Abian surfskates are headquartered in the Basque country of Spain, actually just a few kilometers from YOW headquarters.

The owners, Xaxio and Arri, remind me a lot of Draho and Eva at Soulboardiy. Xaxio is a master craftsman and they put a lot of love into all of their decks to create breakthtaking works of art.

Abian also has their own surfskate truck, the Abian Pro, which I include in my list of the best surfskates. It looks and feels similar to the Smoothstar Thruster, but with important differences.

In this review, I’ll give you everything you need to know to decide if an Abian surfskate may be right for you.

If you’re trying to find the best surfskate for you, then check out my free Surfskate Selector app.

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Abian Surfskates Review Quick Links

 

• How is the Abian Pro Surfskate Truck Built?
• How Does the Abian Pro Surfskate Truck Feel and Perform?
• Comparing the Abian Pro Truck on 16 Variables
• Abian Surfskate Decks Review
• Abian Component Parts Review
• Abian Surfskates Pros & Cons

How is the Abian Pro Surfskate Truck Built?

 
Abian offers their own surfskate truck, named the Abian Pro. They sell it separately, either as the adapter alone or the adapter with TKP trucks.

The exterior housing of the Abian Pro surfskate truck looks almost identical to the old Smoothstar Thruster.

It also shares the same general mechanics of the Smoothstar Thruster, with a spring on a swivel mechanism.

Like the Smoothstar Thruster, it also has two sets of thruster bearings. A larger set is positioned between the two adapter housing pieces. A smaller set sits between the top adapter piece and the top nut.

However, it offers a few differences. The main difference is that the Abian Pro uses a traction spring, while the Smoothstar Thruster uses a compression spring.

Traction springs have hooks at the ends to attach to components. They are designed to resist being extended (pulling forces). When stretched, they try to pull back to their original length.

Compression springs are designed to resist being compressed (pushing forces). When compressed, they will try to push back to return to their original length.

The primary difference I feel between them is that the tension spring of the Abian Pro has more rebound than the Smoothstar Thruster.

The Abian Pro is also a simpler design with fewer parts. This makes it easier to assemble, disassemble, and maintain.

Both the Smoothstar Thruster and Abian Pro are adjustable. However, adjusting the Smoothstar Thruster requires an Allen key. But the Abian Pro can be adjusted with a simple skate tool.

This makes the Abian Pro much easier to adjust while out riding.

A final feature unique to the Abian Pro is that it has holes on the sides of the truck housing. You can drill bolts into these holes to lock the swiveling mechanism on the truck. This makes it ride like a typical skateboard or longboard.

How Do Abian Surfskates Feel and Perform?

After testing 43 different surfskate trucks, I believe the following to be the best surfskates (listed in alphabetical order): 

1. Abian Pro
2. Aquilo
3. Carver C7
4. Carver CX
5. Curfboard
6. Grasp Pado .23
7. Long Island Genesis Lean
8. Slide V3
9. Smoothstar Thruster D
10. SpiceSkate OKTOSURF (v2)
11. SpiceSkate SpicePilot TypeX
12. SwellTech
13. Waterborne Surf Adapter
14. YOW Meraki

For detailed descriptions of each of these, see my article on the best surfskates.

I’m not a surfer so I don’t know which of these feels most like surfing. However, I can describe the measurable differences to help you choose between them.

Based on how they feel and perform, I put them a scale ranging from pure surf trainers to street cruisers.

Pure surf trainer surfskate trucks feel looser, smoother, more fluid and are easier to move side-to-side with your upper body. This makes them better for doing tight maneuvers in small areas.

Street cruiser surfskate trucks feel tighter and snappier. They generate more forward momentum when you pump. This makes them better for pumping and cruising for longer distances.

On this scale, I categorize Abian surfskates as pure surf trainers:

The Abian Pro is among the smoothest, most fluid feeling surfskate trucks I’ve ever tried. I personally prefer it over the Smoothstar Thruster for the improved rebound of the traction spring.

It is best used for doing tight maneuvers in small areas and on smooth surfaces, such as surfskate drills with cones.

It’s not the best truck for riding long distances because it doesn’t generate a lot of forward momentum with pumping. It’s also not great for riding over rough surfaces.

Comparing Abian Surfskates on 16 Variables

 
To give you a better idea of how the Abian Pro surfskate truck feels and performs, let me walk you through the 16 different variables that I measure when I test surfskate trucks.

Variable #1: Truck Feel

The first variable is truck feel. By this I mean is it more on the loose, fluid, flowy side, or does it feel more tight and snappy?

The Abian Pro is among the loosest, smoothest feeling surfskate trucks you’ll find, equal to or superior to the Smoothstar Thruster.

Variable #2: Flexibility/Range of Motion

The Abian Pro is one of the most flexible surfskate trucks and has a wider range of motion than most others.

Variable #3: Rebound

The traction spring on the Abian Pro has more rebound than the compression spring on either the Smoothstar Thruster or Carver C7. But I would say it has less than the torsion springs on the SpiceSkate SpicePilot or YOW Meraki.

Variable #4: Rail-To-Rail Lean

The rail-to-rail lean on the Abian Pro is pretty much identical to that of the Smoothstar Thruster. I would put it in the middle of the best surfskate trucks on this variable.

