WEBSIGHT360 Posted July 22, 2012 Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 Seismics are hard to find at the moment, because they are about to release a new version. Keep looking though, because they are an amazing rear truck for LDP. If you do find them, make sure you get a set of the dark green (medium), and a set of Purple (heavy) springs if you are in the 200lb range for body weight. I use those two on various pumping setups I have. I found the dark blue (Extra heavy) ones to be too stiff, and the red ones(Light) to be too soft. They usually come with a set of the red ones as standard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WEBSIGHT360 Posted July 22, 2012 Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 I tried Seismic 155 with a front truck simiar to Bennett 6.0. It's more effort to pump. While it is fun for DH carving with very soft bushongs, the narrower trucks actually offer more grip. I mostly ride the 105/4.3 combo nowadays. Well Boris, after this reply of yours, I decided to revisit the shorter 5.0 Bennett/130 Seismic stable rear on my gBomb Dark Matter setup. While you do get better grip with the narrower trucks, the 5.0's are better suited to slower pumping and pushing speeds. I like to pump/push at a faster rate, and the 5.0's have a much tighter pump radius, and are not as stable at higher speeds on longer boards that are 38-40" long. By higher speeds, I mean 30-40 km/h on short downhill sections of trail, and a sustained 18km/hr pushing and pumping on the flat sections. At those speeds, the Bennett 6.0, and the Seismic 155 stable rear are really sweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopestar Posted July 22, 2012 Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 My local hardware store carries all the springs I just need the trucks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WEBSIGHT360 Posted July 22, 2012 Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 Your hardware store stocks longboard parts? The springs are not generic. They are a spring within a spring, with plastic end caps that fit the recesses of the Seismic truck. You will need to search online for retailers that still have stock. http://stokedskateboards.com/trucks/seismic.html Not sure if these guys have them in stock. I would search online, then call the shops to see if they have any stock left. Good luck!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopestar Posted July 22, 2012 Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 They stock the outer springs only. If I could actually get my hands on a set of trucks, I might know what I'm talking about... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted July 23, 2012 Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 New set of bennett 5.0 black trucks and a tracker rts 106 on the way...Could not find the seismic to save my life. any tuning advice would be appreciated (bushings/risers) 5.0 should really go with 129. But no big deal, still can work... Bennett, I'd wedge between 10* and 15*. Softish bushings, 70a to 80a. Cones work great. Mabe short cone and barrel boardside and a cone roadside. RTS I'd dewedge to vertical king pin. Stiff bushings, 90a or up. Barrels or even better, pumpkin/stims/jimz shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted July 23, 2012 Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 By higher speeds, I mean 30-40 km/h on short downhill sections of trail, and a sustained 18km/hr pushing and pumping on the flat sections. You are a machine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopestar Posted July 23, 2012 Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 5.0 should really go with 129. But no big deal, still can work... Bennett, I'd wedge between 10* and 15*. Softish bushings, 70a to 80a. Cones work great. Mabe short cone and barrel boardside and a cone roadside. RTS I'd dewedge to vertical king pin. Stiff bushings, 90a or up. Barrels or even better, pumpkin/stims/jimz shape. Thanks for the info! I really enjoy going for a skate again. Something has been missing since giving up skating bowls about a year or two ago. Too high of a risk (not that flying around on the street or walk paths is any safer) can't wait to receive the goods and start tweaking on it. Thanks again all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopestar Posted July 23, 2012 Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 The 106 was an oops. The vendor said they would exchange at no cost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopestar Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 Got the 106 anyway. Too late to stop the shipping and decided to keep it. Works great too! Still waiting on the Bennets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WEBSIGHT360 Posted July 26, 2012 Report Share Posted July 26, 2012 You are a machine! Ha, ha. I thought I was doing pretty good until I saw the longboard marathon finish times in the Adrenalina races. The top finishers are doing it in 1 hour 38 min to do 42 KM. I'm also 20 years older than those guys, so I think I am doing OK for an old geezer. My goal this year is to do it in under 2.5 hours. I'd be happy with that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopestar Posted July 29, 2012 Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 So I got the Bennett's and with some bushing changes, dialed it all in. It's so easy to going with little effort. I'm going on my first longer ride this afternoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted July 30, 2012 Report Share Posted July 30, 2012 This whole pumping thing is working out really well. I’m now a regular fixture on a local bike path that has a 300 foot elevation drop over 5 miles. The terrain varies a bit along the distance, making for a nice variety. At the end I just catch the free bus and go back to do it again. After my last wheelbite incident I went and got a helmet, so now I ride with full head, elbow, and knee protection. I added a 1/8” riser to the front and a little more back dewedging to the Tracker RTS, bringing the kingpin to near vertical. This has diminished some low-speed pumpability, but allows me to maintain higher speeds. Front bushings on the Bennett are Khiro orange barrel over white cone