Category: Skateboarding Product Reviews

My first Cliché deck was one of their first ever runs with the team model that ripped off the infamous Coca Cola logo. Like a premonition, Cliché grew, and grew and grew some more until they established themselves as the undisputed ambassadors of European skateboarding and refined taste. With such a heavy reputation to uphold, you need your product to be top knotch, so I expected no less from the latest Javier Mendizabal model.

Seeing as the average board shape will not change anytime soon, the real area for innovation is in the materials and the moulds. The Airline series uses the redline concave with 8 ply epoxy glue construction. The combination of epoxy glue and 8 tightly pressed plies makes for a strong and light board. The redline concave moulds a rather mellow shape that’s easy to adapt to all terrains with.

Initially I found the Mendizabal board to be a bit pointy on the nose and tail ends, but the general proportions let plenty of room to get positioned for slides. I got used to the pointy ness and enjoyed some lengthy tailslides and found that flip tricks spun a lot faster and controlled than on previous decks I’ have ridden with bolder shapes. The wood kept it’s snap too which is always a bonus when you expect quick reactions from your board.

Honestly, this deck surprised me and has kept me happy because to be honest, Cliché boards are not usually my first pick off the rack. From now on though, I’ll definitely be checking in and checking out their boards more often.

7.5/10

Ralph L-D

7am on a Sunday and I’ve been woken up by the bloke next door playing Metallica already. Not that I don’t like Metallica, but it is early, and I went to sleep at 4am. So here I am now, listening to Nothing Else Matters being sung in an Albanian accent writing this review.

The reason I could get up this early to write it is because last night I was kept toasty warm on my journey home by this Vans Armistad jacket. I’ve got to say this is one of my favourite jackets I’ve ever worn.

The plaid shirt styling looks totally rad, and it comes in brown or black so you’ve got a choice of colours to match the rest of your gear. The inside lining is faux sheep skin fleece type stuff and does an amazing job of keeping you snug as a bug in a rug looking smug. It’s an odd one, because not only does it keep you warm even on the coldest mornings or evening waiting for the bus, it also isn’t too thick that you couldn’t wear it on a warmer day.

Vans have done it again. Another fantastic product that works well looks good, and keeps its own self-promotion branding down to the absolute minimum.

Moose

Vans have bounced back with a new selection of shoes, team riders and energy based on the foundation that has spawned the birth of many competitors to take the basic theories the waffle soled leaders invented.

Anthony Van Engelen joined the team and the AV Era was born. His presence on the team was worldwide skate news and the shoe that followed his arrival is second to none, giving skaters a very comfortable and secure shoe that adapts to all environments.

The AV Era comes packed with support from the first time you pop them onto your feet and proves that although the classics also have a new wave of comfortability, the new wave of Vans is taking history to the fore and delivering to a new Era.

The AV Era packs heel support and grip to maximum effect for skateboarding use and can also be quite a wizard on the dancefloor for your out of skateboarding hours fun. Add the fact that the suede appearance is actually stronger than most shoes you would have skated in, you have a model here that should be tried and tested for yourself once you read this review.

Go to www.vans.co.uk for the full experience.

Chuck Bangers

You should know by now that the classic slip on is a must for anyone who sees their feet as the most important part of the body. Whether you skate and use your plates for skill or whether you love the feeling of new feet for comfort on the pavement, you have to have a pair of slip ons in the wardrobe and Duffs have certainly come good with the Dude.

These boys are comfy and come freshly packed with a herringbone design that looks so good, you want to get a fork out. My feet gripped to my bolts when i rolled with them first time proving the soles have Grange Hill status employing the skills of one such legend – Gripper.

Cheese aside your feet need these stylish and sleek cruisers, go to www.duffs.co.uk for the steal.

Chuck Bangers

If you are looking for a winter jacket to get you through this years cold spell you will be delighted to know that Matix are back in the hot seat with the Platoon Field Jacket!.

