Mike Burton here again LIVE from Community Bikes and Boards here at 712 South 4th street. Today I’m here to talk to you all about a new addition to the long board family here at the shop. The Green Banana Spearhead Cruiser is a small 9 ply cruising deck made by Green Banana Skateboard Company. The Spearhead cruiser is the perfect gift for a kid first starting out on aboard. Also, it is a convenient campus board for the college student who needs to get in between classes quickly, efficiently and in style. Measuring a little over a foot long the Green Banana Spearhead deck is the perfect board for the beginner looking for a small, convenient and greatly priced cruising deck.

Yo Bloggers Its Buck

First off don’t expect this post to have perfect grammar and spelling, I know I am in college but nobody ever said I was good at it

So for any of you skaters looking to check out some new spots in the city, be sure to check out University City Drexel’s campus. Its kind of like the college level in tony hawk pro skater 4…except not quite as rad and there is a decent amount of traffic around.
I am in my 3rd year as a Drexel student and I use my board to commute to and from classes ERRRRR day. I must say that skating on campus is actually pretty bodacious, there are some decent hills in the area that allow you to get up to speed to do some decent slides on to show off to all the hot chicks walking around. Let me rephrase that Hot “college” chicks. Plus all the other kids riding their boards to and from class don’t know anything about slides except what they have seen from the “Loaded” you tube videos. So when you lay one out they are all over your dong trying to learn how to slide.

I know the hills are not like high speed or anything but the best part about university skating is you usually have a decent ammount of people watching you. I mean you all know nothing is more chill than when some random stranger gives your props for hitting a sexy slide and then yells at you saying “Damn dude that was pretty Gnarly!”.

In my opinion the best hills are 34th st, and 33rd. For 34th you start pushing from race street and you pretty much are up to speed by the time you go flying by 711, but be careful that is an intersection altho it is not that busy. As you get closer to market street intersection is Prime time slide zone! But beware of traffic behind you!
For 33rd street you pretty much have the hill starting at 33rd and Arch st. For this hill you will be going into traffic on a one lane road, but the nice part is there is a more than generous bike lane to your left side. This hill is pretty nice for maybe one to two slides and trust me there are plently of pedestrians to watch and gawk at you.

That is about all I can really remember for now, plus im getting kind of bored of writing this

Buck out

Hey everyone this is Michael Burton coming to you LIVE from Community Bikes and Boards Located at 712 south 4th St. in Philadelphia. Today I’d like to take time out to give recognition to a new addition to the Transition Bicycle CO. family here at the shop, the Transition Clunker. Now, when I first pulled up in front of the shop today for work I noticed an oddly shaped mountain bike sitting in front of the shop locked up with the rest of the display bikes. Upon a bit of inspection I noticed that this new bike was none other than the Transition Clunker. Now at first I thought the bike looked a bit weird, with its odd shape, coaster brake and wide cruiser-ish/mountain bike handle bars. Upon entering the shop I was thinking about what to write the daily blog on, Rob offered me a chance to take his Transition Clunker out for a spin. Upon sitting on the bike I noticed how the straitline mountain bike pedals rested wide and comfortably against my feet while providing good grip for strong pedal strokes. As I started cruising down Bainbridge my appreciation for the Transition Clunker grew with each cog rotation and I also liked how I could easily jump from curb to street with little effort. While riding the Clunker I felt like an urban Sam Hill starring in the Philadelphia version of Follow Me. All in all the Transition Clunker is an excellent substitute for a beach cruiser in the city because with its comfortable handlebars, great shape and wide mountain bike tires it can more than handle all the city has to offer.

Until next time; Live, achieve, own your greatness and repeat

Hey this is Mike Burton from Community Bikes and Boards coming at you LIVE from the shop here on 712 South 4th street. Today I’m here to talk to you about local and colloquial State Avenger. About a month ago I was browsing around on the web in search a few basic parts to increase the aesthetic appeal of my State Bicycle CO. Phantom. While watching their commercial advertising there line of Fixed Gear Freestyle Bikes I took a liking to the handle bars and stem used on their FGFS. So, about a week later I came into Community Bikes and Boards and placed an order for the FGFS stem and handlebars from State Bicycle CO. A few days later I came into the shop, gave a fist pound to Rob and a relaxed Jake Kenny posted up on the shop futon handed me my package. On the bus ride home I was almost salivating at the thought of this handle bar and stem combo on my bike. Once I arrived home, dropped my bag and gave a hug to momma Burton I began installing the parts on my bike. Low and behold 30 minutes and one Budos Band album later the parts were installed. As I mounted the bike I almost immediately noticed that with the 50mm FGFS I was afforded greater room to sit up straight on my bike instead of leaning forward slightly while using the stock 90mm State Bicycle CO. stem which allowed me to have a more relaxed ride. Also the black FGFS handle bars looked absolutely stunning in comparison to the flint gray gloss frame and royal purple gloss rims of the State Bicycle CO. Phantom. Finally to ad a little icing on the Fixed Gear cake I cut the “SK” off of a “SKAVENGER” sticker which left me with “AVENGER”. By placing the sticker on the front of the handle bars and using a little creativity I was able to coin the term “State Avenger”. Well hoped this was a good read on this cool and quiet evening, until next time Live, achieve, own your greatness and repeat

