Pivot Cuffs

So the other day, I’m carving home. Going past the volleyball courts, where the biggest downhill is. I used to break like a sissy there. But after riding on Hawthorne Trail, I’ve matured. Instead, I was thinking, this isn’t much of a downhill at all. I looked to my right, at the volleyball courts. College girls in short shorts a plenty. I enjoyed watching one serve a ball before looking back at the road.

At which point I saw the curb at the end of the downhill. Oh yeah, I thought. That’s the reason why I usually break. Not for the speed, but for the transition to the road. I hit that transition a little faster than usual. It didn’t feel like a big deal, except at that moment, something in my board changed. A wobble that shouldn’t have been a problem had me off the board. I came close to falling, but managed to stay on my feet, and laughed as I picked up my board, and continued home.

I finally got around to taking my board to the shop. Freeride Surfshop, just a few blocks away from UF campus. Their man behind the counter spotted the problem in a second flat. It was my pivot cuffs. I’d blow out three, and either completely lost the fourth, or my board never had a fourth. Either way, my board was fixed in no time flat and I headed home.

Back at that same downhill, something was different. There was a barricade up … for no apparent reason. Along the downhill, a bunch of sand that looked completely out of place. I don’t mean to be some kind of ego maniac, thinking all those obstacles were put there for my ‘safety’. But why else would they be there?

I wonder if any other longboarders have a similar story?