Tall Pals (6'+): gear recommendations and reflections

[munchbox]

posted too late but vans classics with a extra insoles. pro models cant be THAT much better and i just think an athletic looking shoe will actually make me skate harder.

looking at my feet and seeing non sporty shoes makes me skate in my comfort zone, which aint shit, if that makes any sense

[tzhangdox]

posted too late but vans classics with a extra insoles. pro models cant be THAT much better and i just think an athletic looking shoe will actually make me skate harder.

looking at my feet and seeing non sporty shoes makes me skate in my comfort zone, which aint shit, if that makes any sense

Pros are a lot better, better insole, structure, durability, support...

But still, wouldn't be my go to if what you're after is support.

[jay_nev]

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posted too late but vans classics with a extra insoles. pro models cant be THAT much better and i just think an athletic looking shoe will actually make me skate harder.

looking at my feet and seeing non sporty shoes makes me skate in my comfort zone, which aint shit, if that makes any sense

[close]

Pros are a lot better, better insole, structure, durability, support...

But still, wouldn't be my go to if what you're after is support.

except half cab pro's maybe as far as support. ben degros just dropped a review on em

[giantbeardedone]

Check GOAT can filter by size, and also the low top 1’s are only $90 retail compared to $160/$170 for the OG high. Can find random colors of the low discounted at times.


Been skating in the NB 913 last couple of small curb sessions. That’s all i have been doing this winter/quarantine. But they good and broken in well. Don’t notice em much on board which is always a good thing.

I found a mint pair of royal/black Jordan 1 mids in size 16 for $120nzd. Instant buy. Couldn't believe I found them in my size for under $200nzd. I'm hyped to skate in them.

[legion]

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are you guys skating vulcs? had to for the last month or so and my legs are always shot. i stretch before and after sessions and have never been this inflexible in my life.

this is my last pair of vans for sure. they are mentally no good for me. i used to wear them as casual shoes all the time before i started skating and doing anything athletic in them just doesnt click with my brain. believe it or not, most of my solo sessions have consisted of me cursing loudly at myself to actually jump. when i land the shock goes through my heels and up my back. only looking for cushy cupsoles at this point

[close]

Vans pros or classics? Either way, if the ultracush isn't cutting it then yeah try cupsoles. 3st.004 has good cushion. I used to skate exclusively thick cupsoles with good cushion (rip Project BA), thicker dunks etc with FP insoles. Relatively less plagued by injuries now but still like the stability of a solid cupsole but I've come to value boardfeel a lot more lately, so just been skating a rotation of jordan 1s. Pretty thin but very structured, and great boardfeel but still more cushion (especially on the midfoot and heels) than most vulcs.

3st.004 is vulc but I'm keep thinking it's cupsole too cuz of the boost. Heel cushioning is good but there's no midsole in the forefoot, just that crappy Adidas insole. On the upside boardfeel is amazing.
Kalis is pretty cush but a lil thick, and there's a small but noticeable heel-toe drop. Toebox was also more flexible than I expected it to be.
NB# 913 seems like it matches or beats the Project BA for cushioning with having that bouncy feel that worn in Lunarlon gets. And I don't think it has any heel-toe drop. Boardfeel and flex is pretty good, insole is pretty thin so the overall thickness is just right.

[munchbox]

im pretty sure the 3st.004 is a cupsole. did you mean thin cupsole?

[legion]

im pretty sure the 3st.004 is a cupsole. did you mean thin cupsole?

I've got em and I'm almost positive it's a weird vulc design. The foxing tape is the weird part and it fooled me at first too.
If you look at the sole pics you can see where the foxing does a 90 degree bend and becomes part of the sole. Then in the side pics you can see the foxing go higher up in the arch/midfoot area, and then it cuts off to expose the Boost.
The outsole is 3 pieces glued/fused together: the main hex pattern part, the foxing around the toebox and midfoot, and the zigzag pattern part for the heel. The pics don't show it but sometimes some glue bleeds out thru where the different parts join.

[munchbox]

this might be a stupid question but i just have to ask. does it make more sense to learn flatground on a smaller or bigger setup? I know people that have learned on the 7.5s a decade ago and the old heads who were riding 10" decks with huge wheelbases.

been mostly skating flat and curbs these days but i feel like i have been fucking around long enough and should try to get semi decent now that nobodys watching. any suggestions?

[tzhangdox]

this might be a stupid question but i just have to ask. does it make more sense to learn flatground on a smaller or bigger setup? I know people that have learned on the 7.5s a decade ago and the old heads who were riding 10" decks with huge wheelbases.

been mostly skating flat and curbs these days but i feel like i have been fucking around long enough and should try to get semi decent now that nobodys watching. any suggestions?

Not really a straightforward answer. Depends on what tricks you wanna learn and what problems you're having with them on your current setup...

[munchbox]

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this might be a stupid question but i just have to ask. does it make more sense to learn flatground on a smaller or bigger setup? I know people that have learned on the 7.5s a decade ago and the old heads who were riding 10" decks with huge wheelbases.

been mostly skating flat and curbs these days but i feel like i have been fucking around long enough and should try to get semi decent now that nobodys watching. any suggestions?

