It is hard to get information about when new boards will be available from Loaded.
There is a good reason, they are always out skating, testing, and eating chocolate bars. Loaded take their time to prototype, test and revise, to get a product right. We spend our hard earned cash on a Loaded Board, so they want to make sure you love every minute from when you first step on it. The result is a slap in the face with a fish, something you’ll never forget, a ride to waken the senses.
Adam Colton, this week in the Loaded Newsletter, outlined a roadmap for new products. There were no release dates, vague on details, but a tantalizing taste of what is to come. Start saving, here are the boards that are in the Loaded pipeline.
The three boards he talked about this week were: Tan Tien, Dancer version 2 and a speedboard.
Tan Tien
The Tan Tien will be available soon, as it has been in prototype the longest. Release date is unofficially March 2010.
This is not a replacement for the Dervish longboard but best described as a mini Dervish. 38 or 39 inch in length, a shorter wheelbase, which should all make it more maneuverable, easier to slide, better to commute. Nose and tail will be more functional making tricks a bit easier.
What we do know is there will be different flex patterns and it has now gone into production.
Dancer v2
There have been rumours of a new Dancer longboard in the works. This week Adam confirmed the first prototype has arrived for him to start testing. There is very little detail to go on, more information will be released in the next few months. I would expect a slightly shorter deck, and moon rocks in the grip.
Freeride/Downhill
Do not get too excited on this one. It will be a long time coming. Still fun to speculate. Keen viewers of Loaded videos would have noticed a few mystery boards being skated. Maybe there have been speedboard prototypes out and about for a while? All we know is that Loaded have said they are going to pursue a deck for the downhill and freeride market. Makes sense, they have some of the fastest skaters on the planet in their combined Loaded/Orangatang teams.
Official word is: Drawings have been completed and preliminary design is in motion.
Reality is 2011.
It is Australia Day, 26th January. Our national holiday when we celebrate all things Australian.
My post today is about something else that is happening in our country, that most Australians are unaware of. Our government is planning to censor the internet, under the name of Cleanfeed. Testing of Cleanfeed has been completed, government is preparing legislation. The only way we can stop this is by making Australians aware of what we are about to lose, and show the government it is not supported by the majority. We are a democracy, the government is elected to do the will of the people.
Why would skaters care?
The way the censorship in Cleanfeed works is via a secret list. The government is not going to tell you what is on the list, who goes on it and why. Today the list is unclassifiable and illegal content but tomorrow? How about a future government makes it a criminal offense to skateboard on any road in Australia. It could then put any websites that promote of that activity on the banned list. No more ASRA. A future government might decide punk music is immoral and corrupting our youth, put music websites on the banned list.
Are we going to put the politicians in charge of censorship in Australia?
Dont take my word for it, get informed, make your own decision. Whirlpool forum has taken an apolitical stance and is putting together all the facts about this new form of censorship for Australians to make up their minds. Why it is a bad idea? What can I do? Please take some time this week to get informed on Cleanfeed.
Everyone is getting into downhill. Here is a clip of skate legend Ben Schroeder bombing a hill. Anyone know what board he is skating? It does not look like a short board. Definitely looks like he is getting into downhill. Throws in some nice moves.
Ben skates for Pocket Pistols, we have a few of his pro models in stock.
The longboarders are worried, has Hop gone mainstream? Is the Hopshop selling out to street skating?
We are not selling out but we are expanding our range!
We have renovated the shop over the holidays and put up a big street and vert section. The warehouse ramps have been sold and replaced with glass cabinets. One of our regulars was worried we were going down the stale, vanilla corporate road like a Skooter HQ mall store … NEVER.
We are still a chill place to hang out, get good advice and watch skate videos. We are just expanding the range.
Why
The Hopshop is in St Leonards, 5km from Sydney city, the biggest city in Australia. Our shop is located in the middle of three skateparks – Lane Cove, Chatswood and Neutral Bay. However, there is no dedicated skate shop in the area, except the Hopshop! We have a few surf shops that have a skate section but no real skate shop. So the word is out, there is a new skate shop in town. One skater tells another. They find the shop. The few street skaters has become the many, demanding product and service. So we have listened and are adding mainstream skateboarding products to our shelves. Those Powell SPF wheels look tiny next to inHeats .
The reaction
The response from distributors has been positive. Most of them, and their representatives, dont believe there is a skateshop in St Leonards. Imagine that. If I was a distributor and my sales rep did not know there was a 90 square metre retail skateshop in their territory, I’d fire them.