roadside, and orange barrel boardside. In the rear Tracker are a blue cone over blue barrel. I can still generate wheelbite heelside if I stand hard over the front truck and carve deep, but so far I’ve been able to moderate my technique and know where the limit is. On much of the trail I like to pump with exaggerated wide flowing carves and lots of body twisting. The feeling of flow while doing this is almost meditative, and I like to think of it as “pumping for effect.” This style is not at all power-efficient however, and while it does propel me forward I use a much different technique when going for speed. There has been many a run when I have been going as fast as possible to stay ahead of the daily thunderstorm. In a world of cookie-cutter bicyclists and mindless readers of Transworld Skateboarding, the LDP sub-genre is custom made for carvers. It is the wheeled way of experiencing the same kind of mystified reactions one gets on the slopes. The majority of people have no clue of what you are doing. A small number of people are appreciative and encouraging. Today a car went by me on the highway with the driver waving and yelling as loud as he could. I’m not sure if he was hurling epithets, but he might have been a supporter. Some cars slow down for a closer look. On today’s second run I blew by a family of tourists on bicycles. The kids thought I was superman, wondering aloud how I could possibly be going so fast just from wiggling around. Being passed on the flats by a 49 year-old gyrating longboard weirdo was not something that they had expected for the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted July 30, 2012 Report Share Posted July 30, 2012 Ok Art. Now we definitely need some photos or if we are really lucky some videos. If I wasn't so leery of injury I would definitely be inspired to try LDP after your last post!!. Keep on Pumping!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopestar Posted July 30, 2012 Report Share Posted July 30, 2012 I too am totally hooked and look for excuses just to get on my LDP. I have been doing about 6 miles around my neighborhood as its all flat with slight uphill and downhill grades. It is my new way to workout instead of jogging and tearing up my knees. I saw another guy on the strand in Huntington beach the other day. Would love to find out who that was. Meanwhile I will just keep pumping the streets of North Huntington Beach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted July 30, 2012 Report Share Posted July 30, 2012 I'm trying real hard to stay out of the tech side; I just pump around on my bone-stock Loaded Vanguard. Bryan: You've skateboarded before, it doesn't take too long for the basics to come back. I was able to sustain a walking pace in about 20 minutes of practice. Then I was able to go faster than I can run after another hour of practice. That's where I stopped because the fear of not having a chance of running out of an issue overcame the thrill of speed. The pumping style changes depending on speed for me. At low speeds it's more of rotational thing, at higher speeds it's pushing and pulling the board under you. Either way, my back/side/core is very tired if I go pump around for a few hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopestar Posted July 30, 2012 Report Share Posted July 30, 2012 I am loving this drop deck. Front=Bennett 5.0 with 2 full risers/one is a wedge and 78a slimeballs Rear Tracker RTS 106 with 2 full wedges and the same 78a slimeballs Deck is a 40" drop deck made locally in Huntington Beach by ehlers longboards dot com. I really like sidewalk surfing it the best. Milking the gentle drop to the street and speed carving the driveways without having to push is so much fun. I tried the surf style/auto carving boards but I didn't like the feel and the very slow top speed of such a turny' board. Really fun skating again...enjoy all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted August 2, 2012 Report Share Posted August 2, 2012 I'm trying real hard to stay out of the tech side; I just pump around on my bone-stock Loaded Vanguard. Why not? You'd be surprised by all the potential you could unleash. You can start simple, just by adding custom bushings and wedges... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted August 2, 2012 Report Share Posted August 2, 2012 Why not? You'd be surprised by all the potential you could unleash. You can start simple, just by adding custom bushings and wedges... It really doesn't do anything that I feel the need to fix. My time on the board is fleeting and precious. Most of my time on the board this year has been getting around autocross sites. I just want to get on it and pump instead of carrying tools and a variety of bushings/shims/trucks/etc. I get my tech geekery out in other sports/activities. ;) Same goes for jumping on a trampoline or swimming - I'm sure there are things that could be optimized given some effort, but I'm not racing or competing for a trophy so I don't care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopestar Posted August 2, 2012 Report Share Posted August 2, 2012 I have been experimenting...It is amazing just how much difference there is with subtle tweaks. For instance, I changed one rear lower bushing on my rear truck to a dark blue barrel instead of the stock tracker rts hourglass bushing/I lost so much drive! However, the board became much more efficient at low speeds. Recognizing and tweaking things with a predictable result is pretty cool. All of the info that I have been sponging from has been VERY accurate and although I have been learning the hard way(trial and error) I have had predictable results from everything I have read or been advised to try. Any tips you might have are always welcomed. I'm having so much fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 Post pictures of myself riding? Ha. I was on snow for 144 days last season and the only published photos of me are the ones of me sliding on my ass when I went down Ruthie's for the first time. For all anybody knows, I might be making everything up. Today was fun. I managed to stay well in front of a family of cyclists for over 2 miles. But to be clear, the only cyclists that I can outpace are the ones that fall into one of these categories: 1. The very old or very young. 