The 2020 Drop Cat 33 is a bit different than its 2019 counterpart. The standing platform is shorter, with longer, narrower necks. This was to account for narrower setups as well as large wheels on Bear’s new Gen 6 Grizzly trucks. As luck would have it, I had been thinking about trying out a rail matched version of the Drop Cat 33. I love the Drop Cat 33. It’s small, nimble, the rocker increases your locked-in feeling for standup slides, and it’s great for commuting when you also want to tackle some hills. In fact, I find myself reaching for it more often than my Pantheon Ember, the ultimate city commuter, just because it’s better for freeriding.
Landyachtz ships these with 180mm trucks. However, they’re so wide you can’t even stand your deck up on its side. Landyachtz did this for two reasons. First, it increases stability. This setup is still fun to slide around on, and the platform is just wide enough that you don’t feel like it’s difficult to control the wide trucks. Secondly… Landyachtz doesn’t make 165mm trucks.
But Paris does.
So I made a Paris V3/V2 hybrid setup (more on that in a bit) to create a 165mm, 43º Paris truck. I slapped these on the new 2020 Drop Cat 33, and tossed on some Powell Peralta 66mm Snakes for good measure.
The Drop Cat 33 with 180mm Paris V3 trucks is one of my favorite setups. It’s just a fun setup to push around and slide. It’s low, easy to push for distances, stiff enough for some light freeriding, and incredibly nimble. It’s perfect for a commute that involves a few hills. But I decided to order another deck to mess with the formula anyway. Let’s talk about this rail-matched setup, how it rides, and what Landyachtz and Paris are doing wrong.
Table of Contents
The 2020 Drop Cat 33
The 2020 Drop Cat 33 “Seeker” is a lot like the 2019 model. However, the standing platform, which was already small, has shrunken. Believe it or not, you may actually have more room for a wider stance on the Dinghy, if you’re willing to use the tail a little.
The 2020 Drop Cat has the same 33″ length, 23.9″ wheelbase, and 9.625″ width as the 2019 version. But the standing platform itself is about about 2.5cm shorter to make room for larger wheels with lower angled trucks. That might not seem like much, but it’s definitely something you notice. After all, this setup was inspired by shaving a mere 15mm off of the width of my hangers. This is 25mm taken from where I typically put my foot. That’s like two toes!
After riding the 2020 model for a few weeks, I hopped on my older 2019 the other day just for some fun. I had some brand new Remember Hoots on hand and wanted to give them a go. It was so comfortable. I felt like I could put my feet anywhere, and I felt more comfortable than ever on it. I began to really appreciate the platform again. That tiny amount, just 25mm, really made a difference in the confidence I had on the deck.
That made me realize that Landyachtz made a mistake with the 2020 model. Initially, when I first got a Drop Cat, I took some time to get used to the smaller platform. I actually put a footstop on the back to help. However, it didn’t take me long to use the sharp corners of the standing platform as a reference. That’s a problem with the new model. Those sharp corners are more rounded, due to the shorter length of the standing platform. I wish Landyachtz had bit the bullet and created a new 34″ or 35″ version, rather than shrink the standing platform. An ever so slightly longer platform and longer wheelbase wouldn’t hurt this dynamic much. My guess is that it couldn’t fit the molds they had. Perhaps in a future version.
Is the Standing Platform Bad?
No, I wouldn’t consider it bad. I just don’t use it for freeride as much as my larger Drop Cat 33. Now more than ever, I recommend the 38″ version if you prefer a wider stance. I’m 5’10”. I consider the length to be suitable, but not perfect. A lot of people around my height may find it a little too short. Both models of the 33 are just shy of perfect for me, but I love them anyway. This is still a fun little deck. It’s great for pushing around cities and cranking out a few slides on hills. I’ve found it’s really comfortable in a stand up slide. The concave, rocker, and edges of the platform still help lock you in, while the wedged effect on the trucks makes for a nimble setup. This is still one of my go-to setups. In fact, I commuted to work on it for quite some time before the COVID lockdown. One of my coworkers even stated it was her favorite of mine, just for its design.
