Did I ever tell you about the time I raced a NYC bus on a Penny board? I was heading to a friend’s place for—and I hate how old this makes me sound—game night. Beer in my backpack, I was off to play some obscure card or board game I had never heard of with friends. A bus route looked like the optimal option, but it only came every 20 minutes, and I had just missed it. So I decided to skate. I only had my Penny Board on me, as I was testing it out and I didn’t want to potentially carry around one of my larger or heavier boards after a bunch of drinks. I skated past a bus at one point along my way and I get a text. At the next intersection, I look at it.
“Did you just skate past a bus?”
My girlfriend was on the bus. I had caught up to the same bus I missed, and now passed it.
This story ends with me sitting on my friend’s stoop, waiting for my girlfriend for about five minutes.
Now, beating a New York bus on foot in some areas isn’t even all that impressive. Before they shut down 14th street to cars, a brisk walk was a faster way to cross town than the bus along 14th. The traffic and bus service in New York is a joke. But this isn’t an article about how we need more bus and bike lanes in NYC. It’s about a skateboard. On nothing but a tiny skateboard that can fit inside a backpack, I beat a bus.
This is a review of the Penny board.
Table of Contents
A Penny Board?
I was at Google IO in 2018. Walking around, I realized that, like many cities and suburban areas, the best way to get around was via skateboard. I had actually tried to figure out a way to get my Dinghy, my smallest board at the time, in my carry on, but it was just a bit too big for my luggage. I would have had to sacrifice too much for a week away. I was so upset with myself for not bringing it out there, or just buying a skateboard, but I walked everywhere while I was there.
Like many people thinking of a little skateboard, I thought of a Penny board. They’re 22″ long, and can fit in your carry on bag along with shoes, clothes, makeup, toothbrushes, camera, and computer gear. Later that year, I got a Penny board. A real, Penny of Australia, legit Penny board.
I already believed in skating everywhere. For the most part, I actually follow through on that. But that Penny board has allowed me to skate everywhere from anywhere. Even when I have to hide it inside a backpack.
So yes, I got a Penny board. I didn’t let the naysayers stop me, I didn’t listen when people said they were over-hyped, plastic garbage for Instagram “influencers.” And you know what? I was right not to.
For a while I considered not reviewing it, just because of the stigma that Penny boards carry among some serious skaters. But you know what? I’m not a “serious” skater. I’m just someone who likes skating every single day. I don’t see why something so fun should be taken so seriously. If you like it, do it.
I was right to ignore the naysayers. Here’s why.
22″ of Plastic
The Penny board is famous for being a plastic board. It’s got some flexibility to it, but it’s basically just a strong plastic skateboard. It’s a shockingly durable deck, lightweight, flexible, especially for its size, and… yeah… it’s plastic. It’s a defining characteristic. Plastic isn’t well known for being a good skateboard material. And, while I wouldn’t replace any of my other skateboards with an identical board made out of plastic, it works for the Penny board. That plastic gives this small board more flexibility than a similarly durable wooden board would. Basically? It’s just the right size and material for the job.
The whole board is a little convex. This is part of the reason I gripped up my 27″ Penny board for use in the rain. It’s just doesn’t “cup” your foot. However, between the flexibility and the small size, your foot likely isn’t going to move around much on the deck. Where would it go? There’s also a small but functional kicktail. You’d think a board this small and light would be easy to at least ollie, but it’s actually trickier than it looks. The pop is easy, but getting height and landing it is another story. But, yeah, you can do tricks on a Penny board.
I can’t, but I’m sure someone can.
It’s a little small…
Frankly, I can barely fit it under my feet, and I feel super awkward on it. But it’s skateable. I’ve taken it for miles without issue. I’ve even seen someone bombing hills in Central Park on a Penny board. For real. I broke my wrist bombing a hill on a Dinghy, but a Penny board? Madman!
Still, when you’re on the board, you sort of forget how tiny it is. The super narrow trucks and geometry make it feel surprisingly stable. In fact, it feels a bit like a larger board when you’re on it. Sure, you can tell that your feet are barely on the board. But you can get enough on there to balance—albeit uncomfortably—and that’s all you need.
I skated this for about a week or two on my commutes. When I switched back to a Dinghy for my commute, it felt like I had switched to a yacht (see what I did there?). I had so much room for my feet, and could even put both of my feet on the deck at once! It’s definitely a more comfortable ride.
But I still bust out that Penny board when I need something that can fit in a backpack.
Balancing
I’m not going to lie to you, it’s more difficult to ride than a standard mini cruiser. I mean, you can’t get your whole foot on it! The first time I seriously rode it was after a flight out to LA. I had some time to kill before hanging out with friends and I just skated around downtown LA. I joked to my friends about how much smoother LA streets are than our sidewalks and roads in NYC. Despite that smoothness, you know what happened the first time I threw down that board and hopped on? I stumbled. I got up and skated for a few hours without issue after sort of figuring it out, but that first time? Not so easy. If you really want to improve your balance on a skateboard, ride a Penny for a few weeks.
Trucks, Wheels, and Bearings
Penny has their own trucks, wheels, even bearings. A lot of skate companies do. Landyachtz does, Loaded has a deal with Paris trucks, but otherwise has wheels, bushings, and bearings. Sector 9, Bustin Boards, and many others also have their own hardware to go with their decks. If you can order each part in bulk and slap your logo on it or make it in house, you can save a lot of money. It’s smart.
My first Penny board was a complete, and that’s really the only way to get a 22″ Penny, as it requires Penny trucks. Still, I didn’t know that at the time. My main reasoning was that you often can only get the cool designs with a complete (which is why I added a bunch of stickers to my Nickel rain board), and it was deeply discounted (I believe $60).
So just how are Penny’s trucks and wheels?
They’re… good. The best way I could describe it is that they’re perfect for the Penny board. I mean it, perfect for this board. Everything just fits so well together, it’s almost hard to split it out. Besides, when it comes to the trucks, you literally can’t swap them out easily.
Trucks
Penny’s trucks are narrow. They’re the most narrow pair I own. And they have to be. With just 3″ between the axles, they’re even smaller than the smallest trucks of most other companies. They sort of remind me of the old trucks used on the original skateboards… from roller skates.
They’re nimble for their size, keeping the wheels under the board and making the balance just right. Any wider and you’d have a hard time not kicking them while pushing and they wouldn’t be very nimble. I actually tried my Polar Bear (105mm) trucks on the deck, but they looked ridiculous and handled like an 18 wheeler. I was only able to get two screws in for the Bear trucks when I tested this, by the way. I don’t recommend it. The larger 27″ Penny board isn’t like this, as I have Paris trucks on mine now. I believe this is because the 22″ Penny board is just too narrow to safely support any larger trucks. And if they were any more narrow, the wheels would be touching the kingpin.
Seriously, Penny shrunk this board down as much as they could.
So, the trucks are what you get. They’re surprisingly not too unstable, give you a somewhat nimble platform, and don’t ride too poorly. Honestly, they feel like half-decent cruiser trucks. Penny stands alone in the micro cruiser category for a reason!
Wheels
Penny’s wheels have a 59mm diameter and an 83A hardness. The width is about 45mm, and the contact patch is about 42mm. This actually makes them a combination of small and a bit harder than most cruiser wheels. They’re still soft enough to absorb cracks and bumps, but part of the reason you don’t rattle out of your shoes is the fact that the plastic in the Penny board helps dampen vibration. Seriously, all the parts just work together.
The wheel surface is smooth. You’re going to want to break them in before sliding… who am I kidding? I haven’t bombed a hill on them! I thought I was crazy for bombing hills on a Dinghy that’s 5″ longer and twice the width of this thing! Still, if you’re thinking of sliding, you’d have to break in the wheels quite a bit. They’ve got a squared bezel that will not work well for sliding either. These are not your standard cruiser or freeride wheels. They seem more like really small, slightly harder downhill wheels. Perhaps that’s to give you the stability you’ll need at lower speeds on the Penny. I don’t recommend bombing a hill on this board, or with these wheels, but you can at least safely skate them to the bus stop or airport.
If that doesn’t sound interesting, there’s actually a bit of clearance here to try some different and even larger wheels. For example, I loaded them up with 63mm Fatty Hawgs with no problem. They stick out from the board, but certainly feel smooth.
I’m not a huge fan of the wheels, but I’ll admit, they fit the board well.
Bearings
The bearings on a Penny board aren’t that good. They come well lubed, and, because of the small size of the wheels, they can get up to speed pretty quickly, but that speed will also die off pretty quickly. I almost always recommend replacing included bearings. I don’t know why every single company, even beloved skate brands, skimp on bearings. I’ve never had one stand up to even the cheapest of steel Zealous bearings.
What About Alternatives?
Finding a skateboard that’s 22″ or smaller that isn’t a cheap Penny board knockoff is all but impossible. Penny just has this market cornered and reputable skate brands aren’t coming after them. Most of the time, skate companies stop around 27″ for their mini cruisers. It’s tough to find anything smaller than that. In fact, after trying a few times, I gave up and went with the Penny. However, for this article, I did manage to find two alternatives that don’t look too bad, though I haven’t tested them personally, and reviews are sparse, at best.
Maybe you heard of something called a “Penny Killer?” It’s not a serial killer who goes after people on Penny boards. It’s a wooden version of the Penny board maid by Churchill Manufacturing, and exclusively sold through third parties now. Their website, Churchillmfg.com, seems to be defunct. You can still get them through FunboxSkate, but I’ve never ordered from them before, and can’t attest to or review their reliability. I would be open to trying one though. Still, there’s something that rubs me the wrong way about any company that defines itself or its products by another company, and “Penny killer” sounds like it’s just about the Penny brand.
I also found an interesting and completely different alternative in the Urskog Frö. The Frö is an even shorter cruiser, coming in at just 17″ long. It’s wider though, and seems to have standard skate trucks and an almost full-sized (but on the small side) deck width of 7.5″. Frankly, I may have to try one day, it looks really cool. It’s quite expensive though, and I haven’t seen anything like it in a local shop to check it out. I didn’t know about the Frö when I got the Penny, and, for the price, I still likely would have gone for the Penny at the time. After all, this is just a travel board.
And perhaps that’s why no other brands have gotten into the super mini cruiser business. These aren’t going to be anyone’s best or favorite boards. They’re travel boards. They’re vital, but your travel toothbrush likely isn’t as nice as your one at home, is it? You just need something small, reliable, and affordable. Penny has that nailed down.
Overall
I feel bad for comparing the Penny board to a travel toothbrush. It’s definitely nicer than a travel toothbrush. Still, it’s well engineered for one thing: feeling larger than it is when you’re on it so it can be as small as possible. That’s kind of what a travel toothbrush does too.
I skated this for the first time out in LA. It was January, 70º outside. Warm, sunny, beautiful. I cruised around, skated wherever I pleased, grabbed food, and just had a blast. It was an incredibly memorable day, and I had it because I had a little Penny board to stow in my carry-on bag. I couldn’t have had that wonderful day cruising around Koreatown and downtown LA otherwise.
That’s it. That right there. Sure, I could just go to some city and wander around, but what’s the fun in that? I had a way to zip around city streets and sidewalks (and, as it turned out “private property”), and I got to experience a new place in a fun, fast, and convenient way. The Penny board’s my little vacation board, my home away from home, and, for that, it’s perfect.
Over the past few months, I skated every other skateboard I own more than my little Penny board. But then again, I haven’t been on a vacation in a long time. It’s getting cold out. Maybe it’s time for my Penny and I to go someplace warm.
