Friday, November 30, 2012

PROTO Scooters Armageddon Bonus Montage + Premiere Reminder



The wait is almost over, this weekend the new PROTO Dvd, Armageddon, is dropping. We all remember the last PROTO Dvd which set the standard for dvds/team videos in the sport. Well my guess is that PROTO is going to be raising that bar to new heights this weekend. For now enjoy this latest montage released by PROTO featuring footage from the guys that didn't make it into the DVD.



Also as a reminder, you can get all the information about the premiere on the flyer below. Both premieres are FREE, and a select amount of DVDs will be on sale for 10 bucks. So bring some cash.



Thursday, November 29, 2012

Addict So What? Full Video


So What is finally online, I don't think anyone saw that coming on a random Thursday evening.  But who cares, this video was the most insane thing I've ever seen.  Favorite section was McKeen's...you think you're ready for his part?  Well you're not.  Get hyped, sit down with a nice drink and fullscreen this thing (click the picture to watch on the Addict website).

Brenton Reid 2012 Mothership Promo



This one slipped by me for a quick minute but check it out if you haven't already.  He's got the hard spins both ways dialed.  He worked on this for quite a long time and you can tell, awesome video.

Welcome to Mothership: Jessee Ikedah and Heston Gross



Here are a few clips on a rail that Jessee and Heston filmed for Mothership.  That banger though...oof.  I hope we can see some real edits of these guys soon.

Reece Jones Welcome to Unfair Scooters



Reece is really good and so is this video.  Tame Impala + rail shredding, whats not to love?  Reece footage is few and far between but it's always so good.

Vincent Kudrna Envy Web Edit 2



I can't even comprehend most of the tricks that were being done but they all look really difficult to do.  Vince is definitely one of those robotic type riders who can do just about any trick he wants.  The whole Envy team seems to be that way actually.

AO Epsilon Complete Scooter

So I didn't know AO was actually making a complete scooter, but in turns out they have. Their complete features parts from Raptor and 841, and also one piece bars, and new forks..that I haven't heard anything about yet performance wise. To learn more about the AO Epsilon Complete, see the information provided below by AO.




AO scooters are the first decks specifically designed for street. Key
innovation of the deck is a removable soul frame and nose blunt plate which are made of a super tough plastic material. This not only protects your deck but enables you to effortlessly grind anything: unwaxed curbs, concrete and stone ledges, wood and it even gives you more control on metal rails. The grind plate adds significant strength to the deck and opens a wide range of new obstacles and tricks. Now the fun begins on the curb right in front of your doorsteps and you can do tricks on your scooter anytime, anywhere.

The complete Epsilon scooter comes with the finest and strongest components available: The threadless fork is forged in one piece out of a block of aluminum under 5 tons of pressure making it extremely strong yet light weight. The headtube is fully integrated and comes with sealed bearings and hidden internal compression system (HIC) which is the gold standard for bikes and scooters. Other features are an oversized Y-shaped handle bar in 4130 Chromoly steel with a triple clamp in 6061 T6 aluminum, flangeless Raptor Scale grips for easy bar spins and shock absorption and 110 mm 841 aluminum wheels for superfast speeds and perfect grip.


The Epsilon deck is made of re-heat treated 6061 T6 aluminum in one of the world’s leading BMX factories. The slightly concave deck is 4 ½” wide (115 mm) and features a completely flat bottom to maximize the grinding area. It comes in 3 lengths (19 ½”, 20 ½” and 21 ¼”) and weighs 3.8 lbs. (1.6 kg). Other features are a rounded stainless steel flex brake to avoid flat spots on your wheel and 8 mm high tensile Chromoly axle bolts (12.9 grade). 


Epsilon Complete Features: 

- Deck in re-heat treated 6061 T6 aluminum
- Fully integrated system (HIC)
- Flat bottom
- Super tough grind plate
- Nose blunt grind plate
- Rounded, stainless steel flex brake (2 mm)
- 8 mm high tensile Chromoly axle bolt (12.9 grade)

- Head tube angle 82.5
- width: 4 ½” (115 mm)
- Threadless forged fork, 7” (178 mm), closed top, internal thread, compression system
- Sealed bearings
- Chromoly handle bar, oversized, height 23” x width 22” (580 x 560 mm)
- Raptor Scale Grips, flangeless
- Triple clamp, 6061 T6 aluminum
- 110 mm 841 wheels, ABEC 7 Titen bearings

