I hit rock bottom

[Guest Ghostrider]

THATS IT!!

I feel like some 1980's hair rock band during the 1990's...as the VH-1 behind the music guy would say.."and then...HE HIT ROCK BOTTOM"

I CANT TAKE IT!! I need snow!! its not even officially summer yet and I'm goin nuts!

My only solution...I must get to an open hill!

Any travel agents out there wanna throw me the college student special?!

Anybody have a few extra frequent flyer miles?!

I know lots of computer programming and website development stuff...anybody want to fly me to Mt. Hood for a "business meeting"????

"Will code for snow."

Anybody have a vacation home on an open resort??? I'm a great house sitter!!

Anybody have a really big box and a FedEx account?!?!

It doesnt even need to be a really big box...I'm only 5'9"...

Hellllppp meeeeeeeeee....

:D

[Baka Dasai]

Take up skateboarding.

<img src="http://www.landyachtz.com/photos/photos/photo10.jpg">

[Tommy D]

I was out on my board carving up the parking lot yesterday. Sure, it hurts a lot more if I bail, but the carving sensations are similar.

[Guest Ghostrider]

ok...that'll do...anybody suggest a good board setup?

[Tommy D]

I suppose it depends on what you want to do, but here's my setup:

Sector 9 Cosmic deck, Randall 2 180 and Seismic 155 trucks (I switch back and forth), 3DM Avalon wheels.

My riding is rather laid-back. Mostly carving turns in the local school lot, at slow to moderate speeds. I use it for xtraining; practicing my snowboarding form.

[Guest Ghostrider]

I guess I could have expected that answer...how about this question:

Where would I look to get info and purchase one of these extremely warm condition carving sticks?

I looked locally but nobody seemed to show enough knowledge to make me happy. other than one guy who told me.."this one is longer than those two."

[Tommy D]

HAHAHA!

I've had a lot of success with Gary Fluitt at http://www.asphaltplayground.com/index.html

He knows his stuff, and will give you straight answers. I got my deck here: http://sector9.com/

A lot of info can be found at http://www.ncdsa.com/vendor_banners.asp, but I find that site to be a PITA to sort through stuff, though there are a few links to vendors.

If there were a local skate shop to go to, I would support that, but longboarding in my area is practically unheard of, so I've had the best luck online.

[Neil Gendzwill]

What do you want to do with it? You want to cruise, you want to race downhill, race slalom, learn to slide, hit the park?

[Guest Ghostrider]

I'd probably mostly just cruise to class or around campus, but I'd like some high performance so I can do some slalom...maybe small downhill, but not any serious racing since I like having my skin attached to my bones. And it for sure won't be in the park..I've already got a birdhouse for that.

[Neil Gendzwill]

Well, the cruise/downhill thing could be combined into one board but if you want to slalom that's another thing.

For cruising, look into the Landyachtz Chief or one of the Sector 9 boards, I have the Supercruiser. I own and recommend the Randall RII trucks. For wheels, check out the Abec 11 Flashbacks or maybe the Kryptonics Classic K 70 mm. Avoid the Sector 9 wheels.

If you were serious about downhill racing, you'd want a board without the camber or much flex, swap out the RIIs for some Randall Downhills, and look at the bigger speed wheels.

For slalom, you could look at Roe for a deck, then maybe Seismic 105s, Tracker RT-X or Indy 101s. There's also the Turner trucks but they're pretty pricey for a first slalom set up. By all accounts the 3DM/Turner wheels are what you want these days, although Abec 11 also makes fine wheels for slalom. Turner also makes a long slalom deck these days, you can see it here combined with Seismic trucks. I'm not sure what happened to their shorter foam core decks.

For more info than you could possibly absorb in one sitting, www.ncdsa.com.

[Guest Ghostrider]

How much should I avoid the sector 9 wheels? The two boards i'm looking at come complete from sector 9 with r2's but with the sector 9 wheels. If I do piece together my own setup, whatta ya say for bearings?

I think I'm looking at either the Sector 9 Bomb Hills or the Platinum Cosmic. How would the ride of these two boards differ? One is 8-ply maple and one is 5 maple/2 fiberglass...

[Neil Gendzwill]

I haven't seen those decks in person but from the description I'd guess the Platinum Cosmic would be more oriented to pumping/longboard slalom. It's got the camber and the glass in it. I've found their cosmic 1/2 to be too soft but then I weigh around 190. The Platinum is supposedly stiffer.

As for the sector 9 wheels - if the combo price is so cheap that the wheels are nearly free, go for it. But you get pretty good deals from places like solid skate (my earlier links) and longskate.com, so it might be just as cheap to put it together.

