The 4th Bath to Bristol Charity Skate

This past weekend saw the 4th Lush Longboards Charity Skate from Bath to Bristol. The selected charity for this year’s event was Macmillan Caner Nurses, as they having been taking care of the legend that is ‘Longy’, during his battle with cancer. It was also decided that compulsory fancy dress would be the order of the day this year as a way of drawing more attention to the event and its aims. Needless to say we dispatched our resident longboard nut Matt off to join in the fun and see what happened;

Marcus and his new hombre!

I woke up Saturday morning to the grey misty dawn and immediately prayed for a dry event as last year’s rain made a usually good day appallingly draining and difficult. As the sun rose the cloud cleared but it never brightened and the oppressive humidity increased. With Kym driving myself and Marcus loaded the car with our boards and packs for the day, we then battled through the traffic, and Bath’s ever complicated one way system, to get to the start in time, eventually making it with only 10 minutes to spare. After grabbing a few shots on the camera and catching up with a few friends Rich Auden gave the order to get started. Marcus and I had decided to get off to a quick start to avoid being held up in the usual log jam of skaters on the river path at the start. After sprinting to the head of the field, with music in our ears and our hearts pounding we just pushed, stopping every few miles to take on water. Upon getting to Saltford we discovered we had covered 4 ¾ miles in a little under 25 minutes so a decision was made to carry on at the same pace and forgo the usual lunch stop at Warmley in a bid to see how fast we could get from start to finish.

Tunes pumping and awesome costumes - what will next year hold?

By the time we hit Bitton we had already been caught by the roller-bladders who had joined us at Bath but had not seen any other skaters. Then as we neared Warmley, the slight uphill began to take its toll, the legs began to ache and Marcus riding his Kisiwa was finding it particularly tough but he kept pushing and sipping fluids till got reached our next break. After a drink and some chocolate we pushed on, over the ring road with its killer slope up to the first bridge, and then revelled in the drop down in to Bristol. My feet were beginning to ache and the ever so slight downward incline began to help ease the pain but the wet leaves and fallen sticks under the trees did make for a few tense moments. Keeping a keen lookout for our turn off to Shiners we carried on, but unbeknown to me, Marcus was falling back.

Matt, Bruno and Marcus at the finish

About two miles later I noticed the sign for Shiners and dived off the path in to a busy street, dodging traffic looking for a giant warehouse and the now infamous roll-in on to the Shiners hill. After reaching the gate I sat and waited, catching my breath and trying to drink as much as possible. After a few minutes I made my way back toward the cycle path, hoping to catch Marcus and I was greeted by a very tired looking American Indian on a giant skateboard with Bruno in hot pursuit, wiggling furiously down the pavement. After leading them to the finish we greeted Liz as she and Charlotte arrived in the car and we proceeded to phone Rich to get him to open the gate so we could rest and contemplate the hill and the new roll-in.
After discussing times with Bruno it was established I had been waiting about 15 minutes for Marcus and him which put my time at 1 hour 14 minutes and Marcus and Bruno’s at about 1 hour 28 minutes, which we all agreed was not bad for 15 miles.

Rich and Mark with their new ramp...

After a fairly lengthy wait other skaters rolled in, including a group who we had seen earlier but who had missed the signs and had ended up at Temple Meads station. As the crowd started to grow people began to christen the roll-in and photographers jumped up from where they had slumped and started squeezing off shots from numerous angles.

Zombie Rich, mega standup slide.

All in all we were treated to a wicked day of skating, for a fantastic cause and with a lot of likeminded people. All I want to know now is how the hell are the Lush crew going to top this next year.......
For more information visit the forum over at Lush or to donate check out the Just Giving page

Shaugh Lake Outlaw Review

For the second time in 5 months the collaboration of Prime Delux and Lush Longboards put on another race & freeride. This time the location had moved from a city based business park to the wilds of the Dartmoor National Park just outside Plymouth. The course was just under 1.2 miles in length and featured a fast top section which encouraged drafting and close riding before throwing the riders in to a steep right followed by a fast left which featured a morass of surface changes and even a 'river' of water running across the final part of the course due to the recent rain.