3 Sizes:
Size s: 19 ½” (495 mm)
Size m: 20½” (520 mm)
Size l: 21 ¼” (535 mm)

Twisted Products Arrived

Twisted has been working on their product line for a while now, and they just got some new stuff in. They started out with their shop, and some bars, but they've now started manufacturing all kinds of products. One of them of course being their dirt scooter. You guys can see pics of their new stuff below, and you can head over to their website by clicking the link below.


http://www.twistedscooters.com/



Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Nitro Circus Live: Life in the Circus with Ryan Williams



"Ryan Williams is absolutely amazing."  You can't really get much of a better complement than that, coming from arguably the greatest action sports athlete ever.  This video documents Ryan's experience in the Nitro Circus tour.  It's really cool to see what it's like for him, and what the other guys think of him.  Seeing him kill it on the Mega really makes me psyched to have him in our sport.

Tabitha Windle 2012 Madd Edit


Tabitha has been riding for ShopECX for a few years now, representing out of Florida. She also recently got on the Madd Girls Team, and got this edit done for ShopECX and MaddGear. Had some good clips in there. Check it out



Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Hella Grip Homies West Oakland Mini Ramp Sesh


Some of the Hella Grip Homies got this chill edit done while in West Oakland at Town Park. Stefan was killing it. Check it out below.





Also check out the Facebook Contests that Hella Grip is currently having. Head over to their Facebook by clicking the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/HellaGrip


Phase 2 Dirt Scooters at Scooter Garage

Scooter Garage now has the Phase 2 Dirt Scoots in stock, and they made a pretty cool promo video showcasing the product. Check it out, and head over to Scooter Garage if you want to grab on of the new Dirt Scooters from Phase 2.

http://www.sgscooters.com/



Jon Reyes/Elmer Ferreiras Day Edit



Here's some rad clips from Jon and Elmer at Throgg's Neck skatepark.  Elmer straight killed it, definitely hyping me up for his part in Proto Armageddon.  Backside sugarcanes are so crazy.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Seattle Street Contest Official Video



The official video from the Seattle jam is finally out.  There's a lot of footage from Garfield which we've seen already but also a lot from some ledges.  Looked like a fun time for sure, tons of bangers being thrown down as well as some awesome cash prizes.

Inside the Lens Week #75



Photographer: Lawrence Rubin
Rider: Joseph Wharehinga
Trick: Inward Scooterflip
Location: Auckland, New Zealand

-Must be attached in an email sent to ISpotw@live.com along with photographer name, rider name, trick name, and location.  No external links will be considered. -Sent by 11:59 PM CST every Saturday to be considered to be posted the next day. -Will be judged by composition, image quality, subject matter, feeling, and overall impression 




name:Ryan Hoyt 
filmer: Nic Politi 
location: Santa Clarita skatepark, california.

-Must be sent to IScotw@live.com along with filmer name, rider name, and location. -Sent by 11:59 PM CST every Saturday to be considered to be posted the next day. -Will be judged by riding, filming, editing, and overall impression. -Clips must be no longer than 30 seconds long, with no music. Color correction will be allowed.


Elyts in Barcelona

Elyts in Barcelona from Elyts on Vimeo.

Marko Szabo, Luke Painter, Jonas Kjaer, Benjamin Friant, Ruben Rodriguez and Jerry Walther all went on a trip to Barcelona for Elyts to ride and film a video.  This is the result and there is a lot of good footage from everyone.  Luke is so crazy, that lip at the end was insane.  Props to BenJ on his banger too...Diggin the tunes as well.

ADVCT at Bellingham Skatepark



The ADVCT boys got their shred on recently at a fun looking park, check it out.  Word on the street is that they sponsored a few new riders, so hopefully there'll be an announcement or footage from them soon.

Welcome to AO Ryan Scott

AO recently grabbed Ryan Scott from England for the Team. He came down to California for a while, and was able to get this Welcome Edit done. Filmed and Edited by Phillip Long.



A Dirty Jersey Weekend

NJ local Josiah McClements filmed and edited this montage of NJ riders. A lot of cool clips in this edit. NJ has been a hot spot in the sport for a pretty long time now, and by the looks of this video, there are still plenty of up and comers. Check it out below.



