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Sirkus posted:Speaking of bearings how do people clean them? Do you take the shield off? What lube are you using? Hot water soak? A little late here, but this is my method since there weren't too many answers. Take into account I'm mostly into longboarding and downhill, which does different things to bearings than street skating. Bearing performance is important the faster you go so there's a more focus on keeping them maintained. A dirty or dry bearing can do some weird poo poo at 40+ mph that wouldn't happen to bearings on a street deck. A bearing on a downhill deck is more likely to die because of wear or heat, whereas blowing a bearing is more common on a street board because of the impacts and sudden shock loading. I have blown out bearings while sliding, but it's more likely that the side loads cause increased wear and play in the bearing. And before anyone asks, no I don't listen to Dave Matthews, no I don't wear hemp jewelry and bro is not part of my vocabulary. Materials: Skate tool or 1/2" socket or wrench for wheel nuts, a safety pin or something similar (maybe, see below), rubber/latex gloves (optional), a can of aerosol brake cleaner, carburetor cleaner or throttle body cleaner (they're pretty much the same thing, you can find this at Wal Mart or an auto parts store) 1. Remove the shields. This varies for each bearing depending on the shield type. -Bones Reds have shields on one side of the bearing only, the side that's in the wheel is open. This makes it easier to clean, you really don't have to disassemble the bearing unless you really want to. To do this, you'll want to dull a safety pin or use the eye of a needle to poke the metal on the inside of the shield, you'll have to go between the ball bearings. Make sure you do not bend the shield or you'll never get it back on. You can try flattening it with a book or something, but it's hit or miss. Be careful taking the bearing cage/crown/retainer out, it's the nylon or metal thing that holds your ball bearings in place. if the balls all go to one side of the bearing, the races will separate and your bearing will fall apart. It's kind of a pain, so I never do it. -Cheap bearings are usually sealed and packed with grease (like you'd find on a $20 walmart complete). The shields are not replaceable. You can still clean and lube them though. Just use a nail or something to pry one shield off of each bearing. Then you can just orient them like Bones and point the remaining shield towards the outside. -Bearings with removable metal shields need a thumbtack or safety pin. Around the outer edge of the shield, you should see what's called a C-clip (because it looks like a C). On one end of the C there will be a little lip. Put the tip of your tack into the little lip and pull towards the centerhole of the bearing. The C should kind of curl together more and then come out. Then the shield should come off easily. Keep track of your shields and clips, and don't let them get bent. 2. Use your aerosol brake cleaner (with nozzle tube) to spray the bearing out. The fluid should run out of the bearing clean once all the crap is flushed out. You may want to wear gloves, since the solvent has fun stuff like acetone, xylene, benzene, methyl ethyl ketone, etc. It's bad for you and absorbs into your skin, drying it out and entering your body. You shouldn't have a problem with that little, but it's your call. The balls and races should be nice and shiny now. 3. Let them dry, the solvent will evaporate quickly or you can blow them out with an air compressor. 4. Lubricate. You may notice that your bearing spins faster with no lube. So why would you lubricate them? Well, a bearing's performance without load on it doesn't matter. When you're riding, the bearings have load on them, which changes how they perform compared with no load. Also, unlubed bearings can overheat and seize up. Overheating is more common in downhill but lube is better than no lube. I suggest Bones Speed Cream, a little bottle is a few bucks, and even with very liberal cleaning of several sets of bearings, I still have about half of a year old bottle left. Failing that you can use tri-flo, which is also very nice. Really, anything with oil will work, but Speed Cream and tri-flo are my favorites. After that, reassemble and enjoy. Oil will come out of freshly cleaned bearings after you ride them for a bit, you can wipe it off or leave it, your call. Jesus, I should just write a book. I'd rather be out skating since we have nice weather for the first time in eons, but I hosed my shoulder up and don't want to risk loving it up even more.
