Introducing the latest version of our Rain Wheel called the H20. Made from a new mold different from the original version with a new urethane as well. The main difference is that the outside edges are sharper and not as round, giving them more grip on wet pavement. Also the urethane is higher quality and very clear. With a bigger white core and slick new graphic designed by Eric Hovey, we are really excited to finally release them to the masses!
Eastside H20 Rain Wheels
We put the same type of grooves into the new wheels as the original version. With the same spacing that had worked great in the past. An 1/8″ deep by an 1/8″ wide with a half-inch spacing between the two. We figured this out the first time around with extensive testing of various depths and spacing to see how they perform and wear. And came up with this balance of being effective while maintaining speed. With the better thane and sharper outside edges, they are a definite improvement. After getting the first few sets cut into the new wheel we went out and tested them on a really wet day in Portland.
Eastside H20 test set.
Trying them out on a prototype of the 2012 Carbon DropKick, they gripped amazingly well at one of Portland’s local spots Switchbacks. Pouring down rain with the road completely wet are ideal conditions to be riding them. Displacing the water into the groves allowed them to track super well into the road making it almost feel as if the road were dry. Even though everything else was completely wet and soaked through including my shoes! They gripped so much that I really had to lay it down perform a shut down slide at the end of each run. And when entering the turns with speed they drifted slightly when I took weight off the board and put my puck down. And I could feel they grip back up smoothly as I put weight back onto my board near the end of the turn. No real jerking or slipping of the feet was felt. And they accelerated nicely without loosing much speed out of the turns. All in all I was very happy how they performed and like said seemed to be faster in general than the original version mostly due to the new mold and urethane.
Eastside H20 Rain Wheels on a proto of the 2012 Carbon DropKick.
As a provider of unique longboard gear we also strive to keep costs low as we are not in it to make a lot of money. Rather to make the best quality and most affordable products we can. Thus we decided to keep the retail price of these puppies the same – $39.99
Still looking for that perfect Holiday gift for under $50 bucks? Our Balance Board is a great buy and something that a lot of people from all walks of life enjoy. Originally designed for balance training and improvement for skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, wakeboarding, ect. Over the years since we introduced this product at the Portland Saturday Market, it has proven to be liked and loved by a wide range of people including young kids (even 3-4 years olds), teens, college kids, adults, and older people striving to improve their overall balance. As a gift you can’t go wrong!
The Eastside Balance Board - $44.99 with Free Shipping for the Holidays!
These have always been a great seller for us down at the Portland Saturday Market all year round. And especially during the Holidays! We have been retired from the PSM for a year now, so you’ll have to go to our site to order one. You can also call to make an appt. to pick one up at our production shop in S.E. Portland near 65th and Foster.
Christmas time at the Portland Saturday Market in 2006.
We’ve been making these in our shop since 2004 with this solid design guaranteed to last. And keep you wanting more time on it as it can become quite addicting! Not only do extreme boarders love it, it can also be enjoyed by anyone wanting a fun activity to do in the house by themselves, with friends/family, or as a piece of entertainment for a party or gathering.
Having fun with friends on the Balance Board in a hotel room.
Collected a few Carbon DropKick blems over the last year. Here’s the scoop:
4 – Carbon DropKicks available for $60 each (actaully 54.2% off). Website Link
Carbon DropKick Blem Deck - 1 of 4
All of them have the same type of blem involving a CNC miscut in the same areas around one of the upper and lower wheel cutouts. Basically the board came loose as it was being cut and resulted in an 1/16″ – 1/8″ miscut around one of the upper wheel cutouts and one of the lower wheel cutouts for each board. Each of them have NO OTHER PROBLEMS thus none of them are warped and are all perfectly functional (most people won’t even be able to notice the slight imperfection).
Carbon DropKick Blem Decks - $60 each
I finished them all, sanding them smooth, and complete with the same paint and graphic as the production Carbon DropKick.
Board Options:
$60 per deck while they last.
$10 for griptape and correct hardware (gnar or regular grip).
$60 off Complete – refer to link for setup options – Complete
Payment Options:
- Arrange a pick up at the shop by contacting us by phone or email, cash only.
- Have it shipped for $10 Deck or $15 Complete by calling or emailing and requesting a PayPal invoice to be sent to you (Don’t have to have a PayPal account, can be paid with any credit card).
Long over due write-up for this event. With so much happening this year, I haven’t had much to write about it. However I aim to catch back up as the season slows down.
Cathlamet Downhill Corral is hands down one of the most versatile skateboard endeavors any skater will be challenged by if they do all or most of the events like myself. I enjoy the all around skating of this event so much that I missed one of the four Adrenalina Skateboard Marathons and a chance to win thousands of dollars. This year there were 6 different events in 3 days, it was quite the thrill and exhaustion on the legs. I arrived Saturday morning August 27th to Puget Island where the day’s opening event – The 7.5 mile push race went down. A generous country breakfast was served at the starting area by local residents. Learning from last year not to wait till after the race to get food because it would be all gone by then, I quickly loaded up a plate with eggs and potatoes and set it in my VW bus for later. With about 40 riders to push on an all flat course, this was not bad for NW skaters at 10am. My two most rivaled local NW competitors on the line with me this year, I felt it was not going to be as easy as the past two years. Old time rival David Mitchell has renewed his strength is his pushing since his 2008 victory at King of the Forest while new time rival Brandon DeJarlais has been sticking close to me at some earlier push races this year in Vancouver, WA and Eugene, OR. Both were ready to give me another run for my money and we were off!
