Products tests | Le Site Du Skateboard

WWCD Lakai Rick Howard 5 HI Canvas in orange olive. Some WWCD Lakai

Brolivier — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:38:35 +0000

Mike Carroll, as everyone knows, is the co-founder of Lakai skateshoes footwear (1999) with Rick Howard. Well, I bought these lakai WWCD orange and olive about 2-3months ago on Nozbone e-shop.
I got the pair for 55 E in promotion.

WWCD? it means What Would Carroll Do. It is an initiative of Lakai that allows pro riders to reshape the brand’s shoe model in their own way. There is also a WWKD series (K for Koston) and WWHD (Rick Howard).

So this is not a pro model, but simply another model revisited by Carroll.

PRESENTATION:
So the product is: Lakai Rick Howard 5 high remixed by Mike Carroll (argh it’s complicated with lakai )

there is a plastic bracelet inside the box with the WWCD inscription

OUTSOLE
The outsole is identical to the Guy Mariano 2 model, known for their lightness, and that’s what it is about here.

INSOLE:
The insole is basic, no special technology .

THE TAB:
The tab is thin, and as it’s also high, it allows the pants to pass below. There is also the WWCD symbol.

THE MATERIALS :
The materials are mainly synthetic fabrics which does not look very resistant at first.

Another color of the same model:

Another model remixed by Koston this time, it is a Lakai Coda Hi

THE TEST:
The sole offers an excellent comfort because it is very flexible, no need to walk with it during a week before riding with them.
Another good point is the fat cushioning to maintain the ankles (I just come from 2 heavy sprains and I really appreciate the safety feeling).

Negative point: the fabric wears out very quickly, after only a single session I could already see holes appearing within the fabric.
First session:

The synthetic fabric doesn’t grip at all so it’s very difficult to do flip tricks in the beginning.

Other important problem: no air or gel cushioning, so you quickly hurt your heel even with a little gap or while doing flat. So you’ll have to forget about jumping big sets of stairs with this pair.

After a few sessions, the shoe really wears out and you quickly end-up with some kind of plastic shoe, wich, besides the shitty look, grips much better in order to do flips.

No laces protection so they break easily.

Here are the shoes after less than 10 session of Park and curb ,and very few rails because of the soles.

To resume
I would say that Lakai proposes a shoe that doesn’t compete with DC’s super suede wich is very resistant…
I would say that it’s a quite weak shoe, not very solid, much more curb and flat oriented.

Quite strange coming from a brand with one of the best team in the world.
They lasted for a month and a half, almots two.

Team lakai Footwear:

Access to Lakai website: http://www.lakai.com/

Other lakai tests:

Mike Carroll videos:

Mike Carroll’s part in Modus Operandi:

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Mike Carroll’s part in fully flared:

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Battle at the Berrics – Mike Carroll vs Joey Brezinski (Starring Randy from My Name is Earl) :

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BATTLE AT THE BERRICS: MIKE CARROLL vs MIKE MO CAPALDI
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Tags:Brandon Biebel, Cairo Foster, Canvas, danny brady, eric koston, guy mariano, jb gillet, Jeff Lenoce, Jesus Fernandez, lakai, lakai footwear, Lakai Rick Howard, Lakai Rick Howard 5 HI, Lakai WWCD, lucas puig, Marc Johnson, mike caroll, mike carroll, Mike Mo Capaldi, Nick Jensen, olive, orange, orange/olive, rick howard, Rob Welsh, What Would Carroll Do, WWCD

Articles en rapport

Blind skateboards eternal life Jani Laitiala pro model , composite deck in texalium fibers, What is texalium ?

Brolivier — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:57:40 +0000

Blind Skateboard is an old brand created by Mark Gonzales in 1989. (For the record, the brand name comes from his will to stand out from his former sponsor at that time, VISION)

I bought this BLIND deck ,pro model of the Finnish rider Jani Laitiala, about 3 months ago.
This board is from the new Blind series, ETERNAL LIFE. The specificity of this series is that Blind included a Texalium ply between the first two plies.

What the fuck is Texalium ?
It is a fabric composed of fiberglass and aluminum, supposed to make the board stronger.

——— Post Scriptum Oliv ———
In general, composite boards ( you put a different material between the wood layers) are made of:

carbon

Bamboo

like Habitat Bamboo Composite

with hemp ( weed)

like Habitat Skateboard in Hemp

with gases such as helium (the balloons that make you speak funny when you swallow it)

like Element Helium push carbon (carbon and helium)

or wood (hehe) like Birdhouse Black 6

For more details go see the article about the skateboard technologies from Dams

——— End Post Scriptum Oliv ———

PARTICULARITIES / GUARANTEE of the Blind skateboard Jani Laitiala:
Furthermore, it is possible to activate the board’s guarantee like Olive’s darkstar armor ply ,as Blind guarantees that the board will not break until 90 days when riding normally.

PRESENTATION
The design of the board is fairly standard, you can see Blind’s famous REAPER in front of a burning house with a JANI logo on the nose, and the Blind’s eternal life logo on the tail.

Personal note: blind logos are related to death … we all remember the little war between Element and Blind whose commercials were Element for life and blind for death . .

The deck comes with a box containing stickers of the brand and a little documentation explaining the eternal life technology.

The SHAPE
The deck is a 8×31.5 ie 8 inches wide and 31.5 inches long. The deck is slightly shorter than most 32 inches long decks, but you don’t really feel the difference.

The nose is slightly bigger than the tail but as a whole, the tail and the nose have almost the same shape. it’s a bit different than usual at first but after a few hours , you quickly get used to it and the problem is solved.

Nose and tail

THE CONCAVE
I would say that the concave is medium that is to say that it is not very high , therefore perfect for flip tricks.

The SOURCE
I am not an expert but like with most American brands, I think it’s Canadian wood.

PRICE
For quite some time now I’ve been buying my gear on US internet skate shops , that time I payed 76 DOLLARS , about 58 euros.
But in general, the shop price must be around 70 or 80 euros.