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May 2, 2009 21:29
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Sirkus posted:...So looser trucks on a longboard doesn't mean sharper turns?! Looser trucks on any board doesn't mean sharper turns, it just means that less effort is needed to turn. There are a couple of things that influence your turning radius. http://www.randal.com/guides_faq.html That should give you a crash course on how trucks work. A shorter wheelbase will have a smaller turning radius, and changing your baseplate angle will also have an effect. For example, on my board used for carving, cruising and some light downhill, I run a 50° Randal in the front, and a 42° in the rear. The 50 degree front truck turns quickly and is very responsive, the 42° (with flipped hanger) in the back is more stable, which means I have more traction and can hold a line better since it's not as twitchy as the front truck. If you have the right bushings, the kingpin nut should just be tightened enough to take any slop out. For revenge trucks I have no idea since I've only ridden them once and haven't really tweaked them or anything, but for conventional or reverse kingpin trucks that's the proper procedure. For Flea606 I would reccommend a Kracked Skulls (https://www.krackedskulls.com) for your first board, they're really awesome and a hell of a value. For the price of a sector 9 with crappy components, you can support an independent builder who has much better quality control, customer service and better parts. You have a number of options, too. There's the M1, which is the base model. It's limited in it's wheel selection, but it's still a great deck. Good flex, it's a dropthrough which makes pushing and footbraking easier, and the deck its self is just under $50. You can choose the length as well (shorter = smaller turning radius), so you can customize it to your liking. Then there's the scimitar, which has larger wheel cutouts and can take pretty much any wheel. In my opinion, the flex is a little more linear (it flexes up and down, the M1 has more torsional flex) and has more size choices. The only potential drawback is that they're designed to use Randal trucks, so unless you want to do some modifications, that's what you're stuck with. Randal makes awesome trucks, though, and there are loads and loads of options for customization. You will want to get some different bushings, most people don't like the stock bushings. Another site to check out is https://www.milehighskates.com. They don't have the biggest selection, but that's because the owner is very particular. You can't walk into a shop and buy the completes he has because he tests and tunes various setups before he sells them. He faces the trucks and includes bearing spacers and speed rings which means you can crank your axle nuts all the way down and your wheels and bearings will last longer with less noise. He also carries various accessories (wheels, bearings, bushings, kingpins, etc). I go there for most of my stuff because of the great customer service. Also, getting down new old school style http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5m8XVv8LEI DELETED fucked around with this message at 17:52 on Aug 17, 2009 |
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Aug 17, 2009 17:46
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Makes a HUGE difference with pushing and footbreaking
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Aug 18, 2009 03:17
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Definitely send William an email, he's one of the best businessmen I've had the pleasure of dealing with. What's your pavement like and have you decided between M1 and Scimitar yet? Don't forget you'll need griptape unless you order it with quartz grip. E: I'll add that taller wheels make a huge difference, they hold speed better and roll over more obstacles (rocks and the like) with ease. That comes with a tradeoff, though. You will be a little higher off the ground and it takes a bit more energy to start rolling. Urethane formula is also a big factor. A 70mm Sector 9 Nineball wheel will be slower than a 70mm Retro ZigZag because Abec11/Retro uses much better urethane. You'll also want to look into getting some bushings to replace the stock Randal bushings, some people don't like them since they're kind of floppy and 'dead' feeling. The great thing about Randal trucks are all the tuning options. A good set of bushings will make all the difference in the world. I'm using green Venoms right now, but they're hard to find because of some business disagreement or something. Khiro makes good bushings and I've heard good things about Retro's reflex bushings too. I've never tried them personally, but before Retro was making their own bushings, there was a guy who would make bushings out of their wheels (same urethane) and people seemed to LOVE them. It all depends on your weight and riding style, I can give some suggestions for setups if you'd like. DELETED fucked around with this message at 17:38 on Aug 18, 2009 |
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Aug 18, 2009 16:31
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leica posted:Right now I'm thinking the Scimitar, is it that much better than the M1? I'll probably go with a 44 or 43 inch, and definitely going with the OUST bearings. You'll notice it a little bit when you're taking off from a stop, you'll need to put a little more sauce on it to get going, but once you get those Flywheels moving they keep moving for quite some time. If you're on smooth pavement, they'll roll even faster than a similarly sized wheel because the core is so big it keeps the urethane from deforming too much when there's weight on the board. For bushings, I'd probably recommend something in the mid-80s durometer range. You have 2 main choices, cones and barrels. Cones are your standard skate bushing. When you're standing on your board, it will have a tendency to "tip" in one direction or the other, there's not a lot of support from the bushings until you start leaning into a turn or carve. These are great for carving and the like, not so great for downhill/higher speeds. The other main option are barrels. Barrels are, as the name implies, somewhat barrel shaped. These are really popular because they have a fairly progressive feel. You'll have a lot of support that will help keep the board straight, and when you lean into it, the amount of resistance will continually increase. You