Which is more benefical? Sticking to a setup or trying new things?

[sionarancsle]

Which is better in the long run in terms of progressing in your skateboarding? Sticking to the same shoes, same deck shape, same trucks and re-buying the same exact stuff if something breaks or trying new brands on every new purchase?

For example I've been riding polar boards with nike sb blazers for quite some time, got the new nora adidas shoe and a magenta board cuz it was cheap and while the magenta board with the blazers felt fine and I could land my stuff the nora shoe made my flips super sketchy even after 2-3 sessions.

Will pushing thru with different shoes for example teach me more about skating and improve my skills than sticking to the same old blazers every time?

[ultsi]

I used to think like you, that trying different shoes was beneficial and would diversify my technique so that I would be able to use any shoe. But after 10 years I've just realized that everything feels the best in Vans sk8-hi/half-cabs, and all the other shoe models just don't work for me. I think for consistency it's better to stick to one setup as much as you can.

[goodatmeth]

That question lead me down a rabbit hole for more than a year. After riding the same thing for years, I ended up buying 6 different types of trucks and decks with all kinds of wheelbases because nothing felt quite right.

Now I'm back on the exact setup I was riding before.
It's not worth it at all. That's a full year of progressing wasted on getting used to new stuff and skating worse

[whale]

Try not to fuck with board shapes/dimensions too much, but I’ll give any pair of shoes a go as long as it’s a cupsole.
I can only remember one pair of shoes that I didn’t like at all.

[Lukabrazi]

I skated blazers and dunks for years and it always made me skate my best . Other shoes did not feel good or right and I just stuck with those. Board setups as well. In the last 5 years . I’ve tried some different stuff , but nothing feels as good as riding the setup and shoes that I always felt comfortable on .

[Urtripping]

Consistency is key. Skated the same shape board and similar shoes for close to a year now and it feels great. Eliminates variables and you can trust what you're skating.

[FatGuy92]

Which is better in the long run in terms of progressing in your skateboarding? Sticking to the same shoes, same deck shape, same trucks and re-buying the same exact stuff if something breaks or trying new brands on every new purchase?

For example I've been riding polar boards with nike sb blazers for quite some time, got the new nora adidas shoe and a magenta board cuz it was cheap and while the magenta board with the blazers felt fine and I could land my stuff the nora shoe made my flips super sketchy even after 2-3 sessions.

Will pushing thru with different shoes for example teach me more about skating and improve my skills than sticking to the same old blazers every time?

Switching shit up is fun but I think it's more beneficial to stick to one thing that works. I spent way too much time trying different gear and it was detrimental to my progress imo.

[Hyliannightmare]

Same shit always

[stephop]

I skate way less now and my shoes don't feel great. Makes it way harder for me to skate then my setup unless I go to like a toothpick.

[Ray C. Usery]

Sticking to the same setup helps you stay consistent

When you get bored change size and/or shape but stick to your favorite companies for trucks, wheels, bearings and grip.

I have 10+ setups but my trucks range from 00 Ace's to 77. For wheels I stick to Spits or Bones, for bearings I stick to Bones Swiss or Bronson Raw's. Sometimes I think I don't care about grip

Every time I try a different truck company out I hate it and end up giving them away. Took me 8 years before I tried formula fours

[gnidraobetaks]

If you’re bored, live a little.

[Resident Jeff]

Not exactly an answer, but somewhat related.
I pretty much had to train myself to enjoy skating the adidas Busenitz. I really dislike how they feel to skate in, yet love the look and somehow they just work with me. I’ve done my best skating wearing that shoe.

I know it makes no sense…

[m path]

  I dunno.  I rode big massive boards the last 15 years and now that I got down to a 8.5  14.38 wb I'm wondering wtf I was thinking.

[kook1234]

Same setup always.

It bugs me when you smoke up people on the street and then they ask “hey can I see your board for a minute?  I want to try a heel flip”. Why do you care if you can heel flip on my board?  This is the only time you’ll skate it

[Roisto]

I think it’s beneficial to find what you like and stick to it. Unfortunately it’s easy to get stuck to finding what you like so you’ll be experimenting endlessly. I’ve tried to tone down experimenting and have also gotten rid of stuff that doesn’t work for me sooner lately. I still have way too many different kind of boards & shoes around even though I’m set with everything else pretty much (except truck width), including some board specs.

I also find it fun to mix it up on occasion and that most likely hinders my progress but then again I’m not so sure how much I need to progress anyway. I skate to have fun, not to impress others with my skills.

[Burton Ernie]

I used to be very strict in skating the same setup and shoes always. In the past year or so I tried rails, and liked it, and have since started trying a few different shapes/widths of decks. Also went from always riding Bones STFs to Spitfire F4s and Snot Wheels, love those too. Tried Ace instead of Indy, kinda whatever on that one. I basically have 2 setups now, a pretty standard 8.5 popsicle and then something wider with whatever shape seems cool. Fun to be able to switch back and forth easily.

[IpathCats]

Both have their place, but trying new things can lead to "madness" which is not fun.

If you have a size 13 shoe and you're skating 7.75's you probably wanna switch it up.

If you're sanding bushings, counting washers, sweating over .05" of wb, and thinking more about your board than actually skateboarding, you probably just need to stick to one thing.

