OH MAN! Skateboarding

[Justin A.]

So, Ive been looking into getting a longboard this season, and I have no idea what to look for or anything like that. I figure longer is better, so Ive been looking at some of the long Sector 9 stuff. But anyway...today I dug out my regular skateboard (goofy little freestyle thing) and I was riding around on it. I wasn't happy with the way it was riding, so I tightened the bushings on the trucks as much as I could. This made the board impossible to turn, so I loosened them back up, and was unhappy again. Then I thought, hmmm...what if I keep the back one as tight as possible, and loosened the front one enough so that I can turn the board? So I tried doing that, and VIOLA! It rides just like a snowboard. Im pretty excited. Anyone heard of people doing this or anything similar? With my luck everyone does it and I just made myself look like a tool on the internet because I got all excited over nothing special. But I came to this relization on my own! Ok, Im done. Anyone else try this before?
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ANGELINA JOLIE (http://www.angelinajoliepics.net/)

[Jim Callen]

I just got out on my Bozi longboard today. Albeit I need something to compare it to, as it's the only longboard I've ridden. I love it though. I have Seismic 180's on it with Abec Gumballs and Abec 5 bearings, and I think I'm going to upgrade my wheels and bearings this year.

You will love longboarding. It beats the heck out of riding on a regular deck.

[Gecko]

What you should do instead of tightening one andloosening the other is change the bushings(the little rubber like things that the trucks pivot on). try a softer one in the front and a stifferone in the rear with the same amount of tightness on the truck bolt. Also before you go down the Sector 9 route check out Gravity skateboards. IMO better made and better options

[Justin A.]

I would have changed the bushings, but I haven't even looked at my skateboard in oh...maybe 6 or 7 years, so I don't have any parts anymore.

I looked at the gravity boards and they're really nice, but Im fat so I was looking for something with more camber in it, like the 47" S9 Bamboo, or the Bomb Hills board. Unless of course the Gravity's are really stiff and can support a fat man like something with more camber could. By fat I mean that Im 6'0" and 240 and losing weight, so not really THAT fat, just bigger than your average skateboarder.
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Dodge c series history (http://www.dodge-wiki.com/wiki/Dodge_C_Series)

[tex1230]

FWIW I just got a gravity hypercarve 47" and it's pretty flexy, but no problem handling my 215lbs.

[Gecko]

While Bamboo boards are pretty cool, I'm not a fan of most of S9's board construction. They use birch instead of maple and that is nowhere near as durable though cheaper and lighter. Mind you there are purposes where Birch is fine but using camber to make up for poor materials and construction is just wrong. Gravity like S9 was started by skateboarders but Gravity hasn't let the "lifestyle" intrude on making a good product. And for the record I only own 1 Gravity but I have had many S9's that I am not pleased with. If you are worried about flex get a Carve 46" it's essentially a BIG modern board with concave, a kicked nose and tail and 7 Ply Hardrock Maple.

[Justin A.]

Im now looking at the Gravity Hypercarve. This is mainly for carving around with a bit of campus croozing on the side, so I think Im looking for something flat with no kick in the nose or tail. Maybe a little in the tail, but I want an oldschool flat nose. Whats the best shape to be going after? I know all about bearings and wheels, but Im also kinda in the dark about trucks. I figure Randalls are better than average since they're an upgrade item on most boards, but what makes them better? Sorry about all the noob questions, but thats what I am in the skate world.
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MONDEO V6 ENGINE (http://www.ford-wiki.com/wiki/Ford_Mondeo_V6_engine)

[utahcarver]

Justin,

Go hang out over on ncdsa.com (http://www.ncdsa.com) this week and search the individual areas on decks, trucks, and wheels. Check the links area, too. There are links to commercial sites that sell all the stuff that is being talked about on ncdsa. This will bring you up to speed and keep you informed of all the new skate-related stuff out there. Hope this helps,

Mark

[Justin A.]

Today I was surfing Silverfish and I found this mod to make a regular deck ride like a longboard. You remove the trucks, and redrill mounting holes on the nose and tail. it increased the wheelbase by about 8 inches, which is really cool, since I didn't need to spend any money. Damn, I didnt know what Ive been missing all this time. This long wheelbase thing is fun!