OTHER MODELS OF THE 2009 ETERNAL LIFE SERIES

TEST

Because it is slightly shorter (31.5 inches), the board is very easy to handle during the first sessions ; you just need to get used to the tail which is a bit short.

Otherwise, making flip tricks is a delight thanks to the concave.
The board has a very good pop that lasts long.
In addition, I note that the Texalium technology works perfectly . I badly landed some tricks over gaps ( a regular deck would have break ), several times , such as flip front, where the nose usually breaks, or tre flip when you only land with one foot ( when you fear the landing ), stuffs that usually break the deck in the middle.

So it’s great to do gaps , because I badly landed when jumping over 6 or 7 steps , and the deck is still solid.

As I said before, the handling of the board is also an advantage for the practice of curb or manual pad.

The paint doesn’t crack and holds fairly well, but that’s not the most important part

After two and a half months of skateboard (I ride almost every weekend , going to skate spots and to the park , and I also have my couple of flat sessions per week )

the first crack appeared on the tail when fliping over a set of steps.
But I was still able to do more flat and park sessions afterwards, even with that little crack.
C’est en replaquant un stalefish au skatepark en prenant de la pyramide jusqu’au flat que la fissue s’est vraiment agrandie. The crack really got bigger when I landed after a stalefish.

But the board still does not break ! Nonetheless, the tail was getting twisted so I decided to kill it and jumped on it. It took me several tries to really break the tail.

After the breaing, when can see the Texalium.

To resume
Finally, I am very satisfied with this board which is definitely suitable for all-terrain , street, gap, rail, wheeling, curb thanks to its maneuverability and its solidity with 2 and a half months of skateboard and almost 3 months if I count the much less aggressive final sessions of flat and park.

The team:

Go to BLIND website:
http://www.blindskateboards.com/

jani’s part ~~on the DIGITAL Blue Monday from NEW ORDER~~ Jani Laitiala – Digital Get Tricks Or Die Trying

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teaser of the next BLIND video:

The trailer + flyer:

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Blind_Video_Trailer.mov (.MOV format – better quality)

Tags:blind skateboards eternal life jani Laitiala, blindskateboards, blindskateboards.com, danny cerezini, eternal life, Filipe Ortiz, Grant Patterson, Jake Brown, Jake Duncombe, James Craig, Jani Laitiala, Morgan Smith, Rob Lorifice, ronnie creager

Articles en rapport

Satori wheels sustainable Ecothane wheels :51 mm of recycled and solid gum

Brolivier — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:21:44 +0000

We, at le site du skate, have already tested almost all wheels brands but thanks to Kev from hawaii Surf we can now test the Satori wheels. Satori Movement is the group that includes Satori Wheels and offers a wide range of clothing for any type of use, from skate to Yoga.
The wheel now being tested is new within its construction because it is not made from Oil, so it is an environmental choice made by the brand, like Lakai also did with its Recycled program.

A very good idea that we must put forward ….

The product: sustainable Ecothane Satori wheels

The design of the wheel:

Nothing incredible, warm colors with yellow black and orange. There are arrows indicating which direction they should turn to… Lol
What I like is that we get both the size and the hardness, 2 very important factors in the process of choosing a wheel.

Size:
A 51 mm wheel, therefore

perfect for street. It also looks square when viewed from above. Watch the comparison pic with Autobahn.

Hardness:
"The harder the weel (101A), the better it slides and the more vibrations you’ll feel within your feet. On the other side, a soft wheel slides badly but offers real comfort."
A good 101A for a strong skate. A real street wheel that protects the environment
PS: there is also a guarantee against flat wheel but we all know that this kind of guarantee is meaningless.

The source:
Made in USA, in the state of Virginia. Same manufacturer as Chaka Wheels.
Is it really a plus for the wheel? is the gum better in the US ?
All I know is that this wheel is very well done.

The particularities :

Satori Wheels is proud to announce the release of their new breakthrough in the skateboard wheels industry. Ecothane Satori Core Technology is a victory for the environment and for the riders as it allows to reduce waste during the manufacturing process while still producing a quality wheel.

These wheels are recycled and characterized by an Oil free manufacturing process therefore ( they use vegetable oil). A low price wheel built with vegetable based oil, so it is a quality ecological product

There is another recycling program from the brand which is to recover the hard cores and re-use them to make other wheels: The Core Technology EcoThane which is a recycling program.

As a rider, do you feel like owing anything to the planet?

Other models in the collection

Availability: In Hawaii Surf (click here to go to the product).

Price:
45 Euros at Hawaii Surf (click here to go to the product). c’est raisonnable quand tu vois que de la Ricta c’est à 50 et la Spitfire Classic Wheels à 45€. It is reasonable when you see that the Ricta costs 50 euros and the Spitfire Classic Wheels 45 €.
These wheels are available since February 2009

The test:

This is the kind of wheel I love the most, square and very thin.
Big slide … !!! !
The gum is good to ride but if there is a screw that goes beyond the curb, the head of the screw will tear a large piece of gum appart ; because of this ecological formula, the wheel does not react to external agressions the same way as a classic wheel does.
So large pieces of gum blew out , wich never happened with my Autobahn.
Actually, the ecological formula is brand new so for now, it really slides a lot.
Even when the curb isn’t really waxed, you will be able to do lipslides and bluntslides (if you know how to of course).

The gum issue

After 2 weeks ,with a rate of 10 hours/ week, still no appearance of flat zone despite big slides.
The test is conclusive … Satori is the shit

To resume:

For a reasonable price of 45 euros, you have a wheel sliding a lot and that helps the environment.

