The Loaded dervish is a longboard which is well known among longboarding circles for its great ride. Loaded dervish specs are the following:

• Length: 41.5 inches/ 105 centimeters
• Width : 8.5 inches/ 21.5 centimeters
• Wheelbase: 33 inches/ 84 centimeters
• Weight (deck only): 3.4 to 3.6 pounds
(complete): 7.6 to 7.8 pounds

The Loaded dervish is manufactured by Loaded Carving Systems of the United States. Made of a tri-axle fiberglass and epoxy sandwich with a vertically laminated bamboo core, the dervish deck is the perfect balance between flexibility and durability. This means that the board is flexible enough to be very responsive and lively when entering and coming out of sharp turns at the same time does not bottom out unless excessive force is placed on the deck.

When seen for the side, the deck is shaped with a convex camber which compresses when the rider applies his or her weight on it. The board springs back and returns the force applied by the rider when he or she straightens up his or her legs and releases some weight from the board. This results in a livelier ride with little to no loss of forward momentum when carving or going in and out of turns. While the dervish can be used for skating down hills with moderate slopes, Loaded recommends that one uses a stiffer board when going down steep ones. This is because flexible boards become less stable at higher speeds. Nevertheless, the dervish can be used in speeds of up to 30 mph.

The dervish deck is available in two kinds of flex. The Flex 1 board is the stiffer board and meant for people weighing up to two hundred thirty pounds. The Flex 1 board is ideal for people who have a more aggressive riding style. For those who prefer a smoother and more flowing ride, the Flex 2 board may be the right deck for you. It is also meant to accommodate riders weighing up to one hundred eighty pounds.

The dervish has precision milled cutouts that fit most drop through reverse kingpin trucks. It is also narrower at the ends than it is at the middle. This is to eliminate the possibility of the deck biting on the wheels when making sharp turns. This shape also makes it easier for riders to execute shovits and other manual tricks.

The dervish gets its name from the Whirling Dervishes of the Middle East. These Whirling Dervishes are famous for their graceful and flowing movements when participating in rites remembering their god. This inspiration is carried onto the Persian themed graphics which decorates the board.

One can hardly call the cost of acquiring a Loaded dervish deck cheap. But then again the experience of riding a legendary Loaded Dervish longboard can be considered a priceless experience. Also, you can surely find a Dervish, which is cheap compared to other places that charge over $400! Researching is key.

The Loaded dervish is a longboard renowned within the longboard community for its forgiving, smooth, lively, stable, agile and responsive ride. Loaded Carving Systems achieves this by making the dervish out of materials that have the right balance of flexibility and durability. The deck is made of a tri-axle fiberglass and epoxy sandwich with a vertical laminated bamboo core. When seen from the side, the dervish is shaped in a convex camber which compresses when the rider applies some force or his weight on it. This force is returned when the rider straightens up and releases some weight from the deck. This allows the dervish to lose little to no forward momentum when going in and out of turns.

The dervish is available in two different degrees of stiffness of flexibility to suit both the rider’s weight and his or her riding style. The Flex 1 board is the stiffer of the two and is thus suitable for riders with a more aggressive riding style and for sliding. The Flex 1 board is meant to accommodate riders who weigh up to two hundred thirty pounds. The Flex 2 board is for riders who prefer a smooth and flowing ride. This board is stable and is very responsive at moderate speeds which make it ideal for carving or for short commutes.

Along with the dervish’s flexibility, another factor which contributes to its stability and great handling is its low center of gravity. The dervish has precision machined cutouts designed to accommodate most drop-through kingpin trucks. Drop-through trucks allow the board to sit closer to the ground making it easier to push and slide. This stability also makes the board an ideal platform for dancing.

The board is also shaped differently from the typical longboard. It is narrower at its ends than it is at the middle. This eliminates the possibility of the deck biting onto the wheels when making sharp turns. This comes particularly in handy when avoiding obstacles when using the dervish to commute or sliding and riding down hills.

As can be seen, the dervish can be used to do practically all the things you can do with a longboard. One limitation which Loaded puts on the dervish however, is that it should not be used when riding at extremely high speeds on steep hills. Loaded recommends the use of a stiffer board when riding down steep hills as flexible boards can lose their stability at higher speeds. The dervish though, can be ridden without loss to its stability down moderate hills at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour. Watch out for the cheap knock offs.

If you are looking for a Loaded dervish review which has something bad to say about the board you will very hard put to find it. Most of those who have tried riding have praised it for its handling, responsiveness, versatility and its extremely smooth ride.

The dervish, manufactured by Loaded Carving Systems, is made of flexible bamboo wood available in two flexes. Flex one boards are meant to accommodate persons weighing up to two hundred thirty pounds while the Flex two boards are meant for lighter riders weighing up to one hundred eighty pounds.

The board, when seen from the side is slightly convex to allow the board to flex with sufficient play without actually bottoming out the board. The board is a drop through deck, which means that the base plate used to attach the trucks is mounted on top of the board giving it a lower center of gravity.

