 Cesar Chaves is the International Marketing & Sales Manager for UpTrucks & Moska Wheels. Products that will be soon covered by the Silverfish staff. He is an old school skater from Brazil. This month he will be fifty years old and he is still grinding. He also runs brasilskate.com the first skateboarding site in Brazil. Cesar was kind enough to take some time from his birtday poool sessions and give us some in depth detail into the history and technology of the Uptrucks system. He provides a great deal of info that will help anyone appriciate the innovations that the Uptrucks design brings.
MK: What is your background in skating?
CC: Since 1988 we have joined urethane expertise and skaters feedback to manufacture what is considered by skaters the best brazilian wheel (www.moska.com) . In 2002 we began the development of Uptrucks (urethane pro trucks) with the same spirit. We have always supported many skaters and also employed skaters.
As far for myself I've started skating in 1968. I use to surf a lot back then. In 1976 I've discovered a Skatepark here in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and from this moment on I've been into skateboarding. In Brazil, I've put together the 1st contest in a skatepark, the 1st demo, work as Editor of the 1st magazine - Brasil Skate, was the 1st to have a brazilian web site and I did organize a lot of contests and skate events. I went to USA on 1980, worked at Marina Del Rey Skatepark, got into ASPO contest and met a lot of pros, like Hosoi, which became my friend along with his dad Ivan. From 1983 to 2003 I've worked with Skate on TV, producing, editing, directing and hosting shows. I've travelled to USA, Canada and Europe covering skateboard, and beside the TV work, I've put out 5 videos. I like to ride banks, bowls & pools and occasionally some longboard downhill & cruise. MK: What is the history behind Uptrucks?
 CC: Ciro, the engineer who invented UpTrucks, while hanging out on the beach with his3 years old daughter, realized that the elastic properties of urethane could be used to develop a single piece truck with unique properties. He came back from vacations and made the first prototype in 2002. The first guy who tested it was his Marketing Manager, Hélio Guerra , who asked the same question everybody does: "does it turn ?" Hebecame surprised how turny it was. Tecpolimer makes UpTrucks. In 1988 Tecpolimer started Moska wheels. The expertise in the manufacture of high performance polyurethane elastomers, as well as our rad skaters help. have made Moska the best wheels in Brazil, and one of the best in the world. Since the beginning, Moska's raw materials are the same used by the best US wheels manufacturers. So after 14 years dealing with urethane, in august 2002 UpTrucks is released, with a new revolutionary design. A one piece truck made of aluminum, steel and...urethane. The first trucks beginning to be sold on august 2003
MK: What do Uptrucks provide that other trucks do not?
Skateboarding trucks of today are based on a 30's design of roller skate trucks, with minor modifications.
UpTrucks is a new design in trucks.
Makes sharp turns with no wobbliness at higher speeds.
Due to it's one piece construction they are very stable
wobbleness, totally smooth and quiet ride. For transitions and street skate there is a thick & smooth hard aluminum beam on the hangers with plenty of room for grinding and sliding. And with no hangups, since there's no kingpin! Slips better on tail and nose slides, since the baseplate, nuts and bolts are protected and there is an aluminum wear plate.
UpTrucks have models especially designed for each terrain: Freestyle, Street, Vert, Slalom & Longboard.
Weighs approx.30 % less than a conventional truck.
With UpTrucks wheel bites are history thanks to it's Anti Wheel Bite Device, an aluminum piece that goes under the truck’s baseplate, that prevent the truck for turning too much, avoiding the wheel to touch the deck. The turns on UpTrucks with the Anti Wheel Bite Device are continuous and steady.
Maintenance free. There are no interchangeable parts since it is a one-piece truck.
Best Memory! Perfect original position recovery.
MK: Can you tell us about the testing that these trucks go through?
 CC: The last fatigue testing machine was developed 4 months ago (see pic attached). We assemble the trucks in a metallic deck and apply alternating forces on both edges of the deck , simulating the foot pressure applied by a skater , until the anti wheelbite device touches the hanger. Leaning for both sides is what we consider one cycle.All our models are submitted to at least 90,000 cycles , and resist to it without any urethane fatigue .The frequency of the testing is 35 cycles per minute. We also submit them to a test to verify the horizontal and vertical deflection of the axle, when a force is applied , and that's how we measure the leaning force. Based on that force we have defined all the models and stiffness ( soft , medium and hard). We are also working on a new test machine to submit the trucks to extreme impacts.
MK: What common stresses can be avoided to prolong the life of a set of Uptrucks, what should someone look for as far as fatigue?
CC: There are four ways of aging a truck, all of them act simultaneously:
1) Fatigue ;
2) Grindings ;
3) Impacts ;
4) Environmental attack.