Broken, beaten, cold and wet but still wanting more...

The unpredictable weather and torrential downpours the night before kept numbers low and the problems with lifts not showing put the race over an hour behind schedule, but the organising team rallied and got everything sorted. Once everyone had arrived and a quick safety check was made a few exploratory runs were arranged with the course starting off patchy but mainly dry (except the infamous river on the final bend). Then, as is customary on Dartmoor, the heavens opened and soaked the whole course just after the first heats, which lead to some interesting racing on the slippery, unpredictable surface. Luckily the shower didn’t last long and the bottom of the course began to dry but the top stayed wet until the end of the day.

Luck of the draw...

To throw a different spin on to the racing and to encourage some close battles the organisers decided to use a ‘squash ladder’ format where the racers pick their opponents and then they race head to head to either climb the ladder or fall depending on the results of the heat.

Chilling between heats.

As the riders paired off and due to the luck of the draw many of the faster racers found themselves down the ladder with a pair of first time racers at the top. This resulted in a few very close heats, some big bails and a couple of last gasp overtakes. Local riders struggled to make a showing in the early rounds but as the weather improved the racing got faster as the grip levels went up and the field started to spread out. As the light closed in it was decided to run the top four in the table as a final run to settle the podium positions. Both Marcus Larbalestier and Will Gibson had managed to stay near the top of the ladder due to the weather and the battling in the lower order amongst the more experienced riders, that left the other two places in the final to local riders Zak Allen and Matt Dimond. In the final Zak and Matt battled to the line as their experience showed leaving the two novice racers to battle for third place on the podium. In the end Matt took the victory followed by Zak, whilst Marcus managed to hold off Will for third.

Oli's only injury after his crash

After the racing a thirty minute slide/freeride jam was held on the bottom section of the course with both skaters and marshals helping to judge the final outcome. In the end Oliver Slaughter won best bail for a near 35mph crash in to the banks surrounding the road after attempting a ‘no braking’ run down the hill and losing control in the ‘river’, whilst local boy Elliot Allen took the slope style prize for his massive drifts mixed with technical sliding but was run very close by Ben Bishop. An honourable mention went out to Will Gibson who in his first outlaw with no pads or gloves managed fourth place and as he was judged to have shown the most improvement over the course of the day he walked away with a Lush Kuni complete for his efforts. Adam Lewis netted the last prize of the day for his dip in the creek followed closely by Ben. For more information on the next event check out the Prime Longboarding Facebook and the Lush Longboards Forum

A massive thank you is due to Richard Auden and Mark Penman from Lush Longboards, Michael Brooke from Concrete Wave Magazine, the marshals and photographers who kept the riders safe as without their support this event would not have happened.

Loaded and Landyachtz just dropped in......

Even though the weather is playing its usual moody tricks we just received a load of new stock from Landyachtz, Loaded, Bear, Hawgs and Orangatang. Come in and grab your kit then come out and it through its paces at Shaugh Lake Outlaw this weekend!

First up we have the new for 2010 Bear Grizzly trucks in a super smooth black finish. Bear have been working on the already awesome grizzly and have added a new deeper bushing seat, a cleaner more precise axle and hanger facing as well as improving the pumpkin bushings to make them more suitable for all-round skating as well as taking on the more technical downhill runs.




Secondly we have managed to fight off the hordes and claim some Zombie Hawgs. Stone ground for super long slides from new, a super side-set bearing seat for ultimate control and response, coupled with an oversized core to keep the urethane in the right shape and running smoothly.




Following closely behind the Zombies is an assortment of the ever popular Orangatang wheels. They have arrived in 4 President, In Heat, Stimulus and Durian varieties so take your pick, bolt them on and go shred.




