Two weeks ago we had a huge snowstorm in Seattle. Some areas got more than 12″ of fresh pow making for some rad urban snowboarding. Sam was the only one to make it into work to make sure another batch of Omen Pike longboards made it to the presses. Speaking of which, next week we’ll be doing a little spring cleaning to make room for 2012 longboard decks. So to celebrate we’ll be selling off a bunch of factory second Omen Pikes and Carbon Matrixes so stay tuned.
Archive for the ‘Videos’ Category
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Video Sneak Peak-Omen Blem Sale
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How to Change Your Longboard Bearings
Sometimes we get a little caught up on the technical details and forget about the basic stuff like applying griptape or assembling trucks. In this video, you get a quick glimpse at how to change out your longboard skateboard bearings. Some of our favorites are the classic Bones Reds, or Cadillac skateboard bearings which come with spacers. One of the key tricks to changing out your bearings is to utilize your longboard truck axles to help you. Since they’re designed to fit a bearing perfectly, you can use them to pop the bearings out of your wheel hub. Never use a screwdriver to put them in or pop them out! You could end up gauging the bearing. Other than that, use a skate tool (we like the compact Sector 9 Carabiner skate tool) to tighten the axle nuts just until they’re so tight that the wheel doesn’t spin. Then untighten them about a half turn. Your wheels shouldn’t have any side-to-side wiggle and should spin freely.
Good luck and if you have any questions you can hit us up on LIVE CHAT.
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Are You The Next MoBot?
Do you have what it takes to be sponsored?
We want to give you the opportunity.
Let’s find out if you have what it takes to ride for Motion Boardshop. The MoBots Team asks that you create and send us a longboarding video. We want a new, original video, designed to be your personal application to our team. It may be some hard work, but this will promote you to us as a future prospect. It will be your personal highlight reel.Instructions:
Compile a video showcasing you as a rider. Please no team videos, we are looking for individual entries.- * -Wear a helmet
* -Tell us your name, age, and location
* -Explain your style, abilities, and showcase your skills
* -You can include pictures in the video
* -Tell us about your racing experience and how you did
* -Tell us about your involvement in the local skate community
* -Have fun and be creative
What you can do for us?
What can we do for you?
How could we work together?When your video is complete:
Upload the video to YouTube.
Title the video: I WANT TO BE A MOBOT – [Your Name]
Email us a link to your video [sponsorme@motionboardshop.com]
Wait for us to get back to youExample:
Email: us at sponsorme@motionboardshop.com
Subject line: I WANT TO BE A MOBOT – [Your Name] - * -Wear a helmet
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Boom Shaka! Ross Early Grabs Over Car
Yesterday I posted a user review on the Sector 9 Super Shaka longboard and I mentioned that BoomBot Ross Druckrey rocks one on a regular basis. For his setup he rides the Omen Longboards precision trucks and Sector 9 70mm 80a Center Set Race Forms longboard wheels. In this video you see Ross shred around his college campus while also nailing a HUGE early grab over Nate Blackburn’s car. Unbelievable. Filmed by Ethan Cochard, Nate Blackburn and Luke Morrow.
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Longboard Deck Video Review: Omen Pike
Omen longboards designer and MOBOT Trevor Preston breaks it down for us in this video review of the brand new Omen Pike longboard deck. So what makes the Pike unique from all the other decks on the market? Here’s a few reasons….First of all, 9 plies of badass Canadian maple make it durable and sturdy enough for even the biggest riders. Not only can you choose whether you’d rather have a topmount or drop-thru deck, you can also choose between 9.5″ and 10″ widths to customize your ride to your size and style. Nose and tail kicks make it ideal for freeide moves like shove-its while a half inch of rocker keep your feet locked and center your weight during slides. Finally, Omen has revolutionized longboard design with their flattened w-concave for more comfortable pushing.
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Longboard Deck Review: The Landyachtz Chinook
Tis the season for another one of our longboard deck reviews; this time for the Landyachtz Chinook. The Chinook used to have a bad rep for its previous design with awkward dimensions that didn’t fit in with the rest of the Landy lineup. Ahh, but the new Chinook is a totally different beast, redesigned the right way. We consider it the sleeper hit out of the 2011 Landy decks. It has a super steep w-concave with razor sharp rails to make sure you stay on your deck at all times. With the extreme drops you can wedge your feet close to the trucks for maxed out stability and control. The front to back taper allows you to hang your back foot off the edge for extreme traction. Great for pre-drifiting! Try it with Bear 840 trucks and Blue Mini Monster hawg wheels for a versatile setup.
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Just For Fun…BoomBots!
Our boys down in Oregon put together this video over the summer and it’s one of our all time favorite longboarding videos. You may know them as Boomtown Productions but since they’ve hooked up with Motion Boardshop and the Mobots, they’ve morphed into the BoomBots! Ross Druckrey, Ethan Cochard and Luke Morrow take center stage in this one as they shred on early prototypes of the Omen Pike longboard and Omen precision trucks. We dare you to try and replicate Ethan’s fancy footwork at 1:17.
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Darius Talks Rogers Bros
Motion newcomer talks about all the different Roger Bros longboard accessories. We love these cause they’re a cheap way to customize your ride! The drop-thru risers actually help lower your drop-thru longboard deck for better stability at high speeds. Cover plates help hide your ugly drop thru cutouts when you topmount your trucks or let you lower your topmount deck. The universal footstops work for both regular and goofy riders and help brace your front foot on a topmount. Brake soles extend the life of your shoes while concave implants can create pockets or w-concave. Get some online or at our brick-and-mortar Seattle longboard store.
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How To Do a Toeside No-Comply
BoomBot and Omen Longboards Team Rider Luke Morrow throws down tips to get you dialed on ToeSide No-Complies!
1. Use the corner of the w-concave and the drop (demonstrated on an Omen Pike longboard deck) to lock in your back foot.
2. Engage your slide, wait for the board to hit 90 degrees and then take your foot off the board
3. As you take your front foot off the board, use your back leg and really extend it to help you get the board around
4. Don’t plant your front foot on the ground for too long, think of it more as a “tap”
The most common mistakes in doing a no-comply are not getting enough speed and not extending your back leg. Watch this video a few times and then get out there and do it!
