Bob's Trick Tips

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This is a bit late -- but I am sad to report that former Powell-Peralta pro skater Ray Underhill has died after a long fight with cancer.

Ray was a serious vert ripper. I never met him, but everyone says he was a great guy. Here's some video someone posted on youtube. enjoy.

From Sarge...(by the way, Sarge skates for Small School Cooperation).

It has been a while since I've made a new entry here. Yes, I still exist. I haven't been skating a lot, as I've had a knee injury. Been riding the bicycle a lot to strengthen the knee.

Anyway, I want to tell you about this kid -- Johnny Romano. This kid has leukemia and is fighting for his life. He's only 10, and he's a serious ripper. But you know, even if he weren't such a ripper, he's a skater, and skaters need to support each other. You can see him skate a bit here, on the Deluxe website.

We all have our daily challenges. Some of you out there may have some hard ones. This kid is in a life or death struggle.

If you want to help out his family with the medical expenses, here is a place you can donate via PayPal.

If not, why not post up a supportive comment on the blog or on the Deluxe site, eh?

If you are interested in flatland freestyle, and you need a sweet sweet board to get your flip on, the Small School Cooperation has what you need.

SS has multiple models of FS board -- from very traditional 1980s size stuff to larger, more modern decks. Check out the web shop. They have boards in stock, ready to be abused!

But wait - there's more!

SS also has the proper trucks and wheels and whatnot to make these boards purr like a kitten and then BAM -- roar like a lion. The School can also answer your questions about how to set the boards up.

Freestyle Contest. Inglewood, California. Check it out.

Fletcher was in the Dallas area yesterday, so I met him at the skatepark in Irving. Check out this footage:

A couple of things of interest...

Randal Trucks has just released the improved version of their website. You can now buy individual Randal parts, allowing you to customize your longboard/downhill board. Check it.

Bob's Trick Tips has a YouTube account, on which I'm posting occasional stuff.

That is all.

A couple of months ago, Loaded Longboards sent me this killer setup. Well, actually mine is a little different. I stole this image from Mile High Skates, where you can purchase this fine beast.

Loaded has been making some of the most innovative boards around for a couple of years now. Having the Adams on their crew hasn't hurt either. The Dervish is the most recent addition to their line.

Like all their boards, the Dervish is built from Bamboo and Epoxy/Glass. Its a totally environmentally friendly board. The Bamboo/Glass construction gives it a really snappy flex. Not bouncy at all -- but responsive.

The board is 41.5" long, 8.5" wide, with a 33" wheelbase. You can see it compared to a couple of other boards here.

As you can see, the trucks actually mount on the top of the board, dropping through. This lowers the board, making it more stable while carving and ripping your favorite hill, sidewalk, or parking lot. With the cutaway nose and tail, you can run pretty much any size wheel you want and have not worry at all about wheel bite.

My board came with the new 10" Gullwing Charger trucks. They are great trucks. I'd recommend either them or a standard Randal-II 180mm truck. I set this up with 72mm Pink Powerballs and Biltin Bearings.

The first thing you'd notice if you picked up my setup is how light it is. Even with big wheels, the sucker is light. That's because the board itself if really light.

Like their other boards, the Dervish comes in a couple of different flexes. A softer flex (Flex 2) for you lightweights, and a harder flex (Flex 1) for big tubs like me.

If you've ridden any of Loaded's other boards, like the Vanguard, you will find the Dervish is very different. It has less camber, straight rails, and is just a little more predictable in any riding situation. However, like the Vanguard, the Dervish is bi-directional. You can ride it either way -- both sides are exactly symetrical.

A huge and special thanks to Loaded Boards for continuing to support Bob's Trick Tips, longboarding, and innovative thinking.

Here is a rad video of the Adams riding the Dervish. These guys are just the worlds absolute masters of this kind of riding. Makes you want to buy a Dervish. Well -- do it!

Erwin Schuijtvlot, in the Netherlands, filmed this great trick and submitted it. Erwin is really, really good at this stuff. This trick is just the tip of the iceberg...

Erwin skates for Chaos Brothers, and you can check out his other stuff on YouTube

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