Posts: 20
|
Post by dbeetle on Aug 2, 2013 16:09:28 GMT -5
Yo this is D,
So I've been pondering for quite some time(probably years now) and I was thinking, its time for a new look. To elaborate, I believe that the image of skaters, both physically and the image society has of us needs to be updated.
Think about it, Skateborders had a major face lift within the last decade which brought them back to the major forefront, partly from a redesign in the look of skateboards. There are now various board sizes available, long boards are now more commercially widespread and wave boards are a style all their own. Not to mention the "prestige the media gives it, while at the same time, retaining its previous extreme and rebellious image that young people love so much.
My only suggestion as a possible remedy is to totally redesign the image of the inline skate itself. Let's face it though specs and minute details have evolved a bit from their initial design, the image of the roller skate is still either the blocky quad or the linearly blocky inline. To others, they look heavy and somewhat uncomfortable as well as well, the same. Only people who skate and are invested in the culture know the difference between an H and V block and can see it. They can look at a skate and say " you ride anti rocker or cresent." This is good because it lets us stay true and not have to worry about posers who don't know what they're talking about, but at the same time alienates us and make us more intimidating than inviting.
I say redesign the inline skate and keep all the knowledge we've all gained from years of experience.
Personally I really love the air treck design. It looks sleek, modern and has enough variation between them to really make each pair look as unique as they feel to the rider. It would be awesome if we could bring a design like that to life. It would let people know were here on the map, and get others interested just from the look.
Much Love to the skaters around the world, D
|
|
Posts: 20
|
Post by dbeetle on Aug 2, 2013 16:17:17 GMT -5
Ideas anyone?
|
|
Powerblading rocks!
Posts: 314
Rank-up Points: 0
Wins: 0
Losses: 0
|
Post by Shadow on Aug 2, 2013 16:54:20 GMT -5
Ah, such a pleasure to meet another thinking person.
I get your idea, BUT I think a sole redesign is just not enough. Skaters upgraded their gear, right. As well as bikers. And our skates have gone through a big modernization too. Compare skates that were 5-7 years ago with today's models you'll see major differences. They've become lighter, sleekier-looking, more universal.
It's not really the gear that need to be upgraded. The image of the rollerblader, the Rider, this is what really needs to be upgraded. We are not popular among the society, maybe it's the 90's which are still echoing. Outsiders. Personally I have no idea how this can be changed, I would rather stay out of the lights. Bikers and skaters can have their public attention, mass-media production, sponsors and tons of crappy clothes, but we all know who really own the streets.
|
|
Posts: 20
|
Post by dbeetle on Aug 2, 2013 21:29:45 GMT -5
I fully agree with your statements Shadow, however I believe part of upgrading the "image" of the skater lies within the gear. Maybe not as deeply as a total redesign, but in the publicly known design.
Example, anywhere in my hometown you go to find skates its the same model and design. I know I live in a bit of a dead zone though so my opinion is a bit skewed from the reality. However I do believe that a redesign of some type is needed. I'm only really talking of an aesthetic redesign, not so much a redesign of the specs and parts.
The whole media image thing will change in time, however for that to happen, we must appeal to the lowest common denominator, while trying to maintain our integrity as a group. And to do that we must appeal to things they can immediately associate with "cool" or "hip" as well as their own ideals. Fashion is one of the things that carries enough novelty to immediately allow people to identify skaters in a unique way that will register as unique, from there they will flock to it.
|
|
I died once or twice.
Posts: 551
Team/Rider Name: None yet.