can really dig into a carve and use the rebound of the bushing to sort of "pop" you out of it. You also have a choice between cupped washers and flat washers. Cupped washers are the old standard, they can help compress the bushing more as you reach the limit of your turn, but I prefer flat washers, they give more room for the bushing to sort squish out as you turn, giving you a little more turn depth. I like Khiro Bitch bushings for a really turny ride, they're great for pumping and carving. i used a combo of blues and reds, but you can scale that down a duro or 2. Since you're mostly hitting flats you can run your trucks pretty floppy without having to worry about wobbles too much. A little tip/trick for Randals: the bottom bushing (between the baseplate and the hanger) is taller than your standard skate bushing, so if you use a khiro barrel you'll need an extra flat washer to put between the bushing and the baseplate to keep the truck geometry normal. Most newer bushing companies account for this, so most Venom/Reflex/Sabre bushings shouldn't need this. Khiro also sells tall cone bushings that will fit without shimming. donJonSwan posted:I ride 75mm 80a Orangatang In Heat wheels. Yeah, o'tangs are pretty sweet. The flywheels have just bit more roll speed in my opinion, since the InHeats have a small bearing core and a lot of urethane depth, but they're both miles ahead of most sector 9 wheels (I've heard the Race Formulas are good, every S9 wheel I've ridden just felt dead). Good wheels make way more difference than good bearings (unless your bearings are old and sloppy or rusted out). Kikkoman posted:I bought a longboard last week. I'm 23 and I had never gotten on a board of any kind before. Still, I'm having a TON of fun learning how it works. Every time I manage to go down a slight slope without getting wobbles and bailing feels like a huge goddamned accomplishment. Couple tips for beginners: Bend your knees and relax your legs. Speed wobbles are mostly mental, when you step outside your comfort zone you tense up and your legs stop absorbing the oscillations. For footbraking, just practice riding on one foot. Give it a couple kicks, then just keep whatever foot you use to push hanging. Footbraking is mostly about balancing on one foot and slowly shifting your weight to the other one. Once you get it down, you can footbrake at pretty much any speed. I can throw a footbrake long enough that I feel the heat through my sole. If you make or buy some slide gloves, you can also learn to slide (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFHWZ1IJ5F8) to control your speed. Sergio Yuppie's style is more technical than what you can do on a longer board with soft wheels, but you can still slide those too. I love this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yluk7AAb6Bo E: old school http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05ssTCx_Jt8 DELETED fucked around with this message at 16:59 on Aug 19, 2009 |
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Aug 19, 2009 16:28
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The energy you spend pushing isn't really all that much, especially since you're lower to the ground than a topmount. Some people might give you a hard time about using wheels traditionally used for downhill/speedboarding to cruise, but I really like them on my friend's scimitar. Don't know if you've ridden a board with flex before, but you'll probably fall in love with it as soon as you set foot on it. I looked at your current ride and I think you will be quite satisfied with the upgrade. I went from a stiff 46" sector 9 plank on crappy wheels and gullwing trucks to a KS and the difference was amazing. You'll wet your pants the first time you roll across some gravel or rough pavement and your teeth don't rattle out of your skull. It's like a cloud.
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Aug 19, 2009 18:57
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I don't know, I've rattled over some pretty nasty rocks before. The bad part about running over rocks isn't getting stopped suddenly, it's getting the wobbles (the wheel moves up and over, which gives the same effect as leaning to turn) and also having your wheels lose traction. I tagged a smallish rock laying into a hard toeside carve with one of my back wheels and the board suddenly went sideways. Given the grippy wheels I was riding, as soon as they hit the ground the grabbed hard and I flew off backwards going about 20. If I wasn't wearing a helmet (it really is a good idea), I would at the very least have ended up with a serious brain injury. I was laid up for 3 or 4 days with whiplash. I flew off going backwards, my rear end hit the ground and my head immediately snapped back and bounced off of the pavement. I've also nailed a patch of gravel going through a hard 90° left at about 25-30, as soon as I hit it the board just slid out from under my and I went grinding down the street on my side. It was pretty surreal, as I was sliding along on my knee/elbow I could hear a weird ringing sound. I looked over and in slow-motion, watched the 9/16" wrench that was in my pocket bounce down the sidewalk next to me. So, I'd say the bigger danger in hitting a rock or gravel is losing traction or upsetting your balance. That goddamn landscaping bark they use in parks and stuff, that poo poo is horrible. It will wedge under your truck and stop you dead in your tracks. Oh, and aluminum cans. They wrap around your wheel.
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Aug 20, 2009 19:12
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Boneless 
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Aug 20, 2009 21:22
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Think you're fast? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0-pt1tNzx4
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Aug 21, 2009 17:38
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Lots of hardcore downhill guys just use your garden variety Bones Reds or similar bearings. The piece of gear that will affect your speed the most are wheels. As long as your bearings are clean and lubed, they will go as fast as you can go. Ceramics will last longer, but I'd rather spend the money on good wheels.
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Aug 28, 2009 16:51
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leica posted:Just ordered my Kracked Skulls longboard. How's that working out for you?