Luke’s setup: Omen Longboards Pike prototype, Omen Precision trucks, 80a Orangatang Stimulus, 85a/87a Venom Barrels, Gator 36 grit
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Landyachtz Time Machine Video Premiere
Trevor Preston breaks it down on the new Landyachtz Time Machine deck. This aggressive city cruiser features a drop deck with a wedged nose and tail. The symmetrical body offers Landy’s trademark w-concave for doing toe-side standies so the ball of your foot doesn’t slide out. The drops right in front of the nose and tail also lock in your feet, giving you the illusion that you’re riding in bindings. Wheelbite isn’t an issue at all, even with the biggest longboard wheels, thanks to the uber intense wheel cutouts. Ten plies of Canadian maple make this urban assault deck stand out among the rest.
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Spring Kick-Off Party! Shadies Launch & DROP Film Premiere
Spring is here, the pavement is drying up and the days are getting longer. Time to celebrate MOBO style! On Saturday April 30th Motion Boardshop will be hosting a special event at our Seattle longboarding shop in order to show the Drop: My Life Downhill DVD from Orangefiist. But even more exciting, we’ll be launching a sweet new local clothing line called Shadies, started by well-known longboarder Ken Barrett (organizer of the Dragonfly Jam). Shadies Street Gear is a Seattle-based company that specializes in hip, gritty, apparel for skateboarders, bikers, and other heavy duty urban missions.
DROP is a one hour documentary on downhill skateboarding directed by Marc McCrudden. It is by far the hottest skate film of the year with epic cinematography and top level longboarding. If you longboard, it’s a must see movie. Did we mention it’s FREE too!?!?
In typical MOBO style you can expect plenty of sneak-attack Freebie Throws, a video contest, grub, refreshments and LOTS MORE!! Dress for Shadiness and Steeze and Let’s Party Up!!
Come longboarding with Motion, the SHADIES and Marc McCrudden’s jaw-droppingly beautiful film, ‘DROP: My Life Downhill’, Saturday, April 30th, 2011!! See you there! If you RSVP then we can make sure and have enough grub and freebies for everyone!!
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KickFlip Trick Tip From FyLongboarding
We’re suckers for good trick tip videos and our friends over at Fylongboarding put together this video on how to do a Kickflip. Impressively, they’re using a Loaded Bhangra longboard to demonstrate this sick move. But like the Fylongboarding and Loaded Ambassador boys warn, be prepared for your longboard to endure a lot of abuse while you’re mastering this one…It’s all worth it in the end though.
Step #1. If you’re regular, your front foot is going to step off heelside. Pop your board up and grab it with your left hand.
Step #2. Lean over the front of your board, putting 90-100% of your weight over your front leg.
Step #3. Position your feet so your front put is centered between your trucks on your deck. Your back toes will be on the very back tip of your longboard deck.
Step #4. When you kick, make sure you’re kicking on your heelside edge of your board so the board does a corkscrew. Your foot will kick by flipping it down and back on the longboard.
(For good troubleshooting tips make sure to watch the video, the break down the most common issues people have).
Make sure to wear your helmet and pads!
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Orangefiist Drops the “Drop: My Life Downhill” DVD
Last fall we got a chance to sit in on one of the “Drop: My Life Downhill” premieres right here in the NW. It was a truly stunning film with gorgeous cinematography and skating footage that was made even better by using some of the most high tech cameras and booms in the industry. When Orangefiist makes a film, they don’t mess around. Marc McCrudden got his hands on the same equipment used to film Hollywood blockbuster movies, such as a Porsche outfitted with cameras and booms, to capture unique angles and get the ultimate smoothness in the footage. Add to that the real stories of the best known downhill longboarders in the industry and you have a film that’s not only captivating but has a storyline that holds your attention too. Best of all, this longboarding video is finally available on DVD after a long waiting period and you can buy the Drop: My Life Downhill DVD in our online shop.
Featuring James Kelly, Noah Sakamoto, Scoot Smith, Brianne Davies, Kevin Reimer, Martin Siegrist, Louis Pilloni, Mischo Erban, Zak Maytum, and Erik Lundberg to name a few superstars. Here’s a sneak peak….
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2011 Landyachtz Wolf Shark Video Review
Max was busy cranking out the videos this weekend and managed to finish up a nice little review of the 2011 Landyachtz Wolf Shark. This particular longboard deck is extra special for a lot of reasons. For one, it’s kind of the first true topmount speedboard that Landy has put out there. You might remember a video we made at the Maryhill Festival of Speed last summer where Landy’s Blake Startup gave us all a little sneak peak of this deck and it’s been highly anticipated ever since.
The graphic alone is enough to set this deck apart but they didn’t stop there. It has multiple wheelbases, is a little narrower than most topmounts (measuring in at 9 3/4″ wide) has multiple “shark bite” wheel wells to accomodate the different wheelbases, and has some monster gas pedals. The Landyachtz Wolf Shark is pressed in the same mold as the Landyachtz 9two5 so it has the same gnasty concave and rocker to lock you in big time. It’s also one of the fastest selling boards we’ve ever had in stock.
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The Secret to Nailing Monster Standup Slides
Motion Boardshop junior team rider Ryan Vanderveen is the king of loooooong standup slides like you’ve seen in our earlier video “Sessions: Monster Standies with Ryan V.” This guy is an all around athlete and has the balance, coordination, and steeze to nail these super long standies better than almost all the pros out there. In this video, Ryan throws down on a 9two5 Landyachtz longboard deck and Metro Motion longboard wheels with Randal 180s.
His tips are to:
-Make sure your wheels are nice and tight
-Start with shorter slides and work your way up
-Tuck into your slide with speed
-Keep a wide stance with your feet as close to your trucks as possible
-Have your front foot positioned so that your toes and heel are both hanging over the sides of the board
-Have your back heel hanging off the back rail to really help kick the board out
-Put your entire body into it and really swing your arms around and lift your body up taking the weight off of your board
-Ride toe side briefly as you come into your slide, and then carve into your slide while really throwing your weight into it
-Lean back so that if you lose your balance you can fall back onto your slide glove and pendy out of it.Always make sure to wear a helmet, knee pads, slide gloves and even elbow pads if you have them.