Loaded also hooked us up with a pair of Dervish’s and a Tan Tien so if you have the need for a smooth, fast carvy ride or want to get super technical with your freeriding these are for you. The Dervish has become a classic since its inception and the Tan Tien is fast becoming the board for the emerging generation of freeriding flat land skaters who still crave action on the hills and in the park. Set up with either Paris or Randal trucks it is possible to have a grippy carvy ride or if you slap a set of Stimulus or Durian’s on then you have the ability to pull monster slides with complete control and still have the grip you need for general skating.

Prime Delux, Lush Longboards and Concrete Wave are collaborating to bring you a new event in the South West. The day will consist of a DH Race followed by a Freeride session on a marshalled course and the chance to win some top notch gear from Lush Longboards.

This is THE place to be if you are a longboarder next weekend. Check Facebook for the signup and for more information

Shaugh Lake Outlaw

If you enjoy longboarding and are a bit of a speed freak the place to be next weekend (03/10/10) is the Shaugh Lake Outlaw. Outlaw grassroots racing doesn’t get much more fun than this, a long run through some fast kinks in to a gnarly bottom section where your cornering and balance will be tested. Add in the chance of sheep or ponies on the course and the unpredictable Dartmoor roads and you have a recipe for a wicked race. After having spoken to the organisers there will also be the opportunity for freerides down the fully marshalled course so even if racing is not your bag come and take a few runs and get the feel for it. For more information and to sign up check out the Facebook page.

Just had a look around the new website and Rich and the guys over at Lush have seriously updated their new layout with new graphics, descriptions and everyones favorite, pictures!!!

Head on over and check it out, join the forums or geek out on the latest offerings from Lush, and don't forget the Bath to Bristol charity skate all for Macmillan cancer nurses, you won't want to miss it!!

CLBC.....

That's Coast Longboarding British Columbia, probably the most reknown social network of Longboarders in the world and their new video has just gone live, head over to Youtube and check it out, you won't be disappointed!!!

Delivery....!!!

Just in time for the drier weather a delivery of new Lush, Cult and Sabre products. First up we have the Lush Huna, which is a small swallow tailed board in the same mould as a Tula but with a bit more room on the deck due to its larger dimensions. The acidic green graphic harks back to the 80’s skate scene and the soft Magma wheels keep you rolling over the variable surfaces this country has to offer. Equally at home as a commuter board, in a park or a bowl or just chillin’ on the Hoe.




Next up we have the Lush Thing. A medium concave and wide deck shape make this a perfect mini thrash/speed board, the adjustable wheelbase meaning it is possible to tweek away for the perfect ride while the Lush trucks compliment the deck perfectly and Cult Classics keep you rolling, sliding and drifting your way across any terrain. The lush boys weren’t wrong about how good this board is, try one and be surprised!




The new 2010 Kuni has been revised to make a smaller more nimble board designed to aid the progression of beginners as well as still appealing to more seasoned riders. The new graphics stand out in an old school Lush way and the newly developed Acid Drop wheels provide a flexibility to the riding style helping to keep the costs down if you want to switch to a grippy or slippy ride depending on your preference.




The Mako has also received a few upgrades for this year. Some are cosmetic such as the new Celtic graphic which ties in nicely with the new Kuni (above) but it also has been improved by the addition of Sabre trucks and the ever popular Cult Classics. This combination makes for a surf style pintail which can carve, slide and cruise as well as handle the odd steep hill with ease. If the previous iteration was the ultimate pintail, then god knows how good the new version is...




Our last new board is the new 2010 spec Samba. It still comes with the awesome Sabre trucks and Cult Gammaray wheels but the feel, shape and construction of the board have all changed in a good way. The new layup is stiffer, slightly shortened in the tail, has more of a symmetrical outline and deeper pockets to lock you in for those super long stand up slides or for ripping turns on the steepest of local hills. Finally the Lush boys have added in the sharper rail shape from the Spooky to aid edge control and foot placement and when combined with the new concave the confidence these changes give is amazing.



Finally we have a re-stock of the Magenta and Yellow Cult Classics, Cult Gammarays as well as F & R type Sabre Bushings and Sabre Trucks.

Just slithered in...

We are proud to announce that we have added Zak Maytum’s Venom bushings to our range of products. Ridden by some of the top racers and freeriders in the world and now available in your local shop

Venom’s come in three shapes, Barrel, Conical and Eliminator. The Barrel and Conical shapes have been around for years and are close to standard now but the Eliminator is designed for Spherical bearing equipped precision trucks but is also compatible with all reverse kingpin trucks as well as Indy’s and Trackers etc.

The main aim is to go experiment to see what works best for you and you riding style. If there is a particular style or durometer you are after we have access to the full range so don’t hesitate to ask for it if it is not on the shelf.

If you are interested in Venom or want more information check out www.venombushings.com and get the lowdown from Zak himself or see the chart below:

A longboarding trip home...

Due to a family illness Kym and myself decided to load up the car and head for Somerset and my old stomping grounds for the weekend. On my list of things to do was check out the new Midsomer Norton Skatepark and just generally go and session a few old spots with my friends from home.

Well the drive up was dull as hell, despite looking out for all the old landmarks, and after sitting still for two and a half hours I decided to embark on a little session when we arrived at Marcus’s place. I didn’t really work out like that as we had a few other things to do but we did manage to squeeze in a quick half hour at a nice local hill with a bumpy as hell hairpin half way down and a pub at the bottom. Once it was too dark to skate (no streetlights in the country!) we headed home for some food and a catch-up.

Friday morning, dogs barking, chickens clucking and the sun beaming in I woke Kym up and we headed down for breakfast. Marcus was already at work so we went and collected my sister and decided to go for a walk/skate around the beautiful city of Bath. Suffice to say the roads haven’t got any better and the new shopping precinct is fun to roll through. After a pub lunch and a bit more wandering we headed off to a nice hill I have been skating for many years and decided to lay down some urethane. Ellie broke out the Mako and got accustomed to the smooth wide expanse of tarmac whilst Kym worked on her freeriding and I set about killing some O’tang Stimulus. Marcus then showed up and proceeded to rock his Globe 38 and hard wheels, digging deep in to his bag of tricks and unearthing a few hands down gems as well as working on a few new variations we dreamed up. As usual Marcus didn’t disappoint in the bail stakes as he soon showed when he lost control of a slide and ended up suffering road rash for his loss of concentration. As the light faded we decided to head home and then venture out in the dark to the local pub. A couple of local cider’s later we headed for home and our beds.

Saturday looked like a promising day until it rained, not much but enough to make the local skateparks treacherous to say the least. Thankfully the weather gods decided to be merciful and the sun burnt the intermittent showers off and granted us an afternoon of riding at the newest skatepark in the South West. Before my trip I had heard a lot of skaters and BMXer’s raving about this new park, but nothing prepared me for the variety of terrain it had to offer. Crazy rail transfers over grass, rocks built in to the top of the ramps, step-ups made to look like castle battlements, flat banks and even a huge bowled section. This place truly opened my eyes to the possibilities of riding a longboard in a skatepark.

Sunday was christened skate day. After a beautiful lunch prepared by our hosts mum(thanks Kayla!!!), we loaded up the car and set out for our favourite spot of old. Marcus was keen to finally finesse his new found variations, I was keen to learn a few new ones and Kym wanted to have a go with Marcus’s new camera. The main source of entertainment was an old local enemy calling the police to have us moved on but upon the officers arrival he was nothing but complementary and once he saw our footage he allowed us to carry on with just a polite word of caution for pedestrians and other road users. Remarkable what a polite tongue and a reasonable attitude on both sides can achieve.
Other than that I will let he pictures do the talking..............................

General overview shots of the new park at Midsomer Norton

You want to ride that in here?!?

Backside Bert on the bank.

New park, new friends.

Marcus and his injuries...

Marcus backside 360 variation.

Matt frontside pendy-manual.

Matt coleman slide.

BAIL!!!

Marcus working on a new variation...

Matt killing some wheels.

Many thanks to Kym for the photo's, Mark and Michaela for a place to stay and some awesome food and the locals at Midsomer Norton for their hospitality.

For more pictures check out our Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=100001453446949&v=wall