the skater's edge
14
safekeeping
The other day I was skating a local ramp"
with a couple bros when one of them men-
tioned the location of a secret pool across
town. It was quickly determined who had
the largest vehicle, that ran the strongest,
and could transport the 10 or so skaters to
the spot. After I called for the shotgun po-
sition and after arguing about who would
actually get it, I found myself in the front
seat of a badly abused skate vehicle serv-
ing as directions chief. Two minutes into the
trip I became dizzy-headed from a foul
smell and quickly ordered everyone to
check the bottom of their shoes for any
foreign dog substances. The general con-
sensus was that no one had stepped on
anything but that it was one guy's knee-
pads that were the cause for alarm. The car
stopped, he put the pads in the trunk, got
back in and we continued on our way. The
bulk of the odor was reduced, but a general
haze still hung inside of the car.
This isn't really anything new for skate-
boarding, the knee stench problem, but
most skaters don't take it as seriously as
they should. If something smells, it is usual
by dirty and along with this dirt comes heavy
bacteria growth that can attack your skin
and cause serious and often painful prob-
lems, perhaps causing you to lose a few
friends and miss out on some skate ses-
sions. There are some obvious ways to
keep all your gear in shape, like washing it
regularly and doing minor repairs, but there
are also a few tips and suggestions that
can help your equipment last longer, pro-
tect your body better, and lastly, save you
some bucks in the end. Let's start from the
bottom and cover each piece of gear sep-
arately.
Shoes. Your feet probably take the most
abuse of any part of your body, so you'll
want to keep your shoes in good shape. I'm
sure most of you know that one little bruise
or strain on this part of your body can put
you out for quite a while. My grandma al-
ways told me that if your feet are uncom-
fortable your whole body is uncomfortable.
And after finding this to be true too many
times, I started taking care of my shoes. I
realize cash can be sparse sometimes, but
try not to wear shoes beyond a reasonable
life span. Replace your laces when they
break and keep a few extra on hand. Big
beefy leather hiking laces work great and
last longer than standard types. Keep an
eye on your soles and watch for thin spots
to avoid any bad ball or heel bruises. When
your soles get real thin but you can't afford
new shoes, buy a pair of tough insoles to
protect the bottoms of your feet. You can
wash your shoes occasionally, but this will
wear down the material off the uppers and
you will lose a bit of support. If your shoes
stink, chances are there is a fungus grow-
ing in them and mere washing won't get rid | torn shorts do a poor job of protecting your
of it. Buy some spray that is designed to rid hips and butt, so I suggest you do a bit of
this monster from your shoes before it real-stitch and sewing. Wash your shorts and
ly destroys your feet. The real question is hip pads regularly as they collect sweat and
how to get a little more life out of your shoe dirt also, and repair rips as quickly as possi-
and this can be accomplished in a number ble. Although I haven't seen it recently,
of ways. Shoe-goo in a tube is helpful in skaters used to sew thin leather patches on
keeping stitching in place, reducing sole the butt,and hips of the shorts to reduce
wear, and keeping the toe area together. holes and road rash. Try it, it always used to
For those who suffer from extreme toe work
wear or lace breakage, you can lace in a
piece of thick leather that will flap over your
toe and also protect the bottom few laces.
You can also use a curved piece of plastic,
like a section of large diameter pvc pipe,
and attach it to your shoes with a velcro
loop threaded through the laces. Most of
all, listen to your feet and how they feel and
this should clue you to when you should
spring for a new pair of shoes.
Kneepads/Elbowpads. Next item up
from the bottom are your kneepads which
are responsible for the foulest smell in
skateboarding, maybe the whole world,
commonly referred to as "Rector Breath."
Your kneepads, as well as your elbowpads,
soak up a lot of sweat, which collects dirt,
causing bacteria to grow, which will pro-
duce odors beyond your wildest dreams.
Simply wash your pads on a regular basis
and do yourself and anyone else within a
10-foot radius a favor. On a more serious
side, washing your pads will avoid any skin
rashes and infections from the bacteria that
collects. Check for any holes or stitching
breakdown and either re-sew or arm your
self with a roll of silver duct tape and have
at it. Keep an eye on the plastic cap and re-
place it when needed or, better yet, start off
with a new replacement cap when you orig-
inally purchase the pads. Good, solid re-
pairs can be made with a needle and sturdy
thread so don't hesitate to do some stitch-
ing. A high wear area for kneepads is right
below the plasticc cap and this can be pro-
tected again with a thick piece of leather
glued on with some Shoe-goo. A lot of skat-
ers are also gluing on an old plastic cap in
an overlapping position below the present
cap to protect better and allow for smoother
kneeslides. The main rule to remember
with your pads is to wash them on a regular
basis and let them air out between skate
sessions.
Skate Shorts. Torn skate shorts are sort
of a trademark among skateboarders, but
aRDa
。
D
0-Sone Surf & Skate
2905 Newport Blvd. Dept. TH
Newport Beach, CA 92663
Wrist Guards. High quality wrist guards
have replaceable plastic palm splints which
should be available at the original place of
purchase. Much of the support from the
wrist brace comes from this palm piece and
it should be replaced if it's cracked or worn.
Foul smells also originate from the wrist
brace so you'll want to keep them clean by
either hand or machine washing. Pick all
the lint and fuzz out of the velcro so it will
grab and fix the straps with silver duct tape
and stitching. Shoe-goo can be applied in
high wear areas to extend the life of the
brace.
Gloves. Gloves will usually wear out in
the fingers and palm areas causing danger-
ous holes and flaps that can catch on nose
guard or truck mounting bolts. Keep them
catch free with silver tape or, better yet,
glop them with Shoe-goo when they are
brand new for extra wear. You can't really
wash leather gloves, but you should let
them dry out after each session.
Helmet. Helmets can become uncom-
fortable due to neglect. Helmet pads satu-
rated with dirt and sweat can cause itching
and scalp problems, so hand-wash the
pads and let them air dry after each ses-
sion. Also wipe out the inside shell of the
helmet and clean the strap as these will
also collect dirt and scum. Most importantly
keep your strap in shape and repair it im-
mediately if it fails.
Overall, safety equipment is expensive,
yet an extremely important part of skate-
boarding. Taking care of your pads, by
washing them and making simple repairs,
will extend their life and save you money in
the long run. Check out photos in THRASH-
ER of the skaters who have added plastic
or leather pieces to their pads and think of
ways you can do the same to all your gear.
A tube of Shoe-goo, scrap leather or plas-
tic, and a little imagination are all you need.
Take care and skate safe.
-Bob Denike
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15