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Longboard Tutorial Video: How To Heelside Predrift
It’s nice to be able to mix up all our product review videos with a little tutorial now and then. And it doesn’t hurt to have one of the top junior downhill racers around to talk you through the fundamentals of downhill longboarding. This time, Max Wipp breaks down how to do a heelside pre-drift to scrub off a little speed before a tight turn.
Main Tips:- Keep your hips and board pointed towards the corner
- Don’t turn your board completely sideways cause you’ll lose too much speed
- Friends don’t let friends grab stinkbug!
- Tuck your back knee into your front leg
- Put most of your weight over your front truck
- Front hand in line with your front wheels
- Keep your weight over your board as much as possible (not off to the side) to keep weight on the wheels for traction
- Grab behind your back knee if you have to
In this video Max is rocking the Black Dog Pussy Gato longboard deck and Orangatang 83a Stimulus longboard wheels.
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Product Video Review: Venom Cannibal Longboard Wheels
This fall, we brought our junior teamrider Max on to work a few days in the shop. Not only has it been fun to have him around, but he’s been cranking out the videos faster than we can keep up with (which is a good problem to have). A lot of times, our Youtube subscribers will message us with special requests to make videos on certain products. While we can’t get to all of them, we try to pick out the ones that get the most requests. When it came to longboarding wheels, everyone wanted to know more about the Venom Cannibals which come in a 78a, 80a and 83a durometer.
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How to Take a Racing Line-by Max Wippermann
MOBO employee and teamrider Max Wippermann shows us how to take the perfect racing line. Considering he’s had numerous podium finishes as a junior downhill longboard racer, you can be sure he knows what he’s talking about. Watch as he breaks it down into a few simple steps that you can practice, and someday master with ease.
1. Approach the corner from the outside.
2. Attack the apex of the curve.
3. Swing Wide.
TIPS: When drifting, cut in early to compensate for the understeer. Pointing the board at the apex throughout your drift is a good way to keep on track. After you’ve hit the apex, grip up. Once you’ve gripped up, stay gripped and preserve your exit speed. Stick the the inside as much as possible and don’t lose traction.
(In case you’re wondering about Max’s preferred setup, you’ll usually see him on a Landyachtz Evo longboard deck)
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Kyle Martin Joins the Eh Team-New Video
Sounds like Landy has a few new names to add to their already impressive roster. Kyle Martin and Billy “Bones” Meiners to be exact. Here’s what Landyachtz had to say about their new addition…
“We are super excited to announce that Kyle Martin and Billy Meiners will be joining the EhTeam!
Kyle Martin has become one of the planet’s most progressive and influential longboarders. He has undeniable style and a serious level of gnar that we can all be inspired by. Thanks to Kyle’s new deal with Landyachtz, he’ll be able to spend more time progressing and blowing our minds. Check out the New Eh-Team episode featuring Kyle’s insane skills.”
Kyle absolutely rips it up in this video, taking freeriding to a whole new level. He’s rocking the Landyachtz 9two5 longboard deck with 80a Zombie Hawgs longboard wheels.
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How to Do a 1-Footed Backside 180 From James Kelly
Want to learn how to do a one-footed backside 180? Well now you can learn step by step from our buddy James Kelly. You know him, you love him, and now you can learn how to ride like him. The Loaded Newsletter put out this trick tip just a few days ago and we’ve been playing around ever since, trying to master this steezy move. James breaks it down in these easy steps…
-Keep your weight mostly on your front foot.
-Lean into the turn and start carving backside.
-Before your wheels break loose and slide, dig your back foot in, and toss your body weight.
-Then dig your front foot into the board and pivot on your front foot.
-Try to land back on your board!
**Our favorite longboard decks for tricks like this are the Holesom Street Sweeper, the Loaded Tan Tien and Sayshun Polar.
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Featured Mobot-Danny Smith
Max Wipp put together a new video featuring Danny Smith, one of our local Mobots from Lake Forest Park. He’s one of the best freeriders we’ve seen, especially for his age. His longboard deck of choice in this video is the Black Dog Shallow Drop with buttery Sector 9 Race Formulas. Danny is known for coring wheels faster than anyone else and has a collection to prove it. Though he’s one of the younger Mobots, he schools 99% of the other riders out there, as you can probably tell from his one-footed moves and fancy footwork. This was shot with a Canon 7D.
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Omen Carbon Matrix Longboard Teaser Video
RAAAAR! The long awaited Omen Longboards Carbon Matrix Deck has finally been unleashed from it’s cage. You’ve probably noticed we haven’t posted many videos lately but that’s because we’ve been busy perfecting this longboard, going through numerous prototypes, and tweaking every little angle. We finally nailed it down with what we think could be the perfect board. We had so many questions from longboarders who were looking for a board that could do it all, freeride and downhill. We built this longboard deck specifically to fill that need. It’s stiff, light, underflushed, has 3/4″ drop and .666 concave, symmetrical and has amazing pockets to lock your feet in. Check out this teaser with more videos of the Omen Carbon Matrix to come.
For a limited time, you can snag one of these beauties for only $299 as part of the pre-production limited edition promotion. The decks don’t come with a graphic but they do come with a red texalium top that will only be produced in this batch. So everyone will know you got one of the few pre-production Omens. Once this batch is gone and the graphics are on, the price will go up to $349 so get em now and save a few bucks.
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How to Setup a RogerBros DH36 Longboard
We got a request from one of our Youtube Channel subscribers to do a special review on the Roger Bros DH 36 longboard deck and how we would set it up if money wasn’t an option. Well, if you’re looking for the most badass topmount speedboard and you have all the money in the board, this is what Nate recommends. With 16 different truck mounting options and CNC precision on the deck, it’s a versatile longboard that’s super responsive. Munkae precision trucks are the way to go, and since it’s a topmount you won’t have to worry about being too low to the ground. The DH36 already comes with some gnarly grip tape and munkaes come with venom bushings already so they’re all ready to go. All you need is some longboarding wheels and we recommend something with a nice wide contact patch like blue Mini Monsters.
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Introducing…..The Mobots
Here’s the latest longboarding video showcasing our teamriders, the Motion Boardshop “Mobots” riding all around the state. From Maryhill to Alpental to wind tunnel testing at the University of Washington. Trevor, Nate, EK, Spencer, Ryan, H., Rain, Jerica, Max, Connor, Ryan, Newman, Liam, Danny and lots of others make an appearance. Make sure you watch it all the way through to the end for some crazy gnarly falls and blood. You can even see Max’s broken wrist all mangled and out of place. This is just a teaser of many more team videos to come. We’re hoping to get our teamrider page up online soon too but we’ve just been too busy with the move and eating Krispy Kreme donuts.
