We got some new longboard decks in the shop today that we’re really stoked about. We’ve been carrying Bombsquad noseguards for awhile now and they are an amazing product for anyone with a delicate board that has a habit of sending it flying into curbs or parking garage walls. I hope they continue to crank out new noseguards that will fit all the popular decks on the market these days.
However, Bombsquad also makes some really killer boards. We’ve just brought in two decks for the time being but we’re really impressed with the quality. The F-Bomb and the Wooden Saltflat are the ones that we’re starting out with. It’s not too often you can find a drop through speedboard for just $125! The Earthwing supermodel deck is the only one that can even touch that price range.
The Saltflat longboard deck is a 9 ply topmount made for agility and precision when drafting down big mountains at high speeds. It has just enough concave too-mellower than what seems to be the concave trend these days with super aggressive concave. The Saltflat is $125. I have to say, Bombsquad longboards can do no wrong in our book.
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.
Maryhill, the 2.2 mile speedway for downhill located in Goldendale, Washington, has graced longboarders with her many gifts. Smooth pavement, tricky turns, and best of all, an amazing view with an escape from traffic. But Ms. Mary, oh Ms. Mary. This is too good. A featured video in the New York Times? Big high five!!!
“With an inclusive, do-it-yourself ethic, longboarding has grown as a grass-roots movement mostly outside the established skateboard industry and spread from Southern California to places like Brooklyn and Bend, Ore.”
This article is one to check out for sure. Not only does it feature a killer video on Maryhill, it mentions some of the sweet beginnings of longboarding. Venom. Longboard Larry. Earthwing. Orangatang. Sector9. Definitely the bread, butter, eggs and milk to our industry.
Photo Courtesy of the NY Times
“There’s no stigma,” said Larry Peterson, who made 2,500 boards in a dairy barn in Salem, Ore., last year under the brand Longboard Larry. “It’s one of the sports where someone who’s 40 can go skate with someone who’s 13 and nobody thinks it’s weird.”
We couldn’t agree with Larry more, and that’s the very reason we love longboarding so much. Even guys who are “older” and grew up pushing around on longboard decks 30 years ago feel comfortable when they join the local crew at the parking garage.
“It’s really all new,” Marcus Bandy, 37, the Orangatang team manager claimed. “It’s like when punk rock or hip-hop first came out. It’s a whole new thing, and the kids are loving it.”
He added: “People are always going to create their own stuff and that’s what’s happening here. These guys are creating skateboarding and reinventing skateboarding.”
As a Seattle longboard shop, we’re excited to be a part of the movement and can’t wait to see what the future brings.
Are you headed on kitesurfing vacation soon to somewhere isolated with not a strip mall (and unfortunately a local kite shop) for miles? If so, well lucky you! But there are a couple key essentials to take along with you if you have the extra space in your NSI deceiver golf bag. The last thing you want is to wind up with a broken line that ruins the rest of your kiteboarding trip.
1. 2 Extra Kite Lines- The chances of snapping one of your lines are actually pretty good. If you’ve owned your kite for awhile, your lines might have stretched over time in which case you’ll need to tie them to a post and stretch the shorter line until they are all the same length.
2. An Extra Chicken Bone- I know lots of people that have lost what’s also known as a “donkey d*ck” when the little screw comes loose. It can be a big pain to kite without it since you’ll come unhooked much more often.
3. A Repair Kit-The Airtime DIY Kite Repair Kit is one of our favorites because it comes complete with scissors, seam grip glue, 20ft of fiberglass tape, dacron repair tape, and lots of other helpful goodies.
4. An Extra Pump Hose-If you break or lose your pump hose, that could put the kabosh on the rest of your kite trip. If you think you can blow up your kite with your mouth, don’t bother, we’ve tried!
5. Extra screws and Fins for your Best or Slingshot kiteboard- In case you break off a fin while riding over the tropical reefs of Tahiti, these will be clutch.
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?
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.
I wanted to tackle one of the most frequently questions we get in the shop. “How does the 10 Best Kahoona V2 kite compare to the 09 Kahoona?” Since we teach on the Kahoonas almost exclusively in our school, these kites practically sell themselves. They have a great reputation among the kiteboarding community and if you do your research and scour the forums, you won’t find a bad word said about the kites. Pretty amazing since you can’t please everyone, and every other kite out there has its pros and cons.
Since a lot of people bought the original 09 Kahoona, they’re wondering why they should upgrade to the 2010 Kahoona. Here’s what we think…
The Kahoona V2 has the newly redesigned V2 bridle system which eliminates a main pulley and incorporates a unique stainless steel block that allows the bridle to move so you can trim the kite effortlessly. The old pulley had a tendency to build up with sand over time so it would glide as easily. Plus, it was a plastic piece that had a higher chance of breaking, compared to the metal ring.
The new Kahoona is made with a higher quality dacron on the beefed up leading edge. We estimate that it’s about twice the strength of last year’s so it’s more durable and resistant to abrasion. Here in the northwets we have to be careful of barnacles, mussles, driftwood, oyster shells and other sharp objects which can mangle our kites.
The new redline bar is a huge benefit too with it’s increased line strength, and other cool features which you can find more about on our Best Performance redline bar review.
It looks like there is a little bit more adjustment per size, especially in the trailing edge. The 13 and 11 have more lower end and are easier to relaunch in lighter wind conditions (the trailing edge is longer so it has more surface area to help catch the wind and relaunch).
In reality, it just does everything better-more depower, much more stable when fully depowered, relaunch is effortless even in light wind, turning speed is about the same which is plenty fast (even in the larger sizes).
If you’d like to try one out for yourself please contact us for a demo.
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.
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)
Youth Empire: The Future Generation of Kiteboarding
Cabrinha Northwest Race Series features pro riders, youth enrichment
Lake Forest Park, Wash. – July 14, 2010 - Cabrinha kitesurfing brand will host “Youth Empire,” an event in conjunction with the 2010 Cabrinha Northwest Race Series kiteboarding competition on July 24 and 25 at Jetty Island.
Youth Empire aims to ignite the interest of younger kiteboarders. Youth under 18 years old are invited to learn about kiting, ride together, and gain tips from professional riders including Damien Leroy, Jesse Richman, Matt Collins, Andre Phillip, Brandon Bowe, Matt Elsasser and Kirsten Ulmer. The children and teens will learn how to fly kitesurfing kites during the day.
“We are excited to show kids the kite scene and see what the future generation of kiteboarding will be,” Ulmer, a team rider for Cabrinha, said.
Motion Boardshop will also host a “Meet the Riders” event at 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 24 at Lombardi’s Italian Restaurant, 1620 West Marine View Drive, in Everett. Locals will get a chance to shake hands with Cabrinha’s professional kiteboarders. The event is free and open to the public.
Spectators are encouraged to view the kiteboarding races. Parking is available at the 10th Street Boat Launch and Marine Park for $3. The Everett Yacht Club will provide free transportation from the boat launch to the island.