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Sep 9, 2009 17:07
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I completely forgot this thread existed...Zizzyx posted:Boarding to and from work makes work slightly less of a chore lately since I have something fun to do before and something to look forward to after. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33FvHMAUTZs enojy posted:
If you're going faster than you can run, do not roll. You're much more likely to get hurt if you're flopping around like a ragdoll. It's counter-intuitive, I know, but you should land and slide it out. You will get roadrash, but it's better than a broken arm or torn muscles/tendons/ligaments. If you're serious about bombing hills you should have slide gloves anyway, they give you a way to slow down, and you won't turn your hands into hamburger when you bail. I've gone down at 30+ before, my knee and elbow were chewed up, but my hands were fine. Knee and elbow pads would have prevented any roadrash at all, since you can land on those and just slide on the plastic instead your flesh. Golem II posted:wheels don't wear down in size. even if they are soft. Not to be a dick, but...  It's more common with longboarding since you do much more carving, etc., but wheels do wear down. VROOM VROOM posted:I just started riding, got a longboard to cruise/get around on and jesus christ skateboarding uses a completely different set of muscles than anything else I've done, I'm dying Learn to footbrake https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LloIFi4Qb8 You really can footbrake at any speed, as long as you can keep your nerves. Just transfer your weight to your braking foot, you want a nice smooth slide, you DON'T want to slap your foot against the ground. You will hurt yourself if you do that. You can also learn to slide with slide gloves, but not everyone likes to wear gloves everywhere. donJonSwan posted:
Ever have to do wall-sits in gym class? Practice endurance exercises like that. You need it, especially when you're doing big downhill runs. You can see near the end of this video, this guy has to pound on his thighs since he's tucking for the better part of 2.2 miles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fe4X0Xj8EI I don't mean to come in and sound like a know-it-all, but thought I'd provide some tips and resources for people.
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Jan 7, 2010 16:27
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I thought I was in pretty decent shape.
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Mincher posted:This is awesome and exactly what I see this thread being for. When I started to learn to skate there was no-one else around to show me the ropes (pre-internet days) so it's always good to pass on knowledge. Depends. What kind of skating are you into and how committed are you? Here's a video from Sergio Yuppie, it shows him with his kids training with resistance bands and balance balls, etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAM9Dw9Agok You'd probably want to focus on core and leg strength and agility training. There's the Indo Board, which you can buy or make one your self with wood and some kind of cylinder: http://www.indoboard.com/
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Jan 8, 2010 18:52
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I always seem to forget about this threadleica posted:Hey DELETED, what were the bushings that everyone likes again? I'm ready to swap out the stock bushings on my crackedskulls already. I'm over a month late, but Venom and Reflex both make some nice bushings. Sabre bushings are supposed to be good but I haven't tried them yet. I run a mix of Venom and Reflex barrels, they're really nice. RobotEmpire posted:I am the most obnoxious longboarding old person ever. I ride it literally everywhere.* Are the plys of the deck separating? If so you can squirt wood glue in there and then clamp it down nice and tight with c-clamps or a vice. You can try softer bushings which require less force to turn, but if it's the shape of the deck that's causing it you'll either want to change decks or build up the foot strength. If your deck has a lot of concave it can tend to work against your foot's arch and that can be painful for a while. Shoes are important though. When my shoes are old and worn, my feet start killing me after a bit of skating. RobotEmpire posted:How much do "real" skateboarders bother keeping their decks clean? My grip tape is getting kind of grimy but it still grips so I'm meh about it. Also, wheel & truck maintenance, do I need to do much if they're still moving? With longboarding, keeping your grip clean is a good idea once in a while. It will wear down and lose it's grip over time though. If it gets muddy or wet, I'll give it a quick once over but there are more important maintenance points. Your trucks probably feel looser because the bushings are getting worn. That, or your kingpin nut is getting worn (unlikely if you don't mess with it much). It's a good idea to go over your board once in a while and make sure everything is tightened properly and in good shape. The most important maintenance bit is probably bearings, since longboards tend to see more harsh conditions in regards to dirt and debris than a street setup. I think I posted a writeup earlier in this thread about cleaning bearings. All of the nuts on a board are nylock, which means they have a nylon ring in the nut that the threads of the bolt cut into. This keeps the nut from backing off, so if you mess with them enough it's a good idea to replace them. I've had axle nuts wear out and start backing off while riding, not good. Make sure your mounting bolts are tight, but don't overdo it, they can snap if you overtighten them. I get most of my skate stuff from Mile High Skates (http://www.milehighskates.com/), they have great customer service and it's owned and operated by skateboarders. You can get all the hardware you need there. Also, when adjusting your trucks, do it the right way. The kingpin nut should be tightened until there is no slack between the nut/washers/bushings/hanger. The bushings should not be squished out too far, if they are you are getting too tight. The right way to do it is to get the right bushings (they come in different durometers). Picking the right bushing comes down to your weight and personal preference. Stock bushings tend to suck anyway, so it's good to replace them. Read up on the different types of bushings (cones, barrels, etc.) and how they perform. https://www.silverfishlongboarding.com is a good place to start.
