Equipment Reviews

9 sep 02 -The Bozi Mad Bomber
The first time I'd ever heard of Bozi boards was off the Texaslongboarder site. I was looking for a first board then, and already considering the Gravity MC. After reading their review on that deck, I noticed the 'Bozi' review link and followed it. That planted the seed for what could be called, for lack of a better word, 'obsession'. For months I followed every word I could find on this relatively new board builder whilst lurking on message boards and, of course, the Bozi site itself. Any pic I could find became more and more alluring. Soon, I was downloading the pictures and printing out. Oh, it started small. A couple of 5 x 7's. But that just didn't do it after awhile. And it wasn't enough. I printed more and more, bigger and bigger until the vision became clear: I would build a shrine to the god of this creation: Jeff Yarrington. Now if I can just get him to give me his address, I could hang around outside his house and act the total fool.
OK, so I'm kidding. But, let me make this perfectly clear: I had definently fallen in love with the board. Everyone who spoke of it referenced the unmistakable and instant grip it held on them at first sight. "Is this possible?" I thought. "Can this man actually create such a finish and also include the best hardware etc?"
By this time, my blood was burning in my veins. My curiosity too intense I could no longer restrain myself from the first steps towards the Holy Grail. I sent a communique to the man himself ( that'd be Jeff ) and began a series of questions that would surely drive him to drink. If you find out he's recently taken a respite to some sanitarium, I may or may not be responsible. It depends on if he's expecting me to foot the bill for his therapy. He hung in there the whole way. My questions stemmed more from a futile attempt on my part to delay the inevitable: ordering The Mad Bomber.
The Mad Bomber? Would this come with a picture of Ted Kazinski on it?
No. ( did i really need to answer that? ).
If you haven't had the pleasure of dealing with Jeff Yarrington, you're an idiot and I want you to go away right now. If I know you, consider yourself officially disowned until a couple of minutes from now.
So, after working the details with him by asking ( seriously ) lots of questions... like,"Jeff, why does the sun turn red as it sets?", I was on my way.
My point is that Jeff understands something that, unfortunantly, the big boys tend to lose sight of these days ( a wheel manufacturer comes to mind ): customers matter.
Unlike some other company's I've had the misfortune to deal with ( and no longer do ), Jeff returns e-mail inquiries, he answers questions about how to do this or that wether those questions are care for the board or the best way to get him his money. He doesn't do this because he's oily or phoney. He does this because he cares about what he does and he's not an arrogant idiot.
"But what about the board, damn you!?" OK, OK..i'm getting there. Sheesh, can't I have a little fun?
Jeff told me,"I can paint your board just about any color you want." I opted for a deep purple. He commented that some silver metal flake would look cool too and I went with it. I had no probs trusting his judgement about finishes. Then I worked out my hardware details and here's what I came up with:
Da Purple Concrete Eater = Bozi 48" 13 ply birch Mad Bomber model ( pintail ) [note: it's not a pointy pintail..it's squared off. I liked dat] Randall 180's w/yellow bushings & 1/8" rubber risers 70mm/75a ABEC 11 Flashbacks w/ abec 7 bearings rust free hardware ( nuts/screws )
The board has a subtle taper from nose to tail. The nose is cut in such a way to absolutely rule out any wheelbite potential and there are subtle wells in the back. The Bomber was designed with Flywheels in mind and while Jeff recommended it, the timing was bad. I'm having too much fun with this set up as it is and would rather chew on some absestos than have to deal with the abec folk anytime soon. Jeff put some pinstripes on the bottom, that fade in complimentary colors to the purple on the bottom of the deck..and gripped the top with some Jessup black grip tape. The board has very minimal flex. I can make it flex, but it snaps back so instantly it feels very stiff ( to me anyway). OK, wait..i'm getting ahead of myself.
So the board arrives and wow, Jeff really packs it into the box nice and tight with protection. It took me 30 minutes to get it out of the box, and I'm not kidding. Watching me try to pry it out of there was quite the comical experience for my dad as evidenced by his peals of laughter. It was Christmas Day for me and I couldn't get the wrapping off!! Ack!
Let me tell you, when I pulled the board out finally and had it in my arms..I nearly passed out. The finish is BRILLIANT. Absolutely beautiful. The overall weight of the board felt really good. For it's size, it's not heavy at all. And in terms of shape I think this is one of the finest design ideas out there. OK, so you don't like boards with cutouts. Well I do. I understand their purpose having been ejected from a board due to wheelbite. Come back to me after you've left a few pounds of skin on the road and tell me how much you hate wheel cut outs. By the way, how high does your board sit? heh heh...i'm only yokin' ya...
This board is like dating a supermodel ok? ( not that i've had any male supermodels on my arm lately...drats! ) But, wherever I go with Da' Purple Concrete Eater, I'm practically shoved aside while people grope for the board with lustful abandon. "That's BEAUTIFUL!" "Can I ride it?" "Get the hell out of the way and let me see your board!" I'm serious. And you know what?
I LOVE IT!!
Not because of anything it says about me ( which is nothing other than that I might have good taste ) but for what it says about Jeff Yarrington. And he deserves all the praise in the world really. He's a true craftsman and active in the longboarding community. He has graciously contributed several boards as prizes to recent races ( you can read about this on his site, which you'll find under my 'Longboarding Links' section ) and I haven't heard even ONE complaint about him or his product. And skaters are notoriously good at passing the word along when someone screws us over even once. Jeff will not be having this issue to worry about if he continues on his path as he has so far.
The ride? Oh, well, I thought you'd never ask. It's sweet and low down. ZOOM! I can only imagine what it'd be with the Flywheels on it. If I walk up towards the nose and hit a hard carve, the Bozi kinda teases me like the rear's going to break into a slide. But it doesn't unless you tell it to. With the 180's, I can carve this thing in a really tight circle or big, swooping waves around the road ( my favorite thing to do ). It is so stable I totally relax on this beauty but don't get too calm about it: it's a sports car too. Get wicked wit it. If that's what you want, the Bomber can go there with you. It really likes parking garages ( hint, hint ).
This was like getting that dream car you fantasize about. The one that can't be ignored. It's fast, it's got the tightest paint job, and it PERFORMS. I definently had the new car mentality at first too. I didn't want to chance hurting the finish but, my urge to push overcame that and I put the first bump on it and now I'm over that fear. Jeff's coming out with a new line soon that is designed more like a track car than the showroom model. When I get one of those, I will probably retire the deck to my wall as an object d'art.
Nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Well, maybe.
Nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Well, maybe.
Excuse me while I look into my bank account to prepare for the new line up of his boards.(Did someone just hear wailing?)