Sunday, November 25, 2012

Mothership Sale Extended

Mothership had a sick sale up this past weekend, and it's not stopping yet. Cyber Monday starts tomorrow, and they will be continuing their sale until Nov 30th. Check out the link below for all of the Coupon Codes you're going to need to get the discounts.

Mothership Sale

Gryndo Scooters Video Parts 2012: Ian Herncjar



Ian is one of the sickest riders out today.  This edit was way too short but it was good.  I loved how chill that firecracker was after the triple down that set...too good.  This video is the latest from Gryndo, who are coming out with a video from Josh "Fedora" Moore next, so watch out for that.

Brian Noyes- 2012


Brian is a pretty sick upcoming rider from New England.  Super good at double bars and smith grinds.  Check this one out by clicking the screen shot (embedding was disabled).

Stevon Wilson In Critical Condition

Jake Hershey informed me that this weekend, New Jersey OG rider Steve Wilson was badly injured in a car accident.  He was a passenger and ended up having head trauma.  Steve was one of the best back in the day (was a part of the Whip Scooters crew, The Philly Crew, and I believe was sponsored by both Micro and Razor at some point).  He is was greatly beloved by a lot of the community, and I'm sure everyone who knew him is pulling for him right now.

Check out his sponsor video, filmed in 2007.  Get better soon, Steve.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

VertX P.I.S.T. System?

Well first off, props to VertX for trying something that no ones really tried before in our industry. With the exception of DSA and the Cambo Fork. This is quite a bit different though. The details are pretty scarce so far, but I do have some info from VertX, and a few photos as well. I'd like to see a video of the installation later on though. What do you guys think about this?



"Now that the International Patent application has been filed we can release the new P.I.S.T. system to you our loyal fans. 


Let me introduce you to our new Patent Pending “Positive Interlocking Steer Tube” (P.I.S.T) from VertX. We have designed a method that allows you the rider to change the Steer Tube of a fork.  We have developed a connection system that is stronger than any bonded connection can be.  You can increase strength and not add weight.  With P.I.S.T.  you can now ride a steer tube made out of the standard 6160 aluminum or 4130 Chromalloy steel which is many times stronger.  If you want to change from a threaded to threadless system, or go from a shortened fork to the standard length, or, a short SCS compression to a full size type you can.  You won’t need to buy a whole new fork, or, cut the one you have.  With P.I.S.T. you can choose a combination that fits any setup you prefer.  For a fraction of the cost of a new fork you can buy the steer tube size, style and material you want and install it yourself.  If you change your set up, then in the future change your mind, just change back to the original steer tube.  Forks are easy to cut but making them longer again is a little harder.

P.I.S.T. will give you options, and just as importantly it will save you money.  This may be the last fork you ever need to buy.   We will be posting pictures and pricing next week. P.I.S.T will go on sale November 23, 2012 on our web site www.vertxscooters.com"



Six Trick Fix x2

A couple of Six Trick Fix's, one from Casey DeHaven and one from Ricky Cox. Both are pretty cool. Ricky has been trying to lose the helmet, and he has also been trying to get his street game more on point. He has the skills for it, just has to get to the right spots. Check out their Six Trick Fix's below.



Friday, November 23, 2012

Proto's Chema Cardenas Armageddon B Sides



Chema Cardenas is rumored to have one of the best sections in the upcoming Proto Armageddon DVD. Not hard to believe when even his B sides came out this good. Check em out below.



Thursday, November 22, 2012

Sky High Scooters Black Friday Sale



One more Black Friday Sale, this one is from Sky High Scooters, and it might be the best Black Friday Sale I've seen yet. Definitely check out the Ad for more details.

http://www.skyhighscooters.com/
http://www.skyhighscooters.com/


Scooter Zone Black Friday Sale

Last, but certainly not least...we got the Scooter Zone Black Friday Sale. The below statement is from Scooter Zone.

"We got huge sales on thescooterzone.com with some low low prices for all your scooter parts. 99.9% of all parts will be 20% off Friday, 15% off Saturday and 10% off Sunday. Sale applies in stores and online. Don't miss this EPIC sale to grab all your favorite parts! Even our sick pro comp scooters section will be on sale. With almost all the scoots being over $100 off retail price. Dont miss this chance to grab your favorite high quality scooters at a very low cost! Once again it's on thescooterzone.com!!" - SZ




Victory Black Friday Sale

More Black Friday Sales, this time from Victory. Gotta be fun for anyone who needs new products, just hit up ISB...and scope all the Black Friday Sales, haha. They also got the new Fasen decks worth checking out for sure. Check out more details below.



