Elixir Longboards are a spin-off brand from Long Island Longboards. This is our first Elixir longboard and it's also one of the most expensive (£219/€269) and capable they offer, referred to as the Elixir Medusa Flex 2 Longboard.

Design & Build

Bold designs are common place in the skate world. But not many brands actually have mild nudity and revealing imagery on the bottom of a longboard deck like the Elixir Medusa Flex 2 has. Perhaps, given the name, it shouldn't surprise, but carrying this longboard in public, we did find ourselves prudishly covering the lady's cleavage subtly with our arm (the snake-hair not being a problem, you understand. . .), so this could be a downside to prospective owners who don't want to draw attention to themselves. However, when longboarding this wouldn't be an issue; the top of the deck does look the business and is covered in JESSUP grip tape that has a nice balance of grip against not overly scuffing skin when it comes into close contact. The overall setup has proven rugged and well thought out, with little general damage occurring from accidental things like gliding into walls through our over-enthusiastic usage.

Elixir Medusa Flex 2 Longboard Graphic.jpg

Deck

We've fallen in love with the 8.7" x 38.8" deck's formula of flexibility, consisting of a 45 degree glass fibre top ply, 3 ply bamboo in the middle and another 45 degree glass fibre ply sandwiched with 1 ply of hard rock maple. The moment downward pressure is deliberately applied, the deck can easily be manipulated to unleash mounds of creative freestyle fun. It's superb at jumping, not to mention pumping that can keep commutes rocking along for great distances with your foot touching the ground rarely - all aided by the SKF downhill bearings. This very design aspect allows the board to be ridden in the way you want to ride it. So you can confidently jump off steps and then burst into a cheeky grab. But when you just want to dart along in a straight line on flat and textured mild slopes, the deck's shape has good rigidity and does not wave about.

Wheels

The Elixir Titan wheels measure 70 x 38mm and are rated at 80A in hardness. They're pre-textured at the factory, so they don't need any riding in. The grip from the four wheels is very agile and responsive on both smooth paving and rough areas whether sliding or just cruising straight ahead. And the soft wheels, helped by the flexible deck, take away a great deal of impact which would otherwise go through your body when riding along densely textured surfaces. This, we believe, is always very important if you want to use a longboard to commute; the ride should be smooth, keep rolling along with little effort, and be enjoyable. The Elixir Medusa Flex 2 longboard manages to achieve just that.

Trucks & Bushings

The drop through BEAR Grizzly 852 180mm trucks have medium-soft bushings within them, which allow accomplished steering. These have nimble enough turning capabilities to get around things like lights and such, but when we steer Medusa Flex 2 downhill we're treated to some thrilling carving action. We wouldn't tackle steep slopes as the trucks are quite loose and will lash out some nasty speed wobbles, so shortish mild slopes are the most safe route to take.

Elixir Medusa Flex 2 Longboard Bear Trucks.jpg

Value

Though we love this setup and think this is a great board for commuting and turning your environment's obstacles into spurts of freestyle enjoyment, it's also worth mentioning the Never Summer Motive longboard which is similarly designed for freestyle fun and is also a tremendous cruiser. The Motive costs roughly £100/$150 more than the Medua Flex 2, though. So even given that this longboard is one of the most expensive Elixir offer, when compared to similar competitors it favours well in value.

Elixir Medusa Flex 2 Longboard Riding.jpg

Overall

If you want to hop onto a premium high quality, agile and very fun longboard, and whip up some freestyle moves whilst commuting or just for fun, the Elixir Medusa Flex 2 longboard is a fantastic board to consider.