Slek Skateboards (pronounced “sleek”) is an American company owned by the golf company Ping. Based on the front page of their web site you’d probably assume they made standard park/street skateboards but the majority of their lineup is actually longboard and cruiser oriented. The reason they’re here on S&A is because of the Float-Tec funky truck assembly that is designed to let users roll over cracks and bumps without eating it. It’s a strange niche because beginners who aren’t skilled enough to negotiate those, obstacles are likely not going to justify the expense, and you can’t buy the trucks separately. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this kind of setup before, but I may in fact be thinking of the Stair Board from back in 2012. One thing I find annoying, for the life of me I can’t replicate the “e” character with the line over the top that they use in their website and logo. Our character sets are both utf-8 and I cant find it in any character table. [Source: MyGolfSpy]

VibeRide is still claiming to be the world’s first longboard with a brake, which seems patently false. They’ve redesigned their original concept from a couple years ago, and this time it’s quite a bit simpler. Although they don’t give you a very good closeup of the mechanism, its looks to be the same sort of setup you see in traditional caliper brakes on bicycle, with the calipers pressing the pad out against the wheel instead of in agains a tire rim. This is aimed at the longboard market so I guess you don’t have to worry about hinging up that cable on anything. In videos they mention that it’s not meant for serious downhill use either. There’s an emphasis on beginner use, and the Switch is pretty clever in that it allows you to start with a leash, and replace it with a foot pedal once you’ve gotten the hang of it. This is the lightweight version of their original concept, which they still offer for sale. My stance on tools and setups for beginners has mellowed with age. I could see this being pretty useful for some kids or clumsy adults who wanted to get into skateboarding purely as…

VibeRide claims to be home of the world’s first longboard brake, the BrakeBoard. At first I thought this was just another iteration of the Board Brake some 10 years prior. The position of the foot lever is almost identical, but the braking mechanisms are noticeably different. BrakeBoards lever applies pressure to the inside rim of the skateboard wheel instead of applying pressure to the pavement. It turns out this original implementation also dates to 2013. VibeRide bought existing technology and revamped it. It’s more sophisticated than the Fred Flintstone approach of the BrakeBoard, but with that sophistication comes a $150 price tag for one truck equipped with the brake, a set of wheels, a paddle bit for drilling the required extra hole, and a skate tool.

Grandpa has a long board, and a radical attitude. This is the March, 2017 issue of Prime Time, an Rhode Island publication described as a “contemporary magazine speaking to the mature market, caregivers & medical professionals.” – Thanks to Poeser for the photo.

We’ve seen a variety of folding skateboards here, most of them DIY. BoardUp adds a new twist to that with a 2-way hinge mechanism that allows for a more uniform rectangular shape after folding. It looks heavy but the whole board is supposed to way less than 7 lbs. It’s smooth but there’s definitely some flex visible in the video. If transportations your bag, then this might be for you, although you’re probably not reading this web site. Kickstarter on the way…

Check out Dan Bourqui’s Downhill Disco edit: The Downhill Disco is an yearly San Diego event which mixes disco music with longboarding, downhill skating, jump ramps and even a smaller megaramp like gap. It also features a mini ramp jam, disco night and Sunday races that are not showcased in this video clip. The entire event feels more like a weekend festival than a contest.

Presented without commentary: In a quest to build a longboard based off the look of cars with big rims, we created the best riding and best built longboard; the DonkBoard™. Compare our DonkBoard™ to any other longboard at any Authorized Retailer and you will see the benefits immediately: Improved & Faster Acceleration: Due to larger surface to grip area.Nearly frictionless wheel and bearing outfit.Less energy needed per push to cover the same distance than smaller wheels.Better Board Control & Response: Yielding consistent handling.No Wheel Bite (No Scrub, No Rub).Enhanced Sportier, Upscale Look.Unique 6 Inch (150mm) Aluminum, Deep Dish, Five Star, Wheel / Tire Combo: Essentially, Custom Rims for your Skateboard.

From the Wood Studio in North Carolina. This guy mostly makes beautiful furniture, and the occasional skateboard. The routered tops on GripCarve Longboards are supposed to negate the need for grip tape. Realistically, they look interesting and probably work in context with the situation you’d expect to see these boards. Coffee and Campus Cruiser? Yes. Downhill bombing? Not so much. – Thanks to Matthijs (who can finally see this) for the tip.

Esurance has a commercial out for pay-by-the-mile insurance, this one specifically tailored to Portland customers, though I’m sure there are other cities too. Not only is there some longboard action in the commercial, there’s a bit of wackyboard footage in it too. Then there’s truBrain, an energy drink the is also supposed to boot your brain. “The world’ first nootropic drink.” I don’t know what the means,I guess I need some truBrain. They’re using skateboarding imagery in social media marketing and on their web site. – Thanks to Betsy Gordon for the truBrain tip.

Yet another student design project turned into a Kickstarter. Bjorn van den Hout’s Chargeboard uses two dynamos in the rear axle to generate electricity and store it in the battery box attached to the bottom of the board. The battery box doubles as an iPhone dock with speakers, while the usb port can be used to charge a phone or other device. Goofy lifestyle shots aside, I actually think this is a good idea for those who use their skateboards primarily for transportation, campus cruisers, even campers and the like. However, there are two glaring problems with this. Chargeboard could use removable covers for the speakers, or the first pebble that kicks up or pudddle you run through is going to wreak havoc. Also, How to account for different size phones without a janky adapter that would be prone to rattling loose? I’d really like to see this concept adapted to a bike, although I’m sure it has been already. [Source: Daily Mail]