Really, why do we need a War on Blanks? I mean look at this specimen purchased 5 years ago from a major sports retailer that just recently declared bankruptcy. Man, the owner of this deck sure was pissed when he got ready to ride his brand new deck and found out he had been sold a regular foot board instead of a goofy foot board. He didn’t realize it until he went for his first frontside indy and caught his jib in his heel-side shin guards. Folks, this photo has not been retouched. See it full frame after the jump. (more…)

Bamboo is an amazing plant. You can use it to feed pandas, make flooring, furniture, and even bicycles and saxophones. And yes, skateboards too. The crazy thing about bamboo is that it has a stronger strength to weight ratio than maple, but has been know to grow 4 feet in a week’s time! Think about how many boards in a year that a typical street skater goes through. What if you could make a bamboo board that performs as well and lasts as long as a hard maple deck? There already are companies making decks in part of or 100% out of Bamboo, but they are mostly carving or downhill setups not meant to take the torture of street or bowl riding. Today I received an email and pictures from a Slovakian company with a Chinese manufacturer of 100% bamboo skateboards shaped like a typical popsicle stick. Even that’s nothing new. Check out some bamboo Skateboarding action after the jump (more…)

We’ve weighed in on “The War on Blanks” before, but it keeps popping up, and looks like it’s going to be an industry focus in 2007. Personally, I can’t respect hypocrisy, which is what I see when a company says blanks are bad for the industry but Chinese manufacturing is good. It’s all about the profit margins. I think it’s a case where the industry has made it’s own bed and now doesn’t want to sleep in it. What I’d like to see is information on where these blanks coming from and how many different skateboard manufacturers actually exist. The quote coming from George’s mouth above is actually from Andrew Reynolds on the web site called “A World Without Pros.” More hypocrisy and links concerning the War on Blanks and the War on George Bush as expressed on skateboards after the jump. (more…)

From Transworld Business: A momentous IASC meeting leads to a more united front among skate hardgoods manufacturers… …a who’s who meeting of skateboard hardgoods manufacturers met to discuss why blank skateboard decks have become so popular, what that is doing to the heart of the industry, and how the manufacturers could band together to effect change.

Check out this quote from Dwindle’s Bod Boyle:

If we have a generation of skateboarders who grow accustomed to what a blank-product costs and if they think a blank product is as good as branded product, then we really will open the doors to these huge retailers

Hmmmm…. I seem to remember a similar conversation about manufacturing skateboards in China. That’s funny, Dwindle came in on the other side of the argument. (more…)