Pro Ride Black Friday 20% Off Promo

From 11-22-12 to 11-23-12 you guys can use the coupon code "blackfriday" at the checkout page and get 20% off. For more information check out the flyer below.



Wednesday, November 21, 2012

KOS Envy Complete



2013 means a new product line from Blunt/Envy, and they are starting to hit stores now. One of those products is the KOS (King of Spades) Complete. A lot of riders turn to completes because the price of putting together a custom scooter piece by piece can get really high, really quick. Some of the features on the KOS are, the new KOS deck, a new style of Flex brake, SOBv2 forks, 4bolt clamp, new 110mm six spoke forged wheels, integrated sealed headset and much more. The complete comes in 5 colors (blue, green, white, purple and red. Some pics are below, and the boys from Scooter Hut took it out for a test ride, and supposedly it got pretty good reviews. The price should also be right around the price of the last Envy/Blunt Complete.




Scooter Garage Black Friday Sale

Scooter Garage is having a pretty big Black Friday Sale. Black Friday is going to be pretty good for anyone that needs new parts, as so many shops are having sales. If you want to check out SG's Black Friday sale, check out the Ad below.



Hella Grip Joins Inside-Scooters

I've known a Eric Ostrom and Addison McNaughton of Hella Grip since I was pretty young, we all started riding in Northern California where there was virtually no scooter scene at all. Since then we've each came up in the sport, and are now starting our own companies, me with Dialed, and them with Hella Grip. Hella Grip joined up with Inside-Scooters the other day, and we will now be posting all of their updates here on ISB. Check out Addison's introduction to the company below..


"Addy's statement: The Legacy of Hella Grip

Four score and seven years ago...

But seriously folks, I'm sure almost everyone reading this can agree there's nothing better than chillin' and shreddin' all day (and watching sloth videos, of course). Lately, however, chillin' and shreddin' hasn't been enough for me. I've always admired (for the most part) what scooter-related companies have been able to create and distribute to the product-hungry riders around this lovely ball of rock, water, and atmosphere that we all inhabit (for now). On top of that, I've always pondered how I could contribute to the shredding community if I were no longer able ride at a steady rate and work on videos. Hella Grip has since come into existence as a byproduct of this admiration and pondering; it just kinda detached itself from the ether and rode the thermals all the way to our tiny island oasis...

But seriously folks, having my own company has always been the plan since day 1. I thrive off creating and sharing things. I'll come clean and confess that Hella Grip is not "my own" company though. It's actually co-owned with two of my homies that I've known since day 1, 2B & BK. One has also been my filmer/editor since since day 2. The other has kept us both in check since the afternoon of day 3. We've all been involved in the scene since it was just a young lad in the crib.

We decided to begin work on a grip tape company around 2010. To put it simply, it just made sense at the time. It was the best way to get involved, using the resources that we had. Financially, we had(have) next to nothing compared to what other start-up companies must be spending to create bars, decks, and/or etc (I'm talking about checking-the-sofa-cushions-for-change poor). What we did have was a solid community of riders who we knew would be down for the cause as long as it was true to our nature. With Hella Grip, we have succeeded in creating a simple (but still hella difficult to produce) product that speaks to that nature. Our environment is one of chillin' and shreddin' amongst the natural landscape of cement and metal (and, more recently, dirt).

With today's website launch, y'all can finally peruse our full first batch of product for sale. Y'all will also notice our list of Hella Grip Homies. We shy away from calling it a "team" because we're not treating it like the usual "teams" that most of you are familiar with. Our homies are just that: homies. They're dudes (maybe we'll get a chick someday) who love to shred, and do it well. We're not about the next "big trick" or hookin up the next "best rider." It's all a white noise to us. We're solely about building a brand so we can share a lifestyle with other homies out there who just wanna chill and shred with us. Our plan is to let the brand grow naturally with the support and input of our official homies and the entire homie nation. We have more griptape products and apparel in the works, as well as other products that fit within the Hella Grip brand. All we need in order to keep things moving forward is the continued support of every rider out there who is down with our cause.

Stay slothy folks. And be sure to check out "Lincoln" in theaters nation-wide this Friday.