Cathlamet 2011 Push Race Start - Photo by Kroll Images
Sprinting off the line it was soon clear that us 3 and 2 others where in the lead. Having learned to push switch while training for the marathons I began to do so for the first mile and a half or so after the initial sprint. After I could see I could keep up this way I kept going a little longer to see how tired the others were at this point. And by mile 2 I switched back to regular and sprinted away from the group even faster than the start. And begun building a big lead away from David and Brandon.
Robin and David Sprinting out front - Photo by Kroll Images
Focusing on my stride and feeling great on a nice sunny day looking off into the water every now and then I felt amazing! Part of it was I knew the race was short compared to the last race I pushed in at the marathon in NY. So getting close to the finish I sprinted harder than ever hoping to beat my time. And I did by about 3 minutes at approx.25 min. versus 28 the year before.
Robin tucking into the finish for a 2 minute lead win - Photo by Kroll images
David and Brandon battled for second coming in 2 minutes after me, yet both beating my time the year before. The awards raffle was headed by organizer Addison Fox and lots were won by riders and spectators who donated money to the event. After giving out a board I quickly headed to my bus for my coveted and delicious breakfast that I had saved haha so good!
Push Race Podium – Brandon 3rd, Robin 1st, David 2nd – Photo by Veronica Winslett
Next on tap for the day was the Sidewalk Showdown hosted by Portland skater Skip Marcotte – local ripper/legend who introduced this unique event last year. With a similar setup to the first year he added a steeper initial ramp to kickturn around before heading to the rest of the course laid out.
Cliff Coleman (Skateboard Legend) kickturns around the first cone on the ramp - Photo by Kroll Images
It consisted of a route where you had to skate off a curb, across the road and up onto the other sidewalk, slalom through about a dozen cones, go off another curb, hit a small launch ramp, more cones, another ramp, and more cones to the finish. Very fun and challenging, keeping you guessing, and focusing on whats ahead.
Nick Brenton carving his way on the top section - Photo courtesy of SkateSlate.com
I really enjoyed this one of a kind slalom race having more obstacles than just cones, and having to use your kicktail to maneuver around stuff. Each rider had 3 runs to get their best time. Cones knocked over were a tenth of a second deduction per cone with a max of 5 cones = DQ.
Robin launching over a ramp - Photo by Kroll Images
Eastsider Casey Morrow threw down the fastest time of the day. Jon Huey ended up second. And David Mitchell 3rd. My best time would have placed 3rd, however I hit one cone on my best run which dropped me back to 4th. That just shows how close all the top times were, basically less than a second apart! Congrats to Casey for his first win at a Cathlamet event!
As if this wasn’t enough skateboarding for one day, the holy grail of progressive racing in my mind was about to happen. And was already happening even before the Sidewalk Showdown was over as eager skaters first attempted the daring course. This first time ever event put on by Maryhill Rat Deano Ozuna featured a short one block downhill route with 3 banked turns and one really huge launch ramp on rough pavement…sounds intriguing huh? It was actually really terrifying and only 16 of the 200 skaters there that day had the rocks to race it. The unusual method of starting was used I think because of how limited the top area was to give 4 riders an equal chance. Riders placed there boards on one side of the road at the top while they run from the other side of the road. Starting 3,2,1 go, they ran to get their boards, turn around and throw down before they got to the first bank. Each of the two upper banks had a cone at the bottom that was required to go around. After the second bank the pavement was rough and steep going into the featured 5 foot high launch ramp.
Final Heat with Will Royce in the lead catching huge air! Photo by Kroll Images
On my first practice run I really didn’t know if I was going to clear it or not make it and hang up on the curved middle section. I saw everyone early grabbing as they launched off of it. I knew I was not good at that maneuver and was not going to try it. Rather I looked at the obstacle from my street skating roots before I rode longboards. And rode my Tabor board which is basically a 36″ skateboard deck with longboard trucks and wheels so I could float ollies over the gap. And stomp down on the landing ramp ready to carve around the last bank.
Photo by Alex Tongue
Photo by Alex Tongue
It was very challenging at first trying to figure out what speed I needed to do so. My fear was going too fast and clearing the whole thing onto flat ground, which would be very shocking to my knees most likely resulting in a painful crash. This was the case for Will Royce in the final heat between Patrick Switzer, James West, and myself. Will came in hot hitting the ramp first, clearing it and wiping out!
Will wipes out and grabs his board while Robin lands the ramp going for the win - Photo by Kroll Images
After landing the ramp like I did successfully on every other heat before, I thought I had it in the bag as I saw Will go down. However as he scrambled in front of me to get his board, he threw it out in front of me trying to get back on it. I didn’t even know what I hit as I came flying off my board slamming onto the last bank sliding across it as my board went over and behind the bank.