It is a really cool design. It’s by David Hale, the same guy who made the Dugout Gray Skull graphic, and a few other Landyachtz favorites. You can find his art on hawk.love.
This is a fun deck, I just wish it had an inch more standing room.
Narrow Back, Wide Front
Since I broke my wrist last year, I’ve favored toe slides. I still haven’t been able to confidently put my left hand on the pavement, and usually opt for a squattie when sliding heelside. Now, I wear around a size 9.5-10 (U.S.) women’s shoe. That’s equivalent to an 8 in men’s, depending on the brand. This means my toes overhang a bit on the back on this board. On top-mounted setups, a little overhang is great for leverage. But on a drop, especially one as low as this, I can sometimes drag my toe along the asphalt. It’s rare, and it means my stance wasn’t good to begin with, but it also would be more recoverable on a slightly wider deck. It’s especially bad when I’m using smaller wheels, like testing out the 63mm Easy Hawgs on this platform, or even just the 66mm Powell Peralta. On more than on occasion, I did this enough to pull my rear leg off the board. Fortunately, no serious injuries, just the usual bumps and scrapes. But this means that, for more serious freeride, you’ll have to shift your back foot more than you might on other setups.
It’s not an insurmountable issue, and it becomes such muscle memory that you’ll have your toe floating on the center of the board if you even think about sliding, but it’s something to remember. This is a fun board for some light freeriding, but it is not a freeriding deck, unless you have small feet and are a little on the shorter side (think 5′-5.5′). I’d recommend this more for commuting and lower speed freeriding, or perhaps if you really need that short wheelbase and wedged trucks for narrow and often unpredictable city streets. If you love the rocker this gives you, and the drop through nature, but you’re tall and want to use it for freeride, you may want to go with the 38 instead.
It’s not All Bad
That cutout by the neck that decreases the standing position? It was done for a reason, and that reason wasn’t to mock the tall folks grabbing this little board. When I first decided to try this setup, it was because I put my 165mm, 43º Paris Savants on my 2019 Drop Cat. I liked it. Sure, it was a little “squirrely” with the more narrow trucks, but it was a fun setup. The only problem? It didn’t work with the 70mm wheels I was using. The wheels bit into the neck. I had to go with some 63mm wheels I had on hand to test it out. When I ordered the parts for this setup, I grabbed 66mm Powell Peralta wheels. But, as it turns out, the new deck works perfectly with 70mm wheels. In fact, I could likely go up to 72mm, easy, even higher if they’re offset. While you’re definitely giving up a bit of standing room, you’re gaining options for wheel sizes. Depending on how much your toes overhang on a standup toe slide, you might want a bit of extra distance. For many people, especially those who favor a more narrow stance, the additional wheel and truck options is worth the 25mm off the standing platform.
Paris V3/V2 43º 165mm Trucks
UPDATE:
Paris now sells V3 trucks with a 165mm hanger and 43º baseplate! Guess I was just a little too impatient.
A truck with 165mm hangers and a ~45º baseplate is an incredibly popular combination for freeriding. The lower angle means you have to commit and lean more for your turn, giving you a less twitchy ride for speed. Paris has 165mm hangers. They have 43º baseplates. They should put them together and sell it, right?
They don’t.
But at least they sell the V3 baseplates separately, right?
Nope.
It’s so bad, Pantheon Longboards actually had to custom order 165mm 43º Paris V3 trucks for their freeride completes. They were only able to get them because they ordered in bulk. Jeff, owner of Pantheon Longboards, says he hopes they can show Paris there’s demand for this size. Paris makes the Savant in a 165mm, 43º setup, it’s insane they don’t offer the same for their cast V3 trucks.
