Oh man how I enjoy it when there’s skateboard and longboard designs on Yanko. This is the first feasible, ready to rock one I’ve gotten to write about in a long time. And it’s carbon-fiber! All the more excellent. This particular board is designed by Louis Bradier and aims to bring ski technology to the skateboard. In doing so, Bradier aims for comfort, lightness, and simplicity. Perfect goals for a most-excellent activity and sport situation.
Fate is not without a sense of irony. Earlier today I had a movie on, (as I generally do whilst working on internets,) it was that live-action version of the Dogtown and Z-Boys story. It’s interesting to watch the progression of skateboarding through them, as they went from using skateboards to transport them from their houses to the surf, then rode these tiny skateboards primarily in a surf-board style, then got polyurethane wheels and started riding up the wall, bouncing off the ground doing street tricks, designing their own shapes of boards, turning the sport inside-out every couple of years. It’s a great medium because there’s basically no rules for the activity and such simple boundaries for the sport. Then there’s the modern skateboarder that does all sorts of different things. One of those is just getting around. That’s the sort of thing I do. Keep a skateboard in the trunk of your car to get from the back of the parking lot to the storefront and back. This works great when your apartment complex has no off-street parking. 50 miles away to park!
So check this out: thus was born the longboard. It’s not made for tricks. It’s made for cruizin. Designer Louis Bradier has a board right here that’s made first of all for comfort. The shape of the board allows for the rider to be super-close to the ground making pushing and breaking easy, the location of the trucks allowing for a totally stable and confident ride.
Lightness, the second goal, comes from the material the board is made of, carbon fiber, allowing the whole board to be only 1.5kg. The board is also very stiff, allowing for a low absorption of energy, making it easier to go much faster and further than a conventional board ride. The edge of the board is injected polyurethane – only around the edge though so toughness can be achieved without weighing down the board.
Simplicity, the last goal, is one that’s achieved in the shape, which, if you take a look with a wonky eye, replicates the human body with shoulders, waist, and hip areas. The graphic on the bottom of the deck is meant to remind the rider of the relationship between ride and sensuality. You’ve got to have a sexy time! That pattern you see shining up at you is made by the carbon fiber, a nice checkered pattern that, when mixed with the way the grip tape is applied to the top, makes for a wild experience all the way through. Believe that.
Technical specifications: Length: 1050 mm, Max width: 260 mm, Wheelbase: 900 mm, Weight: 1.5kg, Longitudinal and torsional flex: close to none
Designers: Louis Bradier