Here are in depth explanation of how wheels, bearings, spacer etc works. Extremely useful. Anyone that skates should definitely check this out. -JKan
“Fastest Skateboard Wheels, Bearings and Bearing Spacers“

http://www.theadrenalinaskateboardmarathon.com/news/earl-stouts-inspirational-ride/

Some would say that skateboarding on a Longboard for 188 miles over three days time is Crazy….., Well yea it is…!  It is definitely for a rare breed of skater. To me It’s just another day at the office LOL.  Which is why i am going to Georgia in May to conquer this Challenge. I was going to go last year but I was dealing with real bad shin splints. I raced the Philadelphia Broad Street Bomb with shin splints last year and it was a really painful but still skated and pushed threw them! I have been training on the Schuylkill river trail from Philadelphia,PA to valley forge, PA or Phoenixville,PA and back to Philadelphia.  It is a relaxing peaceful skate most of the way.

I will be leaving may 9th to go down to Georgia for CLSC SK8 challenge. I will be staying with Georgia & Chadd Hall, they are a really RAD married couple! They are hosting most of the skaters to stay at her house for the event. Much Love and Respect to them and all the true  Southern hospitality as well as all the other supporters and volunteers for the event ! The race starts friday may 11th at 10am. Which is also the day that Bob Marley passed away back in 1981,“love the life you live.live the life you love.”   Me and 49 other dedicated longboarders will be skating 40 miles the 1st day may 11th. The 2nd day may 12th  is 54 miles with about 20 miles of downhill with speeds reaching 30-35mph on a narrow bike path in the middle of the woods. Some of which we will have to walk down. They say don’t bomb down what you can not see i front of you!  Last year two people got injured and one skater was not able to finish the race. I am going to take caution with the hills but i may throw some of that caution to the wind and call it as i see it when the time comes. At the end of the second day we will be in Alabama at the other end of the trail.  Then the 3rd day may 13th  is 94 miles with about 20 miles uphill (o boyyy lol). The finish line is the starting, we skate back the same way we skated when we started on the 1st day. This will be one Epic challenge for all !

The mentality and mindset i am set in for this as with pretty much the outlook i have on LIFE now which is  “Healthy Engaged Detachment”.  I say this as i am going into my 5th year of remission from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma disease and a autologous stem cell transplant which has saved my life  thanks to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia !  This a race/challenge is not for the weak !  It is for the true warrior deep inside your Soul that heeds to do some internal and external boundary expansion.          Well thats how I see it at least, you may think i am crazy but i know i am hahahahaha.  The best part of this adventure is that i will be surrounded by nothing but Mother Nature for three days.  Awesome skaters that have amazing energy and passion for the sport of longboarding in all disciplines of skateboarding !

Well thats all i got to say for now…..but it does not end here.  If you want to follow me on my adventure during all this, i will do my best to update as the days go by  leading up to my departure for Georgia and as i am down south and travel back up north.

Enjoy

Earl the Pearl III

ps: If the lovely lady that has graced me with her beauty lately reads this….Thank You for your support and energy, I will see when i return from Georgia ! I would also like to give a shout out to my sister Erica and her husband David for there support , I Love you both very much. I don’t know what i would have done without you two over these past 6 years ! Everyone here at Community bikes and boards for there support and positive vibes , Rob Everitt and Chadd Everitt…. you two are the bigger brothers that I never wanted but definitely need… lol..Love ya’ll and the whole Everitt Family ! Shralpers Union !  Matt & Adam from Commonwealth Boards ! Micheal Poli from Oranatang wheels and Loaded Longboards, thanks for keepin me rollin DAWG ! Donovan Pinelli for hooking it with natural nutritional supplements and food (HEMP YEAAA)!!! Adam K from Spraying Gravy for the STANCE socks ! Kyle Mac for letting me borrow his wheels for the 3rd day ! Organic Hogwash for keeping it fresh ! Thank you everyone for your Support and Love !

http://www.jeffersonhospital.org/The-Daily-Dose/2012/April/a-cancer-survivors-race-to-the-finish-line.aspx

It’s something I’ve heard a few times from non-riders, thinking about getting their first bike that doesn’t have streamers on it. Confidence can take you a long way in life, and a lack of it will take you nowhere. Hopefully that, and this short essay can help you get into a sport/hobby/lifestyle/means of transport that has been such a huge part of my own life.