The Loaded dervish deck is not shaped like your average longboard. It is carved on both ends, with the middle being thicker than the front or the back, the wheels are completely visible when standing on the deck. This makes it possible to make sharper turns than one could normally do with a skateboard without fear of the wheels dragging on the bottom of the board.

All these features combine to give a ride which most Loaded dervish reviews described as smooth and responsive. A lot of riders also raved about the flexibility of the board which allows one to compress the board when entering into turns and using the energy of the rebound to turn out of it resulting in no loss of speed when executing these maneuvers.

Loaded recommends this board for hills/ carving, sliding, bowl and dancing and while they recommend a stiffer board for more stability when going at high speeds, the board does keep its good handling characteristics in speeds reaching thirty miles per hour. The lack of a kicktail can make ollies a little more complicated than usual, but its ability to take sharp turns and coast longer makes this board an ideal mode of transport for short commutes.

This stable, agile and smooth deck is ideal for those who want a board which is capable of most nearly everything one can do on a longboard. Its stability and ability to take sharp turns also make this an ideal and forgiving platform for those who want to enter into the exciting world of longboarding.

While the deck of a Loaded dervish is already pretty enough to look at, there is nothing that should stop us from getting creative.  Using griptape is a great way to add our own personal design to our Loaded dervish.  Griptape, besides being easily cut and shaped, will also provide us with the added traction on the parts of the deck where we need it most.  Here are some tips on how to apply grip tape on your dervish.

The first step of course is to come up with the design idea that you want to put on your deck.  When coming up with a design, try to take into account the places where you will need the extra traction on your board the most.  For instance, if you do a lot of dancing on your board, it might be a good idea to put little to no grip tape on the middle part of the board to allow your feet to pivot and move more easily on it.

Once you have the design planned, you will have to sand your Loaded dervish in the places you plan to put tape on.  Griptape will not adhere well to the spray on grip that the decks come with.  When you are done sanding make sure that you blow off the dust and wipe the board clean.  The tape will not adhere firmly to the board if there is some debris left over from the sanding between it and the board.

Apply the grip tape according to your design.  There are many ways to do this.  Some people use a computer to generate templates which they use to trace over the griptape.  When the shape has been traced, they cut it to shape and then apply it on their decks.  If you have a steady hand and a sharp eye, you can always choose to do it freehand.
One tip is to use clear nail polish to coat the edges between thin strips of griptape and the board after you have applied the tape on it.  Thin strips have the tendency to easily peel off with heavy use.  The clear nail polish will seal the edges and keep this from happening.

Finally, Loaded recommends not to apply a full sheet of grip tape on your Loaded dervish.  This will affect its flexibility because it deadens the feel of the board.  To keep your ride lively, they recommend not putting single pieces of griptape over ten inches long.

The Loaded Dervish is a longboard made of flexible bamboo wood.  Loaded Dervish longboards are similar to skateboards but are generally longer and larger and often used for transportation, or longboarding which may include cruising, downhill racing, slalom racing and tricks.  Longboarding has many parallels with surfing and in fact has often been described as surfing on concrete.

Loaded Dervish Longboard (716) 579-5984

Manufactured by Loaded Carving Systems, the loaded dervish is a carved board measuring about one hundred and five centimeters long (about forty-two inches) and twenty one and a half centimeters wide (eight and a half inches).  It has a wheel base of about eighty-four centimeters (thirty-three inches) and weighs about eight pounds when the trucks and wheels are attached.  The board is decorated with Persian-Islamic flourishes and designs said to be inspired by the “whirling dervishes”, an order of Muslims who are best known for their practice of whirling as a means of worship and remembrance of the their god.

It is also what is called a drop-through deck which means that the board has holes in it allowing the base of the truck mounting hardware to be placed on top of the board.  This allows for a lower ride height resulting in greater stability without loss of responsiveness to turning.

When looked at from the side, the dervish board is convex in shape and is designed to flex when the rider mounts the board or shifts his or her weight around to execute maneuvers or tricks.  This flexibility is meant to allow the rider more control over the board and allow for tighter turns when traveling at slower speeds.  It is also meant to make maneuvers such as slides easier to execute.  While a stiffer board is more ideal for faster speeds, Loaded maintains that the board can be used in speeds of up to fifty kilometers per hour.   The dervish is available in two “flex” settings.  The stiffer board (called Flex 1) is meant to accommodate people weighing one hundred seventy to two hundred thirty pounds.  Lighter users may also use the stiffer boards should they want more stability at higher speeds.  The Flex 2 board is meant to be used by people weighing one hundred to one hundred eighty pounds.

Because of its flexibility, low ride height and ability to make tight turns, the dervish is ideal for negotiating curved roads and avoiding obstacles when using it as a means of transport within the city and for longboarding events such as hills carving, dancing and sliding.