Why We Put Alpine Trucks on Shred Surfskates
Of all the decisions we made in designing the world’s best, high-performance, earth-friendly surfskate, using Alpine trucks is the one that, to date, has garnered the most positive feedback from surfskate die-hards. This is because we made a conscious decision early in the R+D process. And along with a million other design decisions (big and small), it leads to what we see as the truest street-surf feel of any surfskate.
We spoke to Marcelo Gagliardi, our founder and CEO, to answer a few questions about Alpine Trucks on our surfskates and how, when they’re combined with Shred surfskate decks, make for one heck of a ride.
How did you first learn about Alpine trucks? Was it before developing the first Shred board?
MG: I learned about Alpine Trucks through the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world. The coach from the top Brazilian team happens to be a distributor. He gave me a board to ride, and I was blown away. The ride was exactly what I was looking for, and I was already working on prototypes for Shred. It was a bit serendipitous, I’d say.
Tell us about the moment you knew you wanted to put these trucks on your boards. What informed that decision?
MG: I knew from the first ride that these trucks were different . . . from the look to the tech to the feel. We’re always open to working with companies that align with our goals, doing things differently.
Why Alpine Trucks over the other options? What do they do that other trucks don’t?
MG: Alpine Trucks are the only surfskate truck that works in unison on the market. Both trucks pivot together to give you a silky-smooth transition from rail to rail.
What are the three coolest / most important features or benefits of these trucks? i.e., what are three things that make these trucks excellent for surf skaters?
MG: The movement of these trucks mimic surf turns very similarly. They teach you how to pump for speed and link your bottom turn and top turn. 2. The fact that you can change the bushing for the riding style you’re looking for is unique. 3. They have a nice balance of looseness to stability. They aren’t super wiggly when you go to push. A beginner could hop on this board and ride it without getting too out of control.
What do the different bushings allow skaters to do? Are those easy to swap out?
MG: They allow the rider to customize the feeling of their ride according to several factors. For instance, if you’re a bigger person with more weight, you would probably want a harder bearing, so you have more stability…or, if you want to practice your surf turns on a reasonably flat surface, then you would want a more loose setup. On the other hand, if you plan to ride something with more steepness, you would want to stiffen up the ride so you don’t get speed wobbles. No matter what, it takes one tool and only a few minutes.
What’s been the general response from people after riding with these trucks on Shred boards? Any specific pieces of feedback come to mind?
MG: The feedback has been super positive. They kind of thread the needle between a loose Carver-style surf truck and regular street trucks. They fit a niche while remaining versatile with the interchangeable bushings.
What does the choice to put Alpine trucks on Shred surfskates say about Shred as a brand?
MG: I think it says that we’re willing to work with like-minded companies who, even if relatively new, share our same passion for working on new technology towards sustainability. Those are the companies we want to collaborate and grow with in the future.
Will Alpine trucks be going on other models?
MG: Yep, Alpine Trucks are our go-to Surfskate Truck. All of our models coming out will be capable of using them on regular street trucks.
Anything else about the brand that’s notable, fun, or interesting?
MG: Well, Alpine Surfskate trucks are made in Brazil…like me. However, their creators are also surfers, and they don’t mind doing things differently.
There you go– now you know why there’s so much stoke surrounding our Alpine Trucks. If you love board tech, stay tuned for future specs-centered blogs. In the meantime, go get on your board! ✌️
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