The official website of Satori: http://satoriwheels.org

The team:

Aaron Suski
Alex Carolina
Ben Krahn
Bren Atchley (vidéo en dessous)
Danny Fuenzalida
Danny Montoya
Dave Caddo
Ed selego
Flo Marfaing (vidéo en dessous)
Josh Falk
Karl Watson
Kenny Anderson
Kenny Hughes
Kenny Reed
Matt Pailes
Nilton Nieves N
Ron Allen (vidéo en dessous)
Shuriken Shannon
Willy Santos

A Satori commercial

Videos

Satori wheels Ron Allen skatepark

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SATORI MOVEMENT / HAPPY 420 3UP 3DOWN CONTEST 2008

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Brent Atchley in the video "This Is My Element "

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Checkin’ In Flo Marfaing

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Tags:51 mm, Ecothane wheels, gum, recycled urethan, Satori wheels, skateboard, solid, sustainable

Articles en rapport

District skateboard Initial series 8 inches designed by Jeff Barusseau

Brolivier — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:24:04 +0000

After testing the Kanabeach skateboard and the Crème skateboard I’m (re)testing the District brand which is getting more and more recognition in the south of France.
>I had already tested a District deck, Remember in February 2008, the deck District Town Series 7.75 … last time I was holding a District deck in my hands, the nose was broken in 2… but today I’m testing the new series and we are going to see what happens

The product:
District skateboard Initial series 8 inches

Design:
Designed by Jeff Barusseau aka Jeffosaure

The design is quite simple with the brand name written in big blue characters, with the little "D" on the nose ( District’s logo)
A few dirty spots on top of the board, I don’t know what it is, but it doesn’t affect the deck’s quality at all

Size / shape:
8 inches with a big nose …. that’s every streetrider’s dream.
The tail is a bit short in my opinion but the board is well proportioned on the whole with its long and perfectly rounded nose.

The board viewed from above

Tail and nose – sideviews
I would have enjoyed it even better if both the nose and tail had risen a little higher.

The concave:
As 99% of the boards sold in shops, the concave is medium.
Therefore the board is very easy to handle

Where it’s from:
The deck comes from Canada (therefore quality wood and quality pressing) and is printed by the european specialist, based in Bordeaux : Art Print
Anyway, the finish is perfect and the rounded edges are very well made

Other models in the series:
With the same design you can get 3 different sizes: 7.625, 7.75; 8
Initial series District Skateboar 2009

Particularities:
Nothing special, a conventional deck except that it is pressed in Canada with Canadian wood, so that’s the perfect build-up. No maple seed sold with it like Anagram neither carbon plate like Darkstar.

Price:
The board is sold between 49 and 59 euros, depending on the shops

Availability:
LOCKWOOD SKATESHOP: 55 RUE CROIX VERTE 81000 ALBI
NexT SURF SKATE SNOW SHOP: 2 RUE VOLTAIRE 82000 MONTAUBAN
JUMP SKATESHOP: 41 RUE MARECHAL JOFFRE 64000 PAU
STYL FUN/NEWAY:11 RUE DES CORNIERES 47000 AGEN

The test

I rode 4 times with it and I had a problem … a heel flip back with the front foot too much on the nose and BAM ! big crack underneath the front truck’s screws.
Normally at this time, you calm down, stop the gaps and the varial heel flips to avoid breaking the board too early.
Except that I wanted to test this board 100% so I continued to act as if nothing had happened.

It has certainly lost a bit of pop on the nose because of that but the crack has not grown and after 4 sessions I am amazed to see how it holds well.
I sometimes do some flip front badly landed with the foot on the nose to do the revert and still not a single suspect noise

but I already rode 4 times with it and it does not break.
The wood is really strong and responds very well.

Appearance of cracks on the nose (see photo below)

I ‘ll add more when there are news …

To resume
A solid deck ! if you buy it, you can enjoy it and also support a French brand really motivated to support its riders.

Team

Jean-Michel Monfurt
Vincent Lamourelle
Jerome Dutang (killing Aix’s park)
Max Bretel
Ludo Lale

District Skateboards official website http://www.districtskateboards.fr
Official Myspace of District Skateboards: http://www.myspace.com/districtskateboards

Videos

part of Jerome Dutang taken from the "UP AND DOWN" video . Ekilibre filmance 2006

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JM Monfurt District janvier 2009

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Tags:8 pouces, dessinée, District skateboard, Initial, Jean-Michel Monfurt, Jeff Barusseau, Jerome Dutang

DC Shoes General SN 2009 blue/black/white DGT technology, DCShoes the leader of the skateboard shoes industry in my opinion

Brolivier — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:39:47 +0000

Yesterday night, I went chilling out at Shifty’s skateshop in Dijon (cheers Tony) just to check out the news, and I see this pair of shoes, so beautiful, the DC General SN !
I loved them at first sight, so I tried them on and quickly bought the pair…
Let’s just say that they rock : killer design, stylish colors and they are super light! It’s pretty amazing, the first time you try them on, you do not even feel the weight of the shoe! I think it must be great to do some hammer. The comfort is unbeatable compare to any other skate shoes I’ve tried. And after 10 years of skateboarding, I’ve tried plenty…

The product:
DC Shoes General SN (2009 edition)
Very low shoes, awesome Design, maintains the foot perfectly…
Here they are, just out of the box… so nice:

Technical characteristics:
It is a technical shoe, using several technologies (high end)

Here is DC Shoes’ commercial description:

– Synthetic leather or synthetic nubuck upper for durability and abrasion resistance. – Synthetic leather or synthetic nubuck upper for durability and abrasion resistance.

- TPR toe cap for added durability. – TPR toe cap for added durability.

- Perforated upper panels for improved ventilation. – Perforated upper panel for improved ventilation.

- Eyelets on medial side for better ventilation. – Eyelets on medial side for better ventilation.

- TPU eyelets for durability. – TPU eyelets for durability.

- Foam-padded tongue and collar for added confort and support. – Foam-padded tongue and collar for added comfort and support.

- Lightweight mesh tongue. – Lightweight mesh tongue.

- Spandex tongue holders for confort and added foot stability. – Spandex tongue holders for comfort and added foot stability.

- Performance cup sole construction for strength and flexability. – Performance cup sole construction for strength and flexability.

Here are the technologies’ labels (hung on any pair of DC)

- Mid length AIRBAG for cushioning & comfort. – Mid length AIRBAG for cushioning & comfort.

