Guest vaguelyevilguy Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 Just curious as to how many of you people do it in the off-season, and what sort of gear you use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 Me! I've got an MLY longboard deck that Brian at (oldsnowboards.com) cut me a sweet deal on. (apparently MLY was experimenting with skateboards and Brian got a bunch of their prototypes/early production models.) Don't remember what kind of trucks it's got, but it has Kryptonite wheels. I have the great good fortune of 20 blocks of downhill on lightly-used streets on the way to my office, so until the rain started, I was skating to work most days. I have a Flowlab too but I'm not crazy about it. To me, it feels a lot more like skidding than carving - the longboard is a better off-season trainer. I wear a helmet (now that I finally found one), but no pads. Hopefully I won't regret this one day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 I got a Tierney over the summer and logged quite a few hours on it and wore through 2 sets of wheels. It remains to be seen whether it helps me w/ carving or not. Sure is a lot of fun though! I wear lots of pads, look like a fool but they've saved my elbows on several occasions and a knee once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonerider Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 Originally posted by vaguelyevilguy Just curious as to how many of you people do it in the off-season, and what sort of gear you use. I got a Loaded Vanguard with R2-180s and 81a Grippins over the summer and rode it 1-2 hours a week in the off-season (significantly less now that the winter season has started). I am fully armored from head to toe (helmet, knee, elbow, shorts, jacket, slider gloves). I think it has really helped me work on keeping up my edge pressure and on a forwarded weighted stance, in particularly on my heelsides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reweston Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 First thing that came to my mind was surfing......yes, that's the sport of choice off season. Longboarding the mushy waves, but always shortboarding the more structured stuff. Have never ventured into the wheeled off season stuff...... Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baka Dasai Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 I started longboarding last year, prompted by the recommendation from people on this site. It's been totally fun, and it's very easy to transfer skills from carving a snowboard to turning a skateboard. I'm currently riding an Insect Dragonfly with Seismics and Flashbacks. It snaps back at the end of a turn just like a snowboard. For any serious riding I wear knee and elbow pads as well as slide gloves. No helmet though - I guess I value my skin more than my brain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy D Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 Originally posted by Baka Dasai I started longboarding last year, prompted by the recommendation from people on this site. It's been totally fun, and it's very easy to transfer skills from carving a snowboard to turning a skateboard. I'm currently riding an Insect Dragonfly with Seismics and Flashbacks. It snaps back at the end of a turn just like a snowboard. For any serious riding I wear knee and elbow pads as well as slide gloves. No helmet though - I guess I value my skin more than my brain. Same here, 'cept I'm running a Sector 9 and switch between Randalls and Seismics. My wheels are super-grippy slalom wheels. Next year, I too want to get my hands on an Insect longboard. I wear a helmet, but no pads; I go fast enough to hurt my head, but not fast enough I can't roll out of any fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ghostrider Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 Originally posted by Baka Dasai I started longboarding last year, prompted by the recommendation from people on this site. It's been totally fun, and it's very easy to transfer skills from carving a snowboard to turning a skateboard. I'm currently riding an Insect Dragonfly with Seismics and Flashbacks. It snaps back at the end of a turn just like a snowboard. For any serious riding I wear knee and elbow pads as well as slide gloves. No helmet though - I guess I value my skin more than my brain. Same here too :D Except I started this year! Same gear, minus all those pads. I'm afraid that if I wear pads...I'll try to use them. ;) Gary Fluitt at asphaltplayground.com hooked me up huge with a great setup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vaguelyevilguy Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 What's it like riding a longboard compared to really deep carving on a snowboard. I've been riding a flowlab, and the nearly limitless angles appeal to me, though the lack of high-speed possibilities does not. Longboards so far haven't seemed turny enough for me on downhills, but they're fun on flats. I think the t-board might be my ticket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 you guys are funny with all the pads and ****. buncha old farts;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baka Dasai Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 Longboard turniness is a function of wheelbase and trucks. Some trucks turn more than others, and trucks can be wedged to adjust their turniness. My skateboard setup can crank far tighter turns than I can carve on a