I don't have much opinion on bearings, only that whatever kind you get, make sure you get spacers and washers. Longboard wheels are soft and need spacers for optimal performance. Should really have them on your popsicle stick too. Make sure you get the right ones to match the wheels you get - some need 8 mm, some 10 mm.

[Tommy D]

Hi. I bought my starter set from Sector 9, but not a complete: I bought the deck/trucks/wheels separately.

Definitely avoid the Sector 9 wheels. I have a set, but they are narrow, and very hard/slidey. You can have mine(barely used) for $5, plus shipping. :p Instead, get some wheels by 3DM if you want grip to make your eyes bug out, or the ABEC 11 wheels suggested by Neil.

If you shop around, (Asphalt playground, for one) you will be able to build a custom setup for very close to what you can buy a complete setup for, and get what you want.

I don't know how those boards compare, and I only have experience on the Cosmic 2. My Cosmic seems to be perfect for my use: Cruising/carving mostly, but some informal slalom turns occasionally thrown in. The flex is about right for me, but I weigh 145lbs. If you get a chance, try before you buy; I'd like to try out some more decks, especially with some softer/springier flex.

As for bearings: I've been using cheap-o generic bearings, and they are fine for now, but I will be getting some higher quality stuff soon. I'm staying away from the really expensive stuff, but I don't compete.

If you come out to CT at all, I'll be happy to show you my embarassingly small parking lot where I ride. ;)

[Guest Ghostrider]

Ok change in plans..I just talked to Gary Fluitt at asphaltplayground.com

and here is what he suggested...

Insect DragonFly 36”

45 degree 150mm Seismic truck in front

30 degree 150mm Seismic in back,

Abec11 70mm Flashbacks 81/78a duro

Anybody have any thoughts on that setup for a 170lbs rider?

[Tommy D]

I don't know about weight on this one, but that sounds like a fantastic setup.

I have a pair of 45 degree Seismics, and the board carves very well and tight, but is a bit too turny(not unstable) at speed, but I don't go fast and straight anyway. Your 45/30 setup should be nice and controlled, yet manouverable.

Also, I think the seismics come with yellow springs (On the softer side.) Even for my 145lb self, the yellows are way too soft. Go for stiffer springs. I upgraded to purple, but those ended up being too stiff for my weight/application. They are for sale cheap if you want to upgrade later.

EDIT: Oh, the more grip, the better, IMO. Go with the softer (78a) durometer wheels.

Tell Gary 'Tom Williams' sent you. He probably doesn't remember me, but it never hurts to say hello! ;)

[knoch]

ahh, forget all this carve on pavement crap and just come wakeboarding with me man, i know you're itchen to use your new set up anyway, just let me know when you have some time and think you can make the hour and a half drive...

[Tommy D]

Yeah! I've only been wakeboarding a few times, but it's awesome.

With any luck I'll be able to whore off my friends more often this year. ;) Of course, they are always looking for a third for spotting, so I'm being used, too. :D

[Guest Ghostrider]

Oh..I'll for sure be wakeboarding. If the dentist hadn't have stolen my wisdom teeth this week, I would already have been out on it. But instead ive got a Hyperlite TFD 142 w/ Hyperlite Parks bindings with tags still on it sitting amungst the other boards in my carving quiver.

Can you ever have too many carving sticks?

BTW...Anybody want to buy a 168 Volkl RTGS? drop me a line if you do. ;)

[lonerider]

Originally posted by Neil Gendzwill

What do you want to do with it? You want to cruise, you want to race downhill, race slalom, learn to slide, hit the park?

Hey, saw this thread and was intrigued. I am interested in getting into long/slalom boards for summer-crosstraining purposes. I want to learn how to pump board around a relatively flat parking lot and maybe some areas will shallow inclines. My emphasis is to practice "carving" technique and not to bomb down trails, I would be perfectly happy to puttering around at a jogger's pace if possible.

I heard someone mention the Mad Bomber II... would that be good? What about the boards mentioned here?

[Tommy D]

Lonerider: This thread is for you! ;)

I'd like to learn pumping too, but I need a much larger space to really practice. I can pump a little on toeside, but haven't figured out heelside, or if it is even possible to pump both ways?

[Baka Dasai]

I'm a relative newbie when it comes to skateboarding, and haven't ridden a whole lot of different equipment, but I was in a similar situation to you about a year ago, and I did tons of reading up on ncdsa etc. So, with that as a disclaimer…

…the Bozi Mad Bomber appears to be more of a speed/big-hill-carving board, and not really ideal for pumping around the flats at moderate speeds.

One of the more interesting things I read about pumping a skateboard was an analogy between wheel-base and gearing. A short wheel-base is analogous to a low gear, giving you good acceleration and easy pumping at low speeds. A longer wheel-base will be difficult or impossible to pump at lower speeds, but if you do happen to already have some speed up you can pump to higher speeds than is possible with a short wheel-base.