Meanwhile, why don't you go to his site and have a look around? And if you find yourself obsessing, hey, don't blame me.

Gravity Girls Video: Express Yourself
I ordered this along with my Mini-Carve. I was encouraged by the idea of a video spotlighting women boarders, but wasn't sure what I was really going to get. Maybe if I hadn't been so consumed by my excitement over getting the Mini-Carve, I would've paid more attention. The video spotlights players on thier team of various sports: surfing, wakeboarding, and skating. What I wanted to get was all skateboarding. Dern. I didn't really like it and thought it was kind of boring. Something cool though: go to Apple's site and check out the article they did on Gravity's new video editing set up. And the most recent video clips on thier site are really well done. Though I didn't care for this particular video, some of the others might be better. For my part, if their spending most of their profit in building better gear that's what's most important.

*16 Aug 02* - ( tongue firmly in cheek ) The Mini by Nash. The skate shop I went to was fronting as a thrift store, probably doing some underhanded money laundering for the Mob or something but I don't ask those kinda questions. I said,"I'm looking for a board yo" and they said,"Huh?" and I said,"Cool." and found the Mini under a pile of broken chairs, tables, drawers, and lamp stands. It appeared to me they were going to start a bonfire later but I kept that observation to myself. So here's the review: 7 ply, 15" long ( not exactly but uh...). Beautiful job. Top layer peeling off, some vertical cracks on the top and worn away grip tape. Nose guard missing a center screw so it's kinda loose, like lowrider pants. Trucks: Solid black X-RT's on 1/2" plastic risers ( jealous yet? ). Wheels: Clearly the cheapest plastic compound they could find in Taiwan. Very hard. Originally yellow, but now half black and all sorts of scars indicating the previous rider probably took a spill or two. Bearings: 608AB ( not ZB ). Bent, rusted, and filled with dirt. It's also clear the previous rider was not burdened by any obsessive need to actually maintain her/his ride. Totally unsalvageable. Board stability: Are you kidding? Right now however, this fine little peice of Nash-pertise is acting as a stand for a statue my dad picked up in Russia. So, it's stable enough for that...My final opinion? I LOVE this board. It's the little stray dog with the soulful eyes and it's found a sucker in me. A good bath and a little attention and the Mini's self-esteem will rise exponentially. WARNING: I only have this weakness for skateboards.

