Skate boarding

[Davo the Assassin]

 

 

Cheers to .AshRemains for the graphic.

 

Ive looked around, the last topic for this was active early last year.

 

SO, yeh, here's a new one. Im a newish skater, since Christmas, but I don't have much time to do so. But hopefully the summer will be fun!

 

I've got a custom Poision deck, wheels etc. Abec 9s, nothing special, gets the job done. Gonna save for a new board, so any suggestions on a board that's good for a newbie, whose interested in Vert and Street skating would be great. I hear Element are good allrounders.

 

So, any fellow boarders out there? Or bladers, or whatever for that matter, just wanna chat?

 

 

Sorry if this has been done to death, I'll admit my searching wasn't overall that extensive.

Edited November 27, 2008 by Davo the Assassin

[TommyAngelo]

Davo, you skate! awesome sh*t man. I've been skating forever, never been to good though, keep on giving it up

 

Anyway, IMO don't get a element deck, they snap way to much. Go for a Toy Machine deck, had mine for more then 4 months.... a record for me.

[Davo the Assassin]

Skating fo lyfe!

 

Yeh, I have no idea what to go for tbh. Obviously within a price range. I've been looking at RouteOne online, hopefully I'll get some idea from there.

 

I'll take some of my deck pics and post um.

[Blind Joe Death]

I skate every now and then. I ain't that good but I can ollie and kickflip and I try too grind. I mainly just use it too get around though. But tbh I am more of a surfer than a skater.

[All-Blacks]

I used to be able to ollie, kick flip, 360 (most of the time I couldn't land it) and some other basic moves back in the day. Funny thing was that I could never just ride it....could only do stand still tricks .

[Davo the Assassin]

I would ride around more with it, but my bearings are dead after some nit whit convinced me to WD40 um, really regret doing that. It was smooth for the day, but then it f*cked um up. Sucks that I dont have any WD40 to carry on doing it.

 

Meh, Im savign for a board defo methinks, so no harm.

 

Lasted me 6 months, so that's alright I guess.

[Kippers]

My board snapped on thursday, right in the middle, in 2. I was f*cking gutted It was old, had it for about 4 or 5 years.

 

I used it waaaay too much.

[*MURDOC*]

 

I would ride around more with it, but my bearings are dead after some nit whit convinced me to WD40 um, really regret doing that. It was smooth for the day, but then it f*cked um up. Sucks that I dont have any WD40 to carry on doing it.

 

 

Worst thing for bearings (besides dirt and water obviously).

 

Also, be very careful about your wheels, because WD40 can and will make them unstable and soft, the sh*t literally melts urethane!

 

If you need to lube your sh*t, you can find bearing grease at the skateshop or basically any hardware store. The lighter the grease the smoother the ride, but also, youll need to lube them more often, so keep that in mind when purchasing.

Remember, good bearings are one of the most important parts of a good setup.

 

Certain bearings have a nylon cage that holds the actual ball-bearings, WD-40 also causes this to corrode, so basically WD-40 should stay away from your wheels/bearings/bushings.

 

Bearings roll smoothest when they are unlubricated, but at the high expense of causing them to wear much quicker, especially if they get dirty often.

 

If you want to try a good bearing thats a bit different, and are very reliable, affordable, strong and possibly the easiest bearings to install and maintain, check out Biltin bearings at their site which is right here!

 

No spacers, no washers, no problem!

Edited June 10, 2007 by *MURDOC*

[darthYENIK]

I've never had these WD-40 problems, and I have used, gallons of that sh*t on bearing.

[Davo the Assassin]

I don't think it's a problem if you keep using and re-applying. It's more one of that f*cks um I think, also depends on the bearings I guess?

 

Man, I haven't skated in about two weeks, I need to soon!!

 

So yeh, any board pics from anyone?

[alphadog]

These are my boards. Like it old skool

 

Edited June 18, 2007 by alphadog

[Davo the Assassin]

These are my boards. Like it old skool

 

Those are some ol' skool boards right there alpha.

 

I'll admit I prefer the look of newer boards, as opposed to ones you showed.

 

Well, 36 quid saved towards my next board, I'm getting there. I still have NO idea WHATSOEVER where to even start looking, kinda sucks, cos I wanna make a decent choice.

[ToyMachine]

 

Go for a Toy Machine deck

Damn right.

 

Even though I don't ride toy machine anymore. I use a zero deck, it just works better for me.

Edited July 4, 2007 by ToyMachine

[a_fool_from_edinburgh]

Skating rocks! Had the honour of skating a real South American park when I was in Quito, f*cking gnarly all the trannys were uneven. No coping anywhere, and one of the most mental full pipes I have ever seen. The big bowl was hilarious kind of gentle tranny then it goes suddenly into a foot of vert (over vert in some sections) not to mention the concrete was super rough with plenty of cracks.

@ Davo if your in the UK get a blueprint board i used to ride one of them was one of my nicest decks ever. Best one I ever had though was Powell mini logo, was the first 'proper' deck i ever bought over 6 years ago, just started skating it again, no pop left but its got such a nice concave and i don't do much of the old ollieng about the place these days just cruising through the streets or hitting a mini ramp (or a bowl if I'm feeling it). Not to mention you'll easy get a blank board for 36 quid. I could be out of touch though as the last time i bought skateing parphenlia was about two years ago. Though I did buy the cliche boxset not long ago. that sh*t is sick, highly recomend checking it out.

[*MURDOC*]

Blanks are nice.

