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Skateboarding => Skate Questions => Topic started by: Sheasdf on April 17, 2023, 04:19:23 PM

Title: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: Sheasdf on April 17, 2023, 04:19:23 PM
I’m in my late 30s and haven’t skated much since I was a teenager, but I’m thinking about seeing if I can have fun on some curbs. I have a regular setup here (that I built last year right before it started raining every day, so I haven’t ridden much), but I’m curious about how much of a difference a dedicated curb board would make. Does the wider board/trucks, conical wheels, and rails make a night and day difference, or would a regular popsicle setup get me close enough?

I’m getting back into skating as a really, really casual hobby and am just a little hesitant to build a second setup if the difference it would make would be negligible. That said, i do want to maximize the fun of my sessions, so if a dedicated curb setup gets me there, that’s great too.

Thanks for any advice. I’ve been reading through some threads about curb skating, but didn’t really see this question asked. Sorry if it’s been covered before.
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: yghartsyrt on April 17, 2023, 11:40:23 PM
Short answer: no, board size, wheels whatever doesn’t really matter.
Here’s a long thread about it
https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=104974.0
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: djoekr on April 18, 2023, 01:53:32 AM
Nah, it all comes down to preference to be honest. Rails are nice if you plan on doing a lot of board- and lipslides but I can slappy just as well on a 8.5 popsicle as my 10 inch deck.
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: scab on April 18, 2023, 02:45:32 AM
Fully agreed. For the overwhelming majority of people the fun in getting a curb setup is getting the setup. It's a way to engage with the activity without doing it. Kinda like posting on slap but worse for your wallet. I have 6 setups because I like to engage with skating a lot even when I don't have the time to actually go skate. How many do I need? Just one. The one I skate 95% of the time. I just have the rest because it's fun and because I can.
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: Easy Slider on April 18, 2023, 04:12:01 AM
No but if it rains a lot where you live, have a rain set up and go out every day.
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: Sheasdf on April 18, 2023, 04:16:25 AM
Short answer: no, board size, wheels whatever doesn’t really matter.
Here’s a long thread about it
https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=104974.0

Thanks for that. I actually did read through that thread but couldn’t really get a feel of how crucial an extra wide setup would be. I appreciate all the insight!
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: emotional_degloving on April 18, 2023, 04:44:14 AM
Not trying to like start something but I thought the appeal of skating curbs, slappies, etc, is that you can do them with any set up- just chill out and do low impact shit? Like I like skating curbs on 8s and 7.75s with tiny ass wheels.
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: streetmeat on April 18, 2023, 07:14:07 AM
dont buy into that bs. Big Curb wants you on a 20" Egg with 25" trucks and 21mm wheels. you can slappy on a 7" zoo york, ventures and ricta slims just the same.
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: modern life is war on April 18, 2023, 07:49:33 AM
I have a dedicated curb setup but only because I find that skating curbs wears your gear out super quickly and your grip gets all fucked up from skating asphalt, so my curb setup is basically just old shit thrown together. It's still just an 8.5 with indy 149s and 52mm wheels.
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: layzieyez on April 18, 2023, 07:53:36 AM
Just buy the curb killer.

You’ll never know until you do.

Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: rawbertson. on April 18, 2023, 08:25:39 AM
imo you dont want a super wide board for a curb setup necessarily... if you skate a curb that has grass on the other side you really dont even want to go above 8.5" trucks. you dont really want to eat the entire curb so that your wheels are on either side. it sounds cool but you lose all your speed right away and popping out is awkward. i dont recommend it at all.

you only need rails if you are skating double siders and you want to do boardslide combos, or skate spots that dont have wax. if you arent doing that then you are just adding a ton of weight to your board for no reason.

big wheels id say are easier to monster truck up stuff, but they stick more on noseslide/tailslide tricks and they make combos out of those way more difficult as well.