12 Sep 02 -
I was very fortunant recently to have obtained a set of ABEC 11 70's Flashbacks wheels (70mm/78a), and some T2 Gold Abec 5 bearings. After popping the bearings in and pre-loading them, I put them on my Randall 150's ( attached to my Mini-Carve ) trying not to slobber all over them while doing so.
My first impression was the size of these wheels. Although they are as tall and wide as my Queens, they justlook bigger. I have yet to set some calipers on 'em to determine for sure, but from what my eye sees; they appear bigger due to the fact that the Queens are radiused on the inner and outter lip of their wheels while the Flashbacks are straight edged. I knew this would provide more contact area as a result.
My first test was on my own neighborhood roads. They're uneven, rough, sandy, nasty little roads. I had to be a bit careful as to rear foot placement as the wheels stuck out a little more. Easily overcome, not a problem. So I plopped my board down and pushed off and WHOA! These puppies just rolled and rolled and I *instantly* noticed the difference between them and my Queens. This isn't to say the Queens are bad, they're certainly not. They just resemble the 73 mm Flywheel style a little more. They're not built like the Flashbacks so it makes sense just from that standpoint that they're 'different'. But for me personally? The Flashbacks are a superior ride. They are a softer durometer than my pretty blue Queens, but way,way faster. As I raced down a small hill, that spills out into a hairy right with uneven pavement and too much sand around, I crossed my fingers and hoped...no problem. The Mini was sitting on top of these mean greenies very stabley. The ride was so nice I just kept going and going. Then I had to head back uphill and chose to take a sidewalk with big cracks in it ( hey, i have to test right? ). Again, it's like they weren't even there. And I truly felt more a sense of gliding over the surface of the road and that's without any dampening to my trucks through rubber risers or anything like that. It was all on the wheels. So I got back home, hooked my 65 pd Aussie ( Schaefer ) up as sled dog and he took off like bat out of hell. I went from Cadillac cruise to Porsche mode! I seriously figured if they failed at all it would be now due to this hairy beast galloping ahead trying to cross over in front of me and me not particularly relaxed about it. No unexpected slippage at all. Sa-weeeet!!
Now, I'm not a bearing pro. But wheels don't do things all by themselves. Good bearings can give you that extra edge of speed and a quiet smooth ride though eh? Please, do not go spending your hard earned money on expensive bearings. Those who do, love them. But who wants to admit they just spent an outrageous sum of money on a few specialized bearings when they could've gotten a far better deal with 'average' every day bearings? Very few are that honest, unfortunantly. The T2 golds are nice at first, but they're a bit on the exposed side. For my climate, that's death and unless you want to sit around babysitting your bearings every two weeks, get sealed bearings. I don't care where you're at in terms of skill level on your longboarding adventure, if you get the chance to add these wheels to your toolbox do so. And listen, I'm not the only one going ape shit for these wheels. There are plenty of other riders who have experienced the joy of the Flashbacks.

But if you do decide to purchase ABEC wheels of any kind, don't bother purchasing them from thier website direct. Go support the little guys online or see if you can get them through your local skateshop. If you know someone who has them, try them out and decide for yourself.

