Room 21 Skateboards
Aaron Harrison Model
Retail $49
I went to Heckler lookin’ to buy a board and avoid the
taxman. Walking away with a Room 21 Aaron Harrison pro model,
I was grateful that all they asked in return were some words.
The board is cleanly shaped and straight from the top down.
There’s some hot girl holding a smoking gun printed on
the bottom, she got me goin’ cause I’m easily excitable.
While gripping it, I knew what I had to do...I proceeded to
the nearest pool. Then back to the burbs for what ended up being
a good four hour session. I’d say the board was warmed
up before I was, landing further than I expected still stuck
nicely to my feet. Smooth concave and the big nose suits me.
This model had no qualms. The kind of stick that will make you
try new tricks all day and celebrate. Get drunk and fight your
friends and take them home in the morning.
The sun was long since gone, and I was off to heed the trusted
advice of my bartender – a couple of Tolland specials,
a few “almost too big for a short man” blue ribbons
later, and there were rave reviews from around the bar, especially
the ladies. I’ve got the feeling this deck will see me
well through plenty more cold weather sessions. www.room21skateboards.com
Adrenaline Skateboard
Chris Senn Signature
Retail $49
Hey whatever happened to that one skateboard company from about
five or so years ago that was owned by those two pros Chris
Senn and Jaya Bonderov? Remember how they started up and soon
after began to dominate as the sick new company. I started to
see their logo everywhere and stores would sell out of their
merchandise fast. So what happened? Well it’s really none
of our business, they just vanished. I still keep a beat up
t-shirt in my closet with the Adrenaline Logo in an Iron Maiden
style font. Ok, so I’m telling you all this because they
have regenerated to the surface, the soul of Adrenalin Skateboards,
and are back to pick up where they had left off. Their decks
are now pressed at Chapman Skateboards. The boards have proven
to be light and snappy with a stiff medium concave. Skateboarder
owned and operated with a grassroots team of skaters.
Element Skateboards
Billy Pepper (Arbor Series)
Retail $49
First off, Fuck the Police! Secondly, FUCK THE PO-LICE. Everyone’s
been kicked out of spots, hassled by store owners and Rent-A-Cops.
But this never happened before:
It was like any other day, skate at a spot, fun. A friend and
I were actually done skating and on our way back to the car,
pushing through the blacktop area of a school. One cop rolled
up on us and instantly popped his trunk. Even though this had
somehow never happened to me before, I knew exactly at that
moment that my three times sessioned Billy Pepper was about
to be peaced-out. If my board being confiscated, ticket and
court date were not enough, one of the bitch-ass cops actually
told me “he used to skate,” and had a vert ramp in
his backyard. Now I really didn’t believe him until he
told me he was down with Randy Katten of the N-Men Pool Service
crew.
How much of a sell-out do you have to be? The more I think about
the situation the more I feel like I’ve been stabbed in
the back by my own brother. Now I know that sounds weak, but
what the fuck. Elements’ boards are clean. They have great
shapes, and some of the best pop in the business as you all
may know. This was the second Arbor series board I rode. The
first lasted well until I got another one from the Heck-Dawgs.
This was one of the best boards I’ve ever ridden, no exaggeration.
Airwalks
Jesse Paez model
Retail $100 I
recently got a chance to test the the Jesse Paez model from
Airwalks. I was kind of skeptical on accepting these simply
because Airwalks haven’t really been in style. I don’t
see their name in magazines or sponsoring too many skate competitions,
and what are people going to think I’m trying to prove?
That Airwalks are still good shoes? I felt more like I was making
a fashion statement. But then I figured why the hell not? I
mean Airwalk used to be one of the top innovators in the skate
shoe technology and made some great shoes back in the day. I’ve
been skating for six years and I know what I like in a skate
shoe. The Paez’s have a very thick and stiff sole with
an air pocket, which doesn’t make the best combination
if you want to feel your board. The rubber ollie pad and good
lace protection made the shoe a little more resistant to wear
than most, unfortunately the stitching blew out rather quickly.
I also happen to have wide feet, which didn’t help because
these shoes aren’t built for that. After an hour of skating
my feet began to feel like fire hot bricks. The tongue doesn’t
have much padding to it, same along with the sides and back
of the shoe. All of the weight is in the soul of the shoe. I
personally like a more balanced shoe. I suggest this technical-style
shoe for anyone who has skinny feet, and who likes to take long
hikes and jump off rocks. On the J-Rad shoe scale from 1-10,
10 being the best, I observe and feel that the Airwalk Jesse
Paez shoes deserve 4. Jesse Paez, you may have been the designer
of the great Visalia Skatepark, but your skate shoes aren’t
that great.
