Lucky Scooters James Gee in Sac Town

James was kickin it in Sac Town not too long ago, and he hooked up with the local killers out there, and Damion Black, who was behind the lens to film the madness. James has been killing it for so long, and he is still managing to stay up in the street scene with clips like these. Check it.

Lucky Scooters Rusch Ride Day ft Jared Jacobs and Kenny Griffin

Lucky street heads Jared Jacobs and Kenny Griffin, along with their friend Dylan Marz put down some solid clips in this little edit. Can't wait to see these guys back in the streets.


Damion Black on the filming and editing.

Lucky Scooter Parts 2 for 1: Denver Herzing Woodward 2013 + James Gee Scooter Check

Denver has been getting a lot more recognition since joining LSP. Below is an edit of him shredding Woodward, some bangers in here, and he has a super clean style. Everything he does just looks really solid.





Next up OG Lucky rider James Gee breaks down his set up, and knocks out some clips after. Been awhile since I've seen some footy from him, so it was pretty refreshing. Check it out below.

Lucky Scooters Kenny Griffin Street Edit

I think it's funny how people consider Lucky a "Park Team" when they have dudes like Kenny Griffin who can murder the streets. This was a really sick edit, song fit and filming was pretty on point. You can tell he put a lot of work into this edit, which is something I wish we saw more. Can't wait to see his next edit.

Scooter Freestyle - Worlds Best Pro Scooter Riders

This was something Lucky has been hyping for a while. The video was filmed by DevinSuperTramp, and for those who don't know, he's a highly regarded filmer, and has over 780k subscribers on Youtube, with over 149 million total video views...and now this edit is also on his channel. Pretty sick if you ask me. Clearly it features almost all LSP riders, with the exception of Envy's Jake Clark and Vincent Kudrna. Was sick to see Mike Montgomery and Lil Jon clips, but it's clear to see that Dakota has center stage. Definitely check this out.

Lucky Scooters | Dakota Shuetz

So here it is.  It's been a long time since Kota had an actual video (not just clips in competition edits).  Here we have one by Aaron Hill.  I can't comprehend half of what Kota does.  I'm into this video more than a lot of other trick machine guys' videos since he doesn't just ride one quarterpipe and box the whole time.  He mixes it up with the obstacles, which keeps it fresh.  The bummer is the filming, it might just be me but glidecam footage makes me sick.

Lucky Scooters | Blake Bailor Welcome Back!

It's been a good year now since Blake last had serious footage, and he doesn't disappoint with this video.  He doesn't seem to have slowed down much at all, still killing it on the handrails.  Classic tune as well.

James Gee Return to Lucky Interview

This week Lucky announced that two of their OG riders, James Gee and Blake Bailor, have returned to the Lucky team just six months after leaving to start apparel company ADVCT. We at Inside Scooters were able to chat with James Gee and get the scoop. Before reading the Q&A, here’s a bit of background:

Obviously 2012 has been a big year for Lucky. For a while the company seemed quiet, and then everything started to change in a flash. Before we knew it, Dakota had signed a multi year contract, and Lucky Veterans, Blake Bailor, Evan Yamada, and James Gee had left the company..and made it pretty clear why.  Lucky moved on, releasing a whole new line of products, and continued to expand it's team. Dakota went on to do exactly what Dakota does, and slayed every competition in front of him, including the World Championships. The younger Lucky AM and Lucky Title Team riders were doing their thing placing in competitions as well. It left people wondering if Lucky's street riding presence was gone for good. However with James Gee and Blake Bailor back to join Mike Montgomery and Lil Jon, I think it's safe to say there is still some hope for LSP's Street riding roots.

- First of all, congratulations on your return to the Lucky Team! To start, what have you two been up to?

James: Thanks a lot man pretty stoked to be back. We’ve been going to college up in Bellingham, Washington about an hour and a half away from home where we run our apparel company, ADVCT, and chill with all the homies. Recently just had winter break where we rode a ton and got this whole thing to happen.

