The Tantalizing TanTien

       –Webster’s Dictionary

   Loaded’s Tan Tien is tantalizing. The Tan Tien is what I consider my first “high end” longboard. I had a board or two before this and they were great, but they weren’t the insanity that this board is. The Tan Tien, or as I call it the Tanti, allowed me to excel at freestyle and crushing the hell out of campus.

I bought my board with the “standard” Tan Tien set-up: Paris 180mm trucks and Orangatang Stimulus 70mm 86a wheels (see the picture above). That is definitely a set-up that is hard to beat on a Tan Tien and  is what I rode for a very long time.

Let’s take a second to take about the make up of the Tanti. The Tan Tien, like many other Loaded Boards, has a sweeeeeet flex to it. It is 39 inches long and 8 and 3/4 inches wide. It has a 27 inch wheelbase and the standing platform offers a mid to wide stance for someone of average height. The board had dual kicks, some bouncy camber, and a wee bit of concave and the concave keeps your feet in one place without locking them there permanently.

The flex on the board isn’t quite as intense as the flex on a dervish or vanguard, but it is definitely there and awesome. The flex pops you in and out of carves and is really responsive. I swear it feels like the Tanti can read your mind sometimes. Now flex can be a good thing or a bad thing in some case, it definitely takes some getting used to when you are hitting big tricks because it can bounce you back off and it is not the best for fast downhill obviously. Once you get used to the flex and learning how to land on it you feel really comfortable hitting big early grabs and tiger claws because you know your board will flex with the impact instead of crack. So for a freestyle oriented board like this I really like the flex and believe that it takes your riding to the next level.

Sliding on the Tan Tien is incredible, this is the board that I learned to slide on, and I must say that it’s a beauty. Its not quite as easiest board in the world to hold incredibly long slides on it, but freestyle fun slides are easy as pie and look beautiful. Not to mention have the kicked nose and tail offer you a world of manual slides and slides off the tail directly into tricks off the nose. My personal favorite is a toeside 180 slide into a nollie shove it, good times.

The Tan Tien is not a downhill board, and is not particularly good at hitting speed above 35-40mph, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be done. My roommate hit 45+mph on his Tan Tien! It is a little bit unstable at high speeds, but any speeds under 35 are very manageable and enjoyable. Additionally, like I said all that flex does bounce you in out of carves easily so controlling your speed with check slides and carves is a very doable, fun, and stylish option on this son of a gun.

I honestly don’t think there is a better freestyle longboard on the market. Being symmetrical is obviously a huge advantage to a freestyle board (and any board in my opinion) and having two kicks opens a third dimension in riding options. It is a fantastic length with just the right amount of standing of standing platform to hit slides and land tricks comfortably. The Tanti is a great length for tigerclaws, at least for me, because I don’t have to bend down to catch it like I do with smaller boards, but it’s also super light and flippable which is a plus over bigger heavier boards. The board comes with some pretty sick grip tape on it which makes sliding your feet up and down the board a little more tricky but that doesn’t mean you can’t hit moves like the pirouette or some ollies. Dancing on this deck can get a little tight at times, but it will never stop you from peter panning and cross steping all over the town.

My current setup is rocking paris 180mm trucks and orangatang fatfrees 65mm 86a wheels. I like these wheels on the board because the are lighter than 70mm wheels and make manuals and flip tricks easier. They also allow for easier transport with the light weight. I have ridden many wheel combinations with this board and I think that fatfrees actually suit the board best for freestyle, which is what it was made for, so I love them on my Tanti.

In the end, I can honestly say that improving the Tan Tien would be next to impossible. Yes it can get razor tail, but what board with tails can’t? This board is incredible for commuting, freestyle, light dancing, and just tearing it up. I would recommend this board over almost any other board out there, heck I would recommend this board over most of the cars out there!

Any Questions, Comments, Concerns, Fanmail, Death-Threats, or Cookies?
Leave me a comment!
Wayne

My Current Setup:
-Loaded Tan Tien
-Paris 180mm Trucks
-Bones Reds Bearings
-Orangatang Nipple Bushings (Soft)
-Orangatang FatFree Wheels 65mm 86a Wheels