18 Dec 02 -- Gravity 39" Team Rider:
I was hunting around for a park board. Something that would be useful all around. And something I could beat all heck out of it as well. I have my shiny Porsche in the Bozi. Now I needed a Jeep.
You know, this turned into quite a saga actually. I looked at several other board companies. The truth is, I didn't want another Gravity. Nothing to do with them so much as just, well, kinda like dudes...I like variety. So kill me.
Anyway, I looked at what I think are probably way better boards or at least more along the lines of a shape I wanted. It was like I was trying to get a date with Brad Pitt or Richard Ashcroft or ( insert some other tasty, hunky guy ) and was desperate because if I didn't get the date, I'd wind up having to go out with my friends ugly brother. And I was ready to SPEND man. I had cash burning a hole in my pocket and any one of them coulda talked me into their most expensive rig. Huh. Instead, I found myself faced with impossibly long delays to either 1) get an answer to my email questions or 2) try to use their terribly clunky order forms. ( Hint: Going into online business? Let a pro design your site please ). I found out later that one company "didn't have anyone around" to answer customers questions or phone calls because they were out on a park tour. Oh, that's good. Uh...hmmm. I dunno, whaddya think? Too much to leave a body behind, or better, hire one to man the phones etc while you're out promoting your wares? Nah. That would make sense. The other two companies were just casual, blase and I think that's a great attitude to have. When they go out of business in two years, they won't feel anything about it.
So guess what? The company with the fastest response and most willing to help answer questions got my money. Is this not a simple formula? Is it really that hard to understand? Whatever's clever I guess. Anyway, you know how the story ends by now. So the board arrives and I have to say I really, really like it. It's got that perfect balance between long and short, which makes it very fun. It's slightly flexy under me, so if you want super stiff this is probably NOT the board for you. I'm not heavy. I'm 6' and 145lbs. Beanpole status basically. Anyhow, now that I've embarassed myself heh heh...
I left out that I bought this board specifically to go skate Kona. Guess what? Haven't even been there yet. So a truly full review of this board and it's capabilities will have to wait awhile. But I can say with confidence if you're looking for a board that's capable of doing some circus stunts mixed in with the feel of carving, it meets the criteria with ease. This board also performs very well in the bowls. If you want a board for controlled sliding and then maybe some advanced sliding potential ( 180's, 360's, pendulums etc ) then this is a good board to do that with. Just get harder wheels. The nose and kicktail are actually useable, and the concave feels very good under my feet.
I think by now Gravity's come out with their new 'slider' wheels named after Cliff Coleman and their other spectacular team rider, Sergio Yuppie. As of this review they're new so I'm not necessarily recommending as much as informing.
If I have any minor complaint right now...and it is minor..it's that I think Gravity uses some really cheap grip tape. Without very little foot movement, the tape starts to tear really easily. But that's just, you know, minor.
I have not had the chance to hit Kona with it yet ( but I will..keep hope alive! ) but I just love it in the Bro Bowl.

These are the T2 Pro Gold Bearings by Terminator. You can see more pics of them in my photo book which you'll get to by click on the link up there to the left called 'Pics N Flicks'.
Terminator Bearings
I just put these in a couple of weeks ago but just a couple of days before injured myself skating. So, I haven't had a chance to ride them but I have no doubt that they will not have changed from what I said about them in previous paragraphs up there. ***ADDENDUM*** 14 Sep 03: I have had these bearings in for months now. They've been in my humid, salt air terrain and they've been in the dry, dusty, sandy of Abq ditches and they still are rolling like cheetahs. Are they grackin' loudly? If you hold the wheel up to your ear and spin they are. But..um...you don't ride like that...right?
There you go...

7 Sep 03 - BOZI GS 36"
Expect a fair amount of fawning by me over this meaty sweety. I'll have to come back and revise this review, but I can give you a fairly good idea about the board at this point.
I believe Jeff had GS in mind when he designed this. I don't run GS (yet ) so I can't say how it performs there. I am, unfortunantly, just now learning the skills for slalom. But this board doesn't have to be used for slalom. You can jump on this and cruise around wherever your heart desires. I use this board as a 'get arounder', as a 'carver', and to practice slalom.