- Ok, so when you left, you guys went on the record that you didn’t think Lucky was heading in the right direction. Why the change of heart…was leaving a mistake?

James: We just assumed that Lucky was transforming into this company that wasn’t the way Lucky was before. After signing Kota we were worried that Lucky was going to make a total 180 degree turn where the company only targeted the younger riders and focused only on park riding. There were some other things heading up to this situation where we weren’t seeing eye to eye with the company. We were told the opportunities were coming and that Brian had all these ideas planned out for us, but we got impatient. We got to start ADVCT and Brian was pretty much our mentor for the company so I kept in touch with him. We met in the beginning of winter break and talked a lot and we started chatting more and more about me getting on lucky again, developing parts, and other stuff everyone will get to see this year from Lucky. I would say it was a mistake…I just really like Lucky it’s like home to me.

- Was this a group decision? Is Evan Yamada back on the team, too?

James: This was an individual decision. As I said I met up with Brian in the beginning of the break and he brought up bringing me back and I was all ears. He even said it was weird that he was dealing with just me because Blake, Evan, and I have always kind of have been a package haha. I know Blake met with Brian separately a week or so after me. I don’t know anything about Evan I don’t want to speak on his behalf.

- Okay, fair enough. So you both left as Kota came on to the team. Any beef with him, or are you just going to each do your own thing?

James: There is definitely 0 beef with Kota. Kota is a monster and I’m looking forward to riding and working with him. To get this straight, I don’t hate park riding—park riding is sick. I just prefer to ride street. I ride park sometimes and there’s no reason to have hate for someone that rides a certain terrain/way.

- I’m looking forward to the Devin Super Tramp video. But tell me, now that you’re both back on the Lucky team, what can we expect from you in 2013?

James: I was brought in to watch every clip filmed in the 2 days of filming and there was seriously sooooo much footage. I have seen the Devin Super Tramp video as well and it’s buck. In terms of what’s coming from me, I would say you can expect more street edits, a strong presence at street events, HD filming, new products, signature parts, etc. Lucky plans product launches in August every year so look out for some of the newer product and signature parts then.

- Last question…are you still running ADVCT? 

James: Hell yeah dude. It is definitely harder then we have thought, but we are learning a lot about business. Lucky supports us and allows ADVCT to be in the videos and descriptions of the videos to help us out. Stay Advocated!

Well I have to say that’s it’s great to see you guys back with Lucky! Any last shout outs?

James: Thanks a lot Lucky for another opportunity and letting me do what I love to do. Thanks to everyone that supports me and ADVCT. 

War Scooters Lucky Clover Pro Complete Giveaway

War Scooters is giving away a free Lucky Clover Complete. Entering in the drawing is simple, just head over to their Facebook, and Like their page. If you've already Liked their page, you're good to go. Check it out.

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SD7 Presented by Lucky Scooter Parts

Aaron Hill went straight to work after SD7, and started editing up all the footage he filmed. The video is presented by Lucky Scooter Parts who came out hard at the competition and had riders in all divisions throwing down. Pro Comp looked great, but it still seems like too few riders are on Dakota's level when it comes to competitions. I was stoked to see Vincent Kudrna place 2nd, I know that if that guy can get his runs together, and hit the big section a bit more, he can take some 1st places. Check out the edit below.

Jordan Robles Lucky Am Edit

As most people know Jordan never really had a chance to "suck" at riding. When you're 5 years old, and you're already ENTERING comps, not just sitting and watching, you start to progress fast. Fastforward a couple of years, and Jordan is no longer praised simply for being so young or small. He is starting to be recognized simply for how good he is. Growing up in So Cal doesn't hurt either, since he always has people to ride with and feed off of. He's turning into a really well rounded rider, riding street and park, and progressing nicely in both. Definitely check out his latest edit.

Travis Minion- Lucky Tittle Team 2012 Web Edit

Really dug this one.  Good spots, good riding, good song, all the makings of a good video.  Watch for some switch tricks.