After reading that, and after coming to terms with the fact that I live in a fairly flat area, I realised I shouldn't get a long longboard. I ended up buying a <a href="http://www.loadedboards.com/">Loaded Fish</a>, which has a 25" wheel-base, and is billed as an all-round "commuter" board. Another board with a similar wheel-base would be the <a href="http://www.boziboards.com/boardsgs.html">Bozi GS</a>. These both seem kinda similar to the <a href="http://www.asphaltplayground.com/deck2.html">Insect board</a> mentioned above. Something in this size/style seems like a good compromise – small and nimble enough to pump on the flat and run cones, but big enough to be comfortable cruising around and to carve some hills. Having said that I really want to buy a longer deck for the times when I do some hill carving, and I also want a genuine slalom deck.

The Loaded Fish (wow, it rotates!):

<EMBED src="http://www.loadedboards.com/fish.swf" quality=high bgcolor=#FFFFFF WIDTH="250" HEIGHT="500" ALIGN="" TYPE="application/x-shockwave-flash" PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></EMBED>

The Bozi GS:

<img src="http://www.boziboards.com/GSbottomcomplete300.jpg"><img src="http://www.boziboards.com/GSsidecomplete300.gif">

Tommy, sure you can pump both ways. My toeside pump is much stronger than my heelside though. You can practice pumping one side by trying to pump circles by doing a series of heelsides that never quite turn into toesides (or vice versa). I should practice this for my heelside, but I'm lazy.

There are so many skateboarding threads going this spring that this forum should be renamed/rebadged. And Fin could start making Bomber trucks.:)

[Guest Ghostrider]

Yea Fin! Hop into the skate market!!

CAD us up an uber engineered truck!!

It would be the biggest thing since they figured out how to put that red thing into every single olive...:D

[Tommy D]

BAKA: Thanks for the heelside pumping tips. Like you, I've been too lazy to practice. ;)

I'm a bit slow today; it took me a while to figure out what you meant by "Wow, it rotates." :p Nice!

Considering the space I have to work with, mebby I'll try a slightly shorter board this year. That Bozi is looking tastey!

[lonerider]

Originally posted by Baka Dasai

…the Bozi Mad Bomber appears to be more of a speed/big-hill-carving board, and not really ideal for pumping around the flats at moderate speeds.

After reading that, and after coming to terms with the fact that I live in a fairly flat area, I realised I shouldn't get a long longboard. I ended up buying a <a href="http://www.loadedboards.com/">Loaded Fish</a>, which has a 25" wheel-base, and is billed as an all-round "commuter" board. Another board with a similar wheel-base would be the <a href="http://www.boziboards.com/boardsgs.html">Bozi GS</a>. These both seem kinda similar to the <a href="http://www.asphaltplayground.com/deck2.html">Insect board</a> mentioned above. Something in this size/style seems like a good compromise – small and nimble enough to pump on the flat and run cones, but big enough to be comfortable cruising around and to carve some hills. Having said that I really want to buy a longer deck for the times when I do some hill carving, and I also want a genuine slalom deck.

There are so many skateboarding threads going this spring that this forum should be renamed/rebadged. And Fin could start making Bomber trucks.:)

That's exactly what I want - a board will be good for mostly flatland, but can do a little bit of shallow hill carving as well. I'll look into them Fish and the Bozi GS - there are so many boards and not much helpful advice. So what about trucks and wheels. I hear people talking about Seimics and Randalls a lot, what degrees are good? I read Flashback and ABEC11 wheels are popular as well.

Anyone in the Bay Area have a favorite skate shop they'd like to recommend? Purple Skunk?

[Neil Gendzwill]

Originally posted by lonerider

there are so many boards and not much helpful advice.

I think if you pick a stiffish mid-length board from any of the good manufacturers you'll be fine. Personally I like both camber and concave.

I hear people talking about Seimics and Randalls a lot, what degrees are good?

I'm not sure about the Seismics, this degree thing is new to them. You might search the trucks forum at ncdsa to get some answers. The Randall IIs in 180 or 150 mm width don't come in degrees. You could add angled riser pads to change the geometry but frankly they don't need it - run 'em flat and they'll work fine for your purposes. If you are looking for a flatland pump sort of board you might be better off with the Seismics by all accounts - never rode them myself.

I read Flashback and ABEC11 wheels are popular as well.

Flashbacks are a particular model of wheel made by ABEC11, which is Chris Chaput's company. They're highly recommended for what you want to do. ABEC11 is a joke name based on the marketing of bearings by their ABEC number, which has little to do with their performance in a skating application.