Slappy Trucks: The Brand
Slappy Trucks, the brainchild of long time Tum Yeto TM, Mike Sinclair, was first being thought up during the pandemic when Sinclair felt that he should introduce something new as the world returned to normal. In his Jenkem interview about Slappy, Sinclair says that he considered doing both boards and wheels before settling on trucks because it was the “hardest thing [he could] try to do” and also “because [he] was bored out of [his] mind and started messing with [his] trucks.” Sinclair goes on in the interview to emphasize that creating Slappy is a project about fun.
Sinclair has little concern with the financial success of the company, but his Instagram still expresses gratitude to all who have given a pair a try, showing that he’s wanting to make something people enjoy skating. This ethos seems in alignment with Slappy becoming part of Sidewalk Distribution, alongside Jacuzzi and Opera. A fun distribution company indeed. With the tagline #havefunwithus and their debut video titled “Never Heard of Em“, Slappy gives a fun and not so serious vibe to their branding, (the name! can you think of a less serious and more fun trick than a slappy?) while still having rising stars Georgia Martin and Arisa Trew, not to mention the rest of great skaters on the team (go watch the video).
A Slappy Experience: My Personal Review
I was excited to try Slappys when I saw the first post from Sinclair. I had been a decade-long skater of a single truck brand and had only recently started experimenting with different trucks. The first truck I tried coming off my long truck monogamy was a brand known for its turning, and they do turn good. I was worried that my Slappys would feel tight and that they would corner too wide. Lo and behold, I was wrong. My first session I spent an unusual amount of time just turning in circles. I was trying to see how hard I could corner without getting wheel bite. Really, really, hard it turns out. I get great turns, relieved turning anxiety, and grinds felt smoother. This could be the transition from old trucks to new, but it felt more unfamiliar than that. It was like the Slappys have a smoother finish that gave me a little extra glide.
When it comes down to it, there’s not much more I could ask for in a truck, I want to turn and grind, and I dig cool branding. Yet, Slappy did give me a little more with their grind clearance. I did a back smith, one that wasn’t just a tap either but instead went the whole distance of the ledge. Then I did a front smith the same distance. Both are tricks I’m not particularly good at. Then I did a Bennet grind. Then a Barley grind (a trick I had never done before). Maybe it was just a good day. Maybe it was not digging my kingpin into the top of ledge.