Whenever I get a new board, any board, I really dig letting other skaters spend some real time on 'em and play. I haven't had alot of opportunity to do that, but I do when I can. ( Sharing is something you should've learned as a kid, right? ). Anyway, the response was total and complete stoke. Absolutely falling in love with it.
It has a forward set camber in the deck and while I'm not skillful enough to implement all the potential for pumping cones that affords, I do like the feel for it I'm getting. The tail has the 8 hole pattern to move your trucks up or back, so you can shorten or lengthen the wheelbase as you like for increased or decreased stiffness.
As is typical of Bozi boards, performance is the key factor in deck design. Once again, Jeff has ruled out any possibility of wheel bite ( provided you aren't a lunatic who purposely sets your board up to risk that. ). Maybe if you put trucks built for slalom, which I think tend to be narrower than the average truck, on this without risers you could get wheel bite. But I think also, in general, most slalom skaters use a combination of risers and wedges under their trucks.
What I like about this deck too is that it's very feet friendly. I don't have unusually large feets, but I do find that narrower decks become uncomftorable to skate after a while. The GS is..well..imagine a bulldog. Bulldogs sit wide but they are a dog that can hustle if they have to. Unlike a bulldog, the GS is light for it's size.
I set my deck up complete with Tracker Six Tracks with one flat riser under each baseplate and Stimulator bushings ( these trucks were originally on the Mad Bomber II, more on that board later..). When I first started messing around with the GS, it was so responsive it felt like I had Randalls under there!! I have since been advised by Jeff that such a setup almost guarantees a wipe out on cones at any real speed. So I wedged the front trucks and, hopefully, this will keep yours truly on top and not slamming by stabilizing the rear end. The only time I fell off this board was recently running into a fallen tree limb on a dark road. While the Avila's are kickin' wheels, they don't advertise them for rolling over very large objects :-)
I am using the 3dm 75mm Grey Avila's on this board. I like Avila's. Alot. The GS, and it's big brother, the new Mad Bomber II's, has the new Bozi racing style paint jobs. He has a new steel grey logo. As someone very spoiled by Jeff's custom work on Da Purple Concrete Eater, I am not very objective about paint jobs. These are screened and they are sharp...but they do scratch up quick. So if you preen alot well...take up modeling I guess. I don't really mind scratching up decks. I can't imagine worrying about that while skating. Anyway, the screen process looks shweeet. No drips no blips. Black, white and red thick striping.
My set up of this board is a bit wider than you might want for slalom. I don't know really. But for me, it adds a stability at speed above 10mph that I need.
Jeff sent me the Madrid fly paper and I used it on my GS. I'm getting more and more comftorable using my grip tape creatively. Well, I think it's creative ;-)
You can see that project here:, I also painted my own Bozi insignia on the top and I'm afraid the pic really doesn't do it justice. It actually looks pretty damn cool. I used an acrylic based paint and sharpies to do the work.
I absolutely 100% feel confident in recommending this board IF you are looking to learn slalom or already slalom cones or if you are looking for a really FUN board. My team mate, Kaylee Tejeda, has been testing this board for Jeff in the ditches of Albaqurque ( which are quite fast ) for months and I saw him use this board more than any other on my visit. He rips in the ditches with it. To me, that terrain is an excellent place to really put a board through its paces. You can email him yourself as I'll be placing his 'Ditch Directory' site under my links section.

13 Aug 03 - The Scorpion, by Firnspeigle Longboards

First off: Even when I was on that team, I never spelled their name right. Sorry 'bout that.

Secondly: The pic of my elbow is from my 4 Hills spill off this board. The lighter, bigger scar is over a year old from a spill in central Fl. I think elbow pads are in my future ;-)
This review is not necessarily overdue. I've put alot of time on and into this board since I first got it from Rick. And that's where I'll start.

This is a long board. It's the longest one in my quiver coming in around 53" give or take. It's got a very strange design, but this is often the case with Firns decks. As Jane's Addiction once said in a song,"Everyone's got their own opinion." Many opinions are that the boards are butt ugly, in general.
I'm not being arbitrarily harsh. One hopes that shapers, like any of us, learn over time what works and at least spend some time engineering their decks from a riders standpoint. This one works, that doesn't...trash it. That's evolution in building and you get hits and you get misses. Those who don't pay attention...well...what can you say?

The front of this board when I got it was so wide ( 11" ) that not even Randall 180's on 1/2" risers with Flashbacks could prevent wheelbite on a hard edge lean. It barked "Danger!" at me well before I ever tried to ride it. Being a team rider I fully expected that many design issues and resolving them came with the territory. No big deal.