“Youth Empire is truly a once in a lifetime chance for kids and teens to come out to Jetty Island and try the sport of kiteboarding. The fact that they’ll be learning from the best riders in the world is an unbelievable opportunity for them,” Motion Boardshop co-owner, Katie Clack, said. “I wish something like this was around when I was learning how to kiteboard. We are so excited to be part of this organization.”
Youth Empire participants do not need to register in advance. For more information, go to www.motionboardshop.com or visit the Youth Empire Kiteboarding Facebook page. If you want to meet the pros behind some of the hottest products on the market like Andre Phillip’s Cabrinha Custom kiteboard, you can also come to the Meet and Greet later on Saturday night.
So you’ve already mastered kitesurfing in flatwater and choppy conditions so the next step, naturally, is venturing out into the waves. Whenever I talk to someone who has just ridden in waves for the first time, they’re practically glowing they’re so stoked to the brim. Wave riding with a kite is almost like a whole new sport, just like snowkiting is so different from water kiting. One of the biggest concerns for kiters in the waves is wondering what will happen if you drop your kite, but luckily I found this article from the Kiteboarder Magazine that gives some tips. The last thing you want to happen is to get a rip from your leading to trailing edge when the next set of waves pummels your kite.
If possible, you want to do whatever you can to relaunch the kite immediately. If it’s too late and a wave is already upon you, you may need to let the kite go, but only do so if no one is downwind of you. Once you pull your chicken loop and safety leash, swim as quick as you can into shore. You may even be able to catch the kite before it’s too late.
If you can’t release the kite, pull your chicken loop release to engage your safety system. If you don’t have one that will completely flag your kite, then grab one of the oh-$hit handles to depower one steering line and flag out the kite. Make sure you’re clear of the loose lines while you swim in the direction of the waves. You never want to pull in on your bar when a wave hits the kite otherwise there will be too much tension and either your lines will snap or the canopy on the kite will rip.
Good luck next time you hit the waves and in the meantime practice relaunching your kitesurfing kite until you can do it in no time. If you struggle with relaunching, consider taking an advanced Seattle kiteboarding lesson with us to hone your skills. The Best Kahoona kite is one of the best relaunching kites we’ve encountered so far.
The Cabrinha Custom Kiteboard is a new favorite at Motion Boardshop (particularly the 136 and 140 sizes), thanks to the demo we’ve had a chance to session on over the last two months. I’m guessing the fact that kiteboarding legend and wakestyle phenom, Andre Phillip, collaborating on the design may have had something to do with it. The new flex pattern gives ultimate pop for wakestyle tricks like hitting sliders and riding unhooked. But it also makes the board excel in choppy conditions too.
The unique 3D bottom shape with quad concave means you can rock this kiteboard finless for flatwater riding or for nailing sliders and ramps. The unconventional shape allows for maximum drive and speed. It also has concave that narrows around the middle of the deck which provides a lot of stability.
The Custom is made with a Paulownia wood core and is reinforced with carbon deck stringers. The wood core means that you’ll have a smooth ride but it will also stand the test of time with unparalelled durability. (Slingshot kiteboards are also wood-core which is why we’ve been big fans of their boards for a long time too)
Wanna get on the water and see if everything I said is true? With our choppy Pacific Northwest conditions, I guarantee you’ll love this board more than your mama’s apple pie. Give us a call to demo one on the next windy day.
It took forever for Sam, 7 years old, to save enough money for something very special.
We were honored when he walked into Motion to purchase his first longboard—an Earthwing Superglider.
Sam saved $150 by doing his chores, selling lemonade, and saving money from his birthday.
This man works hard for the money. He’s no stranger to skating either—he’s been skateboarding since he was 4 years old and spends most days at the skatepark. He says he can’t wait to use his new board on some ramps and to get more speed!
Sam completed his board with Indy trucks and MiniMonster wheels. Pretty fly for a small guy! We are stoked on his setup too. We can see him ripping at Maryhill in no time!
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.
Just wanted to make a quick shout-out to congratulate Motion’s junior teamriders, Ryan Heffernan and Jack Neffner for finishing 1st and 2nd place, respectively, at the Maryhill Festival of Speed this weekend! Our guys were leading the pack all five days and finished strong in the end. Since Ryan held the fastest qualifying time out of all the junior 1′s, he also took home a sweet Never Summer longboard skateboard deck too. Both riders scored TONS of swag during the week long event and we’re stoked for them. They deserve it all!
The weekend was full of big upsets with lots of riders noting that they had bad starts which made it so they didn’t qualify for the next round. Mischo Erban claimed his shoe got stepped on at the starting line and after taking a tumble he wasn’t able to catch up to the pack. Kevin Reimer snagged a new record time on the course but after running off the road during the finals, he ended up in 2nd place, even though he consistently finished first in all his heats. Scoot Smith finished 3rd with venom bushings creator, Zak Maytum, scoring a 1st place finish.
Since the event took place on the 4th of July, I was stoked for America to win! Brianne Davies took first pace for the women and local Portland rider Alex Tongue finished first for the junior 2 division. Thanks for a great weekend everyone! More to come later.
After drilling Nate for some tips on improving my downhill longboarding tuck, here’s what he came up with. Keep in mind these are just the basics designed for someone who has never seriously longboarded faster than 25mph before and wants to know what it’s all about.
1. Move your front foot as far forward as is comfortable for you on your board, but will still allow you to turn. Twist your foot slightly so it’s at an angle.
2. Flatten your back as much as possible, trying to make it parallel with the ground. The less curve in your back the better because this will make you more aerodynamic so you can go faster. If you’re not sure if your back is flat enough, try practicing your tuck in front of a mirror.
3. Hinge at the hips.
4. If you’re regular foot, situate your front foot on the left 1/2 of your longboard deck. Position your back foot on the right rail of your board to leverage turns.
5. Take your back knee and wedge it into the calf of your front leg. The lower your knee is on your front leg, the wider your stance will be making for a nice, stable tuck. If your knee is higher up on your front calf, then you’ll have a short stance which is will allow for nimble, tight turns.
We get tons of questions from newbies wondering about how they can stop on their longboard, and I wanted to address those questions here. Hopefully we can have a full page on our site dedicated to answering beginner longboarding questions just like this one. There’s actually a number of ways that you can slow down or come to a full stop on your longboard and this article from Silverfish lays them out with more details.
1. Carving-This should be one of the first things you learn to do on a longboard not only because it’s fun but because it helps you scrub off some of your speed, especially if the turns are sharp.
2. Sliding-Even though this is the most advanced technique to learn, it will completely stop you in the shortest possible distance. Your longboard wheels will wear down over time from sliding.
3. Speedbraking-If you’re going really fast, you can just stand up from your tuck and open your arms to make yourself less aerodynamic which will slow you down.
4.Footbraking-The most basic and universal method of stopping your longboard deck. Done by dragging one foot along the ground to slow yourself to a gradual stop.
5. Rolling Into the Grass-Not highly recommended (prepare for a potential faceplant!) but will slow you down pretty quickly
6. Jumping Off Your Board-Also not an ideal way to stop because you’ll probably tumble if you’re going too fast, but it works.
