PRODUCT
PATROL
by Jake Phelps
Now, more than ever, I am forced to decide the direction of this column.
Although there are still plenty of new boards, wheels and trucks to review,
we're receiving more and more non-skate products like clothing, shoes,
snowboards and accessories. I am skate-oriented, but I would like to hear
opinions from the readers on what they'd like to see in these pages.
Harley Davidson
shoes
G.F.I. Holding Co., 14 Wash-
ington Rd., Bldg. 7, Prince-
ton Jct., NJ 08550
Harley Davidson has
licensed their name to
many things (cigaret-
tes, beer and clothes),
but the best news yet is
the addition of Harley
shoes. They make a
number of styles for
hard fun. I was lucky
enough to get two
pairs. The one pictured
is the Sportster and I
will tell you it held up
well under skate a-
buse. The sole was
thick and lasted for
over a month of daily
riding. I think the price
is kind of steep ($75 to
$85), but for the name
and style, they are
cool. A must for the Ed
Riggins in all of us.
104
Danny Sargent
deck
Schmitt Stix, 1395 Lyon St..
Santa Ana, CA 92705
As mentioned last month, the
new Danny Sargent model is
here. Paul did Danny up right
with this puppy: small and
clean, no bumps or funky cuts,
just a smooth cue. This new S4
footlock is smooth, almost
rocker-like. As the name im-
plies, it locks you onto the deck.
The Sarge's numbas are 314"
long. 9%" wide, with 5" of
nose, a small 64" tail and a
14%" wheelbase. Danny is go-
ing to make some cash on this
because it's bad and so is he.
Scott Oster plank
Dogtown, P.O. Box 880787,
San Francisco, CA 94188
Dogtown has just moved up
here to San Francisco and that
must have inspired them to start
over from scratch, because this
new batch of decks is at the
top of the heap. Scott Oster's
new model is a killer street
tool that features an 8-hole
front truck pattern for ad-
justable wheelbase and
the killer concave. Mea-
surements are as follows:
31½" long. 10%" wide.
the new Dogtown line. I'm sure
there is something for everyone.
U-Bolts
1770 Yosemite, San Fran-
cisco, CA 94124
Skateboarding has adapt-
ed many things from roller-
skating (wheels and double
action trucks, for instance),
and the latest is the U-bolt.
The U-Bolt makes the
screwdriver obsolete and
outdated for attaching of
trucks to board. The idea is
simple, and when you see
it in application you say,
'Why didn't I think of that?'
Well, it's here and why
don't you look into it?
Dri-Cote
Sandaro Ind., 20 Galli Dr.,
Ste. J. Novato CA 94949
To be honest, I tried
Dri-Cote bearing lu-
bricant and it
made my bear-
ings squeak so
bad that I
threw them
away. Maybe
DRI-
COTE I didn't use it
BEARING
LUBRICANT
with either a 4½" or a 5"
nose, a 6½" tail and either
a 15" or 15% wheelbase. I
recommend that anyone look-
ing for a deck at the forefront of
design and materials check into
correctly,
but it didn't
make them
faster or repel
dirt, so my conclusion
is it's not right for
skateboards.
Fred Smith slab
Alva Skateboards, 32991-F
Calle Aviador, San Juan
Capistrano, CA 92675
Alva is back with a vengeance and
their new line is storming its way into
stores near you. The Fred Smith III is
the first one that I will pass on the good
FRED BMICD at
word about. Fred's original deck was
popular and this slab will sell
worldwide as well. The Loud One's
deck sizes up to 31" long, 9%*
wide, with either 4½" or 5" of nose,
a 6% tail and a 14½" or 15"
wheelbase. Two years ago Alva was at
the front of the tri-tail thing. Now the
tri-tail is more mellow and the em-
phasis is more on full-body concave
and the overall opinion is "killer" More
from Alva in future issues.
Freestyle Wheels
Powell-Peralta, 501 E. Gutierrez
St., Santa Barbara, CA 93103
Powell-Peralta (there, I finally got
it right) has a new 95 freestyle wheel
that is, without a doubt, a welcome
addition to their vast wheel line.
While most wheel manus don't make
freestyles, P-P has made them for
years. Though admit-
tedly I'm not
much of a free
styler, they slide well and wear
evenly, so what more could you ask
for? They are small and don't cost
as much as regular wheels, so all you
cheapskates take a look.
T-Lock Silly Stix
Schmitt Stix
These rails are different from
regular rails in that they don't
have holes in them. Instead they
Burton Air
Burton Corporation, Man-
chester Center, VT, 05255.
Much like the Craig Kelly
Mystery Air, this is an ex-
cellent freestyle board. The
only real difference between
them is that the Kelly is made
for a lightweight (145 pounds
and under) rider and the Air
model for heavier riders.
The stance and side-
cuts are centered on
the midpoint for a
smooth, balanced ride.
have a hollow center which
slides over the t-bolts. When the
bolts are tightened from the top,
the
result is slide magic with no
holes to hang up on. I orginally
heard this idea from my buddy
Borgy from Australia, but due to
lack of funds he was unable to
market the idea and someone
else took it to town. Good slide
with a twist.
ESIMSE
1610
Mamboo Shock
Stick
Source in San Francisco, 919
S. Van Ness, S.F., CA 94110.
This is a good stick for
the all-around recreational
rider. It's constructed of a
vertically-laminated wood
core and two layers of bi-
directional fiberglass. The
rubber dampening strips
between edge and core and
the air dampening layers in
nose and tail make for a
smooth ride.
Sims 1610
Sims Snowboards, 1395 S.
Lyon St., Santa Ana, CA
92705.
This was a top notch
board. Its construction is
vertical wood laminate,
reinforced with Kevlar for
extra durability. The high-
back binding hasn't
changed much. It also.
comes in a narrow model
for smaller feet and faster
edge-to-edge turning. It
seemed stable when just
cruising, but this blade.
belongs in a halfpipe.
Heavy Tools Flip
Model
Source in San Francisco, 919
S. Van Ness, S.F., CA 94110
This is another freestyle-
oriented plank. Its features
include a soft flex pattern
and low camber for easy
turning and maneuver-
ability. Steep tail kick, con-
vex base and freestyle
sidecut make the Flip a ver-
satile bump and free-riding
board. With better bindings
this would be a great free-
style board.
As always, thanks
for your time. Let me
know about what you
want in the column:
Yes or no on the non-
skate stuff? Product
Patrol, c/o Thrasher,
P.O. Box 884570, San
Francisco, California
94188-4570.