Why did wide decks become so popular?

[j....soy.....]

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It's weird why steep versus mellow concave does not cause this same sort of divide....it's preference and they all have purpose....right now I have an 8 and an 8.5...some tricks are easier in one the other.....

[close]

ok, but do you use them for the same kind of skating\spots?

Kinda yeah....one for rougher streets and one for parks.....on something rougher I want to skate bigger trucks for stability, bigger wheels etc... They all just compliment each other....but ultimately it's just which direction you prefer...stability or responsiveness...and at least half of it is neither.....it's totally mental....koo.....koo......

[heritage]

It's weird why steep versus mellow concave does not cause this same sort of divide....it's preference and they all have purpose....right now I have an 8 and an 8.5...some tricks are easier in one the other.....

Funny you mention that about concave J Soy, I agree with you. Not to sound like a gear nerd, but Art Hellman and I have had this exact conversation...the older I get, I am preferring more mellow boards. I totally understand the science behind popping higher with steeper concave (more load) but I also feel like I'm working doubly hard. And I need to conserve my energy.  BBS/Gen boards seem to be the best for me.

[alraunen]

When I started to care about the sizes started at 8 (because when you're a kid you only want the Muska shortys board and you don't care about nothing more) . Now I'm at 8,5 and Thunders 151 and I never had more fun on a skateboard. It take a little bit to do the same tricks but it's totally worth it! 🙌

[j....soy.....]

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It's weird why steep versus mellow concave does not cause this same sort of divide....it's preference and they all have purpose....right now I have an 8 and an 8.5...some tricks are easier in one the other.....

[close]

Funny you mention that about concave J Soy, I agree with you. Not to sound like a gear nerd, but Art Hellman and I have had this exact conversation...the older I get, I am preferring more mellow boards. I totally understand the science behind popping higher with steeper concave (more load) but I also feel like I'm working doubly hard. And I need to conserve my energy.  BBS/Gen boards seem to be the best for me.

I'm the opposite needing concave as leverage to compensate for no concept of flick.....

[rob]

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It's weird why steep versus mellow concave does not cause this same sort of divide....it's preference and they all have purpose....right now I have an 8 and an 8.5...some tricks are easier in one the other.....

[close]

Funny you mention that about concave J Soy, I agree with you. Not to sound like a gear nerd, but Art Hellman and I have had this exact conversation...the older I get, I am preferring more mellow boards. I totally understand the science behind popping higher with steeper concave (more load) but I also feel like I'm working doubly hard. And I need to conserve my energy.  BBS/Gen boards seem to be the best for me.

[close]

I'm the opposite needing concave as leverage to compensate for no concept of flick.....

ahaha same here! i use to ride the 7.75/7.8 enjoi/dwindle full concaves because the deep shape helped me get such good pop, nice smooth fast flips and made it easier to tre flip and all but as i stranded from being that person who only rides the same stuff and i got just ass quality most of the time, except for REAL, they had a nice deep and contoured Popsicle i loved. made it too easy to do everything. santa cruz were a nice shape but kinda medium to flat, anti heros varied but most were deep, krooked was mellow, dgk were nice medium deep, baker was flat and just terrible, girl is alright for a flat/mellow, zero was very mellow, got a dwindle flat and medium shape once and they were just why dwindle had a bad rep they were just nasty shapes for the kind of wood dwindle uses

on the subject though i really believe that most cases the right board size depends on the shoe size but it feels like a 50 that to 50 being preference. i mean you got guys with 10 and up shoes riding 7.5-7.78 sometimes and dudes with size 8 shoes riding 8.4

i think bigger boards require higher trucks too and smaller boards are best with lows, but then again you got luan riding indy stage 11 standards on a 7.75

[Xen]

Took my own advice and went low and wide: 8.3/149s/51mm, super comfy

[N.L.]

I started in the 10x30 era of shitty shaped boards - Gonz' board on Vision was the go to. I don't care how good Natas was, his shaped sucked balls. Gonz 3 and the Black Label Manny, Moe, Max shape were staples.

It wasn't until the New Deal/H-Street that shit started getting together.

Rode 6 of these in a row, more than any other stretch to date and even transitioned from football ever slick to almost Popsicle. Best deck  shapes ever; I'm STILL trying to find one that matches:




Skinny boards were the logical step due to the merging of freestyle and street (and possibly the death of the mini segment and the rise of skating's popularity with kids) as kids got older and better, they stayed with skinny boards. It was a trend, just like fat pants and small wheels and big boards.

Now we're slowly going back to small wheels, and wide decks.

Also, I agree with the no-comply non-ledge dancer welcome-hipster crowd making shaped/wide boards more common. That said, Black Label hasn't made anything below an 8" in forever.

Contrary to the skating the I CAN do, I always want to go skinnier but it never works out. Wide and low always works for me.

Yeah, Xen I had one of those! Great time for board shapes.

