Is there a science to finding your best setup

[TurdyBird]

I always am thinking of what could help me improve each time I'm looking for a new board. I mean, it's part of the fun right?. Just curious tho, is there a science I can go with?

Currently riding two different set ups:

Drkrm 8.375x 32.125  wb14.38 with 8.25 Indys and hard bushings

Polar 8.5x32  wb14.5 with 8.25 ventures and hard bushings ( I way over 170 at 6'1". 11-11.5 shoes.

Thinking of scaling down board size to 8.25. help me with my madness slap. I'm about to spend money I could improve my life with monetarily

[Slayer666]

Find what’s most comfortable

[DarkPools]

Treat yo self




But nah, the science behind it, I think is this:
There's some relationship between shoe size and deck width, as well as height to WB. Now the mathematics  behind those, I can't say, but I can say that you can feel the difference when testing those metrics with your feet on the gear. I'm an 11-11.5 at 5'11" at 196lbs and I wouldn't go smaller than 8.25 because I think there should only be 1-2 inches of overhang heel/toe side when standing on your deck.

 If you're rotating between an 8.375 and an 8.5, I would use the WB as the home base if upping/downing deck width. There's science behind that being the most important aspect for how a deck feels. Professor Schmitt has videos on it on YouTube if you hadn't seen (you are probably aware, we are all nerds on here haha)

TL;DR - If you can get an 8.25 with a WB similar to your 8.5 or 8.375, then I think you'll be good to go. Width is easier to adjust to. Go for it if you think it will feel good and be a more manageable size.

[Mbrimson88]

This is about the time I would say something like "Stand on a few different boards and see what feels good, what feels too big, too small, compare them to what you currently have and even ride a few different sized boards I have here to see what feels good..."

As that most likely isn't going to happen where you are, finding anyone with an 8.25 to have a roll, or getting something of a similar concave and feel will be the best option, lots of 8.25s in good wood around with similar dimensions as most places have had a solid restock on DLX wood, and they have the 8.25 x 32 with 14.38 wheelbase or the 8.25 FULL with 32.25 and 14.5 wheelbase options, but there are always options.

Even going down a little in wheelbase would probably work fairly well - 14.25 is the most common size in 8.25 decks.

[S.]

You can turn everything into a science!

I enjoy talking about setups with my friends. I have formed a pretty strong opinion on what works for me. As a kid I didn‘t. I just skated whatever was available or what I was given from friends.

[SneakySecrets]

Well the first thing you’re going to need is to make a nice excel spreadsheet.  Organize it how you want, but make sure to embed as many formulas as you can to save time later.  Then get yourself a nice protractor, compass, plumb bob, ruler, measuring tape, digital scale, calipers, etc.  Maybe a large rubbermade container to fill with water to measure volume by displacement.

Now begins or data collection phase.  Meticulous measurement is a must.  Once you have recorded every possible variable, you’re going to need to start mixing and matching different boards with different widths and concaves to different trucks and wheels.

This will likely take several months and possibly years, depending on how thorough you are.  Have fun!

[Skatebeard]

For me personally I can change deck width pretty freely between 7.75" and 8.5" and find it doesn't really affect my tricks, but I always stick with a 14" WB, changing that really messes me up.

I would say find your goldilocks wheelbase first, then see what works best for you width wise.

After being back skating about 18 months I'm pretty settled now on 8.125-8.25" on thunder 148s, mellow kicks and flatter boards, slightly longer tail, and 50mm formula 4s.

You pretty much just have to buy and try until you find that zone and narrow down your preferences, but WB is a good place to start.

[Fhk]

Well the first thing you’re going to need is to make a nice excel spreadsheet.  Organize it how you want, but make sure to embed as many formulas as you can to save time later.  Then get yourself a nice protractor, compass, plumb bob, ruler, measuring tape, digital scale, calipers, etc.  Maybe a large rubbermade container to fill with water to measure volume by displacement.

Now begins or data collection phase.  Meticulous measurement is a must.  Once you have recorded every possible variable, you’re going to need to start mixing and matching different boards with different widths and concaves to different trucks and wheels.