EDIT: Here's a Picture of the board after the redrill
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Yamaha Wx5 Specifications (http://www.yamaha-tech.com/wiki/Yamaha_WX5)

[cb200]

I got a nice big pintail longboard with no concave really wide tracker trucks, some soft wheel and fast berrings about 7 years ago I have been totally happy with it mostly cruising and bombing a few hills.

Some guys have taken hill bombing to a whole new level.

check out these videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-Ot85xiAAQ&search=landyachtz

[D-Sub]

sweet video!

I gotta get one of thsoe damn things.

[Jim Callen]

Holy ****......

That has got to be one of the coolest things I've ever seen

[Justin A.]

my favorite was "scabs in wonderland"

that looked like fun...riding down cart paths at a golf course...oh man.
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Swed (http://smokeweedeveryday.org/)

[Gecko]

is Gravity's Flow http://www.gravityboard.com/pages/gstore/accessories/flow.html

[Justin A.]

While Bamboo boards are pretty cool, I'm not a fan of most of S9's board construction. They use birch instead of maple and that is nowhere near as durable though cheaper and lighter. Mind you there are purposes where Birch is fine but using camber to make up for poor materials and construction is just wrong. Gravity like S9 was started by skateboarders but Gravity hasn't let the "lifestyle" intrude on making a good product. And for the record I only own 1 Gravity but I have had many S9's that I am not pleased with. If you are worried about flex get a Carve 46" it's essentially a BIG modern board with concave, a kicked nose and tail and 7 Ply Hardrock Maple.


Looking around, most of Gravity's boards are birch too...birch flexes alot more than maple, and S9 puts camber in so they would be a bit stiffer. I'm just nervous about dropping $150 and finding that the thing is too flexy.
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Colorado dispensaries (http://colorado.dispensaries.org/)

[Jack Michaud]

Then I thought, hmmm...what if I keep the back one as tight as possible, and loosened the front one enough so that I can turn the board? So I tried doing that, and VIOLA! It rides just like a snowboard.

I tried that and felt like the board turned nothing like a snowboard, more like a car. On a snowboard and a normal skateboard, the pivot point is between your feet. If you lock out the rear truck, the board now pivots about your rear foot. That feels weird to me.

[Justin A.]

Yeah, Jack I noticed that too, but thats how my board feels to me. When Im riding, the whole thing is just hooked up, but when I tried skating, the tail always felt funny, like it was pushing out or something, I dont know what though. Locking the rear truck solved it for me.
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Mazda 757 (http://www.ford-wiki.com/wiki/Mazda_757)

[tex1230]

Looking around, most of Gravity's boards are birch too...birch flexes alot more than maple, and S9 puts camber in so they would be a bit stiffer. I'm just nervous about dropping $150 and finding that the thing is too flexy.

I'm not sure if it's "too flexy" but at 215lbs I'm pretty comfortable with my gravity 47" hypercarve...mind you I'm not bombing hills with it...just cruising and making some big turns

[Hollywood 90210]

My skate quiver:
Bozi Mad Bomber, Randal 180's (hillbomber\slide)
Insect Dragonfly, Tracker RTX/RTS trucks (hillcarver)
Roe Unlimited Foam Core, Splitfire/Indyoffset (Hybrid/GS Race)
Roe Bullet Foam Core, Splitfire/Indyoffset (TS Race)
Carveboard (hillcarver)
I use both 3DM and ABEC11 wheels and MOC9 bearings.
I also have a park setup but it doesn't get used very often.
IMHO:

The carveboard has the most alpine snowboard feet to it, it is like riding a very short raduis slalom board. It feels like I am doing cross-under turns on my Madd158. I can carve steep hills with this board and control speed with turns and tire air pressure. You don't want to go over 15mph on this board it get scary and it is alot of board hauling it back up the hill.

The insect is a fun all around board to ride. I have ridden it through cones with about 6-7ft spacing.

I spend most of my skateboarding time racing and love the boards from Roe. Great construction and feel.

If anyone is intrested in giving any of these boards a try and live in my area let me know. We have a group of local riders that skate and race in the Boston Area. I live about 30 mins north of Boston in Beverly, MA.

[Justin A.]

