Loaded Ballona Review (Tested & Compared)

By Billy James | December 8, 2023 | Cruiser Skateboards

The Loaded Ballona is a compact, agile cruiser skateboard that has a mellow deck profile with subtle rocker. It’s a solid option if you want something portable and punchy. It’s not the board for ollies or flip tricks since the deck shape is flat. It’s functional for casual cruising and carving.

Which setup to choose?

The setups differ in the bushings and wheels.

The Moby has stock Paris 90a barrel and cone bushings and Orangatang 86a, 65mm Fat Free wheels. As a result, the Moby setup handles speed better and makes it easier to powerslide.

The Willy has the Orangatang Knuckle 87a orange bushings and the 80a, 65mm Love Handle wheels. Therefore, the Willy setup will offer a deeper carving experience and more grip on the pavement.

If you have a local shop that carries the Loaded Ballona, buy from them.

Purchase Options
Loaded Ballona
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Ballona Deck

Length: 27.75” / 70.5 cm
Width: 9” / 22.9 cm
Wheelbase: 14.75-16” / 37.5-40.6 cm
Deck Weight: 2.6 lb / 1.2 kg

riding loaded ballona

It’s cool to see a mini-cruiser that has a flatter profile.

The Moby and the Willy have the same deck shape, just different graphics. The graphics are designed by Tomás Güereña, who was influenced by cosmological geometry and the marine environment.

loaded ballona willy complete

The grip tape is slightly grippier (higher grit) than something you’d find on a street setup.

It has a subtle rocker profile, which wedges the front and dewedges the back. The front wedge increases your truck’s angle, making it turn a little sharper. The dewedge decreases the back truck’s angle, making it turn less, resulting in more stability.

loaded ballona deck

The concave is about ⅜” deep, then starts to flatten out towards the kicktail/nose.  

The kicktail exists but is at a low angle, and the nose is even lower.

loaded ballona complete

Ollies or flip tricks will be more challenging because of the flatter shape. If you want a similar cruiser shape but with a higher angle kicktail, look into…

Wheels

The Loaded Ballona’s wheel options differ in the…

The wheels are both 65mm with offset cores.

The Moby comes with harder, 86a yellow Fat Free wheels. These wheels have round lips, are stone-grounded, and have a smaller contact patch. This means they’ll be easier to throw out and powerslide.

The Willy comes with softer, 80a orange Love Handles. They have sharp lips and a larger contact patch. This means they won’t be easy to powerslide with since the soft urethane and sharp lips will grip the pavement. The Love Handles are a great wheel traction-focused, deep carving.

loaded ballona wheels

Trucks

Type: 150mm 50° RKP
Brand: Paris Truck Co

The trucks that come on both setups are Paris 150mm reverse kingpins (RKPs). I believe they picked RKPs over traditional kingpins (TKPs) for two reasons.

First, because the deck shape is mellow and not trick-oriented. TKPs will sit lower to the ground, which makes it easier to pop and do tricks. Second, because the RKPs are higher off the ground, you can get a beefier wheel, making cruising more enjoyable.

loaded ballona trucks

Bushings

Shape: Cone & Barrel
Stock Paris: 90a
Orange Knuckles: 87a

loaded ballona bushings

The Loaded Ballona comes with two bushing options.

90a stock Paris bushings are paired with the 65mm Fat-Free (86a) wheels.

87a Orangatang Knuckles bushings are paired with the 65mm Love Handle (80a) wheels.

The 90a stocks will offer more stability and less turning than the 87a Knuckles. If you want to experiment with other high-quality bushings, check out RipTide.

Bearings

Type: Built-Ins
Shields: Double-Capped
Material: Chromium Steel

loaded ballona built-in jehu bearings

Both setups come equipped with Loaded’s Jehu built-in spacer bearings, which are solid. I prefer built-in bearings, so you don’t have to keep track of spacers and washers when swapping wheels. It makes it a lot less frustrating.

Alternatives

Landyachtz Dinghy

Length
28.5″ / 72.4 cm
Width
8″ / 20.3 cm
Wheelbase
14.6″ / 37.1 cm

Loaded Coyote

Length
30.75” / 78.1 cm
Width
8.375” / 21.3 cm
Wheelbase
17.5” / 44.5 cm

Loaded Bolsa

Length
31” / 78.75 cm
Width
9.4” / 24 cm
Wheelbase
16 & 17” / 40 & 43 cm

Loaded Ballona vs Coyote

The Loaded Ballona has a flatter deck shape compared to the Loaded Coyote. The Coyote’s kicktail/nose are at higher angles, which is easier for ollies/flip tricks. The Ballona is shorter and wider than the Coyote.

Loaded Ballona Surfskate

You can turn the Loaded Ballona into a surfskate. However, its wheelbase is shorter than that of most surfskate setups (14.75-16” / 37.5-40.6 cm). If I used a surfskate truck on the Ballona, it would be Carver C5 or CX. I have heard of people putting pivoting surfskate adapters on the Ballona and enjoying it. Just comes down to what riding feel you want to achieve.

Loaded Ballona vs Dinghy

The Loaded Ballona has a flatter deck shape and isn’t functional for ollies/flip tricks. Whereas the Landyachtz Dinghy has a higher-angled kicktail/nose, which is more functional for ollies/flip tricks. The Ballona is slightly shorter and wider than the Dinghy.

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