This will likely take several months and possibly years, depending on how thorough you are.  Have fun!

The container HAS to be Rubbermaid brand, I found that lesson out the hard way.

[Croquet temper]

Shoe size to board width
Height to wheelbase

These are the codes to be cracked.

[FrozenIndustries]

I don't think board dims don't matter that much as long as the wood is good and you like what you're looking at. Obviously if you're 5'5" and skating a 15" WB or if you're a size 12 and skating a 7.75" it probably won't work out, but otherwise a visually appealing shape with a good stain color is way more important to how much you'll enjoy the board. IMHO Trucks and wheels matter more, but a lot of that is preference and even some of that is probably aesthetic.

Overthinking things, trying new stuff, and shooting the shit about gear is cool and fun and I am not trying to be a buzzkill, but a lot of the time it is just about getting something that appeals more to the senses than to reason.

[baustin]

I’ve found a couple of the most important factors to zero in on and I found if I manage those factors and I SKATE ENOUGH, then I don’t really experience madness.

My two biggest concerns:

Deck preferably 32” or less in length, can go the slightest bit over but not by much.

WB must be 14”-14.38” and I skate Thunder trucks so if I have a 14”-14.12” wb I will use cast plates. For 14.25-14.38” wb I will use forged plates and it seems to even out the pop feel between setups.

The science is probably in the lever of the board  when all these factors change. There is probably an equation that could be written to explain why these factors work together to make my setup work for me, but I’m not a mathematician unfortunately.

[lovermangenius]

Treat yo self




But nah, the science behind it, I think is this:
There's some relationship between shoe size and deck width, as well as height to WB. Now the mathematics  behind those, I can't say, but I can say that you can feel the difference when testing those metrics with your feet on the gear. I'm an 11-11.5 at 5'11" at 196lbs and I wouldn't go smaller than 8.25 because I think there should only be 1-2 inches of overhang heel/toe side when standing on your deck.

 If you're rotating between an 8.375 and an 8.5, I would use the WB as the home base if upping/downing deck width. There's science behind that being the most important aspect for how a deck feels. Professor Schmitt has videos on it on YouTube if you hadn't seen (you are probably aware, we are all nerds on here haha)

TL;DR - If you can get an 8.25 with a WB similar to your 8.5 or 8.375, then I think you'll be good to go. Width is easier to adjust to. Go for it if you think it will feel good and be a more manageable size.

I've been driving myself crazy thinking about this lately. I realized that my shoe size (13, sometimes 14) is an entire inch longer than a size 10, what I think of as a "standard" size.

I know its not a great idea to experiment, I came off a multi-year break from skating just over a year ago and I'm finally getting a lot of my tricks back. At the same time I hear BA (around same height/shoe size as me) talk about how much more comfortable he is skating a 9 inch eagle and wonder if I'm holding myself back skating an 8.5.

[fs1/2cab]

Expand Quote

Treat yo self




But nah, the science behind it, I think is this:
There's some relationship between shoe size and deck width, as well as height to WB. Now the mathematics  behind those, I can't say, but I can say that you can feel the difference when testing those metrics with your feet on the gear. I'm an 11-11.5 at 5'11" at 196lbs and I wouldn't go smaller than 8.25 because I think there should only be 1-2 inches of overhang heel/toe side when standing on your deck.

 If you're rotating between an 8.375 and an 8.5, I would use the WB as the home base if upping/downing deck width. There's science behind that being the most important aspect for how a deck feels. Professor Schmitt has videos on it on YouTube if you hadn't seen (you are probably aware, we are all nerds on here haha)

TL;DR - If you can get an 8.25 with a WB similar to your 8.5 or 8.375, then I think you'll be good to go. Width is easier to adjust to. Go for it if you think it will feel good and be a more manageable size.

[close]

I've been driving myself crazy thinking about this lately. I realized that my shoe size (13, sometimes 14) is an entire inch longer than a size 10, what I think of as a "standard" size.