Robin hits Will's board causing him to slam and slide across the bank - Photo by Kroll Images
As I slid across the bank, I slid to the end and off somehow landing on my feet after being almost inverted. And without thinking instantly went behind the bank to grab my board and continue on hoping to beat the rest of the riders to the finish line.
Robin sliding off the bank onto his feet as Will also goes for his board behind the bank - Photo by Kroll Images
Patrick and James hit the launch ramp very close together and both ended up crashing out on the landing. However Patrick got up very quick and beat all 3 of us to the finish line as we were struggling to get our boards back under our feet. This was an amazing finish that really showed the intensity of the event. The rest of us fought really hard to finish 2nd which seemed like a tie. None of us could agree who crossed first so we ran a bonus heat between us ending up with Will as the victor, myself after, then James.
Tie for 2nd as Patrick wins forcing a bonus heat for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place - Photo by Kroll Images
Boarder Cross Podium - Will Royce 2nd, Patrick Switzer 1st, Robin McGuirk 3rd, James West 4th
All in all it was an amazing experience to conquer this course and be a part of this legendary event. Hopefully more Boarder Cross events emerge next year and start to progress longboard racing further with more obstacles than just fast roads and sharp turns. Cathlamet is on the leading edge of this movement by being the first to add such objects into their innovative downhill course. The 2010 race featured small kicker ramps that riders were forced to go over and 2011 upgraded the final ramp with a nicer transition which allowed racers to hit them at even higher speeds.
Portland rider Ryan Sorensen early grabs off the final ramp - Photo by Spencer Morgan
Early grabbin’ off the final ramp was a popular way to handle the obstacle but it was a risky move for some if it wasn’t perfect. Too much speed coming in hot threw some riders off which made for some hilarious crashes for the spectators to enjoy.
Will Royce from Florida about to slam from tweakin' an early grab - Photo by Spencer Morgan
The other way to hit the ramps was to just ride over it and quickly stomp your board down to the ground. If you had enough speed your board would not scrap, it was just like going off a curb at speed. This approach rarely resulted in crashing and got the board down on the ground quicker so the rider could prepare for the last 90 degree left faster called Coffin Corner.
Jeff Spicoli from Canada ripping over the final ramp - Photo by Spencer Morgan
Getting back to the top section of this course, it starts out with a limited push to a similar ramp which was about 30 feet from the startline. After that no more pushing was allowed and riders tucked for couple blocks on a very mellow hill only going about 15-20mph. Then they took a 90 degree left onto a much steeper 2 block section going up to 35mph with ease. At the bottom of that you take a 90 degree right onto another fast 2 block section with even more speed going up to 40 plus mph. Then came the dreaded Catastrophe Corner which is a more than 90 degree left after crossing a flat section of Main Street where all the spectators were lined up eager to watch riders crashing hard into the bails.
Looking down onto Main Street before the riders attempt to make Catastrophe Corner - Photo by Spencer Morgan
Looking up at Main Street as Patrick Switzer slides across it with Eastside rider Casey Morrow hot on his heels - Photo by Spencer Morgan
The sharp turn narrows quickly allowing only a couple makeable lines through it at once. Its drops down as well where the final ramp is set forcing riders to hit it before they have to make the final 90 degree left (Coffin Corner) to the finish.
Portland rider Alex Tongue drifting through Catastrophe Corner perfectly - Photo by Spencer Morgan
Casey Morrow comes in hot to pass Calvin Staub from Colorado - Photo by Spencer Morgan
Eastside Rider Eric Hovey drifting into Coffin Corner, he advanced several times this year. Photo by Spencer Morgan
Eastside Rider John Bergman - Photo by Kroll Images
Eastside Rider Nick Calafato - Photo by Michael James
Eastside Rider Aidian O'leyne - Photo by Kroll Images
All of us were riding the new version of the Rocky Bomber this year, with the new increased concave, making the hard corners with speed was way smoother than previous years. Check out the new design – Rocky Bomber
Robin McGuirk stand up slides into final turn after being eliminated - Photo by Spencer Morgan
After doing well in the other events this year, my luck did not follow me into the Downhill race where I finished 4th last year. On my first heat I attempted the throw down start which I’ve been doing all year flawlessly. And ended up loosing my board for a few seconds and thus did not get a good start. Catching up to the pack at Catastrophe Corner I slammed into Cody Shea and took us both out trying to catch up. After that I did numerous crowd pleaser runs with other knock outs (eliminated riders) like Ryan Sorensen and David Mitchell. We called ourselves Team Blowin’ It and proceeded to do freeride heats where we tried various approaches and differently timed pre-drifts to experiment and see what would happen. The crowd loved it and we learned a few things trying out some non-conventional lines.
