Viking Cup Video

Great Video covering the Viking Cup in Rieseby/ Germany. Just click here.

FlatFace G7Z and BRR Edition Wheels

FlatFace G7Z Limited Edition wheels are back in stock after a while. If you didnt know, they're currently the only clear wheels with a custom formulated material including teflon for greater strength and lower friction. Possibly some of the smoothest wheels out there. Also, FlatFace's BRR-Trucks Edition Bearing wheels are for sale now at $35. Both items are viewable on www.flatfacefingerboards.com in the Wheels and then Specials section.

Substance Wheels: BRR Trucks edition

Substance is releasing their "BRR-edition" wheels, which are specifically engineered to work with BRR Trucks! As always, Jerome's craftsmenship is of the highest quality, so you know these wheels will be excellent.

For more info: click here!

Review!! Brr trucks, BW 09 decks, FF Brr wheels

Hello World! I've got some lovely new products up for review today, first being the new Blackriver-ramps trucks.
First things first, I am a very big supporter of Blackriver, but I am in no way bias, that being said, all of the people reading this who have a bug up their ass about Blackriver might want to pay attention, as you could learn something.
I would like to start off with packaging.


As you can see, the packaging is very nice, Blackriver has even gone so far as to give the trucks the "red carpet treatment".
The trucks are housed in a nice cardboard box, with a red felt covered plastic insert, so your trucks are not bouncing around all over the place, it also prevents them from getting damaged during shipping.
When you open the package, taped to the back of the plastic insert you will find one of these.

The Blackriver tool. It is by far the best tool I have used. It has a nice deep socket to keep the nuts from falling out, it's big enough so you can have a nice grip on it, unlike the tiny Tech Deck tools. It also has a hole drilled so you can attach it to any type of keychain or necklace. Most are engraved with the Blackriver logo, I have come across a couple that are not, but you are not buying it for the logo are you!
Onto the trucks.
I have had the opportunity to use these trucks in three different stages. The first time when the Blackriver team was in the USA for Rendezvous 6. The trucks at that point were only prototypes, but still very very good. There were a few problems such as the pivot area on the hangar being very brittle and would sometimes snap off, the other problem I found was with the bases, as they were also very brittle and the screw holes would break. The second stage of prototype I used was from after Fast Fingers 12, when Mike brought back a new set. This time the brittle trucks were very strong, it seemed all of the problems from the first batch of prototypes had been worked out, no more broken hangars, no more broken bases. The only thing they seemed to be lacking was a coat of polish, but who cares, raw trucks are sick!
The final product of the trucks has everything, from looks to performance.
The shape of the trucks is very unique and original for fingerboard trucks. I have seen alot of people re-shape stock Tech Deck trucks, in order to create a more realistic truck, with these, that is not needed. The trucks have a very realistic shape, to that of a real skateboard truck.
The bases for the trucks I feel is where the magic is. The pivot system on them is wonderful, no more super tight or super loose trucks. The hanger sits nicely inside the tiny pivot cup, allowing for a nice feel and easy turns. The bushings again are amazing, the traditional one large, one small black bushings between two metal washers has been thrown out of the door, and has been replaced with two tiny white bushings, that look identical to real skateboard bushings, and two very very small washers. The material of the white bushings is very different from that of the black ones found in rip kits, or bought from various other sites in various colors. The bushings retain their shape very well when used with the Brr trucks and optimize the feel of your trucks, whether you like loose or tight. They also work well on normal TD trucks, although the shape will be lost, the performance is still very noticeable. And to top it off the bases are engraved with the Brr logo.



Onto the hangars.
First thing I have heard people complain about is the axels. "Oh they're too short, oh they fall out" and to that I have to say, shut up and read the packaging. It clearly states why the above is the way it is.




Now take a few minutes and read the directions, they are in the package for a reason!
The reason being the axels are so short, is because they are designed for use with a special wheel, which is being made by THREE different companies. There is a Brr edition of the Winkler D-Rex wheel, a Flatface Brr edition of the classic G-6 wheel, and a Substance Brr edition wheel. These wheels are designed so the bearing does not move on the axel. "Why does the bearing move on the axel?" you say. The axels are slightly thicker than TD axels, reason for this, is so you are actually rolling on the bearing, eliminating the need for backless wheels and washers. You can secure the nut onto the axel tightly and not fear it being too tight where the wheel won't roll, and not loose enough so the nut falls off.
The reason for the axel coming out of the hangar is because Brr plans to release a different sized axel so that you CAN use the trucks with any wheel in the future. If your axel does come out, do not worry, simply place it back in the hangar and put your wheels on, then the hangar won't move around, again read the instructions.
The actual shape of the hangar is very nice, it's a nice change from shaped TD hangars or stock ones. It houses the bushings very nicely so they don't loose their shape due to adjusting the tightness of your trucks. One thing I noticed right away, was I had to break in the bushings and pivot area, just like a real skateboard truck, which I think is a pretty cool idea. After you find your peference of tightness, make sure to put a tiny bit of superglue on the kingpin nut so that it doesn't come off(again read the instructions).The metal grinds perfect, making the most rough unwaxed stuff feel smooth.
The trucks are very very nice overall. Granted they are not perfect as with any new item, but there is very little wrong with them, the price might be alittle steep, but they are definitely worth it, like real skateboarding, quality equipment is an investment.
Next up we have Berlinwood 09 graphic decks.
Keep in mind I am only really reviewing the actual graphic and quality of, not the entire deck.

