Longboarding with Sam Walton’s Crew
(Santa Ana, California) Frantic crowds lined the aisles in houses of worship across the southland on Sunday, May 10th, seeking insight and solace from spiritual leaders. Is it the apocalypse, or the second coming? What’s it all about? Longboards for $70 bucks at Walmart is what it’s all about! That’s right, the skateboard you see above is the “Mike McGill Air Speed Cruiser Longboard” and it sells for $69.99 at your favorite place for skate shorts and shoes (admit it, your LBS can’t see you now), right alongside the $20 Bell helmets and $170 full-suspension mountain bikes. McGill’s “Air Speed” line has been sold at Wally World for a few years now, but now the Bones Brigadier has added a longboard. These guys don’t make moves without planning, so what’s it all mean? Mainstreaming and market legitimization is what it means. That’s right, if your attraction to longboarding is all about being different, Sam Walton’s Crew have just dropped a bomb on ya! It’s one thing for GFH Boards and S9 to populate the shelves of mall stores, and for Surf One and Kahuna to be found in “big box” sports stores, but Walmart’s move will put longboards into the hands and mindset of many, many more people. So what is this rig that McGill is shipping to Walmarts? Did you notice the machined Kahalani trucks, the Bones ceramic bearings and the swank, clear yellow Seismics on there? All for $70?! Of course not. These are entry level boards with old school trucks and an eye-pleasing graphic. Here’s the spec: - 38"x8.5" contoured fiberglass laminated maple deck
- Black non skid grip tape
- Full bottom decal
- 6" aluminum truck & hanger
- Riser pad with cast PU cushion
- ABEC-5 chrome precision bearings
- Transparent 62x38mm 82A cast PU wheels
Due to its longer and wider base, the Mike McGill Air Speed Cruiser Longboard is more stable and more comfortable for cruising on streets and sidewalks. When you're surfing on concrete, the longboard size gives you the option of performing big turns and quick short carves just like on a surfboard. The Air Speed Cruiser isn’t “entry level” at Walmart, however: McGill’s trick/streetboard offerings typically sell for about $25 bucks, so the longboard is a pricey item on the shelves where you’ll find it. Will the snappy colors and general idea draw thousands of kids into longboarding? We thinks it’s a pretty safe bet, and only hope the stoke last long enough for them to find more skaters like the kind that are reading this article in the first place. You think you’re fast? Look ahead to the generation that, ten years from now, got its first longboard from the store where Mom buys toilet paper in 48-packs. Go Skate! Mile High Skates, TailTap, Sk8Supply, The Longboard Store, Purple Skunk and Mike McGill's skateshop all deplore your decision to click here to buy your own Air Speed Cruiser. Uh, wait, we're getting notice that McGill is cool with it. Thiose other guys, though, you're stabbin' em in the heart. Don't click it. We're telling you... |
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