Junior Dancer Longboard Review (Roggs Customs Skateboards)

Almost every board company starts out the same. A rough board concept in a garage, or backyard shop, tooled with what is available then ridden. A rough board comes together, more and more are made and eventually the company is established and finish and form comes together. This story is pretty much universal to the point that the story is getting to the point of cliché'.

This story gets a more than little different with Roggs Customs, they were started in 2004 and from the point of conception the boards, their designs and finish were top notch and nothing like boards coming out of other garage shops. These were not just boards, they were works of art from the start. Boutique level finishes were matched with intelligent board design and one of the boards that came out of this shop was the Junior Dancer which can be yours for 130$.

There is nothing that can prepare you for the translucent stain finish on the Junior Dancer the colors are more vivid than anything that you could imagine on wood, the grain shines through the light coat and the board glows with a neon hue. The board is designed around 12 vacuum pressed layers comprised of 4 layers of 1/8" Baltic birch. The board is finished off with concave and camber and is available in whatever flex the rider is looking for. The buyer can get what he wants and Roggs does nothing but deliver to the consumer. The finishing on deck rails and wheel wells is all done by hand. The board is finished off with a water based stain and very low VOC (non -existent volatile organic compound) water based acrylic clear coat. Which is good for builder, buyer and planet and still can stand up to riding and have the longevity expected in the deck. This deck, as comfortable as it may be hung on the wall was meant to be ridden and it delivers in that arena as well. Designed as a smaller version of the Roggs Dancer this board is at home cruising, carving, board walking and light hill bombing. It may ride well but that is not why we are mentioning this board.

The Roggs Customs Junior Dancer is on this list for a very simple reason, the level of customization, quality and high end finishing that it delivers. The level of technical finishing in this deck would be expected out of a bigger shop, a more seasoned builder and plain and simply a larger organization. This is not the case; the Roggs Junior Dance is coming out as a Boutique quality board from a small local garage outfit. Design concepts inspired by the seasoned builder and tested by highly qualified riders have helped Roggs deliver boards that are beautiful to see and inspiring to ride from the very beginning. As they continue to increase their quiver as well as technique things will become even more impressive. For just starting up though, very few companies will be able to match the technique and design that Roggs has put into the Junior Dance and deliver such a custom board at a reasonable price.