I know its not a great idea to experiment, I came off a multi-year break from skating just over a year ago and I'm finally getting a lot of my tricks back. At the same time I hear BA (around same height/shoe size as me) talk about how much more comfortable he is skating a 9 inch eagle and wonder if I'm holding myself back skating an 8.5.

I mean, I can still do all my flips on a brown bomber (around 8.9") and I wear a 7 - 7.5 in shoes. If anything a bigger board would be more comfortable for your size. Maybe try an 8.75 before the 9.

[saltusnaut]

Get vaccinated, feel your fears diminish, go skate

[Surf The Earth]

Having money to spend

[munchbox]

Expand Quote

Treat yo self




But nah, the science behind it, I think is this:
There's some relationship between shoe size and deck width, as well as height to WB. Now the mathematics  behind those, I can't say, but I can say that you can feel the difference when testing those metrics with your feet on the gear. I'm an 11-11.5 at 5'11" at 196lbs and I wouldn't go smaller than 8.25 because I think there should only be 1-2 inches of overhang heel/toe side when standing on your deck.

 If you're rotating between an 8.375 and an 8.5, I would use the WB as the home base if upping/downing deck width. There's science behind that being the most important aspect for how a deck feels. Professor Schmitt has videos on it on YouTube if you hadn't seen (you are probably aware, we are all nerds on here haha)

TL;DR - If you can get an 8.25 with a WB similar to your 8.5 or 8.375, then I think you'll be good to go. Width is easier to adjust to. Go for it if you think it will feel good and be a more manageable size.

[close]

I've been driving myself crazy thinking about this lately. I realized that my shoe size (13, sometimes 14) is an entire inch longer than a size 10, what I think of as a "standard" size.

I know its not a great idea to experiment, I came off a multi-year break from skating just over a year ago and I'm finally getting a lot of my tricks back. At the same time I hear BA (around same height/shoe size as me) talk about how much more comfortable he is skating a 9 inch eagle and wonder if I'm holding myself back skating an 8.5.

you have to keep in mind thats BA, not a mere mortal.

6'5/size 13
in my experience, +/- half an inch in width starting from 8.0 is a good scale for big feet. ill try to explain.

8.0 with 13s feels like a 7.5 with "standard" sizes
8.25 = 7.75
8.5 = 8.0
8.75 = 8.25
9.0 = 8.5
etc...

width is only one dimension though. i really want an 8.75 but if its 32.5" with a 14.75wb then count me out. for example the orange eagle is 9.0/33/15wb, a couple flip trick attempts and then im off to the quarter (i owned two in the past).

i get no pop on bigger wb because my jumping stance isnt wide at all. as a former competitive hooper, jump shots and dunking are done with my legs relatively close to each other. find a wb that compliments your jumping stance/style, if it comes in your preferred width, then length, and narrow things down from there.

[FrozenIndustries]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Treat yo self




But nah, the science behind it, I think is this:
There's some relationship between shoe size and deck width, as well as height to WB. Now the mathematics  behind those, I can't say, but I can say that you can feel the difference when testing those metrics with your feet on the gear. I'm an 11-11.5 at 5'11" at 196lbs and I wouldn't go smaller than 8.25 because I think there should only be 1-2 inches of overhang heel/toe side when standing on your deck.

 If you're rotating between an 8.375 and an 8.5, I would use the WB as the home base if upping/downing deck width. There's science behind that being the most important aspect for how a deck feels. Professor Schmitt has videos on it on YouTube if you hadn't seen (you are probably aware, we are all nerds on here haha)

TL;DR - If you can get an 8.25 with a WB similar to your 8.5 or 8.375, then I think you'll be good to go. Width is easier to adjust to. Go for it if you think it will feel good and be a more manageable size.

[close]

I've been driving myself crazy thinking about this lately. I realized that my shoe size (13, sometimes 14) is an entire inch longer than a size 10, what I think of as a "standard" size.

