THE
SKATER'S EDGE
with Bob Denike
GETTING THERE
Basically there are two types of skaters.
Those who have and those who don't have
the first major purchase of most people's
lives, a car. Cars come in handy once in a
while to get to a place across town real
quick, but surprisingly, most skaters go
without this modern convenience for quite
awhile. So what do they do when the need
arises? A few options are available.
Walking is cool, I guess, if you don't have
to be anywhere real quick. But in a skater's
eyes, walking is prehistoric. When was the
last time you actually walked a distance
greater than, let's say, a quarter mile?
Walking is a useless activity and should be
left to those people who have minds that
run on a slower clock.
Well then, how about jogging or running?
To sum up the worthlessness of running,
just sit for a moment and think of the last
time you actually saw someone smiling
while they trotted down the road. They
don't smile because they're in pain. Run-
ning is a brutal activity from a skater's view-
point, it causes old injuries to flare up and
ruin your day. Leave these to the healthier
segment of our population, there are easier
ways to get down the road.
NEW
77-P19
SNUB NOSE
designed by
George Wilson
CONCAVE
7 ply maple
31" x 10%"
Z Source for:
Z Transbeams
For example, hitch a ride. You know, |
hitchhiking, that dark heavy cloud that your
mom and dad always warned you about.
You can avoid the horror stories by scam-
ming a ride from someone you can trust
(i.e. neighbors, parents, brothers, sisters,
grammas, whoever). The key is to come up
with a reason why the person chosen to
give you a ride needs also to go where you
are going. Blackmail works well for older
bros and sisters as well as bartering tools
such as gas money, food, chores, etc. Here
is your chance for true skater creativity.
Speaking of creativity, how about har-
nessing a little animal power for that across
town and I don't mean your older sister.
Man's best friend is a powerhouse of
energy for a high speed tow. Grab your
skate, the pooch, a leash and go. Hyperac-
tive dogs, like large untrained poodles,
work best mainly because they're too lame
to know any better. If you're one of those
unlucky dog owners with a slow moving
pooch, just slip the mutt a Snickers or a
handful of Cap'n Crunch and hang on tight.
The sugar content in Fido's blood should
get you there real quick.
Next up for inexpensive transportation is
the old standby, a bicycle. Now I don't
mean one of those slick fifteen speed
mountain bikes or a super duper bmx
machine, those aren't skater bikes. What
we need is that old beat up route bike, or a
stingray, or how about that ten speed
model with no brakes, frozen gear shifters,
with the handlebars turned up in the "Burn-
out position." Now that's a bicycle. Re-
George Wilson Rollin Experimental Z Roller Truck
Soon Into Production -It's Worth Waiting For
Z Railsliders, Z Trucksliders in white or block THAT REALLY SLIDE
Z-wcook 30" x 10" 7 ply maple flat or concave
Z Skateboard Blanks shape your own - 7 ply maple 11 x 33
concave or flat and
bearings- fine GMN's & super sw
Z Products, PO Box 5397, Santa Monica, CA 90405 (213) 476-4857
member, it's only a tool for you to get to
your destination, not to impress anyone. If
you ever doubt that maybe the bike you
own is too "Good," roughly add up its total
worth. You should have between 5 or 10
bucks. Another thing, if you have to lock it
up to prevent theft, the bike is worth too
much and should be exchanged for a lower
quality model.
We take a big step on this next type of
transportation and enter the world of
motorized vehicles. The difference be-
tween the mechanics of a skateboard and
the mechanics of a motorized "something"
are astronomical, so keep it simple..
Mopeds and low powered scooters or
motorcycles are cool and cheap while
being somewhat maintenance free. Again,
I must stress that the overall value of the
vehicle must be next to nothing to ward off
any potential theft problems. If you do own
one of these small gems, a full skate sticker
assortment must be applied to any and all
surfaces to guard against rust and corro-
sion.
Next in line for motorized transpo is the
"Chariot of San Jo," also known as the bus.
I often wonder how much revenue is gener-
ated from skaters who use the city transit
systems of the world. I know kids who can
recite the times, schedules, and bus num-
bers by heart and estimate arrivals with lit-
tle error. The blending of a skate and a bus
is probably the best transportation combi-
nation a skater could have. It's cheap, fairly
quick, and allows for other things to be at-
tended to while in transit.
Besides all these forms of transportation
for the "autoless" skater, you always have
the most efficient form to fall back on, your
skateboard. It doesn't tire you like walking.
no begging or bargaining need be applied,
it doesn't eat food, gas, or oil, you don't
have to lock it up or deal with smelly old
people in the seat next to you. It's just there
ready to be plopped down on the street to
get where you want to go.
If you choose this form of transportation,
here are a few quick reminders to stay
within the law while out on the street (ac-
cording to the California Highway patrol):
-Sidewalks should be used if available,
but if you do skate in the street, the law
says you must use the extreme left hand
edge of the road; facing oncoming traffic.