-Addison McNaughton (Co-Owner; self-appointed Official Homie...HA!)



Also they have a video dropping on Christmas Day called, "Hella Stoked and Hella Broke" check out the trailer below..

 

Nathan Naylor Summer Clips

Kid is definitely on the come up. Natural heel whipper, so that makes me an even bigger fan haha. He needs to work on his speed a little bit, but you can tell he was having fun in a lot of these clips. It'd be nice to see his next edit when it drops, and see how he's improved. Keeping my eye on this kid.



Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Grant Appleberry 2012 "Street"



Here's a young boy comin up.  I'm usually wary of videos with "street" in the title but this one was nice to watch.  A solid clean style with some pretty big tricks.  Plus a really cool last name.  Give this kid a signature juice.

AO Epsilon Deck Release



All right, so AO didn't exactly get the best reviews with the first deck, but let's see what they have for us the second time around. Does it look better? Absolutely. Will it hold up better? We'll see. Details below were provided by AO.


AO scooters are the first decks specifically designed for street. Key innovation of the deck is a removable grind and nose blunt plate which is made of a super tough plastic material which not only protects your deck but enables you to effortlessly grind anything: unwaxed curbs, concrete and stone ledges, wood and it even gives you more control on metal rails. 


The grind plates open a whole new dimension in scootering and you don’t depend on someone to drive you to a skate park: Now you can ride your scooter on curbs, ledges and rails right in front of your door steps – anytime, anywhere. 

The AO Epsilon deck is made of re-heat treated 6061 T6 aluminum in one of the world’s leading BMX factories. The slightly concave deck is 4 ½” wide (115 mm) and features a completely flat bottom to maximize the grinding area. It comes in 3 lengths (19 ½”, 20 ½” and 21 ¼”) and weighs 3.8 lbs. (1.6 kg). It comes with stainless steel flex brake (rounded so your wheels won't get flat), 8 mm high tensile Chromoly axle bolts (12.9 grade) and a grind plate made of super tough Nylon material.

Epsilon Deck Features:
- Deck in re-heat treated 6061 T6 aluminum
- Fully integrated system (HIC)
- Flat bottom
- Super tough grind plate
- Nose blunt grind plate
- Rounded, stainless steel flex brake (2 mm)
- 8 mm high tensile Chromoly axle bolt (12.9 grade)
- Length: 20.5” (520 mm), width: 4 ½” (115 mm)
               - Head tube angle 82.5


Vert Scooter Shop Phase 2 Dirt Scoot Giveaway

Vert Scooter Shop is giving away one of the Phase 2 Dirt Scooters. Entering is simple, so if you guys want a chance at winning one of these, just follow the directions on the flyer below.



Monday, November 19, 2012

Freestyle Depot Black Friday Ad

Freestyle Depot is having a killer Black Friday Sale coming up. Everything from complete scooters, Proto wheels, and Elyts Backpacks will be on sale, plus a lot more. Check out the flyer for more information and details.



Twisted Scoots Black Friday Sale + New Dirt Scoot

As expected more Black Friday Sale Ads popping up onto ISB this week. Twisted is having a big sale both in their walk in shop, and their online shop. Check out the flyer for more details on that.





 Twisted also has their new Dirt Scooter out, which is an Aluminum one. You can check it out a bit in the video below.


Scooter Garage New Website Promo

Scooter Garage is dropping their new website on Black Friday, and supposedly they will be having quite the sale as well. Make sure to check back for that Ad later this week.



Sunday, November 18, 2012

Phoenix Pro Scooters: Woodward West Fall 2012


Phoenix Pro rider Josh Toy, put this edit together of footage from the Phoenix Team at Woodward West. Really liked the edit, and it has Capron Funk's double front flip which was really cool to see. Needed more dirt footage though, seemed like only Josh was getting down, gotta stick Dan or Jon on there and see what's up haha. Check it out below.



Vienna Calling Trailer 2

Vienna Calling is supposedly close to dropping, and I couldn't be more stoked on that. These guys all shred in their own ways, and it's going to be a solid edit for sure. Really liked how they did this second trailer as well, pretty tight. Check it out below, and keep checking ISB for the actual drop of the edit.



ISA Big Trick 2012 Sponsored by Fasen

This edit almost makes it look like the Big Trick portion of the ISA World Championships was more fun to watch than the actual competition runs. Everyone was so amped up, and I love watching Best Trick contests mainly because you get to see everyone really showing their support for one another. Not to mention seeing some world firsts get thrown down. Check it out below.


