GETTING TECH WITH:
Ever since we started with Adapt, we’ve done a simple advertisement in each issue of [MAG]. Advertisements can be nice, but in the end it is just a picture that you look at for max. 10 seonds and then you just go on with reading the rest of the issue. Together with new editor in chief Thijs Tel, we came up with the idea of giving you a little more than just a nice picture to look at. From now on, in each issue of [MAG], we will go into detail of one of our products or an aspect of those products. We put a lot of thought, technology and testing into our products, and every shape, bolt and piece of material is there for a reason, so why not explain everything a little better? Do you want to learn a bit more about our products or product design in general? This is your chance - get tech with Adapt & Symetrics! This issue we want to start off with our newest product; the Symetrics 60mm flat frame. The Symetrics frame has been in the works for almost 5 years now. We actually had the idea of creating a frame long before we even started with Adapt. Little did we know we would end up creating a skate first, but that is a different story... We had a lot of different ideas about the frame and we have designed over 5 different types of frames in the past years, for several wheel sizes and setups and with the use of several matrials. In the end we decided to make a very simplistic frame, because that is the type of frame that everybody skates.
WHY A FLAT FRAME?
We chose to make a flat frame mainly because of the direction our sport is evolving into. Back in the day, everybody used to ride flat. Then everybody switched to antirocker or freestyle and the newer generation doesn’t even know the feeling of riding flat. Now there are a lot of bigger wheeled aggressive frames out there and everybody seems to like it. We feel that one of the reasons that everybody loves the feeling of riding these frames is not because of the bigger wheels, but simply of riding flat. Suddenly you can ride over all the rough terrain on the streets without wanting to hop on your bike or take a tram to the next spot. We are trying to create a similar feeling by combining our flat frame with our new wheels; the Symetrics CORSE59S (more info in the info box). This setup has all the upsides of riding on bigger wheels (speed, maneuverability, being able to ride rough surfaces), but not the downsides (unstable for tricks, can be bad for your ankles, not being able to cess slide, difficult to grind with).
THE GROOVE BACK TO THE ROOTS
THE MATERIALS
The Symetrics frames are made out of the same top secret material that the Symetrics If you look at the evolution of grooves since soulplates are made of. The material is from the beginning of aggressive skating, you can the same range of plastics as UHMW, which clearly see that grooves used to be very small most of you know as a fast sliding, long lasting and shallow and that they have only gotten material. There is basically only one downside bigger and deeper. This is of course linked to to UHMW-like materials; it can warp upon the popularity of riding antirocker and impact. Even though our material is not freestyle. A big groove will make your inner UHMW, the material does share a few wheel touch the grinding surface. If this inner characteristics with UHMW, which could wheel is an antirocker, then this great. You include warping on impact. Since we really do will slide nicely because of the material of the love this material we decided not to take the antirocker and you will be stable because you can actually lean on the antirocker for balance. easy road and go for a different material but try to find a way to prevent possible warping. If the inner wheel is a normal wheel, you will First we came up with some very difficult get stuck in no time and eat shit. If you want designs which either would make the frame to grind flat, you need the groove to divert too complex or too expensive to produce. And you away from your inner wheel. This can be then one day it hit us - all we had to do was achieved either by ‘blocking’ the wheel by make a little plate that evened the pressure making a protruding groove or you can make that was being put on the spacers. sure you touch the edge of the groove by Yes, that fancy looking anodized aluminum making it small and shallow. The latter option plate is actually there for a reason; by is basically how old school flat frames were designed. We went for this option as well since letting the axle bolts rest on those plates, the it doesn’t change the way you have to position pressure from riding, jumping and grinding is distributed more evenly on the whole frame yourself on grinds, so it feels more natural. instead of on just the spacers. A simple solution which also happened to create a unique look for the frame.
CNC MACHINED
One more very important aspect about the Symetrics frames is the way it is produced. Symetrics frames are the only aggressive frames that are being produced on a CNC machine. This means that instead of having a mold in which liquid plastic is injected to
create a frame, we use a big block of plastic and cut away everything we don’t need until the perfect frame pops up. This way of machining products has several advantages over injection molding a product; it is extremely precise and you can use raw and better materials.
THE END RESULT
The end result is a simple, yet technical frame which was designed with a lot of attention to detail. Just like our soulplates, the frames should last about twice as long and slide much faster due to the amazing material that we’ve used.
SYMETRICS CORSE-59S
We have introduced this wheel in 2014 as the Conspiracy wheel under the brand Chimera. With the release of this wheel we have presented a new wheel shape for aggressive wheels. Unlike other wheels that have a flat or rounded shape, this wheel has a pointy shape. A pointy wheel greatly improves maneuverability and also decreases the chance of getting stuck on your wheels while grinding with a flat setup or doing a cess slide.