James Gee Interview: What happened with Lucky?

I recently got together with James Gee, because myself and a lot of other people have been wondering what exactly went down with Lucky? All we knew was that the core Lucky guys were gone, and this "New Lucky" and Dakota were in. You guys can check out the interview below.

Hey James, before we get started I just want to make it clear to everyone, and to you that if we're doing, this the intention is not to bash Lucky in any way, correct?

That is correct. I have no hard feelings towards Lucky or anyone apart of the company. I will be super honest and straight forward with everything.

All right, just wanted to be clear on that. So, as everyone knows by now the core Lucky riders have left the company. Those riders being You, Evan, and Blake and some other riders. So what exactly happened dude?

And the novel begins.. It happened over a long period of time. Blake, Evan, and I have been with Lucky since the BEGINNING. Way back when it was just an idea and even when the company was based out of Brian's garage. In the beginning we loved Lucky, everything about it. We thought the parts were sick, Brian loved all of our ideas, we were coming out with tons of new videos, and promoting the company like crazy. As time went on Lucky was getting bigger and bigger. They had to make big business decisions so that the sport and the company could grow. Once Lucky was at this stage they started adding a lot more staff to the company and hiring many people for different things. Since there became more workers there needed to be more money so everyone could get paid. Everyone knows that the sport is very young and most of the riders in the sport are young kids/teenagers. The company had to do whatever they could to get that money or else there would be no Lucky. Lucky started targeting more towards the younger kids/teenagers about a year and a half ago and that is what kick started us from fading away Lucky.

We didn't agree with the decision because we are older riders we want the sport to grow up so that the scene isn't meant for just little kids and that it is for everybody. The three of us couldn't be mad though, Brian dropped everything for this company. He gave us opportunities we would have never had. Lucky is Brian's job/career and he will do anything possible to make sure he can support his family which we totally respect. Time went on and we felt the company was getting more childish. The image of Lucky was totally changing. I remember when a lot of people thought Lucky was so cool, but then people online and around the world started agreeing with us and thought Lucky was changing. During all this we had ideas for the company to get our image back in place, but they were shut down. We eventually got to the point where we didn't really enjoy what we were supporting and we weren't motivated to create videos and do the things we were asked to do. Since we didn't do those things Lucky stopped paying riders. Just like a boss would do to a worker in any other business, if you aren't doing the job they wont pay you. We got really frustrated at them because we told them we have stuck through everything with you guys for 3 years, we have provided every clip we have ever filmed for you, we helped you ever since the beginning and we felt that taking away our pay was a slap to the face.

(At one time, this was the Lucky Scooter Parts Team...Mike Montgomery wasn't here for this photo though. Everyone in the photo except Lil Jon has left the company)


A week goes by and we hear about Dakota signing a multi-year deal with Lucky. We were never informed about Dakota it was just as a surprise to us as it was to the rest of the world. Obviously if he is signing a multi-year deal the kid is obviously getting paid. Since they cut our pay a week before we totally assumed that all of our pay was going straight to this kid, though we cannot prove that, it was just an assumption. That is what really hit hard and hurt the most. The kid has done nothing for the company, he hasn't been with the company since the beginning helping it grow, and all the sudden hes the superstar of Lucky? The day we found out we went to the office and we talked to Alex Bean, the GM, and let him know we were through and it was time to move on and doing our own thing with ADVCT. We eventually went over to Brian's house and dropped the news on him too. They understood how we were feeling and they tried to keep us on, but we just couldn't. Even after quitting we were disappointed with the company. We feel that they tried to hide our departure from the company. I just wish there was a thank you to use or something that they could have released.

 Wow.. well that definitely shed some light on the whole situation. So be honest though, is it anything personal against Dakota? And Lucky's decision to bring him onto the Team?