Alex Tongue winning the Cathlamet Downhill Corral 2011 - Photo by Spencer Morgan
Fellow Daddies Board Shop team rider Alex Tongue was unstoppable this year winning all but one of his heats. And of course the Final heat with Patrick Switzer, Chip Wood, and Billy Meiners. This was his first big win of the year and of his career. He has been traveling to Canada and Europe all season and is currently in 2nd behind Patrick in point standings for the IGSA. It’s great to see a Portland local at the top of world of Downhill Skateboarding. I met him skating alone in Happy Valley when he was 15 and over the years have watched him progress on his own through dedication and determination. He just turned 19 and still has so much potential, congrats the fastest Tongue in the West!
Downhill Podium Shot - Tongue 1st, Wood 2nd, Meiners 3rd, Switzer 4th - Photo by Spencer Morgan
If you’re a racer and trying to decide what events to go to next year, this should be on top of you list. And if you’re a spectator and enjoy watching downhill racing, bring your family and friends out next year, you won’t be disappointed. The local residents love this weekend, the whole town is behind it!
A long-awaited write-up, better late than never! Being the busy body I am making boards, teaching Longboarding 101, running my Catahoula Leopard Dog Otis, and doing yoga with my wife Amy, I’ve managed to travel as well to some amazing races around the country and Canada thanks to Daddies Board Shop. Finding a balance to it all is the challenge…
Stretching it out on the front line with Keifer Dixon (left), Robin McGuirk (middle), and Paul Kent (right). Photo by Sports Illustrated.com
Start of the Adrenalina NYC Marathon - Photo by SHeRED Mag.
Going to NYC for the first Skateboard Marathon for 2011 on July 30th was blast. It was great to be back in the big city with my homie Theseus Williams (center above photo) skating through traffic like mad. First day I followed him around sprinting from one place to another, so exciting and thrilling to be dodging cars and people on the super smooth wavy tar pavement. Treated like royalty Theseus let me crash at his girlfriend Corrina’s place which was an unusually huge apartment. Can’t say enough about Theseus and Corrina’s hospitality. She and I scoped out the course while Theseus had to work the day before the race. She skates too and competed in her first marathon. Having a ton of pride and stoke for it all she is also launching a new skate mag about woman skaters called SHeRED Mag. due to premier in the September issue of Concrete Wave. After a few laps checking it out I was stoked to see a little uphill, and some good long downhill sections with some 90 degree corners to hit at the bottom. This was not what I expected and somehow doubt I will see more terrain like this in the upcoming marathons in Texas and Florida. So having a feel for the course I deciding to go with the 76mm flywheels as my preferred choice in push races if the pavement is mostly smooth as it was here on Governor’s Island. Was thinking it might be rougher and was going to ride the Orange Otang 75mm Durians which are all urethane with no core, thus would absorb more abrasive pavement. Later on we all met up, ate some yummy New York grub and played ping-pong in the park before heading to bed early to wake up at 4am to catch the ferry to the race.
Ping Pong in the Park!
Riding the Ferry eating some hardy granola/smoothy breakfast.
Race stated at 7am and the temp was nice at about 65-70 degrees. It warmed up a bit by the end but nothing I wasn’t used to. It was dry is all I cared about so I could go as fast as possible in the downhill / corner sections. I knew I would have to do well there to keep up with these crazy Push Racers on the flats. Going out strong this time as opposed to hangin’ back a bit like I did in my first marathon proved to be a good strategy. Before the first of 12 laps was over, Paul Kent and Jeff Vyain passed me racing side by side in unison pushing equally fast and Jeff pumped a bit too.
Jeff Vyain 1st (left) - Paul Kent 2nd (middle) - Robin McGuirk 3rd (right) Photo by SilverfishLongboarding.com
After that a load of heavy hitters came upon me as I kept up a fairly fast sprinting pace pushing with my regular leg all of the time expect the short one block uphill section I pushed switch. On lap 2 I was in 3rd going fast into the downhill section and through the 90′s when I heard some carnage go down behind me with a bunch of riders going down in the corners including Theseus who got caught up in the madness. Later on I heard Captain America (Enrique Cubillo AKA Central Park Longboard) got bumped and headed the pile of crashes. Anyhow I sprinted away but a few other top guys squeaked through and began to hunt me down. On lap 4 I had a few pass but never let them get more than a few feet ahead putting the pressure on to keep sprinting. Soon after one by one either cramped out right next to me or fell off their board, one rider even losing his board over the edge into the water. Keifer Dixon I heard yell out in utter pain from a devastating cramp taking him out as well. After that I was in a solid 3rd place with no one in sight behind me. However I lost Jeff and Paul and couldn’t see them either. Trying to keep up my pace with no one around was tough and eventually I began to conserve a little and take it down a small notch. From lap 6-10 I was by myself lapping the slowest riders of the race. I kept up my style of 5 to 10 big pushes and then tucking for 10-20 seconds. And always checking my rear view in my tuck to try to spy any stockers coming up. During lap 10 I noticed a really tall and skinny black dude I saw earlier in the race at the crash carnage of lap 2. Stephan Reinhardt was slowly gaining and I could tell he wanted to put a move on me. And just then I felt the familiar tingle in my right calf I had felt in last year’s Florida Marathon at about the same 20 mile mark. Having compression socks on I believe it helped me not get a full-blown out cramp, but rather a tingle which gave me enough warning to rest my leg in my tuck. But Stephan was catching up and I couldn’t stop pushing. So I knew I had to go for it and push like hell on my switch side for the first time on flat in a race. I focused hard on my technique and pushed hard until I began to pull away slightly heading to the uphill section of Lap 11 still pushing switch. When I got to the top I went back to regular and gave it a few really strong pushes before getting into my tuck for the downhill section. Looking back in my rear view before taking the corners, I could see he was farther back now. Going into the last lap I knew I had him as long as I went back to pushing switch on the flats again so my regular leg wouldn’t cramp. He gained a little but I pulled away again on the last downhill section and the race was over. Having seen so many other riders cramp out I didn’t want to go out like that. And ultimately owe it to the year’s practice pushing switch around my neighborhood. I never felt super confident about doing it during a race going 15 plus mph, but I learned on uphills and gradually got better on flat ground. Being in the heat of the moment not wanting to lose 3rd place, I took a chance trying it out at speed and thankfully succeeded. It was an amazingly rewarding experience and I was way way stoked to podium at my first marathon!