With the help of my friend Rob ( a carpenter and furniture designer ) I set about penciling out some ideas about wheel cut out placement etc. Over a period of about 2 weeks, he helped me work out the deck till it was functional for my set up style. Sweet and low down, and preferably no risers. I do not want to use a cherry picker to get onto my deck.
Now, midway down the deck it tapers back drastically. It goes from 11" to around 7" and then to about 5" at the rear trucks with two extended peices of wood in a 'pincer like' design. Obviously, wheel cut outs were not necessary there, but I did need to rasp some wheel wells in.
Once all this was done, I slapped the 180's back on it and some Flashbacks.( I tried it with Flywheels, but it was a very 'tippy' ride ). I headed out for some breaking in.

I won't bore you with the beginning impressions. I've spent too much time on this board for that. And whatever you want to say about the aesthetics, this board flat out performs. It's not a pretty board and I think Rick really, really needs to work harder on the design phase of his decks and do a better job with the clear coat finishes he uses. Mine was a proto and it was pretty scrappy looking. Air bubbles and drips and the grip tape not applied with much thought. I have no idea what the boards look like that he sells to people and only hope that the feedback he got from some of us makes a difference for those who are paying for these boards.

Back to the ride...like I said, the board DOES perform. It carves very smoothly and you can turn very tightly for a board this size. Much of that has to do with ( and this is a fair statement, believe me ) 1) my redesign and 2) the wheelbase. I really do enjoy riding this board and next to my Bozi, it's one of my favorites. I later hooked it up with Avila's and find the 180's with the Avila's is a very sweet match. You will speed up and maintain control with ease ( warning: If you're trucks are toooo loose at higher speeds, um..wear pads ). I don't know how much more I can emphasize that this board really, really carves like a damn expensive sports car ( minus the german engineering and beautiful paint job ). I have great fun on this deck and use it frequently. ( This isn't the review of some goon who spends 10 minutes on a board and thinks he now has the sage wisdom to criticize it. Speaking of, there are some idiots, in fact, who have gone out of thier way to slander the entire Firns team as "Internet Salesmen". Hey, you feel any way you want about the owner but dissing skaters you do not know and have never ridden with is the empitome of a shit talking asshole. You know who you are...)

In fairness to whoever's interested in this board I must make it clear that the board I am reviewing and the board now being sold by Firnspeigle are not the same. While Rick took my input to heart and redesigned the Scorpion, I have never seen the ones he's selling.
I understand it's very tempting for some skaters to harsh new vendors, especially if they're coming out path was um, a bit on the blunt or bumpy side or the company's approach is less than subtle. I do not seek to evangelize anyone about any of the decks I have when I give reviews. I only try to be as fair as I can and give you the truth of what I think about the board. I'm not reviewing humans ( well, except for numbnut up there). You do that for yourself. This is about equipment and I'll repeat what I've got stated at the top of this page: My reviews should not replace your own common sense and you should find out as much as you can about equipment as possible before spending your hard earned dollars ( and try not to drive anyone too insane with your questions ;-)

One of the first things folks have asked was,"What n hell are these prongs sticking out on the back for?" Well, I do not know if Rick actually had any purpose in mind other than appearances. But they have this, perhaps unexpected, tendency to actually balance the board. They stick a good 6" beyond the rear trucks and if you're feeling really dangerous ( or drunk ) you can use your rear foot to press on them and pop the nose up. I don't recommend it as a habit though ;-) I think if I did it hard enough they'd snap off or split. I've thought of chopping them off but hey, it's a scorpion. What's a Scorpion without pincers?

A sad one and then a dead one.

To sum up: I enjoy all hell out of riding this board now that I got it where I want it. Very comftorable and more importantly to me, very responsive. Can I honestly recommend Firns decks as a top of the line option? No. I can't. Not when there are other shapers around with what I feel are just superior options to offer. However, as of this writing I think Firns has dropped the prices on many of their decks, so if you can throw your cash around and are curious..well...go live dangerously.