Variable #5: Stability

Although the Abian Pro is very loose and fluid, it’s also relatively stable.

Variable #6: Suitable Skill Level

I think Abian surfskates work well for riders of any level from beginner to advanced.

With the truck being so loose, you might think it wouldn’t work well for beginners. But I find that it’s actually easier for beginners to learn on it than others because it’s so responsive.

Variable #7: Forward Momentum

Because of the traction spring, Abian surfskates generate more forward momentum when you pump than the Smoothstar Thruster. But relative to other trucks, the forward momentum is not great.

Variable #8: Suitable Riding Distance

Abian surfksates are best used for short distances.

Variable #9: Suitable Riding Surfaces

The Abian Pro isn’t horrible on rough surfaces, but it’s not ideal for them. I think it’s best used on smooth surfaces.

Variable #10: Best Use

I categorize Abian surfskates as pure surf trainers for surfers. I think they’re best used in small areas on smooth surfaces for surf training specifically.

Variable #11: Wheelbase Offset

Wheelbase offset refers to how much the truck axel hangs behind the pivot point.

On this point, the Abian Pro has the longest wheelbase offset of any of the best surfskate trucks. Relative to the Carver C7, which has no wheelbase offset, the Abian Pro offsets your wheelbase by 4”. This is the same as the old Smoothstar Thruster.

This means you have to have longer Abian decks to accommodate your stance width.

Variable #12: Weight

The Abian Pro adapter with a truck attached weighs 1 pound 11.7 ounces. This is the same as the Smoothstar Thruster. This places it at about the middle of best surfskates.

Variable #13: Versatility

I don’t find the Abian Pro to be a versatile truck. I think it’s a specialized truck for surf training.

Variable #14: Quality

The Abian Pro surfskate adapter is very well made, and I would rank it high on quality.

Variable #15: Maintenance

The Abian Pro shouldn’t give you much maintenance hassle. But if anything breaks, the spring, bearings, and washers are all easily replaceable and available on Abian’s website.

Variable #16: Cost

One big advantage of Abian surfskates is that you can purchase their adapter alone, unlike either the old Smoothstar Thruster or new Thruster D.

You can purchase the Abian Pro surfskate adapter alone for €119.99 (about $128 US), or with traditional kingpin trucks, risers, bolts, and nuts included for €159.99 (about $171 US).

For reference, you can get a Carver C7 truck set for $112 and the YOW Meraki truck set for €181.50 (about $194 US).

Most Abian complete surfskates sell for between €279 (about $298 US) and €329 (about $352 US).

Abian Surfskate Decks Review

 
For me, this is where Abian really shines. I’ve tested 85+ complete models from surfskate companies, as well as many other aftermarket decks.

Abian decks are among the very best I’ve ever tried, and among the most visually stunning I’ve ever seen.

I call them “legacy” decks because they’re decks you’ll be extremely proud to own and show off, and you’ll want to keep them forever.

Abian surfskate decks are built to be unique, 100% sustainable, and with a retro-Californian surfer style.

They contain no synthetic materials. The glues and varnishes used are acrylic-based and solvent-free.

The woods come from certified sustainable forests. The logos are individually hand-burned with a stamp and cut.

Even the griptape is handcrafted, using a mixture of varnish and silica sand.

Abian surfskate decks receive three layers of durable varnish on top and bottom. They are applied with a roller for added protection and durability.

Not only do Abian surfskates look gorgeous, but they also performance fantastic as well.

They have high torsional flex. This makes them move intuitively with your movements and gives you more grip through tight carving.

The Abian Pro truck is best used for surf training. However, Abian offers decks that are versatile and can be used with any surfskate truck and for application.

For example, I have the Carver CX on my Abian Belharra. I use it for surfskate bowl riding.

If you’re looking for the best custom surfskate deck you can find, I highly recommend that you consider an Abian deck.

Abian Surfskates Component Parts Review

 
Aside from their decks and surfskate adapter, Abian’s component parts are the same quality as what you’d expect from a YOW.

Their TKPs are basic and, as you’d expect, the pivot cups and bushings are not great. However, they’re easily replaceable with the same sizes of YOW surfskate bushings and YOW surfskate pivot cups.

The bearings are basic standard bearings with spacers and speed rings.

The wheels feel great, but they’re not the most durable.

Abian Surfskates Pros & Cons

 
At the top of the pro list for me is the stunning quality and visual appeal of Abian decks. They’re breathtaking works of art that you love to look at and display.

(I suppose the con side of that is that I don’t like riding my Abians super aggressively for fear of damaging them.)

The Abian Pro feels better to me than the Smoothstar Thruster, and you can purchase it separately.

If you’re wanting a Smoothstar, an Abian will give you the same—if not better—feel. But you’ll get a far superior deck than Smoothstar decks, and for about the same price as a Smoothstar.

The Abian Pro is also a simpler design and easier to maintain than the Smoothstar Thruster.

The cons of the Abian Pro truck for me are first, as a pure surf trainer it’s not super versatile. Seconde, the 4” wheelbase offset requires you to use long decks to accommodate your stance width.