Deck measurements and "Pop feel".

[Bold]

My son wanted to trade decks and trucks lately so I said sure. I noticed right away that my tail wasn't hitting the ground on a lot of ollies so I got out the tape measure and started trying to figure out why. Our trucks were the same height Indy's and I kept my wheels so I assume the biggest difference was in the deck geometry. I measured the length, wheel base, and tail. When I lay my deck on top of his the nose and tail are a bit steeper but about the same length. The wheel base on my new deck is 1/8" longer @ 14.375 and this is where i think most of the difference comes in. The truck bolt holes are closer to the tail.

I don't have a local shop so I'm mostly shopping online. I wish there was a measurement I could reference that would give a better idea about how the bolt holes to tail/tail steepness feel (trucks and wheels staying the same).
It seems like if you knew the height of the tail off the deck and the horizontal distance from bolt holes to the end of the tail you could compare one deck to another a little more accurately.

Anybody else?
What would you even call this/these dimensions?
I guess if the tail was a set of stairs you'd call it the rise and run.

[DarkPools]

My son wanted to trade decks and trucks lately so I said sure. I noticed right away that my tail wasn't hitting the ground on a lot of ollies so I got out the tape measure and started trying to figure out why. Our trucks were the same height Indy's and I kept my wheels so I assume the biggest difference was in the deck geometry. I measured the length, wheel base, and tail. When I lay my deck on top of his the nose and tail are a bit steeper but about the same length. The wheel base on my new deck is 1/8" longer @ 14.375 and this is where i think most of the difference comes in. The truck bolt holes are closer to the tail.

I don't have a local shop so I'm mostly shopping online. I wish there was a measurement I could reference that would give a better idea about how the bolt holes to tail/tail steepness feel (trucks and wheels staying the same).
It seems like if you knew the height of the tail off the deck and the horizontal distance from bolt holes to the end of the tail you could compare one deck to another a little more accurately.

Anybody else?
What would you even call this/these dimensions?
I guess if the tail was a set of stairs you'd call it the rise and run.

Such an apt way to put it! That would be a beneficial measurement, because it changes where you place your foot on the tail to pop.
The best I see offered from brands/shops is tail/nose length but that doesn't help distance from bolts to start of tail.

[sammyz]

I've gone through this madness and put together a spreadsheet called "deck aggressiveness ratio". where i have ratio for WB+Tail+Nose/Length of deck. Seems like 87.7% is my sweet spot. But...other things come in to play like angle and length of tail specifically. So I've had to create a few controls for this measurement to work for me; for example, i'm only getting DLX and Black Label decks, which are relatively similar in relation to angle (not too steep), and all ridden with Indy 159's. I've also worked out that I like a tail to be at least 6.75 long and width to be about 9"

Having said all this, only recently did I notice that the last 2 decks I really liked ticked all these boxes, so I've bought my newest deck based on the same theory...if it works out, i think I've got a great way of comparing decks for the future. 

[rocklobster]

I've gone through this madness and put together a spreadsheet called "deck aggressiveness ratio". where i have ratio for WB+Tail+Nose/Length of deck. Seems like 87.7% is my sweet spot. But...other things come in to play like angle and length of tail specifically. So I've had to create a few controls for this measurement to work for me; for example, i'm only getting DLX and Black Label decks, which are relatively similar in relation to angle (not too steep), and all ridden with Indy 159's. I've also worked out that I like a tail to be at least 6.75 long and width to be about 9"

Having said all this, only recently did I notice that the last 2 decks I really liked ticked all these boxes, so I've bought my newest deck based on the same theory...if it works out, i think I've got a great way of comparing decks for the future.

I got a spreadsheet with deck and truck measurements plus the pairings to find my ideal axle-to-axle wheelbase. Gotten pretty mixed results and I've been searching (and shopping) relentlessly to find that Goldilocks combination. Unfortunately ideal measurements aren't 100% transferable (8 x 32 x 14 and 8.25 x 31.8 x 14 can feel miles apart), but I would love to have a look at your ratio calculations all the same.

[Peepeeboy69]

i have a pretty worn down deck and it's been so frustrating. Some days i can't seem to pop my tail and ghost pop every trick and other days it feels just so perfect

also for some reason my tail is worn down like slanted so it doesn't even pop straight but when it feels good it feels so damn good i don't want to switch it out

[sammyz]

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I've gone through this madness and put together a spreadsheet called "deck aggressiveness ratio". where i have ratio for WB+Tail+Nose/Length of deck. Seems like 87.7% is my sweet spot. But...other things come in to play like angle and length of tail specifically. So I've had to create a few controls for this measurement to work for me; for example, i'm only getting DLX and Black Label decks, which are relatively similar in relation to angle (not too steep), and all ridden with Indy 159's. I've also worked out that I like a tail to be at least 6.75 long and width to be about 9"

Having said all this, only recently did I notice that the last 2 decks I really liked ticked all these boxes, so I've bought my newest deck based on the same theory...if it works out, i think I've got a great way of comparing decks for the future.