Roll the dice, you never know right?
**ADDENDUM** I rode the Scorpion in Four Hills and that's exactly where I ate it. It's not the boards fault. It's the riders. My trucks were wayyyyy too loose and I messed up at around 20mph. No biggy. Live and learn. ( Thanks Palmer for hanging back with me and not laughing too hard ;-) I've tried to tiptoe, for polite reasons, around what I really think about wether you should give your money to Firnspeigle. I don't want to be a part of any witch hunts, no matter how much they sometimes appear to be deserved or invited. And it's not my place really to say,"Drop your coin here or there." That's your job.
I hope you are wise enough to discern and read between the lines of what I've said. Personally, I do not like or respect the way the owner of the company has approached or dealt with skaters or customers in general since their arrival in the scene.. I'm not sure how much that would matter in terms of equipment reviews if the boards were rock solid and finely designed and crafted. That they aren't, only tends to solidify my opinion that Firns has a long, long way to go to repair the damage they've done to their rep. You can only hope that people learn from their mistakes and get better. If they don't, well..don't worry about that. Do what's best for you and your skating. And that's as harsh or as blunt as I'm willing to get. Please do not email me to discuss this as it is a closed chapter in my skate adventure and I don't wish to revisit it any further.

14 Sep 03 - Bozi Mad Bomber II ( red & black ) Hey kids!!
August was a grand month because it included a trip to Albaqurque. Read about that on my blog. I'll only add here that Spaceman Yarrington ( a.ka. 'God' to his team riders ) sent a big box of goodies to me, Kaylee, and Sharon ( Sidlo, that is ). A note was attached to my board addressed to 'Poophead'. Ah Jeff and his terms of endearment.

This new Bomber, which replaces the green and yellow board series I fink, had the grey Avila's and Tracker Six Tracks on it originally. It has a gentle concave, perfect for its length and like it's little bro', the GS 36", has the adjustable wheelbase. I was more busy scratching up Da Purple Concrete Eater than I had time for. I ran both boards over to the Big Pink one morning for a solo sola sesh ;-). It was here I scratched up my custom, nearly hanging at one point ( don't ask ). Like the Scorp, my trucks were too loose ( I didn't bother to think of that either... I know...I know...) so anywayzzzzzzz....I hopped onto the Bomber II and the 6 tracks felt ALOT better. I understood instantly what Kaylee sees in them. Randall's sit you up a bit higher..it's easy to get a 'tippy' feeling as you transition off the banks. Well, I did anyway. The Trackers really made the transition feel more solid and stable, and I could muscle the board a bit better without wondering if I'd eat it. Again. ;-) ha ha ha...It's OK. You can laugh. For fek's sakes folks, we ain't curing brain cancer here. Please don't ask me to start taking this 'seriously' NOW.
( Insert authority figure's voice...let's say Mr.Chapman, 5th grade English )
Mr.C:"You really ought to take this seriously. Your inability to have a disciplined approa-"
Backrow:"Hey Mr.Chapman! Who cut your hair?" (snicker)..

What was I saying?
Oh yeah! So...as you can see from the pic, the new Bozi logo has this cool kind of black to silver fade, winged 80's rock metal thing going on...and racing stripes over 7 plys of hard maple. There's not a helluva lot of flex in this deck BUT, it's not near as stiff as my custom Bozi, which is also totally flat. Pick yer poison. It's a bit different having a Bozi that's not a custom. I love the new silkscreen, but they DO scratch up easy.
One thing I want to point out is the nose. Take a look. It's r-o-u-n-d. Deflection's a good thing in wood decks. Also, the tail is skinnier. Odds are, you're not gonna have your trailing foot very far back on a 44" deck. And again, you can dismiss any ideas of wheelbite out of your mind. You don't even have to think about it. Run your trucks flat, wedged, or rised...whatever suits you and you'll be blissfully bite free. With crap like traffic, unexpected speed, and garbage in the street you don't need to be worrying about wheelbite too. I recommend the board. Adding a touch of concave to this longboard is a welcome addition to otherwise flat longboards. As with anything else on this site, you're free to email me and fire off questions. Keep in mind, please, that evil questions get evil answers. Threats get posted here. ;-) And if I can't answer it, you get re-directed to the Master.