Orangatang Moronga’s “Nightfall” or “How to Release a Wheel in to the Wild”

Releasing a new wheel seems to be a hit or miss as of late. Some wheels may be too reserved in their design, while others may be a bit too “forward thinking”. What steps might a company follow ensure that they’re going hit the nail on the head with their new release? By doing precisely what Orangatang Wheels has done for the most recent addition to their lineup: The Moronga. Please, read on, fellow skatarians.

Step 1 - Keep in line with current branding/design strategies. Pertaining to our particular case with Otang, this means releasing the wheel in multiple duros (80a, 83a, 86a) and in a well-rounded shape for various aspects of ridership. These dudes and dudettes have been known for nailing this step in particular on many occasions, and the Moronga is no exception.

Step 2 - Refer to previous designs that may have fallen short of their ultimate destiny. The Orangatang Balut (RIP) was designed to fit with the frequent flippity-do’s of freestyle and light freeriding. As it turns out — thanks to the lovely slide quality of Otang’s Euphorethane Formula, centerset cores and rounded lips — many sets of Baluts found themselves on freeride/slide-specific setups. Surely, they performed nicely in said conditions, but we all know some extra ‘thane would be welcomed in the scene of sideways expresson. Orangatang took notice of said usage (as any good company should) and are now offering the Moronga for those purposes in particular.

Step 3 - Make a rad video with skating & smoke. OK, granted, this may only apply to this release in particular, but it’s at the top of my list of Awesome Ideas for Introducing a New Product. The only thing to top it is “Make a Rad Video with Skating & Fire” but, as I have heard, fire can be dangerous and the permits can be costly. Though as I recall, “where there’s smoke…” Oh well, I’ll just be crossing my fingers for a piece in the next wheel release video.

For the full/official info from the release on Orangatang’s Official site, clickity here.