Last year I was flipping through the pages of thrasher and noticed an ad for a 2 foot tall, 6 foot wide, 12 foot long micro mini ramp with a steel frame. I decided to check out the ramp for myself on the website. It mentioned a ton of great things- easy to assemble, easy to learn tricks, how much better it is than a homemade one etc etc. They also had an offer at the time of "being sponsored" which is actually a program where you recomend the ramp to other people. If they buy it using your name they get a $100 discount and you continue recieving products from railslide.com. To date I recieved only 1 package, however it was pretty reasonable. I got some 49mm wheels, 2 decks (very nice actually), and some stickers.
Now for the real review:
The product comes over seas (to us U.S. customers). I had to wait 3 months before it even got to the warehouse in California, then from there I had to wait another month before it arrived to my house. I was actually very disapointed with it when it arrived because of the following:
-It did NOT come in it's originally package as described on the site and had been damaged.
-It was missing most of it's parts including the bottom pieces to level the QPs to the flat section.
After taking much time making my own repairs using duct tape and buying extra parts, I noticed the surface started chipping! I just keep taping over it but this is very disapointing in a company who prides itself in quality.
In good news however- it was quick to assemble (despite no instructions). I am currently filing suit against the delivery company for it's negligence in taking the ramp out of it's original package. Although it is helpful to me, it still doesn't excuse railslide for it's ramps surface to start chipping so soon- especially since I keep it indoors away from the elements.
As for the actual ride of the ramp- I love it. It is small and tight, but great for learning tricks. The coping doesn't stick out much so it's harder to lock in grinds, however it is very forgiving when learning tricks like back disasters ;) . It's ramp is mellow, however the flat bottom is very short so going from coping to coping is very fast so you should have your trick in mind real quick or else you may end up falling down.
Brief overview of the ramp-
Pros:
-Fun and easy to learn on
-Can fit in your basement most likely
-Easy to assemble/disassemble
-Steel frame
-Some free products come with it (not sure if the sponsorship is still going or not as of this writing)
Cons:
-Delivery took WAY too long for my liking
-Costs a pretty penny (over $1000 for delivery to your house)
-Surface chipped within days of use
-Customer service was delayed for good periods of time
-The coping being so hard to lock into compared to most ramps
All in all, I strongly recomend making your own ramp over buying this. It can cost half the price and adjust it to your liking. Unless Railslide can improve their product then I recomend refraining from purchasing from them.
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Friday, April 11, 2008
Trick tip: Ollie
This is probably the most useful trick in the book (besides learning to push of course). The ollie is basically where the skater snaps the tail off the ground and drags his/her front foot up towards the nose and levels out the board making both the board and the skater above it get off the ground.
History: Originally this trick was invented by Alan Gelfland. It was first done as an air out of a transition without using hands, something remarkable at the time. This was later done by freestyle extraodinaire Rodney Mullen on the flatground. When Alan Gelfland came up with this trick it was named after his nick name "Ollie" and kids at skateparks would steal his shoes thinking that they were the secret to pulling off this maneuver.
How it's done:
First off, many people set up their feet differently for this trick but in general the idea is to have the back foot in the middle of the tail/near the tip and the front foot 1/2 to 3/4 up the board.
1. Put your feet in position mentioned above. Keep your shoulders in line with the board and bend down.
2. The part which makes the trick happen is all about timing. You need to snap the backfoot off the ground but jump up as soon as you do this. It will take some effort, but the trick here is timing- snaping the tail off the ground and jumping up at the same time. If you can get backwheels/tail off the ground then you have figured out the key to this trick.
3. While your backwheels are off the ground and rising with your backfoot, your board will not be level with the front. Here you give a nudge and a slight slide up the grip tape with your front foot. Be sure to level up and out- not downwards. If you push down you will not receive as much height. Be sure to be sucking both knees up towards the chest for more height as well
4. Once your board is at the apex your board should be level. From there keep your form and fall with the board. Stomping down will make it difficult to ollie over and down objects later on so try to keep good form and keep your knees bent
5. Here you are touching the ground. As you land bend down to absorb the impact so it will keep less pressure on your legs and add stability when you land.
6. Keep practicing and have fun!!! Skateboarding in general is harder to learn than most activities, but more rewarding. Keep at it and you will land it.
Some notes on this trick:
-Be sure to keep even pressure among both feet. If you are stumbling on your front foot or your kicking the board away it is probably because your weight distribution is uneven.
-Don't be scared of this trick. It takes getting used to but is very rewarding. I recomend knowing how to ride the board and be comfortable before attempting this. I also suggest learning it rolling, but stationary works too- just remember it will feel a little different.
-Timing timing timing. That's the biggest key to this. Timing and commitment. Be confident- you can do it :)
-Most importantly have fun!!! If you get frustrated just take a break and try again later. Learning to ollie isn't the easiest thing ever and it takes time to perfect this technique. Having a fellow skater help you or watching videos will help tremendously in learning this.
Here are some videos of people doing trick tips for this trick if you prefer a visual aid. Have fun! this trick will open up a TON of new tricks for you later on :)
Chad Muska showing how it's done:
Tony Hawk and Kris Markovich explaining it (with slow mo!)
History: Originally this trick was invented by Alan Gelfland. It was first done as an air out of a transition without using hands, something remarkable at the time. This was later done by freestyle extraodinaire Rodney Mullen on the flatground. When Alan Gelfland came up with this trick it was named after his nick name "Ollie" and kids at skateparks would steal his shoes thinking that they were the secret to pulling off this maneuver.
How it's done:
First off, many people set up their feet differently for this trick but in general the idea is to have the back foot in the middle of the tail/near the tip and the front foot 1/2 to 3/4 up the board.
1. Put your feet in position mentioned above. Keep your shoulders in line with the board and bend down.
2. The part which makes the trick happen is all about timing. You need to snap the backfoot off the ground but jump up as soon as you do this. It will take some effort, but the trick here is timing- snaping the tail off the ground and jumping up at the same time. If you can get backwheels/tail off the ground then you have figured out the key to this trick.
3. While your backwheels are off the ground and rising with your backfoot, your board will not be level with the front. Here you give a nudge and a slight slide up the grip tape with your front foot. Be sure to level up and out- not downwards. If you push down you will not receive as much height. Be sure to be sucking both knees up towards the chest for more height as well
4. Once your board is at the apex your board should be level. From there keep your form and fall with the board. Stomping down will make it difficult to ollie over and down objects later on so try to keep good form and keep your knees bent
5. Here you are touching the ground. As you land bend down to absorb the impact so it will keep less pressure on your legs and add stability when you land.
6. Keep practicing and have fun!!! Skateboarding in general is harder to learn than most activities, but more rewarding. Keep at it and you will land it.
Some notes on this trick:
-Be sure to keep even pressure among both feet. If you are stumbling on your front foot or your kicking the board away it is probably because your weight distribution is uneven.
-Don't be scared of this trick. It takes getting used to but is very rewarding. I recomend knowing how to ride the board and be comfortable before attempting this. I also suggest learning it rolling, but stationary works too- just remember it will feel a little different.
-Timing timing timing. That's the biggest key to this. Timing and commitment. Be confident- you can do it :)
-Most importantly have fun!!! If you get frustrated just take a break and try again later. Learning to ollie isn't the easiest thing ever and it takes time to perfect this technique. Having a fellow skater help you or watching videos will help tremendously in learning this.
Here are some videos of people doing trick tips for this trick if you prefer a visual aid. Have fun! this trick will open up a TON of new tricks for you later on :)
Chad Muska showing how it's done:
Tony Hawk and Kris Markovich explaining it (with slow mo!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)