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Mar 5, 2010 15:02
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RobotEmpire posted:lol, wow, was looking at some skating websites today and I just realized I skate goofy-footed. Am I the Chosen One? The one on the right has wheel cutouts, which are just reliefs cut into the deck so the wheels can clear when you turn. A wider board might help, but there's 2 things in play here: Your shoes and the shape of the board. Good shoes are pretty important, but if the deck isn't right for your feet then that's where your problem is. If you look at your board from the front, you'll see the concave profile. You can have a board with no concave, which means it's flat, or you can have a board with a lot of concave such as a speedboard for high-speed downhill riding. There is a whole range of concave styles in between, of course. The deeper the concave, the better your feet stay locked in when you're carving or cornering (it also helps get a little more leverage over the trucks when you turn). However, this shape is the opposite of the shape of the arches of your feet, which means that your arch wants to flatten out some. This can be quite painful since it stretches the muscle, tendons and ligaments in your foot. I would start with the cheapest solution, which is a set of insoles that support your arch better. I know when my insoles/shoes are hammered because my feet will start hurting like no other. Is it both feet, or just one? If it's just your pushing foot, you might want to look at how you're pushing and/or footbraking. If you're just using the ball of your foot, this will also stretch your arches and cause pain. You want your foot flat on the pavement. I'm not too familiar with your deck, but if you're just cruising around and not doing anything too crazy (IE keeping speeds under 30-40mph) then a flexier deck with less camber may be what you're after. http://www.krackedskulls.com/ is a an independent builder, and they make great cruising/carving decks. I recommend them all the time because they're of good quality and pretty inexpensive. $135 plus shipping will get you one hell of a board. They're also drop-through decks, which means you're a little closer to the ground. That results in easier and more efficient pushing since your feet are closer to the ground as well. The turning won't be as sharp/quick as a top-mounted (conventional) deck, and you are limited in your truck selection though.
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Mar 8, 2010 18:21
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Apocalypso posted:I have a really lame and dumb request. I have to walk down this stupid hill every day, and every single time I think "I should be skating down this". The problem is that I'm a total pussy, and don't really want to go at insane speeds- not when I'm just starting again, at least. Are there any setups that accelerate fine on slight hills/flats, but have a tolerable speed on the steep ones? Maybe I could handle the speed if the board was more stable. The board should also be compact enough to carry, or wedge between my back and backpack. I probably wouldn't be doing any tricks, so that's not a concern. Any recommendations? What's your budget? The main thing, though, is practice. If you just jump on a board and try to rip up a hill, there's a good chance you're going to have a freak out moment, lock up and get the wobbles. Most of it is mental conditioning (the general consensus is that speed wobbles are 10% gear and 90% mental), which you acquire through practice. Start out doing small sections, begin at the bottom and work your way up. I don't mean to scare you or anything, but if you have a good wreck your first time out it might spook you and you'll have to get over the fear. Just work on getting comfortable with the board and learn how it reacts/behaves. Work on your carving and footbraking, and keep your knees bent. A good setup will make it much easier, but people have taken the course at Maryhill (about a 50mph run) on short slalom setups with loose narrow trucks. Like I said, it's about your state of mind and confidence, which are gained through practice and experience.
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Mar 10, 2010 18:37
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RobotEmpire posted:I'm flying to San Diego on Sunday evening, and I'd love to take my longboard. I already have two checked bags, a carry-on and a personal item, however. I'm willing to pay a fee, but I want to make sure it doesn't get broken or lost. What's the best way to do this? I won't be able to get back down there for years so I'd like to do a little skating along the ocean and stuff. What's the best way to get it on and off the plane? Strap it to my luggage or what? If it's not possible I would be disappointed. http://www.silverfishlongboarding.com/forum/longboarding-resources-q/107303-all-those-traveling-longboards.html
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Mar 27, 2010 16:57
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mix.lunar posted:I looked it over again just now and it's not as much a hole as I first expected but more of a deep gash. I'm guessing it was when I hosed up a really bad/hard ollie and it caught me in the same place. I still remember when it was. I have it covered now, if it isn't better in a by Monday I'll probably get it checked out, but I've had worse. The skin and poo poo I pulled off just really freaked me out. So I guess no skating for me for a week or so Let it scab over then throw some neosporin on it and cover it up. leica posted:Totally forgot about the Ceviche, it's basically a revamped version of the Fish I think, with a real tail instead of a riser. Whenever I can afford it, it's going to be my next board. drat they get expensive.
