Wide decks...overrated?

[BlueBlurSpeedsBy]

I've skated 7.6-7.75 for most of my skateboarding days.  Recently I've moved up to an 8, and while I can still flip it, it definitely messes with some of my tricks (halfcab heels, fs flips, 3 flips..)  I'm actually thinking of going back to my old sizes.  It's a shame it's harder to find them these days.  Does anyone here still skate below an 8?  I thought moving up would help my skating, but it just seems like a fad. 

[Will Easley]

I actually prefer 8's. I've skated everything from 7.5 to 8.5 & 8's just seem to be that sweet spot for me. a bunch of herbs on here would probably say some shit like "real men ride 8's & up" but its all just personal preference.

[pinche gringo]

its all just personal preference.

Ride whatever feels good to you.

[Frank]

just because it doesn't work for you doesn't mean it's a fad. if you don't like wide boards stick with the skinny ones. they are not that hard to find either. i've been skating 8,25-8,5s for years now and i can't imagine downsizing to anything below 8, but thats just me. that said, i find that you can get used to pretty much any shape or size if you have to.

so yeah while i typed this will already said it best:

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its all just personal preference.

[close]

Ride whatever feels good to you.

[BlueBlurSpeedsBy]

just because it doesn't work for you doesn't mean it's a fad. if you don't like wide boards stick with the skinny ones. they are not that hard to find either. i've been skating 8,25-8,5s for years now and i can't imagine downsizing to anything below 8, but thats just me. that said, i find that you can get used to pretty much any shape or size if you have to.

so yeah while i typed this will already said it best:

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its all just personal preference.

[close]

Ride whatever feels good to you.

[close]

Yeah, I don't so much say it is a fad just because it doesn't work for me.  I say that more so because of all the dudes that'll come up to you and be like "how can you skate that, I skate 9's" lol

[Frank]

^

ha ha, yeah, know some guys like this. they all don't even attempt to do any trick than a no comply that involves pop...

[ThugWaffle]

I actually prefer 8's. I've skated everything from 7.5 to 8.5 & 8's just seem to be that sweet spot for me. a bunch of herbs on here would probably say some shit like "real men ride 8's & up" but its all just personal preference.

That is so true, ive seen people posting 8.5 or 8.75 in the setup thread. I imagine they dont flip theyre board for shit or just skate stairs or tranny, i wouldnt want to think theyre just trying to be cool with theyre Welcome boards. Im skating a 8.25 right now and im stepping down to 8.1 to see what works for me, if not, im going back to 8.00

[landCow]

Personally I've always skated 7.75 or close to and thats the sweet size for my shape, size and style. Its what i'm comfortable with so i'm sticking to it even though boards of that size are slim pickings around here. From what i've noticed Skating 8.25's and bigger is and isn't a fad. There's those that are legitimately comfortable on big boards and thats cool but I've also noticed really little kids buying giant boards just because the older guys and pros are skating them. Its kind of crazy seeing these little kids riding boats trying to mob flip their giant ass boards. So there's always those that jump on the bandwagon just because.

So yeah, the moral is skate whatever you like. Try bigger, try smaller, whatever just find what works.



 

[Spitfire4life]

I usually ride anything from 8.38 to 8.5 but that's just me. I don't do that many flip tricks (I've never been good at them) so I like the bigger sizes.

[4wheels]

brent atchley rides a 7.5. I wish i could skate smaller boards but i just can skate any less then a 8.125. i wear size 10 and i feel really uncomfortable if my shoes are hanging off the sides too much. i ride an 8.375 now though

[fulfillthedream]

when i began skating i would get 7.75's constantly. was my choice for years then around 5 years a go started to get 8s. did that for a few months then left my whole set up on the train one day and a friend whose sponsored hooked me up with his set up for free that was a 7.75 kinda got used to that and since then i kept on buying 7.75-7.9's.. FInally gave into a 8 inch board and have used some a little bit bigger..to my the DLX/Kayo 8.06 size is perfect for me. Also it is harder to find boards smaller than 8. most brands just have 1 board out of the collection thats smaller than a 8 and shops usually never have anything under a 8

[el chino]

get an 8.5, and get used to it.

[raunchyrick]

get an 8.5, and get used to it and tracer can't heelflip on it.

I stick with 8s, no wider, no slimmer.

[ThugWaffle]

brent atchley rides a 7.5. I wish i could skate smaller boards but i just can skate any less then a 8.125. i wear size 10 and i feel really uncomfortable if my shoes are hanging off the sides too much. i ride an 8.375 now though

So underrated that it hurts. i hope he makes a living off skating and dosent have a job, wich i doubt.