snowboard. BUT, the big difference is that urethane wheels don't have as much "edge-hold" as a snowboard in a trench, so high-G turns on a skateboard aren't really possible. Boards with rubber wheels (T-board and Carve board) might be better in this regard as they have more grip. (I've never ridden one though.) But if you've got soft urethane wheels and a smooth road you can crank some fairly hard turns on a regular longboard, and it's always a fun challenge to get right to the limit of your traction, feel the wheels start to slide, and have to back off just a fraction. Re the pads - they've already saved me a LOT of skin. If the gouges I've put in those pads were in my body I wouldn't be nearly as pretty as I am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vaguelyevilguy Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 Flowboards seem to grip really well. I think with the T-board its more a function of the trucks than the wheels- from what I hear, they don't slide out much even with the urethane ones. If someone tweaked the flowboard a little, I think it'd be an awesome carving machine. The trucks need to be made lighter, and maybe bigger, so they could hold some of the big rollerblade wheels. then maybe add bindings, and a composite deck. I really want to try the carveboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 Originally posted by Baka Dasai Re the pads - they've already saved me a LOT of skin. If the gouges I've put in those pads were in my body I wouldn't be nearly as pretty as I am. yeah, I know, they work, but...I grew up skateboarding and I wore my wounds proudly. A few scrapes and gouges arent that big of a deal my faves were the torn up palms with gravel embedded in them always thought wrist guards were funny. fall hard enough and your arm breaks above the guard. OUCH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vaguelyevilguy Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 Yeah, but it takes a much harder fall to break the arm above the guard than it does to break the wrist without it, and even less to sprain the thing. Hell, you can do it falling over while you're walking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateW Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 I got into boarding again last summer after much time off, largely because Seismic trucks give me the turny-ness I always wanted, without sacrificing stability. So I loaded up on new gear: 36" skaterbuilt skatercult for pools and ramps, with Seismic 180 trucks and Sh|tfire wheels. I really really like this setup. It's a bit heavy for small ramps, but feels great in pools. 40ish" landyachtz urban assault for carving, with Seismic 155 trucks and 65mm 78a offset wheels (mounted reversed so they don't stick out). I think I want to replace this with a drop carve. The UA idea seemed good but the usable deck area is pretty short. I want my snowboardesque 20-inch stance and there isn't enough room. 40ish" Gravity Brad Edwards for pools and parks... Seismic 155 trucks and 65mm 78a centered wheels. But this board is way too flexy. I have a Comet Park 40 deck that will soon get those same trucks and a set of Gravity Street G 66 78a wheels. If anyone knows of a shop with a Comet Park 44 in stock, let me know. Far as I can tell they're out of production and there is no corresponding board in Comet's current lineup. I didn't mention the wheel manufacturer because Power Paw makes wobbly wheels so I wouldn't want to name them. (Ooops.) In other news, there was a study a while back that subjected human arms ("harvested" from cadavers) to various forces with and without wrist guards. They concluded that wrist guards don't reduce the chance of breakeage, they just change the point of breakeage. That said, I wear them when skateboarding to prevent tearing flesh from my palms, and also when snowboarding, to prevent bruising the heel of my hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tigger Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 :) :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tigger Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 ...ok it worked, the pic shows my homemade carvingboard, i ve build some boards untill now because longboarding really helps me to survive those hard month without snow or a surftrip. the next toy i ll try is the BMW streetcarver, a friend gave it to me to test it(ill tell you afterwards). usually i dont wear protection, but my homemade slidinggloves;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 well I've skated for years and pads became a requirement for my continued skatingwell over a decade ago...I'm a firm beleived in using the best equipment you can afford...in my case I have kneepads and wristguards from ProDesigned...some of the slams I've taken in pools/ramps would have crippled me without my my PD's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy D Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 Originally posted by Ghostrider Gary Fluitt at asphaltplayground.com hooked me up huge with a great setup! I'll have to second this! I didn't build my whole setup through Gary (I found out about him after the fact) but he is AWESOME to do business with. Give him a call, and he'll set you up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Tokar Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 "GS" board is a Sector 9 - about 38" with a nice camber, 70mm Kryps and R2's. Tight turns, dynamic ride. "Downhill" board is a 