Robin Finishing 3rd - 1:38:07 - Photo by SHeRED Mag.
Jeff won the race with a time of 1:31:41, and Paul Kent second at 1:32:10. They were both on top of their game and will be very tough to beat. Just found out the results of the second stop on the tour in Puerto Rico. And to many people’s surprise Keifer Dixon took it with a time of 1:38:39, Paul second at 1:38:48, and slightly injured Jeff at 1:41:56. The course was wet and looked challenging, congrats to Keifer for redeeming himself and winning his first marathon. I chose not to go to this one so I could go to the beloved Cathlamet Downhill Corral…update coming soon…
Top 5 Men - Jeff Vyain, Paul Kent, Robin McGuirk, Stephan Reinhardt, William Coale - Photo by SHeRED Mag.
They’re finally done and its official! The new Rocky Bomber has just landed with some major improvements to Eastside’s most popular board to date.
New Rocky Bomber featuring Otis the Catahoula Leopard Dog.
Here’s the comparison and list of improvements to the previous version:
- New Mold with a lots more concave – 2 inches of flat with 5/8″ radial lift.
(previous model – 4.5 inches of flat with 1/2″ radial lift)
Lots more concave!
- Thicker plies of 8 ply maple in combination with more concave equaling a more solid and stiffer deck compared to the previous version (can support riders over 200 pounds with very little flex).
- Added Wheel Well in combination with same previous wheel-cutouts to prevent wheel-bite for bigger wheels up to 76mm with no risors.
New Wheel Wells for elimination of wheel-bite with bigger wheels.
Side view of the wheel well cut.
Showing the wheel to board spacing.
- New dark grey stain with 3 color silk screen design featuring the Eastside Dog. Graphic created by Eastside designer Eric Hovey. Working with him closely to come up with a theme for the new graphic I was inspired by my crazy Catahoula Leopard Dog named Otis. He is now 2 years old and has been trained to pull me on my board like mad around the neighborhood going faster than I can push. I have become a master foot-breaker to control his speed especially coming up to intersections and before corners. Eric photographed some head shots of him after I ran him hard one day. And used the photos to incorporate into this one of kind pop-art graphic. He also shot Otis and I skating through Laurelhurst Park in S.E. Portland one day for the next Pups of Longboarding Calender that he’ll be featured in again. Here are some of the finalist:
Over 500 pounds of food was donated for this event with over 80 riders participating. This 7th annual race went off on a nice 70 degree partly sunny day. Robin McGuirk of Eastside Longboards joined forces with Josh Burt of the Portland Pusher Series to organize this race from Mt.Tabor to Sellwood Park. Daddies Board Shop donated big time with loads of prizes as they have all the previous years along with Subsonic Skateboards, Longboard Larry and of course Eastside Longboards. Many others from a far like Timeship Racing and Abec 11 threw down as well along with local supporters Yoga Union and Hot Lips pizza. But none of it would have happened without the generous longboarders of Portland who came out to donate all this food to the hungry in Portland!
Robin delivering the 500 pounds of food to Oregon Food Bank.
Josh and Robin with the prize spread.
The News Media also caught the spirit of this event and Channel 2 got the coverage and put it on the Sunday night news later that day: http://www.katu.com/home/video/122474364.html
The race was once again won by Robin McGuirk with Will Best 2nd, Brandon Dejarlias 3rd, and Abel Cardenas 4th, all of which broke Robin’s previous time record set in 2008. Full Results and Times
Top 8 men and 1st Place woman.
(Original Post below)
Reporting on the Push scene here in the NW, I wanted to spread the word about the three longest running endurance races in my area. Inspired by the infamous Portland Pusher Series from 2003 -2008, they all represent what push racing means here in the NW. The courses consist of varied terrain that challenge the rider’s skill at making the course as fast as possible. The Pacific Northwest is a breeding ground for many all-around skaters like me, doing a lot of downhill, freeride, park, and just plain pushing through traffic, up and down hills, to get places. I believe doing it all is what makes you a more diverse skater, able to tackle anything with confidence. These races bring out everyone in the local longboard community because they are not too long and have a lot of fun sections of downhill with corners to handle at speed while riding the different routes. This variety is what shaped my style of push when battling other top racers in the world at events like the Broadway Bomb and Adrenalina Marathons.