This army number comes ready to roll via zip control in hard wearing cotton canvas that seem to numb the elements and feel comfortable with it. The front bottom pockets are so deep you could shove a t-shirt in there if needed and the top left pocket has slit where you can easily thread your earphones through. This comes in very handy, as this Field Jacket has no inside pockets but to make up for that, it does have a dope, washed out bamboo and palm tree print that covers the soft inner lining.

There’s also a hidden gem in that once you slide your hands through the sleeves, you find that you have the option of expandable windcuffs that deflect the current and keep your hands shielded. Plus, the hood can be stashed if its not needed thanks to a neat zip.

Overall this is the best jacket to land here at Crossfire for review this winter. Kick start the cold season with one of these and keep your nuts warm.

Chuck Bangers

Independent Trucks love heavy metal and so do we. This little beauty though has the lot and every time i wear this out i am always told how goddam fucking cool i look. Has nothing to do with my good looks, i’m an ugly git but this baby does the damage everytime.

Indy have always put out great t-shirt designs since I was a kid. You now see them being bootlegged on market stalls in Bangkok, they appear where you least expect them to from veterans to tight units. This is by far my favourite Tee yet and you should have one if you rock the horns. Smell the glove

Chuck Bangers

It looks like there is a lot more to moulded urethane when it comes to skateboard wheel design. The chemical compound defines the wheel’s strength, durability, performance at high temperatures and on various surfaces, then there’s the design with width, radials, pretty graphics… You get the picture. After dual durometers and cores, the next logical step seems to make your wheel by incorporation air pockets. The result is the Cliché Air-Core wheel of which I got to test the 51mm variety.

I had heard through the grapevine that the Air-Cores really were the next best thing for skateboarders this side of carbon composites and precision bearings. Naturally I had to try a set and I jumped with joy as the four pristine urethane tires arrived at my door. I slipped them onto my axles and took them for a spin. Straight away you can feel how light the vacuumed cored wheels are, approximated the equivalent of riding with three wheels instead of four, so your pop snaps a little harder and faster. The session was on until I scooped up my deck and spotted a short slice through one of my rear wheel’s riding surface. Not stoked.

The disappointment didn’t stop there as I noticed that after a day of skating a concrete park (for those expecting scientific detail), the surface ridges had completely worn away. By surface ridges I mean the tread found on the riding surface of the wheels. Obviously the Cliché Air-Cores were soft. So soft in fact, that after a couple more days (no more than three) I had a heinous flatspot on one of my front wheels. Double not stoked.

I’ve been riding these 51mm Air-Cores for a couple of weeks now on wooden, concrete, brick and mortar surfaces and you can probably hear me coming like a Huey Helicopter with the flatspots I’ve scored. The worst part about riding with these flatspots is that I don’t ever remember powersliding to a halt, screeching to a stop due to something blocking my forward motion or failing to rotate fully of any moves. The only thing I can hope for now is that the flatspots will ride themselves out as the wheels wear down. Making wheel lighter with air pockets isn’t a bad idea at all, but using materials with as much durability as PVC plastic might not be the best technological innovation.

5/10

Ralph L-D

Rad, I thought as I was handed this Etnies Iceland jacket to review. I’ll wear that to the pub later to see how it performs in a controlled environment, that was the plan. That was the plan that never happened, because during the course of the day I decided to crack my elbow socket and break my scaphoid.

And so, the first outing the jacket got was to Kings College Accident and Emergency ward. Not the perfect situation to review a jacket you may think, but not so. I quickly discovered that the pockets worked as a near perfect makeshift sling to keep my arm all cosy on the journey to A & E. Once in the ward, the jacket (which reminds me of an 80’s puffa in construction) acted as both a cushion to protect my arse from germs, and a blanket, which would protect my legs from any stray vomit/spittle that may be spraying about from other hospital users.

There is only so much you can do to entertain yourself in hospitals, me and my brother whiled away the hours by watching characters such as ‘ski jump hat’ and ‘power brow’ and taking bets on how long the bag head would be in the toilets. You could of course pass the time by counting the amount of bamboo leaves that are printed all over this jacket (I reckon about 2350).