- Soft and extremely lightweight PERFORMALITE midsole. – Soft and extremely lightweight PERFORMALITE midsole.

- Innovative DGT rubber bottom design for enhanced board control, feel & durability. – Innovative DGT rubber bottom design for enhanced board control, feel & durability.

- Abrasion resistant sticky rubber outsole. – Abrasion resistant sticky rubber outsole.

- Cup sole with DC’s trademarked “pill” pattern. – Cup sole with DC’s trademarked "pill" pattern.

Leave Your DC mark with your shoe:)

The outsole:
DGT sole technology, for maximum comfort, a huge air cushion to absorb shocks under the heel and the foot. (let’s see how long it will last…)
It’s a bit rigid at first, like all shoes, so it’s better to walk with them for a week before riding with them. Otherwise you might end up hurting your feet like Oliv and his DC Josh Kalis 7 SE .

The inner sole:
Nothing unusual, you can’t make more simple, well-shaped to maintain the foot, but no different material, being under the heel or the toes . Only the material’s colors are different.

zoom on the innersole

The tab:
Perfect in my opinion, neither too big nor too small, it maintains the foot perfectly. Elastic system to hold it all, then your foot is all wrapped up and the tongue is stuck to your ankle; therefore your pants won’t move an inch once wedged between the tab and your foot (like the bros, I hate when my pants cover my shoes )

The other colors of the General SN DC Shoes 2009 serie:

The Price:
119€ in shop , at Shifty Board Shop à Dijon .
Their website www.shiftyboardshop.com

see here for more shops

The test:
For now, no way I’ m riding them, I’m gonna enjoy these for a while, ’cause for that price, it pisses me off to kill them with my grip . . I’m doing a bit like Oliv and his DcShoes New Era Co branding 20/94 wich he bought 300€ for never riding them (and he bought 2 pairs of it If i remember correctly)

More info when I will start to ride them … to continue.

To resume:
A stylish, light, and technological shoe wich seems pretty solid (we’ll have to see about that)….Only problem : many skate shoes cost half the price of these ones, for 60€ you can grab some DVS shoes or Es Skateshoes

The U.S. team of DC shoes:
—> Pro : Colin Mc Kay, Danny Way, Rob Dyrdek, Josh Kalis, Pj Ladd, Ryan SMith, Lindsey Robertson, Devine Calloway
—> Amateur : Greg Myers et Wes Kremer
—> Europe : Anthony Lopez, Jani Laitiala, Ruben Garcia, Laurent Gehin, Manuel Margreiter, Jody Smith, Petr Horvat, Henning Braaten

DC french team is composed of:
Georges Agonkouin
Baptiste Myzor
Arthur Derrien
Jonathan Jean Philippe
Sebastien Simon
Stephane Larance

Snow :
Florent Marot
Pierre Rué

Access to DC shoes Official Websites :
The official website of DC Shoes Co: www.dcshoes.com
DC skate website: http://skate.dcshoes.com/

RSS DCshoes: http://skate.dcshoes.com/news/feeds/latest/

Other DC shoes tests on le site du skate:

DC shoes video test from le skate du site:

Test by Matthieu BEGEL
Tel: 0680288084

core.skateboards@gmail.com

www.coreskateboards.over-blog.com

Tags:Arthur Derrien, Baptiste Myzor, black, blue, dc General, dc General SN, DC Shoes General SN, DCSHOECOUSA, dcshoes, dcshoescousa, Florent Marot, General SN, georges agonkouin, Jonathan Jean philippe, Pierre Rué, Sebastien Simon, skate shoes, skateboard shoes, stephane larance, technologie DGT, white

Articles en rapport

DCSHOES Pure 2 S white royal black. Comfortable shoes but NOT RESISTANT

Brolivier — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:48:58 +0000

My previous shoes were high Vans (which are very similar to Dam’s DCshoes Ryan Smith 2.0’s ). They were very thin and only lasted two months. After that , it was winter time and I was wearing shitty shoes. Fortunately I managed to grab a pair of DC pure on www.vente privee.com.
These shoes have already been tested here but I thought this test was a bit incomplete. So for my first test, I’m gonna try them for le site du skateboard.

The product:
DC Pure 2 S white royal black (white / black)
The unpacked pair .

And then, to my great surprise, the shoes are small and my feet didn’t like it (same as olive with his DC Josh Kalis 7). I’ve never had DC shoes before so I didn’t know how they were sizing. But now I know.

The outsole:
The outsole isn’t vulcanized but I like the serie of small rounds, it allows a good grip on the deck. Nonetheless, the shoe is not immediately skatable when you get it out of the box. So you need to "twist" it a little before being able to ride with them ….
Some people even put their shoes into the microwavein order to soften them up a little before the first session. (Akim Cherif for example)

+ You can see the DC logo marked on the sidewalk when you have dirty soles or when you walk in the water .. you leave your own trace. Like the DC model game

The inner sole:
The insole is basic, no technology. But we can distinguish an air cushion to protect the heel against fat landings (under the insole .. therefore the air cushion is hidden).

Materials:
Suede for the black part, leather for the white part and some weird blue material ~~that wears out, get destroyed,~~ falls appart in no time.

Price:
89€ in shop.

Availability:
In every shop.

Other models.
Sorry for the lack of colors but the website where I bought them only sell old series, therefore it’s quite hard to find many colors.

Test:
My first session was difficult.
The shoes are super rigid as I said before and I had trouble landing my tricks. In addition, I have had blisters on my heels and small toes.
After chilling out and walking with them, the shoes finally softened.

But after my second session (approximately 2 hours) the seams began to fall appart. I hope they last a bit more than that.
After 5 sessions the blue area totally falls appart and it is death right here. check out the front part of the shoe.

After 8 sessions, the left shoe has lost a large piece of blue material, and it’s not very classy when your right shoe still looks fresh (I don’t do much switch or nollie yet)

To resume:
Comfortable shoes, but not solid at all. Hopefully, I’ve got a nice friend who’s gonna lend me his shoes.
Did you have the same problem with some of your shoes ? Do you know what is this weird material ?