The worst thing I did was trying to ride big wheels with skinny boards and tight 139s in the early 2000s. My skateboarding really suffered as a result. It wasn't good for anything. Now I'm all about the deck width to wheel height ratio.

[the snake]

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I started in the 10x30 era of shitty shaped boards - Gonz' board on Vision was the go to. I don't care how good Natas was, his shaped sucked balls. Gonz 3 and the Black Label Manny, Moe, Max shape were staples.

It wasn't until the New Deal/H-Street that shit started getting together.

Rode 6 of these in a row, more than any other stretch to date and even transitioned from football ever slick to almost Popsicle. Best deck  shapes ever; I'm STILL trying to find one that matches:




Skinny boards were the logical step due to the merging of freestyle and street (and possibly the death of the mini segment and the rise of skating's popularity with kids) as kids got older and better, they stayed with skinny boards. It was a trend, just like fat pants and small wheels and big boards.

Now we're slowly going back to small wheels, and wide decks.

Also, I agree with the no-comply non-ledge dancer welcome-hipster crowd making shaped/wide boards more common. That said, Black Label hasn't made anything below an 8" in forever.

Contrary to the skating the I CAN do, I always want to go skinnier but it never works out. Wide and low always works for me.

[close]

Yeah, Xen I had one of those! Great time for board shapes.

The worst thing I did was trying to ride big wheels with skinny boards and tight 139s in the early 2000s. My skateboarding really suffered as a result. It wasn't good for anything. Now I'm all about the deck width to wheel height ratio.

^twas a brick, dude, danny way launched the fashion maybe 

[Squirrel Girl]

Being 5'11 and riding the standard 7.75 of the time was expensive. I had a two stacks of broken decks halfway to the roof. A Deluxe 8.38 deck with 149 trucks feels so much more comfy. 

[Front Crooks]

I'm 32 now, and came back from a hiatus also.  I used to always skate 7.62 and 50mm with Venture lows.  I'd even pick out those flat ass Guy Mariano Girl decks with a weird tail in the late 90's.  When I started going to these local skate plazas after work, I would see small kids ripping on bigger boards than me, I wondered "what the fuck is going on?"  I tried an 8" due to my local shops carrying pretty much 8" and up, which led to new trucks.  Now I ride 8-8 1/8 and 52's.  I also ditched the Ventures and tried Indy and Thunders, and I love Thunders.  I still think I'm the dude with the smallest set up at the park these days haha.  I can't flip those bigger boards for shit.

[20matar]

Sounds to me there's still some regional differences ie barca and Brazil....still skate 7.5's....

I think wheel base makes a difference too....on a big board yeah the width makes some difference but skating a board way longer than you're used to can suck for flipping your board...

It's about the deck construction, or so I'd imagine. Your average BR "shape" is made of marfim wood, which is heavier but locally sourced, and probably has a sheet of fiberglass for good measure. Shop and brand decks usually go from 7.5 to 8.5, and the wider sizes can be heavy. Most of the brands have an informal size rating, from P ("pequeno", small) to GG ("grande grande", extra large). I've seen people riding marfim decks in all sizes, but narrow and low setups are the norm.

Besides, if you have got some cash and want to splurge on fancy imported replacement parts, getting a 7.75 maple deck and a 50mm set of Spitfires can be cheaper and more widely available in Brazil. In the end, it's all about that part on top of the griptape.

[roba]

i'm size 9 and i skate 8.125s usually, i feel really weird on 8.25s (i have one rn), i guess it's personal preference

[Heather Chandler]

I wear size 13 and typically skate 8.75-9.0.  For me it's about where my arch falls on the heelside rail (flush toe to toe rail). I can't do flip tricks and skate mostly small transition and some janky small street stuff (here and there).  I do want to relearn kick flips though, I'm making it a goal for this summer. 

[Mcfctid]

I took a nearly 10 year hiatus and didn't really notice the trend until I read it on here.  I rode 7.5, 7.75, had a weird period where I rode 7.25/35 , and then stopped at 8. I'm a size 12 and feel it's too small for me (say whatever you want about the "pussification of skateboarding ) but I'm 28.  I'm not trying to hurt myself for the sake of looking cool.  I have an 8.125 in the waiting and if that proves too small I'll ride an 8.25

[Manolo]

I always hand out my board to people to try fliptricks and they get everything super easy. Skating 8+ is good for transition. Lots of tech pros out there still skate 7.6/7.8 but their boards sell 8+ cause it's a trend.

[givecigstosurfgroms]

^Chico is on a 9 rite now.  He said he was super stoked on it in an interview.  I could probably get used to an 8.5 but I'm on close to a 10 rite now.  I just learned bs 180 flips riding this width and I feel like a fucking G.  That trick feels really good.  Flip tricks were all done on 10 inch wide boards back in the 80s.  There was alot of unsponsored kids back then who had flip tricks.  The pros were more flying off the jump ramps back then.  
   Lots of pros on 7.6?   -I dunno.  My bud rides a 8 and he's 6'2.