Rank-up Points: 0
Wins: 0
Losses: 0
|
Post by M on Aug 2, 2013 22:56:50 GMT -5
Like Shadow said, its awesome to have another one with similar thoughts. :3 And I have thought about this before and I have a whole "campaign", if you will, in the works to help redesign the image of the modern inline skater, I just use the term "rider". Haha I think you'd be interested. I'd like to talk with you a bit about it, if you're interested. Gear design is always evolving and has already evolved beyond what the common person knows about our sport. People always think of the neon colored, chunky, plasticky skates of the nineties. The gear has changed its looked dramatically. I mean, Valo or SSM skates with a freestyle frame have a look reminiscent to Air Trecks. Not to mention the introduction of "Powerblading" parts that increase speed and control capabilities, opening doors to worlds that may be harder to achieve using traditional aggressive setups. The upcoming Classic Throne 80's have an 80mm anti-rocker frame, which would make the "AT style" even more prominent. Plus, the Powerblading "scene", if you will, motivates many riders to mod their skates to help then achieve their own signature style, or "road" as we call it. Lulz But yeah, I've seen some really sick mods and custom skates that look like masterpieces while browsing Powerblade communities. Parts War encourages every rider to take their skates to new lands by breaking down limitations and allowing riders to customize their skates, be it inline or quads, to suit their style best. I think people need to experiment a lot more to help them build their repertoire to help them get the most out of their skates. I feel each person's skates should be as unique as their run and their road. I mean, aggressive inline started by people modifying skates to fit their road. That eventually created its own identity. We need people to stop following paths that already exist and create their own. That, in turn, would evolve the equipment. I'm just really glad our sport didn't get a chance to become what skateboarding has become today. I feel bad for all the passionate skateboarders that have to deal with the thing they love becoming an accessory, like a hand bang or whatever. There's so many people out there who carry around a board just to "belong" to something but never really understand what they have in their hand. Its the fault of those who turn legit lifestyles into watered down labels or titles in an attempt to market them to the unaware masses. Its kinda like music and how people always seem to try to affiliate associate themselves, in places like high schools, with a certain genre by dressing like their favorite band's members and liking only a certain kind of music. They usually willingly throw a label on themselves because they feel it'll help them belong. These people should try to find their own style and use other people as inspiration, or a finger in the direction they feel they need to go.
|
|
Posts: 20
|
Post by dbeetle on Aug 3, 2013 0:02:03 GMT -5
Hahahaha I'm starting to fall in love with the people here faster than I thought. I'm glad we can have a discussion like this. Before I was completely alone here and now I feel like the site has given me an outlet for this stuff. Yay!
You guys are awesome, thank you.
I really am interested in your ideas as well. To invent an image that people of all creeds and cultures can ascribe to and belong to, without having to deal with the runts of the litter, and yet be able to guide and nurture those runts into good people we are honored to associate with has been a dream of mine for years. I would love to help, though I'm admittedly just a walking idea factory.
I say we follow a trend I noticed and take the next step in evolving our blades. Beyond just customizing with industry parts that we love, though they will always be cherished. I say we try to come up with new styles and parts with our acquired knowledge and experience. Truly revolutionize the appearance while tweaking and further improving the customization and diversity of the inline skate.
Example: Recently I've been looking into buying a new pair of running shoes and came across the Adidas Spring Blade design. My reaction, "Hey that looks a bit like the AT's Agito uses in air gear. Hmmm" Why not start to really experiment with parts, come up with some out there stuff and see what works, how it works, truly revolutionize the skate. Again it's a wild pipe dream of mine to see the style of AT's in life, but I know it can be done, and the skating community would, in my opinion benefit from it. The market would begin to boom, a much larger, more specialized and diverse variety of parts and styles would become available from tweaking the looks and colors of your blades to the very cores material. That's is what I believe we as Riders have the power to do, if we are willing to invest the effort into doing it.
I apologize if I seem to rant at all. I'm just really enthusiastic about things.
|
|
Posts: 20
|
Post by dbeetle on Aug 3, 2013 17:00:02 GMT -5
Just had an Idea,
So i was feeling nostalgic for Beyblade, I know I'm a total geek. Anyway i remembered that one of the things that made the game so much fun was the customization.
Now I think I've come up with a system that may further evolve the skate. This is weird and kind of a little dumb. Just hear me out please.
Skate form layout(Based on the appearance of Air Trecks/Jet Set Radio(Two Wheel design)( I really love the two wheel designs from these) Boot- Various Cuts and supports similar to various styles of athletic shoe, running cut for ankle felexibility high cut for support etc. Should have some kind of shock absorbents built in to withstand jumps and add comfort. Frame-Various Frame lengths sizes, and materials, soul plates, grind plates etc. Should also have some form of shock absorbtion and even flexibility like in speed skating. Bearings-Standard bearings Now things get weird Frame Guard-A kind of guard for the frame and wheels that attaches to the boot. Helps keep the wheels and bearings clean while also giving you a plate to slide on while doing tricks like the cess slide. Wheels(Oh goodness)-Wheels are a big deal. They are comprised of three major parts. Bearings Cores-Various materials and weight distributions to allow the manipulation of how wheels can act. Ex. a Core with the weight focused to the outside of the core will rotate and maintain its speed longer than one with the weight focused inward. Tracks-The outside of the wheel that makes contact with the ground. Provides the profile pf the wheel and the material that come in contact with the ground. Can also be incredibly weird like a bladed(Think the Adidas spring blade shoes blades in wheel form) wheel that absorbs force and sends it back for a push off and weird things like that.