Of course there are other ways to stop your deck but these are the most well known methods. Check out our youtube channel in the near future to see tutorials on how to do all these things.
These wheels are just as pretty as they look—smooth and sticky.
Nersh Longboard Wheels are here just in time for Maryhill and the summer race season. Similar to Centrax Wheels, these wheels pack a massive amount of ‘thane ready to grip pavement and drift smoothly.
Being one of the widest wheels on the market, the Nersh Money Hax is designed to provide the best traction with maximum grip for racing.
Not only do these wheels grip, they hold speed and roll over bumps like a bulldozer.
Nersh Money Hax Wheels 75mm come in 3 varieties of durometers: 76a, 80a, and 83a (pictured in order.)
To allow more drift, go for the harder 83a. If you’re looking to carry your speed through a turn, go for the softer 76a.
Made in Huntington Beach, California, Nersh Wheels are made by the same company that makes Sector9, Abec11, and Seismic.
If you’re interested in a pair and don’t have time for us to ship them to your doorstep before the Maryhill Festival of Speed, then give us a call at the shop. We’d be happy to bring a set of Nersh Wheels (or anything else for that matter) down to the race with us with your name on them.
If you haven’t heard already, we just launched an email newsletter with the latest gear, events, and videos from MOBO. Check it out here!
The current promo we’re running is 15% of of Surf-Rodz trucks when you purchase a full price longboard decks. Only until July 4th so you have about a week left to make it happen.
If you would like to receive this newsletter, email shannon@motionboardshop.com.
The Landyachtz Loco Express will be screeching into MOBO on Tuesday, June 29, 2010 at 2 p.m.
Landyachtz has been carting around the EH Team riders in a refurbished retro red van, taking them to locations like Albuquerque, San Francisco, and Berkeley for different events and filming along the way. Follow their adventures at http://www.locoexpress.ca
If we are lucky, they might bring their mascot, Chewy the African Pygmy Goat.
The EH Team will meet with our very own MOBO team to rip some local hills. Lookout for footage to come. In the meantime, check out this video of the team’s latest adventure: LOCO on the Road Update #4.
1. Kiteboarding is dangerous-Not true if you take lessons and learn all the techniques to keep you safe. Kiteboarding is only dangerous if you go out in unsafe conditions or try to learn on your own. The gear is actually quite safe now and uses redundant systems so if you need to detach from your kitesurfing kite, you have multiple methods to do so.
2. Kiteboarding takes a lot of muscle-Most people don’t realize that the sport doesn’t require hardly any arm strength. A kiteboarding harness is worn around the waist or hips so the force and pull of the kite is targeting those areas instead of your arms and shoulders.
3. Kiteboarding is expensive-Actually, since the sport has been around for little bit now, there’s lots of used gear available on the market so you can save a lot of money. However, take caution that you shouldn’t purchase gear that is more than two or three years old since major safety improvements have been made in recent gears. You can also save money by purchasing a package with a kite and board together.
4. Kiteboarding is hard to learn-Believe it or not, the gear has improved so much over the last few years that the sport is easier to lean than ever before. Often times, people will be up and riding proficiently within their first few times out on the water. Some people even pop up on the board during their first lesson, especially if they have trainer kite experience.
5. You have to start with a kiteboarding trainer kite-Trainer kites are a great place to start and will allow you to learn the fundamentals of the kite flying skills necessary to kite board. They help to build muscle memory that will really benefit you when you take your first lesson. While trainer kites are extremely helpful and will likely save you money in the long run, it’s not required to have trainer kite experience.
Stay tuned for 5 more kiteboarding myths tomorrow!
We consider ourselves to be super lucky to have snagged a good amount of the first produced batch of Abec11 Centrax wheels that came out just days ago. Perfect timing too! With the Maryhill Festival of Speed just days away (June 29th-July 4th in Goldendale, Washington), they couldn’t have arrived at a better time.
We’d gotten a glimpse of the wheels at different races over the last year as prizes given away for podium spots. Last year at the Festival of Speed, we got a chance to scope out a few of the prototypes for these longboard wheels and couldn’t wait for them to hit the market. After almost a year of anticipation they’re finally here!
So far, they’re only available in the popular lime, 80a durometer right now. With a 68mm contact patch and a 77mm height, these longboard wheels use of more thane than all other wheels out there combined! Their center-set hub and uber wide contact patch make for the grippiest of all grippy, sticky wheels. That means when you’re taking a hairpin turn on a technical course at high speeds, you’ll be able to keep your traction.
There’s no doubt in my mind that these wheels will fly off our shelves, especially since we featured them in our latest newsletter. So snag a set quick at our Seattle longboard shop or on our online store, there’s no telling how long it will be before Abec11 can crank out some more!
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.
Looking for a versatile commuter? MOBO rider Nate Blackburn says the Fullbag Foboo Longboard Deck is a great campus cruiser. If you’re in the market for a board that can carve and bomb hills, than this board is for you. As much as we love decks like the Evo and Demonseed, they’re pretty heavy to carry around during the summer time as you’re hitting the roads and cruising to the beach. A nice light-weight board is where it’s at.
“It has a solid, mellow concave, a wide wheelbase, and is a really light weight board,” Blackburn says. The bottom of the deck features a sweet bamboo veneer. So you’re able to have a deck that looks as nice as bamboo, but is actually made out of maple so you can keep the stiffness you need to be able to bomb hills. It has a mild torpedo shape, similar to the original Topmount deck from Fullbag.
The Foboo is also a great board for garage and downhill riding. This deck is 38 inches long by about 10 inches wide, providing plenty of foot space. It has a top mount with wheel cut outs perfect for lower trucks.
We recommend pairing this board with a nice turn-y truck such as the Randal 180′s, Bear 852′s, or Paris 180′s.
If you want to longboard Seattle, then get your Fullbag Foboo Longboard Deck at MOBO for $149.95.
Leading kitesurfing brand Cabrinha will host the first annual Cabrinha Northwest Race Series kiteboarding competition at Jetty Island in Everett on June 26 and 27, and July 24 and 25, 2010.
Kiteboarding, the new age golf for many, is a sport similar to windsurfing. Instead of a sail, a large inflated kite towers 80 feet above a rider to power their board through water.
With a strong community of kiteboarders frequenting its local restaurants and hotels on weekends, the sport has brought new life to Everett’s waterfront. Sponsoring partners Motion Boardshop, in Lake Forest Park, and the Everett Yacht Club organized the competition to give the local scene at Jetty Island national exposure.
Jetty Island is a backyard playground for many kiteboarders in the Northwest. Dubbed the “Steady Jetty,” the area is known as one of the best locations for the sport because of its warm, shallow waters and smooth, predictable winds.
“This race is a big deal for the local kiteboarding community,” Walter Young, race director said. “It will be the first of its kind for the area.”
Spectators are encouraged to attend the event. The start time of each race will be wind dependent, beginning as early as 2 p.m., and lasting until 8 p.m. Parking is available at the 10th Street Boat Launch and Marine Park for $3. The Everett Yacht Club will provide free transportation from the boat launch to Jetty Island.