Team DC shoes:
—> Pro : Colin Mc Kay, Danny Way, Rob Dyrdek, Josh Kalis, Pj Ladd, Ryan SMith, Lindsey Robertson, Devine Calloway
—> Amateur : Greg Myers et Wes Kremer
—> Europe : Anthony Lopez, Jani Laitiala, Ruben Garcia, Laurent Gehin, Manuel Margreiter, Jody Smith, Petr Horvat, Henning Braaten

Access to the Official Website of DC shoes:
http://www.dcshoes.com/home/
DC skateboard website: http://skate.dcshoes.com/

DC RSS FEED: http://skate.dcshoes.com/news/feeds/latest/

Other shoes DC tests on le site du skate:

DC shoes video tests of le site du skate :

Dc Youtube Videos:

DC Shoes Canada "Portage" Part 1
"the canadian dc shoes skate crew give’r across canada. Skaters include paul trep , ryan oughton, arron johnson, chad dickson, sasha daley, will marshall, swell and sean hays"

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

DC Shoes Canada "Portage" Part 2

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Infos
After Lakai and the Koston’s, Emerica and the Marc Johnson’s, DC relaunched the manufacturing of several legendary shoes: First the Rick Howard renamed the Biltmore with a slightly different sole, very similar to the Wenning sole …
DC Biltmore and the old DC howard on the right

But DC also (re)releases the Danny Way 1 on the left and the Colin MC Kay 1 on the right

Tags:Anthony Lopez, black, Colin Mc Kay, comfortable, comfortable shoes, Danny Way, dcshoes, DCSHOES Pure, Devine Calloway, Greg Myers, Henning Braaten, Jani Laitiala, Jody Smith, josh kalis, Laurent Gehin, Lindsey Robertson, Manuel Margreiter, not resistant, Petr Horvat, Pj Ladd, Rob Dyrdek, royal, Ruben Garcia, Ryan Smith, shoes, skate shoes, skateboard, skateboard shoes, Wes Kremer, white

Articles en rapport

DC shoes Girl collection Summer 2009 featuring the Chelsea, the Manteca, and the Venice

Brolivier — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:42:06 +0000

We were presenting you the DC shoes skate Summer 2009 collection two days ago, today we’re gonna talk about the Girls collection.

The new colors, so classy : the Chelsea.

They also exist in high version

The Venice is another classy shoe from DC girls , wich exists in Mid.

Then we have some very simple shoes such as the Court Graffic, Net, Pikie Fairy or Alliance.

Back to the high end models with the Manteca 2 and their incredible colors ( it’s kind of Nike SB’s Dunk High with all those different versions in different colors)

More shoe such as the Chase, the Spruce, the Volcano LX and the Versatile

What do you think about that ? I don’t wear girl clothes but the Chelseas and the Versatiles kick ass

Access to DC shoes official website : http://www.dcshoes.com/home/

Tags:Chelsea, dc shoes, Girl collection, Manteca, Spruce, Summer 2009, venice, Versatile, Volcano LX

Articles en rapport

DC shoes 2009 skateboard collection with the Park WC, Manteca Tie Dye, True, Tribe S Laitiala, Pj Ladd

Brolivier — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:35:36 +0000

Yesterday we went to DC shoes to take some photos of the summer 2009 collection that we are going to present now.

Let’s start with the skateboard collection, the DC shoes Girls part will complete this article within a few days. First, there are the shoes (non pro model) with DC shoes ‘ classics such as the Pure or the Manteca or the Match S. The main changes are the colors.

First, the Pure Skate Plaza , here on the right.

Then the last Park WC

Then we have the legendary Manteca 3 with the New York Knicks’ colors

and the Tie Dye graphics

The Match S in Tie Dye fashion, in low rise and mid .Full test of the DC shoes match S here

The True is a very thin shoe that probably brings a very good board control with it. The kind of Shoes that Devine Calloway likes to wear!

The Crew is in the same fashion as the True. Thin and comfortable

DVS had already released a special serie of shoes for the photographers but nothing was done for Mike Blabac and it’s now DC shoes that is taking care of it with the Azure Mid Blabac edition.

Then we find the new colors of the brand’s pro models with

Rob Dyrdek : the Dyrdek 2009 has no more air cushioning and is available in Jean’s fabric…

Many new colors for the Josh Kalis 7 already tested by Olive

Ryan Smith’s shoe has already been tested on le site du skate but the brand releases 2 new colors for the summer 09 with a little upgrade on the shoe….. no more logo on the heel.
Both new colors

European rider Jani Laitiala is a killer, he’s pro at Blind , therefore DC shoes offered him two colors for his pro model on the tribe S model.
Here they are

And the Pj Ladd , DC’s labs’ latest release. A bit fat but it looks very resistant . Huge tab, air cushioning, huge laces protections….

To conclude, here are the latest trendy matchings with the DC City Packs collection

And finally, the legendary Tie Dye graphics wich is used on a big part of the summer 09 collection with 2 T Shirts, a cap, 2 zippers et 3 pairs of shoes.

Access to DC shoes official website : http://www.dcshoes.com/home/
DC skate website : http://skate.dcshoes.com/

DC RSS FEED : http://skate.dcshoes.com/news/feeds/latest/

Tags:2009, Collection, dc shoes, Laitiala, Manteca, Park WC, Pj Ladd, skate, Tie Dye, Tribe S, True

Articles en rapport

Board Darkstar Armor Ply Adam Dyet Pro Model, the Armor Ply 8 technology + 1 carbon fiber combined: this time I agree about the solidity

Brolivier — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:04:50 +0000

After the inconclusive test of my Darkstar Armor light Machnau Paul 2 years ago … and Dam’s test of his board Darkstar Armor Light team serie , Darkstar strongly comes back with the armor PLY technology in carbon fiber …not Armor light but PLY… and it’s the second pro model of Adam Dyet with Darkstar.