Why ride a bike? Well, for starters gas is going to break yet another record this year. PPA are the spawn of Satan. Having someone’s stanky armpit in my face on the train is not my favorite way to spend a commute. I’m way more observant while on a bike, as opposed to a car. Walking is overrated. That’s a few reasons why I choose to ride.

First thing’s first, you need a bike. Some good deals can be found on Craigslist, but understand that they are selling the bike for some reason. Sure, maybe they really are moving back to Arkansas, or maybe it’s a P.O.S. Fortunately, bikes are easier to tell if something is wrong, than say…a car. A lap around the block changing gears, squeezing brakes, and making turns should be sufficient to tell if something’s not right. If it feels weird, ask questions, use good judgement. Expect to spend at least $50 on a tune-up. Another alternative is to buy a brand new bike from your local bike shop, cough cough Community. We have bikes starting as low as $300, and will go to the edge of the Earth to make sure you’re satisfied with your new ride.

  Next up is 2 accessories you really should have: a lock and a helmet. I strongly recommend a good quality u-lock over a cheap cable lock that can, and will, be cut in less than 5 seconds. 2 u-locks are even better. If you only have one, I tell people to go through the rear wheel (more expensive to replace), a seat-stay (the part of your frame that runs from your seat to your back wheel), and for the love of Loudog, a stationary object (bike rack, sign post, etc.)! If you have 2, lock your front wheel to your frame. Parts that have a quick-release (no tools needed to remove) are easy picking, I suggest swapping out any quick-release parts for solid nuts and bolts. Nothing in the world is theft proof, but you can’t make it easy for them. As for the helmet, I’d be lying if I told you I always wore mine, but it really is a good idea to wear one, and it can’t hurt the confidence factor either.

You’re ready to ride! Contrary to some people’s beliefs, you have every right to be on (most) roads. Although the number of cyclists continues to grow, a lot of drivers are still not used to them sharing the road. Assume that you are invisible, be the bigger person. People will yell and honk. Who cares, that means they see you, and that’s really what’s important. There are new bike lanes popping up all the time, use them when available. Stay off the sidewalk, its illegal to ride on in many places, you can easily hurt other people, and you give all cyclists a bad rap by doing it.

With that all said, a few more things to look out for: If you see someones silhouette in a parked car, or brake lights are on, be ready for them to open the door or pull out in front of you. If a driver just passed you going the same direction, waved to you, gave you the finger, whatever, you’re still invisible when they slow down to make that next turn right in front of you. Watch out for the trolley tracks! Try to cross them on a steep angle, your wheels can get hung up in them, I’ve been a victim before.

These are just a few examples of situations you will encounter while riding in a city. It really sounds much scarier than it is. Try not to be discouraged by road-raging Escalade drivers, or a few falls here and there. The more you ride, the more your confidence and comfort level will grow! If you are an experienced rider, help someone out, show them the ropes.

Check out our friends at bicyclecoalition.org for maps, events and tips.

-Bryan

Retrospec “Beta Series” Single-speed bicycle: $349

Kryptonite U-lock: $35

Triple 8 helmet: $42

I get this question a lot. “Why do you like to longboard so much?” Well, the most common yet true answer would be, why not? Longboarding is not just an activity that I do when I’m bored or another “outside of school activity”. Many people don’t understand the feeling behind longboarding. It’s not just only about fun. It’s not just about being happy.Longboarding is a life style, a passion and a kind of love. Rather if I’m cruising around city, dodging angry Philly driver or bombing down a 50mph hill, it all comes back to being free. Growing up as a weirdo Asian kid that loves to hang out with more elderly people, I noticed one very upsetting fact with the society. It might sound silly that a 16 year old teenager is writing about this, but have you ever had the feeling that your life is like being a robot? Just like the movie Matrix suggested, we are like batteries or robots, wake up, eat, work, eat, sleep, again and again. Longboard gave me a life. It is a life that I can truly enjoy. It’s more than about surviving in your life, it’s about living your life. When I go longboard, nothing goes through my mind beside a pure joy and freedom. To me, longboarding is not about being coolest kid on your block. Longboard is also about love. When I say love, I don’t just mean loving longboarding, but rather the love of other longboarders. I was lucky enough to come across Rob, Earl, Matt, and many many amazing people. Everytime I longboard with them, I don’t feel competition, I feel love.

I’m not here to convince anyone to start longboarding, but rather any other things that you truly love. Be yourself, find what you love, and have fun with it. For me, it’s longboarding, and this is my story. Find your own passion, so you’ll have a story to pass down to your family and friends. Be proud that you walked this earth and didn’t waste your life.

PS, my grammar stinks, I don’t enjoy grammars, I’m trying tho haha!

-JKan the weirdest Asian kid yet?

Photo Credit – Den Sweeney!