 

5 dex for the price of one is a sweet deal.

[Davo the Assassin]

How about decks, wheels and bearings?

 

I currently have Abec 9s, but I got told at the end of the day that it makes little difference, it's what you get used to. I even got told that because Abec 9s are so precise, that they're infact weaker. Or summit like that.

 

Yeh, help there would be good too.

 

I guess i'm looking for a good complete deck.

[a_fool_from_edinburgh]

Bearing well depends what you like? I've been skating with the same set of Bones reds for 3 years now they're a bit sh*te now but still all right, worth the investment. For trucks, i guess it depends what you skate, I have a set of silvers on my street set up which i don't even use anymore. And i have some high profile ventures for my other board which is also with a wide deck, the higher trucks mean i can have bigger wheels which i prefer.

Gnerally if you street skate get tensors, indy's or grindkings. Ventures IMO are the best all rounders tried, tested, proven. the lower profile the truck and the thinner the board generally the easier it is to flip.

As for wheels, again depends what you like, i like 56or57mm wheels kind of big but helps me get over big cracks and the like, a bit faster as well.

Smaller wheels as per smaller everything else tend to be better for street skating. I usually just ride blank wheels cos they're cheap!

 

[*MURDOC*]

All Bones bearings kick ass.

From the cheap-but-sweet reds, to the uber-expensive ceramics, which you definitely dont need, since they are more for downhill and the like.

 

Plus they are made for skating specifically, so theres no abec rating, they are stronger than abec rated bearings.

 

If you ride on a lot of rough stuff, get a bigger softer wheel.

 

Grind kings are pretty good for street because of the super low profile kingpin.

 

Of course you can put the GK kingpin in other trucks.

 

Its also a good idea to invest in at least 2 sets of wheels and bearings, that way you can have them set up for different terrain. (harder wheels for smooth cement and parks, and softer for general city-type sh*t where it may be smooth, and then 10 feet later, rough)

 

Another great bearing is the Biltin bearings, they are easy to install and are just a well-made bearing.

 

Affordable too!

[Kippers]

Apart from the width, is there really much different in which deck you get? Coz i'm looking for a new deck and i wouldnt know a good one from a bad one to be honest.

 

and here's a List of decks if soemoen wants to pin point a particularly good one.

 

I do notice a lot of blueprint decks though

Edited July 5, 2007 by kippers.

[*MURDOC*]

About 90% of normal skateboard decks are manufactured by the same people, or exactly the same way, so apart from graphics, they are virtually the same, except for certain specialty decks and such, which are usually more money.

 

If you dont care what the graphic loks like, id suggest you go for a blank deck, as they are almost identical to any pro deck, and are far cheaper.

 

For the best variety and pricing for blanks, go here! Skatepaige.com

They have pretty much any size you could want, and they also have uncut decks if you feel the need for a custom shape. They have completes as well

Happy shopping!

[Kippers]

I assume by blank that emans i'll also have to put the griptape on by hand?

 

I've had some bad griptape moments

[*MURDOC*]

Here a tip from Mike Vallely (who also has bad griptape moments)

 

Take your sheet of grip, and slice it into peices, its much easier to put on without worrying about it getting stuck to itself or having air bubbles.

Even if you just cut it into about 4 peices, its much easier than doing a whole sheet.

 

And anyway, usually if you order a deck, it comes without the griptape applied, even if it comes with the griptape, you usually have to put it on yourself.

 

If you want some grippy-ass grip, go check out a hardware store for 3M anti-skid tape, it comes in varying sizes, at the most only a few inches wide.

Its rather easy to put on as well, because of the smaller size.

 

 

 

Whatever you end up doing, good luck!

[darthYENIK]

I love doing my own grip tape. It makes it feel like, truly my board.

[Davo the Assassin]

My last deck, the grip got ruined due to rain, so i put some f*cking cool green grip tape on. It really did customise it for me, hah. It's not to hard to get on I found, rather I found getting the older stuff off harder tbh.

[BCspeed34]

Hey, I need some help finding a deck, I know the name, I just can't seem to find anywhere to buy it. The deck is called "Battle 2000" from World Industries.

 

Thanks

[*MURDOC*]

Is that it?

 

If not, tell me, and ill do some more lookin.

[BCspeed34]

Yeah thats the one, the first one, it looks like that is just a static page though.

[*MURDOC*]

Oh sh*t, I didnt even realize.

 

I'll take a look around, I think the graphic may be discontinued, but theres probably a place that has it in stock.

[Kippers]

Isnt the X games usually at this time of the year? I remember being in America at the time it was on about 7 years ago. I really wish they'd show it on UK TV. I never get to see any skateboarding apart from Youtube videos

 

I still need to get me a new deck. Been on holiday so i havent had time. I feel like getting a freestyle board becuase i've been into freestyle tricks as of late. But then i also have a halfpipe in my garden so i want a normal board as welll. Only have enough money for one deck so i've been putting the decision off quite a lot

 

Freestyle boards have squarer kickers right? so 50-50 truckstands are easier to balance and such?

Edited July 30, 2007 by kippers.

[*MURDOC*]

Modern "Proper" freestyle boards are very short with barely any kick on either end, and they are almost rectangular, as opposed to normal decks which have a more "popsicle-stick" shape...

They are pretty much only good for freestyle.

 

If you want something thats good for all-around, that you can use for freestyle and in your pipe, look for a smaller pool board, maybe a smaller-sized Deathbox, as they usually have a squarer kick, which gives you more of a platform.