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Summary

The Timberwolf XtreeM is a Caster Board invented, developed and manufactured by T.J. O’Rourke & his son Nathaniel.

Origins of the name ‘Timberwolf XtreeM’

According to T.J. O’Rourke, “Wolf was a given because I have owned several (or should I say I’ve known several that hung out with me) and I have an affinity for them. Timber came from the fact that it is made with Maple rather than plastic.

“So as we were messing about with a logo that was a wolf that was also a tree, we accidentally noticed that we could make a kind of hieroglyphic that spelled out the word XtreeM by making one of the wolf's jowls look like an X and the other jowl like an M. So the logo came before the name”.



Differences to other caster boards

The XtreeM was designed from the outset to be a rider’s board, not just a toy, and this is reflected in the design, materials and components. The components are good quality and replaceable, giving the board a hand-built feel.

Decks

The decks are made of 7-ply Maple, like a regular skateboard, creating a responsive ride that’s also quite customizable. The decks are grip-taped, like a skateboard, but with graphics printed on the grip-tape. The graphics are designed to maximize (or at least to not reduce) the available grip. A cold-pressed deck has recently been produced and is about to become commercially available.

Torsion bar

Instead of a regular spring-loaded torsion bar, the XtreeM uses a molded bar of UHMW polyethylene around a rigid fiberglass spindle. This provides more durability and more progressive feedback than a conventional spring.

Rockers

Most caster boards are unidirectional, with their casters facing ‘forward’, rotating on a plane offset at a fixed angle to horizontal, an angle usually molded into the board itself, giving a fixed ‘nose’ and ‘tail’, and making the boards unidirectional.

On the XtreeM, however, the rider can flip the direction of the individual casters, making the symmetrical board completely bi-directional. The ‘throw’ distance of the rockers has been kept small, so tricks such as varials and spins are more accessible.

Lifters

As well as being able to flip the direction of the casters while riding, you can tune the character of the board by changing the ‘lifters’ (urethane shock-absorbers under the casters).

For example, ‘number 3’ lifters are denser shocks that keep the casters nearer to their swivel-axis, which reduces overall top speed but makes the board bounce and spin faster, giving it more of a ‘trick’ orientation.

The ‘number 1’ lifters sweep the casters further behind, giving the board a more linear, ‘speed’ orientation, so more of the rider’s movements are converted into linear acceleration rather than horizontal rotation, giving better acceleration and a higher top speed. It also gives the board more of a ‘drifty’ riding style, where you can accelerate by moving both decks in the same direction, a movement known as a ‘butter slide’.

The effect of changing lifters is similar to changing gears on a bike, although as you do need to get off and swap them using an Allen key, most riders tend to stick with one type most of the time.

Tricks In general... "What you can do on a skateboard you can't do on a casterboard?" ... 50/50 comes to mind.

"What can you do on a caster you can't do on a skateboard?" ... Accelerate uphill and drift.

The Timberwolf's bidirectional casters makes for exciting transitions and spins and the flat underside of the torsion bar makes grinds easier. The addition of grab-handles enable the rider to perform grab-tricks not previously possible on a casterboard.

Community

Timberwolf tries to promote inclusivity and camaraderie among riders of different makes of board. As T.J.O'Rourke says, "Liking one should not threaten the other. Let's get our y chromozones under control and not make everything a battle. If you enjoy one, do it. If you try the other and like it, do it as well. If you want to concentrate on one or the other then do so and allow others that same freedom without undue condemnation. Moreover be encouraging." . As well as a presence on the 'CasterAddicts' casterboard community site www.casteraddicts.com, there is also the ‘Wolf Den’ riders’ forum http://www.twxtmwolfden.com

Team riders

The ‘Wolf Pack’ team currently consists of 4 riders: Nathaniel O’Rourke, Thomas Ellwood, Brandon Pennington & Michael King.

References