Let’s see what is this technology about and why I do agree about the solidity of this brand new product made in the "dwindle factories" (which is the distributor of Darkstar, Blind, Almost, Enjoi, Speed Demons, Tensor …)

The product:
board Darkstar Adam Dyet pro model- Armor Ply Carbon fiber technology - The first one of this high end serie.

This is a new process of manufacturing with 8 layers of maple combined with a layer of carbon fiber bonded to the Epoxy SuperBonding glue.
=> The most durable board with extra pop by Darkstar!

Check their commercials here:

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

The design:
ON THE BOARD (underneath the grip)

You can see the extra carbon in the middle of the deck – its surface follows the contours of the board 3 / 4 centimeters off the edges of the board.
The interval is painted in black (it’s classic wood below).
A quite stylish DarkStar ARMORPLY logo in the center. Very "Darkness" …the brand stick to its oublic image.
Once the grip sticked you do not see it anymore.

Here, some photos before the gripping

On the left, the new board, view from the top
Middle: DarkStar ARMORPLY logo in macro
On the right: the board before gripping it …. I always scrap the top of the board with a piece of grip before blowing the dust away

Why?
This allows the grip to hang better to your deck, it’s perfect for spring…

UNDER THE BOARD
A design which "hurt the eyes", as I have been told!
When you look at the design for a fews seconds you can see the fractals turning and taking you deep inside the bottom of the deck! an amazing OPTICAL fx ON a BOARD!
I’ve never seen anything like that before! they nailed it at Darkstar.

50% of the people think that the design is horrible / ugly
But they all admit that it’s an original idea to mix graphics / special effects and skateboard.
I like it .. The color is very warm (for the yellow / green) and leaves paint everywhere you do a backside tail slide.
Therefore we can follow you from Creteil’s curbs to Aix’s skatepark
On the nose: the head / helmet of the Darkstar guy. With the brand name written in V
On the tail: ADAM DYET ARMOR PLY and a small Darkstar logo (click the picture to enlarge )

The painting:
It slides so well and leaves marks everywhere! At least for the first 2 weeks… after that, there isn’t much painting left .
But I was happy during the first couple of weeks : after 5 minutes of use the deck is ready to go.
Here, check the tail and the middle of the board (on the right). Photo prise la 3 ème semaine donc par endroit il n’y a plus de peinture et tu peux voir les rainures du bois. Pic taken on the 3rd week hence there is no more paint left at some point and you can see the wood stripes.
+ Photos of wear at the bottom of the test.
Paint of superior quality (it is thicker) and doesn’t crack

Size / shape:
This is not a "big boat" as Dam’s like riding- his cream 8.125 wide, for example, or his Kanabeach deck. Here it’s a 7.6-inches, hence it’s fine for Street riding (I do not like to go in the park with a 7.5 to give you an idea … I feel way too big on it).

My impressions:
-For aix’s park it’s perfect as the park is street oriented (you do not go very fast during the lines)

-We went to do some ditch with alex and akims, the board was very easy to handle.
-I have been doing sessions in Creteil for the past two weeks, and it still has a good pop to jump over the cops barriers – I can really check the pop on marble and compare it to my other boards because most of the boards I test are tested in Creteil … the best place in France for smooth marble.

In short, here are the pictures of the new board. You can see the low concave and the resemblance between the nose and the tail (when I’m on my board I have to watch the colors of my screws in order to see wich side I’m riding)
And yes, on the same day I mounted the Darkstar Speed Plus Master Urethane wheels – test coming tomorrow

And the mounted set up ( at Dam’s & Jo’s home in Aix en Provence on the 24th of February 2009)

3 pics to see the macro, tail (left) , brand new round quarter(middle) and the nose

The concave:
Quite low for a 7.6 … I’ve seen more pronounced concave before.
But as the deck has a heavy layer of carbon fiber in the center, Darkstar engineers probably had to chose this shape because of physical contraints…. or maybe because it is more resistant therefore needs less concave (which support the board while landing )

Check this macro out and tell me what you think about it.
At Darkstar, they say "full concave". The whole serie is "full concave"
I’ll try to find another one to compare.

Info: when you touch the top of the board, the black part is smooth while the carbon part has grain, texture and you feel that it is another material.

the source:
It’s dwindle Darkstar hence it comes from China (for the assembly … but the wood and the glue come from Canada), but when you see the finish of the board, there is nothing to worry about (excellent finishing of the quarter round wich shows that it was manufactured with care).
It is a good and serious factory that produces it (good quality procedures), because the finish is perfect.

The other models in the serie:

Here are some pics of the previous models Armor XX and Adam:

Armor Light for the first, Paul Machnau’s deck wich I rode 3 years ago and wich lasted 2 sessions. it is old technology.
Armor light again for the second one, that deck is the first Adam Dyet pro model with Darkstar (which I hung on my wall at home, therefore I’ve never ridden it)
And the brand new one on the right.

you can compare the old with the new shape below (pictures are above)

Particularities :

As I told you in the beginning of this article, this board is the first of a new technological serie launched by Darkstar – always at the forefront of skateboarding innovation: the ARMOR PLY.

The price:
those will be available in shops for 65 euros according to my informations – which is more expensive than usual (50 € for a board French) but quite reasonable for a board that is supposed to last very long and that is guaranteed 30 days against layers take-off, and breaking.

Availability:
Go to your shop )

The test:
I mounted it on the 24th of February in Aix en Provence when we came there with Alex and I instantly gripped and sticked it when arriving at the skatepark.

We keep on riding for 4 Hours non stop to test the board. Some slides, blunt, flat, tilted plan, curve, rail, fallss ….

Then little chill out/ rest

And 3 days of skateboard in the South, enjoying the sun and really bringing it to the board. The edges weared out.Check out the round quarters, quite weared out on the surface but still very solid therefore no big burst on the nose. Everything is well stuck

After that I returned to Paris where it was very cold during the following month, so I didn’t ride much. I usually do my 3 flat sessions per week at home, the Palais de Tokyo

But as the sunny weather came back 10 days ago, I could really bring it to the deck while riding in Paris and doing curb.

