TODD HASTINGS
JIM KNIGHT
GEORGE TOTTEN
FACTORY
(we build what we ride and ride what we build)
POWELL
CHUCK SMITH
PERALTA®
CHRIS IVERSON
WENDY ZACKS
by Jake Phelps
Spring begins in March, so it's
time to do some spring cleaning. I've
been receiving more generous
shipments lately. Maybe the man
fatturare really getting the
massage to send stuff for us to chock
out As usual, decks are the most
common items to cross my threshold.
Everyone is trying to keep up with the
Joneses in the concave and design
department, and is easy to get lost
When looking for the right boerd
Hopefully, the measurements won
bore you to tears, but that is my job
(To give the measures, not bore us to
tears Fnd In this column we will
look at new Z-Products as well as
new Blockhead boards. There are
also interesting trinkets for all you
connoisseurs of skate paraphernalia.
This month's set-up is a Z-
Products Jimmy Acosta, with Ven-
tures, new Powell G-Bones and
stainless steel Champion bearings.
To start, the deck is smaller than what
I normally ride, but what it lacked in
size it made up for in maneuvera-
bility. It doesn't have mega concave
or a tri-tail, but it does feature a nice
upturned nose and comfortable con-
cave. It is 29%" long, 10" wide, with
a 3%" nose, a 6%" tail and a tight
14" wheelbase. I'll give the
address later.
I had some problems turning the
Ventures at first, but once the
bushings were worked in they turned
well, took abuse and came back for
more. The new yoke design makes
them look like Thunders but it also
makes them stronger. Venture Trucks,
PO Box 885403, S.F., CA 94188
The wheels on this puppy are the
new Powell G-Bones. When I opened
the box, I saw eight white wheels. I
didn't notice that they sent a set of
90As and a set of 95As. I put two 95s
and two 90s on, which kinda suck-
ed. I think that the numbers on the
wheels are too small and that led to
my mix up. (Santa Cruz has different
screens for different durometers, so
you can tell easier.) These wheels
resemble the old OJ Streetjuice.
They are tall (64mm) and feature a
slight outer radius and a larger inner
one (45 degrees). They slide well
once you get them broken in, and
they have good resiliency in the
grinding department. Powell-Peralta
Corporation, 501 E Gutierrez St.,
Santa Barbara CA 93100
The new Champion stainless steel
bearings allowed the wheels to ro
If you read the January Skater's
Edge you know these bearings are
at the top of the heap am like most
skaters in that bearings are the last
things I think about untill need new
ones thave always considered them
sort of disposable The main
feature about these bearings,
though, is that they are cleanable
Fand if treated properly will last
"forever" They roll fast and spin
great, but I'm not sure if the market
is ready for a fifty dollar set of bear-
ings. It's like buying rechargable bat-
teries rather than disposable ones.
If you have any questions about bear-
ings, write to Richard Kay and I'm
sure he will tell you everything you
would ever want to know about tor-
que and ABEC numbers. Champion
Industries, 2233 Milo Dr., Palm
Springs, CA 92262.
The other Z-Products boards I
looked at were the Butch Sterbins
and the Z-Pig. The Sterbins is 30%"
long and 10" wide. The Z-Pig is
29% long and 9%4" wide. These
decks have the same nose and tail
as the Acosta. I admire Z-Products
because they have been around for
a long time and they still make quality
stuff. They have a lot of products to
choose from, so write to them for in-
fo. More Z-stuff to come including the
Z-33. Z-Products, PO Box 5397,
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Blockhead is introducing two new
boards to their line-up. They are the
Mark Partain mini and the Ron
Cameron Tragicomic. Blockhead has
been more than generous in their
correspondence with Product Patrol,
and it good to see these new
releases. The Partain mini is 29½"
long, 9%4" wide, with 314" of nose,
a 6%" tail and the ultra responsive
14%" wheelbase. The Cameron
deck is designed for the larger skater.
It is 3114" long, 10" wide, with 4"
of nose, a 6½" tail and a slightly
longer 15" wheelbase. These
Blockhead issues will probably sell
well. They don't feature tri-tail or
super nose kick, but they are of top
quality design and materials. Also,
check out the new Sam Cunningham
graphics at your local shop. Block-
head Skates, 102 Lincoln St.,
Roseville, CA 95678.
For a new company, Happy Hour
has delivered an impressive first pro-
duct. The board is designed by skater
extraordinaire, Chris Lowe, for the
way people ride today; hard. It's
always good to see skaters get into
production of their own stuff so that
they are in control, not some fat guy
that doesn't ride Chris dock
measures 3114 long, 9% wide with
a 44 nose and a serious double
kicktail. For info, write to Happy Hour
Skates, PO Box 585, Alamo, CA
94507 or call (415) 838-5406.
Powell-Peralta has upped the ante
considerably with the new street
decks by Tom Guerrero and Mike
Vallely. The company that brought
you Bonite has now started to make
their boards in 7-ply again, which is
a good decision. I have received
many letters stating that Bonite decks
were inferior to the standard 7-ply.
The '89 Guerrero is 30½" long, 9%"
wide, with 3% of nose, a 6" tail and
a 15%" wheelbase. The '89 Vallely
is bigger, with a blunt nose for use
and abuse, and smaller in the tail
area for quick response. It is 30
long, 10" wide, with a 4" nose and
a 6" tail. These boards are strong
and the new concave makes them
that much better.
Write to Powell-
Peralta at the ad-
dress listed above.
In my constantly
expanding trinket
department I have
come across a few
things worthy of your
attention. Bronze
Age of Venice, CA,
has taken the king-
pin world and literally
turned it upside
down with the Grind
King truck bolt kit.
What you do is take
your old kingpin out
of your truck, put a
nut in your plate,
reassemble your
bushing and wash-
ers with the Grind
King Allen bolt and
tighten. It works great
for grinding because
it never hangs up on
re-entry and the nut
never gets damaged,
so you can always
tighten or loosen
it. They come
with a wrench,
and they are very
strong. Suggested retail is about ten
dollars, definitely a good investment
for the harsh skater out there. A tip:
use hollow riser pads because the
bolt tends to go deeper than the bot-
tom of the baseplate. Bronze Age,
1801 Lincoln Blvd #186, Venice, CA
90291.
Also check out the new Shark Bite
Rip Grip from Santa Cruz. It is
thicker, has a better adhesive and
comes in a few different shapes and
sizes. Santa Cruz Skateboards, 4401
Soquel Dr., Soquel, CA 95073.
This month my name-drop goes
out to Jason Stein. Jason wrote to me
from Athens, Greece, saying that he
thought that I should use color
photos of the equipment so the
readers will have a better idea of what
things look like in real life. I sym-
pathize with him because I can only
imagine how hard it is to get a look
at a board in Greece. I will pass the
idea.on to higher authorities and we'll
see what happens. Jason also says
that if you ever are in Greece, give
him a call and he will take you to
some ponds, banks and ditches.
Well, that's all folks. Write to me, Jake,
c/o Product Patrol, PO Box 884570,
San Francisco, CA 94188-4570.