We still get distributors refusing to deal with us, which is hysterically funny. For anyone not in the industry, this is how the skateshop/distributor dance works. First you have to find them, they have a bad or no website, missing links, misspelt urls, or no contact details on their website. You find them, call them, so you can convince them to let you sell their product. Some dont return calls, or emails, just ignore you. I dont know the rationale behind this strategy. Keeping their brands exclusive? Protecting a nearby surf shop? Scared you might put it online? (psst dont tell skaters about internet) Protecting online US skate shops?
So who has been difficult? Lush Productions is number one. They sell Independent Trucks, which I have on my pool deck, so I would like to carry them in the shop. Sometimes you feel these distributors think they are going to hurt your business if you dont get their brand. Lush, here is a reality check. Most skaters dont ask for Independent Trucks, seems like their poor distribution strategy is working. We get asked for Theeve, Ace, Thunder, Ruckus, Tensor, and Destructo. You’ll see all these good brands in the hopshop soon. Looks like I’m going to have change truck brands on my pool deck, those Ace trucks look nice. A better independent truck you say? I heard about it on the internet, shhh, dont tell the kids.
This week’s challenge
Want to know what it is like to have a skateshop? Try Hop’s “find this distributor” challenge.
Your challenge this week is to search for the Lush website, and then only using their website find out how to contact them.
Rant over, I feel better now. I’m going to go try these Theeve trucks at Balmoral.
Loaded and Orangatang have been playing with Hi Def pro camera’s and the results are really starting to show. Enjoy this one, then go out and freeride.
It is on again and Hopkin Racing is proud to be a race sponsor. Master Of The Hill 2009 was a fantastic day of racing and longboarding. This year promises to be an even better pocket nugget of skateboarding goodness.
Location is the Pump Station in the Blue Mountains. Approximately 90 minutes drive West from Sydney. It is a locals only hill. The exact location of the Pump Station is only revealed to those who sign a sacred oath to respect it, respect the traditional owners, and to leave it as clean and sparkling as they found it. If you can’t get somebody to tell you where it is, join ASRA online and ask Bugs or Robbo.
Master Of The Hill is a downhill racing event. Two-man heats. There will be no timed qualifiers – every rider qualifies and will be seeded randomly. Don’t worry about getting a tough draw; it’s a double-elimination system, so everybody gets a second chance. Every person will race at least two heats, and there will be hours of practice.
The hill is about 800 metres long, with a top speed of about 55km/h (for skateboarders). No footbreaking is required, nor sliding around corners. It’s easy enough for first-time racers, but has enough in it to create epic head-to-head racing for the pros. The road is closed, there is no motor vehicle traffic on this road. All family, parents and friends are welcome. For Groms and Juniors, the best way to get there is to convince your parents to go. If your parents need to talk to a responsible adult, get them to call the Hopshop on 02 80601588 and asked for David Robertson, Jackson Shapiera or James Hopkin. They are also welcome to come into the shop to discuss the joys of gravel rash.
Date
Saturday 6th February 2010
Categories Open Skateboard: Everybody who wants to be Master of the Hill.
Maximum 64 riders.
1st: $300, 2nd: $200, 3rd: $100.
Junior Skateboard: For those under 18 on race day. Juniors can also race in the Open category, so they get two events for the price of one.
Maximum 32 riders.
1st: $300, 2nd: $200, 3rd: $100.
Grom Skateboard: For those under 16 on race day. Groms can also race in the Junior category, so they get two events for the price of one.
Maximum 32 riders.
1st: $300, 2nd: $200, 3rd: $100.
Luge: This includes classic luge. It’s all one big category for those lying down. Ride whatever you think is faster (or whatever you have).
Maximum 32 riders.
1st: $300, 2nd: $200, 3rd: $100.
Requirements
To enter you must:
1) Be a paid-up member of ASRA. Click here to join ASRA. 2) Have a full-face helmet, leather gloves and a leather jacket to ride in. Full leathers are recommended.
Official Race webpage
For more details on the event and how to enter go to the official Master Of The Hill webpage.
The first post for the year I thought it should be a good one. I have been going through our sales and statistics for 2009 and it has been some interesting reading. The website and skateshop has under gone huge growth in the last 12 months. It does not look like slowing down, and I think this is a reflection of the skate industry in general. Longboarding and Downhill is starting to break out of its niche and become more mainstream.
Our business is a true reflection of longboarding and downhill in Australia. We have a popular ecommerce website and a skateshop located in a busy part of Sydney. Our sales are split evenly between website and skateshop. However everyone that comes to the skateshop (other than local walk bys) hear about us on the internet.