I have had the opportunity to use a few different graphic Berlinwood 09 decks, I have noticed on them that every graphic wears differently, and at a different pace. This particular one I have found is actually quite hard to make the graphic come off. Now I obviously cannot speak for every board with the same graphic, but I can tell you about mine. I used the deck for about 2 weeks just doing normal indoor stuff, on boxes, flatbars, concrete blocks, and to my surprise there was not a single sign of wear. Those who have seen my boards in person know that I am pretty rough on things, but I couldn't make a scratch on good ole Lenny. The marks you see on the board I had to actually go out and rub the graphic off on some rough granite for about two minutes, pressing really hard, and still as you can see, not much damage occurred. Other boards I have seen, the graphic has worn off rather quickly, i.e. the Blackriver-ramps white logo deck. I think the difference has to do with the amount of color on each board. The more colors, the more ink used, making more layers you have to go through to get to the actual wood. I am not sure I am actually a fan of this, because I like the fact the graphic can come off, it is even better when there is a colored ply beneath the graphic, like on some boards I have seen. The graphics are cool, I am not sure the price, but I would definitely pick one up.
I would also like to take a quick moment to go over the packaging for the new Berlinwoods as well. Same deal as with the trucks. The board is housed in a nice cardboard box with a window in the front and plastic sleeve inside so no damage occurs during shipping.



Last, I have the new Brr edition Flatface wheels.

There will be two versions of this wheel in the near future, the ones shaped like these, and ones with the G7.1 shape.
The wheels are made from the D material so they have the nice white color and hardness. The wheels were designed so the bearing doesn't move around while on the truck. They are actually some of the smoother Flatface wheels I have used, I would highly reccomend them even if you weren't using them with the Brr trucks.

This concludes my review, hope it was informative and could clear up any confusion about Blackriver trucks and graphic Berlinwoods.
For the people who just refuse to accept the fact Brr and Bw make quality products, well...you can keep hating, no one really cares what you think anyway!

Tuning Tips: How to grip a board

Fingerboard tuning is constantly evolving, and with it, the methods of fine tuning your set up. Here I am going to teach you one of the most basic fingerboard tuning skills, gripping the deck. Now there are many different ways to grip a board, I am going to show what I have found to be the easiest, and quickest way that works for me. Keep in mind this is using Rip Tape, or some kind of soft fingerboard tape, not grip tape.
First you will need three things.

A deck of course, a sheet of tape(in this case I happen to prefer Rip Tape, but feel free to use any type of tape you prefer)
a file(a small round file works best) here I am using a triangular file, now if using a triangular or flat file, be sure to use the flat side of it and not the corner.
First step is to place your deck on a flat surface and peel the backing of the tape off.

Next, place the tape on top of the deck, completely covering it.(if you prefer a line or some type of design, be sure to cut it out prior to peeling and placing your tape on the deck.)



Now, take your file FLAT side to the tape, begin to file forward and at a downward angle, filing away the tape and leaving a nice clean line.


Continue to file around the board at a downward angle until you can see a complete outline of the deck.

Once you have the deck outlined, go around once more with the file to make sure you are completely through the adhesive backing. After you have done that, peel off the excess tape.


After peel the tape completely off, take the file and go around the board again to remove any excess and smooth out your edges.

After smoothing your edges, you are going to need a Tech Deck tool, or some type of small screwdriver.
Feel around the tape Lightly until you find the indentation of the mounting hole to press the tool into and twist around until you create a hole for your hardware.

Once you are through all eight holes, it's time to set up your new deck and shred.

FlatFace Upcoming Stuff

Hey guys, just wanted to show a sneak preview of some new stuff coming to FlatFace in the near future. More to come too, but here's some! There are G12 decks with heat transferred graphics, faded dyed plies (unlaquered in pics, but they will be laquered), close up coffin curbs, flatface bearing wheels designed for brr trucks, and new stickers! Also brr trucks, berlinwoods, and brr ramps will be in stock within 2 weeks or less. www.flatfacefingerboards.com