The race area will be set on the Northwest side of the island. Two classes will be held for racing; an open race board class, and a twin-tip, surfboard and skim board class. An awards ceremony will be held on July 25, the final evening of the race series.
Competitors interested in racing can enter by registering on race day, or online at http://pskite.org, in General Kiteboarding Discussion under the topic 2010 Cabrinha Northwest Race Series.
Kiters must be entered in the Season Series to be eligible for season scoring and cash prizes. Participants must pay a $60 entry fee for the Season Series or $25 per Night Drop In, in addition to a $25 jersey fee. A mandatory skippers meeting will be held at 4 p.m. each day of competition to review the race start time, race course, safety, rules and regulations. Rules of the competition will be defined as in The Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) in ISAF Appendix BB-Experimental Kiteboarding Competition Rules (available from http://www.sailing.org/28163.php).
The event is sponsored by Cabrinha, the Everett Yacht Club, Motion Boardshop, The Kiteboarder Magazine, PSKite.org, Dakine, Hyperflex Wetsuits, Transcend Apparel, the Port of Everett and the Everett Parks and Recreation Department.
For more information about the event, contact Motion Boardshop at (206) 372-5268 or Walter Young, race director, at walteryoung1@comcast.net.
Motion is a local authority on kitesurfing with a huge variety of kitesurfing kites and a renowned kiteboarding lesson program. We carry manufacturers such as Best Kiteboarding, Slingshot, Cabrinha, and Wainman Hawaii.
Here at MOBO we toss the word “great” around a lot. But the Earthwing Supermodel fits our definition of the word. It’s a great board with a great concave. Best of all—it has a great price.
“It’s a ridiculously cheap price for how nice it is,” MOBO rider Ryan Vanderveen says, “especially for being a downhill freestyle board with a ton of features.”
This twin-tip, symmetrical, drop through deck comes in two flexes: 8 and 9 ply (go for 9 ply if you want a stiffer deck). It’s also got a big grab rail, ready for locking you in.
We recommend turny trucks, like Randal 180 trucks (with a 50 degree baseplate), Bear 852 trucks, or Paris 180 longboard trucks. Vanderveen says he’d suggest a pair of Indy’s. Keep in mind that pretty much any truck on the market comes with stock bushings that are sub-par. Venoms are the way to go to dramatically improve the way your trucks feel for only $14. Not sure what durometer combo to go with? Hit us up on Live Chat and we’ll help you dial it in.
Get your Earthwing Supermodel deck at MOBO for $100. With free shipping, what more could you ask for?!
**Update-The 8 plys have sold out for the time being but we have a few more of the 9ply decks still left in stock. It’s an awesome board for a heavier rider or anyone who doesn’t like any flex in their deck.
MOBO team riders Spencer Smith and Max Wipperman placed first and second in the 16 and under group at the 2nd Annual Gold Rush Challenge 2010, a downhill longboard skateboard race in Britannia Beach, B.C., on May 29 and 30, 2010.
“It’s one of the best organized races I’ve been too,” Smith said.
The 2.2 mile downhill course featured 10,000 vertical feet with three hairpins and five hay bale corners. According to UNKLE.ca, the Gold Rush course is “building a reputation as one of the most intense and extreme longboard skateboard races in the world,” and in North America, known as one of the most aggressive.
About 120 riders competed. Reigning champ Kevin Reimer from Vancouver, B.C., took first overall. Unfortunately, a lot of riders hurt themselves during qualifying and had to drop out for the final heats. Despite the wet pavement, Gold Rush was surprisingly fun in the rain, race participant and MOBO rider Chip Wood said.
“Max was rippin’,” Smith said. “He killed it in the juniors and was keeping up with the guys in the rain.”
Smith said the pavement was a little more worn than Washington’s Mary Hill, which made sliding and drifting easier.
His setup for race day? A Rayne Longboards Killswitch, handcrafted trucks made by his father, and Abec11 ZigZags, helping him pre drift and grip corners.
“Lee put on a pretty great event,” Smith said. Smith took home a deck, an Arson sweatshirt, and his first fatty check, for $250.
Look out for upcoming races, including Mary Hill, Seattle Slope Style, and the World Cup IGSA.
MOBO Teamrider Spencer Smith took first in 16 & Under in the Gold Rush 2010 Challenge.
MOBO Teamrider Max Wipperman took second in 16 & Under.
MOBO Teamrider Liam Kearney also participated in the race.
Father’s Day is coming up this weekend, but what to get dad?? My dad is one of those guys that already has everything he could want so I always have a hard time finding a good gift for him. If your father is anything like mine, you could use a little help in the gift-giving department.
Has your dad been talking about how much he’d love to learn how to kiteboard? If he’s really serious about it, you could always purchase him a kiteboarding lesson where he can really get a feel for the sport and see if he likes it. If nothing else, it’s just a fun day on the water where we can guarantee he’ll have a great time.
Another way to introduce him to the sport is with a kitesurfing trainer kite. It’s something that we always recommend spending some time on before getting into lessons and we have a wide variety of trainer kites to choose from. But one of my favorites is the Slingshot B4 Trainer Kite. It’s more powerful than the rest making it super versatile so you can use it for snowkiting or landboarding as well. The power of a B4 is going to help give you a really good idea of what the power is like in the larger kites we use on the water.
At $319, its a great value for a kite that you can have enormous amounts of fun with.
However, if you’d rather spend a little less, we have trainer kites ranging from $119-$250 as well.
We just posted an unreal Slingshot Rev2 sale last week and some RPMs that we were dumping prices on. Well we were able to get our hands on the only remaining Slingshot Octane kites that were left in the warehouse. Once these babies are gone, that’s it folks. Til next year at least.
With the light wind season kick in, you’ll want to take advantage of these 13m Slingshot Octanes for ridiculous prices. Only 2 9m Octanes left in stock and a handful of 13s. That being said, you can score a sweet deal on pretty much any Slingshot kite we have in stock right now. Don’t forget we price match too in case you find anyone with a lower price. We won’t be undersold! : )
Keep in mind these prices are for a complete Octane with the hottest item on the market, the 2010 Comp Stick Bar from Slingshot. It’s the safest, most versatile control bar you’ll ever own. Even if you have other kite brands in your quiver, chances are you can use this bar on those kites as well. If you have any questions about the compatibility just give us a shout and we’ll let you know.
“Characteristics such as massive boost, unmatched range, light bar pressure, quick turning, kite loops without consequence, and solid surf performance are what define the design and engineering behind the 2010 Octane. It has a unique ultra compact stablilizing bridle and comes complete with the NEW Comp Stick control bar setting the performance level at the peak.”
Ahh, time for some spring cleaning. For us, that means blowing out out last years gear to make room for the latest and greatest 2010 has to offer. Right now, we’re dropping prices like hot tamales. We still have a few remaining Slingshot kites from 2009 that we need to move. So if you didn’t think you could afford new gear this year and you’d have to settle for someone else’s sloppy seconds, think again! With our latest package, we can save you over $1149 all together on a brand new kite (with new bar!) and board as well.
