Corey O'Brien

Corey O'Brien, Santa Cruz Skateboards, Independent Trucks, Bullet Wheels, captured in the middle of the "C. O. Later" or switch 180 frontside boneless. Bryan Temmermand photo.

Barker Barrett and Dune Skate Curbs

Got a few in today before the rain myself. This is making me jones to go back out again. Barker and Dune killing it.

Behold the Squid!

I really want one of these for my 149mm Indy trucks! Just an awesome shape from Lew.

Sun God or Neptune in Flames?

Santa Cruz sticker featuring Jason Jessee's Neptune cast in ice.

Originally a "mini model," the "Sun God" has been reissued and measures 9.9" by 29.7" Referred to industry wide as the "Sun God" graphic, it is none other than the OG Neptune in flames.

Jason Jessee Neptune graphic.

Jeff Phillips

Sims Jeff Phillips deck circa 1987. One of my all time favorite shapes and graphics, it was a radical departure from his previous fish shaped deck with a round nose.

Ad for Sims Nitros 63mm before he started riding for Speed Wheels.

Another extraordinary colorway of the Sims Phillips deck. One can't think of Jeff Phillips without thinking of tie-dye clothing. Shirts, socks, head gasket, Phillips rocked them all. You can read more about Jeff and tie-dye here. And the helmet...

...the skull and crossbones helmet. Jeff Phillips. The tall Texan. Big influence. Boneless ones like no other. Before I could ollie, I used to boneless to everything. Boneless to axle stall, boneless to grind, boneless off of the launch ramp. I think I heard once that he called them "boosters." J. Grant Brittain photo.

Night Sessions

Curbs after dark. Phil E. Skull Skates.

World Championship Slalom Racing 2015

Lynn Kramer.

Dave Hackett.

Jamie Hart.

Rick Floyd.

Ethan White.

John Ravitch.

Miguel "Mig" Marco and Brad Jackman (foreground). Big Thanks to Lenny Poage for Cone Fest 10 and to all of the racers who traveled from near and really, really far to participate in the World Championship of Slalom Skateboard Racing this year!

Slalom World Championships in Ashland, KY

Lenny Poage's Cone Fest has grown so much over the last ten years that this year the International Slalom Skateboarding Association has granted the three day race World Championship status! The three day event features giant slalom on Friday and Sunday, with tight and hybrid race courses being ran on 17th Street on Saturday. For more information click here.

September Slappy

Leaves are starting to fall. Cool mornings and hot days are the rule. It must be September again. Wednesday evening curb slappy through some crunchy foilage. Photo Em.

Bones Rough Riders Wheels

I rarely ride wheels smaller than 58mm, but I had to check out these Bones Rough Riders. I am a big fan of all terrain skateboard wheels due to the fact that most of the spots I frequent are rough to say the least, so these were right up my alley, or parking lot, or bank to curb.

So, what sets these apart from OJ Keyframes, or ABEC 11 subLIME SoftBallz or other cored softer wheels on the market? To begin with, I would first say the unique hub/core. Bones" "New H5 Hub" which is "Chemically bonded for an extremely strong hold" gives the wheel the firm ride of a harder wheel with all of the benefits of Bones ATF all terrain formula. According to Bones, "(ATF) wheels are poured in a special soft urethane we call All-Terrain Formula or (ATF). ATF wheels are excellent for rougher terrain so regardless of road quality, this revolutionary formula will roll you there quickly and smoothly."

Quickly and smoothly indeed. These wheels are FAST! The hub/core combo makes these wheels perform incredibly. Combined with the soft urethane of the all terrain formula, you can literally roll over anything! I spent the better part of tonight's session pushing, pumping, and carving through places I typically avoid at my local spot. Pebbles, twigs? No problem. Cracks? Whatever. Roll on. Read more details after the pic.

While slightly shorter than the Powell Bombers (60/85)that I have been riding, the Rough Riders are considerably faster. I even managed to coax them into a couple of fakie tail slides despite the fact that ATF wheels aren't intended to slide a lot. I made a few minor adjustments for these wheels. The first is that I added a bearing spacer to my set up despite the fact that I haven't used spacers since probably 1987, but, they really helped these wheels to roll better on the axle. The second adjustment was that I only used one washer on my axles instead of two because I couldn't get the axle nut on the threads as well as I like with both washers, and I ride my wheels borderline rattly loose!

All in all, these Bones Rough Riders are killer wheels! I highly recommend them for those of you who like to frequent spots that are otherwise not approachable if you are rolling on 101a.