Classic wheel shape seem like they are the best wheel because its easier to put the board up on two wheels, and also easiest to do combos with. can also ride looser trucks with them cause the wheelbite isnt as bad. but conicals or tablets would be better for locking in for a single long grind... everything has advantage and disadvantage.
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: manysnakes on April 18, 2023, 09:40:42 AM
No, the idea that "curbs" are a new genre of skateboarding which require their own specialized equipment is a complete farce. If anything, staying consistent to one complete skateboard will improve your skating far more than constantly switching between setups based on locale. Speaking personally, I skate curbs better on an 8" with Ace 44s than I ever did when I was trying to make a 8.75" popsicle work.

Like others have said, if you want to have a few setups because you've got the money and you enjoy it, then sure, have at it - there's nothing wrong with that.
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: mj23 on April 18, 2023, 10:34:06 AM
Is a dedicated curb setup “important”? No not really, the beauty of skating a little curb is that you can kinda just do it however you like. Low commitment

But is it *fun* to have a curb setup? Yeah, for sure. Rails in particular make board slide variations fast and fun to take really far

Other stuff like big wide boards are nice if you’re more interested in ripping slappies than popping or flipping your deck. A 9.75” deck is lots of fun to carve, slap, no-comply, etc. It’s not ideal for popping up onto ledges or over gaps or anything like that.
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: rawbertson. on April 18, 2023, 11:23:50 AM
yeah the whole point of having the big board is really just to make it MORE difficult cause you can be lazy and just get away with doing the same tricks you always do, it just looks more hilarious/awesome when you do em on a massive boat. i got my first 8.75" shape board just so i would take skating less seriously.

i feel like it makes you way better when you go back to a popsicle too

it makes riding something like 8.5" feel super easy! my big setups are quite heavy but my 8.5" is on sub 50mm wheels and indy titaniums with a ton of material grinded off, weighs less than my 8" setup with ventures  ;D
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: disclosed on April 18, 2023, 12:09:12 PM
Is a dedicated curb setup “important”? No not really, the beauty of skating a little curb is that you can kinda just do it however you like. Low commitment

But is it *fun* to have a curb setup? Yeah, for sure. Rails in particular make board slide variations fast and fun to take really far

Other stuff like big wide boards are nice if you’re more interested in ripping slappies than popping or flipping your deck. A 9.75” deck is lots of fun to carve, slap, no-comply, etc. It’s not ideal for popping up onto ledges or over gaps or anything like that.

this!
you definitly don't need it. but if you got the money to spare and just wanna have a ton of fun. why not try it, just make sure it has a good nose.
i espeacially loved experimenting with shapes and sizes and what they did better or worse compared to others. that being said, i have been back on a single setup for a year now. and i try to keep it that way for the sake of progression.

you can also allways just put rails on the board you got now too. and if you don't like it just take it off again. nothing is permanent.

yeah the whole point of having the big board is really just to make it MORE difficult cause you can be lazy and just get away with doing the same tricks you always do, it just looks more hilarious/awesome when you do em on a massive boat. i got my first 8.75" shape board just so i would take skating less seriously.

i feel like it makes you way better when you go back to a popsicle too

it makes riding something like 8.5" feel super easy! my big setups are quite heavy but my 8.5" is on sub 50mm wheels and indy titaniums with a ton of material grinded off, weighs less than my 8" setup with ventures  ;D

hard disagree. i could never downsize to a 8~8.5 popsicle again. i instantly lose all my tricks whenever i ride those. only thing is that they pop way higher.
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: rawbertson. on April 18, 2023, 02:16:59 PM
well i guess it just depends what you are used to. i rode 8" for like 20 years without ever changing it, so it never feels that weird for me to go back to it
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: disclosed on April 18, 2023, 02:31:20 PM
well i guess it just depends what you are used to. i rode 8" for like 20 years without ever changing it, so it never feels that weird for me to go back to it

i rode 8" decks for like 12 years. but after sizing up i instantly felt more comfortable, like it suddenly clicked, and learend way more tricks since. and now 4 years in i guess my skating and trick selection has really evolved around the big setup.
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: fs1/2cab on April 20, 2023, 07:05:06 AM
No but if it rains a lot where you live, have a rain set up and go out every day.

