We've had a few emails now...
Regarding the clear grip on most of the Arbor cruisers and surfskates.
As you may have noticed from our run of surfskate emails and content as of late, these boards are seriously fun! However... to get the most out of them, some real griptape really does go a long way.
The spray-on stuff looks awesome and will be fine initially, but we (as well as some of you) have found that it does wear down fairly quickly if you're riding a lot. And you really don't want your foot to slide off as you swing around a corner.*
Looks epic for sure... feels a bit slippy after a few sessions.
We've fed this back to our dudes at Arbor so let's see. The clear grip is a selling point and the aesthetic is an integral part of their brand - on the other hand, we'd say longterm functional skateboards are pretty key, too. And more sustainable.
In the meantime, the good news is that it's simple to remedy! All you need is some fresh griptape and a heat gun or a hair dryer.
There's not much to it, but here's the process. Below, we have included a handy list of everyday tasks that can also benefit from the use of a heat gun.
With the spray-on grip, you don't even have to remove it before sticking tape over the top. If you've worn it slightly smooth, it'll be fine - just make sure to heat up the new tape to make it really sticky and malleable.
You could sand it off first - but to be on the safe side, it'd be worth then varnishing over the top to seal it before applying griptape.
| British weather getting in the way of your skate session? We're all for sustainability, but some things are just too important to worry about issues like the environment. |  |
| Coffee is in, right? Vandem shop is one step ahead and Rob has been secretly working on our perfect roast. Send us an email if you'd like to pre-order a bag. |  |
| It's that British weather again, isn't it... careful with this one. |  |
| Is the brie on your bagel a bit too firm? Not for long. |  |
| Camping stove not getting heat up into your 8 egger? Heatgun to the rescue, brown the top off, season and enjoy. |
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Win a free set of Cult Wheels of your choice.
Just leave a comment or email me: send me your best recipe that we can cook on the above setup, using the heat gun to achieve absolute perfection.
The tastiest as judged by us can choose a fresh set of wheels for their trouble.
You've got 6 weeks. Thank you, and good luck!
Anyway, now those boards are safe to ride again it'd be a shame not to have a Friday wiggle,
Matt @ Vandem
*Granted, this might be less critical if you weren't skating in a shop with lots of sharp corners to catch your face on... but regardless of location, we do prefer staying upright.
The Arbor Crosscut longboard has proper griptape on, so we know they can do it. We approve.
Maximus Housley
For the competition, I have heat gun recipe suggestion for you. Get a Belgian waffle and heat up both sides with the gun, spread Nutella on one side and put three marshmallows on top of the Nutella, melt with the heat gun, top with plenty of brown sugar and melt the sugar on the top like you would with a creme brulé, when it crisps up, enjoy!
Hopefully, you will find this recipe super easy and super tasty
Hope I win, Maximus 🤞