So you can likely figure out how we got here, since I couldn’t order the baseplates and hangers separately in bulk. I bought some 165mm Paris V3 trucks with 50º baseplates and some V2 43º baseplates. Yes, they work together, but I did swap out the pivot cups to be sure. The baseplates arrived about a week after the complete trucks, so I used those for a while on the Drop Cat 33 Seeker. It’s not a terrible setup, actually. It’s a 57º truck with the wedges the Drop Cat rocker adds. This, surprisingly, wasn’t violently unstable. Maybe it’s because I’m used to going fast on TKP trucks. Perhaps it’s because my 2019 Drop Cat 33 is my go-to grab and go cruising setup. I didn’t hate this. However, it also felt a bit squirrelly around 20MPH, which is a lot slower than I’d like to go. I could have tweaked it with some bushings, but there’s only so much you can do with 57º trucks with 165mm hangers.
But then I got the 43º baseplates. Those still felt a bit loose at speeds around 20mph, but I didn’t feel as though they were ridiculous, and I could definitely tune it better with the right bushings. I feel like this setup would benefit from a lower rebound bushing, for more drawn out stand up slides. Of course, everyone will have different tolerances, and your balance and experience can take an unstable setup and make it stable, so I don’t want to assume that everyone would have wobbles for this, or that someone might have severe wobbles. The truth is, some better weight-appropriate bushings on this setup would likely be enough to fix the problem altogether, and I’m still working on dialing it in just right for my weight and the amount of rebound I want. I lost a bit of weight recently (thanks quarantine), and want to tweak a couple of my setups now.
The baseplate angle with the rocker is about 50º. It’s still grippy for quick turns thanks to the 165mm hanger, but still initiates and slides easily. This was when I felt like this setup had found its identity, where I could carve out a niche for it as a nimble, but not unwieldy small RKP pusher/cruiser with some light and slower freeriding potential. It was just the right combination of nimble but not so nimble it’s dangerous.
It’s been great for commutes and low speed freeriding!
Putting it all Together
The 2020 Drop Cat 33 is a fun deck, albeit with a slightly shorter platform than I’d prefer. Still, I’m also taller than average. As for the trucks? Paris should make this setup available to everyone. Pantheon Longboards ran into the same problem when working on their own completes where the 43º baseplate would be perfect.
But how does it feel? What is it like to ride? I had a revelation while skating it once. It feels kind of like balancing on a rail more than a platform. Easy to go off one side or the other, bit if you move with it, it never feels hard to balance on. If you keep your weight forward, it’ll surprise you with its stability. Is it a fast setup? No. I wouldn’t take it past 30mph too often. But there’s so much fun to be had before then. It’s super agile, dives into turns, and just floats over the ground. It’s nimble, smooth, and just a blast. Whip it around for a 180 toeslide even between parked cars on a narrow one-way street. It’s just so nimble and thrilling.
It’s not a great freeride setup, though it can help you improve your stance, tuck, and slides on a better freeride setup. It can help you get used to the increased agility of a more narrow platform and the increased grip that provides. Essentially, because it’s not a great freeride setup, but it’s low and versatile, you may end up getting a lot of practice with it. Because it’s so good for commuting, carrying, or stowing under a desk, you may freeride on it more often than you could for a larger, less nimble, or less commute-friendly setup. Because I’ve been staying close to my apartment and because the hills around me are less than optimal, I’ve been freeriding on my more nimble setups recently than my dedicated freeride setup, the Pantheon Gaia.
The Drop Cat 33 is a decent enough commuter, but the 180mm setup with a slightly longer platform that I have from 2019 works a bit better for that. What this setup is good for is putting a huge, goofy grin on my face, even at slower speeds. It’s great for standup slides and perfecting your stance on a narrower platform. But really? It’s for fun, even on busy, narrow, cracked, pothole-ridden streets. It’s a fun setup for the city freeriding enthusiast. I was walking back up a hill once after I blasted down it, bouncing between heel and toeslides. A woman who saw me go down the hill saw me trudging back up. She exclaimed, “You looked like you were having fun!” You know what? I was, and, looking at her grin, the fun was infectious.
This is a great platform for just having a little fun joyriding. Not worrying about max speeds, or learning the perfect pre-drift slide. Just take your little setup out and have a blast. That’s exactly what I wanted this setup to be, and that’s exactly what I got.