Here is a photo of my session to get to the Dome (leaving the office / going down the Champs Elysees and arriving at the Palais de Tokyo)

Here is a pic taken on Saturday, March 20th at the Dome. 1 month of use and no cracks
+ The tail, although very weared out because of the brakes is still not pointed.

ah, some layers crushed on the right photo above …

The cracks you can’t see below the board, can be seen from above.
I think it’s good news: the carbon fiber is a flexible material that can be slightly twisted under pressure … which leaves marks on the grip.
Nonetheless, we see nothing underneath the deck as the 8 layers of maple combined with the carbon layer ensure the solidity of the whole.

Look, no crack!

To resume:
A revolution within the skateboarding industry as, after Birdhouse who made 6-layer boards, the Birdhouse Black 6 technology, Darkstar is now releasing a super-resistant model with 8 plies plus a carbon fiber embedded (hence almost 8 ), (fiber known for its qualities in terms of strength).
I can only congratulate a brand that keeps motivating its engineers to push forward the technological boundaries , therefore proposing us a different option from the classic decks (7 plies, epoxy glue).

The team:
Paul Machnau, Chet Thomas,Gailea Momolu ,Mike Hastie, PLG, Adam Dyet
Amateur : Nick Fiorini, Paul Trep, Ryan Decenzo, Terell Robinson, Sven Kilchenmann, Ben Gaugi, Phil MCKnight, Chris Wood

(Did I forgot someone?)

Click here for the Darkstar wood website: http://www.darkstarwood.com/

Other Darkstar tests on the site du skate:
http://le-site-du-skateboard.com/la_maison/darkstar_skateboards/

Videos:
The one at the beginning of the article.
For the riders, do like me, go on youtube
2 videos of Adam Dyet, the contest killer who won the Globe contest Double Stack Attack in Australia in 2007 and a 30 000 $ prize money

Adam Dyet

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Adam Dyet 2007- imagine

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Armor Ply commercials- Terell Robinson sw heel flip board slide:

Tags:8 couches, Adam Dyet, Armor Ply, ArmorPly, Ben Gaugi, Board Darkstar Armor Ply, Chet Thomas, Chris Wood, DARKSTAR, fibre de carbone, Gailea Momolu, gripping job, Mike Hastie, Nick Fiorini, Paul Machnau, Paul Trep, Phil MCKnight, PLG, pro model, Ryan Decenzo, solidité, sticking job, Sven Kilchenmann, technologie Armor Ply, Terell Robinson

Articles en rapport

Autobahn wheels Marc haziza 52 mm : some chili peppers within your deck – Hawaiisurf.com

Brolivier — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:30:20 +0000

After testing some US wheels and some french wheels , we’re testing today an hybrid of these 2 types. An american wheel with the name of a Frenchy on it. That doesn’t happen every day as only Lucas Puig and JB Gillet got their names printed on american wheels (for Autobahn, and Gold Wheels )
The product: Autobahn wheels Marc Haziza Pro model
Let’s remind that Mark Haziza is still recovering from a fall while snowboarding. We wish him good recovery.

The design of the wheel:
A wheel with the same colors as the Pat Duffy model, and with a pepper printed on it

Certainly, there is a link between that wheel,

his Harissa deck and his trucks pro model with Falcon.
Basically it is the "complete chili pepper package"
Here is Haziza’s pepper pack and his 2 new pro models from Premium.

The Size:
52 mm. It fits me perfectly, eventhough I always thought that Marco was riding bigger wheels as he enjoys curving.
I think Hawaii surf and Autobahn chosed this size because it is versatile enough to please the greatest number.
Width wise, the wheel is similar to the classic models from Autobahn with a quite large wheel that adheres well.

Hardness:
"The harder the wheel (101A), the better it slides ( with more vibrations within the feet). On the other hand, a soft wheel (97A or less) slides very badly but offers a real comfort of ride."
Here I look for 101 A or 99A but not below.

The source:
Made in USA and more especially in the state of Virginia. This is the same manufacturer as Chaka Wheels or Satory.
Is it really necessary for the wheel ? Is the urethan better in the US ?

Particularities :
An Autobahn wheel with the name of Marc Haziza is really nice.
Marc Haziza is the third French rider to get his name on a wheel, but that pro model won’t be distributed worldwide.
It is a partnership between Autobahn and Hawaii Surf which has been sponsoring marco for years now.

The dual core "dual duro "(2 materials) is supposed to give more response and rapidity to the wheel.
Why?
Because the flexibility of the external part allows to hold to the ground and to absorb all the bad shits ( vibrations, rocks, slides…) and the solid and rigid internal part provides a secure road holding and a better transmission of the forces from the wheel to the truck.

Other models of the brand:


	The Dual Duro The Dual Duro 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, and 55 mm 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, and 55 mm natural white with clear core clear white with natural core 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core		The Dual Duro II Sport The Dual Duro II Sport 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, and 54 mm 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, and 54 mm pure white with clear core pure white with clear core 99A outer/ 101A core Outer 99A / 101A core


	The GT/R Series The GT / R Series 50, 52, 54, and 58 mm 50, 52, 54, and 58 mm jet black with clear core jet black with clear core 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core		F-1 Redlines Redline F-1 50, 51, 52, 53, and 54 mm 50, 51, 52, 53, and 54 mm pure white with translucent red core pure white with red translucent core 99A outer/ 101A core Outer 99A / 101A core


	The Enduro Series The Enduro Series 55, 57, 59, and 61 mm 55, 57, 59, and 61 mm natural white with clear core clear white with natural core 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core		The M-Series The M-Series 50, 52, and 54 mm 50, 52, and 54 mm natural white with black plastic core natural white with black plastic core 99A 99A


	All-Road All-Road 56 mm 56 mm white with black plastic core white with black plastic core 80A 80A		Turbocore 50 Turbocor 50 50 mm 50 mm white with black plastic core white with black plastic core 99A 99A


	Turbocore 51 Turbocor 51 51 mm 51 mm white with black plastic core white with black plastic core 99A 99A		Turbocore 52 Turbocor 52 52 mm 52 mm white with black plastic core white with black plastic core 99A 99A


