Why do so many riders agree the Loaded Bhangra is still one of the very best dancing longboards on the market, even 10 years after its first launch?
For many reasons. The huge foot platform, the advanced and durable bamboo build, the special flex, the buttery-smooth ride, the great cradling concave, the large double kicks, the beautiful design…
Riders agree the Bhangra is a sweet board. At 48.5″, it’s long enough for comfortable footwork and dancing moves, yet nimble and technical enough (great double kicks) for freestyle tricks such as pivots, no-complies, and manuals.
Thus, the Bhangra is a good choice for experienced riders looking to get into freestyle and/or dancing while keeping the ability to cruise and ride fast.
The Bhangra V2 is even better (though pricier) with lighter weight eco-friendly materials, an even stronger build, and an improved flex.
Check out the Bhangra V2 complete pricing and reviews on Loaded’s website
See also:
Loaded Tarab II in-depth review
Loaded Mata Hari in-depth review
Loaded Bhangra Riding experience
The Bhangra’s huge 48.5″ long x 9.5″ wide deck provides a spacious platform for boardwalking and foot-stepping. The size of the board can be intimidating at first if you’re a beginner dancer, but as soon as you step on it you feel very confident to start walking on it.
Besides dancing, the Bhangra is also a great board for cruising due to its exceptionally smooth ride and its unique flex. With one caveat: some riders, while they like the Bhangra for shorter rides, do find it a bit heavy for longer distances e.g. compared to more lightweight options such as the Loaded Dervish.
Although the newer V2 is lighter than the V1, the Bhangra remains a fairly heavy board with the deck weighing 5.1 – 5.5 lbs – and an additional 3.7 lbs for the trucks and wheels.
The Bhangra’s weight, however, combined with the big wheels, makes the Bhangra pick up and maintain speed with ease, which is great for cruising and carving.
On the flip side (no pun intended), freestyling is not so easy on this board because of its size – swinging the board around, popping it, or performing kicks tricks demands decent power and strength.
If you’re into freestyle sliding, the Bhangra is also a great longboard for that. Sliding feels effortless on this board. The rockered profile and comfortable concave provide a very secure feel when pushing sideways.
Some riders also like to take the Bhangra downhill because of the super-long and stable 32.75″ wheelbase.
Bigger and heavier riders love the Bhangra in its stiff Flex1 version. Riders as tall as 6’6 (size 13 shoes) and weighing as much as 300lbs find the Bhangra Flex1 sturdy enough for them to dance on comfortably.
Average-sized riders, meanwhile, often recommend the Flex2 version for that special flex under your feet, which they say makes the Bhangra ride like on a cloud.
Due to the quality build, the board feels like it’s already broken in right out of the box. The Orangatang wheels (more on that below) are also exceptionally durable and great for sliding and freestyle tricks.
Most riders agree the Bhangra, with its huge platform, offers an outstanding dancing experience and makes it very easy to progress, especially in the flexier version. It’s a very smooth and forgiving board that really helps learning moves.
Experienced dancers appreciate the Bhangra’s grip tape patterns, which has cuts in the right places to facilitate footwork and tricks. They also praise the powerful double kicks.
Here’s another cool video of Lofti Lamaali (dancing king) in action:
In short, most riders feel the Bhangra is truly worth its (quite hefty) price, offering an exceptionally spacious, smooth, and flex riding experience (for Flex 2). Fun to ride, easy to dance on, and great for freestyle despite the weight.
See the Loaded Bhangra V2 complete on Loaded’s website
Loaded Bhangra construction & flex
The Bhangra V2 uses even more advanced and high-quality materials compared to the V1. The deck is made of two vertically laminated bamboo cores, composed of long bamboo strands down the length of the board.
Between the bamboo cores is a thin layer of cork for strength and vibration damping.
The cores are sandwiched between layers of composite basalt, a fabric of natural volcano origin. Two bamboo veneers are added above and below the bottom basalt layers for increased resistance.
The result of this high-tech hybrid mix is a strong and relatively lightweight deck that has the right amount torsional stiffness yet with a very special damp kind of flex – slightly different than the V1’s flex.