Just a weird thought on my part. Think of how much fun testing all these kind of parts would be. Skates would develop a meta, and your rig would be that much more personal. Also Market wise, getting these parts would help pump money into the system, especially for testing, as well as provide lots of parts for parts war. Think of the possibilities. Now let those possibilities run a bit wild in appearance and application. It would be so much fun.
D.
|
|
|
Post by Laith (Lion) on Aug 3, 2013 19:34:25 GMT -5
Look all of you in the 90s rollerblading was big very big like airgear big and that scared skateboarders who lost its customers so they started calling rollerbladers posers and uploading videos insulting them and what not,, on top of that the ones in rollerblading were kids who didn't know what they were doing and adults who just wanted to make money so it lost its chance in the spotlight... Then it became strong underground tricks became technical and with more style, skates have evolved so much over the last 20 years if you compare something from the 90s to something now... No aggressive rollerblading does not want to be mainstream but they do need more money in the industry and they want respect.... As to new ideas forget about 90% of AT designs the best one can hope for is a 2 wheel fsk with good ankle support and shock absorbance, which is possible if people thought realistically... You need ankle support its a must that's why all rollerblades (except.1) have it, you can't gap without it... And moulds for making new boots & frames are expensive as hell so you should make sure you make one hell of a design before thinking of making a product
|
|
I died once or twice.
Posts: 551
Team/Rider Name: None yet.
Rank-up Points: 0
Wins: 0
Losses: 0
|
Post by M on Aug 3, 2013 19:36:01 GMT -5
Dude, Dragoon MF was my favorite blade! haha I had to buy so many Random Boosters to get all the parts. lulz The last combo I was using was a Meteo LDrago combo, cos I couldn't make a decent LDrago Destroy combo. haha And no worries, I can talk about Parts War for hours and hours. XD I think the only real obstacle, at this current point, is being able to fabricate parts. I imagine it would be costly to get the plastics, molds and such to do more than just prototypes. Prototyping alone would cost a pretty penny. However, I have a couple systems ready to go that'll be able to utilize this part concept. I can't go into detail, but, basically, we'd figure out the ideal skate parts/combos that would enhance and bring the best potential to the abilities of certain established styles. These skate styles are the essence and important aspects of all existing skate "disciplines", such as tricks and maneuvers from aggressive, speed, freestyle, slalom and others. But, instead of using the limiting and wall creating system if separating them into industries, which implies restriction to a certain type of skate, we're using a system that organizes these tricks, techniques and maneuvers into a spectrum that are identified and represented by elements and are based off of a rider's natural style progression, rather than the type of skate in their feet. These styles, or "Roads, are reminiscent of martial arts. Some may feel they need to identify with more than one Road, which is fine, while others may feel one is all they need to help them develop their style. Some tricks that may seem to belong to only one road could potentially be incorporated into others by how its executed. This is all something that's very personal to the rider and the encourages then to create a unique finger print of a repertoire. In a Parts War match, people use their repertoire against their opponents and in this kind of competition, it gives their tricks a purpose, other than looking flashy. I think we could reach a point where we could develop parts to help people with the creating skates that help them make the style more "them". Maybe something like a freestyle frame that uses 110mm wheels? :3 haha We just need funds, really. VampFrog could definitely have some fun with making unique parts, for sure. I think, at this point, what's best is to work with what's easily available to us. I'm sure we could make some really sick "hybrid" skates. Filing, sanding, drilling would be the easiest ways for people to start experimenting. I was also thinking of somehow creating skate decals. XD It would be sick if we could somehow use some sort of moldable or sculpt-able material that would turn into a hard plastic. ._. That way, we could attach some cosmetic, and probably even useful, modifications such as altering the shape of soul plates or frames. It'd be cool to add spikes or something to skates. XD I would also like to sort existing parts and skates into the 8 different roads. Kind of how beyblade would use the Attack, Defense and Endurance star charts. Lulz
|
|
Posts: 20
|
Post by dbeetle on Aug 3, 2013 19:58:20 GMT -5
Hahaha, this will be epic.
I know my ideas can be out there, but I am glad that there are people who share the same vision. I agree. We should start small with things we can manage, I just like to set a goal for the long run to build up to.(That and the idea of building skates from the ground up to support a road, and finding and customizing parts to fit that style just sounds like a good time. But all in good time. Like I said, idea factory.