Luckily for me I was called for an x-ray before we had to resort to this. Whilst waiting for the results of my x ray, I discovered I had put the jacket in a puddle of what I hope was water, once again, the jacket came through- no damp had gone inside and the jacket dried in seconds due to the hospitals heating which I swear is extra hot to help the spread of bacteria. The detachable hood can act as a handy bag to carry your notes about, as well as acting as a neck support when attached to prevent you falling asleep on the person your sitting next to and catching head lice or other ailments.

Overall, this Iceland jacket performed really well in the hospital situation, it was warm and comfy, but didn’t make me feel like or look like the stay puft marshmallow man, and more importantly I didn’t contract MRSA while wearing it. Now that must be the sign of a decent jacket.

http://etnies.com/

Joe Sketch

I’ve have several pairs of Vans through my skateboarding reign and have to admit that even though they sell enough weird shit to comfort emo’s, they still rock a good skate shoe and the quality speaks for itself!

I’m on my second pair of TNT’s and thought it would be good to review these skonz after I killed both pairs, giving them a decent run and coming up with a full flavoured opinion about both pairs and how they differentiate.

Truth be told, my first pair was love and first sight, all black, really thin, skinny tongue and beautifully crafted. They we’re cruisers, flippers, carvers and techies all in one, with the best part being, they fucking lasted me longer than any other skate shoe I’ve had in the past 5 years! The second pair was slightly less of a desirable object to look at, but nonetheless, these bastards played the part and played it well. They came to the races fully prepared and ran the same distance with heavy obstacles along the way. They we’re slightly less skinny than the previous ones, but they were still pretty much the same shoe with the same results all the way through.

I’ve been told by many a Van Fan that this is they’re weapon of choice too and therefore I can conclude that these shoes wont let you down and they certainly wont break the bank either. They’re fairly cheap as far as skate shoes are concerned, but you won’t feel out of place when you rock them to a club or pub, they’re the perfect all rounder.

I guarantee you’ll be happy with these and remember, Vans will probably still be around years and years to come, long after the newspapers finally kills Dianna’s death off for good…or maybe not, that shit will probably sell for another couple of centuries too…Idiots.

Live FAST, Ride FAST
2P

Whilst most people get obsessive about their sneakers or caps, I just can’t get enough jackets. Flannels, duffels, raincoats, sports jackets, blazers, over coats… I love a bit of outdoor gear, I do! Along with two wardrobes full of button up coats, there is always one season that troubles my choice of jacket when I go skating- the Autumn. From September to November the weather plays a nasty game of hot and cold, so no matter how you mix and match your layers of clothing, you’re bound to catch a chill. Hopefully this Autumn I can avoid catching a cold thanks to the Colonel, the jacket that is.

Cliché’s Colonel jacket is a simple windbreaker with fleece layering on the inside. The jacket cuts out the wet and wind, and keeps you warm on the inside. What more do you need? To break down the intricacies of this item, I can start by saying that it is completely black with the Cliché logo stitched in black up the side. I don’t suggest you ride around in traffic on a foggy night with this jacket unless you have good life insurance or neon pink trousers. Anyway, I like the darkness of it all because rainbow colours only look good on the catwalk, not a dirty carpark or derelict alleyway.

There’s a big zip pocket on the front which you can stash your walkman, wax, hat gloves and scarf into, no problem. Then there is the bonus of a secret stash pocket hidden in the underside of your left arm. I like to stash a small ziplock bag of herbal tea in there for laters. Both the hood and hem line are lined with elastic length that can be adjusted and tightened to stop the wind from sending chilly guffs up your body. Finally, you have two hand pockets stitched on either side, but these are the only letdown in my opinion. I think these two pockets could have been redesigned because they’re very small and positioned slightly too far back for comfortable hand-in-pockets slouching.

7/10
Ralph L-D