wavechaser Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 Gator's, I've been downhilling on these wheels all winter because I don't like the way my Avila's feel below freezing. The "Thane" feels like something in between Retro and Seismic. The only time I felt the wheels were holding me back was against the wind on a coasting type hill I could feel and see people on big zigs pull away from me. But on steep turny stuff they were equal to the task of staying with the bigzigs. Gecko huh? you buying one of Martin's foam decks? they look gorgeous but I don't slalom enough to warrant anything more than maybe a JITT Fullbag to assist my tight slalom...I may also pick up a Comet Crystal Chalice from the factory this summer that board just speaks to me Thanks for the Gator report...they are not getting great reviews for their top-end speed so far - fits what you experienced. I'm probably getting a FB JITT TS too (don't discount this board!), and the new Red Baron HS. The Gecko is just every feature I've wanted in a slalom deck, all in one. Pricey but still WAY less than a nice racing snowboard! Have you seen the PPS pre-coned wheels? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 yeah I was thinking about getting a set of the PPS's and a set of Chaput's wheels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wavechaser Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 yeah I was thinking about getting a set of the PPS's and a set of Chaput's wheels Can't go wrong with either. I'm torn between the FB Speed Carver and a Landy Evo for a longboard this summer. I don't want a full-on DH race stick, and I don't want a Kebbek shape. Have you ridden either/both? Probably run it with Tracker Fastracks and Seismic Blast Waves, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 I don't like the Evo, concave is similar to Kebbek, I've rolled a bit on the Speed Carver, the board is nice I didn't care set up but like all Fullbags the board is nice. Though I would buy a Speed Cruizer if you aren't looking for a race board. Raynes are another choice Hellcats and Avenger's are very nice. I like my Fastracks they turn DEEP, I haven't ever rolled on Blastwaves but if they are anything like the rest of the Seismic wheels they should be fine. 2 other choices are Madrid and Comet speedboards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pow Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 of course the weather seems to be plotting to prevent me from having any fun with it:angryfire I know, right? what'll you ever do with snow on the ground:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 you must have missed the post where I lamented that replacing my furnace has bankrupted my snowboarding funds:(:(:( that said I'll still be visiting my local ski hill for a few hours tomorrow:eplus2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skully Posted February 26, 2008 Report Share Posted February 26, 2008 Drool..... So 93/4" X 40".... What's the wheelbase? What's the concave like? Have you ridden it yet? You've given me the speedboard bug, and posting porn like this isn't helping at all! Shamelessly showing off my latest board (another of xxguitarist's masterpieces)...of course the weather seems to be plotting to prevent me from having any fun with it:angryfire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted February 26, 2008 Report Share Posted February 26, 2008 Set up as it is it's a very nice garage speed and carving board, I'm awaiting a set of Venom Stim bushings to make is a bit better at higher speeds. Indy's aren't a limiting factor but they do require some differenced from a more traditional DH setup. Wheelbase is 31.5" but because I'm using Indy's the perceived wheelbase is more like 32.5" of a randal style truck. The concave is deep, I asked Andrew to make a deeper concave from the drop through he made me last fall. he did and it's great. I set my front foot and it's locked in. Only one day on it so far it, snowed here and a different kind of turn called out to me. As I said above, I have a dropthough speedboard which even with turny trucks (at present Fastracks) is stable as all get out, so my goal with this board was for a light agile board to run tighter technical courses/paths/roads. That said this board is nearly as low as my drop through, the only reverse kingpin truck I would use on this would be Kahalani's because I like this lowness it brings a stablity completely different but just as comfortable as a dropthrough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skully Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 Haven't ridden it yet... I've never really done any speed boarding (Unless butt-boarding in the 80's counts) so I have no idea what to expect. I'm a whimp, so I'll probably never go really fast on it, but it will be fun trying... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 maple hellcat, very nice. Might I recomend building a set of slide gloves, there are of great use when learning to ride at speed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skully Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Might I recomend building a set of slide gloves, there are of great use when learning to ride at speed Already got 'em. I'v been using them for quite a while now, when dodging (running into) cones, and any other time I think they might come in handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paragonUE Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 i want a rayne demonseed sooo bad, wicked expensive boards though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skully Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 i want a rayne demonseed sooo bad, wicked expensive boards though That's why I got mine used, otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to afford it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 i want a rayne demonseed sooo bad, wicked expensive boards though The Demonseed is a nice board but HUGE (too big for my 6'1" frame)...since you are in upstate new york you might want to check out Comet skateboards, they are building boards in Ithaca these days and you could likely pick up a speed board from them for a decent price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tenorman Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 I went out skating with Sofaking/Brian Peck (young speedfreak and slalom geek) Wednesday on a local hill. He got bored with lots of traction (lime BigZigs) and threw on a set of blue Krypto's so he could drift his speedboard. Mind you I'm talking 30mph slides and such but after watching him for a bit I was convinced that I needed to at least try so i now have a set of Blue Krypto's on the way to practice sliding my speedboard.... hi Gecko i just stumbled back on this site (after about a 10 year absence) looking for info on silberfeils. is this the same BRIAN PECK who goes to school at SFU in burnaby? if so, does he hardboot snowboard also? i was trying to avoid him and his roomie malcolm until the snow melted. i refuse to waste time skateboarding when there is still good snow waiting to be carved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 not sure...this Brian