Need a harness too? We’ll cut you a deal and throw in either a Dakine Renegade harness or a Best Waist Harness for only $100 more, that saves you an extra $50 right there.
This particular package features the Slingshot Rev 2 from 2009. A major improvement on the original, the Rev2 is solid with unparalleled stability, relaunch and responsiveness. You can ride this kite in any condition from flat water to big waves, without having to sacrifice any performance. You also get to snag a top of the line board from Slingshot’s lineup, such as the SX, Misfit or Lunacy
This Slingshot Rev2 Kite and Board Package is an in-shop special that we’re making available for only our favorite customers. You’ll find this package online but if you really want the good pricing, you’ll have to either call, email or hit us up on our LiveChat.
**Must purchase kite with board to get the SUPER SUMMER SAVINGS!
Board (complete with straps, pads and fins)
SX (originally $599)–$400
Misfit (originally $650)–$425
Len10 (originally $750)–$500
With summer kiting season upon us, we’ve got some gear worth mentioning—Motion Tested and Approved! Here is just one of our picks for 2010. Keep your eyes peeled because we’ll be reviewing TONS of gear over the next few weeks. I love this time of year!
Mystic Star 5/3 Wetsuit
Last summer the Motion test crew gave lessons in the Mystic Star 5/3 Wetsuit everyday. Even after the repeated thrashing of lessons, these suits reigned true to their flexibility and durability. We didn’t have any of the damage that wetsuits with heavy use typically sustain such as zipper breakage, seams coming apart or blowouts in the material. If you have questions about it, please let us know so we can gloat about this suit. We like it. A lot. Best of all, they are one of our lest expensive 5mm wetsuits at only $219.95. If you’re a big fan of them as well, please leave us a mystic wetsuit review on our website so more people will know what a great suit it is.
“The Miniglider is an urban assault deck, good for city riding where you need to be nimble, agile and ready for curbs,” Blackburn says. “Its kick tail allows riders to ollie up or down curbs with ease.”
The board is a smaller deck, with wheel wells, and a short, compact wheelbase. Blackburn says the concave works well for human slalom as well, by giving you lots to dig your feet into. This deck is also excellent as a campus cruiser because it’s small enough to strap onto your backpack during class and weave through the crowds like a dream.
We’ve been selling these longboard decks like hotcakes, no joke. If you’re a taller or heavy-set person and the miniglider looks a little dainty for your size, then the superglider is your deck. Think of it as the beefed up version of the Earthwing Miniglider 33. Looking for a good setup? Look no further than randal R11 180s on 50 degree baseplates with 66mm Retro Zigzags and Bones Reds bearings for a combo you can’t go wrong with.
Friday afternoon the highly anticipated shipment of Cabrinha paddleboards arrived and practically stopped traffic in it’s wake. The freight truck had to shut down traffic in the far right lane in order to unload the 10 stand up paddleboards into our shop. Pete Cabrinha is a legend in the big wave surfing world with the likes of Laird Hamilton and he brings his expertise to the paddleboard industry now.
We’ll have some of these decks available for demo and rental. For a Seattle paddleboard rental the costs are….
$25-4 hour rental with paddle
$50 for a full 24 hour period with paddle.
Cabrinha makes three different SUPs ranging from 9’8″ to 11’6″ but we’re fully stocked on the 11’6″s which will be perfect for people just getting started in the sport. It will provide a nice wide platform making balancing a breeze. This board is specifically designed for the flat-water touring that Lake Washington is suited for. However, you can totally take it into small waves and have a blast. Because this board is nice and stable, it’s great for touring long distances where you want to bring along a small cooler or any gear. If you’re looking for something to get you over to Jetty Island and cross the channel safely with all your kiting equipment on board, this would be a winner.
With the mast track, you can even attach a windsurfing mast base when the wind picks up a bit. You can also use that track as a carrier. For a more detailed look at these stand up paddle boards, check out Cabrinha’s new surf website.
At $1279 for the Cabrinha 11’6″ Touring paddleboard, they’re also a great value.
Holesom Longboards is a new, green-friendly company based in Laguna Beach, California. The company uses fresh bamboo, hemp and 8 holes along each side. Holesome joined up with legendary custom longboard shaper, “Longboard Larry” to perfect the shape and construction. The idea for the Street Sweeper longboard deck was inspired by everyone’s favorite youtube classic, the Whirling Dervish, with Adam Colton.
It took about 15 months of going through 16 different prototypes and playing around with various hole placements before they finally agreed on the final product. Wonder what the holes are for? They decrease weight, add extra grip for your feet, lock in your feet during standies, and make for a snappy rebound.
Nate says the board rides similar to a Dervish but is able to carve more. Top mounting gives more vertical leverage to your wheels during turns, increasing grip, and really powering you out of the turn with its balanced flex pattern—which means the board doesn’t want to slide as much.
“It’s a super nice, versatile board,” Blackburn says. “ Multiple wheel base options also makes it easy to customize.”
“Sector 9 Slide Gloves are badass,” Motion Boardshop’s Nate Blackburn says. “And since they are black, they go faster.”(kidding of course!) If you already have a longboard deck, getting slide gloves is the next logical step, especially if you’re homemade ones aren’t holding up.
Blackburn says the Kevlar reinforced fingertips make the gloves great for dragging fingers right across the pavement. The Landyachtz gloves are great too but boarders who are using gloves for the first time tend to drag their fingertips instead of curling them back and end up wearing a hole in the tips super quick. A softer wrist strap makes the gloves feel more natural and flexible, in addition to being lightweight and breathable. These are comfy gloves with big removable pucks for a great value….only $39.95!
Glove features:
Delrin Pucks for smooth slide and speed control
Neoprene comfort knuckle panel and cuff
Reflective print on top panels
3mm Anti-vibration foam under palm puck Velcro
Sonic weld patch and strap detailing
Extra strength twin needle at stress areas and palm Velcro
Thirty riders packed the house at Motion Boardshop for the Shoreline Outlaw at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 22. Luckily the sun was out all day for some Downhill and Old School races.
The race was held locally in Shoreline on Andrews, Sherrill and Ya Gotta Listen Hills. After warming up with two practice runs, riders took to the streets for seven heats of downhill pavement. Each heat featured four riders, with six riders in the final two heats.
The final heat standings:
Max Wipperman
Trevor Preston
Gabe Trainer
Nate Blackburn/Ryan Heffrenan, Kaleb Haddish
First place rider Max Wipperman walked away with a brand new Comet VooDoo Doll longboard deck. Other prizes included a set of Lime 70 mm wheels, and set of bushings. Prizes were hooked up by Motion Boardshop
We’re super excited about introducing a few new products to our shop. The way I see it, both of these products from Advanced Elements are the answers to some of our customers problems.