Im not really looking to race at all, I just want something that can deal with some hills, and alot of kroozing. Im considering some parking garages too, but its mainly transportation and some fun hills on the side. Or maybe hills with transportation on the side. I dont know, but it definitley needs to be pumpable for a moderate distance. I think Im going to go with the hypercarve at this point, but Im still open to sugguestions.
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GSR600 (http://www.suzuki-tech.com/wiki/Suzuki_GSR600)

[Hollywood 90210]

I haven't ridden a hypercarve but that is what I use my Insect for. It is nice to pump, turny enough to carve the hills and sidewalks but the way it is set up it is not great at high speed. I feel it is hard to set up a board that is both a good pumper and stable at speed.

[Skully]

Anyone of you guys got any experience with the Nuclear Pickle trucks?
http://fog.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p2541616dt.jpg

[surfinsmiley]

Have not ridden the nuclear pikles but all the reviews I`ve read say they are average at best.

Check Revenge trucks for a go simple alternative in torsion trucks.

JUSTIN, that board you have moded is offically known as a schlong:biggthump. As in short/long. Now comes the bad jokes about hitting cracks with your schlong..........and so on .............

[Justin A.]

Have not ridden the nuclear pikles but all the reviews I`ve read say they are average at best.

Check Revenge trucks for a go simple alternative in torsion trucks.

JUSTIN, that board you have moded is offically known as a schlong:biggthump. As in short/long. Now comes the bad jokes about hitting cracks with your schlong..........and so on .............

Well I happen to like my schlong! Thats a pretty clever name for it lol. I've decided that I'm going to be buying from my local surf shop, probally a Sector Nine or an Arbor or something else. I think they had a few Kahuna Creations out there too, so we'll see what I come up with.
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HOT BOX VAPORIZER (http://hotboxvaporizers.com)

[surfinsmiley]

I hear really good things about the bamboo decks that both sector 9 and Abor make. See if you can have a test ride on some bamboo. The only problem is that most production boards are made for people in the middle of the "Bell Curve", size wise.

Don`t get a board that`s to flexy, you`ll destroy really quickly as you start to ride it more aggressively.

((I`m dying to see one of our beloved Alpine Board manufactures come out with a bamboo core.))

............................

This board may well be worth a look for you. You can get them customized to the flex and shape that you want too.

http://home.pacifier.com/~buzzer/curvecode/subsonic.html (http://home.pacifier.com/%7Ebuzzer/curvecode/subsonic.html)

EDIT= I can`t make a link straight to the right board but the site is kinda small it won`t take long to have a good look around it.

It`s the 46" dropped deck named Swerve 46". 90mm wheels would be the "ants pants" at your size I reckon, also, Dropped decks are really good for stability(lower C of G) with the added bonus of being lots easier on the knees when you have to push for a long time. You may have already noticed that from riding your schlong.

I`m after that board in the shape of a "Reflex 42" ie. a little bit more squared deck shape so you have plenty of stance options.

Your original post about the tight trucks in the rear and loose in the front is a good and natural find. Seismic trucks are usually used in a 45 degree front and 30 degree rear configuration. Randal trucks are also commomly used with a "flipped" hanger in the rear, the detunes the steering geometry in the back end by about 5-10 degrees.

The whole idea is based on having the rear follow the front and not carve it`s own unique track, having the rear oversteer makes it feel like driving a fork lift at 100 miles an hour.........Scary! So,... Yeah, your on the right track there with your little discovery.

[Justin A.]

having the rear oversteer makes it feel like driving a fork lift at 100 miles an hour.........Scary! So,... Yeah, your on the right track there with your little discovery.


thats exactly what it feels like!! I couldn't describe it before, but you're right!
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Nsr125 (http://www.honda-wiki.org/wiki/Honda_NSR125)

[surfinsmiley]

Here`s a good set-up I`ve just stumbled across from silverfishlongboarding advertising.

It`s a group buyers` "wholesale club". ie. placing group orders so that we can get it at wholesale prices.

http://www.longboarddirectory.com/top_secret.html

[willywhit]

I got a nice big pintail longboard with no concave really wide tracker trucks, some soft wheel and fast berrings about 7 years ago I have been totally happy with it mostly cruising and bombing a few hills.

Some guys have taken hill bombing to a whole new level.

check out these videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-Ot85xiAAQ&search=landyachtzthat video is sick, figures it's a bunch of yahoos in BC. http://www.coastlongboarding.com