-You do have the right of way, like a
pedestrian, when crossing the street in a
crosswalk but should reduce your speed
enough for cars to see you in time.
-If you cross a street outside of a cross-
walk, you must yield to traffic.
-As a skater, you must obey all traffic
signs and signals. This includes speed
limits, stop signs, and traffic signals.
-Finally, skaters are not allowed on any
bridge or highway overcrossings unless a
sidewalk is provided.
Now the next time you're sitting in front of
the tube being a couch potato because you
have no way to get across town to your fa-
vorite spot, take a minute and pick a form of
transportation whether it's the standard
push and go technique or one of the other
choices, you'll be there sooner than you
think. Take care and skate safe.
Skates on Haight of San Francisco
ALVA
ALVA FISH C.C.
HOSOI FISH C.C.
ALVA LARGE C.C.
SANTA CRUZ
S.O.S. C.C.
$110
DUANE PETERS C.C.
ROB ROSKOPP C.C.
COMPLETE SKATEBOARDS
POWELL
SKULL & SWORD s/n
CABALLERO s/n
MCGILL s/n
$110
UNCLE WIGLEY
SIMS-VISION
TONY MAGNUSSON C.C. KAMIKAZEE C.C.
ARGYLE C.C.
SKATES ON HAIGHT C.C.
YOUR CHOICE DECK COMPLETE WIGRIP TAPE. SPACE PADS & VARIFLEX HARDWARE
TRUCK CHOICE: INDEPENDENT 169's or TRACKER SIX TRACKS
w/ULBP. (black, blue, white, silver)
WHEEL CHOICE CITY STREETS 82A or POWELL 3's 85A or ALVA
CONICALS 95A WITH S&W BEARINGS w/removable shield
PLUS
SANTA CRUZ-ROSKOPP
SKATES ON HAIGHT
HAS AMERICA WIRED!
CALL TOLL FREE NOW!
CALIFORNIA 800-554-4554
LESTER C.C.
GATOR C.C.
NATIONWIDE
800-554-1235
Offer expires Jon t 1985
Skates on Haight
INDEPENDENT 169 III
TRACKER 6 Track (ultralite base) Blk. BL Wt. Rd. & Sive.
SKF Italian Speed Bearings
set
SIMS B-52's 2/tones
ea. 32.95
ea 12.95
ea 14.95
of 8 8.00
set of 4 26.00
SF & AREA CODE 415, CALL 752-8375
Send $1.00 for Skateboard Catalogue & Sticker
CITY STREET 2-Tone Wheels
set
BURTON PERFORMER Snowboard 1985 Model
of 4 18.00
ea. 139.95
1818 Haight Street San Francisco, CA 94117 (415) 752-8376
NAME
CITY
ZIP
Surface
Postage & handing on components: $3.00
Postage & handling on complete boards 55.00
Complete skateboard $15.00
Component (parts) $8.00
$5000
$15.00
or
$5.00 off On Purchase of 29.95 Or More with this ad on non-sale items
Limit one per customer Use of this coupon excludes use of all other
We also carry: G & S SURFBOARDS ROLLERSKATES
COMPLETE LINE OF T SHIRTS & DECALS CONVERSE
VUARNET BUCCI MOREY BOOGIE SIMS SKI BOARDS
PIPING HOT WETSUITS
Riding Gloves
sm med lg
Riding Hats
sm med lg
Wax Kits (10)
i ADDRESS
STATE
Cod
NEW FROM
SKATES ON HAIGHT
SKATES ON HAIGHT DECK designed by Tony Magnusson
w/large Skates on Haight logo on
BURTON ACCESSORIES
pr. 38.00
ea. 16.00
10 x 30 C.C.
pkg. 9.00
6 ply epoxy glass
ea. 5.95
ea. 60.00
blu or white. Price
Power Cord w/handle
Binding Kits.
Travel Case
Riding Shoes
Riding Suit
Riding Shell
Powder Pants
Tuneup Kit
P-Tex Performer Elite
Backhill Model
Burton Longsleeve T-Shirts
Logo....ea. 14.00
ea. 38.00
pr. 75.00
ea. 170.00
ea. 95.00
ea. 75.00
ea. 30.00
ea. 215.00
ea. 120.00
Performer....ea. 14.95
SKATES ON HAIGHT PRESENTS
HOODED PULLOVER SWEATSHIRT longsleeve
grey-white-or lilac
FLASHDANCE SWEATSHIRT shortsleeve
w/Serge Collar white only
T-SHIRT shortsleeve
blue-white-or raspberry
ea. 16.95
ea 12.95
ea. 9.95
small medium large x-large specify size and color when ordering
ALL SWEATS & T's COME WITH SKATES ON HAIGHT
LOGO ON FRONT (pocket logo) & BACK (full size)
SKATES ON HAIGHT DECAL exact size of ad
50
18 HAIGHT
STREET
27
PHONE
36.95 ea.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA.
S.K.A.T-E-7.5