BSS 2010 Ep4-4 Mervin Manufacturing Factory Tour from Big Jump on Vimeo.

Natasha Ferre takes a tour around one of the last snowboard factories to still hand craft their boards in the USA. The award winning Mervin Manufacturing. Mervin is the parent company of Liberace Technologies (aka Lib Tech) Snowboards, Gnu Snowboards, Lib Tech Skateboards, Freedom Dolly, and Bent Metal bindings.

Learn How to Grip Tape Your Skateboard in Two Minutes Flat
WHO?
Anyone who’s got a skateboard deck that needs grip tape.

WHAT?
Get your grip tape on your deck.

WHEN?
When you buy a new skateboard deck or when your grip tape won’t grip your shoes any more.

WHERE?
ANYWHERE!

WHY?
So your feet don’t slide off your skateboard!

HOW?

1. Get your kit together:
Skateboard deck
Grip tape
File
Razor blade

2. Make sure to take the plastic off of your deck if it’s brand new.

3. Remove the backing from the grip tape.

4. Lay the grip tape over the deck.

5. Starting at the center of the deck and working outward toward the nose, tail, and edges, press the grip tape onto the deck.

6. Take the file and file around the edge of the deck on top of the grip tape, making sure the grip tape is fully adhered to the deck all the way around.

7. Insert the razor blade up from the bottom of the grip tape along the line you’ve just filed, holding it at about a 45 degree angle from the top of the deck. Cut around the deck to remove all the excess grip tape.

8. Take the excess tape and use it to sand down any imperfections in the cutting.

It has been almost 2 years since Shoreline has sold Lib Tech skateboards, We would try to order them off and on over the last two years, but because of their move to Utah, and their great success with Banana traction snowboarding technology, they have put their skateboarding efforts on the back burner in order to get caught up from all their other successes. This is a good problem to have, so what about their expensive skateboards? Does spending more money on a Lib Tech Skateboard end up saving you money in the long run?  When we did sell Lib tech skateboards we had mixed responses. Some of the negative feedback was just that it was different, the life long habit of shopping for a new deck every other month or so was broken. As a retailer if I only sell one deck to a skater every 3 years or so, you can see that the shops would be making less money on Skateboards.  If we consider the GREEN factor, in a 3 year period (a lib skate deck could last even much longer) if you are a serious skater,  you would easily go through 12 wood decks. The Deck that is clearly less harmful to the environment is the Lib Tech.  If you bought Lib Tech’s most Expensive deck at $160.00 compared to 12 blank decks at $35.00 each the savings over 3 years would be $260.00.   So  the logical answer is to buy Lib Tech Skateboards,  save the planet and money at the same time.   We Check out some web sites that do product reviews and found the last entry was dated in 2007,  So may-be Shoreline wasn’t the only company that stopped selling Lib Tech skateboards 2 years ago.  I’ve reprinted two of the reviews from REVIEWCENTRE .com

78%  Recommended buying Lib Tech Skateboards….. 36 out of 46 Reviews

By Prechrysler on 12th May 2005

Good Points

Strong.
Stronger.
Strongest.
Great pop.

Bad Points

Needs a bit more concavity.

General Comments

10 years ago I stopped skating and started bodybuilding. A few months I decided to start skating again. I went out and bought a wooden deck, a few ollies later…SNAP!. I currently weigh about 230 pounds. After talking to one of the guys at the local board shop they suggested getting a lib-tech. So, I ordered one and I’m in love. These things will not break no matter how hard I land, and the pop these boards have, outstanding! My only qualm is the fact that it doesn’t have as much concavity as I’d like, not a terribly big deal, but it is noticeable. As for those who claim they can’t do flip tricks on these boards, because of the lack of concavity, after a 10 year hiatus from skateboarding I can still bust kick-flips without a problem. Remember, it’s the skater not the board.

By punksnotdead on 7th Apr 2005

Good Points

Strong and slick.

Bad Points

Can’t skate them

General Comments

LIB Tech will never break on you but it doesn’t matter if you can’t skate those wack decks, whats the point of having a deck that will last you 3 years if you can’t skate them at all. I would suggest not buying one.

Shoreline of Tahoe is will be receiving it’s 2009 Lib Tech Skateboard Very Soon……….