Sneak Peek at Pantheon’s Upcoming Decks

If you’ll remember, I crowned the Pantheon Trip the top beginner’s board of 2019. The fact is, it’s a fantastic and lightweight cruiser, perfect for beginners learning to skate or long distance cruising and pumping. It’s small, forgiving, and a stable, low platform to learn on. It’s a little too flexible for heavier riders (above 230lbs), and that also means skating it hard could result in damage. What’s a new skater to do if they want to send it, weigh more than 220lbs, or just want a longer and wider platform for their feet? Usually the answer is go somewhere else, like Landyachtz for the Drop Cat or Switchblade or Bustin Boards for the Sportster.

Soon though, Pantheon will have their own answer to that question.

Nexus and Quest

If you follow Pantheon longboards on Instagram, you might have seen a few hints of an upcoming new deck design… or two. However, this week, Jeff at Pantheon posted the new designs for the Quest and Nexus, two new decks coming to the Pantheon lineup. We don’t yet know everything about these decks, but between Reddit and Instagram, we have a vague picture of these upcoming boards. I’ll share what Jeff has shared so far. If you’re looking for something similar, and you’re patient, it might be worth the wait.

The Quest and Nexus look like they’re going to be very popular with many of the people who love Pantheon’s other boards (myself included). So what are they and how do they fit into the hyper-focused Pantheon lineup?

Quest

Above, the Quest is the middle deck. It’s a little longer than the Nexus, only because the deck goes past the trucks a little more than it does on the Nexus, closing the fork, much like the Ember.

• Length: 37″ (4″ Longer than the Trip)
• Platform Length: 2″ Longer than the Trip
• Wheelbase: 28.5-30″, guesstimating from photos.
• Width: 9.25″ (Same as latest version of the Trip)
• Composition: 7-ply maple with fiberglass, like the Gaia
• Concave: Radial, for a locked-in feeling. More like the Ember in this way than the Trip.
• Drop: 1″ crescent drop, 0.2″ Rocker, about 0.1″ taller than the Trip and Pranayama
• Suggested Trucks/Wheels: 150mm Paris trucks and 85mm Speedvents (more narrow wheels than the Caguamas)
• Purpose: The lighter nature and more springiness of this design will make it a sort of successor to the Trip. This is the long distance pusher of the two, the one you want to take for the long haul. Not that either deck would be bad for it, just that the fewer plies and narrower deck will make for a platform that’s better for transferring motion between carves for pumping. This is to the Gaia as the Nexus is to the CHiller, and that’s not just a comment about their composition. We’re seeing a more comfortable ride here, something more versatile and less aggressive. You’ll still be able to trust it on a smaller hill, but the Nexus will be more for bombing those hills.
• Price? ~$150 for the deck

Nexus

• Length: 36″
• Platform Length: 2″ Longer than the Trip
• Wheelbase: ~30″ (two positions)
• Width: 9.6″
• Composition: 8-ply maple with fiberglass, like the CHiller
• Drop: 1″ crescent drop, 0.2″ Rocker, slightly, about 0.1″ taller than the Trip and Pranayama (same mold as the Quest)
• Suggested Trucks/Wheels: 165mm Paris trucks with 85mm Caguamas. Huge wheels and narrow trucks, a fun combination! And yes, you can use traditional kingpin trucks on it.
• Purpose: It can do long distance pumping, much like the Quest. You can use it as a pusher. But it’s really a more purpose-driven, low downhill/freeride deck. It’s stiff and ready to race. Then get your workout in pushing it back up the hill!
• Price? ~$160 for the deck

These will be two excellently priced decks. The long story made short? The Quest will be great for long distance pushing, the Nexus will be a low freeride/downhill deck. Jeff describes it as “race stiff.” These are two really exciting decks coming from Pantheon in the next couple of months. Keep your eyes peeled on their Instagram and website, you’re going to have to beat a lot of people to the punch if you want one!