Chris rode for Gullwing. He caused a big stink back in the day when he was photographed riding another company's trucks. Something like that seems kind of trivial today, although the message boards do need topics to talk about. Gullwings were very easy to identify, unlike these days when pros ride Ventures or Indy's instead of whatever brand they are supposed to be using.
In the late 1990s Chris started Mercury Trucks with help from Jamie Thomas. The brand didn't last too long. The friends that I know rode them weren't very happy with how they worked. I'm not sure if that was just because it was the first model and they were still working the kinks out or if they flat out weren't good trucks to begin with. The Jamie Thomas fans bought them so they could have the exact same setup as the Chief: Pig Wheels, Mercury Trucks, Zero deck and those kind of ugly Emerica Jamie Thomas shoes. Anyway, there was an interview with Chris a couple of years ago, possibly in the Skateboard Mag or a TWS Buyer's Guide, where he said he had a box of Mercury trucks left and still rode them. I thought it was cool that he kept using them even long after the company didn't exist.
The picture is by Spike Jonze.
Thrasher - July 1989 Volume 9 Number 7
3 comments:
He's actually riding Tensors these days because he said they have the most consistent quality. Weird but true.
In the early '90s when Venture came out with their new design, everyone was riding them, even though they weren't on the team. It was very easy to identify those Ventures in photos.
Rowley comes to mind immediately because he always rode Indy even though he was a Fury team rider. I recall a 411VM (somewhere around issue 50-something) with a section called "Pro Set Up" and it had Bam going over his set up. And when they get to trucks, he starts smirking and says, "Yeah, I got these pro model Destructo trucks," but you can clearly see they are Indys.
I never understood the appeal of Tensor trucks. They look like a really bad Venture knockoff, and the metal doesn't grind for shit. But then again, I've never seen Rodney Mullen do any other grind than a crooked grind and all the nollie/fakie variations thereof.
A bigger indicator is the fact that Tensor only has Creager, Mullen, Duncombe, and Daewon as a team. And all those guys ride for Dwindle. Everyone else who was ever on that team quit to go back to their previous truck sponsor. Shit, this is Creager's second time on the team.
-- Rikku Markka
I think that Tensor appeals to the kids because of the plastic slider piece. Or at least they used to. I've seen quite a few people riding them. Most of the local kids are now riding Thunders or maybe Ventures.
There was a very informative interview with Rodney Mullen in the Big Brother issue where they reviewed trucks. Mullen explained everything that went into Tensors and why he was unhappy with Destructos. Tensors weren't designed for much grinding, but more for balance and stability in street skating. He explained a lot about how trucks work and wear out.
I'm sure when Koston was on Royal, there were a few photos where he was riding either Ventures or Indy's.
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