As a wise man once said," You got to have the proper tools for the job."
As for beyblade, this is silly to say, but I feel we can learn quite a bit from the parts they use.
|
|
Posts: 20
|
Post by dbeetle on Aug 3, 2013 20:04:04 GMT -5
Laith(Lion)
I hear what you're saying. And I do agree. I'd just like to see the trend and evolution continue in a way that would be a bit more obvious to the everyday consumer. And maybe someday reach the fictional levels of Jet Set Radio and Air Gear, Science fiction inspires what becomes Science fact after all. Think about it(and I can tell you are quite the versatile thinker) with the underground nature of skating that we hold dear, we are in a way shunning newcomers from our culture, which I believe has helped to continue the "bad rep" we skaters still have. I believe that if we all chipped in and worked at it, we could reverse the image of out culture and still maintain the "underground" feel that skateboarders lost when they took us down a peg in the 90's. (Between you and me, I think they shot themselves in the foot, and did us a favor. We improved on our own term, without aid from industry at large. This made us better skaters and gave us a richer culture. I say it is time to start to ease ourselves back out into the world for everyone to enjoy.)
|
|
|
Post by Laith (Lion) on Aug 3, 2013 20:26:19 GMT -5
Laith(Lion) I hear what you're saying. And I do agree. I'd just like to see the trend and evolution continue in a way that would be a bit more obvious to the everyday consumer. And maybe someday reach the fictional levels of Jet Set Radio and Air Gear, Science fiction inspires what becomes Science fact after all. Think about it(and I can tell you are quite the versatile thinker) with the underground nature of skating that we hold dear, we are in a way shunning newcomers from our culture, which I believe has helped to continue the "bad rep" we skaters still have. I believe that if we all chipped in and worked at it, we could reverse the image of out culture and still maintain the "underground" feel that skateboarders lost when they took us down a peg in the 90's. (Between you and me, I think they shot themselves in the foot, and did us a favor. We improved on our own term, without aid from industry at large. This made us better skaters and gave us a richer culture. I say it is time to start to ease ourselves back out into the world for everyone to enjoy.) I have also wanted there to be a mutiltude of parts and customizations for skates but there needs to be more money and The thing is we have everything we need but people don't look for it, I was a skateboarder for 5 years I never once saw a rollerblade edit, most of the rollerbladers back home were dicks too so I didn't bother we need there to be an interest for people to look and search it without whoring it out possibly an English remake of the Korean aggressive rollerblade movie "the aggressives" or by other means
|
|
Posts: 229
Team/Rider Name: VampFrog
|
Post by Andy (vampfrog) on Aug 3, 2013 20:32:58 GMT -5
Lots of blading can be improved in the standpoint of science but were geting ther and it feels like the walls between styles are coming down. The image is deff getting better
VF
|
|
|
Post by Laith (Lion) on Aug 3, 2013 20:57:36 GMT -5
Lots of blading can be improved in the standpoint of science but were geting ther and it feels like the walls between styles are coming down. The image is deff getting better VF And Seba is a prime example of that wanting to enter the aggressive skate market
|
|
Posts: 20
|
Post by dbeetle on Aug 3, 2013 21:04:53 GMT -5
I really love you guys. Seriously Thank you for the discussion.
As far as getting the money into what we love, we have to figure out a way to bring it to the forefront of thought. We need to really get ourselves out there to get the industry to notice us as a viable demographic again. Once that publicity and coverage starts up people with an interest will come first. Then with a larger base to work with we start really getting into designing parts and developing ideas, eventually during this process the media will actively seek out the originators and the great(The Kings hopefully), who could then relay the information and ideas about who we are and what we do directly to the industry.
I personally will try to get the kids who call me Santa interested in skating and some of them who have been watching me for a while are starting to pick it up. Meanwhile I will do my best to work on ideas and designs with you guys so that when the time comes we can revolutionize our art the way we see fit. It will take time, but hey anything worth doing and doing well takes time.
Science will be our focal point for design, especially physics and engineering. Not to mention a strong base in these will help improve everything about us< as well as show people," Hey were aren't just a bunch of nostalgic street punks were physicist and engineers, artist and designer as well as athletes. This will help separate Storm Rider culture from the others, since we'll have an intellectual as well as paraphernalia and artistically driven hobby and way of life.
Hehehe, I like to dream big.
|
|