#1. The Friday Harbor Adventure Kayak-This solves our local kiteboarding conundrum of “How to get to Jetty Island?” After people go through our All-in-One Kiteboarding lesson, the next step is for them to get geared up and go out there on their own. The Everett Parks Department offers a free ferry to get people over to Jetty Island which is an awesome option for people. However, the ferry stops bringing people back to the mainland around 6pm, and us kiteboarders like to take advantage of that late afternoon wind that can linger on until 7 or 7:30. So to provide an alternate transportation option, we now carry this inflatable kayak that’s big enough to carry your quiver over to the island. Best of all, it packs down nice and small so you can keep it in the trunk of your car. Plus, it retails for only $149.95, making it a no-brainer!
inflatable kayak
#2. The Hulu 11 Inflatable SUP- Let’s face it, not everyone has a car big enough to haul around a big ol stand up paddleboard everywhere. Or, maybe you don’t have the room in your studio apartment to store it safely when you’re not using it. Then there’s always the issue of using an SUP in a rocky area (like those guys who are paddling down white white rapids, or even just on a flat but craggy riverbed) and potentially damaging your fiberglass SUP. The Hulu 11 is an 11ft stand up paddleboard that you can inflate with a double action hand pump. It packs down into a bag that’s about 1′x2′x3′, only slightly bigger than a kite bag. And for the record, you could use one of these to get you and your kite gear over to Jetty Island as well. Traveling with an SUP has also been a major battle, but you can easily check this SUP as baggage to take with you on your next coastal vacation.
We do, everyday! Here’s one of our most recent videos featuring two of our local teamriders, Erik “EK” Kristjannson and Jordan “Uberbombs” Lemmel, shredding it up. Erik is riding one of the Black Dog Longboards. These are two super talented riders that represent our shop well and we’re stoked to have had them on our team for the last year. Even the best riders take some spills though. Watch through all the way til the end where one of them hits a man-hole cover going about 40-45mph. It ain’t pretty!
On another note, we’re fully stocked on Black Dogs and lots of other longboard skateboard decks. Tis the season to be skating! The sun is out and the pavement is dry. Huzzah!
Thanks for being so patient! We’ve been working hard with long hours at home to keep pumping out the videos. It’s not uncommon for Jason to stay up until 2 in the morning working on the latest vid. We have so many manufacturers these days knocking on our door to make a video showcasing their products. Can’t complain though, it’s actually a lot of fun.
Black Dog Longboards is our newest brand and happens to be a Motion Exclusive product. You can’t find them anywhere else.
Some of the names have been updated so the lineup now is the Chica Esquela (with or without wheel cutouts), El Pescador and the Pussy Gato. Duane (Black Dog shaper) has also perfected the big boy model that we call the El Gordo. It’s basically a 12ply tank that’s perfect for the guys over 220lb. It’s been put to test by getting abused by our biggest riders and it passed with flying colors!
The Pussy Gato deck has been a unanimous favorite longboard deck out of the lineup and best of all, they dropped their price to only $120 with grip!
Woop woop! Yeah that’s right. Bear Grizzlies are in the HOUSE! We got a huge shipment from Landyachtz and unpacked a case of their improved 2010 Bear 852 Longboard Trucks. Our teamrider Trevor said it best: “Landyachtz is one of the few companies that’s always moving in the right direction with their products. They listen to what people say and make the improvements.” Amen. These trucks are super sexy too, even the new baseplates look like the hourglass shape of a woman’s body.
According to Landyachtz, “The new geometry and bushing seats will give you the best combination of lean, rebound, and response possible. All the goods of the 2009′s are still here, including the sweet-spot 181mm axle width, flipable hanger for cruising and bombing options, and a baseplate shape/hole pattern to mount to just about any board out there today including drop-through’s.”
Skate[Slate] did a comprehensive report on the trucks (here) and found that they are….
-10 grams lighter than before
-twice as strong (less chance of bending your axles)
-wider bushing seat to accommodate any bushings
-thicker pivot cup wall
-graphite impregnated pivot cup
-oval shaped bushing seats for better turning and less restriction
The best part is that they’re still only $47 for a set of these longboard skateboard trucks.
At Motion Boardshop, we’re on a constant mission to find the best products available. We look for longboard gear with amazing performance, long-lasting durability, a great warranty, and an affordable price. Our latest and greatest find are Surf-Rodz trucks and we’re super stoked to carry them in our shop. They’re one of the few companies out there using an eco-friendly manufacturing process to create technically advanced and innovative products.
I was surprised to find out that they also make highly technical parabolic snowboards designed specifically for serious carving. Not only that, but they also produce classic 9′ and 10′ longboard surfboards. Most of you probably know Surf-Rodz by their axle extension products which will transform your average randal longboarding trucks into wide, stable, downhill machines. You can also convert that dusty pair of slalom trucks into something more useful now too.
Surf-Rodz are precision, CNC’d trucks made in the US of A. With 6 different colors, various finishes, 8mm or 10mm axles, and 3 different baseplate degrees, the combinations are endless!
Here’s what Surf-Rodz and Motion Teamrider Trevor Preston had to say about their trucks:
“Surf-Rodz are cranking out of Seymore, Connecticut and model themselves on their motto, “performance, adjustability, and availability”. When I got a hold of their product, they did just that. The performance was fantastic. Created by some of the greatest engineers and machinists in the country, with a mind set on skateboarding and skills worthy of Dragster racing parts (which they do), they have created one of the highest performing trucks on the market. They are one of the first companies to create a precision truck that has racing in mind but is actually designed for carving, freeriding, and aggressive skating. With this all-around skating mentality, Surf-Rodz has created a truck that is not only stable, high traction, smooth and predictable, but FUN. They have the turning radius of your favorite carving trucks, and the stability of your favorite downhill trucks. With bushings seats that are set deep within the hanger you get unparalleled rebound out of your bushings, making high speed cornering feel extremely comfortable. The axles of the trucks are incredibly true and the pivot cups are 100% slop free, leaving no room for error and giving the rider’s wheel full contact on the pavement which results in superior traction. Whether you’re a downhiller or a soul-carver, these trucks are you!”
If not, you’re missing out! Our Youtube Channel has 35 videos and just under 175,000 views so far and that number is growing every day. We try to offer a mix of all things related to longboard skateboard. You’ll find instructional videos to learn more about precision trucks, bushings, wheels and decks. There’s also videos dedicated to specific products like the Rayne Demonseed and the Eastside Rocky Bomber in case you’re thinking about buying one and want to learn more about it. And then of course you’ll find lots of action-packed videos of our teamriders bombing local suburban hills at 50mph, freerides and events at the famous Maryhill, and our team cruising down Alpental’s mountain roads. So there’s obviously something for everyone. We encourage comments and try to get back to everyone who leaves specific questions.
Subscribe to our channel and you’ll be the first to know when our latest longboard videos drop!
Here’s our video documenting last month’s Maryhill Freeride:
We are so super crazy stoked to finally reveal the latest MOBO Exclusive! Drum roll please…… Black Dog Longboards! These decks are made by Seattle shaper Duane Boschee who loves surfing and skiing along with his passion for longboarding. He’s been handcrafting and pressing these boards for a little over a year now, using his background in surfboard shaping to good use. Duane has worked closely with our teamriders to tweak and perfect his designs.