[vegan*shawn]

I have been skating since 1985, I have skated everything from 10" to 7.5" boards. The past 4 years I have been riding 8.75 to 9.25" boards. I think 9" is the perfect size for me, I don't do flip tricks (I can kickflip if I try a few), I skate parks, curbs, banks, small stair sets etc... Skate whatever you want and stop worrying so much about what others are doing. Honestly the length and wheel base of a board has always been more important to me then the width, I could get use to a 8" board if it was 32.5 - 33" with a 15" wheel base but I am glad that I can find wider boards now.

[brownjenkin]

My size range is 7.875 to 8.125. If I go any bigger, my skating starts to suffer, but it's mostly because boards tend to get longer as they get wider. As vegan*shawn mentioned, the biggest thing for me is length and wheelbase. I like my shit on the short end of the spectrum. My ideal board is 8.125 x 31.25 with 14" wheelbase.

Skate what feels good. But with that said, don't underestimate your ability to adapt. It's slim pickings for anything under 8" these days.

[Kinch]

I skate 8.5s exclusively, and I do a lot of flip tricks. I think Welcome boards etc look pretty fun but I only skate standard popsicle shapes as I tend to do a lot of switch stuff and I think the asymmetrical shape would fuck with me too much. The only things I really can't do on an 8.5 that I could do on a smaller board are double flips and variations on them which I give no fucks about whatsoever. Every other trick actually feels easier to me because of the extra width. I started out skating 7.5s and have gradually crept up in board sizes over the years; I do think I've reached my ideal with 8.5 though.

I kind of feel that this works for me as I am taller and have bigger feet than a lot of the dudes I know who skate similar stuff to me and it is therefore kind of like having the same board scaled up in proportion to the skater. As has been stated countless times already in this thread ride whatever size/shape you feel works best for you.

[layzieyez]

I'm 5'5".  I skate a 8.25.  Loose trucks.  I can flip my board just fine.  I'm 39.  Skate whatever.  Skate everything.  I started in 1987.  Skated boards from 10"-7.3".  It all comes down to whether or not you're stoked at what you see under your feet.

[ThugWaffle]

I'm 5'5".  I skate a 8.25.  Loose trucks.  I can flip my board just fine.  I'm 39.  Skate whatever.  Skate everything.  I started in 1987.  Skated boards from 10"-7.3".  It all comes down to whether or not you're stoked at what you see under your feet.

That gave your avatar a whole new meaning.

[layzieyez]

Why would it?

[aaronagis]

I skate 8.5's I don't have any trouble with flip tricks. i'm also 6' tall and have 11.5 shoes. That's the size that works for me.  I don't even skate a whole ton of tranny.

[theblandest]

Last night while skating downtown street, I snapped my deck which was an 8.125. My buddy had a 8.5 deck he let me borrow. Although my trucks were too small, I could flip it normally. It just required more effort to flip, but fs nose grinds were easier for some reason I noticed.

[the tranny monster]

If I go over 8 I can't skate ledges or do flip tricks, but if I go under 8 I can't skate tranny.

[StFlour]

im 6'2 with size 12 shoes and ride an 8.5. but from a 7.5 to a 8.5 is a 1 inch difference. dont see why the size of boards matter that much.

[scorpion1001]

if you wanna step down from 8 but you were in the realm of 7.5-7.75, try a 7.87 width board, i feel like i get more comfort riding the "happy medium" sizes such as that or 8.12 (sticking with that size for the past 3 boards) instead of 8 and 8.25

[StimCoCruzer]

brent atchley rides a 7.5.

really? all his pro models are 8+ thats interesting for a burnside guy. but i guess he is a little elf person

[StimCoCruzer]

if you wanna step down from 8 but you were in the realm of 7.5-7.75, try a 7.87 width board, i feel like i get more comfort riding the "happy medium" sizes such as that or 8.12 (sticking with that size for the past 3 boards) instead of 8 and 8.25

i agree. other than the whole trucks not exactly matching the width of your board thing, 7.87x31.625 is nice. however these days i just force myself to do an 8 just cause you can find them easier and get trucks that match the width. the wider trucks are nice though.

anyone notice riley hawk rides indy 169's??? 9.125" axle - crazy, must be heavy too.

[ThugWaffle]

Why would it?

Youre right its just a kid eating a weiner.

[Paul Cicero]

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Why would it?

[close]

Youre right its just a kid eating a weiner.

LOL, and I'm not sure why..

[EnjoiSanJose]

if you skate anything smaller than 8  you're a child. xD