LAZER TRUCKS

[Sam Gordon]

Seth, that board is the same one as featured in the LH shot from the FibreFlex Response forum:



All the decks pictured here are re-issues by Debs from a couple of years back. The two Responses are a recent design by Attila, the unmounted one being the highly finished deep laquer version.

The board on which you commented above is, in fact, the cutaway Proslalom model photographed from the front end which gives the optical illusion of having the GS Lite or Santa Cruz slalom shape. It might be re-issued by Fibreflex again in February 2004 provided that there is a demand. Personally, I'd prefer to see the FibreFlex Bowlrider re-issued!

The trucks are the wider Lazer slalom model that were purchased NOS quite a while back from Simon Loveless at www.theskateshop.co.uk and then were given to Michael Stride at www.octanesport.com for the high shine polishing treatment. The 70mm green Kryptonics were also NOS from Simon, whilst the blue risers were picked up on eBay.

The Classic slalom on the LHS is mounted with highly polished NOS ACS 580s (the truck I used to ride in the 70's) and the wheels are NOS 65mm OJs.
Neither of these boards has ever been skated, the bushings have hardened and the wheels are a little more brittle. Neverthelss, I can see myself trying out the trucks sometime in the future because it would be interesting to see how they compare with some of the newer offerings from Tracker, Indy and Radikal.

[Seth Levy]

that is one FINE setup! are all of those parts nos or are any of them reissues? any more info on it? drool....drooool...droooooool

[Sam Gordon]

Like this, Paul?

[Paul Keleher]

Don't know if the definition of the picture, but i always recall the wider lazers, quite distinctly having "LAZER" emblazoned across the hanger, similar to the narrow ones below, i also recall them being very "angular"

[Sven Lippert]

hey cool my first post - yeaahh my skatemate in berlin is still skating old lazers - they are extremely turny - we always say "they are built to skate around the corner" !!!!! bad time in berlin-germany in the moment for skating - it starts snowing this weekend so we can only use our cold tunnel under the int. congress center - its not fun to skate there at minus 5 or 10 degrees celsius - we hope to post a little video by the time
cheers from germany

[Glenn S]

Here are some pictures of Lazer trucks that I found:



Vlad do you have a picture of the Russian trucks that are like Lazer's?

[Jack Quarantillo]

Ongoing CyberSlalom at Vans? That would be so rad...

I'm gonna spend too much money on gas...

Santa Claus is bringing me 50 Turner cones!

Q

[Seth Levy]

cool

[Vlad Popov]

Even though it’s a good reason/material for a separate discussion, I’ll start it here.

10mm axles are better then 8 mm axles because they are much stronger. It seems that the industry is stuck on the 8 mm format/standart and a change has a high cost. I think Chris Chaput with Abec 11 has a chance of succeeding in making a switch by bringing (first) speedboard 10 mm compatible wheels and bearings to the market. Relatively low-cost custom made 10 mm-axle hangers will follow shortly. All modern 8 mm axles are (relatively) easy to bent. It’s just a matter of time. Especially in downhill skateboarding.

My 10mm RPOM axles are bent. But they were made with inferior grade steel, had undergone a lot of street abuse (not just slalom) and lasted 5 years. Most of the SU/Russian/Belarus/Baltic made trucks had 8mm axles. So, it's not a Russian thing. Russian, Baltic and Ukrainian pro slalomers competed in World Cups and Championships on Kriptonic wheels (8mm bearings).

PS. I'll be riding Aspen and miss that race. Each season has its fun. Come to the Vans park (check DC sessions forum for updates). They have a new management and might allow CyberSL again. We'll find out today.

[Seth Levy]

Thanks. What is the purpose of 10mm axels? Just a russian thing?
sidenote: Are you coming to the race on january 17?

[Vlad Popov]

<center>
I remember. To be exact, you WON that board.

</center>

The thought of using a Russian Lazer as a front truck has crossed my mind many times. It's just a lot of effort to change 10mm axles to 8 mm ones. I'll ask around for the new "Lazers". If you're lightweight, the (new 8 mm) axles are ok.

[Seth Levy]

oh that says a lot. i just love the lazer geometry. i am thinking about getting the g*trucks
by the way, i met you last year at the vintage/longboard jam at vans. I was the kid you gave the deck with the smilie face (if you remember)
Thanks for the deck again! It got me into slalom but is too stiff for me.

[Vlad Popov]

Nice to meat you, Seth.

Those people who can buy these trucks in Russia shell out up to twice as much for Trackers RTS/X and new aluminum Seismics instead. You have a chance to buy the better slalom trucks at $30 or so if you're lucky to live in the US. The axles can't be knocked out. It'll cost 2X$30 to replace them.

[Seth Levy]

Where can one get these trucks? The bushings and axel can be replaced. and by the way, i think its steel not steal.
30 dollars is right in my price range...

[Vlad Popov]

In the 1980s and early 1990s millions of Lazer copies were made in the SU/Russia/Republics (RPOM, Rula, ect.). Most of the trucks from the 1980s were a military side product, which would explain their (relatively) high quality and precision. Every part including the bushings was numbered. RPOMs and such were never (to my knowledge) used in serious slalom competitions but were great for pumping/learning. I have a pair from 1986 with 100 mm hangers and 10 mm axles.

Lazer design is still used in making the trucks, but the quality is poor. A set of these new trucks (made in the republic of Belarus) with a plank board costs $30. The (8 mm) axles are as soft as brass, and the bushings are as hard as steal.

[Terry Kirby]

Tried em, decent kids truck but pure crap for adult sized racing.

[Glenn S]

Questions: What "models" of Lazer trucks were there that were applicable to slalom skateboarding? Did they have model names and if so what were they? Anyone have any pictures of them that they could post here? Where were the trucks made or any company history?

I know that Floyd Reid was using his Lazer trucks on his Turner Needle Nose for almost everything until just recently. Here is a picture of Floyd using them at the JPL II race :

[Sam Gordon]

Jon,

Jim Slater swears by the wider version of these trucks. Jim 'Nutsack' covets and recommends them too. Both guys demonstrate how tight UK slalom should be done, and having seen what Luca's running at Grunigen it pretty soon becomes clear that some of the older products have a geometry better suited to TS than many of the newer tools. Even with the kingpins clamped down hard, the Lazers carved well amongst the 5ft offsets. For tight, those guys still regard it as THE truck.

[Jon Warburton]

i found 2 sets at the bottom of an old tin mine while looking for sprigguns.
theyre in remarkably good shape one pair narrow one pair wide. ive tried a few other boards from levine and stride but they all feel like supertankers if you know what i mean. i suppose they would after riding lazers.
horses for courses as they say.

[Wesley Tucker]

On 2003-09-03 18:26, Dan Mitchell wrote:

Try everything, then decide.

And this from a man recently married!

Weren't Lazers die cast? I seem to remember that's one of the reasons they didn't appeal to me.

[Dan Mitchell]

Hey Jon,
Lucky you to even have Lazers:)
Back in the day here in the US, midtracks were pretty much the standard. Of course, we (I) were (was) a lot lighter then. You might want to try Tracker RTs/RTx or the new Seismics, or if you want to really want to blow some money, PVD's or Radikals.
Try everything, then decide.

[Jon Warburton]

anyone else use these? i'm over 200lbs and find the squirrelly action hard to beat. sometimes they seem just a little tooo turny....