FRED OLANDE
C
Z Unpainted decks
spoon tall
Z-RolleR
TRUCK
3000300000€
BUTCH STERBINS
PRODUCT
P
by Jake Phelps
IT
PATROL
I wrote two months ago that I am
looking for feedback and it has slowly
begun to trickle in. I am grateful be
cause it makes my job easier. Some
of you even went so far as to write
your own product reviews on the
equipment that you ride. In my at-
tempt to stay objective, I am faced
with problems that I feel few of you
realize. I cannot and do not prefer
larger companies over smaller com-
panies or vice versa. I call them as
I see them. Also, I am not a corporate
whore who writes everything the
companies tell me to. Furthermore,
I cannot tell you that some equipment
is the best because what is good for
me might not be good for you. By the
same token, I can't say that a product
sucks when I know that some of you
are riding it and like it. Enough said.
I'm not much of a water man, but
when Smoothill Sports Distributors
sent me a Wave Rebel skim board I
headed for the beach to do some
skimming. I have never really gotten
acquainted with this sport, but it
seemed easy enough. The Wave
Rebel board is different from the
standard skimboard in that it is made
like a sandwich with two hard outer
surfaces around a soft inner core.
This gives an excellent combination
of flexibility and strength. The rails,
made of high density polyethelyne,
make it strong enough to take a
beating on the rocks. The only prob-
lem I experienced was that, due to
the lightness of the board, the occa-
sional strong breeze would blow it
away from me after I threw it. A sug-
gested retail price of $49.95 makes
it worth looking into. Contact
Smoothill Distributors or write to
California Surf Systems at 408 South
Vermont Ave., Glendora, CA 91740
and ask them about their full line of
body boards.
Since Per Welinder rides for
Thunder, it seems logical that
Thunder would have Per design his
come with Supercush bushings, of
course, and the baseplates have the
trademark skulls and salamanders
like their big brothers. Write to
Thunder Trucks, PO Box 883311, San
Francisco, CA 94188.
Concrete Jungle has designed
new graphics for one of their most
popular models, the Final Solution.
The artwork is black and white, a
welcome relief from the bombard-
ment of color on most other decks.
It is no secret that these boards are
made by Alva, which I'm sure doesn't
hurt sales. Good concave and tri-tail
will make it a sure seller in any shop
It measures 30%" long, 9%4" wide,
JOE CONTRERAS
Z Products P.O. Box 5397 Santa Monica California 90405 (213) 476-4857
C000
own freestyle trucks. Thus, we now
have the Thunder 111. It does not
have a fancy name (like Dominator
or Terminator), but it is still the same
strong, durable truck. Many freestyle
trucks break around the hanger hole,
but these babies have been strength-
ened at that critical weak spot to
withstand maximum abuse. The
pivot nipple, which also takes a lot
of torque, is reinforced as well.
Another great feature is that the
hanger "wings" are notched in such
a way that you can easily slip a toe
between truck and wheel for extra
control and trick variation. They
with 3% of nose and 6½" of tail. It
takes abuse and comes back for
more. One warning about Alva/Con-
crete Jungle decks don't ride them
in the rain. Available through
Smoothill, 173 Paul Drive, San Rafael,
CA 94903.
The new Gator line from Vision
crossed my path, and they are quite
different from last year's models. The
street deck looks more rounded off
than its predecessor, with a smoother
nose and a rounded tail for maximum
mileage. It is 2914" long, 10" wide,
with 3½" of nose and a small 6%"
tail. The larger version has bevels in
the tail for maximum foot control, and
it is widened in the hip area for heavy,
impacted landings. It measures
3114" long, 10" wide, with a 4" nose
and a 6% tail. Neither of these
boards has a severe concave, but the
upturned nose and sharp tail will
make 'em functional and popular For
infor contact Vision Sports, 1711 Whit-
tier Blvd., Costa Mesa, CA 92627.
My trinkot of the month award goes
to the Owe Flap, a small piece of
leather that laces to the side of your
shoes. It lets you ollie without the
worry of "wasting your $50 shoes."
Works for regular or goofy footed
skaters. Contact the Ollie Flap people
at 10238 Topanga Canyon Blvd.,
Chatsworth, CA 91311.
My name drop of the month goes
to Matt Carey of Saginaw, MI, who
wrote me with a problem. It seems
that when he bought a new pair of
trucks and rode them, the bushings
weren't broken in and the trucks got
stuck in a turning position. The pro-1
blem is that it takes time for new
equipment to get used to you, just
like it takes you a while to get used
to it. If the problem persists, write to
the manufacturer. Maybe they will ex-
plain, or even send you some new
products. Well, that's it. So long till
next time, folks. Write me-I read all
of my mail.
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