Hey!
So today I will be reviewing something awesome.
Something super awesome possum.
(Oh yeah, this is my first review ever in the history of Ellie writing reviews so bear with me.)
On the upper left hand side is my burrito I haven’t unwrapped yet:
Wired Ramps is the brainchild of Mr. Bob Taylor and his son, Zach Taylor. In their own words:
“Wired Ramps are made from the strongest and finest possible concretes to insure a smooth and consistent grind while also being very durable. The idea of starting this company has been around for 4 years with a lot of testing of the ramps myself and knowing they were very good but being too lazy to start up the site the idea started to diminish. Then I decided that I would bring around 10 to 15 ramps to the FlatFace Rendezvous 13 in August (2012). After walking around and trying to sell them for around an hour people started to catch on. Jayme Oberhausen, now Wired Ramp Co. team rider, went around to all of his friends and started to get everyone going on it and before I knew it I had sold out all of the ramps. I then had people begging me to make a site because ether they didn’t get a ramp or they wanted another and as you asked here it is!”I first found out about Wired Ramps through Alexander Ward’s ‘Wired Ramps’ video on YouTube. Long story short, I was initially really interested in the concrete obstacles that Wired Ramps were making, but I wasn’t too big of a fan of Jersey Barriers (which was what they had in stock, and this was before FlatFace started distributing WRs). I e-mailed WRs to see if they made other obstacles and one thing led to the other and Bob offered to make me a custom ledge! I was so stoked! So here is the ledge I designed (yeah, I know, there was a lot of engineering behind this manny pad. I’m so good with CAD design. I should build the next major bridge).
I’m just kidding. There’s a reason why I’m not a math major.
Anyway, onto the review:
Shipping/packaging: This ledge was packaged really, really well. It’s sort of like an if-I-dropped-it-off-a-tall-building-it-would-be-okay type of well. There isn’t much to say about the shipping though as you can’t judge a company’s shipping based on how fast USPS sends it but I want you guys to know that Bob got it sent out ASAP. Very prompt, he went to the PO really quickly, and that’s just great. I just love it when companies care.
10/10
First impressions: Hehe, wow! It was so smooth. I saw it and I was just prancing around the room because I was so excited (and because my roommate wasn’t there)! It’s very flowy. A little dusty but I cleaned it up a bit with a towel and some water. Also, in terms of aesthetics, there were some marks on it but it doesn’t really matter. These things don’t bother me. 9/10
Craftsmanship: This ledge is really good. The concrete they use is really good, unique, “different” concrete. It’s smooth, FEELS LIKE GLASS (seriously), and overall it’s nice to touch. It’s not rough at all. In fact, this concrete is so smooth I can run my fingernails on it without having that horrible feeling that you get from chalkboards and other concrete obstacles. It’s perfectly shaped. No dents, no chips, nothing poking out, no unevenness. 8.5/10
Performance: This thing is SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID. SOLID.
So
solid, I can stand it up like this:
And I can do tricks and stuff on it without having it flip over or fall down or wobble. That’s how good it is. I’m not sure if it’s the same for all ledges but this is just great. Also, the material, again, feels like glass. It’s almost “soft”, if that makes sense. One thing I also love about the WRs is that there’s no “dusting” or whatever the term is. One problem I had with my Harrier concrete ledge was that it was all the powder and bits of ramp that came off every time I grinded against the surface. Also, my Harrier was prone to dirt and getting gross really easily but WRs don’t really pick up stuff like that! It’s really fun to ride on and so far I have no complaints. I usually hate squeaking but the ledge makes a really nice sound when you move your wheels across it. The board/wheels almost glide across the surface. Think of it like ice skating on concrete. Concrete skating. Has someone tried that yet? 9/10
Overall, I think Wired Ramps is extremely underrated in the fingerboarding world. These ledges are a must-have in everyone’s obstacle collection. They are just so great! Definitely a staple. However, I wish there were more options listed on the website. And I hope to see bigger things from WR (bowls, concrete parks) one day. Those are definitely things I’d save up money for.
So yes, if you haven’t picked up your Wired Ramps ramp, go to
http://wiredrampco.bigcartel.com/ or
http://www.flatfacefingerboards.com/stone/ and snatch one today! Tell your friends, peers, teachers, Obama, your mama, your papa, your grandpa, your grandpa about WR!!
9.15/10Thanks Bob and Zach! You guys are fabulous!
Links:
Zach’s YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/zachsusfbsAlex’s video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iIAVIbZCxEMore pics: