Author: Robin McGuirk

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New Blazer V2 coming soon…

We’ve been working on this updated version of the original Eastside Blazer for almost a year now. And have the final proto under our feet with complete joy and satifaction! We kept most of the great qualities of the original version and just changed a few things from valued fan feedback .  If you have the original version and are ready for a new one, then don’t fear this one has the same awesome feel with just a few minor changes. We think you’ll love it as we do and will barely notice the difference unless you are a longboarding geek like we are!

Blazer V2 Drop-Through model with Caliber 50 degree trucks and 76mm Abec 11 Flywheels.

We added a bit more wheel-clearance as some riders who ran stock bushings and really big wheels over 76mm would occasionally get wheelbite if they were a heavier rider. So we made sure you can run center set 80mm wheels like the Orangatang Kegels with soft bushings and loose trucks without getting wheelbite. We also added a bit more meat on the ends of the board for durability making the overal length 40″ instead of the previous 39.5″ inch. However we still recommend the Nosejob Noseguard for this board, which still fits great on it and ensures no damage when it slams into a curb.

Blazer V2 Drop-Through with Nosejob Noseguard showing complete coverage and protection. The Nosejob is designed to slide back upon a hard impact to the end.

The riding platform of the board is still longer than most other drop-through boards with an EFP of 26″ allowing a wider stance for taller and heavier riders. It is deemed the larger rider’s board or for those riders who prefer a wider stance with plenty of room to spread their feet out. It’s also made from 9 plies of 1/16″ longboard grade maple to hold up to 250 pounds without much flex at all. So yes you taller and heavier riders will love the ample room you have on this double drop board!

Top view of the Blazer V2.
3/4 view of the Blazer V2.

Another change was adding a bit more concave with no angled edges or gas-pedals. After riding each version down hills and sliding both hands down and stand-up, it became clear that the higher concave on the new version feels more locked in than the original version which had gas-pedals.

Blazer V2 Drop-Through concave shot.

One last change was adding a top print silk screen logo in the center of the board just like the lastest version of the Relic board has. We are keeping the original Blazer bottom graphic of molten fire and lava capturing the essence of the Blazer.

Eastside logo printed on top of the board in center.

Here’s all the official specs of the new version below. Expect to see the Blazer V2 available during the next month on our website here and at our official online retailers Daddies Board Shop and MuirSkate.com.  Like the original version it will be available in both Drop-Through and Top-Mount, both having the 5/8″ drop-down platform.

BLAZER V2 Specs:

Length: 40″
Width: 10″
Wheelbase: 30.5″
5/8″ Drop-down platform
9 ply longboard grade maple
Effective Foot Platform (EFP): 26”

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Private Longboarding Lessons

July, August, and September is the best weather of the year here in Portland and everyone’s favorite time to longboard.  If you want to stay safe this summer and not sure of your skills getting down the hill, then we’d suggest contacting us for a lesson.  Perhaps you are already good at bombing hills and going fast but want to learn the art of sliding and taking corners at speed, then we can help on that too!  Mt.Tabor is a great place to learn everything longboarding with all the different types of runs and sections of closed to cars roads.  Stay safe this summer, wear you helmet and other safety gear to ensure you have the best chance of not getting hurt.  Just one hour of one on one with Robin McGuirk will really help you progress and learn some very important skills to keep you safe and riding all year long.  He is a friendly and accomplished native who has taught hundreds of students in the area over the last 10 years.

For more info check out our LESSON page below.  The classes are already full this year but Private Lessons are available during other nights of the week and on some weekends.  Contact us today to check our schedule – robskey@gmail.com.

Lessons

The top of the Mt.Tabor Soapbox hill students learn sliding and drifting.
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Longboarding 101 – Summer 2017

Ok this one fills up fast every year, only 3 spots left right now!  The class has a max of 20 students.

Longboarding 101 Classes through Portland Community College – PCC.edu

Location – Mt.Tabor

Summer Term 2017:  July 12 – August 16

DIRECT REGISTRATION LINK TO PCC – Summer Term 2017

Class Description:

Learn the basics of longboard skateboarding: How to ride with control and safely slow down and stop.
Focus on downhill and sliding in a permitted group setting. All levels welcome.

Required gear: Longboard, Helmet, Slide Gloves.
Recommended gear: Knee and elbow pads, old pants and sweatshirt, skate shoes or shoes with flat flexible bottom.

The top of the Mt.Tabor Soapbox hill where students learn sliding and drifting.  Photo by PCC ®.

 

PCC Instructor Spotlight – Summer Term 2017
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P-Town Throwdown – May 28th

The longest running skateboard race in the Pacific Northwest is going down again for the 13th year in a row on May 28th. Otherwise known as the Mt.Tabor to Sellwood Park Race it celebrates the tradition of skating at Tabor and Portland’s unique City Ordinance 20.12.205. This states that skateboarding is a legal form of transportation. Riders are expected to follow all traffic laws such as stopping at red lights and staying in their lane. The event raises food for Oregon Food Bank with riders bringing 4 cans of food to enter. Every 4 cans received a raffle ticket with no limit on donations. Then after the race at Sellwood Park all the prizes donated by the many generous sponsors gets raffled off. So basically the more food you donate the better chances of winning prizes!

Check out the Facebook event page for more details including your waiver print out if you are under 18.

Riders having a blast pushing and riding in critical mass down a city bike route.

 

The traditional warm up fun run down Tabor to the start line of the race just outside the park.

 

Swag city! Prizes are given to race winners and raffle winners alike.

 

Warming up the troops, going over some ground rules, and making sure everyone knows where they’re headed.

 

After 8.5 miles of pushing, riders are met by volunteers and fellow riders at the finish line.

 

The first 50 riders will also receive a laminated map of the course. The route is fairly easy to follow and for a push race it’s not very grueling so most any skater can do it easily as a cruise. It’s 5 miles of mostly slight downhill through the city, then 3.5 miles of flat on a bike path leading to the finish line at Sellwood Park. There are 2 sections early on that are steeper. However if you know how to keep your speed down by footbraking or simple getting off your board and either buttboarding or walking down them, then it’s no big deal. Just be prepared if you are worried about them by going down Lincoln street from 58th to 20th on your own prior to the event. Other than that you are in traffic so following the same rules bikes do will keep you safe. There are only 3 stop lights on the whole course: 50th, 39th, and crossing Division St.

 

 

Heading down the first hill down Lincoln street from 58th to 52nd.  Casey Morrow in the foreground hunting!

If you’re a rider in the area and have never been, then mark in on your calendar to come out to support and good cause, celebrate our city’s privilege to skate the streets legally, and have fun rollin’ down the Eastside of Portland with a crew of locals!

After Party at Hot Lips Pizza on Hawthorne Blvd.

 

2016 Podium
3rd – Sol Bilderback, 1st – Colby Cummings, 2nd – Miguel Aldrete

 

 

 

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New Video: H20 Rain Wheels Review

Local Portland rider Kurt Derow AKA (@filmkingkurt on Instagram) took the time to do a complete review of our unique rains wheels known as the H20 Rain Wheels!

As a seasoned rider and film student graduate he did an all around great review by taking them out in all conditions, wet, dry, and patchy conditions.  This is a must watch too if you like the movie the Water Boy!  Enjoy!

 

 

 

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Longboarding 101 – Spring 2017

Longboarding 101 Spring Term starts April 5, 2017!

Go to PCC.edu to sign up. Registration is live March 8th.

Use CRN 22479 to register at PCC.edu

Direct PCC Registration Link – Longboarding 101 Spring Term 2017

Screen shot from Portland Community College Spring Term 2017 class listing:

PCC Spring Term 2017 Longboarding 101 Class Listing

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

 

I look forward to my 8th year teaching this course through Portland Community College!

It’s been a pleasure helping hundreds of new and intermediate riders gain skills and confidence in longboard skateboarding over the years!  And I really look forward to continuing my tradition of helping others on board at Mt.Tabor.  I also teach Private Lessons if you can’t make the classes and/or want individual instruction with me.

Here’s a link to my Lessons and Class page with more info – LESSONS

 

 

 

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2017 Update / New Boards

Hey friends and fans, here’s an update for the new year and what to expect from Eastside.

At the end of last year we dropped our latest model the DK DropKick with great appreciation from our fans!  A double kick version and update to one of our original models the DropKick.  We created a new rocker concave for this new board with slight W and foot flairs giving the rider’s feet a super comfortable grip on the board. You can do all styles of longboarding with this drop-thru double kick!  If you haven’t seen the DK DropKick yet, you can read all about it on prior Blog posts.  The official product video on our YouTube Channel has the low down.