Spitfire Wheels
Hardline 54mm 101
Retail $28 Hard
as hell and faster than the devil himself, these wheels are
not for the faint of heart. Seriously, I was a bit intimidated
by how hard these wheels were at first and I had to admit to
myself that they aren’t really meant to be an “all-around”
good wheel – they are designed for a very specific purpose
– SPEED! God forbid you ride these wheels on rough asphalt
because these wheels have no give at all and you will feel every
ridge and every pebble on the road. But if you have a smooth
concrete spot nearby or if you have a polished concrete skatepark
nearby – these wheels will kill – you will fly all
over the place like a ninja.
Vans Shoes
Carver Model
Retail $60 These
shoes are sleek and black and make me want to sit back, mack
and relax. You could skate in these (because they have the comfort
and breatheability Vans are known for) but the Carvers aren’t
really a skate shoe as much as they are just a really, really
nice lookin’ pair of mack-daddy shoes. These are comfortable,
casual dress shoes that you can feel cool about wearing. I would
wear these to a club or to a nice dinner, or to meet my girlfriend’s
parents, or for a school dance. These are stylish, swank and
skateable.
Vans Shoes
Old School Flames
Retail $45 These
are so rock star it hurts. Stylish, light, lowtop, canvas with
leather toe, grippy sole – everything that made Vans the
shit when you were a kid, and now Vans is brining it all back
exactly as you remember. Nowadays every skate shoe company is
trying to add more padding, “protection” and thicker
soles to their shoes to make them more durable – but there’s
a fine line between protecting your feet and isolating them
from feeling your board. Some of the gnarliest Dog Town skaters
busted sick-ass moves in shoes just like these and that fact
alone should justify you plunking down a few dollars to take
this trip down memory lane.
I
recently got a chance to test the the Jesse Paez model from
Airwalks. I was kind of skeptical on accepting these simply
because Airwalks haven’t really been in style. I don’t
see their name in magazines or sponsoring too many skate competitions,
and what are people going to think I’m trying to prove?
That Airwalks are still good shoes? I felt more like I was making
a fashion statement. But then I figured why the hell not? I
mean Airwalk used to be one of the top innovators in the skate
shoe technology and made some great shoes back in the day. I’ve
been skating for six years and I know what I like in a skate
shoe. The Paez’s have a very thick and stiff sole with
an air pocket, which doesn’t make the best combination
if you want to feel your board. The rubber ollie pad and good
lace protection made the shoe a little more resistant to wear
than most, unfortunately the stitching blew out rather quickly.
I also happen to have wide feet, which didn’t help because
these shoes aren’t built for that. After an hour of skating
my feet began to feel like fire hot bricks. The tongue doesn’t
have much padding to it, same along with the sides and back
of the shoe. All of the weight is in the soul of the shoe. I
personally like a more balanced shoe. I suggest this technical-style
shoe for anyone who has skinny feet, and who likes to take long
hikes and jump off rocks. On the J-Rad shoe scale from 1-10,
10 being the best, I observe and feel that the Airwalk Jesse
Paez shoes deserve 4. Jesse Paez, you may have been the designer
of the great Visalia Skatepark, but your skate shoes aren’t
that great.
Hard
as hell and faster than the devil himself, these wheels are
not for the faint of heart. Seriously, I was a bit intimidated
by how hard these wheels were at first and I had to admit to
myself that they aren’t really meant to be an “all-around”
good wheel – they are designed for a very specific purpose
– SPEED! God forbid you ride these wheels on rough asphalt
because these wheels have no give at all and you will feel every
ridge and every pebble on the road. But if you have a smooth
concrete spot nearby or if you have a polished concrete skatepark
nearby – these wheels will kill – you will fly all
over the place like a ninja. 
These
shoes are sleek and black and make me want to sit back, mack
and relax. You could skate in these (because they have the comfort
and breatheability Vans are known for) but the Carvers aren’t
really a skate shoe as much as they are just a really, really
nice lookin’ pair of mack-daddy shoes. These are comfortable,
casual dress shoes that you can feel cool about wearing. I would
wear these to a club or to a nice dinner, or to meet my girlfriend’s
parents, or for a school dance. These are stylish, swank and
skateable.
These
are so rock star it hurts. Stylish, light, lowtop, canvas with
leather toe, grippy sole – everything that made Vans the
shit when you were a kid, and now Vans is brining it all back
exactly as you remember. Nowadays every skate shoe company is
trying to add more padding, “protection” and thicker
soles to their shoes to make them more durable – but there’s
a fine line between protecting your feet and isolating them
from feeling your board. Some of the gnarliest Dog Town skaters
busted sick-ass moves in shoes just like these and that fact
alone should justify you plunking down a few dollars to take
this trip down memory lane.