Inside Scooters TSI One Piece Deck Review

Recently I was sent a TSI 4.5 Deck, to ride and review. There has been a LOT of hype about these decks. Considering they are one of the first one piece decks to be released to the public for sale. It was easy to see why. I did not however receive this deck directly from TSI. It was sent to me from Inward Scooters, who installed deck pins in the deck for me to also review. So this review will be on the TSI 4.5 size One Piece Deck + Deck Pins.


The first thing I noticed when I got my TSI was that there were no instructions of any kind on how to put the deck together. Now for myself, that wasn't really a problem, since I am pretty good at assembling things like that. However, for younger riders, or less experienced riders, I think some instructions would help. A simple printed out piece of paper with step by step instructions should do the trick. Putting the TSI together was a fairly easy task, if you got a basic set of tools you should be fine, some allen keys will be the main tool you will use to install the deck plate onto the frame. The back axel that comes with the TSI has been difficult for other riders to install, because of the lack of space to tighten the nut onto the bolt that comes with the TSI. This can be solved by using a back wheel axel from a Pro Model, or B Model, and using some spacers. I found it a lot easier to use this, instead of the bolt and nut provided with the TSI. When you buy a TSI One Piece Deck from Inward Scooters.com, they include the Pro Model Back Axel, for the easy installation. Once you have your deck put together, get your forks, bars, and wheels on, and you're ready to go ride.


So I went outfront to ride the beast...I soon noticed I wasn't just going to be riding it... I had to tame this beast of a scooter! Tame what you ask? The headtube angle. This is the TSI Headtube angle compared to a Pro model angle

This might be an issue for most riders that are used to an angle that isn't as steep or high. Having rode scooters for over 8 years, the basics when I go out and ride consist of things like; tailwhips, double tailwhips, tripple tailwhips, and fingerwhips are all tricks that come pretty easy on flat with my old pro model. This was not the case on my TSI. Even tailwhips took a couple tries before I figured out how to deal with the headtube angle. Shortly after that I had doubles back but without the catch I'm used to with my double tailwhips on my old Pro. Overall, I think whipping the scooter at all will take some time for any rider to get used to, that is, if they are coming from a stock angle Pro Model/Other Scooter. Second day riding the TSI 4.5, I had no problems catching double whips on flat or anything, everything starts to just feel natural again. So for all future buyers of the TSI deck, if you get discouraged early on riding your TSI because of the headtube angle, just keep riding it, it will soon start to feel natural. Also I noticed almost no change in weight coming from a Pro Model with a Dominator Deck Saver, so I wouldn't worry about the weight of the TSI deck at all. It is a much more solid ride, and with the strength of the deck, you just feel really comfortable on it. For a rider of my size, being 6'4 the 4.5 deck was amazing. That small bit of extra foot room, goes a long way.


Now on to the deckpins that were installed on my deck. I first saw deck pins on fellow rider Alex Steadman's Pro Model a few years back.

Alex Steadman's old scooter that you can see the deck pins installed in.

I was always interested in them, because I heard they added a LOT of grip to your deck. So when Inward Scooters asked me to review the deck pins installed on a TSI for him, because he had been getting requests for them, I agreed to do so. My first impression of them, was that they really do add a lot of grip. However, I think for some riders it might just be too much grippiness. For riders that tend to shift their feet before tricks like a lot of riders do. You might not like these deck pins on your scooter. Because they make shifting your feet pretty difficult, due to the fact that they add THAT much grip. Most riders shift their feet, even if it is slightly, before doing whip tricks. So if you are a rider who does a lot of whips, scooter flips, or bri flips..deck pins might not be for you. Although, I think a lot of park riders would possibly really like these. Riders like Dan Holm or Stan Smirnoff, who are some of the best big box, and tranny riders might find these useful. The grippiness that they add make you feel a bit more comfortable if you are just flowing a park or riding with a lot of speed because you get a feel that your feet won't be slipping off at all.

Overall, I am really happy with the TSI 4.5. I don't see myself going to back to Pro Models anytime soon. With this deck, TSI might have very well opened the new big door to aftermarket scooter parts. It has been known for awhile that a few other companies are planning and already designing their own one piece decks. I'd like to wish them all good luck...because the quality, design, and company behind the TSI One Piece Deck, has set the bar pretty high.





-Steven Tongson