[KGB]

Not exactly an answer, but somewhat related.
I pretty much had to train myself to enjoy skating the adidas Busenitz. I really dislike how they feel to skate in, yet love the look and somehow they just work with me. I’ve done my best skating wearing that shoe.

I know it makes no sense…

Agree this is the best shoe, but if you’ve never worn them they can feel weird at first because the heel is higher than the toe. But once you get used to that they are perfect.

As far as changing setups I’ve experimented a lot with different sizes setups and always find myself going back to the same thing. But you might have to try different setups to realize you already had the best one.

[fineslime]

variety is the spice of life my guy.

[MyUserName]

I stick to the same shit as best as I can, but I’m genuinely confused by people who claim to “skate the same shape.” Unless you’re sponsored/flow and can request to be sent what you want - how?

Example: I like skating one brand, and only skate 8.25. When I go to my local shop when it’s time to buy a new deck, I see if they have that brand in that size. They might have it, but it’s a different length or different wheelbase than the last one I had. Oh well, deal with it.  There’s no way the brand released a board in the exact same width, length and wheelbase from one season to the next. It just doesn’t happen.

[pleasent street]

i think how often you skate and how much effort you put into actually skating in your sessions is way more beneficial than fucking with your setup to get it perfect. ive been trying to ride my decks and shoes for as long as possible lately because money is tight and i still feel like im skating the best ive ever skated.

[GetItStraitRideKrooked]

I stick to the same shit as best as I can, but I’m genuinely confused by people who claim to “skate the same shape.” Unless you’re sponsored/flow and can request to be sent what you want - how?

Example: I like skating one brand, and only skate 8.25. When I go to my local shop when it’s time to buy a new deck, I see if they have that brand in that size. They might have it, but it’s a different length or different wheelbase than the last one I had. Oh well, deal with it.  There’s no way the brand released a board in the exact same width, length and wheelbase from one season to the next. It just doesn’t happen.

There's some like the Manderson that come out with every other drop. I try and pick up a couple each drop since I like the shape a lot. Lately I've been more into Polar 8.5"s and those seem pretty easy to get the same standard shape at any shop. 8.5"x 32.125" x 14.375" WB is like their standard for popsicles.

I get what you're saying but I feel like for the most part it's pretty easy to get the same width, length, and wheelbase of a shape if I really dig it. Maybe it's just the brands I skate put out the same shapes regularly.

[boi-cuzudo]

I already know what works best for my body type and I usually stick to it, sometimes I will change something to try out something new,but eventually I go back to my original setup because it's what works and is reliable. I do enjoy riding unconventional setups from time to time, but I always have a main skateboard I stick to. If I could afford it I would have a lot of skateboards for different stuff like a rain setup, a transition one, street, cruiser... I also wish I could try out stuff from all the eras/phases of skateboarding history.

I do think a good skateboarder can ride anything, no excuse.

[sionarancsle]

Guess I’m sticking to blazer lows and magenta boards for the foreseeable future.

I loved the adidas gazelle too but they are hard to get after a batch is released and they rarely restock. At least the blazers were and will be around forever.

[eviltgirl]

I try to stick to consistent stuff, but when I DO end up switching something, I try to only switch one piece at a time so that I can create a direct comparison. 

[Tommy G]

I've stuck with the same setup for the past 10 years or so. The only thing I really changed in the past 5 years was switching from Bones to Spitfire F4's. I usually get a mellow or medium board with a round nose and tail both similar lengths. I stick to Independent since they've always been reliable even after I break the bushings, Spitfires have been great and I like my Bronsons. Shoes I go back and forth with but lately the NB# Jamie Foy's aren't too bad, but I may go back to Etnies Maranas since getting primo in vulcs sucks.

I changed over to Tensor a couple of months ago and while having light trucks that grind is great, my balance with manuals and flip tricks is way off and it's starting to get to me. I may try Indy's again on my next sesh since I'm comfortable with them and they grind just fine. So to sum it up, experimenting isn't bad just don't get drastic.

[schralp pal]

I went from conical fulls to classics probably about a year and a half ago and it improved my skating a lot, so sometimes it pays off to experiment.

[sionarancsle]

I went from conical fulls to classics probably about a year and a half ago and it improved my skating a lot, so sometimes it pays off to experiment.

Why are classics better?

[lurker_and_poster]

In theory you can do everything bare foot with
any given set-up.
But skateboarding is a mind game - if you feel comfortable and have a clear mind you can skate better. So if you feel fine with your stuff stick with it - if something doesn’t feel right- try out something new.

[JRF]

Depends highly on the person and their preference. I rode the same board shape and dimensions for years and only switched to a wider board size later on because I started skating bigger shit, I would ride the same pair of trucks for years until a hanger would either break or be ground to the axel and was forced to change out my trucks, I think I rode the same bushings that a swapped from truck to trucks for almost 2 decades. I rode my back truck looser than my front, which is pretty ass backwards. I only changed wheels and boards frequently, a long with shoes but only because they wore out quickly. Everyone is different, what works for one person might not work for someone else. I know that when someone would try and ride my set up they’d usually make fun of it because it wasn’t conventional (mostly because of the loose ass rattling trucks with the back looser than the front) plus my board width was only 7.4 wide for a couple of years and for most that was way too skinny plus the wheelbase was longer than most with a really short tail, but that’s was what I liked for a long while.