56" Dregs Supertanker with 85mm Kryps. Smooth ride, really stable at speeds. Pads when things get serious. I think skateboarding helps to keep the legs used to snowboarding and is a lot of fun, but doesn't come close to the intensity of the runs you can have on a snowboard. Think snow!!! MT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest johann Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 i'm rocking an insect, cant' remember what i have on it, whatever gary recommended. Tommy actually set me up with him. Unfortunatly my girlfriend tried to steal my board from me so i had to buy her one too. same board, just a little more flex in it. Tokar! Do you have an email address i can send an mpeg 2 file too? did some bike filming at vassar and have a great crash to circulate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mark Jeangerard Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 I spend a lot of time over 25mph. More than 10 hours a week I would think. Some weeks 40 hours. More than half of that time is over 45mph. And half of that time again over 55mph. The ditches here in NM are very fast. Indian School will carry you at 35-40mph for 2 miles on a good wind day. I use a 44" Fiberflex Pintail or 46" Sector 9 Bomber. Trucks are Randall 150 or 180 depending what kind of ride I'm looking for. Same with the wedges and wheels. Wheels are Abec11 and Kryptonic for speed. Size and shape dictated by mood and goals. I have a 38" Alva something with double kick. I put some R-II 150s on that with Sergio Yuppie Slider wheels and go bomb the steepest thing I can find and throw pendulums in my slider gloves. Then my main deck: Landyachtz RIV with Randall race trucks and Abec11 and Kryptonics. Flywheels and Flashbacks for racing, FBs when grip is needed, like in the rain. Kryptos for experiementing or when massive slides are called for. When I ride the Yacht, which is a considerable amount of time most summers, I'm not riding below 40mph. The thing about the skateboards is that they don't hold an edge like the snowboard. So the two disiplines really aren't exchangable. Whole different muscle groups are used. Over the last few years, because of my shift from primarily park riding to mostly downhill, I've noticed what it is in skateboarding that really helps those snowboard legs in the winter: Walking. Yep, my first year focused on downhill I drove. Got lots of hours on the board, but not so much help when the winter came. The next year I walked up the mile stretch of road 10 times a day 3 days a week. What a difference. Took all of two weeks to get my carving legs in. OK, that being said.... nothing beats a skateboard for certain benefits such as maintaining ballance in a severly dynamic environment, or maitaining composure in a severely risky environment. Either of those qualities goes a long way towards snowboarding or any sport. So, the Bahne Blackhill slalom board that I've been riding this summer is really helping with my dynamics, upper/lower body relationships, fluidity, concentration levels, distance sighting, front to back weight transfer, urgent recovery, rotation, follow through... etc. I see no downside. (Tried Fluits offset rear axle yesterday, gonna buy it.) The RIV is helping me cope with speed. Which certainly helps carving as you have to be willing to go to the extreme to get the board to work. While the typical X-games sytle flat back stand-up riding style really has very little in common with carving snowboarding, I've been experimenting with riding rear knee down/rail grabbed turns, like you see the Canadians doing. Once you really get laid out, back foot flat on its side, ass two inches off the ground, slider glove out front... well... then the similarities start to reveal themselves. If nothing else, at least you can get the feeling of putting yourself out there and getting your chin close to the ground. PS, D-Sub: I won't try to claim that I am as tough as you. I don't even know you. But I am a man who can tell the difference in densities of one concrete from another just by falling down on them. I've also never gone more than 3 months without roadrash since the 60s. Got some now. That being said, I wear pads when I think about, or when I can, or I don't when I'm on tour and can't carry them, or it's too far to the car, or... you know... I wish I would wear them all the time. 20 years old or 43... Tell you what, you'd be a real ass to go 65mph without safety gear, so where do you draw the line? At injury, I would presume. Hit at 15mph a few months ago. Knee/elbow/wrist/hip/head armor were 17 feet from where I hit. I'm 43, I don't think it hurts any differently than when I was 20, I just think I should know a little more than when I was 20.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mark Jeangerard Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 that's gotta sting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skategoat Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 I ride a Carveboard and it's a blast. A lot like riding a really turny, nose-soft snowboard. You have to be careful not to "bury" the nose when initiating a turn. If you do, the board throws you over the highside. I did that once, right in front of a crowded restaurant patio. Lots of oohs and aahs. The only negative on the board is it's heavy and not that good on the flats. Tiring as hell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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