Skateboards?

[Bu11dog]

Was into these as a kid, now with an 8yr old I find myself heading back there. I figure I might as well get into long boards and find some good hills to cruise down if I'm going to get him into this.

 

[MX]

Don't know much about long boards, I am 35 and have been skating for almost 20 years now, I ahve watched the shape and style of bards change, fought it all the way, and now understand why they did.
If you need some internet vendors, shoot me a PM and I will send you the ones I use.

After 20 years, I am still amazed at how technicle the sport has become, and the presecion and speed it takes to do the tricks.
Also, after 20 years, I am surprised at how bad I still suck.....


Tim

 

[The Green Monkey]

First off, we'd be remiss if we didn't turn you on to THIS COMPANY as a possibility, though they're all pretty similar in shape and function, so depending on what you want to get out of your board, they might not offer what you're looking for.

Does your son already skate, or are you hoping to get him into it as you ease yourself back into it?

Do you want to a longboard suitable for going really fast? A longboard set up for carving and cruising? Something you can cruise hills on but also hit a park with? Something more suited for more technical tricks? Are you interested in putting together something much like you had when you quit, or do you want to go with more modern gear?

When did you step off your board?

Are you a big guy? Big feet? Tall? Fat?

What kind of budget are you thinking? Like every other activity, you can economize or you can drop a whole ton of cash. It can be a real rabbit hole. Whatever you decide on, you should also make sure to pick up a helmet at the least and probably some pads as well.

I know there's at least one other skateboarder on the forum besides MX and me, so feel free to fire away with questions and we'll be glad to help however we can. I'd be glad to share my internet sources with you as well.

Before you know it, you'll have something like this in your house too...

 

[MX]

That is sweet.......

 

[Jeff B.]

Nice collection there. I fell in love with longboards after spending summer 07 on Mission Beach in San Diego. I spent all summer carving up and down the boardwalk and everywhere else I needed to go. I haven't been the same since

 

[chubby]

I too have been into skateboards. I started off with Freestyle boards, (Pierre Andre, Rodney Mullen), then had to purchase one for half-pipes. The boards have changed though.... Fun stuff.

 

[oeh]

Does your son already skate, or are you hoping to get him into it as you ease yourself back into it?

Do you want to a longboard suitable for going really fast? A longboard set up for carving and cruising? Something you can cruise hills on but also hit a park with? Something more suited for more technical tricks? Are you interested in putting together something much like you had when you quit, or do you want to go with more modern gear?

When did you step off your board?

Are you a big guy? Big feet? Tall? Fat?

What kind of budget are you thinking? Like every other activity, you can economize or you can drop a whole ton of cash. It can be a real rabbit hole. Whatever you decide on, you should also make sure to pick up a helmet at the least and probably some pads as well.

I know there's at least one other skateboarder on the forum besides MX and me, so feel free to fire away with questions and we'll be glad to help however we can. I'd be glad to share my internet sources with you as well.

Some good questions. There is so much variation in products and quality out there that its hard to give a good answer without a little more info.
I'll try to come up with some general info that might help when I have a little more time. (have to go to work)

 

[Bu11dog]

First off, we'd be remiss if we didn't turn you on to THIS COMPANY as a possibility, though they're all pretty similar in shape and function, so depending on what you want to get out of your board, they might not offer what you're looking for.

Does your son already skate, or are you hoping to get him into it as you ease yourself back into it?

Do you want to a longboard suitable for going really fast? A longboard set up for carving and cruising? Something you can cruise hills on but also hit a park with? Something more suited for more technical tricks? Are you interested in putting together something much like you had when you quit, or do you want to go with more modern gear?

When did you step off your board?

Are you a big guy? Big feet? Tall? Fat?

What kind of budget are you thinking? Like every other activity, you can economize or you can drop a whole ton of cash. It can be a real rabbit hole. Whatever you decide on, you should also make sure to pick up a helmet at the least and probably some pads as well.

I know there's at least one other skateboarder on the forum besides MX and me, so feel free to fire away with questions and we'll be glad to help however we can. I'd be glad to share my internet sources with you as well.

Before you know it, you'll have something like this in your house too...