In future videos we can hopefully get some of our talented freeriders like Connor to show you some tricks you can do on your longboarding deck, like tips on doing a nose manual.
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Win a Rayne Avenger By Playing S.K.A.T.E
Wanna win an Avenger from Rayne Longboards? I know I would. All you have to do is play a game of S.K.A.T.E. put on by Kyle Martin. He’ll be picking a winner based on the video submitted with the most GNAR, which he will determine by your style and the number of tricks you complete in your video. Just get your buddy to shoot some video of you sticking a pendy, stalefish, early grab, or whatever you do best. Then upload that video to the Facebook “Game of S.K.A.T.E. Video Page” and get all your friends to “like” it. The top ten video entries with the most likes will then be evaluated by Kyle to see who has the most gnar.
He’ll be monitoring the page so if you have any questions on how to do a certain trick, he’ll try and give you some pointers. Just like our video contest, you have to wear a helmet, and Rayne wants you to wear gloves too. You have until October 7th to make your video and pimp it out to all your friends so get going! That Avenger longboarding deck could be yours!
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Freeride Longboarding Wheels Video Review
Time to graduate from those grippy pink bigzigs to something a little more slippery, but stumped on where to start? Well if you’re looking to do more freeriding and start throwing down big ‘ol standies then you’ll want to get some nice, round-lipped wheels (we call ‘em freeride wheels). With so many choices on the market, we try to break it down for you with some of the most popular freeride longboarding wheels on the market.
In the latest of our longboarding videos, Nate covers everything from Earthwing Floaters to Sector 9 Race Formulas to Abec11 Freerides to the our best sellers, the Orangatang Durians (and stimulus and fat frees too). The rounded lip will help your wheel break free into a nice, smooth slide unlike a wheel with a 90 degree beveled edge which is more for grip and cornering.
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Black Dog Shallow Drop Longboard Deck Review
Nate Blackburn sits down and tells us about the latest longboarding deck to drop from Black Dog Longboards. This time, it’s the Black Dog Shallow Drop that’s turning heads everywhere. After lots of testing and tweaking, Black Dog created what we call the “pocket drop” because of the cradling feel you get from the drop combined with the waist of the board. Even though it technically doesn’t have rocker to it, you still get that nice “centered” feeling.
It’s a freeride board and obviously has a shallow drop, only 3/4″ all together. So you’ll get more traction than on a Rayne Nemesis or Landyachtz Switch. The concave is 1/2″ so you have just enough to hold your feet in for repetitive slides but your feet won’t feel sore if you’re riding for a few hours at a time. One of our new favorites!
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Spokane Showdown Recap
We helped sponsor the Spokane Showdown Outlaw Race put on by Nate Braks by sending out some longboard wheels and other goodies. Here’s what he had to say about the event:
“Everybody was REALLY stoked on th race and all of the prizes. People loved the motion boardshop package. RipCity Skate’s team and Cody from Five Mile came out and ripped the local Spokane hills like they were nothing in the race. Cody from five mile took 1st in the DH, local Spokane Rider David Uhlenkott from Dopamine Longboards took 2nd, and Jay from RipCity took 3rd.
After the Downhill race we all went out for lunch, picked a hill to ride, and went free riding on a local hill. Using the Dan Dengler Longboards van, we shuttled 13 skaters up and down a great hill and got a ton of runs and footage. On Sunday, everyone met up out at the location for the push race, which was seven miles of hard pushing and fast hills. The push race ended up being an all Spokane podium with Nick Boyd taking first, Nate Braks from Dan Dengler Longboards (me) taking second, and Stan Dumbrouski taking 3rd. After that we all played a large game of ninja, which Garai one, and went to Dan’s to chill and watch footage. “
Since the event was such a huge success, we hope to make it out for the next one! Hopefully we’ll have some longboard decks to donate to the next outlaw too.
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Free event featuring photographer Clark Little
Thought everyone might want to know about this free event featuring Hawaii North Shore Photographer Clark Little’s Movie/Slideshow at REI Seattle on Friday, September 3 at 7:00 pm.
Clark Little’s photography has recently been featured in National Geographic, Nature’s Best Photography, Geo, Nikon World, Sierra Magazine and
on TV shows Good Morning America, Today Show and Inside Edition.As a pioneer of surfing the Waimea Bay shorebreak, Clark’s photography captures the oceans waves from the inside out. It’s pretty spectacular work, and if you’re an ocean lover like us, definitely worth checking out.
2010 Clark Little Slideshow & Book Signing Tour
We would love to attend ourselves but since we’re moving our Seattle longboards shop to a new location, we might not have enough time. : ( Hopefully we can finish up the move quick to make it to this aevent!
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Vashon Island Sessions Longboarding Video
So far, I think about half of the entries for our longboarding video contest have been from the great Northwest which is awesome. This one is from Liam and Alex who live out on Vashon Island, a little blip in the Puget Sound with some great hills. Unfortunately Liam is nursing a broken hand right now but the friends figured out a fair way to split the prize if they win. One will keep the Rayne Killswitch longboard and the other one gets the precision Munkae trucks. These guys both ride Loaded longboard decks with Orangatang wheels. It’s a fun, light-hearted video that we really enjoyed watching.
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How to Grip Tape a Skateboard (Video)
If you already read our blog post on how to grip tape a longboard, then you already know what you’re doing. But if you still have questions about the process, you can watch this handy video we put together which shows a sped up play-by-play. Remember, in order to grip your longboard deck you’ll need: a box cutter, a file, and scissors.
*If your deck is wider than your grip tape, you can do horizontal or vertical stripes instead. Just use a ruler to help you cut a straight line. Then flip it so the ragged edge is on the outside of the board, on the side that will be cut off. Our favorite grip tapes are gnar grip and edger grip. But if you have a deck made of bamboo or walnut, you may want to use clear grip to let the wood grain shine through. If you’re still having difficulty gripping your deck, bring it by our Seattle longboard shop and we’d be happy to do it for you.
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Watch MOBO Teamrider Jerica on Tru TV Tonight!