This is the way.
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: Easy Slider on April 20, 2023, 02:41:07 PM
Expand Quote
No but if it rains a lot where you live, have a rain set up and go out every day.
[close]

This is the way.

Yes you put me on that. Def. a game changer.
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: yourbreakfsat on April 21, 2023, 11:05:01 AM
Curb set ups are complete gimmicks and you'll end up with a complete that's only good for one specific thing that you'll end up not using much.

As usual gear only helps some and the rest is practice, but if you really want something to help with curbs then build a board for transition. Curb skating started out as mimicking vert/transition and still holds true today. For a lot of stuff I do on transition I learned on curbs first.
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: Chavo on April 22, 2023, 06:26:10 PM
Too many demotivational posts here.

A board with slide rails makes double sided curbs way more fun, even if that setup is useless for everything else.

In the end, if a dedicated setup makes you more excited to go skate, you should do it.
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: mj23 on April 23, 2023, 06:49:54 PM
Curb set ups are complete gimmicks and you'll end up with a complete that's only good for one specific thing that you'll end up not using much.

As usual gear only helps some and the rest is practice, but if you really want something to help with curbs then build a board for transition. Curb skating started out as mimicking vert/transition and still holds true today. For a lot of stuff I do on transition I learned on curbs first.
if youre an aging sore-knee no-pop mf like me, your 'curb setup' can easily become a 'main setup.' in the last few years, my 'normal' (popsicle) setups have been the ones i don't use much.

and the longer wheelbases common to a vert deck are not neccesarily what a lot of people like on a curb board. i know for dicking around on a little curb i like a short wheelbase so i can carve up there with a little flick of the ankle.

but obviously there are no rules. and everyone's different. ride whatever you like, however you like it
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: switchfakie on May 09, 2023, 07:22:31 AM
no, but skating curbs on a 7.75 doesnt really really feel satisfying imo
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: fuhkin_powahfood_kid on May 11, 2023, 10:06:54 AM
When learning slappies i found it far easier to have wider (159 v149) trucks and bigger wheels (56 v 52)

8.5 w 159s 56mm is a pretty sweet all around sized set up for me.
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: SatanicPanic on July 15, 2023, 03:42:22 PM
Only if you want to have rails but don’t want to ride them all the time. I have two identical set ups, one with rails one without. I ride the one without more often.

I ride 8.38. I’m thinking about sizing up but the issue that Rawbertson points out is real- locking in on both sides of a curb is not good.
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: Easy Slider on July 15, 2023, 10:28:39 PM
It‘s not necessary but it can be fun. I am currently using my Villani egg with big wheels for slappies as opposed to a regular popsicle with 52s and while bot work, the experience is very different.
Title: Re: Is a dedicated curb setup important?
Post by: GBLange on July 16, 2023, 10:58:59 PM
Expand Quote
Curb set ups are complete gimmicks and you'll end up with a complete that's only good for one specific thing that you'll end up not using much.

As usual gear only helps some and the rest is practice, but if you really want something to help with curbs then build a board for transition. Curb skating started out as mimicking vert/transition and still holds true today. For a lot of stuff I do on transition I learned on curbs first.
[close]
if youre an aging sore-knee no-pop mf like me, your 'curb setup' can easily become a 'main setup.' in the last few years, my 'normal' (popsicle) setups have been the ones i don't use much.

and the longer wheelbases common to a vert deck are not neccesarily what a lot of people like on a curb board. i know for dicking around on a little curb i like a short wheelbase so i can carve up there with a little flick of the ankle.

but obviously there are no rules. and everyone's different. ride whatever you like, however you like it

amen brother.