Everyone thought that we left Lucky just because Dakota joined the team which isn't it. As you can see from the story that is not the case. People need to understand that we left because Lucky was changing as a company. Lucky WAS a street based team, everyone knows Dakota for his park riding. It was a business decision to pick up Dakota and a smart one. I think Lucky will do great with him, but that was when we knew that Lucky really has changed. We didn't even know about it until everyone else did. It was like our opinions didn't matter anymore. We didn't want to support a company that we didn't even support anymore. Definitely no beef with Dakota hes a ripper.

Damn, had no idea it went down like that. What about Brian? I know Brian to be one of the coolest dudes in the sport, How is the relationship between all of you guys now?

Brian wasn't just our boss he is a family friend. We have known him for a long time and he totally respected our decision in leaving the company. He knew that we didn't support what they were doing and that we were crossing paths and things weren't working anymore. He told us why things have changed and we totally respect him for his decisions. He said if we are ever struggling for parts that we can call him up and he can take care of us. Even after the conversation at his house when we told him we are quitting he still manages to hit me up and let me know how much we meant to him and he tells us without us he couldn't have gotten to where he is today. He is a great guy. I will miss working with him.

Yeah, I hear you there dude. He's a good dude. So basically right now, You, Evan, and Blake, who are definitely some of the top riders in the US, now have no sponsors? What are you guys' plans now?

Well Evan and Blake were sponsored by the Mothership Distributuion shop out here in Washington while they were on Lucky, so they still have that, but I just have ADVCT to look forward to. Kinglsey hit me up the other day and said that Mothership can help hook me up too. I'm not gonna go out looking for a big named company selling myself to them, but if a company came to me and wanted to talk I would definitely listen.

Cool cool. So do you guys wish that things could've gone differently between yourselves and LSP? Or was this something that was going to happen eventually anyways?

Oh yeah for sure 100%. We all wish things went differently with Lucky. I could easily say that we never wanted to leave Lucky. That is why you saw many riders come and go from the company and we always stayed. If the company stayed to its beginning roots I think Lucky would be hands down the best company out there and I would rep it so hard.

 

I think we all agree there man. How have things been going with ADVCT?

ADVCT has been a pain to get going, but it is finally coming all together. We got pretty much everything done now. We got a couple people hooked up to rep the company, but everyone will have to wait until the welcome videos come out. Next week the website will be open along with the shop so anyone can order some gear! Check out inside sometime next week with pictures of the products and the website release. The official release date is not set in stone, but check out our Facebook page and you will be one of the first people to know when its coming out. www.facebook.com/advctscooters

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Can't wait for that bro. What do you guys see in the future for Lucky?

Hmmm, Lucky is pretty damn big. Even though a lot of people are really bummed on Lucky with this set back and total image change, I think Lucky will still be one of the top brands out there. I can totally see Lucky products hitting the stores of Walmart just like you see MADD stuff. Lucky is dedicated to give the sport the best products which is why you saw a massive product drop from them. I still think they have some of the best forks out there. They are going to be in the game for a long time I can imagine.

 

Any last words you want to say to anyone, or Lucky? And if you got any shout outs, let em go.

Thanks a whole lot Brian for everything you have done for me. Thanks Lucky for giving me the opportunity to travel around the US to do what I love the most. Thanks to everyone who supports ADVCT Δ. Like the ADVCT facebook page and follow us on Instagram @advct. Swerve.

Dakota Schuetz Signs Multi Year Contract with Lucky Scooter Parts

So I guess it was just a matter of time before some lucky company actually signed Dakota Schuetz, and that’s exactly what Lucky has done. Not just any deal, but a multi year contract between Dakota and LSP. To say this is big news would be a bit of an understatement. 

So it’s safe to say there will be some changes going on with LSP, not just Dakota joining, but also older Team members leaving. Besides that, they are releasing an entire new line of products, which has a lot of people really excited. With a line up of new Distributors, and the products set to hit the market just in time for the Holiday Season, it is definitely going to be a big end to a big year for Lucky. Read below for the full interview.

