PROGRAM ONE: THE CHOSEN WEAPONS SHALL DETERMINE THE
OUTCOME No two people hold their forks, knives or spoons the same
way. The same can be said about the way a person laughs, runs, loves or
wipes their butt. We focused our attention on the various ways frontline
street skaters tune their instruments. Preferred board length averages
around 32 inches. A profile view of a street deck illustrates the extent of
board evolution over the past two years. Most decks sport equal length.
fore and aft (nose and tail). As Natas Kaupas described his deck, "It kinda
looks the same going backwards and forwards." Nose and tail length vary
with preference but almost all have the minimum 6" at both ends and up
to 6.75" for extremists. Each prefers some varying degree of kick angle.
From the few comments on deck shape, it was determined that a basic out-
line was desired by most, or, as Jesse Neuhaus said, "a smooth round
shape with no ins and outs." A basic shape without any flair on the tail is
fine with Jim Thiebaud. Deck accessories except for rails are nixed by
most, and even rails are in danger of becoming obsolete. Eric Dressen
swears by the new Ever Slick bottom on his model. On the subject of
wheels, small and hard is the E-ticket for a wild ride. The most popular
sizes at press time were 55mm and 56mm, with some extremists operating
in the 53mm range. Durometer scale varies with terrain and preference,
but hovers in the 95- 100 range. The average wheel used is a 55 mm/97
durometer with slightly rounded edges. Ron Allen says, "the smaller the
wheel the better." Ed Templeton's reasoning on size isn't purely based on
function alone. "I use small wheels because they make my board look
neat," he says. Skaters, being simple creatures, measure a board's wheel-
base from baseplate to baseplate rather than axle to axle as on most other
wheeled vehicles. The shorter the wheelbase, the tighter turning radius or
smaller circles the board can make. Our survey determined that 60% ride
with a 14.5" wheelbase, 20% measure in at 14.25", 15% at 14" and a 5%
other category to allow for overs and unders and 'by the time you read this'
factors. Trucks and their adjustment play an important part in the turning
game. Most prefer a medium width of between 150 and 160 millimeters.
Adjustment varies almost as much as personality. Tony Hawk likes to keep
his street board looser than his vert board (which is pretty loose). Ron
Allen says he likes them "as loose as you can go without super wheelbite."
Mark Gonzales likes his medium loose, as does Mike Carroll, although
with Mike, it "depends on how I'm feeling that day." Most skaters seem to
like the back tightened up (for ollie pop stability) and the front looser (for
turning). LESSON TWO: "TWAS ONCE A PLACE WHICH I FONDLY
REMEMBER One of the coolest things about street skating is that it's
such the readily available activity. Body, board and the will to ride are all
you need to lay down the rules of the day. A street skater may tool one
curb for hours on end, then ride all night at a loading dock or pummel the
sidewalk in front of the DMV that's buckled because the roots of a eucalyp-
tus shoved it up. Every rider has a favorite solitary spot to ride, alone with
his abilities and thoughts. For Natas, just about any downtown area has
the capacity to yield plenty of great terrain. Sal Barbier rides the nice red
curb at the 7-11 a block away from his house. Many expressed a fondness
for the Powell facility. Some of the most intimate and especially memo-
rable skate moments occur within a hop, skip and a jump from homebase.
What are the top solo spots? KARMA: This smooth parking lot by my
house with fun curbs and fun planters to ollie. It also has good lights for
late night skating. SAIZ: Not too far away from my house, there's this lit-
tle bank with this wide
curb on top that's really
slippery. DRESSEN:
This parking lot near my
house that has curbs and
the lights are on all
night. I go by myself late
at night and do slappies.
LOTTI: My favorite pri-
vate, solitary skate spot
would probably be late
at night in downtown
Carlsbad, skating the
blue railroad track curb
with my friend Terrence.
There is a wide, well-lit
parking lot with an
excellent blue one-sided
curb. There is also a long
rectangular manual pad.
Peaceful, clean, no cars,
no hassles, it makes me
happy to skate there. I
feel in control of my life
for once. PETERSEN: A
huge fountain with a
hip, a four-foot gap, and
a bank to wall. HOSOI:
This yellow curb across
the street from my
house, or Venice Beach.
LEE: I have favorite
spots on Wilshire Blvd.
from downtown L.A. to
Beverly Hills, various
spots, mostly in Los
Angeles. Wilshire is a
long street. I have no one
particular favorite spot.
THIEBAUD: Just push-
ing around downtown.
Avoiding drunks and
businessmen. Ollieing
things, trying to do
tricks without running
into people. Surviving
the downtown crush.
TEMPLETON: The only
solitary private spot in
my town is nighttime
around here. One has to
skate alone and it's good
because it can be any-
42 THRASHER MAGAZINE