 

New for this year will be updated versions of the Blazer and Mach 3 both of which first released in 2013.  First will be the Blazer similar to the original version that comes in both drop-thru and top-mount.  It will still have a 5/8″ drop-down platform with lots of room for bigger and taller riders with a wider stance.  This is definitely the go to board for a larger rider who needs a plus size board that can handle their style.  Most of the changes we added to this new version of the Blazer are mainly in the shape.  We kept the width at 10″ but added more length going out to 40″ with the same wheelbase of 30.5″.  Also we added more concave to the board but not an overt amount.  It’s still really comfortable and with no “W” in the concave making it a great pushing / transportation / LDP board, especially the drop-thru version that rides pretty low but not too low to scrap the board if you have smaller wheels.  We also got rid of the angled edges or gas-pedals to allow more of a pocket in the concave for bigger feet.  Again the theme of this board update is making the board our model for the large sized rider with bigger feet.  We have the DK DropKick for those that are smaller to medium size.

Blazer prototype 2017.

The Blazer is made with 9 plies of the thickest longboard grade maple of 1/16″ thick each ply.  All of our other boards are made with 7-8 plies of the same stock.  So the Blazer is the most durable for sure.  To make it even more durable we added a bit more meat on the ends for impacts, just in case you don’t have noseguards on it.  Our trademark noseguard the NOSEJOB still fits nicely and works great on the new version too.  We highly recommend them for any drop-thru board without kicktails.  They are universal and fit on most any drop-thru deck.

For the graphic, we decided to keep it the same since the board is fairly similar to the original version.  Plus we got a lot of great feedback from the fiery lava inspired graphic of the Blazer mixed with a geometrical pattern of the Eastside logo.  Did you know that you can read the word Eastside from multiple directions if you read to the right or up from most any E?  Not a lot of people notice this unless you have an eye for art and patterns.

Original Blazer graphic that will used on the new version.

One other addition that the Blazer will have have, is a new top side silk screen logo print.  It will look like this printed over the natural wood on top of the board placed dead center where most riders don’t put their feet.  You can grip around it and still have it showing.  The size will read 8″ across by 3″ tall.

Silk Screen Eastside logo printed on the new Blazer, new Mach 3, and the Relic.

 

The next board we plan on updating is the Mach 3.  We are going to update it in a similar fashion as to how we did the Blazer by keeping the same graphic and making some fairly minor shape changes.  The most notable change will be the shape of the nose by making it wider and bigger.  The new version won’t technically be billed as a double kick, but it will surely be more substantial than the original version and allow it to be used a lot more.  More info and photos of the prototypes to be seen in future Blog posts here…

That’s all for now, thanks for keeping up to date with us!  Be sure to follow us on our our fan pages as well for more frequent updates and media posts –

Eastside Facebook Page  /  Eastside Longboards Instagram

 

 

 

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DK DropKick Video SnapShots

We’ve been working on a new product video for our latest board the DK DropKick!

Before we drop this new video, here’s a sneak peek at some snapshots from the video featuring various functions of the board, particularly the many ways you can use the kicks…

Filmed by Oregonian Kevin Carlton – AKA @Skatography

Using the kicktail to float over a speed bump on the Eastside of Portland.
Using the kicktail to float over a speed bump on the Eastside of Portland.

 

Manual on an Autobody shop driveway.
Manual on an Autobody shop driveway.

 

Take 2.
Take 2.

 

Fast standup slide down the Eastside of Mt.Tabor.
Fast standup slide down the Eastside of Mt.Tabor.

 

Floating over a big crack by lifting up the front wheels.
Floating over a big crack by lifting up the front wheels.

 

Riding up onto a curb and grinding frontside.
Riding up onto a curb and grinding frontside.

 

No comply over a parking block.
No comply over a parking block.

 

Backside slappy grind on a parking block.
Backside slappy grind on a parking block.

 

Frontside slide onto a banked driveway.
Frontside slide onto a banked driveway.

 

Transition the back foot onto the tail and ollie off the driveway curb back into the street.
Transition the back foot onto the tail and ollie off the driveway curb back into the street.

 

Ollie off a ride up curb.
Ollie off a ride up curb.

 

Riding off curbs with the kictail makes it more fun to drop down (and doesn't scrap the bottom of your board).
Riding off curbs with the kictail makes it more fun to drop down (and doesn’t scrap the bottom of your board).

 

Standup slide using the backfoot on the tail, just another way to slide this board!
Frontside standup slide using the backfoot on the tail, just another way to slide this board!

 

Backslide slide using the back foot on the tail.
Backslide slide using the back foot on the tail.

 

Close up of the wheel cutouts that are designed to fit up to 80mm wheels like the Orangatang Kegel.
Close up of the wheel cutouts that are designed to fit up to 80mm wheels like the Orangatang Kegel shown here.