Tag: Skateboard

Stair Descender

Stair-RoverWe’ve seen many a stair climber but the Stair-Rover is a skateboard that can apparently do its things on stairs, while tackling just about any terrain the urban jungle can throw at it. The London-based creators are now looking to Kickstarter to get this thing rolling.

The Stair-Rover can handle flat even surfaces like a traditional longboard, but the unique chassis features a V-frame design that allows wheels to bounce up and down independently and conform to the shape of stairs and steps. This provides a crab-like scuttle that gives a smooth ride on any surface. Video after the jump

Happy Go Skateboarding Day

Go-SkateboardingEven if you’re at work or school today there is still time to hit the board. Today is Go Skateboarding Day. This is the day when skateboarders from around the globe celebrate the pure exhilaration, creativity, and spirit of one of the most infuential activities in the world by blowing off all other obligations to go skateboarding!

Go Skateboarding Day Official Website

Hawkman Deck Goes to the Smithsonian

Tony-HawkArt is something that remains subjective, but the Smithsonian Institution isn’t just about fine art – it also is a chronicle of the influence left by pop culture. To this end it is fitting that skateboard legend Tony Hawk will be donating his first skateboard to the Smithsonian this Saturday.

Tony Hawk Instagram Site

The Wheel Reinvented

Shark-WheelPeople often say they’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, but that is pretty much what the folks at Shark Wheel are looking to do. This “square” skateboarding wheel is designed to shred as much as it rolls. It allows riders to handle wet surfaces better and even allow for riding through gravel or other rough conditions.

The wheels are designed around a shape that fits inside a cube, and while not technically a square it isn’t quite round either. This helical shape is further enhanced by the fact that the wheel is made up of three strips, which means there are less friction points on the ground. This in turn allows the wheel to roll faster than a traditional wheel while providing that better handling.

The creators of the Shark Wheels are now looking to get things Kickstarter and hope to roll out later this year. Video after the jump

Made in America: Easy Riding

Funk-ChubbyMastering a skateboard is something you can do when you are young (we won’t say and stupid) and your bones heal faster. As you age and become wiser you may still want to skate, and perhaps that is where the Brooklyn-made Funk Chubby will provide that easier ride. It isn’t exactly a long board, and isn’t exactly ideal for hitting the half-pipe, but for those who want to experience the thrill of cruising on the pavement the Funk Chubby can take you there.

Moreover the Funk Chubby is a board that could be truly called “sustainable” as its makers use solid wood salvaged from local furniture companies. It is an old school board made of solid wood from scarp and it is made in Brooklyn, so we know it has attitude to match your skating style.

Funk Chubby Official Website

Rolling and Stroller’ing

Longboard-StrollerWhat is a former skater to do when the stork brings a new bundle of joy? One option is to put a helmet on the young one and turn that longboard into a stroller. That’s the idea that Longboard Strollers seemed to have. While we’re not sure of the safety issues – and don’t recommend you try this in a half pipe, perhaps for those casual (and we do mean casual) rides on smooth pavement it could help the baby get used to life on board. Video after the jump

Wolf Pack Boards

Raised-by-WolvesWhether you’re part of a pack or see yourself more of a lone wolf, the Jungle Book inspired skateboard decks from Raised by Wolves will show off your sense of style – and suggest a bit of culture as well. These feature a number of characters from the famous novel including Bagheera, Khan, Kaa and Baloo. These might have you skating to the call of the wild.

Raised by Wolves Jungle Book Skateboards

By Land or Sea

WaveSkateWe all know the story of Paul Revere but what would the patriot have done if the British had the Waveskate? This is a hybrid surfboard/skateboard that works on both the waves and the pavement. Developed in San Diego – where there is the right weather for skating and surfing – the board can quickly transform from road ready deck to water worthy board.

Waveskate inventor and former pro skater Yancey Meyer is now taking his concept to Kickstarter to raise funding to make it a reality. Video after the jump

Weekend Reading List (05.18.2013): Home Fitness, Training Surfaces, Board Ban

Home Fitness

JF-Kit-House

From Giz Mag: JF-Kit House makes you pedal for your breakfast
The JF-Kit House, by Spanish-based Elii Architecture, is an off-grid home concept which envisions occupants using exercise to offset their energy needs. To its credit, Elii Architecture makes it clear right off the bat that the JF-Kit House isn’t intended to be considered as suitable for human habitation yet. Rather, the architects did some brainstorming and imagined how our homes may evolve in a future of rapidly decreasing fossil-fuel resources. This was then used this as a jumping-off point to let imaginations run wild. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (05.18.2013): Home Fitness, Training Surfaces, Board Ban

Weekend Reading List (05.11.2013): Bike Way, Caffeine Fix, California Dreaming, Push It Board

Bike Way

Bicycle-Superhighway

From Motherboard: In 1897, a Bicycle Superhighway Was the Future of California Transit
In 1897, a wealthy American businessman named Horace Dobbins began construction on a private, for-profit bicycle superhighway that would stretch from Pasadena to downtown Los Angeles. It may seem like a preposterous notion now—everyone knows Angelenos don’t get out of their cars—but at the time, amidst the height of a pre-automobile worldwide cycling boom, the idea attracted the attention of some hugely powerful players. And it almost got built. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (05.11.2013): Bike Way, Caffeine Fix, California Dreaming, Push It Board

Hemp Cover

RamshackelAustralian skateboard maker has introduced a new type of grip tape alternative for its boards. Instead of the traditional tape, the company is utilizing hemp. The FGT Series woven hemp requires a special application process and takes at least two days to get it done, but it could be the last grip material you’ll ever need to apply. The results aren’t pretty – in our opinion – but it looks like it will do the trick and then some.

Ramschackel Official Website

Body Board

Body-GloveWhile we don’t really think it was made in Mars as the company proclaims that would be the ultimate in out sourcing. However, Body Glove International has signed a deal with Made in Mars to produce a line of performance orientated skateboards, longboards and cruiser boards that will arrive in shops this summer. The Body Glove skateboards are designed for cross discipline training for board sport athletes and do promise to be out of this world.

 Body Glove Official Website
Made in Mars

Made in America: Reclaimed District

Los Angeles skateboard maker District Skates has seen the skateboarding mature but it continues to do things it owns way. This privately owned company has looked to carve out a niche for itself using eco-friendly materials that include reclaimed wood and taking the custom approach with each order. The company does all the planning, laminating, gluing and pressing for each board in downtown Los Angles. But the skating is left to the rider.

District Skateboards Official Website