One thing I love about living in New York is that it is full of transients, yielding a wealth of talent into the blade scene. Andrew DiPaolo is among that talent. I came across Andrew last year at the 12th and D Classic, and upon seeing him lace some gnarly fucking maneuvers, I knew he was someone I wanted to photograph. Fast forward roughly a year later, multiple sessions in and a few slices of pizza, I’m happy to present a blade check with Andrew.
Intro and Photography: Ryan Loewy
Boot: Razors Shift
Wheels: Eulogy Soichiro & Circolo Russel Day.
Liner: Razors Quinny (I like my liners nice and worn-in)
Bearings: Amall swiss
Frames: Youth Julio
Cuff: Stock
Buckle: Stock
Soul Plates: Stock
Describe your personal blade set up: I’ve always kept my blade setups pretty simple. I’ve been riding Razors for about 13 of my 16 years of blading. They’ve always been so reliable and just fit my weird, wide foot so perfectly. The new Shifts are responsive, light, simple, and have a killer soul and backslide plate.
I started riding tri-rocker about a year ago out of curiosity. A lot my friends were getting in on the flat rocker craze, so I split the difference and threw on 2 left-over Russell wheels I had laying around. I remember seeing Sean Kelso shredding tri-rocker back in the day which always made me want to try it. It works well for my skating because I do majority soul and backside H-block tricks. It’s unbelievable how just 2 more wheels under your feet improve your control, speed and fun factor so much.
What parts do you wear through the quickest? Wheels. Especially spending the past 2 years in these gritty NYC streets.
What part do you break most often? I don’t break parts that often. But I replace soul plates the most.
Which parts are you paranoid about breaking? Not paranoid, but I’ve been curious about how well the soul plates hold up on the new Shifts. I’ve been skating them with no bolts attached for the past couple months and they’ve held up like a champ!
What spares/tools do you keep in your backpack? Some GC Featherlights, a couple random wheels, and a few allen wrenches.
Where do your parts go once you are done with them? I’ve been blessed to have Razors support my blade supply for the past 5 years or so, so the boots definitely build up. Before I moved from San Francisco to New York I gave away a good handful of setups to the donate & skate box they have in the local scene. So that feels awesome to help get some new kids on some blades. It’s more important now than ever.
Flat or Freestyle? Tri-rocker.
Anything you plan to change on you current setup? I may man-up and go full flat soon. Going fast is fun.
Do you skate different setups for different terrain? I’ve been “Shifting” and throwing on my GC BIGS for some East River skates with my dog, Kodak. Other than that I just keep it simple.
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