Not only are these boards practically a work of art but each deck is absolutely one-of-a kind. Everyone is really stoked on the topmounted Swallow Tail Longboard but my personal favorite is the Chica Esquela (School Girl) which is a comfy cruiser with a nice drop to it. I think it’s the perfect longboard skateboard for anyone getting into the sport that just wants to roll ride around without getting too extreme.
Oh and did I mention they’re only $130 for the deck AND they come with Gnar Grip. Hmmm, sounds like a no brainer to me! If you’re local, come by the shop and demo some out firsthand.
We’re working on finalizing the editing of our Black Dog Longboards Video so you can expect to see that soon.
The new Rayne Isis longboard is quickly becoming a Motion favorite here in the shop. Why? Here’s some of the features on the Isis:
Slim-cave (a downhill concave specifically developed for smaller feet), a 1/2″ dropped riding platform, it’s topmounted like the avenger for tons of traction, and it has a “flat top pleasure dome” which is specifically dialed in for stand-up slides and cornering high speed turns.
With such features, the Isis longboard is a perfect board for just about anything. Being a Rayne longboard, it obviously features that famous Rayne construction of a bamboo core and fiberglass sandwiched on top and bottom, giving it that perfectly stiff ride, and an incredibly durable board.For those riders who are looking for one board that does it all, this board will surely make a good addition to the quiver.
I’m sure you have all heard about the Killswitch by now, nut if you haven’t, it is time to hop on to the downhill board of the future. The Rayne Killswitch Longboard is the brainchild of Rayne team rider, Kevin Reimer. As Kevin says, the Killswitch longboard is designed to work around the way a human goes downhill skateboarding. Kevin has taken the time to think about every movement that happens while you are downhill or freeriding longboarding, and put a feature to make that movement easier and more comfortable while riding this board, giving the rider that “locked in” feeling at all times. Some of the features include:
1: 3/8″ Radial Drop Platform: subtle drops in the front and rear so as to cradle the life that it is stealing you from regular monotonous board design.
2: K-Rimes’ own Pleasure Dome concave with a subtle feel that is enough to lock you in, but not enough to become bothers ome on long bombs or pushes. The W concave also allows for butter toe-side pre-drifts and heel-side stand up checks by keeping your rear foot in place.
1+2 = 3: Where the small drop morphs into the flat-topped Pleasure Dome concave, you place your foot in that “special spot” where the two lovers meet. You will find your foot and toes are dropped into an aggressive forward facing stance that is similar to that of a runner on a starting block. This allows for pushing bad’assery and major comfort when you’re out on the track.
4: Three-dimensional wood bending was used in this deck to give a full, cupped feeling for the front and rear toes. This allows the body to lean far away from the board while still maintaining full contact of the front foot. The rear foot will find a pocket specially designed for those who tuck, and tuck fast.5: The “Drop-Lock”. When you stand on this s deck your front foot will naturally position itself into the “Drop-Lock” where the toes sit beside the drop rather than behind it. This makes for a complete and total lock of the front foot for toe-side drifts.
Along with those futuristic features listed above, the board features a 38-inch deck, with 10 inches of width at its widest points, and alternate wheelbases of 31 and 32 inches. With its functional nose and tail, the board truly maximizes the amount of deck space that useable for you feet while you are bombing your favorite hill or cruising to the grocery store. Not to mention the construction, with a solid bamboo core, and fiberglass sandwiched on top and bottom, this board is one solid downhill and freeride machine! All in all, the Rayne Killswitch is one board that you have to see to appreciate the truly genius design.
Earthwing Skateboards finally released the new, highly sought after, batch of the Supermodel Longboard Deck. It’s still available in an 8ply and 9ply version, depending on if you want a soft, flexy ride or a stiffer deck. Of course, your weight and riding style will determine which ply will suit you best. As you can obviously tell, this latest batch is much lighter in color but still has the same routered channels for torsional flex, drop through cutouts, deep concave and wheelwells. In the picture below you can see there’s a faint brown outline around the channels and wheelwells. The decks come with either brown, red, green, blue, or purple. We only have a few Supermodel decks left at this point and Earthwing themselves are already sold out so we won’t be far behind! We found they ride especially nice with the new Venom SHR bushings.
Sorry for the long blog title! I’ll have to figure out how to shorten that up a little bit for the future. We’ve been cranking out more episodes of our 60 Seconds of Tech Series. This one features the Rayne Demonseed Longboard. Nate talks about it’s specs and how to optimize this speedboard as a downhill longboard, especially if you’re a heavier rider that can take advantage of the premium footspace on this deck. At 44″ long with a 1″ drop, this board is as stable as it gets for bombing hills. Here’s some of the components we recommend but obviously you may way to customize it to better fit your size and riding style.
I know, I know. We just had a Rocky Bomber Longboard video just a few posts ago. BUT, that was the one made by Eastside Longboards, the manufacturer. That one’s a lot more fun to watch since it’s action packed with Eastside’s team riders. This one’s a little different since it’s a video that we produced ourselves. It’s actually the first of many videos we’ll be pumping out as new products hit the market. For all of you longboarders out there without a skateshop nearby where you can touch and feel things firsthand, this is for you. We want you to feel like you’re right in the shop with us and you can see the concave, rocker, drop etc. instead of just looking at a picture of the deck’s graphic.
We’ll try to offer some insight for you on how to complete the deck for different riding disciplines. For the newly redesigned Eastside Rocky Bomber Longboard, we recommend:
Randal RII 180mm Trucks (42* or 50* depending on if you’re using this super versatile deck for downhill or freeriding)
Let us know what you think about the video. We’re totally open to suggestions on what we can do better. These videos are to help you out afterall, not us. Check it out on youtube, give it a quick rating and leave us a comment. We do our best to respond to all of them.
Ahhhh, springtime! That means the arrival of all the hottest new gear for 2010. The Best Kahoona V2 was one of our favorite kites in 2009 and they’ve managed to improve on it for ‘10. This is one of those rare kites that appeals to riders of all skill levels.
Beginners will love it for it’s super easy auto-relaunch, beefed up construction, and stable progression platform. Wave hounds will love its downwind drift, improved unhooked handling, and auto-relaunch. Free-style riders will go crazy over it’s low-end power, unbelievable hangtime, improved high wind handling and stablity.
One huge selling point for the Kahoona V2 though is it’s PRICE! For a new kite, it blows other kites out of the water at under $1000.
We’re also completely stocked up on Best Trainer kites, which we love because they’re a high-aspect, fast-turning, durable trainer kite that comes with it’s own instructional DVD for $199.00
The first of many Best Surfboards just arrived too. In this photo you’ll see the white, Best 5′6″ ShortStick. Designed to be ridden strapless, this swallowtail board excels in mushy waves, choppy conditions or light wind. We have a demo of the 5’11″ Spacekraft surfboard here at the shop if you want to try one out for yourself.
Here’s the latest video featuring Eastside Longboard’s release of the redesigned Rocky Bomber. This symmetrical downhill/freeride board is only $104.95 which makes it one of the most affordable decks in our shop. I thought some video eye candy would be a good way to end the week.