On March 27th, 2011 the Vancouver Vixon was ran for the 3rd time. The first was in 2008 in the fall, which was rainy and the trail was covered with leaves making for a lot of resistance. The second time was in 2009 during the summer, which was very dry and clean. And this recent third run was wet again but with no leaves, just really slick with mossy sections. The whole course goes along a section of the Discovery Trail in Vancouver, WA for 13.5 miles (half marathon), which is just across the Columbia River from Portland, OR. Along with the Portland Pusher Series, these races have been the two most popular Push races in the area. Winner of the last two Vixon races, I had invited some riders from outside the area to challenge me. James Peters of Paved Wave from Seattle and Conan Gay from Eugene, both of whom I raced in the Adrenalina Marathon in Florida last year.
42 riders showed up on a wet but not raining morning at 10am to meet the organizer Chris Stevens of Northwest Shirts.
Organizer Chris Stevens holding the Vixon Trophy. Photo by Silvertown Photography
He had maps ready for the riders and explained the route in detail (even though some people still got lost at times). The start and finish are the same with the course going to one end and coming back the same way. As Chris said the route was a mixed bad of flat, smooth, rough, uphill, and downhill with some hairy wet corners. One of which corner has claimed a few riders over the years sliding off into a nearby creek, which happened to me the first year hahaha! The diversity of the course kept you on your toes and made it more challenging to skate fast than just a flat route.
The race started out not raining but about a third of the way through it started coming down but it didn’t faze too many by then as the blood was pumping and the race was in full swing. I started out in the back of the pack to give everyone a bit of head start.
42 Riders charging off with Robin starting in the back. Photo by Silvertown Photography
I wanted the chance to pass everyone eventually and make it more challenging for me. Little did I know I had a few more challenges ahead of me. About halfway to the turn around point I caught up to the leaders Abel Cardenas, Brandon DeJarlais, and Conan Gay. There was a small pack of 3 or so a little ways behind us 4. Then we came upon a road crossing where we followed Abel who misread the map he had and led us the wrong way. It being 2 years since I last skated the route, I was not sure either and us 4 took a detour diverting us about a quarter mile by the time we got back on track. The 3 pack behind us was now ahead of us and beat us to the halfway point. I knew there was time to catch them but I had to notch it up a gear in pace to track them down.
Getting to the halfway point to turn around and go back. Photo by Tim Laidlaw
I didn’t panic or go too crazy, but the feeling in my stomach was not good and it took a second to calm down and set my pace towards them. Sure enough I had them in my sites soon after the mid point. I passed them, one of which I knew, Max Wipperman from Seattle. Then I started to relax a bit knowing there was about 5 miles left in the race with a comfortable lead. Abel, Brandon, and Conan eventually passed the 3 pack as well. All I could see was Abel a good 30 yards behind me as I came upon another crossing. In the pouring rain I missed another trailhead and went up a cross road too far. Damm I couldn’t believe it happened again as I looked down the road to see a group of riders crossing into the trailhead that I missed. This time I did panic and started sprinting to chase them down. It took a while and I was breathing hard, but not long after I passed most of them until I got up to Abel. He was running strong and pushed with both feet fairly well. My style is dominantly pushing with my right leg then tucking for a bit, and only pushing with my left leg on uphills. Abel was pushing equally and keeping a good 10 feet ahead of me for a while.
Top 4 Finishers leading: Brandon, Abel, Robin, Conan - Photo by Silvertown Photography
We had a couple miles left coming to an uphill section that was a fast downhill during the first part of the race. I had spent a lot of energy catching back up and could tell Abel was tired but determined to give me a run for my money. No one else was really close to us at this point and we battled on the uphill. I stayed with him and as we passed each 2 or 3 times until we got to the top and the last mile or so of flat. This section had a good quarter mile of ridiculously rough pavement like little spikes pointing up. We hit it in the beginning but with a lot more energy. The trick was to not put that much weight on your board and push fast through it so you don’t feel it as much. Now that we were tired it was much harder and very draining on the legs. I was pulling away now but he was still in striking distance if he had something left for the last half mile of smooth to the finish. About 100 feet from the finish there was a small crowd cheering me on and I thought this was the new finish line for some reason. So I did a stand-up slide across and stopped. I looked behind me and Abel was tearing towards me as fast as he could go. The crowd yelled at me saying to keep going, I got back on my board and we had a push-out to the finish! I just barely stayed in front of him around a small corner to the end.
Robin and Abel with the photo finish. Photo by Max Robley
It was very close but somehow I pulled it off despite the extra challenges I endured. In the end I’m glad I had them as it made for an interesting race forcing me to change my pace several times.