[BAZOOKA7]

i just checked the krooked site and realized that 8.06in is now considered small lol

[shit_for_brains]

I always hand out my board to people to try fliptricks and they get everything super easy. Skating 8+ is good for transition. Lots of tech pros out there still skate 7.6/7.8 but their boards sell 8+ cause it's a trend.

How many decades does something have to exist before it's not a trend? People were riding giant boards when the 90s hit, and they were back up to 8" and above by the time the 90s wrapped. Skinny boards were a trend.

[Cherb]

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I always hand out my board to people to try fliptricks and they get everything super easy. Skating 8+ is good for transition. Lots of tech pros out there still skate 7.6/7.8 but their boards sell 8+ cause it's a trend.

[close]

How many decades does something have to exist before it's not a trend? People were riding giant boards when the 90s hit, and they were back up to 8" and above by the time the 90s wrapped. Skinny boards were a trend.

[Zimmer]

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I always hand out my board to people to try fliptricks and they get everything super easy. Skating 8+ is good for transition. Lots of tech pros out there still skate 7.6/7.8 but their boards sell 8+ cause it's a trend.

[close]

How many decades does something have to exist before it's not a trend? People were riding giant boards when the 90s hit, and they were back up to 8" and above by the time the 90s wrapped. Skinny boards were a trend.

[close]

Makes sense. 8.0 used to be standard, smaller if you were core, bigger if you were a pussy. Only skate rails, stairs, gaps, and ledges. We all came up in equally ridiculous times.

[fang]

Lots of pros rode 8+ back in the early 2000's even though their pro models were 7.5 or whatever. All those TWS product mags had that info in the interviews, I remember reading that and being kinda irritated that they did that.
Believe BA rode an 8.5+ in 2000.

I actually just bought a 8.125", I'm gonna try it even though I am so used to my beloved 7 5/8" !
I hope I don't hate it.

[max power]

I rode 7.4's '98 through 2003, then went to 7.5's and 7.625's. Now I ride 8.5's and 8.375's. I guess I followed trends because that's what size boards the companies I like put out.

[McCly]

I started skating in 1999 with an 8" board because the surf/skate shop's other sizes were all warped and fucked up. I now stick to 8.25-8.5". I also still keep pretty tight trucks because the same complete had some shitty no-name trucks with melted bushings and I didn't realize it was a problem until months later. They turned worse than cranked down Ventures. My current combo is Thunder highs with Bones hard top bushing and medium bottom one. I get judged pretty hard whenever anyone tries my set-up.

[muntcuscle]

I always hand out my board to people to try fliptricks and they get everything super easy. Skating 8+ is good for transition. Lots of tech pros out there still skate 7.6/7.8 but their boards sell 8+ cause it's a trend.

this is pretty much why i skate wider boards. i didn't grow up in the 80s or whatever (i'm 21) but i learned to skate via bowls/pools/transition and thats what i like to do still. I just can't imagine sizing down to a 7.5 or 7.75. I feel like it would be sketchy going fast

[gsosa]

yeah I remember when it was hard to get an 8 inch board at shops, and you would read that some pros skated 8.25 or 8.5 and that  was a "special" size made for them.

[Esquivel]

i have always been riding THE skinniest board i could find at the shop. like, this would be the only feature i would examine on boards. was skating boards down to 7.3 at one point and even bought Elissa St(r)eamers toy model that was a very short 7.4 girl's board. Watching older dudes riding super big boards regardless the small board trend i had always been planning to step up in size as i would get older and i believe it happened naturally but also simultaneously with the industry's trend for bigger decks. After a point, when i was around 27 i moved up to 8inch and am now happily riding 8.25 but not in the slightest am i thinking of sizing above this. i believe i have reached a peak in board width but have kept riding smallish wheels (50mm is the best but am buying 52's for longevity). I refuse to think that anyone over 30 is following skate trends. we are just lucky that our need is the industry's current trend.

[rubbery vagina]

7.75 for life fool fuck the trendfags

[HyenaChaser]

8.5

Feels good, man.

[Esquivel]

7.75 for life fool fuck the trendfags

definitely feeling amazing skating a skinny board but as i got older i started destroying boards like crazy. A 7.75 would probably last 2-3 tricks before i get pressure cracks and then its game over. with 8.25 i still get pressure cracks but around 2-3 sessions in and even then, the board's extra width helps preserve some of the rigidity. fuck me, i was able to do much harder stuff on skinnier decks but in no way could i afford paying for a new deck daily. wide boards make my skating look more stable but i have definitely lost a great portion of my "tech-ness".

[StinkyLarry]

Got my first 8.25 couple days ago and its so comfortable it feels like a boat. Flip tricks are harder for me but they look better I actually like that you need to get more meat in your flicks with fatter boards.