Have you ever gotten ready to go skate, but then realized something’s not quite right with your setup? Maybe you lost a bolt, one of your wheels has a flat spot, or your shoes are holding on for dear life by a literal thread. You don’t have time to run to the shop because you’ve only penciled in just enough skate time this weekend to warm up and get a nice shinner.

Just don’t sue us if you bust your face open using any of the next-level gear hacks from Jenkem Labs (or if you get terminally bummed by anything on the site).

Salt Grip

People are still willing to go to war over their grip tape choices, but we may have found an alternative that beats them all. It’s got the quickness of Jessup, the air bubbles of Mob, and the goofiness of Grizzly. And as long as you live with your parents or with a pre-schooler who has access to a lot of glue, it’s super free. Studies show this method will also extend the life of your favorite shoes by 132.2%. You’d be dumb not to try it!

Lace Bolts

Skaters already have more shoelaces than they need from all the cheap shoes they’re buying on sale at the skate shop or from their local Marshall’s. The goods inside our pants is def more precious than a $50 piece of wood, and we trust laces with that much already. So if shoelaces can hold up our pants, shouldn’t they be able to hold together a whole skateboard set up?

Potato Wheel

When you think about it, potatoes are the most versatile food. You can make them into fries, mashed potatoes, hash browns, tater tots, bongs, toilet wine… The limits are endless, so we figured if any food would be able to sub in as a skate accessory, it must be the good ol’ tater. The results weren’t exactly what we were hoping for, but with a little further tinkering (maybe throwing them in the freezer just like Sheckler), a potato wheel might be able to go all the way.

Tape Shoe

Shoes are the piece of gear on this list that people get most worked up over. I know you think it’s impossible to get steezy tre flips in anything other than a thin-ass vulcanized sock, but if you’re ever missing a shoe or just too proud to use ShoeGoo, this alternative holds up just fine. Superior board feel, endless customization options, and affordability. What more could you want in a skate shoe? OK, maybe foot support.

Lead Scientist: Nic Dobija-Nootens
Videos by: Alexis Castro
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