For more information check out their website http://www.luckyscoot.com/

Word has been leaking through some of the smaller blogs in the industry the story that I got the full info on below. I realized that we might not be getting the other side of that story, so I decided to contact Lucky Scooter Parts directly, and get their side of everything that has been going on. To find out more from the Founder of Lucky himself, Brian Jeide, and Chief Marketing Officer, Paul Corriveau, just read the interview below.

Steven: Well first of congratulations on the deal you made with Dakota, I’m guessing negotiations have been going on for a long time before this was a reality?

Lucky: Actually no. This came together very fast. We’ve known Gary and Kota for a long time, and talked frequently. We brought up the idea of having Kota join our team and they expressed a willingness to talk. So we discussed the opportunity with Kota, his dad Gary, and his business agent. We had an agreement in about a week.

Steven: Damn, one week…But he’s always been kind of neutral when it came to joining any “Team”. Why did he join Lucky over other companies?

Lucky: The alignment was great. We both want to promote the sport, and we both want to highlight the positive side of the sport. The timing was also great. Kota is 16 years old, and he really wants to break out the way say Tony Hawk or Shaun White have done. Part of that means aligning with sponsors that have the resources and expertise to help promote his talent. He rides about 5 hours a day, which to us signaled that he is really committed to being number one for a long time. So we’re going to help promote him. It’s likely he’ll have other large sponsors, but none that compete with Lucky. Finally, we were both aligned on the need to innovate and create great products. We’ve always stood for quality, and with Kota on the team we’ll get another set of great feedback during our R&D for our upcoming waves of products.

Steven: Sounds like quite the partnership has been formed.. Ok, so what are the terms of the sponsorship agreement? Is it even official yet?

Lucky: We can’t disclose the terms, but we can say it’s a multi-year agreement, and that it is in place as of today. His first competition as a Lucky rider is next weekend at the Global Domination Tour event in LA.

Steven: Multi year? Seems like that might be a first in our sport, then again, it is Kota. But being honest here, has Kota even ridden Lucky parts? All we’ve ever seen him on were other companies products.

Lucky: Of course. But his current ride is evolving as his skills evolve. He has a very specific setup, and we’ll be working with him over the next 30 days to tune his ride and design a signature line for him. He’s super committed and a total professional, so one of the first things he wanted to do was start riding Lucky. We actually had to let him know that we feel it’s important for him to take the time to practice and transition over a couple of months to a complete Lucky setup.

Steven: Have to admit, it’s going to be strange seeing him ride a complete LSP set up. Kota’s obviously an incredible talent. But unlike a lot of top pros, we don’t see a lot of him in videos or interviews. Are you going to let him come out of his shell a bit?

Lucky: Absolutely. We need to get a lot more video of Kota out there. That’s a priority. We want the world to see him for who he is, which is a really nice, honest, clean-cut kid that is super fun to be around.

Steven: Well, I’m interested to see if him riding for LSP, will change anyones opinion about Dakota.. personally, I’ll say for now, No Comment. So what about the current Lucky Team? I’ve heard you’ve made some changes to the team lately. What’s the real story there?

Lucky: Understandable. About change, change is inevitable. We’ve grown and become a global organization. We have new company leadership to help Brian grow the business. We have new suppliers. We have new distributors. We have a new team manager. We have new products. We have a new look and feel to our brand. And now we have Kota. So with all that change, it can be unsettling to people. A few of our pro riders decided to leave Lucky and pursue other interests in the sport when they got wind of the Kota agreement, and we wish them well. I think they’ll agree that we were always fair to them, and we feel good about those relationships. They will continue to test products and give us feedback. The good news is that our bench of upcoming riders is unbelievably talented. You’ll hear about some of them and see them on the podium at street and park competitions in the coming months. Going forward, Kota will play an active role in working with a lot of our amateur riders, and we couldn’t be happier about that.

Steven: Wow, it is kind of sad to see the guys who really put Lucky on the map, now start to break away from the company. One of the things that the Lucky team has always had, was solid street cred, and their videos helped with that image. With Kota on the pro team, does that mean we’re going to see constant flippty whippity tricks, and loads of park riding, and eventually less and less street?