Peck is 18, doesn't snowboard, used to live in west hartford, skates slalom, slide and especially downhill uses the name Sofa King on Silverfish. However he recently moved to Vancouver for the winter, he's coming back to Ct for the summer and then probably a permanent move to Canukistan. He's fun to skate with especially downhill, I always learn when I skate with him and I've been skating for 35 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tenorman Posted March 9, 2008 Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 not sure...this Brian Peck is 18, doesn't snowboard, used to live in west hartford, skates slalom, slide and especially downhill uses the name Sofa King on Silverfish. However he recently moved to Vancouver for the winter, he's coming back to Ct for the summer and then probably a permanent move to Canukistan. He's fun to skate with especially downhill, I always learn when I skate with him and I've been skating for 35 years. hi Gecko phoned malcolm and he confirmed it's the same brian peck from connecticut. guess we'll have to drag brian out skating with us this tuesday night. i better eat my wheaties beforehand as i already have enough trouble keeping up with 20 year old malcolm on his skateboard--brian will be tougher as he's only 18 (i just realize i'm skating with guys about a third my age--suddenly i feel very old.) i got sidetracked by the name brian peck. my original reason for posting was that you shouldn't let the long wheelbase of the demonseed dissuade you. the flex of a demonseed allows the trucks to steepen/quicken and hence turn more like a shorter board than the much stiffer landyachtz evo (mentioned in the second post of this thread.) i've always thought of landyachtz evos as the f2 speedsters (short lengths with long sidecuts) and rayne demonseeds as prior wcrs (long lengths with small sidecuts) of the skateboard world. since you wouldn't hesitate to ride a longer than normal prior neither should you balk at the extra length of a demonseed. before i inadvertently hijack this thread, the person who started this thread (LOUIS) wanted to use his board mainly for commuting so i think his choice of skateboard would be dictated mostly by his daily route. i happen to own both the evo and the demonseed and prefer the evo when my route is fairly straight with long drawn out turns while i always take the demonseed when skating very turny and twisty roads. good call on the slider gloves--i even wear a cutting board on my left (regular footed) butt cheek. for similar reasons i glue a piece of ballistic nylon to the left butt cheek of my snowboard pants and completely cover the palms of my snowboard gloves with duct tape. i also found that wearing a rear view mirror on my helmet (skating not snowboarding) allows me to bust out high speed power slides (even in heavy traffic.) if you can ignore all the other skaters who laugh at your gear you will reap many safety benefits as well as save lots of money on shoes as i rarely need to footbrake. hope this info helps louis choose to take up skateboard commuting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted March 9, 2008 Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 skating with the youngins is fun (they are only half my age) and feeding off their energy is good for the soul. My big issue with the Demonseed is I can't get my stance long enough to drive it....I found myself walking forward and back on it. Other than that though I love Rayne's they have the best feeling concave of the speedboards I've tried. Never much was an Evo fan...not sure if it's the concave or the wedging or both...though in truth I really prefer top mounts and drop thoughs to drop boards. I am just getting to the big slide point...I use a Rogers Bros sole on my right shoe for braking right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik J Posted March 10, 2008 Report Share Posted March 10, 2008 I came home this past Thurs. to find a Sector 9 box in my house - apparently my brother sent me a longboard. It's my first. I just spent the morning making turns in front of my house. I think I'm in love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted March 10, 2008 Report Share Posted March 10, 2008 apparently my brother sent me a longboard :biggthumpNow that's a brother:biggthump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik J Posted March 11, 2008 Report Share Posted March 11, 2008 I took 6 runs on a mellow road in front of my house, then felt a craving for more steepness and speed. I have a brand new street that's closed at both ends about 3 miles from where I live. It might be a luxury develpoment one day but for now it's miles of smooth new road surrounded by nothing but grass - blocked off at both ends from traffic. One section of hill is over a mile of winding blacktop with a great runout at the end. Dear god this is fun stuff. Since it was my first day I went overboard with full motorcycle gear, body armor, wristguards, helmet etc. I was ready to crash. And what a great workout - ride down at idiotic speeds, then run back up the hill for more. fun fun fun fun fun fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coloradoking Posted April 6, 2008 Report Share Posted April 6, 2008 i'm rolling on a loaded vanguard flex 1 (i weigh about 170 lbs) so its a little off my weight but when i start doin 25 or so it gets super responsive, definately a board for a more experienced rider (it isnt very forgiving) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted April 6, 2008 Report Share Posted April 6, 2008 25mph is pretty much the top end for Vanny so even if you are 5 pounds light for the boards build at that speed the stiffness is helping you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted April 11, 2008 Report Share Posted April 11, 2008 OK I take back every bad thing I have ever said about Soft carving boards in general and Loaded's in particular. That said I'm still not likely to own a Vanguard/Dervish but that has more to do with the double pin shape (I'm dyslectic, I need a nose and tail) and not the genre. I recently (Tuesday) picked up an Earthwing Supercharger (think of it as a shorter WB Vanny with a kicktail) and I now get it. This board was purchased with the intent on long distance pushing/commuting (I skated home 18-20 miles Wednesday afternoon) but it's the pumping and carving that have changed my view. I've spent the last year on stiff speedboards pitching myself down hills that are...well....lets just say I've gone faster than my age in MPH nearly every every time I skate. Now I am getting joy out of carving hills that I used to hold my tuck to get past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pow Posted April 11, 2008 Report Share Posted April 11, 2008 my girlfriend wants a double kingpin (s9 sidewinders). I'm pretty jealous, because they seem like really great carving trucks when ive tried them out in the store. Anybody else try them? she wants the longest board (38) they make with these trucks (the sandwedge). I might have to steal it from her over the summer if she does get one:eplus2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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