In today’s market where even the most core tech street skater can knock out some heavy duty ‘Cheese and Crackers’ shit on a mini ramp and some ‘Thrill of it all’ hammers, the days of the lolly pop stick are starting to fall behind us. With the Hub of Motive being in Milton Keynes, home of UK ledge skating and with Rob Selley, pioneer of UK technical skating at the helm, it really is a sign of the time when this board measures in at 8 inches wide.
For those of you out there too young to remember the mid 1990’s, Rob Selley was amongst the heavy hitting pro Blueprint and Reaction ranks, putting out a few mind blowing and video parts deep in mathematically technical skating. Due to constant injury and a career ending ankle problem, Rob went on to take care of the Skate side of DC shoes in the UK before launching Motive Skateboards in 2005.
The Motive crew consists of some of Britain’s best talent including Pro’s Dave Snaddon, Dylan Hughes and Sean Smith, with back up from the multi lingual Layth Sami, OG Bristol Gangsta Paul Carter and Leo Smith. Motive have recently solidified a distribution deal with I-Five, alowing Rob take the company to the next level. The full length Motive DVD, Dimensions, has just been release containing some heavy hitting sections from new comers Jack Edwards and Barney Page, along side some truly amazing sections from the pro team.
With the background info taken care of, let’s get down to the business of the 8 inch ‘Flying TV’s’ board. With enough width and wheel base to handle pretty much any modern terrain, the board has a good foot hold with its deep dish like concave, ample kicks and comes out of one of the most notable US wood shops. I’ve this board through some hard time including a few high-speed wall collisions and endless grip tape ending primos and plenty of pop and shape remains.
The graphics fit in nicely to the conspiracy theory mindset of Rob and his crew that anyone that has travelled with them will be only too familiar with. Bent politicians and dodgy warfare are all part of the boards comments upon our hectic modern world.
Motive have managed to do what not too many UK board companies have done in the past: Hook up a host of established riders and hold on to them, discover some of the most shocking emerging talent that Britain has to offer, release a DVD with some incredible filming and skating on it and secure a substantial distribution deal. If this board is a testament to the quality of Motive as a brand, then it’s a thumbs up from me and here’s to the exciting future of a solid UK brand.
Emilio Gomez