Tonight, one of the MOBO teamriders, Jerica Green, will be featured on the one and only Tru TV as part of their 20 Most Shocking Series. Last year, Jerica took a nasty fall while navigating a corner in one of our local neighborhoods and the longboard wheels on her Five Mile longboard deck didn’t grip enough. Though she didn’t break any bones, she tore up the ligaments and tendons in her arm pretty extensively. When you watch this video, you’ll understand why. Luckily she was smart enough to wear pads and a full face helmet when she was out riding. Though the injury took her out of the running for the Maryhil Festival of Speed last year, she’s now fully recovered and was able to compete this July. It’s a lot easier to watch now that I know she’s okay but this video still makes me cringe every time I see it.
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“Shreddin’ the Gnarthwest” Video Contest Entry
This entry for our video contest comes from another local, Jayson M., but unfortunately he’ll be leaving the NW to go to college in Tennessee. Jayson is not only a wicked longboarder but he’s also into skimboarding and skiing, as you can tell from the video. Out of all the longboard decks on the market, he goes with one of the most sought after: The Loaded Dervish. He rocks his with classic Randal 180s, a split duro Durian combo, and Bones Reds bearings. He’s only been riding for 3 years but he loves to nail one footed stalefish predrifts. Hopefully he’ll come by our new seattle longboard shop when he comes home from college to visit!
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“Our Session Today” Longboarding Video
We received another international entry for our video contest, but this time instead of coming from Norway, it comes from the opposite climate: San Juan, Puerto Rico. Alejandro calls his video “Our Session Today (Pa Panamericano)” which gives us a behind the scenes look at the streets of PR. He’s a fan of Loaded’s longboard decks and rides a Vanguard with Bear Grizzly trucks, Orangatang wheels and Sector 9 ceramic bearings. It’s a pretty sweet setup if you ask me. He’s been riding for 5 years now and has mastered dancing and boardwalking. This vid is a nice combo of sliding, fancy footwork, and humor.
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How to Jump on a Strapless Kitesurf Board
Our buddy just keeps ‘em coming with his instructional strapless kitesurfing series. I don’t know where he’s finding the time to edit these gems together. This particular one focuses on how to catch some air on a surfboard or skimboard. You’ll want to start by finding a nice piece of chop to launch off. Keep your kite at a 45 degree angle. As you hit the chop, keep a wide stance and press down on your back foot and. Try your best to point the board upwind so that the wind will push the board back towards you, essentially keeping it stuck to your feet. Then point the board downwind again as you land so you can ride away.
The first time I tried a strapless jump it was on a skimboard like the Slingshot Scud skimboard which is nice and wide making it easy to stay balanced on when you land. I’m pretty sure Nick was flying one of the Best Kiteboarding kites when he filmed this.
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Holmes Point Longboarding Video
Yet another video contest entry rolled in, this time it was from one of our local crew, Allan Wilkerson. His friend Danny Wood, makes a guest appearance in this one too. Allan is a well respected skater around these parts and consistently gets top rankings at all the freerides that are held pretty regularly. Not to mention, he’s been a huge helping hand at many of our events. As far as I know, Allan (known here as DH Allan) is sponsored by Bentley longboards and so he rides a Bentley Silhouette longboard deck with surf-rodz trucks, and 80 Orangatang In Heat longboard wheels. He used a POV camera duck taped to the back of his full-face helmet to get this footage rolling down Holmes Point Road which is right in our back yard. FYI, Allan can toeside standy all day long.
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“The Man Who Controlled the Sun” Longboarding Video
Nice! Another video contest from one of our local rippers Gabe Trainer. From Shoreline Washington, Gabe was one of the best groms that hung around our seattle longboard shop but he’s old enough to hang with the big boys at this point. Gabe had a serious, crazy longboarding accident that will keep him off the pavement for a whole year which was a big bummer when we first heard about it. If he wins this video contest, he wouldn’t be able to ride the Rayne longboards complete Killswitch with surf-rodz, but he’s such a nice guy he said he’d probably hook one of his buddies up with it. What a guy! That’s why I love that skating community so much. So check out this video he put together that actually started out as a school project for a video making class he took.
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Epic! Orangatang Timebomb Video
The best of the best from the Orangatang joined forces to make a video of epic proportions. Finally, a longboarding video that’s original, but still fun and full of sick riding. This is exactly the kind of originality I would hope to see in the video that wins our contest. This video brings together the skills of Kevin “K-Rimes” Reimer, Patrick Switzer, James Kelly, Kyle Chin, and Douglas Dalua da Silva in the hills of Los Angeles. Mastermind film-maker (and super talented rider) Adam Colton filmed and edited it all together with the help of Jonathan Jelkin. Even though these guys all rock Orangatang wheels, their decks range from different Rayne longboards to the Fullbag Elise P-Swiss longboard.
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“Silent Carve” Longboarding Video Entry
Here is yet another video contest entry coming from Andrew out of San Diego. We’re so jealous of all the sun he gets down in SoCal. We could use a good dose of that right now in the Pacific Northwest! Although he doesn’t showcase it in this video, Andrew can do a killer one handed toe side pendy. His setup includes a Kracked Skulls Scimitar longboard deck, randal 180s and Sector9 Nineball longboard wheels. Its hard to believe Andrew has only been riding for 7 months. I love the quote he chose for the opening scene, “Longboarding is my waking dream…”
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“Sev-Lev” Longboarding Video Contest Entry
Here’s yet another entry for our longboarding video contest. This one comes from a local rider out of the beautiful Pacific Northwest. This entry from Kirk of Portland, Oregon shows of the best the NW has to offer. He uses a makeshift “boom cam” for his gopro camera on the end of a long pole. We use something really similar to get a perspective looking back at the riders. He’s been skating for about 2 years now and enjoys doing big standies. His longboard deck of choice is a Longboard Larry Manatee, Bear grizzly trucks, and 83a Orangatang wheels.
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“Summer Days” Longboarding Video Contest Entry
This is the 6th entry for our longboarding video contest. This one comes from Michael V. out of Columbus, Ohio. It’s hard to believe he’s only been skating for about four months! This is a really well edited, high quality HD video with some sweet freeriding footage. Not sure exactly how old Michael and his friend are but they do a good job representing the groms of the longboarding world. He rides one of the most popular longboard decks at our Seattle longboard shop, the Landyachtz Switch. Plus, he’s got a sweet setup with classic Randal 180s, Abec11 Gumballs and some abec9 bearings. His favorite trick is the heel side shovit slide.
