We've got a solution...
It'll still be cold, it'll still be wet...
But if you aren't sliding out every time you try and turn a slight corner, it might be slightly less miserable:
These are rain wheels. We've never stocked any in the shop before, but it appears that Jeff at Pantheon is checking the UK weather forecast - they're due to arrive on Wednesday next week.
Despite not stocking any, we have ridden a few over the years. I've also made some myself - most notably with a pen knife as I buttboarded down a hill.
Not recommended - but equally, not the reason one of my fingers is shorter than it used to be.
Skating in the rain can be immensely fun. It can also be immensely treacherous!
The grooves in the rain wheels are designed to capture water from underneath your wheels and direct it out to the sides, thus offering you more traction and less bruises.
And yes, it really does work. It'll never be quite like skating in the dry - see the first line of this newsletter re: cold and wet - but it offers the confidence to carve it out even when conditions are sub-optimal.
These rain wheels are a lathed version of the Pantheon Karma wheels which at a massive 92mm diameter, aren't going to be a solution for every longboard out there.
But if you're already running or contemplating big wheels and have a drop-through that can handle them, these are a great option for keeping yourself out of trouble during the winter months.
And if you see this and are considering DIYing a set - spinning the wheel up with a drill and taking a lathe to it is effective - please, please wear a mask and do it in a well ventilated area. As good as urethane wheels are for the soul, they're seriously damaging in your lungs.
Batten down the hatches and I'll see you next week,
Matt @ Vandem
If you've got the grooves and it still isn't working, you can always sit down.
Tim knows best.
And if that doesn't work, you could always pile into the van and hide from the weather.
By the time the schnapps has turned to beer has turned to cups of tea, the thought of a dry road tomorrow is more than enough to take you off to bed...