The Bhangra clearly has outstanding build quality – an exceptional combination of sturdiness and flex that give you lots of moving room along with a super-smooth ride.
The Bhangra V2 uses epoxy bio-resin (Super Sap) for binding the layers together, much more environment-friendly than traditional glues with petroleum content.
The Bhangra V2 has slightly more concave than the V1 for improved control when carving and sliding, but still subtle enough for free foot movement when walking and dancing.
The standing platform is covered with 80-grit grip tape, grippy enough for confident carving and sliding, yet mild enough for cross-stepping, pivots and pirouettes.
The hefty nose and tail kicks, on the other hand, boast more aggressive grip tape to help with those manuals, shuvits, and kick tricks.
The Banghra V2 has very cool and colorful artwork by Mexican artist Tomas Guereña, who also signed the Poke graphic.
Bhangra V2 flex options
As mentioned, the Bhangra V2 comes in two flex options. while both versions have suitable flex for footwork and freestyle tricks resulting from the hybrid bamboo and basalt build, the difference between Flex1 and Flex2 is notable.
Flex1 is stiffer and best for heavier riders or those who are into hardcore freestyle tricks or sliding – these riding styles require more direct feedback and stability from the board, hence a stiffer deck.
Flex2 provides a damp but flexier feel, more appropriate for lighter riders or riders of any weight looking for a more responsive deck for deeper carving, bouncy dancing, and springy type tricks.
Loaded Bhangra setups
The Bhangra V2 comes in 2 recommended setups, the “Carving and Boardwalking” and the “Freestyle and Dancing”. Both have 180mm Paris V2 trucks (50º baseplate) which are amazingly responsive and strong trucks – see my post on the Omakase with its embedded video.
Both setups include large 70mm Orangatang wheels, fast-rolling wheels using renowned quality urethane. The CNC-machined wheel wells on the Bhangra deck bottom gives it enough clearance for these wheels (no wheelbite).
The carving-focused setup includes softer (77A) 4Presidents which offer smooth and grippy turns with their sharp lip and wide contact patch. The freestyle setup gets the slightly harder (86A) and rounder Stimulus, better-suited for sliding and tricks.
You can also choose to have a custom setup assembled with the Bhangra deck.
See the Loaded Bhangra V2 complete on Loaded’s website
Frequently asked questions
If the Bhangra a good board for a really tall and heavy rider?
Yes, as mentioned, the Bhangra is a big heavy-duty board commonly chosen by heavier riders including 6’5 – 6’6 guys weighing 250-300 lbs. However, riders above 190 lbs should typically not choose a Flex2 Bhangra, not as strong as the Flex1.
What’s the difference between Bhangra v1 and v2?
V2 has beautiful new graphics and an attractive grip tape cutout. The V2 also comes with the Paris V2 trucks and different wheel setups.
Is the Bhangra a drop-through board? A drop-down?
No, the Bhangra is not a drop-through, it has topmount trucks which also contributes to the board’s high responsiveness in spite of its long wheelbase. It’s not a drop-down either (no lowered platform) although the flex makes it relatively low riding.
Final words
Like all Loaded boards, the Bhangra is a fantastic longboard for dancing, cruising, sliding, and freestyle tricks. The new V2 version has some notable upgrades over the V1, including lighter weight and reinforced deck, improved flex with greater Flex1/Flex2 differentiation, beautiful artwork, and great new setups. A very reliable, smooth, eco-friendly board well worth its price.
See the Loaded Bhangra V2 complete on Loaded’s website
See also What are the 7 best dancing longboards?
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Photo credits:
(1) Featured image “Trying to stop time” by Pierre-Yves GUYOT – Rider: Lofti Lamaali – Courtesy Loaded Boards
(2) “Ashwin 1 ft Bhangra Action” – Courtesy Loaded Boards
(3) “All together now” by Sam Weaver – Courtesy Loaded Boards
Felicity Bridger
Saturday 4th of July 2020
Please can you recommend a good board and set up for me. I would like to get into longboard 'flatland' dancing. My problem is that I'm very light, 15 years old but look and weigh more like a 12 year old. What size board would you recommend. I don't want to start with a beginner board so intermediate plus would be what I'm looking for. Yours gratefully Felicity Bridger