Normally, I try to keep this blog along the lines of motorcycle related stuff but with the No Love Shovel incident still fresh in my mind (death to false bike builders!), I needed a break from bikes and all that goes with it. So with that, Gail and I went to the Fremont Market today which is a hippy-ish happening with food vendors, street musicians and people selling everything from kitchy crap to blown glass pot pipes.
Anyway, we came across this guy selling solid wood longboards. We talked for a bit while admiring his boards and I decided to demo one. I haven't owned a skateboard since we lived in California back in the '60's (yeah, I'm that old) but when I tried it the feeling was very cool. I was hooked and picked up a board on the spot.
Once I got it home I realized that there are some parallels between skating and riding a bike. For one, there is the anti-social aspect associated with both (for better or worse) and there is also a feeling of great freedom while riding on a board and on a bike. There is even similarities between riding a specific style of board vs. a specific style of bike. When riding a laminated bowed board (swingarm) you tend to 'float' but when riding a solid board (rigid) you are connected to the ground and to the board more.
And while I'm not giving up on bikes (I still ride the '71 a lot) I am looking forward to spending time on my new board. It will be good for me physically (getting me out and about) and I think it will be a great stress reliever. Should be a good match.
Check out Bill and his boards here...http://ericksonlongboards.com/HOME.aspx
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