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Mar 30, 2010 18:07
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Mest0r posted:Skateboarding for the most part is just muscle memory, which in this case is trying a trick hundreds of times before even landing it once. Manuals are all about even weight distribution and easing into the position where you're balanced above the board. My suggestion is just to try the combination of bending your knees for adjustment as well as tilting your shoulders, eventually you'll get a natural feel for where everything needs to be. Yeah, just do it over and over again. You will scrape your knees and/or palms up. Zizzyx posted:a light shower happened while i was out riding and caused me to fall spectacularly while going down the entrance to my complex. i can't walk properly right now due to massive hip bruising and maybe a concussion. i also managed to get some huge unexplained blood blisters on the tips of my fingers while i was at it. Head injuries are no loving joke. People might talk a lot of poo poo, but it's worth it to wear a helmet. You can put neosporin on road rash and set a broken bone, but a traumatic brain injury can become your homie for life. I've bailed hard enough to have whiplash for several days, and I would be dead right now if I wasn't wearing a helmet. I'd rather look like a fag, wear a helmet and live to skate another day instead of literally ending up retarded. It's your call, but I personally don't gently caress with head injuries after seeing what they can do to someone. You might get away with a knot and a concussion, or your might end up needing assistance to walk and forgetting how to speak english. If you feel nauseous or oddly tired, go to the ER. A head injury can kill you several hours after the fact so go to the doctor if you're the least bit suspicious something is wrong.
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Mar 31, 2010 18:21
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I don't remember if I posted about it in this topic I'd rather have a piece of equipment absorb that instead my skull I was skating a hill I've skated many, many times. Nice smooth pavement, perfect for carving and sliding. Anyway, I start throwing a hard toeside carve at about 15-20 tops. I hit a sneaky rock which kicked the rear end loose, felt like a standup slide but I'm pretty sure my back wheels weren't even on the ground. The tail or the wheel hit the curb and stopped the board in its tracks. I kept rotating a bit, landed with my left buttcheek first, which in turn snapped my head back against the pavement. HARD. Fortunately I was wearing my helmet so I was fine other than a slight headache. The noise was incredible. I went out to dinner with my family that night, which seemed much more enjoyable than going to the hospital/morgue would have been. I was alone and in a really out of the way area so if I was knocked unconscious I would have been there a while. Its a pretty drat good helmet, a little light on the protection but it definitely did its job there. It's a lighter helmet designed to withstand multiple weaker impacts, as opposed to a traditional helmet that's really only safe for one good impact. It's a trade off, less weight but less protection. For general longboarding and street skating, something like this might work fine, but you have to decide for yourself. For serious downhill stuff, you should have a fullface helmet for sure. The chinbar could save your life. DELETED fucked around with this message at 19:15 on Apr 1, 2010 |
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Apr 1, 2010 19:08
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I emailed the manufacturer, and they told me that as long as the shell isn't cracked or damaged it's fine. It uses a multi-impact foam that's not as protective as a standard foam helmet. http://www.triple8.com/shop/product/Triple-Eight-Brainsaver-Rubber-Helmet-with-Sweatsaver-Liner
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Apr 1, 2010 19:17
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Mincher posted:That's just all down to how you set your weight. Lean into your tic-tacs more, with the focus on using your front foot to do all the steering. Seriously, bend your knees and see how much you really can stay balanced. You can move your weight around easier when you're moving and everything is nice and relaxed.
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Apr 6, 2010 19:58
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Shania Twain posted:So I'm amped that we found an architect that skates to help design the park. That's pretty cool. On another board I visit, there's a guy who is an engineer/architect and actually convinced someone to change the handrails for this school they were designing/building "to comply with ADA". These changes just happened to make the design skateable, too. Also, loose trucks save lives. DELETED fucked around with this message at 17:42 on Apr 8, 2010 |
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Apr 8, 2010 17:27
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Shania Twain posted:
This might be true for street skating, but not for longboarding/downhill/slalom/whatever. The amount of gear and options out there that actually make a difference is staggering, I could sperg for hours about truck width and baseplate angles and bearing hub placement and lip profiles and urethane formulas blah blah blah.
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Apr 10, 2010 20:29
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leica posted:Just got the Khiro bushing kit, and none of the bushings in it are cone shaped.....Is this good or bad? Are they barrels? If you have Randals you'll need an extra flat washer between the baseplate and the bushing since Khiros barrels are just a touch shorter than stock Randal bushings. If you need more info, I can go a little more depth later since I'm on lunch at the moment.
