Wheels are considered as one of the most important components of our inline skating gear, and for the most active skaters they are even a key aspect of getting the full potential of their equipment. Although the inline skating wheel market was always oversaturated, new manufacturers are emerging and often disappearing just as quickly. The key to success seems to be excellent knowledge of skaters' needs, constant adaptation to their changing requirements and proper marketing based on the promotion of respected riders. Dead Wheels, a manufacturer that has been offering inline skating wheels for more than a decade, seems to meet these requirements perfectly. In this article, we will discuss a little about the history of this manufacturer and try to explain the phenomenon of the popularity of Dead Wheels brand.
KFC
The history of the brand begins with a local crew of skaters from Kansas, or more specifically one of them Adam Johnson. A skater who, from the very beginning, displayed a great love of video cameras and meticulous documentation of his friends' exploits. Surrounded by an ambitious and talented crew, he had little trouble creating great underground videos that quickly became popular with the skate community around the world. This is how the iconic KFC video series was born, where many of us were able to see Alex Broskov in action for the first time. Alex was definitely a new-school rider who was breaking most of the previous barriers, taking the aggressive rollerblading phenomenon to a new level. The KFC series had a huge impact on his career, opening him up to specific sponsors like Rollerblade and Senate. Aware of his value, Alex managed to negotiate a contract with Rollerblade that, in a nutshell, allowed him to focus solely on creating photo and video content. This was something of a novelty at the time, as major equipment manufacturers expected their representatives to perform well at competitions rather than self-promote, but time has shown that this was the right choice. Broskow popularized the Rollerblade TRS model and both parties were happy — the company enjoyed fantastic sales of its equipment, while Alex and Adam could concentrate peacefully on continuing what they did best, which was making more videos.
Straight Jacket Distribution
The idyllic period did not last long, as problems already arose with the sequel of the KFC video entitled 'Collective Consciousness'. The video was full of dangerous tricks and content that was not fully accepted by the distribution company Video Action Sports, the publisher of all filmed skate productions in the USA. What's more, at the time, aggressive inline skating was going through a serious crisis and its global popularity was falling month by month. So AJ and Alex decided to take matters into their own hands and founded Straight Jacket Distribution to distribute their productions independently. The video was successful, Broskow received his first TRS pro models from Rollerblade and AJ began working with Dave Temple, responsible for Elements 1 and 2 and the team film Medium, among others. Dave Temple convinced AJ to start a new clothing brand, which was to focus on producing dedicated ergonomic skate jeans. Underneath the new project called Vibralux was also a new 'dream team', including Alex Broskow, Chris Farmer and Chris Haffey. Despite this strong representation, the first Vibralux products had a difficult start. The first models of the James Dean v.1 jeans, despite their excellent quality, did not attract the expected interest. In 2006, the skate scene was emerging from the “baggy” era, and the craze for slim-fit stretch jeans was yet to come. When the community was finally convinced of the new style, a new hindrance emerged. AJ did not own the rights to use the name James Dean and was forced to pay a hefty fine, which virtually consumed all his earnings.
AJ had no time to rest and quickly organized another tour through the States to shoot video called 'Vibralux: On Top'. The production was a success and the Vibralux jeans line started to become increasingly popular.
Street Artists
AJ decided to capitalize on this positive moment and went into the business of producing aggressive inline skating wheels under a new brand called Street Artist. The brand was exciting because it involved new, well-known skaters such as Don Bambrick and Mike Murda Johnson. The wheels were manufactured by AEND, one of the best companies in urethane production in the world, which guaranteed their high quality. Despite this, Street Artists' products were not yet sufficiently different from other brands, such as Undercover, which used the same moulds.
In the following years, AJ focused his efforts on stabilizing his companies: Vibralux, Street Artists and the Straight Jacket distribution network. This allowed him to focus on producing more videos, which, filled with excellent performance from top professional skaters, were quickly becoming iconic. Many of us believe that flicks such as Charging and Pariah helped keep aggressive skating alive during the difficult times when its popularity was in decline.
Vibralux skates
AJ embarked on the next major phase of his projects, when Alex Broskow began designing his pro model in collaboration with Valo Brand and Vibralux. This particular product was only going to be sold through Straight Jacket distribution and the idea of direct sales was an expensive experiment. Adam wanted to prove that small and medium-sized companies should take risks and release innovative products directly to customers or collaborate with bigger brands to reach more fans and maximize their profits. Vibralux acted as a bridge, teaming up with other manufacturers to further develop the phenomenon of aggressive inline skating. The products developed through the collaboration were intended to help achieve this goal.
Following the success of the film production and the creation of the clothing and wheels brand, Vibralux launched two models of skates, including the Alex Broskow pro model, which was the highlight of the company's business. Although the products sold very well, Valo Brand, which later became Themskates, eventually dropped the partnership. At the same time, Street Artist went out of business and Broskow and Farmer recognized that there was a lack of a worthy 4x4 successor on the market, prompting AJ to transform Street Artist into a new brand called Dead Wheels.
Present
The Dead Wheels brand has launched new wheel models featuring a smaller diameter than the competition's standard solutions. The return to smaller wheels proved beneficial to the classic lower setup, which became a sign of a new era. Dead Wheels also created its unique wheel shape, which was the optimal combination of grip and speed. The product was highly acclaimed by fans, who appreciated its quality, exclusive features and skilful team promotion. Dead Wheels' official team video titled. “Champagne” from 2017, in which Alex, David, Chris and AJ travelled around the US and documented aggressive inline skating, further reinforced the company's image.
Today, Dead Wheels is a well-established brand in the market, enjoying the respect and support of the community. Over the past twenty years, Adam Johnson has been at the forefront of the industry, being one of the key players in the rollerblading industry. Despite the passage of time, his passion and determination remain strong. Today, it is Dead Wheels that has the most potential, basing its business model on collaborative projects. This idea, which originated back in the Street Artist days, works perfectly today. Collaborations with brands such as Too Easy, Bacemint or 5th Floor bring inspiring content (video, photos) and products in line with current trends in aggressive inline skating.
