Already when we read the announcemnt in the Conference Mag in october 2009, it was clear that this frame covers a huge potential especially for park and vertskaters. A nice and wide groove, realized by the postioning of the wheels combined with the extreme light-weight constuction. This souded realy exiting!
In February 2009 we finally received two sets of fames to test them under all possible conditons. (THX Bauer!) One of them went to Jan Mertens in Collogne, the other one stayed here with me in Muenster.
If you want to follow the producers instuctions you are able to use the Slim Line Frames up to a wheel size of 58 mm.
But for a vertskater it is clear - they have to fit with 59mm Wheels of a traditional australien wheel company. Self-evident that Jan and me could not resist to do some minor ginding works at the middle wheels position to fix that little problem. 3 minutes and one millimeter later the 59 mm Cozmo Viking Wheels fit perfectley in the frames and testing could beginn.
We tested following setups: 1x Kizer Slimline Colin Kelso in M with Valo AB1 with Cozmo 59mm Tom Fry´s bei Jan Mertens
1x Kizer Slimline Team in S with Razors Aragon2 / Cozmo 55mm Mini Fly´s and 59mm Cozmo Vikings with me:-).
Report by Jan:
Today the frame arrived!. My first thought, when I got the Frame from the postman was: "WOW - what a light-weight!!" The frame is by far lighter than my Fiziks XT Frame and even a bit lighter than the standard Salomon frame.
Finally reached at home i could not wait to see what would be to do to use the frame with 59 mm wheels. Actually its not to much work - just one millimeter ginding and my 59mm Cozmo Tom Fry's slipped into the fame.
The additional hardware for the frame is 8 mm axels and 8 mm framespacers. Some different sizes of ufs-screws would have been nice - but it worked out anyway.
Today i started rolling the frame and I really enjoyed rolling on a flat setup again because ist is just so much faster and gives you so much more control than a ant-rocker setup!
The material of the frame is treally hard and slides very fast on all 50/50 grinds. You just still have to lock the grinds ;)
First i rolled the frame with 59 mm cozmo wheels witch is perfect for verskating and copings. For grinding on curbs and ledges I prefer a smaller 56 mm wheel, rockered maximum on back, to have enough space to lock every trick
Conclusion: A super light-weight frame with a huge space between the middle wheels. The hard material makes the frame fast on all kind of grinds. Especially topside grinds are just fun! One small disadvantage is that you have to work on the wheel before you can juse 59 mm wheels. Somebody could have considered this...
In every case the frame is worth the money and a must-buy-item!
Report by Frank: I tested the Slim Line Frame now permanently for about two month. I rolled it in skateparks, vertramps and on street (concrete) just to check its durability.
The groove of the S frame is a little smaller than the one of the M frame but sitll large enough to use it with 59 mm wheels. The material of the frame is extreemly hard and thats why it is extreemy fast on topside and royal grinds.
Due to the light-weight construction it is ultra-light and combined with my light razors shell it compensates the additional weight of hte 4 additional wheels.
Also on concrete the Slim Line Frame is resistant and its grinding is very fast, stable and controlled.
Even after two month of testing the frame shows no major abrasion or wastage.
The new one hand axles are smart and a good new feature. Same with the framspacers who gives you many different rockering possibilitys.
The grooves shape is perfect - even if - for my personal taste - it could be a little more flat instead of deep.
Fazit: This Frame has its destination! Roll it FLAT! Sure it is possible to use it with a antirocker setup but this would be pointless ;)
The Slim Line gets 9 out of 10 points - who considers to roll a flat setup gets a really agreable startup with this frame without the disadvantage normaly joined to flat - the very small groove and the stucking on the coping or ledges.