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Apr 19, 2010 19:29
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leica posted:Yeah, they're all barrels which kinda confused me since I figured a "kit" would come with cones and barrels. The kit came with two pairs of washers, one flat and one "cup" set. Basically you would assemble it as normal, but you would just put 2 washers against the baseplate before you put the first bushing on. http://www.randal.com/guides_faq.html 2 washers would go between the baseplate and bottom bushing, assuming your new Khiros are shorter than the stock Randal bottom bushing. I'd personally ditch the cup washers, but that's personal preference. Flat washers, especially with barrels, give you a more linear feel when the bushings compress. With cup washers, the more you lean, the more the bushing pushes against the cup and the more rebound it has. You don't need to shim the bushings, but it will lower your pivot angle if you don't and that'll cause you to lose turn and response. For RobotEmpire: Bushings get softer with use, not harder. If the kingpin is properly tightened (just enough to keep everything from rattling around) and they're still too loose, then you can take a few steps. Smaller wheels will give you a little more clearance as will thicker riser pads. The other option is stiffer bushings. You can tighten the kingpin up a little more than snug, but don't go too far or you'll risk splitting the bushing and you'll lose some compression and rebound since they're already under pressure. DELETED fucked around with this message at 00:58 on Apr 25, 2010 |
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Apr 25, 2010 00:49
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leica posted:Thanks man, I'll be heading to Home Depot today for some washers. Can't wait to try out better bushings. For the washers: 0.375" ID; 0.875" OD; 0.064"-0.104" thickness As far as cleaning bearings: Materials: Skate tool or 1/2" socket or wrench for wheel nuts, a safety pin or something similar (maybe, see below), rubber/latex gloves (optional), a can of aerosol brake cleaner, carburetor cleaner or throttle body cleaner (they're pretty much the same thing, you can find this at Wal Mart or an auto parts store. I prefer carb cleaner since it's a little less aggressive than brake cleaner, I've seen dye leach from the shields with brake cleaner) 1. Remove the shields. This varies for each bearing depending on the shield type. -Bones Reds have shields on one side of the bearing only, the side that's in the wheel is open. This makes it easier to clean, you really don't have to disassemble the bearing unless you really want to. To do this, you'll want to dull a safety pin or use the eye of a needle to poke the metal on the inside of the shield, you'll have to go between the ball bearings. Make sure you do not bend the shield or you'll never get it back on. You can try flattening it with a book or something, but it's hit or miss. Be careful taking the bearing cage/crown/retainer out, it's the nylon or metal thing that holds your ball bearings in place. if the balls all go to one side of the bearing, the races will separate and your bearing will fall apart. It's kind of a pain, so I never do it. -Cheap bearings are usually sealed and packed with grease (like you'd find on a $20 walmart complete). The shields are not replaceable. You can still clean and lube them though. Just use a nail or something to pry one shield off of each bearing. Then you can just orient them like Bones and point the remaining shield towards the outside. -Bearings with removable metal shields need a thumbtack or safety pin. Around the outer edge of the shield, you should see what's called a C-clip (because it looks like a C). On one end of the C there will be a little lip. Put the tip of your tack into the little lip and pull towards the centerhole of the bearing. The C should kind of curl together more and then come out. Then the shield should come off easily. Keep track of your shields and clips, and don't let them get bent. 2. Use your aerosol solvent (with nozzle tube) to spray the bearing out. The fluid should run out of the bearing clean once all the crap is flushed out. You may want to wear gloves, since the solvent has fun stuff like acetone, xylene, benzene, methyl ethyl ketone, etc. It's bad for you and absorbs into your skin, drying it out and entering your body. You shouldn't have a problem with that little, but it's your call. The balls and races should be nice and shiny now. 3. Let them dry, the solvent will evaporate quickly or you can blow them out with an air compressor. 4. Lubricate. You may notice that your bearing spins faster with no lube. So why would you lubricate them? Well, a bearing's performance without load on it doesn't matter. When you're riding, the bearings have load on them, which changes how they perform compared with no load. Also, unlubed bearings can overheat and seize up. Overheating is more common in downhill but lube is better than no lube. I suggest Bones Speed Cream, a little bottle is a few bucks, and even with very liberal cleaning of several sets of bearings, I still have about half of a year old bottle left. Failing that you can use tri-flo, which is also very nice. Really, anything with oil will work, but Speed Cream and tri-flo are my favorites. After that, reassemble and enjoy. Oil will come out of freshly cleaned bearings after you ride them for a bit, you can wipe it off or leave it, your call.
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Apr 25, 2010 16:18
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nocturama posted:lost a lot of skin last night bombing a hill on this (slightly different wheels)....still not 100% on how to correct speed wobble Wobbles are mostly mental, although a short wheel base will make it worse. Stay relaxed and bend your knees. Your board is going to wobble and twitch (an effect of the lean to steer system) at decent speeds. Staying comfortable and relaxed will help since your legs will absorb some of that twitching. When you tense up, you'll over-correct and it will make them worse. That really only comes with experience. Start with a smaller hill and then inch out of your comfort zone. Do keep in mind that a short wheelbase will be rather unstable at speed.
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Apr 30, 2010 19:24
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I want to go to Europe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEZ9AxKKR6E
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May 5, 2010 14:37
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NaDy: Are you doing them while moving? Whalley: I don't really do any street or park skating, but I noticed my technique for sliding, carving and cornering got a lot smoother and bolder once I got a helmet for the exact reason you mention: I wasn't as scared of bailing/screwing up once I realized I had some protection. Road rash sucks, but it heals. Traumatic brain injuries don't heal so easily, so knowing that even if you hit your head you'll just have a slight headache and a sore neck really helps boost your confidence. Having that confidence means you will be more clearly focused on what's happening. As I was saying earlier about speed wobbles, they're mostly a product of your mental state at the time. I've gotten wobbles at 30+mph, but I felt calm at the time and just let the board do it's thing. When you're scared or apprehensive, you're much more tense physically and focus too much on the wrong things.
