New Skateboarders

Anybody else noticed them? It can’t just be around Glasgow. There are more people coming to the forum than ever who are just getting into skateboarding and I see way more kids with proper boards around. Carrying them, but real boards. The same sort of folk who you’d see with Penny boards a few years ago, but the nowadays version and they’ve got proper set ups. Maybe they want them to match their Vans.

Isn’t that good though?

From speaking to numerous mates who own shops - it is clear that we are currently in the middle of a boom of sorts.
Whether this is down to the potential of the Olympics, increased TV/media interest and/or a knock on effect of Covid is unclear but of the 4/5 shop owners I’ve spoken to in the last few months, all are reporting much higher than average sales.

Make of that what you will.

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Of course it’s good, as long as they aren’t messing about at the park when I’m there for the two hours I get out a week…

Covid is a good point. That definitely explains all the massive fat men with football club crests tattooed on their calves wobbling around on Argos mountain bikes. Although that’ll pass now that the boozers are back open for a bit.

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Seen some signs, was out for a run before and noticed a ledge that was untouched for ages all freshly waxed and definitely noticed a few more kids than normal on proper boards. I think it’s down to covid, there’s so much stuff that’s just not going on, family things like normal days out and holidays and whatnot.

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Covid and the weather I suppose.

Maybe Ron can confirm this. If he gets a signal on his yacht.

Or they finally woke up to how stupid their scooters are .

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Is the supply shortage the same here? Hard to tell looking through shop websites

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Yeah, boards and wheels drying up. Cardiel’s currently running 99A wheels, for example.

I wish. Ha ha

I guess the lack of team sports has forced a lot of folks into individual pursuits (maybe)

I’m more concerned by the lack of available stock at the moment. Can’t make money if you’ve nothing to sell.

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I think that’s more due to cessation of manufacturing in all the major US/Mexican/China based factories.

Expect to see a lot of HLC/Jart-made boards in shops for a while (Flip, etc).

Yeah fuck Route One for that but what are Shiner doing?!

From my point of view nephew has got back into it after a few years hiatus and my 17 yr old son, who hasn’t been bothered with skating ever has decided he wants to get a board (fucking finally). When I asked why he said because it ‘looks fun’.

Glass is saying R1 didn’t order all the bearings in the comments. Who knows.

“Grandad, what did you do during the great bearing wars of 2020?”

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Heard from somewhere else that they definitely did.

I snagged a roll of griptape when all this all started. I’m ok for the rest.

New skaters? Sky Brown on the news… also …She wasn’t disoriented, she was setting up for something FS over the channel

All any shop needs to do if they are bearing desperate is just order some bearings from an industrial supplier, (standard size 608) and stick them in a box. I havent looked into it whatsoever but I highly doubt bones have anything to do with actually making them and its probably more of a distribution issue than manufacture.

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