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Surveyed: Natas Kaupas, Words And Pictures

By Mike Spriggs • 11th November 2011 06:30am • Posted in Los Angeles

photographs by Steven Nereo

Our LA photographer Steven caught up with former pro skateboarder Natas Kaupas a few weeks ago. In addition to getting some great shots, we couldn't resist putting a few questions to this skate legend.

Given that LA is known for cars and traffic and not so much for bicycles, what should the rest of us know about what it's like to ride in LA?
Very, very few of the drivers are actually trying to kill you. 

Do you have a favorite area of LA to ride to/through?
I'm still a sucker for the bike path at the beach. I can ride it to Palos Verdes or just to El Segundo for a beer at the Richmond. Sullivan Loop is always good for a little dirt adventure. Santa Monica Boulevard gives you some good space if you ride from the Westside to Hollywood. I'm not much of a climber and tend to avoid hills, except of course while mountain bike riding - it's in the name, you can't avoid it…

What sort of riding do you do? Road, mountain, 'cross?
Mountain, and what roadies call "city riding". I ride around in a hurry to deliver my imaginary packages to clients that don't exist. I'm thinking of starting a fakenger service company.

What bikes do you ride?
Keeping that old skate connection by riding a Santa Cruz Tall Boy, (thanks to Rob Roskopp!)  A fine vintage Klein, and a handful of frames rescued from velodromes around the world.

You pretty much created the ollie and rail-slide, inspiring a generation of skaters (thank you), we're curious if you have any heroes in cycling?
Just in an abstract kind of legendary way: Coppi, Merckx. Kind of a petrified reverence. I'm also impressed by anyone who wants to pedal for 100 miles.

Do you find any parallels between skating and riding?
I think so. There's a kind of kinetic thinking that I find similar. Looking a bit ahead and thinking in terms of "worst case scenario". Also I like that basic tricks like wheelies are still cool.

Beyond LA, what is your shortlist of favorite cities?
NYC, Melbourne, and Copenhagen is almost surreal it's so bike friendly.

Thanks Natas - we'll see you on the road.

Comments

BRYAN PETERSEN

11th November 2011 07:49am

Wow! Where did you dig up those old Sidi's?

James Fairbank

11th November 2011 08:57am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRkLUQknXeM

"I don't think that there's a skater from the 80s that hasn't owned a Natas deck at least once in their lives…"

paul goulden

11th November 2011 09:21am

I had a Roskopp fishtail myself. Can we go find Per Welinder and Mike McGill next?

Matthew Ward

11th November 2011 09:25am

Good job Natas, hey good job man !! (Wheels of Fire)

Tyron Francis

11th November 2011 10:26am

I put together a post of skaters that ride a fixed gear a while back, if anyone knows of any more please post a comment on the post :-) http://www.thefootdown.co.uk/2010/11/22/fixed-gear-riding-pro-skateboarders/

Ian Winfield

11th November 2011 02:26pm

Dog Town Skates Originates.
Tony Alva, Stacy Peralta.
Skating in the 70's in London, it now seems a little surreal that I would marry a girl from San Diego State University.

Steve Davidson

11th November 2011 04:07pm

"you pretty much created the ollie"? Wonder what Alan Gelfand would have to say about that.

Andrew Shaw

11th November 2011 04:31pm

Great post and great link James, the first thing i thought of before i clicked the link was Natas spinning on the hydrant to the sounds of Firehose, i'm sure Wig will enjoy this also. I only wish Edinburgh car drivers were as vigilant as Natas claims LA ones are.

Brian Palmer

11th November 2011 04:58pm

a yellow colnago. that must be worth a ton of brownie points.

b

Joe Hall

11th November 2011 05:33pm

The fire hydrant spin is pure magic. An artist.

alexander yoo

11th November 2011 05:39pm

i don't think nyc is so bike friendly.
trucks double parked on bike lanes, cabs stopping left and right and NYPD hiding behind cars to write you a ticket when you cross red lights. Crossing over the GW makes things a lot better though, a nice ride up 9W to bear mountain can be epic !

Bryan Novelo

12th November 2011 01:01am

losing serious cred with that front brake bro……

Kenneth Trueman

12th November 2011 03:29am

Gorgeous old Colnago. Awesome paint job.

Charles Wolff

12th November 2011 04:19am

Any cred that is lost with the front brake ain't gonna do sh_t to the Natas cred meter. That guy is such an original "street" athlete that has pushed so many limits on a skateboard and probably has payed the price with his body many a times. BIG UP RESPECT NATAS!

Ludwig Laudan

12th November 2011 04:53pm

Losing cred by using a frontbrake? pffffft….

PJ Canale

15th November 2011 12:56am

holy crap, there are a lot of skate nerds on bikes nowadays.

Derrick Lewis

18th November 2011 02:18pm

Natas, I must have watched you ollie those 5 dimes on Sk8 TV a thousand times. Still in disbelief.

STOOPZ POOMZ

10th December 2011 05:24am

BEST PART OF ALL THESE FLICKS IS NATAS' SMILE. DUDE IS TRULY STOKED AND HAVING A GOOD TIME. SEEING HIS STOKE, MAKES ME STOKED, I LOVE THIS MAN.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwJ53OfzUEc

THANK U SPRIGGS!!