2. Cautious families with kids. 3. Lame tourists who are way out of shape. 4. People on rental bikes who have no idea what gears are. 5. People with altitude sickness. 6. Any of the above who smoke. A while back I put a GPS tracking puck in my backpack and made a few runs. It looks like I can regularly maintain 12 mph and intermittently reach 15 mph. It is more relaxing when few people are around so that I can go slow and pump huge. If I'm in a target rich environment I find myself going for speed to stay in front of bikes, or if possible catch and pass them. Today on my second run I passed a skateboarder who was being pulled along by a huge slobbery mastiff-like beast. As soon as I went by, the dog decided that it should not be outrun by any skateboard, so she shot off in pursuit. The rider on the end of the leash was amused by the fast ride and shouted that the dog would follow me for as long as she could. But soon enough the flying slobber was too much and she backed off. In recent days the owner of the local alpine snowboard shop / binding manufacturer has been kind enough to let me test ride some of his personal quiver. I took out an older Carveboard Longstik and decided to try it on the steeper 6-mile run from Copper Mountain to Frisco. The Longstik will turn ridiculously hard, so I thought that it would help me bleed speed on the steep parts. On the slow shallow sections I found that the pumpability of the Longstick is lacking. Big, exhausting high-amplitude pumps are required to get any momentum out of it. But on the steeps it is wonderful to have the feeling of speed control by whipping quick, hard turns. Pumpability on the modest grades is ok, enough to keep the thing moving along. Next I tried a stock Loaded Vanguard Flex 4 with 50 degree, 180mm Randalls. I took the Orangutang In Heat wheels off of my Mermaid and transplanted them, along with some softer Khiro bushings. Out on my normal flattish 5 mile pump run it worked very well. Not as efficient a pumper as my Mermaid, but very respectable with a fast top speed. The stock bushings are way too stiff for me. With just a $10 investment, I think that a bushing change will improve the pumpability of a Vanguard to a large extent. I returned the board with a new set of orange Khiros installed, so hopefully Fin can be compelled to pump it. I'd like to have another board for steeper grades, one that carves hard so that I can control speed, yet has some amount of pumpability. I like the Longstik a lot, but it is a chore to pump. The Vanguard with 180mm Randalls is stable but even with softer bushings doesn't seem to turn as hard as my Mermaid does with its narrower trucks. I like the fact that I can stand on the edge of the Vanguard deck and lean in hard without having to worry about wheelbite, however. Will a Vanguard deck with Seismic trucks turn as hard as I want and still be somewhat pumpable? Like everybody else it seems, I'm just waiting on more details of the new Seismic designs. Speaking of new designs, RoeRacing is developing a next-Gen Mermaid. Some pictures of it are up on the Pavedwave forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Tat Posted August 13, 2012 Report Share Posted August 13, 2012 Ordered a Roe Mermaid from Stoked as well. But I just figured out how to pump my landyatchz bamboo dropcarve 41" today. Oy are my abs killing me. Love the feeling of carving turns continuously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted August 14, 2012 Report Share Posted August 14, 2012 Watch out for the bite on the Mermaid as it comes configured by Stoked. This is probably obvious for most people, but it wasn't for me when I started riding again after a 30 year hiatus. Especially after replacing the stock bushings with dive-i-er types, bite happens. The county must have run a sweeper down my recpath in the last few days. All of the little rocks and sand are gone! Now I wish they would fill a few big cracks... This morning I was forced off the trail by a cyclist who decided it was a good idea to pass a slow tourist at a blind hard corner. I watched in horror as bikes came tearing around the corner with a racer headed straight for me. When he finally saw me he hit the brakes hard, sending his rear wheel skidding off to the side, directly in my path on the edge of the trail. I had no choice but to bail out and run down the slight embankment. Fortunately I stayed on my feet. Some concern for my welfare was expressed, but I don't recall hearing an apology. Boarders are always in the wrong, it seems, whether on snow or on the pavement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopestar Posted August 14, 2012 Report Share Posted August 14, 2012 The one thing I really like about my drop deck is the lack of wheel bite. Between wedging and de-wedging, I have about 1 1/4" of riser between th board and truck base. Works really well. Except for the errant gaper that just does not get that you are moving without pushing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Tat Posted August 15, 2012 Report Share Posted August 15, 2012 I'm about 220 so definately be keeping the wheel bite in mind. I ordered all their angled shock risers and all the screw lengths they had for hardware when I put the order in so hopefully I've got enough to sort things out. Risers alone are easy enough to pick up locally so I'm pretty sure I can get things set up ok once everything arrives. I've been using the Dropcarve to commute (it's about 6k but they are about to extend the path another 2k) and it's been raining a bit lately so I pulled my bearings and cleaned everything out. Then for ****s and giggles I flipped the hanger on my front Bear Grizzly to increase the hanger angle and loosened it to make it a little turnier. I left the back one at it's lower angle and tightened it to help stiffen the back end. The board now sits a little nose high about 1/4" drop over 41" but perhaps it'll be a little more efficient to pump until my Mermaid gets here. Commuting on the longboard, pumping, and dropping the occasional hill has definately helped take the edge off I normally get when I'm not able to get on snow during the summer. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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