Lucky: No way, our heritage is street and we’ll continue to bring street talent on to the team. Scootering will evolve just like skateboarding. You will have street and park riders, and some that can do both. Our goal is to build a team that can showcase the entire range of style and expression of the sport. Just look at our top pros on the team today. Mike Montgomery and Li’l Jon are total rock stars wherever they ride because they go big. Li’l Jon is still one of the few scooter riders to ever hit the El Toro 20-stair. Mike always takes the path less traveled. He does massive bangers at every street jam, and yet he also places in the top 5 at almost every park competition he enters. With Kota on the team, we’ll get more cross-training for our street riders, and Kota will pick up some street riding tips. Our product line will probably evolve around both street and park as well. That’s not an announcement, but we’ve been discussing this approach.

Steven: Well at least we know we still got Mike and Lil Jon holding it down. So let’s get into this  new line of completes and parts…break down for everyone what new parts are coming, and let them decide if they’re going to compare with the top products on the market today.

Lucky: We have new decks, new wheels, new clamps, new grips, new completes, and new branding on all of it. In addition, we’ve used new manufacturing techniques and new technologies on all our parts, including our forks and bars. The result is that our 2012 scooters are both lighter and more reliable. It’s a wicked combination. And it’s all on its way to distributors and retailers for the holiday season.

Steven: Wow seems like a total make over for all the old LSP products. Well I have to say this is a real turning point for Lucky Scooter Parts as a company, and I’m eager to see how things play out, and we’re definitely glad to have you back out front. Any last words to your competitors?

Lucky: Thanks, it’s great to be back. Actually the market size is growing so fast that our competitors are actually our friends. We need to create the market together. It’s still a small world.

James Gee ADVCT/Lucky Web Edit 2012

James has been working on this edit for a long time now, and it shows in the video. He's clearly been pushing his street game, and with all of the solid rail and ledge clips in this, it's paid off. One of the things that makes James riding so much fun to watch is the speed he does all of his tricks and lines with. Something a lot of street riders lack today. One of the best street edits to come out in 2012 for sure. Check it out below, and remember to support ADVCT.

Andy Young Lucky Promo

Andy has spent the last five months working on this.  He's got a thing for gaps and sets, tons of different tricks being thrown down them.  Loving all the little rails he did too.  I wish he had a better camera, that thing looks and sounds pretty haggard.

Gus Rymer 2012 Edit

Damn.. that's the first thing that came to my mind after this video was over. He rides street and park. Throws down bangers in both, and throws himself down gaps like it's no big deal. LSP and ShopECX rider, Gus Rymer has so much talent it sometimes seems to be overflowing. Really loved this.

Andy Koke Gets His Big Break, with Lucky Scooter Parts

Texas native Andy Koke has been deserving a solid sponsor for some time now. He has a really unique style, and is smooth as hell. I expect we will be seeing some big things from Andy in the near future, thanks to LSP.

Lucky Scooters Added to Session 3 at Ohio Dreams

Last year Ohio Dreams had Lil Jon and Mike Montgomery come out for the camp, well this time we got two new LSP riders heading out to Ohio. Those two riders are Stefan Hefner and James Gee. If you want to register or get more information, just head to the link below.


OhioDreams
OhioDreams

Here are the two latest from James Gee and Stefan Hefner.

Lil Jon and Mike Montgomery at Ohio Dreams

Recently Lil Jon and Mike Montgomery of Lucky Scooter Parts went down to Ohio Dreams to spend a week at the camp. I think it's pretty obvious they had a great time. One of the things I respect about Ohio Dreams is how they have really accepted our sport into their camp. They don't simply offer us one weekend out of the year to come ride. They have included scooters just like any other action sport, which is how it should be.

Mike and Lil Jon also shed some insight on how they feel about Ohio Dreams, so check it out.