I’ve noticed that a lot of the longboard builders starting to design and manufacture decks along the lines of mainstream street and pool boards. Some are even producing them.
I have also noticed the migrations of the new crop of groms are more in the vein of a street and pool background. A lot of their bag of tricks consists of street and bank oriented tricks. The possibilities seem endless.
As skateboarding always does, it has not disappointed me in its ever evolving state. The eye of the builder with their pulse on the industry to anticipate and develop along with the ever changing styles is a testament to their true knowledge of the sport.
The following are questions I have posed to some of our industries true builders:
Tyler Fines of 'Get Longboards' Mike Horelick of Tunnel Skateboards"
Tim Schaefer of 'Nevada Decks' Eric Williams of Dubs Longboards
Q: As longboarding evolves, do you find your builds evolving in certain directions?
A: Eric : Most certainly! Catering to a sport that is always evolving is the name of the game. Having boards with a dedicated purpose in the line-up is just as important as ones that can 'do it all'. As more and more riders are adopting and creating a new wave of street/downhill/freeride we find ourselves trying to create those all-in-one decks.
A: Tyler : With the changing trends in longboarding we find ourselves creating boards that can be used for every variety of skating so you can skate everything on one board rather than having multiple boards for different things. Our new GET GDK has really filled this spot in our line up. We designed it with a mellow enough concave for some street style tricks but with optimized concave that locks you in for higher speed slides.
A: Tim : Disciplines are very much cross grained into todays skaters. We see a lot of skaters crossplatforming disciplines and theres a balance we bring in our designs to accomodate and excellerate their styles. Our new mold that I am building is a great example of this, theres nothing like it on the market. Follow our Facebook page for further updates and release dates.
A: Mike : The influences between skateboard disciplines has grown closer. Longboards often boast nose and kicktails. Shortboards are getting wider for more traction. Good skaters often cross boundaries.
Q: I’ve noticed the influx of pool and street influenced decks in your lineups, could you tell us about them?
A: Eric : Simple, those boards in our line-up offer larger wheelbases, deck lengths and widths compared to typical pool and street decks. They serve as good hybrids for riders looking to transition from one discipline to another. We are about to take it one step further, by creating a line of skateboards comparable in specs to those typical pool and street decks on the market. Keep your eyes peeled for the new breed!
A: Tyler : We have designed three more street/freestyle oriented boards, as well as offer most of our downhill and free ride boards with a full kicktail. There is certainly a growing demand for boards in all disciplines that have kicktails. It allows the board to become more cross disciplinary.
A: Tim : Our "Sloppy Joe" has been an evolving board in our lineup. It started as a single kick and is now on it's third generation and now is a double kick deck. We are currently redesigning the shape, new for 2014. We also have the Californian KT37 which is a single kick. The concave is a straight forward cave at 1/2" and carries the cave onto the kick for a very nice locked in leverage for blunts and tail tricks.
A: Mike : Tunnel has a history in all types of skateboarding – downhill, freestyle, pool and park, and street. We are always looking for ways to explore these areas.
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