[close]

I got a spreadsheet with deck and truck measurements plus the pairings to find my ideal axle-to-axle wheelbase. Gotten pretty mixed results and I've been searching (and shopping) relentlessly to find that Goldilocks combination. Unfortunately ideal measurements aren't 100% transferable (8 x 32 x 14 and 8.25 x 31.8 x 14 can feel miles apart), but I would love to have a look at your ratio calculations all the same.

sure man...link below. Interestingly, the last 3 decks I've had have been very different, but that ratio has worked between them in some way.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UV0nj-JQgXst4Izcz_9dt7nojNCL7aigvW92zQ6QXLM/edit?usp=sharing

[rocklobster]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I've gone through this madness and put together a spreadsheet called "deck aggressiveness ratio". where i have ratio for WB+Tail+Nose/Length of deck. Seems like 87.7% is my sweet spot. But...other things come in to play like angle and length of tail specifically. So I've had to create a few controls for this measurement to work for me; for example, i'm only getting DLX and Black Label decks, which are relatively similar in relation to angle (not too steep), and all ridden with Indy 159's. I've also worked out that I like a tail to be at least 6.75 long and width to be about 9"

Having said all this, only recently did I notice that the last 2 decks I really liked ticked all these boxes, so I've bought my newest deck based on the same theory...if it works out, i think I've got a great way of comparing decks for the future.

[close]

I got a spreadsheet with deck and truck measurements plus the pairings to find my ideal axle-to-axle wheelbase. Gotten pretty mixed results and I've been searching (and shopping) relentlessly to find that Goldilocks combination. Unfortunately ideal measurements aren't 100% transferable (8 x 32 x 14 and 8.25 x 31.8 x 14 can feel miles apart), but I would love to have a look at your ratio calculations all the same.

[close]

sure man...link below. Interestingly, the last 3 decks I've had have been very different, but that ratio has worked between them in some way.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UV0nj-JQgXst4Izcz_9dt7nojNCL7aigvW92zQ6QXLM/edit?usp=sharing

What kind of skateboarding do you do? I do more park / street, so my boards are all between 8-8.25 but yours are way bigger. I wonder if the older % is affected by the type of skateboarding you do.

(Shit did we need another layer to our gear madness?)

[CorneliusCardew]

I think it is called fingers of flat

[Yesterdays-pop]

Math doesn’t calculate in skateboarding.
I’d recommend standing on your board stationary; in Ollie position, and just pushing your back leg down so that the tail rests on the ground. Kinda like you are just gonna scrape your tail or stall in a scraping 5-0. No jumping or popping. Just get a feel for what that feeling is or the distance you have to push down.
The key to doing tricks is actually jumping off that back foot with the board in that position. The tail has to hit the ground and then you pop and jump.
Seems like anyone ghosting tricks is anticipating the ground too much and focusing on your front foot. You have to focus on the back foot. Hit your tail and jump. Push down, pop, jump, cradle.
Chances are you learned how to skate wrong.

[Bold]

I think it is called fingers of flat

But whose fingers? And the start of the curve of the tail is so hard to pinpoint BUT ultimately the position of the end of the tail with relation to the rear bolt holes is what determines how far the tail has to go down to make contact (if all the other parts remain the same).

[rocklobster]

Math doesn’t calculate in skateboarding.
I’d recommend standing on your board stationary; in Ollie position, and just pushing your back leg down so that the tail rests on the ground. Kinda like you are just gonna scrape your tail or stall in a scraping 5-0. No jumping or popping. Just get a feel for what that feeling is or the distance you have to push down.
The key to doing tricks is actually jumping off that back foot with the board in that position. The tail has to hit the ground and then you pop and jump.
Seems like anyone ghosting tricks is anticipating the ground too much and focusing on your front foot. You have to focus on the back foot. Hit your tail and jump. Push down, pop, jump, cradle.
Chances are you learned how to skate wrong.

Thanks, I already think about that daily.

[Vintagebody]

Fingers of flat can be a hoax. Why? Even tho you have 2 fingers of flat, the tail can be very steep, giving the same angle of pop as more mellow deck.

I recommend measuring the angle of leverage on your favorite deck, then go to the store and find one with same angle. How? You can use iPhone's angle measurement tool, tho not the most accurate. Then push the tail down and measure at bolts.