Nice set of boards.
Son just became interested when I put him on a board in a shop in the mall and showed him how it was different than the piece of crap he had. So he's just starting. Me, I teach and train Muay Thai and self-defense. I'm forty, 5'8" and 190lbs and haven't ridden since probably junior high. I'm looking for carving, cruising and some speed. I love new tech and now that I'm the one paying I think I can afford something better than I had. Back then we had speed races down the hill and somehow I usually won on my POS. That was back in the 70's when the skating thing was really coming around. That skate movie a couple years back was when I was skating but I never went that direction those guys did, just fun.
There's a couple shops around here but they are pretty pricey so I'll definitely be needing some internet sources.
Personally, I like the looks of the black one with the green wheels, I'm guessing the purpose is better turning with larger wheels and better speed with the larger wheels?

btw, nice website name!

 

[tsmckenney]

Davela. That's all you need to know.

 

[Sportster]

I remember my 1st skate board......we called 'em Sidewalk Surfers they are nothing more than a hunk of wood (not sure if they had ply wood back then...LOL) and wheels offa pair of roller skates, of course back then those wheels were metal..... :whistling:


MAN!!!, were we cool...

 

[DirtyDave]

Big soft wheels and some good bearings. If you're just looking to cruise and carve then the deck is a little less important. Good luck in your search.

 

[oeh]

Nice set of boards.
Son just became interested when I put him on a board in a shop in the mall and showed him how it was different than the piece of crap he had. So he's just starting. Me, I teach and train Muay Thai and self-defense. I'm forty, 5'8" and 190lbs and haven't ridden since probably junior high. I'm looking for carving, cruising and some speed. I love new tech and now that I'm the one paying I think I can afford something better than I had. Back then we had speed races down the hill and somehow I usually won on my POS. That was back in the 70's when the skating thing was really coming around. That skate movie a couple years back was when I was skating but I never went that direction those guys did, just fun.
There's a couple shops around here but they are pretty pricey so I'll definitely be needing some internet sources.
Personally, I like the looks of the black one with the green wheels, I'm guessing the purpose is better turning with larger wheels and better speed with the larger wheels?

btw, nice website name!

Well I've been skateboarding a long time. Only been fooling around with longboards for the past couple years.
Skateboards are sort of like cigars. Lots to choose from and taste is subjective. You can spend $100 or so on a complete to $1000. Flor de Olivas vs OR Anejo...or something like that
The black board is a Subsonic. Small company that does custom boards also. It's lowered in the middle which adds stability. It also acts as a wedge to sort of lock your foot in lengthwise.
There's also what is called a drop-through where the trucks baseplate is mounted through the board, which is what the board right above it is. Its lowers the board as well, creating more stability, but the riding platform remains flat throuought.
Then there is what they call a top mount, which is what your typical skateboard is. It rides higher and is less stable, more carvy, more ability to lean in turns.

The green wheels are ABEC11 Strikers. The have a large hub and probably are better if you want to do some sliding. ABEC11 actually has a few brands they sell wheels under(ABEC11, Retro, Pink) And offer a wide variety of different styles to choose from. They're not the only good wheel brand out there, but they're good. I like the slalom type wheels like Retro Zig Zags and Pink sick-sicks/seven-o's. They grip nicely in the softer duros. The only problem is that they have a thin lip which can easily be cut by debris, or can chunk off if you try to slide them. The Gumballs are not bad.
The larger wheels hold speed better, but take more to get them to speed. I would think a smaller wheel would turn better, but its not something you will really notice. You probably don't want larger than 76mm or smaller than 66mm. 70mm-76mm is probably good for what you want to do. I would go around 78a durometer. A softer wheel will give you more grip when carving and will roll smoother on rough asphalt.

Trucks. I think those are Randal 180s on that board. They're reverse kingpin trucks and are designed for downhill. They don't work so well on a small regular skateboard. They're not as quick turning as a traditional style truck, but they do turn well, its just different. They are more stable at speed than a traditional style truck. Its almost cheating. They sort of track in turns. For what you want to do, I would reccomend the Randal 180s with the 50 degree baseplate. Its carvy and still stable.

I don't know if any of that helps or answers any questions, or raises more.

 

[The Green Monkey]

Kevin--As I found myself carrying on into greater and greater detail while replying to your PM, I eventually figured I might as well just post it here in case it might be of any utility to anyone else looking to get on board.

I see that in the meantime, Oliver has made some of my points below a little redundant, but rather than going through and tidying it up, I'll leave everything intact. Perhaps it will be of some use to see where our opinions converge and diverge...