Brandon, Conan, and Max came in shortly after for 3rd, 4th, and 5th place. After everyone had finished there was a huge prize raffle with money spent on raffle tickets going to the local group called the Urban Growers Market in downtown Vancouver. Over $200 was raised for this backyard growers market and community food resource. Chris Stevens handed out the prizes from all the sponsors including:
- Bad Monkey Bike and Skate – Eastside Longboards – Northwest Shirts – Brickhouse Bar & Grill – Daddies Board Shop – Fat Lip Industries – Subsonic Skateboards – Rip City Skate – One World Merchants
There were plenty of prizes for all including some hand made art from local old school skater Skip Marcotte for the DFL (Dead F**kin Last) and Best crash/road rash award!
All in all the entire event was a great success and no one got too hurt. The after party was at the Brickhouse Bar & Grill who served delicious Bison Burgers yuummm! Daddies Board Shop photographer Spencer Morgan took some photos and made a little video of the race.
Podium Shot: Brandon 3rd, Abel 2nd, Robin 1st - Photo by Spencer Morgan
This event is organized by Shane Donogh of Northwest Longboarding.com. The first was in 2008, second in 2009, and third in 2010. I won the first two and forfeited last year’s race due to a family wedding, and had to hand over the cup to the new Champion Rain Daley of Seattle. All of the different routes have been between 8 and 13 miles, but all followed the tradition of Push Races in the NW by being very rugged over varied terrain. A mix of uphill, downhill, flat, and some gnarly obstacles like expansion gaps over bridges to cross, which claimed at least one longboard into the water below haha. The Seattle Pusher Cup provided by Shane is very nice and heavy, hopefully someday I will get it back we’ll see! Next Seattle Pusher should be later this summer, check Northwestlongboarding.com for updates.
Seattle Pusher Cup first won in 2008 - Photo by Eric Hovey
The next on-going annual race in the area is called the P-Town Throwdown. This year it will be on May 22, 2011. Formerly known as the Annie Ross Open for the last five years, it was a charity fundraiser for the homeless organized by local skater Will Best. Before that it was the original course for Portland Pusher 4 in 2005. The Portland Pusher Series went from 2003-2008 organized by local skateboard enthusiast Josh Burt. He had 2 races a year for a total of 10 in the series, all on different routes in Portland.
Portland Pusher Series Organizer Josh Burt.
This year’s race is a charity race for the Oregon Food Bank: The P-Town Throwdown. 4 cans of food are required for entry. Racers will get one raffle ticket for every 4 items of food they donate. More food, more tickets, more chances to wins prizes at the raffle from all the generous sponsors: Daddies Board Shop, Eastside Longboards, Longboard Larry, Subsonic Skateboards, and more. The course is 8.5 miles long down the lower Eastside of Portland from Mt.Tabor to Sellwood Park. Going along a city bike route, there are very few stop signs and only 3 light signals to watch for. And as a bonus, skating on the streets of Portland is completely legal, a city ordinance set back in 2000 (20.12.205). The first 5 miles is a slight downhill with two 6-10 block sections of downhill that riders can get up to 30mph on. There is very little uphill and the last 3.5 miles is on a flat bike path going along the Willamette River to the finish line. P-Town Throwdown Map I have never been defeated on this course and would love for someone to push me even harder than before – Hint Hint – Come on out NYC boys!!! My record time is 25:11 set in 2008. Last year it was 26:18.
These are my favorite local Push Races, which has formed my style of racing today. Now putting that on the line in different parts of the world, against tougher competition, on flatter and longer courses is the greatest challenge I’ve faced… As you can tell, I’m extremely excited on the recent announcement of the new Adrenalina Marathon World Tour, expect to see me at the first event at Governors Island, NY July 30th, 2011.
Big Thanks to Daddies Board Shop for sending this Northwest rep out to battle!!!
Another Eastside winter time project has been finalized and released to the masses. The all new Universal Noseguard for Drop-through style longboards – THE NOSEJOB. Many riders may have seen us rocking these over the years to protect our boards from breakage. And yes they have saved many boards over the last 3 plus years since we’ve been prototyping them. When you lose control of your board and it goes flying into a curb or hard object, this often means damage. Sometimes this damage can be fatal or unfixable. Designed to fit the majority of drop-thru longboard styles available. The Nosejob serves as a solid insurance investment that will increase the longevity of your board. Also features hardware release hole slots to prevent your hardware from bending on an impact.
Nosejob - Universal Noseguard for most any drop-thru board.