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May 8, 2010 18:54
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Yeah, a good wreck will give you the fear afterwards, your body doesn't want you to do that again so you get anxious and apprehensive. Just keep skating and it will pass, you just have to get back on and work your way back into your original comfort level.
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May 8, 2010 21:14
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75mm 
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May 17, 2010 19:51
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I'm on a Rayne Avenger with Randal 180s and 80a Orangatang InHeats, 50° baseplate in the front and a 42° baseplate in the rear for stability and traction. It's a pretty grippy setup. I also have a Kracked Skulls M1 but it's not mounted on anything right now. I really like big soft wheels, since most of the pavement and concrete here is really crappy. It takes a little more energy to get going, but once you do, they hold speed a lot better than smaller wheels. On either of my setups (the Avenger and the M1), the biggest wheels I can run are 75-77mm. The M1 doesn't have the biggest wheel cutouts so the only wheels I can run that big are 77mm Abec11 Strikers since they're sideset. My O'tangs fit but I had to dremel some small reliefs so the lips would clear when turning. If you want some nice, smooth wheels that drift like butter, Strikers are great. Mine were 78a and I could do standup drifts through sharp corners like nothing. I'm kind of on a grippy wheel kick right now, busting slides is fun but locking into a carve as hard as you possibly can is really goddamn fun too.
DELETED fucked around with this message at 16:10 on May 19, 2010 |
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May 19, 2010 16:06
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Mest0r posted:7.75" riders unite! Although I think I'll be sizing up to 8" in a few months to give it more of a fair shot. It looks like they're universal risers that can be used on both old school and new school bolt patterns
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May 19, 2010 18:18
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Bucket Joneses posted:No you can see that there is visibly a portion of the trucks that are not being supported by the riser. Yeah, I didn't notice at first.
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May 19, 2010 23:43
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Sounds like you psyched yourself out a bit. What were you riding?
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May 20, 2010 16:59
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Yeah, I'm in love with my Avenger, I think it's an '08 from the end of the run before the W-cave. It's actually one of the F2 models... fun tip, if you wait until after Christmas then Rayne usually has an F2 sale, which is just blemished boards laying around they can't sell at full price. I scored my Avenger for about $80, about half of what they normally go for. It's actually a Frankenstein of sorts, it has features from a few different production runs (dark stain, carbon stringers) so it's pretty unique. The only blemishes are a couple bubbles in the fiberglass, a dark smudge on the top, a wheel well isn't cut as deep as the others and the carbon stringers are a little off center. For $80, I'll accept some visual problems, and the wheel well hasn't caused any troubles. The first time I took it down even a mild hill, I was pleasantly surprised at how well it held the road and held speed. It's a fair bit heavier than my Kracked Skulls, and you can definitely tell the added weight helps you hold your momentum longer. The concave really locks you in. You can tell they put some thought into this board, and if I'm remembering correctly, it's the same design Kevin Reimer used to hit ~76mph
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May 21, 2010 13:52
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UFOTofuTacoCat posted:This kind of segues to something that I've wanted to bring up regarding footage. It seems documenting your skateboarding is kind of a generational thing. As an old man skater (34) when I was coming up it wasn't that easy to record and edit footage so it was not that common. My old man stance on the issue is that it takes away time from actually enjoying skating and makes things more stressful. Also it seems a bit vain. Of course if someone records me doing something I'm interested in seeing it, it's just that I wouldn't go out of my way to document things with a camera. I found it helps if you don't have anyone above your skill level to skate with, everyone I know doesn't have as much experience as I do. I set up a camera and recorded myself trying to do coleman slides. After I reviewed the footage I saw that I wasn't getting low enough. Once I did that I was laying 'em down with ease.
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May 26, 2010 13:30
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I almost ran over a chihuahua once, stupid bitch just let her little rear end dog run around the path with the leash just dragging on the ground. I should have taken it out. I will say it's fun to sneak up on people on the local bike paths, my setup is insanely quiet. They usually don't hear me until I'm within an arm's reach.
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May 27, 2010 14:12
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| # ¿ Mar 16, 2025 12:40 |
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I love knowing how to pump, and having a board that can do it well. I can get up around 20 on flat land, which means I like to chase bikers down the trail. I let them pass me, kick as fast as I can (~12-15mph if there's no wind) and then start pumping. I can hold that speed for a good distance, but it's a lot of work. It's funny to watch them turn around and realize there's a skateboard keeping up with them. Never really had a problem with bikers, except those Lance Armstrong wannabes in jerseys and spandex. Most of those guys are self-important pricks in my experience.
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May 29, 2010 01:33
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