8.5 is great, but work your way up to it or you might be bummed. Over the span of probably a year and a half I went from an 8-8.125-8.25-8.38-8.5. I didn't notice the change in size as much which made it more of a natural progression. Appropriate truck sizing is very important as many have said, little trucks on a big board feels jacked to me. Shit, I just setup an 8.88 w/some 169s and that board is a thing of beauty. MOST of the trick dynamics changing is in your head (a drastic change in board size creates a more noticable difference), a little extra effort gets the board to flip, albeit a little slower sometimes. Just have fun and ride what feels good wherever you're skating...