[DA BIG BODY BENZ]

Call me an asshole but I just work with what I have, I dont obsess over wb like a lot of people. Once I get a new deck as long as its 7.75 I just fuck around and eventually get used to it. I know my worthless opinion doesnt help your cause I'm just bored

[sammyz]

btw...I'm not saying that spreadsheet is anything but a personal thing i use...no any kind of authority

 

[Sila]

Skating is more fun than shopping. I swear some of you guys obsess over this stuff to the point that it affects you're skating more than your gear.

[sammyz]

Skating is more fun than shopping. I swear some of you guys obsess over this stuff to the point that it affects you're skating more than your gear.

Most definitely...but once every couple of months or so when im looking for my next deck, i get into this

[DarkPools]

I appreciate the scientific aspect (or madness as we call it around here) of figuring out how certain specs work to maximize efficiency when skating but I've narrowed my gear needs down to these so I don't worry as much about the tiny details:

- Independent 149 (53.5mm or 55mm height) hollow or standard. Depends on what I'm feeling, but both work. I will never skate another brand of truck as long as I can help it.
- 8.5" width. Sometimes 8.4" but nothing smaller or bigger.
- WB: 14.25" to 14.5"
- Tail: no smaller than 6.5". Probably prefer up to 6.75" but I'm flexible at 6.5" and above.
- Nose: full shape. Moderately steep but not too steep.
- Most importantly: does it feel good under my feet as if I were pushing on it? I kinda test this in shops to simulate how stable and comfortable it feels as I push and set up for tricks
 This helps me the most!

I've never thought about fingers of flat until recently and I am not about to measure my decks with that. Good luck to those that will be using it

[Bold]

Here's my setup for measuring rise and run.

[Utopos]

Damn, I wish my friends that I skate with were like this. I'll roll around on their new boards from time to time, if I ask them anything other than the width they look at me like I'm crazy.

[pdknox]

just put his ass in timeout and then steal on him for the trucks.

ha.

[weedgod94]

shorter/steeper tail = more explosive pop feel
longer/flatter tail = dead but easy to land in manual

thats how it feels to me. some deck/truck combos just dont work right.

[Xen]

Skating is more fun than shopping. I swear some of you guys obsess over this stuff to the point that it affects you're skating more than your gear.

OCD can really shut people down, it can be crippling.

[quarterpound]

Skating is more fun than shopping. I swear some of you guys obsess over this stuff to the point that it affects you're skating more than your gear.

There's a lesson there fs.  I have to just pull the trigger after hunting for stuff or I'll waste half a day.  But don't forget it really does "take all kinds" to make things work.  We'd be riding around on deck chairs if Schmitt and those other nerds hadn't taken time off from skating to figure things out.

[Sila]

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Skating is more fun than shopping. I swear some of you guys obsess over this stuff to the point that it affects you're skating more than your gear.

[close]

There's a lesson there fs.  I have to just pull the trigger after hunting for stuff or I'll waste half a day.  But don't forget it really does "take all kinds" to make things work.  We'd be riding around on deck chairs if Schmitt and those other nerds hadn't taken time off from skating to figure things out.

Yo that's actually a good point.

[Bold]

I do CAD for a living so I drew things up.
I was hoping to be able to make a spreadsheet that you could punch in the rise and run and come up with the degrees of rotation until the tail touches down or "pop angle" but I've lost hope on that.

Is anyone out there great at geometry and spreadsheets?

I can draw it up in cad but I can't share that with anyone. Seems like a google spreadsheet is the easy way to go if I can make that work.

[rocklobster]

I do CAD for a living so I drew things up.
I was hoping to be able to make a spreadsheet that you could punch in the rise and run and come up with the degrees of rotation until the tail touches down or "pop angle" but I've lost hope on that.

Is anyone out there great at geometry and spreadsheets?

I can draw it up in cad but I can't share that with anyone. Seems like a google spreadsheet is the easy way to go if I can make that work.

He made a good starting list of measurements:
https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=111668.msg3332904#msg3332904

[Bold]

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I.

[close]

He made a good starting list of measurements:
https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=111668.msg3332904#msg3332904

I saw that, thanks. I guess what I need help with is exactly how to calculate the angle from those measurements and how to craft a spreadsheet that will crunch the numbers.

I think I can figure out the calculations but making an easy to use spreadsheet might be above my pay grade and I could use some help with that once I figure the equations out.

[V.I. Arnold]

I guess what I need help with is exactly how to calculate the angle from those measurements and how to craft a spreadsheet that will crunch the numbers.

I think I can figure out the calculations but making an easy to use spreadsheet might be above my pay grade and I could use some help with that once I figure the equations out.

I'm down to help. Send me a DM with what you're thinking.