Highly recommended when purchasing a new drop-through board. Made from highly durable composite plastic for numerous blows to the nose of your board. Light weight and flexible means you won’t even notice it when riding! Manufactured and distributed by Eastside Longboards. (All rights reserved, Trademark 2011)
At last its finally finished after many prototypes and testing. And into production and available for all – Carbon-Infused DropKick. Same shape, specs, and stiffness as the older all maple version. Now slightly lighter with a new more durable construction. Laminated with a special new thick resin that is less brittle than others thus allowing a better bond with the multiple layers of maple, birch, and carbon fiber. I’ve been testing out this new version testing its limits trying to do everything I could on the old version. Been bombing fast down roads and pathways, pushing all over town with it, and stomping on the kicktail off cracks and curbs at speed. This thing is a dream to ride and can do anything it seems. The tail is stiff and reliable and is awesome to have knowing you can lift up the front wheels and float off anything in your way. As opposed to most other longboards out there, having to jump off or get off if you see a 1 inch plus crack in your path. And no more scrapping the bottom of your board when going off a curb. When you get used to the tail, you can lift off and keep your board from scrapping as you land. It takes a few tries to get it down, but once you have it, its becomes second nature and a more efficient way to navigate through the urban terrain. If looking for a board that can do it all (Downhill, Commuting/Pushing, Freeride), then this one’s definitely a great choice. Carbon infused at the same price – $130 DropKick
New Carbon Fiber DropKick with white logo.
Updated Website Description:
This latest version is made from a blend of maple, birch, carbon fiber, and a uniquely less brittle resin adhesive. With this revamped construction, it has the same specs, stiffness, concave, and thickness as the previous all maple version. Now it is slightly lighter and even more durable with a new white graphic to mark its new makeup. As one of the classic Eastside models first released in 2006, it has made its way to the top as one of the most unique boards out today. Featuring a rare drop-thru design with a useful kick tail made to maneuver through the harsh urban terrain. This original idea was formed by creator Robin McGuirk as the ultimate commuter and cross-town race board. He has proven its reliability to conquer a mixed style of downhill and pushing with the added ability to lift up the front wheels over cracks and off curbs with his many top finishes at various push races around the country. Recommended wheels up to 76mm with no wheelbite.
Manual Slides are a breeze and so much fun!
Features:
- Length: 41″
- Width: 9.625″
- Wheelbase: 29.5″
- Concave: 0.5” radial with 3” of flat in the middle.
- 5 degree wedged nose for added turning with slight drop in front.
- Old School bolt pattern with universal drop-through cutout.
- High density plastic Tail Guard to preserve the tail life.
- Effective Foot Platform (EFP): 24”
- Handmade in Portland, Oregon!
Eastside of Mt.Tabor!
Recommend Components:
Trucks: Randal 180′s/42 or 50 degree, Paris 180′s, Bear Grizzlys, or most any other reverse kingpin truck with at least a 180mm hanger.
Wheels: Can handle up to 76mm with no wheelbite as long as you have nice hard bushing in the back like 88-90a or harder with cupped washers. A lot of riders set it up with 75mm Orangatang Durians or 76mm Abec 11 Gumballs. Also 76mm Flywheels are a really great choice for top roll speed for pushing and fun for sliding and freeride.
A Concrete Wave!
Here’s a video of Team rider Robin McGuirk showing what can be done on the Dropkick.
Just woke up today to a pleasant surprise with the Rocky Bomber on the homepage of Silverfish Longboarding – Article Link .
I submitted the article through Daddies Board Shop who has a deal going on this month for a free DVD – Fellowship of the Bearing with the purchase of an Eastside board – Offer Link. They have an new updated Riding Team for 2011 with some new editions like myself and Alex Tongue from Portland. Also some lady riders (Marisa, Carly, and Katie) who will also be featured on the homepage each month like this:
Daddies Board Shop January Offer
Complete article on Silverfish Longboarding: 2011 Eastside Rocky Bomber
This board is named after a dormant volcano in the Portland area. Rocky Butte is a chunk of rock that sticks right out of the valley floor and has two roads that curve down either side. This new version of the Rocky Bomber is all about Freeriding and bombing hills. This Top Mount is perfectly symmetrical for a variety of setup options and riding styles. The board features two sets of truck holes (new school pattern) for two wheelbase options. Made from 8-plys of thick longboard grade Maple veneer, it is very durable with a slight flex for riders over 175 lbs. Laminated with specially designed waterproof nontoxic glue into a mold with 4.5 inches of flat in the middle and a solid concave leading up to sharp top edges for maximum leverage on the rails. The Rocky Bomber is a versatile board for downhill and an excellent top mount choice for stand up slides and drifting corners. Suggested trucks and wheels are Randal 180mm/42 degree baseplate, Paris 195’s or Indy 215′s with 70-72mm freeride wheels like Loaded Stimulus, Abec 11 Freerides or Flashbacks for all around riding.
After a few prototypes, the Rocky Bomber has been heavily ridden by our team riders. This final version is all about Freeriding and bombing hills. It has been compared to a lot of other freeride top-mount boards but the Rocky is unique in its versatility and simplicity. Using an 8 ply maple with no rocker, the board is not overly stiff for most riders. This allows for a slight flex response for hard carving and sliding while dampening the ride a bit for higher bombing speeds.
Team rider Alex Tongue has put in a lot of time on this board, testing its limits in a combination of stand-up sliding and racing and has found it to serve his needs for these types of riding. His most recent accomplishment on the board has been a 2nd place finish at the Cathlamet Downhill Corral 2010. In the final heat he narrowly finished behind winner James Kelly and in front of team riders Casey Morrow and Robin McGuirk who were also riding the Rocky Bomber.