Why publish a 2009 best seller list? The idea came from an article on Pop Magazine about what is selling well in Melbourne skate shops. There is a classic line “a brand I had never heard of before” by the writer in reply to Hemleys nomination of Randal trucks. It got me thinking about Australian skateshops and the skate industry, and how little they know about longboarding and downhill. Here is a clue, it is more than a rack of Sector9 completes. I hope this blog will introduce some of the brands that are big in the sport, new product they need to stock and help them communicate to a new type of youth appearing in their shops, the longboarder.
All these products have distribution in Australia. The figures were influenced by new brands in the market and supply problems in 2009. Landyachtz boosted their distribution channel in late 2009. The fastest selling products in every category has been Landyachtz in the last 3 months. Rayne have invested more time developing their Australian business, this reflects in the sales of their decks.
Most popular general longboard
1. Loaded Dervish. Without a doubt this is our biggest selling deck. Flex 1 out sells the flex 2.
2. Rayne Hustler.
This category will be getting a shake up in 2010 with the Loaded Tan Tien arriving soon. The most popular board in this category will move to 38 inch from the current 42 inch. Skaters are wanting smaller decks that are more maneuverable for tricks and freeriding style.
It should be noted we are expecting Landyachtz to be strong in this category in 2010.
Most popular downhill longboard
1. Omni Drop 43. Our overseas readers will be wondering what is a Drop 43. This is an Australian board made by a local skate company Omni. We sold twice as many Omni boards in 2009 than any other deck. Why? The start of 2009 there was not much choice in race boards, Rayne and Landyachtz had not sorted out their distribution. Omni Drop 43 is also has an entry level price which makes it a perfect starter board.
2. Rayne Nemesis. If we had stock of this board all year this would have been our number one selling deck. It is the deck we like to recommend in the shop, it size, width and shape make it an all round board for downhill, freeride and longboarding.
3. Rayne Demonseed.
4. Rayne Killswitch. This board was released in late 2009 and sold out a few times. It’s success is a reflection of the growing freeride market and also the financial strength of the longboard market. The Killswitch is one of our most expensive decks.
5. Rayne Hellcat.
6. Landyachtz Evo. Over the latest few years this deck has been the biggest selling downhill board in the world. Our sales have been down mainly due to supply issues in 2009. However the market is growing, and there are a lot more choices for skaters. It is doubtful that the Evo will claim back the crown of the biggest selling board.
This category has been the biggest growing market for our business. It is also has the youngest demographic. We are selling more downhill decks to under 18 years olds than anything else. It should be noted that a single sale separated a lot of the placings. Drop 43 sales were 50% bigger than any other board. The second most popular board was 2. through to 6.
Most popular longboard truck
There are two parts to this category. Trucks we sell on completes and trucks that are ordered separately by customers.
1. Paris 180 . This is our biggest selling truck. We sold more Paris trucks in the first 4 months of 2009 than we did all year for any other truck! The reason is it is the preferred truck for skaters buying a Loaded Longboard. 90 out of 100 Loaded Longboard customers orders Paris 180 trucks on their longboard.
2. Bear Grizzly 852. This is a surprise because we have only been selling these trucks in volume since September. In that time they have caught up to Randal 180 yearly sales. It was close. Only two truck sales separated Bear and Randal.
3. Randal 180.
Paris is the most popular longboard truck. However we we only count independent sales of trucks and not completes, the number one truck is Bear Grizley 852.
Most popular longboard wheel
This result will not surprise anyone. Jackson works in the Hopshop, is on the Hopkin Racing Team and rides for Orangatang. It figures Orangatang wheels sell well in the Hopshop. There are performances to back it up. Jackson is the fastest skater in Australia in slalom and downhill. Kevin Reimer won the IGSA World Championships at Newtons in 2009 on dem purps.
1. Orangatang inHeat
2. Orangatang 4Presidents
3. Retro Big Zigs
4. Orangatang Stimulus
5. Orangatang Durian
6. Retro Zig Zags
Most popular Bushings
1. Venom.
2. Reflex.
3. Khiro.
Venom has dominated bushings this year. Releasing more duros and also the eliminators. The Hopshop started selling Reflex in the second half of 2009, and they have performed so well with our customers it has created a shake up and re organisation. Khiro has been bounced out of our retail display and off the website by Reflex. Any shortboard bushings are now mostly Reflex short cones.
Most Popular Bearing
1. Bones red
Nothings sells like Bones red. Price vs Performance longboarders get with Reds is second to none.
Most Popular Slide Glove
1. Loaded Slide
2. Landyachtz Slide
3. Loaded Race
Loaded win this category because of supply. They have a consistent supply, consistent quality. Therefore they get the sales. There are some good alternatives out there but with supply issues.
That is the Hopshop awards for 2009. I hope it starts lots of arguments about what is the best product on the market. Maybe it will help some skateshops with what they could be putting on their shelves in 2010.
Manufacturers
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