One of our bestsellers, the Dakine Kite Compression Bag, has been sold out for months now. And unfortunately, it was during the busy winter travel season that this occured. Even we couldn’t get a few bags for ourselves when we flew to La Ventana in January. I’ve blogged about these bags before. Basically, the biggest benefit is that you don’t have to take your heavy stock kite bag with you. That way, you can keep your stock bag nice and clean looking to keep your resale value high. Also, since it’s nice and light, you can cram more into your golf bag without going over the 50lb weight limit. On our last trip, we were stuck with 4 golf bags which could have easily been negated if we had compression bags to allow us to fit 4 kites in each golf bag.
Mark your calendars! Saturday the 20th, the newest Orangefiist film release, “Drop: My Life Downhill” will be premiering at South Puget Sound Community College at 8pm. We’re helping sponsor the event along with Orangatang and a few others. Come check it out, it’s only $10!
Thanks to Brandon Montesano for putting this all together for the crew.
We just received our box of ‘zines from SBC Kiteboard Magazine. They feature the 2010 Kite Showdown and Slingshot cleaned house, just as we predicted. Here’s what they had to say about the new Comp Stick Bar:
“Slingshot also receives top marks for the beefy and easy rotating, front line swivel, which keeps the lines untwisted and also houses the mini fifth line leash system which connects below the bar and ensures 100 percent depower… Overall, the Comp Stick represents a solidly designed and streamlined set-up that rivals the best on the market for safety and simplicity.”
“Intermediate riders that value versatility over top-end performance in a specific discipline will gravitate towards the Octane. It has enough performance to carry a rider from the early stages to advanced levels. It’s versatile character will encourage intermediates to push the limits and experience new levels, styles and disciplines of riding”
The 2010 RPM really takes the cake though with this bold statement:
“The new 2010 Slingshot RPM is the most tunable kite in the SBC Kiteboard 2010 tests.”
“The RPM has tremendous amounts of pop and great pull unhooked, giving good drift and loft with smooth landings on unhooked jumps. It could also easily compete against the full-on wakestyle realm with its smooth unhooked pull and good amounts of control. It has enough depower and good quick steering to make it a versatile travel companion in your quiver.”
If you’re local, stop by the shop and we’ll give you a free issue of the magazine! Mention that you read the blog and we might even hook you up with a t-shirt too. : ) The PSKite Spring Fling party is going on tonight at the Pyramid Brewery across the street from Safeco field. We’ll be giving out lots of swag and hope to see lots of familiar faces, and new ones too!
I love springtime! Not only is the pavement drying out enough that we can start to skate around here, but all the longboard companies are releasing their hot new products.
Earthwing (one of our favorite longboard makers out of Brooklyn NY) has been tweaking their manufacturing process to lower costs and make their products more affordable. As of now, they are the only brand we carry that offers a drop-through deck for $100! It’s the new Earthwing Supermodel deck that comes in two versions, 8-ply and 9ply Supermodels. It offers a deep elliptical concave, routered channels on the bottom for a little torsional flex (though still super stiff) and even weight distribution. The channels are also perfect for grabbing rail. I still can’t get over the price though!
After much anticipation and a looong wait, we finally received our first shipment of Fullbag’s latest deck the Elise. It’s Fullbag teamrider Patrick Switzer’s pro model deck. We also received a couple more of The Topmount decks and Speedstylers should be the next to arrive. The Elise P-Swiss Model deck is the longboard that helped Patrick Switzer to his first place finish at Maryhill in 2009.
These decks won’t be in stock long so get one before they’re gone!
The board is made of 2 lb extruded EPS foam core with resin research clear high grade epoxy resin and 8 oz hexcell fiberglass all around giving that traditional custom surfboard look. The biggest difference is in the weight , or the lack of it. Being markedly lighter than traditional surfboards but paradoxically much more durable.
The board is in great shape. It has one very minor ding on the tail end, some light cosmetic scratches on the rail, other that that the board is in awesome shape. We brought this board at the end of the summer for our rental fleet needless to say it only got used for the tail end of the season. As you can see by the pics it’s clean and in great shape.
It’s well worth 900.00 but will take 799.00 for it. We’ll throw in an over the shoulder carrier for it as well.
We’ve just released our latest informational longboarding video. We made a deck video about 6 months ago but there’s so many new brands and decks that have recently hit the market, not to mention the new technology they’re using now, that it was necessary to put out something more up to date. In this latest vid, MOBO teamrider Trevor Preston goes over some of the new brands that we’ve started carrying like Insect and Subsonic and also talks about the characteristics of the latest decks like the Comet FSM Mini. It’s about 10 minutes long so prepare to get schooled!
NEW PROMOTION: Buy a complete and get a free venom bushing upgrade, your choice!
We just brought in a big box of compression kite bags from Dakine and it’s a product we’re really excited about for 2 reason. They’re cheap and they’re functional! Compression bags are made out of a super lightweight nylon material so you can get rid of your heavy stock bag that came with the kite. When you’re traveling with a golf bag, space and weight are the two big concerns.
These bags cinch down really tight around the kite so you can fit more kites into your bag, and you save a ton of weight you didn’t realize the stock bags had. So, you don’t have to worry about tipping the scales at the airport check in station.
Or, you can use the cheap black compression bags to replace your stock bags so that you can keep the stock bags looking clean and new. That way when you go to resell your used kite, it will look a lot fresher than some dirty, torn up bag. We’ve found you can fit at least two compressed kite bags into one stock bag so you can easily throw more kites on your back when walking to the beach.
We just got in a shipment of accessories from Hyperflex wetsuits. We recently acquired them as a brand and we couldn’t be more amped about the quality and price of their products. The Playa Jacket is one of our favorite, must-have items for winter kiting. You’ll see pictures of Dmitry Marimendes wearing one in most of the Hyperflex advertisements lately. It’s super warm, stylish, well-made and low-priced.
We brought in some of their 3mm Mesh Skin Gloves which are only $19.99. We were really impressed upon trying them on. For under $20, they are comparable to gloves we’ve seen that cost 20 or 30 dollars more! They’re really warm, flexible, have pre-curved fingers and won’t cut your circulation off. We’ve tried gloves with dry seals on the wrist but they end up being so tight that not only do they keep water out, they keep your blood from flowing to your fingers too!
The Cyclone 5/3 Split Toe Boot is going to be our choice bootie for the fall/winter kiting season. It’s on sale from $47.99 down to $39.99. The lower strap is a great feature and it has an external split toe with a connection piece to keep any lines from getting snagged around your big toe. They’re sized more true to our standards too since they’re an American company. The 5/3mm thickness will keep your feet plenty toasty, even in 45 degree waters.
After a successful teaching and demo season over the summer, it’s time for us to drop pricing on all of our personal kites to get them out of the shop and make room for exciting new 2010 gear like the Best Nemesis NXG and the Slingshot Octanes.
Most of the used kites we have at the moment are Slingshots, like the REV2s, RPMs and even some ’09 Fuels. However, we have an 09 Waroo and a few Kahoona’s left that are aggressively priced and won’t last long! Here’s a quick breakdown of what we have, all are priced as kite only unless stated otherwise.