*****

Unless there's something specific I'm after that he doesn't carry, I always use Mile High Skates (link) for my internet orders. Even though he's in Colorado and I'm in Miami, I consider it my "local" store. Mark, the owner (though it isn't his full-time job, just a labor of love operated out of his garage), is a very helpful and knowledgeable guy. He enjoys taking all the time necessary to make sure his customers get exactly what they need, is always very forthcoming with answering questions, and if there's something that he thinks would be a better match for you but he doesn't carry it, he'll tell you so and where to get it--pretty uncommon level of service for a skateshop anymore. I can't recommend him enough, so please feel free to take a look through his site and email him with any questions. Just describe what it is you're looking for the best you can, and he'll be more than happy to guide you through everything else.

The days of the useful local skateshop are long gone--at least for us older guys. You walk in with a pile of money to spend and all the young bucks still give you the stinkeye the minute you walk in the door, and then even after you school them with information, most shops only carry street stuff--boards that have very, very little difference from one to the next in terms of size, shape, durability, wheelbase, dimensions, etc.--the same goes for the trucks and wheels...

I think the easiest way to start figuring out what would be good is whether you think you'd want a kicktail on the board. If so, that narrows the options considerably. If not, then we'll need to figure out some other characteristics you're looking for such as whether it's a top mount (a traditional deck where the trucks bolt to the deck just like you remember) or a drop-through, which is a setup that rides much lower (and is therefore more stable and suitable for higher speeds, but at the expense of curvy carving) because the trucks are mounted through the deck--baseplates on top, inner guts of the truck going through a cutout in the deck, with the hanger below. In case that doesn't make sense, HERE's a picture... You'll also want to figure out the degree of flex you'd like in the board--a flexier, more limber board will be more responsive to pumping and thrusting (haha) with your weight, sort of like carving hard on skis/snowboard/surfboard but it'll be less stable at speed. A more firm board will remain rigid and keep things locked in and more free of vibration/harmonic resonance/speed wobbles while going quickly.

Personally, I don't care for a very flexy setup. I prefer something that behaves more consistently and predictably, even if I have to give up a little versatility at times. Then again, I don't have a really curvy, carvy, surfy style--I'm more of a straight down the hill kind of guy...

Trucks are pretty much just personal preference on longboards. Randal R-IIs are probably the most commonly used, I've got some of those as well as a set of Crails. Both work just fine, both were pretty easy for me to dial in to my liking, and I honestly don't really give much thought to my trucks after I've got them all set. If you're fussy, pick up an aftermarket bushing kit so that you can get them as precisely tuned as you want.

Wheels are obviously pretty important. I'd recommend just about anything by ABEC-11 other than the Gumballs, which are great wheels if you aren't going too fast or cornering too sharply--they tend to do a sort of "catch and release" sort of unpredictable slide at the worst of times--I've probably left several square feet of skin on the ground due to it... Seismic also makes some great wheels, and while I haven't ridden them personally, a lot of people seem to be going ape (haha) over everything that Orangatang is putting out. Bearings are a crapshoot. I've had cheapos that worked great for a long time and expensive ones that underwhelmed me. Ceramics are worth it if you want to drop the coin, but the cost/benefit ratio is absurd enough that by no means are they necessary. You can't go wrong with Bones bearings.

I'd recommend getting a set of pads and a helmet. I always want to try them on before buying just to make sure they fit right and are comfortable enough, so I've never owned any of the fancier or custom-made brands. Right now I'm using Triple 8s which I got at a Sports Authority or some such thing. Other older guys swear by Pain Cheaters, Pro Design, and 187. Helmets are basically helmets, but make sure to get one. You don't want your family to have to wipe your drool and/or your ass for the next 40 years.

If any of these stores (Barnes & Noble, Borders, Tower, Hastings, Virgin, & Books A Million) have a location near you, give a call or stop by and check to see if they carry Concrete Wave magazine. It's got a good deal of coverage on longboarding in each issue, as well as plenty of ads that might help inform your decision. They put out an annual buyer's guide with all manner of companies and equipment that you can download HERE. It isn't the best format to flip through pages, but I suppose it's better than nothing...

Please feel free to ask any questions or advice--I'm happy to help...

Steve

 

[Bu11dog]

Great info there Steve, thanks. Off to teach and train so I'll have to surf later.

 

[bunn163A]

I suggest that you make your son wear safety protection,my youngest is a thoroughbred skater and has cost me thousands upon thousands in hospital bills.With all the stunts they show on tv the kids want to try it and at the end of the day they are dangerous.Be careful and like i preached to my son THINK!
best wishes,
Bill

 

[davela]

59 going 60 Eat your hearts out you youngsters.

 

[The Green Monkey]

Right on! Keep on rollin'!