Shot and Edited by XSV Pro



Saturday, November 17, 2012

EthicDTC Website Launch

The Ethic website launched today, and it's looking good. Really clean and easy to navigate. They also have a video on there that explains a little bit more about their products. One thing they did, that I've never seen a company do, is highlight some of the issues you might run into while running their products. They didn't come out and say they have the "best" products, that will never break or fail. They tell you what might go wrong, and how to fix that. Gotta respect that.

Check out their website by clicking the link below, and keep checking ISB for more updates on EthicDTC.

http://www.ethicdtc.com/



Friday, November 16, 2012

Tilt Presents: Tyler Wheeland's Signature Nimbus Fork





Tyler's fork is out now and so is his video to promote it.  Both the fork and video turned out great, one of my favorite videos this year for sure.  To find out more I did a little interview with him, check it out:


Jordan Jasa:  So you're finally releasing your video and dropping a signature Tilt fork, how are you feeling about that?

Tyler Wheeland:  I'm so stoked man, I can't believe it.

What can you tell us about the fork?

It's basically a sleeker and cooler looking Legacy fork. Collin and I were talking about a fork for a while but I didn't think it would actually happen this quick.

Cool cool.  So you've been working on an HD video promo as well, can you tell us about that?

My homie Dojo moved to LA and we would hang out a lot then one day I just asked if he was down to film a short video and then we had no use for he footage so we kept stacking until we had some use for it and it lined up perfectly with the fork idea so we got it done. The set up is great we have generators and lights so it's a bunch of night footage.

I've seen a few of your clips being filmed and it's definitely super legit.  This will be one of the first HD street videos done "right" (in my opinion).  What are your thoughts on filming HD vs SD?  Any preference over the other?

I'm cool with whatever as long as its filmed well. I'm filming SD for the Tilt DVD right now and it's going pretty well. I hate handheld dslr and I think HD is hardly ever done right. When it's done right it looks cool though.

For sure.  Speaking of that, whats up with the DVD?  Any planned release date?

I've got no idea. Tentatively fall 2013 is what I heard. We have a trip coming up with the whole team that's gonna be good.

Word.  So your fork is named the Nimbus and your name is written on it in the Harry Potter font, so I should probably ask you a HP related question.  Which of the 7 is your favorite book, and why?

Everything always comes back to this. Book wise number 5 Order of the Phoenix is my favorite because the students take over and kill it so hard.

Good answer.  Well I think that about wraps it up unless there's anything else you wanna say?

Support the real and get dirty in the streets. Take to many pictures and make great memories.


Awesome.  Thanks Tyler, and congrats on the fork.


Vert Scooters Black Friday Sale


Black Friday is right around the corner and you can expect tons of online shops and shops in general to have some pretty sick sales. Below is a sale from Vert Scooter Shop, check out the Ad for more information.



Mitch Baldry AO PROfile

"Throughout the last year Mitch Baldry has taken his riding and career to another level. With his recent success on the Nitro Circus tour as well as his full length section in the Elyts DVD, Mitch has made it to the center stage.
This section is just a small collection of the clips Mitch snagged in his last visit to California. Quite something when you realize just what this boy is capable of in just a few short days. Watch out for his full section in the AO team video." - AO



PROTO Scooters - Dylan Kasson Armageddon B-Sides


These B-Sides are kinda creeping me out.  Makes me wonder what the actual DVD will be like, are we gonna see the team walking around like zombies at the end?!?  Judging from these clips Dylan wouldn't have a problem surviving the zombie apocalypse, he'd just hop over them haha.  Hyped for his part for sure.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Throwback Thursday: Jon Reyes Micro Sponsor Me

So this video sticks out to me for a few reasons. One of them being that it was the first time I had really seen Jon Reyes footage. It was around 2005 that I started hearing about Jon Reyes a bit more, and I had seen a few clips, and was always impressed, but I'd have to wait a bit longer before this edit was released. It was when Micro released the fact that they would be sponsoring US riders, that everyone and their mother made a "Micro Sponsor Me"...including Jon Reyes. While he didn't make the Team, he did produce a great classic edit. You can really see Jon's tech roots in this video.