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“Bro To Go” Longboard Video Contest Entry
Here’s the latest installment to our video contest. This one comes from Philemon Crete, another longboarder from Canada. He rides in Montreal but this video was shot in North Conway. This is one of the most original videos I’ve seen so far. I love how he gripped his board to look like turn tables and the opening scene is just classic. I think you’ll love it too. Philemon’s longboard deck of choice is a custom DKLB with sabre trucks and the longboard wheels he goes for are the 76mm Sector9 Race Formulas. This guy really knows how to rip. I think you can tell how much he loves longboarding when he licks his board! He’s only been skating for 2 years but can freeride with the best of them.
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The Orangatang Team Visits Barcelona
The Orangatang team has been bumming around Europe for all the IGSA races across the pond this summer. They’ve been at Almatrieb in Germany, The Graveyard Call in France, and the Padova Grand Prix in Italy. While they were in Barcelona, Spain, it looks like they paid a visit to the skate shop there full of longboard decks from Loaded and longboard wheels from Retro and everyone else. This video is super smooth and shows some fancy footwork from James Kelly, Patrick Switzer and K-Rimes. Hopefully we can get them to pay a visit to our Seattle longboard shop one of these days!
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The Aces Playground Longboarding Video
Here’s the fourth entry for our video contest to win the highly sought-after Rayne Killswitch complete with Surf-Rodz precision trucks. This one comes from Audun G. out of Oslo, Norway. In his video, he shows us his favorite place to skate with his crew. They call their spot Aces Playground and they call themselves the Ace Crew. These guys know how to rip it up! Audun’s longboard deck of choice is a well loved Roger Bros DH36 that flexes after being skated on so much. He rocks super loose Paris trucks and coned Pink Powerballs, the sign of a true skater! After 4 years of longboarding, his favorite tricks are super sketchy early grabs and super tight toeside speedchecks and pendys. Love the Ratatat music choice and their freeride playground looks right up our gnar-alley. You can really tell how much the Ace Crew loves longboarding.
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For the Love of Longboarding Video
We wanted to share with you the latest entry for the seattle longboards video contest that we just announced on Friday. We were super excited to get a few entries in the very first day. This one is called “For the Love of Longboarding” and comes from Michael B. out of St. Louis, Missouri. He rides two longboard decks in this video. One is a 46″ Stella with generic trucks and 69mm wheels and abec5 bearings. The other is a 30″ Gravity Gringo with 66mm Gravity Burners, Tracker 129s and Abec 5s. Michael has only been skating for about 4 months now and likes to do the boneless trick.
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It’s All Downhill From Here Video
Here’s the first entry for our freshly announced video contest. This one comes from a friend of ours in the Great White North (Canada). Kevin Yue from Edmonton, Alberta put together this video. His longboard deck of choice? The Rayne Vendetta with indy trucks and 72mm Pink Powerball wheels. He’s been riding since he was four years old which is a total of 8 years and his favorite trick of choice is the Tre Flip. Thanks for being our first contestant Kevin!
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Kiteboarding 201: How to do a Front Roll
Here’s another step-by-step breakdown from the Best Kiteboarding video gallery. Andy Hurdman shows you how to do a Front Roll with four simple rules (click here to watch the video).
Four Rules to the Front Roll
1. Kite Position
Keep your kite at 45-60 degrees with good edge control. This will help initiate your pop and get you off the water to finish your rotation.
2. Take Off
To get good pop off the water, slightly bear downwind to get more board speed, then edge hard against the kite, pointing your board up wind. Pop out by throwing your head and shoulders forward, looking over the nose of your board. This will start a forward rotation. The key is to get a good pop and edge.
3. Body Position
Once you get good pop, turn your head and look toward your back shoulders as you leave the water, then bring in your legs to help your rotation. To help start the front roll, lead with your head and lean forward as you leave the water. As you leave the water, crunch your legs in. Tuck your legs, turn your head, and your body will follow.
4. Landing
Since you started your rotation by watching your back shoulder, you are able to spot your landing as you get half way through rotation. Spot your landing as you come around. Bring out your legs to slow your rotation and land smoothly. Keep your head turned until you finish your rotation, which will allow you spot your landing. If your rotating too fast, open your legs to slow your rotation and land smoothly.
Special Tip: Having trouble rotating? Taking off your lead hand will sometimes help finish your rotation.
When it comes to a trick like the front roll, any Best kiteboarding kite will work just fine. For ultimate pop, check out the Cabrinha Custom Kiteboard.
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Motion Exclusive Interview With James Kelly
This video is a Motion Boardshop exclusive interview with the one and only James Kelly (“The American Dream!”) You might recognize him as a sponsored rider for Orangatang and as one of the faces behind SkateHouse Media. But we know James as an all around great guy, not to mention a skater that makes the rest of us look like a bunch of little girls.
Even though James could have his pick of any of the longboard decks out there, he chooses to ride the Longboard Larry Sea Calf. At 36″ long, the Sea Calf has a nice short wheel base allowing him to get down nice and low to grip around the turns and loops of Maryhill and still be nice and agile. His preferred setup? Classic Randal RII 180′s on 42* Baseplates. The longboard wheels he rocks for Maryhill are the Orangatang In heats in the 80a durometer. He also uses 85a venom eliminators on his setup.
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Rayne Nemesis & Demonseed Review – Video
This is the Motion Boardshop video review of two of our favorite longboard decks, the Rayne Nemesis and the Rayne Demonseed. We decided to make this video after getting multiple requests from our youtube subscribers that wanted to learn more about the decks, particularly the Nemesis. Trevor lays it down for you all.
Nemesis: Bamboo core sandwiched between two layers of fiberglass giving it for a nice lightweight without sacrificing any strength. This is one of the few boards that will work for pretty much any kind of riding discipline. So many people ask us “what deck will do it all?” and 9 times out of 10, we’ll recommend the Nemesis. Thanks to its short wheelbase, its great for carving, while the symmetrical shape and 1″ drop makes it a killer freeride board. The shorter wheelbase option will make the deck more nimble and the long WB will make it more stable at higher speeds. Wide trucks (like Paris 195s or 200mm Surf-Rodz) work best since the standing platform itself is so wide. The fact that 80% of Motion employees own a Nemesis speaks volumes about the deck.
