After taking a close look at my wheel line, I decided the Sawblades needed to be resharpened, so to speak. It
seemed they had become dulled in that vast sea of urethanes. I told my personal chemist "Paulina" that I wanted
the ultimate wheel. Something that could withstand today's abuse level, something that was hard, durable,
smooth yet controllable, and most of all a urethane formula that delivers blistering speed. She looked at me with
those big blue eyes and said "Paul, Honey, I've got just what you're looking for! Double molded with a stone
ground riding surface, 3 dimensional graphics, available in 61 and 65mm sizes, and are hot poured in our new
Redline Formula of 95 and 98A." She said "Grab a set and hold on!"
Sawblades - the fastest 0 to 60 wheel on the block, or my name isn't
•Paul & Schmitt
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Danny Sargent
Executing a 180° to Ollie Blunt.
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Watch
Out
For
New
MISAWBLADES
PRODUCT
PATROL
by Jake Phelps
Well, well, it's time for another look
into the product vault and see what
has come in for a closer inspection.
The products I will showcase this
month are the complete Z-33 with Z-
Rollers and G&S 95 wheels, as well
as decks from Sims, Tracker, G&S
and last, and certainly leas. Valterra
1 set up the complete Z thinking it
would be a cool cruise machine-
you know, going to the store and
down the block. And that's what it's
best for The 33" length and the roller
make it fun and stable. The Z line is
good because they have many
shapes and sizes, and they aren't
afraid to try things a little different.
The one problem I had with this deck
was that the top laminate cracked
when I tightened the mounting hard-
ware. Otherwise, I found it comfor-
table and rideable. A smooth steep
tail and a good upturned nose make
it a great deck for those of you who
require a little more wheelbase It
measures 33" long, 9%" wide, with
6% of tail and a 3%" nose.
When I rode this set up, the Z-
Rollers didn't turn as well as I would
have hoped. The main idea behind
trucks is that they turn so the novelty
of grinding (rolling) over everything
in sight wears out quickly when it is
hard to turn. I think that the main
problem lies in that the kingpin points
straight up. so the geometry is
screwy. Maybe an angled Kingpin
would make it a more responsive
truck. Z Products, PO Box 5397, San-
ta Monica, CA 90405
How many times have you bought
new wheels and said. Why do they
put graphics on the outside of these
wheels?" because you know that
with one slappy they are history. The
new G&S Plaid wheels fall into this
category. They have a small riding
surface which is good, but I think
they better go back to the drawing
board in the durometer department.
These 95's felt like 92's and they had
very little rebound (I dropped one on
a cement floor and it had no bounce,
just DUH). G&S should take the extra
money that they spent on their
"3-color graphics" and make some,
quality wheels for a change. G&S
Skateboards, 7081 Consolidated Way
San Diego, CA 92121.
A quality mini-board to check out
is the new Sims Eric Nash. While
Nash is not known for his "street"
ability, this board is an excellent
combo of design and materials. I'm
sure that the vert pros get loads of
shit about "Why make a street or
mini when you don't enter street con-
tests? Well, the answer is simple;
if a smaller kid can't ride the bigger
deck, he won't buy it. So make him
a mini and take his money. The
measuremonts are 30%" long, 9%
wide, with 6% of tail, a 4" nose and
a sweet 14%" wheelbase. This is one
board that would let my little sis or
bro ride. Sims Skateboards, 1395 S
Lyon St, Santa Ana, CA 92705.
As with the last column. I am look
ing at a new Tracker deck; the 89
GSD. The first thing you notice when
looking it over is the "whopper of a
tail" If this was my board, I would
have put a whale on the bottom, not
a fish, because of the massive tail.
I think it looks a lot like a fliptail, a
design that holds your foot in one
place. The concave is basic and the
scoop nose is nothing special, but for
ERIC
NASA SIMS
those of you who live in fear of your
back foot slipping off, this may be the
plank for you. It's is 31% long, 9%"
wide, with 7" of tail and a 4% "nose.
This board is not to be confused with
the Valterra Fish. Tracker, PO Box
217, Cardiff by the Sea, CA 92007
Also from G&S this month, the new
mini Stove Claar. The baby Claar
reminded me a lot of the old baby
Duane from Santa Cruz-wide and
thick where you need it and thin and
small where you don't. I would like
to have checked out the large size.
but this will have to do. The G&S con-
cave is Highlighted by a good
upturned nose and a not too drastic
tri-tail. This is worthy of a look when
shopping for a now top. It is 29%"
long. 9 wide, with a 6" tail and
3% of nose. These people have
made some good decks in the past.
so check 'em out
Valterra is the same company tha
brought you the "Back to the Future"
setup, so you know where they are
coming from. In my opinion, this
company gives skating a bad name.
Here's how I see it. They take bogus
materials and make them look good.
sell them at loy stores and flea
markets (by the truck load) cheap.
When junior rides it, it breaks and he
quits because he can't get replace-
ment parts from where he bought it
The Flying Fish board feels like it's
made out of balsa wood. Even
though it comes with tape and rails
it is lighter than any other board I
know of. My advice is two-fold. To the
consumer: stay away from this com
pany. And to the company: I suggest
you move to Taiwan. This board is not
to be confused with the GSD Fish.
Last month I mentioned Cock
roaches from Oz. These wheels have
a good shape and are smooth riding.
but they too feel as though they need
some work in the durómeter depart
ment. They say 96, but they feel a
good deal softer. If I were to compare
these wheels to some from the
States, I would say they feel almost
like Alva Speed Skins. At 66mm tall,
the shape is cool. I would work a little
bit on the compound. Mak Skate Pro-
ducts, PO Box 7. Frenchs Forest,
NSW 2086, Australia.
Maybe you thought my trinket de-
partment went away, but I'm just say-
ing up some good stuff. Be on the
lookout for the fingerboard half-pipe.
These guys sent me some finger
boards and a letter that said, "With
the demand so high we
had to make a half-pipe."
It is a little plastic skate.
ramp complete with fake
plywood and platforms
A word of advice on this
baby don't let your friends see it. I
made the mistake, and now they
never go outside to skate. They stay
inside and fight to be next. They say.
and I quote, "Why go outside where
I can get hurt when I can stay inside.
and make every trick I try?"
Well that's all folks, keep in touch
Write to Jake Phelps, ob THRASHER
Magazine, PO Box 884570, San
Francisco, CA 94188-4570
89