	Turbocore 53 Turbocor 53 53 mm 53 mm white with black plastic core white with black plastic core 99A 99A		Turbocore 54 Turbocor 54 54 mm 54 mm white with black plastic core white with black plastic core 99A 99A


	Adelmo Jr. Pro Series Adelmo Jr. Pro Series 50 and 52 mm 50 and 52 mm khaki outer with clear core khaki outer core with clear 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core		Donny Barley Pro Series Donny Barley Pro Series 52 and 54 mm 52 and 54 mm pure white outer with trans. pure white outer with trans. green core green core 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core


	Steve Caballero Pro Series Steve Caballero Pro Series 53 and 54 mm 53 and 54 mm pure white outer with trans. pure white outer with trans. red core red core 99A outer/ 101A core Outer 99A / 101A core		Chico Brenes Pro Series Chico Brenes Pro Series 51 and 53 mm 51 and 53 mm pure white outer with trans. pure white outer with trans. brown core brown core 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core


	Pat Duffy Pro Series Pro Series Pat Duffy 50.5 and 52.5 mm 50.5 and 52.5 mm pure white outer with trans. pure white outer with trans. orange core orange core 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core		Ricky Oyola Pro Series Ricky Oyola Pro Series 53 and 54 mm 53 and 54 mm pure white outer with trans. pure white outer with trans. asphalt core asphalt core 99A outer/ 101A core Outer 99A / 101A core


	Joey Pepper Pro Series Joey Pepper Pro Series 50 and 52 mm 50 and 52 mm pure white outer with trans. pure white outer with trans. yellow core yellow core 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core		Clint Peterson Pro Series Clint Peterson Pro Series 51 and 53 mm 51 and 53 mm pure white outer with trans. pure white outer with trans. purple core purple core 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core


	Lucas Puig Pro Series Lucas Puig Pro Series 52 and 53 mm 52 and 53 mm white outer with translucent blue core white with translucent blue outer core 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core		Donny Barley Pro L/E Donny Barley Pro L / E 53 mm 53 mm black outer with translucent green core black with translucent green outer core 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core


	Chico Brenes Pro L/E Chico Brenes Pro L / E 53 mm 53 mm tan outer with translucent brown core tan brown translucent outer core with 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core		Ricky Oyola Pro L/E Ricky Oyola Pro L / E 52 mm 52 mm grey outer with translucent asphalt core gray with translucent outer core asphalt 99A outer/ 101A core Outer 99A / 101A core


	Joey Pepper Pro L/E Joey Pepper Pro L / E 51 mm 51 mm black outer with translucent yellow core black with translucent yellow outer core 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core		Clint Peterson Pro L/E Clint Peterson Pro L / E 52 mm 52 mm white outer with translucent purple core translucent white with purple outer core 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core


	Lucas Puig Pro L/E Lucas Puig Pro L / E 51 mm 51 mm white outer with translucent blue core white with translucent blue outer core 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core		Dual Duro L/E II Dual Duro L / E II 52 mm 52 mm bright pink outer with clear core bright pink with clear outer core 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core


	Dual Duro L/E II Dual Duro L / E II 53 mm 53 mm bright orange outer with clear core bright orange with clear outer core 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core		Dual Duro L/E III Dual Duro L / E III 50 mm 50 mm translucent blue outer with clear core blue translucent outer core with clear 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core


	Dual Duro L/E III Dual Duro L / E III 51 mm 51 mm translucent purple outer with clear core purple translucent outer core with clear 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core		Dual Duro L/E III Dual Duro L / E III 52 mm 52 mm translucent green outer with clear core green translucent outer core with clear 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core


	Dual Duro L/E III Dual Duro L / E III 53 mm 53 mm translucent red outer with clear core translucent red with clear outer core 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core		Dual Duro L/E III Dual Duro L / E III 54 mm 54 mm translucent pink outer with clear core pink translucent outer core with clear 97A outer/ 101A core Outer 97A / 101A core

Availability: Hawaii Surf (click here to go to the product page).

Price:
46 Euros at Hawaii Surf (click here to go to the product page). Quite fair when you see that the ricta costs 50 and the Spitfire Classic Wheels costs 45 €.

The test:

The wheel is very fast and strangely, it slides well (for example while bluntsliding)
A small flat after 2 sessions, but it quickly disappeard. No real flat issues, as awlays with Autobahn.
The dual core works well since the wheel is comfortable, fast and strong. The width of the wheel provides a good grip which allows you to feel confident when you turn.
Beware, it is 101A or 99A, therefore when you cruise more than 20 minutes, the feet start to hurt badly…. nothing like the Bones ATF formula for that matter.

The design holds well but the wheel becomes orange at some point.

I’ll say more when I’ll get some news ….

To resume: A high quality wheel with the name of a French legend on top of it. I say YES!

The other Autobahn tests are to watch on the following links
http://le-site-du-skateboard.com/la_maison/autobahn_wheels/ http://le-site-du-skateboard.com/la_maison/autobahn_wheels/

The official website: http://www.autobahnwheelco.com/
Marc Haziza’s blog: http://marchaziza.skatelenet.info/ http://marchaziza.skatelenet.info/

The team:
Pro
Donny Barley Chico Brenes Joey Brezinski Steve Caballero Ron Deily Benny Fairfax Adelmo Jr. Ricky Oyola Joey Pepper Clint Peterson Lucas Puig Eli Reed Nikhil Thayer Malcolm Watson

The french team
Remy Taveira, Adrien bulard and Marc Haziza

Some commercials
Pat Duffy and Lucas Puig

Joey Pepper and Oyola

Videos:

Marc Haziza on Cap 24

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Marc Haziza on Champigny’s ramp

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Final of the Cosa Cup 2008 with the Autobahn team composed of Remy Taveira, Adrien bulard and Marc Haziza

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Tags:52 mm, Autobahn wheels, Board, chili peppee, Hawaiisurf skateshop, Marc haziza, skateboard