Really want to do a setup video about my favorite board
I started trying to do it but just found myself kinda going on a ton of tangents
This is maybe best way for me to organize my thoughts
Deck: primitive : brand - well I’ll just be honest I am getting a deal on these boards right now so that is the main reason I am riding them but on top of that they are actually the board I want them I ride I discovered. Also you can get the mystery boxes (that’s what I have been getting) and the deal is better than what anyone else is offering as far as I can tell. Basically you get 3 boards for the price of 2 and you can get free shipping if your order is big enough. So it’s not only the shape I want but it’s also the best deal.
Shape: primitive decks in general seem to have a very steep concave and very steep kicks. As you may or may not know they are made by bbs and most of their boards seems to be this way. However I received a Robert Neal deck in my last package from 2020 and it was very flat kicks and concave , but the dimensions were exactly the same as the other 5x 8.38” boards I got from them. I think it’s safe to say going forward though they are going to be steep. One last thing I really like about primitive is they don’t run different sizes in the same width so all 8.38 boards are the same, all 8.125” boards are the same etc. it makes it easy for the consumer to know what board they are getting. The fitting guide on their website is actually up to date it’s just missing the 8.75” and 9.125” egg sizes.
The nose on these boards is 7” which is nice and big for me and it’s nothing unique really that other brands aren’t offering. But it’s what I like because I do a ton of noseslides and crooks and it feels way easier to hold on a big nose. The tail on these boards is on the larger side coming in at 6.75” and I prefer this over the 6.5” deluxe tails because it feels better for tail slides and blunt slides to me. You have a lot more room to land on.
The wheelbase is 14.18 which is very short for my stubby little legs and helps me with my flip tricks. Also I am riding Thunders which push the wheels base out but we will get into that. The overall length is 31.9 what I am used to.
I came to this size after riding dlx / BBS boards almost exclusively at 8” for 15 years. I tried 9”, 8.75”, 8.5”, and finally at 8.38 it felt absolutely perfect to me to the point I was skating better than the 8”. I tried 14.5”, 14.25”, 14” wb and I found 14,18 and 14.25 work great for me. I tried a ps stix board 8.38 x 14.25 from the homeys @solotangopress in Toronto and it felt like a seamless transition. The main difference was the ps boards seemed to sound a bit different and the pockets where it bends for the concave seemed to start chipping after 2 months (neither issue didn’t seem to affect performance at all) bbs boards seem to feel heavier.
Trucks: thunder team 148. I rode Indy 139 for 15 years and then rode 159 and 144 in the last 2. Then rode ace 60s. I also have a set of 8” ventures I mess around on from time to time. I have decided I like these the best because I can get a really good turn out of them but also feel very stable. I like the lower height (52 mm instead of 55mm / 53mm)quite a bit and the way they sit in grinds, especially when you are pinching a crook or dipping a feeble. My flip trick game feels like it has come back fully, and then some. I don’t feel like I need hollows or lights or anything like that. I love the thick base plate. The weight feels very in between which is perfect for flips and grinds to me because there is still some sense of feedback without being a boat.
Wheels: spitfire f4 classic 99a 51mm. Nothing special here but basically I rode bones stf for 15 years then tried OJ 95a and some dragons, then got couple sizes of f4 99a and knew straight away this was going to be a very good wheel for me. Slides great for nose slides and power slides and also isn’t pure ice when you are trying to carve up a bank or transition. They have a great sound and when paired with thunder teams I think that is how a skateboard should sound. The main reason I like classics is because they wear down the fastest and they become really awesome baby wheels once worn down and then your board flips amazing. I like how flat you sit in grinds and how easily you can combo. Mine are around 45mm right now.
I don’t set up anything special for bearings or hardware because to me its not worth it. I was running same set of bones Swiss for long time… but I have been running primitive bearings lately and I have even taken them through some puddles and they are running mint still. Bearings don’t add to your speed but they need to be workin. I guess since I am riding a few more setups I need to be less picky about having good bearings(I still have those Swiss running on another setup btw…)
Grip I prefer jessup because it is the least abrasive. I was told mob is 70 grit, jessup is 80, and shake junt is in between(which I’m also fine with and I think this is what the primitive grip tape probably is) not picky on this at all because if I get mob it seems to last the longest.
Final notes
I prefer to keep the deck slightly wider than the trucks purely because I like the way it looks. I also need to keep the trucks kinda in the narrow side cause I skate a lot of curbs with grass on the other side, and I noticed 8.75” trucks tend to send you over the other side…
I like the way my board is feeling rolling and on turns. I haven’t found like I can run this board on any certain spot despite how small my wheels are. Just can’t be a baby. When everything feels right I really love to skate and just want to do it as much as possible. I have grinded down the kingpin nuts to the point you can’t even take em off . I don’t get that same feeling from dragon wheels or anything else. The squeak from Indy was starting to bother me. I don’t like the goofy branding of NHS either so that was the final nail in the coffin for me. I think they make great products though. Indy and OJ have served me so well and the creature / sc boards are indestructible.
Topic: The Set-up Thread (Read 5888346 times)