To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what to say about or make of this. On the one hand, I obviously want to rip it apart. Talk some smack on Zac-attack for posing hard in a Thrasher tee and ripped jeans, mall-grabbing his $400 mini-cruiser like a champ, but I find myself torn. Because on the other hand, I get ridiculously stoked when people first discover the magic of skating, and Mr. Efron’s uber-heartthrob-celebrity status may very well convince people to do just that. As you can see, it’s quite the conundrum, so let’s start with the facts.
Named from the Dutch word for “tasty” or “sweet”, the brand goes by Lekker Skateboards, and is the product of the technical skills of David Boortz and Zac Efron’s money and fame. Their first line of boards, known as the Central Coast Classic collection, is set to release this Friday at a skate park in San Luis Obispo, Boortz’s home turf. Lekker boards are an ode to classic days of skating, with retro trucks and wheel shapes on 25″ x 6.5″ decks, all handmade and signed by David and Zac. Now to meaty bits.
The problem with Lekker is that it’s incredibly easy to hate on from a kook standpoint. First off, if you peruse the About section of Lekker’s website, you’ll notice that they claim to have “set the scene in style and form for the next decade” in regards to the old-is-new trend that’s been happening lately with deck shapes, and that’s just not true. Brands like Powell, Santa Cruz, and H-Street have been continuously putting out re-issue shapes, and brands like Penny, Stereo, and Banana Boards have been running the vinyl cruiser game for years… not Lekker. There’s also this gem at the end; “Zac and David would stoke the embers of Lekker Skateboards to unite skaters everywhere through the exhilaration of that first ollie and ignite the skate renaissance.” First off, based on their size, shape, construction, and lack of kicktails, these boards look hard as hell to ollie on. Second, I’m no industry expert, so I’m not going to claim that skateboarding is in need of a renaissance or not, but something tells me that stiff, expensive, and tricky-to-ride shapes that were already made decades ago aren’t going to be what do it.
“Boortz called the skateboard an all-around board, a combination of long boarding with the convenience and portability of short boards.” Wrong. Cruiser longboards use a longer board with a wider wheel base and more forgiving flex for added stability and a smoother ride. Lekker boards are short and stiff (that’s what she said). I’m all for shorter, tight turning boards like skate days past, but don’t BS Zac Efron’s fan base by calling this an all-around board. It’s a pretty looking board with a throwback shape that’s only really good for hanging on your wall or carrying around a bar so you can tell drunk girls you skate. It’s certainly not made for tricks, and would be very sketchy doing anything more than pushing around on at slow to moderate speeds since it’s super easy to get speed wobbles and kill you. What really concerns me though, is that maybe they simply don’t know any better, and are attempting to “ignite the skate renaissance” with no actual skate knowledge.