I know its not a great idea to experiment, I came off a multi-year break from skating just over a year ago and I'm finally getting a lot of my tricks back. At the same time I hear BA (around same height/shoe size as me) talk about how much more comfortable he is skating a 9 inch eagle and wonder if I'm holding myself back skating an 8.5.

[close]

you have to keep in mind thats BA, not a mere mortal.

6'5/size 13
in my experience, +/- half an inch in width starting from 8.0 is a good scale for big feet. ill try to explain.

8.0 with 13s feels like a 7.5 with "standard" sizes
8.25 = 7.75
8.5 = 8.0
8.75 = 8.25
9.0 = 8.5
etc...

width is only one dimension though. i really want an 8.75 but if its 32.5" with a 14.75wb then count me out. for example the orange eagle is 9.0/33/15wb, a couple flip trick attempts and then im off to the quarter (i owned two in the past).

i get no pop on bigger wb because my jumping stance isnt wide at all. as a former competitive hooper, jump shots and dunking are done with my legs relatively close to each other. find a wb that compliments your jumping stance/style, if it comes in your preferred width, then length, and narrow things down from there.

Good way of articulating this.

[moonordie]

This whole message board is about your question actually.

[ballintoohard]

try something for a while before fucking with it. when you do fucks with it, change 1 thing at a time and not by a massive amount.  If you want to try a wider deck, try to copy your other dimensions you have now down to the kick steepness and don't change anything else. Then repeat with trucks, or wheelbase, or whatever. It's likely if you can skate pretty well for your own abilities with your current setup no other setup is going to magically unlock everything for you. Usually 1 thing improves and something else regresses at the cost of this improvement and everything is a giant compromise.

[TurdyBird]

Love all the responses, except moonrides. I hope you eat one plate of shit for that comment, but then continue having a chill life. Just kidding. Glad you actually brought that up actually.

To put it in perspective you're not entirely wrong. However, a lot of singular threads to the issue rather than a more general thread bringing those issues in as a whole. Wasn't aware of any other thread so I decided to make one.

Gonna read all the responses when I'm not fucked up, and regardless appreciate all of them. Love you guys <3

[backinaction]

Oh lord, I've tried.

But what I end up with is my Best Setup for a situation. The setup that allows me to do flatground flips easy is different than the one I want when on a mini ramp, which is different than if I'm skating a park with 7-8' transitions. And that big board may be the perfect size for slappies, but SPFs suck on the street.

I have an "all around" setup that is an 8.5 with Indy Ti 149s and 52mm 99a STFs - but I find that I usually end up on a more specialized setup.

So I've got 4 boards in my car right now, and probably 4-5 others in my garage.

[IUTSM]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Treat yo self




But nah, the science behind it, I think is this:
There's some relationship between shoe size and deck width, as well as height to WB. Now the mathematics  behind those, I can't say, but I can say that you can feel the difference when testing those metrics with your feet on the gear. I'm an 11-11.5 at 5'11" at 196lbs and I wouldn't go smaller than 8.25 because I think there should only be 1-2 inches of overhang heel/toe side when standing on your deck.

 If you're rotating between an 8.375 and an 8.5, I would use the WB as the home base if upping/downing deck width. There's science behind that being the most important aspect for how a deck feels. Professor Schmitt has videos on it on YouTube if you hadn't seen (you are probably aware, we are all nerds on here haha)

TL;DR - If you can get an 8.25 with a WB similar to your 8.5 or 8.375, then I think you'll be good to go. Width is easier to adjust to. Go for it if you think it will feel good and be a more manageable size.

[close]

I've been driving myself crazy thinking about this lately. I realized that my shoe size (13, sometimes 14) is an entire inch longer than a size 10, what I think of as a "standard" size.

I know its not a great idea to experiment, I came off a multi-year break from skating just over a year ago and I'm finally getting a lot of my tricks back. At the same time I hear BA (around same height/shoe size as me) talk about how much more comfortable he is skating a 9 inch eagle and wonder if I'm holding myself back skating an 8.5.

[close]

you have to keep in mind thats BA, not a mere mortal.

