nose. At the rear, putting it on the 40º mount backwards, gives a 0º rear.

On this setup, there would be no added steering from the rear, but the setup is really stable. It makes for a really fast pumping setup with low torque and high horsepower. It is well suited for racing at high speeds but it does require the rider push the board to get it up to speed.

One warning. Do not use the 50º truck on the 40º rear without de-wedging it as it will give you -10º base angle and your turning radius will be greatly reduced. Subtle -1 to -3º angles may help prevent slipping out, or even further dial in top speeds for advanced riders.

On the topic of risers. You can add wedges to tune your base plates further.

For example on the 50º base plate at the front, adding a 5º wedge backwards, de-wedges the nose. This makes it a little easier to pump at slower speeds, making it more enjoyable to ride on public pathways where you can't sustain top speeds.

Part 3
Bushings

Proper bushings can really make or break your riding experience with the board. Following these recommendations will completely change your longboard setup and have you riding the design as it was intended.

Don't be fooled by their small size because bushings are often the most noticeable upgrade you can make for your setup.

Bushings are the rubber part that resists your steering leverage. They come in different hardnesses which is described by its durometer rating. The lower the number, the softer the bushing. The harder the number, the harder the bushing is. Don't be shy about experimenting.

When choosing different bushings, keep in mind, different brands use different urethane formulas, and each one behaves differently. 

Pantheon Supersonic Bushing Choices - Wake2o

Incorrect Bushing Setup

Due to the non-conventional nose and tail deck angles of the Pantheon Supersonic, most stock bushings on cast trucks will be too soft for a rear truck, and too hard for your front so you will need to pair your bushings hardness for your board.

When incorrectly matched, the front truck will lift off the ground while the rear truck will still be planted. This can make the board unstable and hard to control.

Shop Bushings
Pantheon Supersonic - An Example Of Correctly Setup Bushings - Wake2o

Correct Bushing Setup

When balancing on the edge of your longboard deck, you want both your rear and front wheels to lift at the same time, or the rear a few MM before the front. Bushing choice is unfortunately trial and error, until you find your sweet spot, but once you find it, your board will come to life!

This cannot be ignored. The front bushings may be too stiff to articulate and will lift on the outside front wheel, while the rear stays on the ground - or, the rear may be way too soft which will cause the board to roll in the rear more, which will worsen the lifting of your front outside wheel.

Recomended Bushing Shapes

Pantheon recommends bushings that are slightly wider than standard barrel bushings - both the Riptide Cannon bushings and the Seismic Defcon barrels are a full 1” wide and they work best with the Paris or Bear trucks. This will fill the entire bushing seat and allows for the truck to turn around the bushing without extra slop.

The hangar of the longboard truck stays centred and results in a more consistent turn, better wheel bite resistance and an overall better feeling truck.

You can also experiment with different bushing shapes, but barrels give the most consistent increase in resistance through pumping your turns. We recommend starting with barrels, but if you are the more experimental type, try other styles over time. We recommend changing only one variable at a time so you can identify exactly what effect that has had on your set up.

BasePlate Angle

Next, you want to take into account the baseplate angles of your longboard trucks. The higher the angle, the less leverage will be applied to your bushing, so you will need to choose softer bushings for your front trucks. 

The lower the baseplate angle, the harder your bushings need to be for that truck, as the kingpin is more vertical and your leaning force is more directly transferred into the bushings. 

Pantheon recommend a 10a bushing split between the front and rear most truck mounts on the Supersonic - Wake2o

Recomended Bushings Duro

Typically speaking, Pantheon recommend about a 10a split between the front and the rear bushings. If you're running your rear truck on the furthest mounted option, a typical setup for a 170lb rider might be something like a 80a - 81a front and a 90a - 93a rear.

Its not uncommon to see a 170lb rider riding with 95a, even 97a bushings on a 0 degree truck while the same size rider may have a 77a bushing on a 60 degree front, or even a softer bushing if they are running a high front end closer to 65 degree.

Orangatang Nipples - High Energy Rebound Longboard Bushings - Wake2o

Bushing Rebound

Bearing Rebound - For LDP longboarding, this is the most important characteristic of any given formula. If you press a bushing, a higher rebound one will return to its natural shape faster. Essentially, it's more bouncy.

A lower rebound bushing won't bounce back as much but can make for holding a nice deep turn.

For a pumping longboard setup, almost all riders prefer a high rebound urethane because they will be turning back and forth constantly.

One of the highest rebound bushings on the market are the Seismic Defcon Bushings which also offer a full 1” diameter . Other great high rebound bushings are the Riptide Barrels and the Orangatang Nipple bushings.

Part 4
Board Flex

You want a decent amount of flex in your Pantheon Supersonic longboard deck, but you don't want your board to be so soft that it makes your ride less stable. This can cause your board to slip out when going fast. 

Recommended Flex:

  • Light flex: 170lb or less
  • Medium flex: 170-200lb - up to 210lb when using the 40º (0º) mount. Also, as low as 160lb when using the rear-most mount
  • Heavy flex: suitable for larger riders, or those that will be riding downhills. It is also 1/3” wider than the other flex options - so it works well for those with longer feet.

The flex of your Pantheon Supersonic longboard should be lively yet controllable when under your feet. It is also changed when using the different tail mounts. The inner mount provides a stiffer flex, while the rear mount makes it flex more. A light flex is suitable for lightweight riders under 170lb, while a medium flex is suitable for those that are 170lb - 200lb. While riders all the way up to 210lb will prefer medium when using the 0º mount. 

Lighter riders as low as 160lb that primarily use the the furthest mount will prefer the medium flex too.

Now there is nothing wrong with choosing a longboard that is stiffer for more technical downhill performance, or a longboard that is too soft for extra comfort of that flexy feel, but your traction may suffer if your board is too soft and your ride will be harsher, meaning you won't be able to get as much energy rebound from the flex if you opt for a stiffer flexed longboard.

Part 6
Big wheels

Follow these guidelines when choosing your wheels for the Pantheon Supersonic.

The lowest possible Supersonic setup will run a wheel between 85 and 92mm with the trucks mounted flat against the deck - with no risers.

We recommend the Pantheon Karma wheels at 92mm. They offer a solid mix of speed and grip - which is needed for aggressive pumping. We would recommend this setup on the 50/40 or 50/43 truck configuration, depending on wether or not your riding Bear/Paris respectively. The high front end degree makes for an easy pump and we would consider this a medium gearing as a stock setup with fairly easy pumping in the 8-12mph range.

With the 50º front, this setup will be bite-free out of the box, so long as you are riding with a cupped washer in the board side position.

You can also totally run with the Pantheon Hoku Wheels with the 0º in the rear.

The stock setups with 50º fronts are your safest choice. With the 50º front trucks (Paris or Bear), you should be able to run bite free up to 90mm wheels. 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.

Pantheon Supersonic Longboard - The Best LDP Longboard - Shrewsbury Skateboard Shop - Wake2o

HOW TO SETUP YOUR SUPERSONIC BY PANTHEON LONGBOARDS