1) Fatigue is the aging of the urethane molecules, or aluminum, due to the stresses applied to a truck while riding and turning, generating cracks on the spots of higher stress It is an aging process that develops slowly. In conventional trucks it appears also as bushings’ permanent deformation and metallic parts wearing, leading to hanger or baseplate breakages and total failure. The fatigue in Uptrucks, after a lot of riding, is in the form of a small tear on the surface of the 'wings' on the stressed spot. The skater feels then that the truck becomes softer, but it is gradual and very slow. When the tear becomes too large we recommend to stop riding it, since it may cause an abrupt failure of the truck. These tears are usually result of the fatigue caused by continuous and prolonged riding, not being considered a defect. 2)Grindings wear off the aluminum hanger, the aluminum slideplate and also the side of Uptrucks urethane wings. In conventional trucks it wears off the hanger and the baseplate. In both cases, the wear will cause the failure of any truck, depending on the intensity. 3) Impacts generate a lot of stress in conventional truck's structure, causing the breakage of the hanger, kingpin, axle or baseplate, since conventional trucks have no vertical impact absorption. Uptrucks urethane body acts as a coil, absorbing vertical impacts, diminishing the stresses, leading to better impact resistance. Uptrucks submitted to extreme high impact, like those of big ollies, may suffer an axle deformation, but do not break apart, and may still be used. Conventional trucks when submitted to the same extreme impacts may break apart and become useless. 4) Environmental attack is the deterioration of the truck’s materials caused by chemicals, extreme sun exposure, extreme heat, extreme low temperatures or extreme humidity. All these factors, which are not present in usual riding conditions, will gradually attack the urethane (Uptrucks body and conventional trucks bushings), aluminum and steel, causing also rust and degenerating the whole structure, leading to failure, gradually. This attack will also change the force needed to turn an UpTrucks, softening or hardening it. Between 59 F and 95 F the stiffness variation of the Uptrucks is very small. They get gradually harder at low temperatures and softer at high temperatures, but these stiffness variations are revertible and they get back to the original stiffness when riding in the usual range of 59-95 F. We recommend to choose a softer Uptrucks type to ride at extremely low temperatures, and a harder type to ride at extremely high temperatures. The life expectancy of an Uptruck is at least the same offered by conventional trucks. Aged Uptrucks become softer and exhibit some tears in the urethane’s body. These tears may propagate, leading to its failure. Aged conventional trucks, exhibit wore and loose parts, like bushings, kingpin, baseplate and hanger and cracks, leading to an abrupt breakage. MK: Do each of the trucks have a specific Duro?
CC: No. The urethane used is the same for all models. There’s a “wing” in the kingpin area that is responsible for the hardness of the turn of the truck. On the S model this wing is very thin. On the H model it gets thicker The difference in hardness is achieved through the great design of UpTrucks.
MK: How much support have you seen from the skating community?
 CC: Like all pioneers in any field, we are working hard to show people that something different than what they are used to may work well, with many advantages. The major part of the skaters who try it, like it. Some of them become even addicted to it, and don't want to ride a conventional truck anymore. Many skaters are helping us spread the word, and that's the best way to introduce it UpTrucks are already being used in the USAm Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, UK and Brazil.
MK: What applications do you think best fit Uptrucks?
CC: We have models for all niches: street , slalom , longboard , freestyle , vert , pool, banks. Slalom, longboard and freestyle are being accepted faster.
MK: Do you have any retailers in the US selling Uptrucks?
CC: No. We did have some almost 2 years ago, only for street and vert, but our product was still not ready , and the endurance was not good enough and we discontinued the supply until we have fixed the stress problems. Now we are looking for partnerships.
MK: What other innovations do you have planned in the future?
CC: Other geometries and shapes, always based on skaters feedback. We are on a continuous process of improvement. Unfortunately our ideas are much faster than our capacity to bring it to the material world.
MK: Do you have anything else you would like to add?
CC: Try it and feel the difference! We are offering something new to a technology that has not significantly changed since the trucks were adapted from roller skates to skateboards, a patent from the 30's. Like our Export manager says: "Urethane once changed Skateboarding, when it was used for wheels. Now it’s time for a new REvolution: UpTrucks Urethane Pro Trucks".
 How about this question? "Not being able to adjust it, isn’t a little to radical?" When your skateboard is all set the way you like, with the bushings adjustments just "perfect", usually you don't adjust them again, unless you're changing terrain or the bushings are beginning to wear out. In this case, you change the bushings - if you are able to take out the nut from the kingpin and put it back again, because these parts get smashed a lot, especially in street and vert, and the nut and kingpin are frequently damaged. Then you have to keep adjusting the bushings until you feel that it is "perfect" again. The proposal of UpTrucks is to have your "bushings adjustment" just "perfect" from factory. So, you can choose how you like your trucks, loose - Soft UpTrucks, medium - Medium UpTrucks or tight - Hard UpTrucks. There is a small softening due to fatigue, but it is gradual and takes a long time.
MK: Is this your website? www.brasilskate.com/cexae.html, if so happy birthday and it's awesome you are spreading the stoke!
CC: Yes! Thanks! I will be 50 on the 24th and I will have a Pool Party in a Bowl we use to skate a lot on the 80's on the 23rd.
My website is www.brasilskate.com, www.brasilskate.com/cexae.html is something I've put together in English to help people who I am starting to work with through UpTrucks & Moska to know me better. I am working on a new branch of Brasil Skate, where I going to try to show some of my life in Skateboarding. Is all in portuguese, and you can see some of it @ www.brasilskate.com/ceshinha If you have the time, take a ride through all the fazes of my site, since 1997 @www.brasilskate.com/ viajem.html Thank you for your time Cesar and Happy Birthday! Visit these links for articles about his 5-0 birthday pool session! http://cemporcentoskate.uol.com.br and http://triboskate.virgula.com.br
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