Demonseed: Newly redesigned to be symmetrical which is a huge improvement upon last years model. It’s basically a longer Nemesis with the added drop thrus. A better option for taller guys with a wider stance. Thanks to the nice big cut outs, you rock wheels upwards of up to 85mm. It has 6 plys of bamboo in the middle between the two sheets of fiberglass making it light but still stiff. Consider it the big brother to the Nemesis. We like it with the Abec 11 Freeride wheels thanks to their buttery-smooth slide. Or for downhill, try the new Nersh Money Hax for super grip and roll speed.
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Nate’s Black Dog Pussy Gato Setup
Here’s Nate with a new 60 second video (which ended up being more like 7 minutes…) talking about how he likes to setup his Black Dog Pussy Gato longboard deck which is the topmount speedboard in the BD Series. It has an 1/8″ rocker, 1/2″ concave, and aggressive wheel wells so you can rock 70mm wheels without getting too much wheelbite.
Nate’s Setup-Munkae Trucks with a red (90a) venom cone roadside and a yellow (85a) venom barrel boardside. Both have a cupped washer for a divey feel on the front truck. For his back truck, he ditches the boardside washer so the bushing can deform a bit for lots of grip. It’s more sloppy bit has more traction.
-1/8″ riser on the back truck and 4 degree wedged riser on his front truck
-Luv Yo Mutha Wheels-eco friendly soy wheels from Dregs.
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Kiteboarding 201: How to Hit a Slider
Best Kiteboarding has a killer video gallery chock full of flicks focused on instruction, travel, and gear reviews. My favorites though are the instructional videos which show you a step-by-step breakdown of all the kiteboarding moves. The one that caught my attention today was Shannon Best showing you how to hit a slider (click here to watch the video).
1. You’ll need to learn how to load and pop effectively without sending the kite. Get really good at this.
2. Keep your kite nice and the whole time you slide the rail.
3. Square up and load and pop up onto the rail/slider.
4. Hit the rail with the board flat and side on so your deck is perpendicular to the rail. You might want to remove your fins to keep them from snapping off if you hit it wrong.
5. Focus on your balance. If you start to fall, try to fall towards the side with water!
6. As you get off the ramp, land with your board flat and pointed slightly downwind to ride away. (If you want to get really steezy, you can downloop the kite at this point or pop off the rail with a 180)
Photo Courtesy of Jim Stringfellow
If you want to start hitting sliders, you’ll need to get geared up. One of our favorite boards for the ultimate pop is the Cabrinha Custom kiteboard. For wakestyle tricks like riding rails, you can’t go wrong with the the Best Nemesis NXG kite.
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Carbon Landyachtz 9two5 Video
At the Maryhill Festival of Speed this year, we got a chance to spend some time with Blake Startup from Landyachtz. He just happened to have a sexy new carbon 9two five longboard deck with him. We were able to sneak him away from the races for a few minutes to give us the scoop on this hot new deck and here’s the video for all of you to check it out too.
Blake’s favorite setup for the 9two5? 70mm Mini Monster wheels (he prefers the 78a “turbo” blue race formula ones) and the Bear Grizzly 852s. He’s also got a nice little custom grip job with a skull and wings.
If we don’t have this board in stock, just email, call us, hit us up on livechat, whatever. We’ll special order it for you and the shipping is on us as usual! We got a chance to try it out firsthand and it really was truly amazing.
Benefits of the Carbon Foam Core?
-super stiff and no torsional flex
-input from your front foot will transfer movement to back truck
-results in more control and more grip
-added stiffness makes it a killer deck for racing too
-still has all the features we love about the regular 9two5 longboard deck including drop thrus, gas pedals, rocker, and the widest possible foot platform with big wheel wells.
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How to Ride Strapless- Instructional Kitesurfing Video
Here’s a great video that one of our good friends Nick (aka Sick Nick) put together. He’s the Pacific Northwest guru when it comes to strapless riding and he was cool enough to share his expertise with the rest of us. If the internet where you are is too slow to load this up, here’s some of his tips…
Basic Waterstart: With the kite pulling you slightly, position the board in front of you with your back hand. Then position your feet flat on the board with the kite still pulling downwind slightly. Lean back and dive the kite.
Advanced Waterstart: Toss your board in the water and dive your kite as you step on the board. Be careful not to drag your fins across the rocks in the shallow water.
How to Switch Your Feet: Transition feet from your weak side to strong side. Bring your back foot up towards your front foot, keeping your kite at normal flying position. Then move your original front foot back in a shimmy movement.
How to Gybe: Now that you’re riding toeside, begin to send your kite in the opposite direction. Carve on your heel while sending your kite at the same time.
On another note we just got some new Best Kiteboarding Kites in stock including a demo of the soon-to-be-released Taboo in 8m and 12m sizes to try out. We also have tons of used kiteboarding kites in stock to choose from if you hope to save a little money.
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Nersh vs Centrax Longboard Wheel Review
Looking for a grippy wheel to nail hairpin turns on a super tight, technical course? Well look no further than the Nersh Money Hax longboard wheels and the Abec11 Centrax wheels. They both feature a monster contact patch so you get the ultimate contact with the pavement for traction like none other. But for two wheels that seem so similar on the surface, what’s the difference between the two?
*Nersh longboard wheels are an offset wheel with a 70mm contact patch and a 75mm height. The super squared-off lips really dig into the pavement to give you a ton of traction. The softest option, a 76a durometer, will glide over any bumps in the road to give you the smoothest ride possible. In the harder duros, 80a and 83a, you can actually drift them a bit and the urethane gives a pretty smooth slide but they still get a ton of traction to make them a good all around wheel.
*The Abec 11 Centrax wheels are grippy like none other. No drifting out of these bad boys. Made from the “Reflex urethane”, these wheels are fast, grippy and predictable. The urethane also has a reputation for durability and holding up during usage. The square lips will fold under while cornering to give you traction. UNLIKE the Nersh, these wheels are center-set so you can flip them around and get a nice even wear pattern on them.