Currently Jon is known as one of the leading, if not the leading, tech flat rider. He's been a long time rider for Phoenix Pro Scooters, and just got his first signature deck. Definitely came a long way from the stock pro models he's riding in the below video. Check it out.



Gryndo Updates: Casey DeHaven and Michele Failla Edits

Couple of edits from the Gryndo Team. Casey also happens to be the Team Manager. Michele has been pushing his limits this past year, and it's starting to show. Really liked the downside whip to late bar. Solid edits from these guys. Waiting to see Ian Herncjar's edit now.






Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Embarrassed to Scooter?

Basically, after seeing the poll that I made a week or so ago, I have to admit, I wasn't shocked to see that so many people are embarrassed that they ride scooters. I've seen "Pros" get embarrassed for scootering around certain people as well. I got an email from Andy Wegener, owner of Sunshine Distribution which contains, Elyts, AO, 841, and Raptor, and he had this to say.

Just wanted to know what your guys' thoughts on the matter are.





"I was surprised to see that according to your survey on IS almost 40 % of the riders are embarrassed around some people to ride scooters. I'm not sure what people these are but my take is these are members of other action sports that sometimes look down on our sport.

This actually targets a very sensitive topic as it can ruin our sport if we don't do anything about it. Scooter riders have to become self-confident about our sport plus there is absolutely no reason that we have to hide. Scootering is already huge in some countries and once it will get into the X-games in a few years the sport will explode and will blow every other action sport out of the water. We will get there without the support from skateboarders or bikers and there is no reason to jock them but have every reason to be proud of our own accomplishment. Most of today's riders will be opinion leaders then that all the new kids will look up to. The more important it is to hold the flag up high and only support brands that fully support scootering and prominently showcase scootering on their web sites. These are the ones that will re-invest their money into the sport, sponsor events and riders and will pay them enough salary so they can make a living of scootering. The more money they make the more companies will get on and compete for riders. Competition is good and the more the better -- it keeps everybody on their toes and puts more money into the riders' pockets. Skateboard or BMX companies will never do that and I have yet to see a Nike or DC logo on a flier of a scooter contest or a scooter rider on their web sites.

Another reason why we have to find our own identity and should try to stay away from skateboarding as far as we can is that we will alienate them if we try too hard to copy them and their lifestyle. When rollerblading came up in the mid 90's they made the mistake that they copied the style, clothing and even logos from skateboarding which triggered a massive wave of hate against them. What made things worse was that skateboarding was in a crisis while rollerblading was exploding (due to the X-games) and companies were throwing money at them. Skateboarders then started a massive hate campaign, told every kid that came into a skate park how gay their sport is and that skateboarding was the only cool thing to do. If an older guy tells a younger kid what he's wearing or doing is gay he will most likely believe it. And boy did it work: One weekend you saw a kid on rollerblades and the next week he was on a skateboard. Rolllerbladers shifted in droves to skateboarding which eventually helped to turn their sport around. But skateboarders did not stop there. They told every sponsor, TV network, marketing agents, contest organizer and their mother how uncool rollerblading is and that they would pull out if they would touch inline. From then on rollerblading was nowhere to be seen, it only went downhill and never recovered.
Skateboarding is in a steep decline again today and we have to be extremely careful not to trigger their hate again. They know very well what to do to get kids on their side.

Some riders might argue that skateboarders might respect them more if they wear clothing from skateboarding companies. Wrong. I had a fairly big snowboard clothing company in the early 90's when snowboarding was huge. There was quite a rivalry between skiers and snowboarders and they prohibited snowboarding and many ski resorts which we hated them for. Snowboarding eventually took over anyway and became the cool thing. Many skiers even went so far that they were wearing snowboard clothing which made it even worse and we lost any respect. By not wearing their own clothing they obviously admitted that skiing was gay. We had more respect of skiers that stuck to their own thing than to a follower that wanted to be cool. Skateboarders hate everything new and it took years until they even respected bikers. Most still think of scooterers as little kids in full body armor that drop in or don't understand the concept of taking turns. On the other hand we experience all the time that when our pros ride new parks skateboarders stop skating, watch in awe and even cheer when they see what a scooter pro can do. It will come.


It's better to stay away from skateboarding (and BMX) as far as possible and find our own identity. There are plenty of companies in our sport that are fully committed to scootering and make great products. Buy their stuff and clothing - that's the only way our sport will grow.

Andy
Sunshine Distribution, Inc."
President