6'5/size 13
in my experience, +/- half an inch in width starting from 8.0 is a good scale for big feet. ill try to explain.

8.0 with 13s feels like a 7.5 with "standard" sizes
8.25 = 7.75
8.5 = 8.0
8.75 = 8.25
9.0 = 8.5
etc...

width is only one dimension though. i really want an 8.75 but if its 32.5" with a 14.75wb then count me out. for example the orange eagle is 9.0/33/15wb, a couple flip trick attempts and then im off to the quarter (i owned two in the past).

i get no pop on bigger wb because my jumping stance isnt wide at all. as a former competitive hooper, jump shots and dunking are done with my legs relatively close to each other. find a wb that compliments your jumping stance/style, if it comes in your preferred width, then length, and narrow things down from there.

that wheel base comment and foot placement piece is interesting. I've always thought about pop in relation to how close my feet are to each other and how far that front foot slides forward, but never wheel base. gonna have to play with that

[biggreen]

I think in the end, it’s all about how the board reacts in relation to your instinctive timing and stance/gait.

Your deck with the relatively shorter wheelbase is paired with trucks that shrink the distance (Indy), while your deck with the longer wheelbase has ventures that increase the distance. Which one do you like better? Maybe treat those as opposite extremes, then swap the trucks around and see if that makes any difference.

I did this with two 8.0 boards, one with 14 WB, one 14.25. Swapped around thunders and indy’s systematically with risers etc. really helped to dial in a combination that felt the best. While I think you can get used to most boards, when the board reacts closely to your instinctive expectations, your tricks will feel a lot more intuitive and comfortable.

[Firebert]

R & D

[Sedition]

It's just like any science. Trail and error with strategic, methodical approach. And lot of investment dollars. Control for variables--only try one "new" thing out at time.   

Width: This one you can pretty much figure out standing on decks at the shop. Figure out what size range feels the best to you.

Wheelbase: Pick some baseline...14.25, for example. When your done with that deck, go slightly up/down in size (e.g. a 14.38 or 14.0) for the next one. Which did you like better? Repeat until you find your "zone."

Wheels: Pick a wheel that comes in lots of sizes (Spitfire Classics). Do the same thing as wheelbase, but now with wheel sizes. Once you have your wheel size figured out, start trying different wheel shapes in that size.

Trucks: Buy lower trucks when possible (Indy Forged v. Standards, Thunder Lights v. Teams, etc.), because you can always make a lower truck taller with a small riser, but you can never make a taller truck lower. Then start plugging your way through different trucks.       

To find your "best" set-up (and to rule other stuff out) takes a lot of time and money. Is it worth it? That's up to you. I never intentionally set-out to find my "best" set-up, it just happened over time trying different stuff out because of curiosity. And as others have said, it's situational and always a trade off. 14.38 wheelbase is my all-around fav, but I can 360 flip much better on a 14.1/14.25.However, smaller WB feel way too cramped for other things for me, esp. ollies. For mini ramps I like a slightly wider board with slightly bigger wheels. For big transition I like something even bigger (not doing much of that anymore). The point: No one set-up is going to magically make everything work perfectly. It's all a matter of compromise, and figuring out where between "give" and "take" you want to position yourself.

[sharkin]

there is no science

only madness

[moonordie]

there is no science

only madness

And investing or wasting money depending from your pov.

[fredgallSOTY]

no.

just go skate and you'll figure it out

[Sedition]

there is no science

only madness

Mere semantics.

[rocklobster]

Expand Quote

there is no science

only madness

[close]

And investing or wasting money depending from your pov.

I've wasted my investment on Indy and non-F4 wheels.

1) Settle deck dimensions first - stick to industry standard dimensions from BBS and adjust from there
2) Get your trucks settled - what kind of pop feel do you like, height is often overlooked, how much wheelbase shift do you prefer, going bigger mean heavier trucks so account for truck weight and consider lights / hollow / titanium when going bigger
3) Play around with wheels - 52-54 is boss, if you got big dick energy go up to 56 and above