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Surf Rodz Precision Trucks Review Pt. 2
This video is part 2 of our surf-rodz precision trucks review. You can watch part 1 in the blog post just before this one. In the second part of this series we aimed to tackle life’s toughest questions, like “How do Surf-Rodz trucks compare to Munkae precision longboard trucks?”
Compared to JimZ Precision Trucks, Surf-Rodz come in 3 different baseplate degrees to dial in your ride. JimZ trucks are designed for stability and nothing else so they are limited to a 35 degree baseplate only. Jimz Trucks have a tight bushing seat with minimal lean. Surf-Rodz have a deep bushing seat.
You can expand the axle widths on the Surf-Rodz trucks by purchasing the axle extensions to make it a 220-240mm width. Narrower hangers will offer a nimble ride with quick turning for easy carving. The wider option will be super stable, especially at high speeds. You can also get the 150mm hanger which can extend to 160 or 170mm. It’s suited for small longboards like longboard hybrid minis. These narrow hangers will turn on a dime for ultimate thrashability.
Did we mention that they come in a huge variety of colors like purple, blue, gold, and black?
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Surf-Rodz Precision Trucks Review Pt. 1
This is part one of our video for our Surf-Rodz precision truck review. We love Surf Rodz Trucks because they bridge the gap between inexpensive cast trucks and super pricey high-end precision trucks, while still maintaining the quality of a truck twice its price. They have really nice deep bushing seat for maximum rebound (great for venom barrels, but won’t fit an eliminator) and a beveled edge for a super wide range of motion.
They are basically the first precision truck on the market to take carving and freeriding into consideration. They don’t have sphericals so your motion isn’t so restricted and you can choose the baseplate angle for the style of riding you’ll be doing. You can bomb hills and be stable or you can carve and drift with no problems. The 45 degree plates are our favorites. You can flip these too unlike other precision longboard trucks. Unflipped (indented side of hanger will face outwards) they are more nimble for freeriding and flipped they are more stable for high speeds.
In order to reduce costs without sacrificing performance, the threaded part of the axle screws into the hanger. Set screws are inserted on the underside of the hanger to make sure your axles don’t back out while you’re riding. See our part 2 video for more info.
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Chronicles of Gnarnia – Enjoy!
Big thanks to MOBO rider and filmmaker Trevor Preston for slaving away on this footage. His inspiration? The excess of gnar in the world that needs shredding. How beautiful. So far, we’ve had a hugely positive response to the video which we leaked on youtube just a few days ago. Glad everyone is enjoying it. If you like it too, leave us a comment either right here on the blog or on our youtube page.
The video will be featured in the upcoming 2010 Concrete Wave Evolutions video, which should be out in in mid-August.
Preston shuffled through hours of labor intensive filming. The back breaking work feat took six days and one broken limb.
MOBO rider Max Wipperman broke his arm during a film session. It was a pretty bad break and unfortunately, he was unable to race at Maryhill. Thank you Max, for sacrificing yourself for the sake of gnar!
Some of the longboard decks ridden in this video include 2 Rayne Nemesis decks, and a Black Dog Longboard and the longboard wheels they were sliding on included some Orangatang 4 Pres in 83a and Retro Freerides.
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2010 Best Redline Performance Bar Review
One of Motion’s biggest supporters, Christian Johnson, took the time to test out the brand-spankin’ new 2010 Best Redline Performance Bar that now comes with Best kiteboarding kites, both on the water and off. He documented the key features that set this bar apart from the rest and was nice enough to put it in a video we can all watch. I have to admit, my favorite part is watching him personally test the chicken loop release in the beginning. : ) He’ll always sacrifice his body for the sake of a good review. So here you have it, the unofficial 2010 Best Redline Performance Bar Review.
This is an unbiased opinion that doesn’t sugar-coat anything. Christian talks about both the good and the bad parts of this kiteboarding bar. He’s tried most all bars on the market so he can offer a great comparison.
PROS-smaller chicken loop (good for people with shorter arms), dependable chicken loop release, stopper ball works really well, above the bar sheeting (less likely to tangle with chicken loop), actual RED line has a bungee feature to decrease shock on your body when you engage safety system, OSR on both sides of the bar, line trim/adjustments under the floats,
CONS-smaller chicken loop (not as good for wakestyle riders), above the bar sheeting (harder to reach, more clutter)
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Best Kahoona GoPro Video
I just wanted to share with you a sweet go pro video that one of MOBO’s friends, Christian Johnson, put together recently. He’s been rocking the Best Kahoona kite in the 7.5m and 9.5m sizes and he’s a huge fan of Best’s hottest selling kite, just like we are. The Kahoona is just one of those magical kitesurfing kites that you can’t help but have a great time flying. You’re guaranteed to have an awesome session on a Kahoona no matter how crappy the wind conditions are. This hybrid-delta style kite eats up the gusts like no other with a huge wind range and lots of throw in the chicken loop which translates to tons of depower.
We use the Kahoona’s to teach on in our school, the Seattle Kiteboarding Center, where we teach Seattle kiteboarding lessons on a daily basis. Since switching over to the Kahoonas, our students have seen tons of success. It’s now a regular occurrence to get fresh newbies the taste of getting up on the board during their very first lesson. With a price you can’t beat (the most expensive size, the 13.5 is still under $1300 for a brand new Kahoona complete with a new bar), the Kahoonas are a no brainer. The best part is that it’s not a beginner kite though. Even our super experienced teamrider Joaquin chooses the Kahoona on a regular basis.
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Holesom Longboard Video
We posted a Holesom Longboard Review not too long ago and got a huge amount of interest from that. This deck is just one of those boards that sparks people’s interest and they want to know more about it. Truly, there’s nothing else like the Street Sweeper deck on the longboard market these days. Big ups to Holesom and Longboard Larry for coming up with a unique design in an industry populated with copycats.
We’ve been selling these longboard decks like hotcakes, we can barely even keep them in stock! I think the demo deck at our seattle longboard shop that we keep around at all times really helps solidify how bad-ass the street sweeper deck is.
To follow up our review, we decided to crank out a little video to really show you what the deck is all about. Afterall, if picture is worth a thousand words, then a video must be worth a bazillion words. We decided to do something a little different this time though. Instead of just filming in the shop showing you the ins and outs or each product, we decided to hit the streets a little bit. I hope Nate and Spencer show you how this deck rides on the streets in case you’re not in Seattle to try one for yourself.