[close]

Not really a straightforward answer. Depends on what tricks you wanna learn and what problems you're having with them on your current setup...

just trying to get consistent control of as many flatground tricks (including switch and nollie) i can on something other than my regular feel good size. hopefully i can take it from there and have it translate to my "right" size

theres a shit ton that i dont like about my current setup but it revolves around the board being too pointy which makes alot of shit look off while looking down at it. also the tail isnt stable when popping and that didnt help my consistency at all. ready to move on from this deck and never look back

[tzhangdox]

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this might be a stupid question but i just have to ask. does it make more sense to learn flatground on a smaller or bigger setup? I know people that have learned on the 7.5s a decade ago and the old heads who were riding 10" decks with huge wheelbases.

been mostly skating flat and curbs these days but i feel like i have been fucking around long enough and should try to get semi decent now that nobodys watching. any suggestions?

[close]

Not really a straightforward answer. Depends on what tricks you wanna learn and what problems you're having with them on your current setup...

[close]

just trying to get consistent control of as many flatground tricks (including switch and nollie) i can on something other than my regular feel good size. hopefully i can take it from there and have it translate to my "right" size

theres a shit ton that i dont like about my current setup but it revolves around the board being too pointy which makes alot of shit look off while looking down at it. also the tail isnt stable when popping and that didnt help my consistency at all. ready to move on from this deck and never look back

But why try get it on something other than your regular feel good size? I find that when I try fuck around with my setup too much and try a lot of new shit too frequently it hurts me much more than helps me because my muscle memory and technique keep having to change.

If you don't like it being too pointy then get something more full I guess, but personally I prefer pointy ish kicks for flatground (just slightly) because I feel like its easier to flick off of and scoop. Though the advantage of fuller kicks for sitting on slides is more significant so usually I just end up opting for fullish rounded, but not square kicks.

I guess if you're struggling to get your flatground tricks to flip or spin all the way around, then a shorter/skinnier board could help. If you're struggling for a stable landing... then a bigger board could help... if you're overrotating all your tricks, a wider wheelbase or longer board could maybe be good etc etc

I dunno sounds like you have a regular feel good size so you should just stick with that unless you have a very specific problem with some particular tricks.

[Ok]

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this might be a stupid question but i just have to ask. does it make more sense to learn flatground on a smaller or bigger setup? I know people that have learned on the 7.5s a decade ago and the old heads who were riding 10" decks with huge wheelbases.

been mostly skating flat and curbs these days but i feel like i have been fucking around long enough and should try to get semi decent now that nobodys watching. any suggestions?

[close]

Not really a straightforward answer. Depends on what tricks you wanna learn and what problems you're having with them on your current setup...

[close]

just trying to get consistent control of as many flatground tricks (including switch and nollie) i can on something other than my regular feel good size. hopefully i can take it from there and have it translate to my "right" size

theres a shit ton that i dont like about my current setup but it revolves around the board being too pointy which makes alot of shit look off while looking down at it. also the tail isnt stable when popping and that didnt help my consistency at all. ready to move on from this deck and never look back

[close]

But why try get it on something other than your regular feel good size? I find that when I try fuck around with my setup too much and try a lot of new shit too frequently it hurts me much more than helps me because my muscle memory and technique keep having to change.

If you don't like it being too pointy then get something more full I guess, but personally I prefer pointy ish kicks for flatground (just slightly) because I feel like its easier to flick off of and scoop. Though the advantage of fuller kicks for sitting on slides is more significant so usually I just end up opting for fullish rounded, but not square kicks.

I guess if you're struggling to get your flatground tricks to flip or spin all the way around, then a shorter/skinnier board could help. If you're struggling for a stable landing... then a bigger board could help... if you're overrotating all your tricks, a wider wheelbase or longer board could maybe be good etc etc

I dunno sounds like you have a regular feel good size so you should just stick with that unless you have a very specific problem with some particular tricks.

This.


Changing your setup around is not helpful to the act of learning skateboard tricks, consistently.
Skateboarding more often will help you.

[FrozenIndustries]

Yeah, try and keep things consistent with your gear. I know at times I'll blame my trucks for a bad day, switch them out, and then spend a week trying to get used to something new (that I don't even like as much). It sucks and doesn't help anything.

As far as a "proper" sized board, skate what you like seeing under your feet. I've spent tons of time bugging thinking a board is too short or whatever only to find that something longer just doesn't feel right or that the shape just doesn't look good to me when I'm riding it. I always progress (or at least have fun) when I like what is under my feet.

[giantbeardedone]

all you tall bros need to check Bobby Long on the new SOTY vid on thrasher. Both he and Figgy are lanky as fuck and kill it.

[jay_nev]

all you tall bros need to check Bobby Long on the new SOTY vid on thrasher. Both he and Figgy are lanky as fuck and kill it.

yeah saw that and just peeped this out too. Must be like at least 6’5”? Legs so long haha

[giantbeardedone]

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all you tall bros need to check Bobby Long on the new SOTY vid on thrasher. Both he and Figgy are lanky as fuck and kill it.

[close]

yeah saw that and just peeped this out too. Must be like at least 6’5”? Legs so long haha

yeah man I want to know how tall he is. Figgy is 6'5" at least and this dude looks even taller. Wonder what size deck he rides.

[InternetDaddy]

maybe i'm just stoned but Bobby Long is such a good tall person name

[FrozenIndustries]

Bumping this to say that I've been skating a board with a 13.875" WB for almost and week and it rules. Don't let Professor Schmitt and the wheelbase police tell you that you can't skate what you want.

[jay_nev]

Bumping this to say that I've been skating a board with a 13.875" WB for almost and week and it rules. Don't let Professor Schmitt and the wheelbase police tell you that you can't skate what you want.

Nice. What length? Do you feel like the wb to length ratio matters? like a small wb with a standard/longer length is doable?

[FrozenIndustries]

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Bumping this to say that I've been skating a board with a 13.875" WB for almost and week and it rules. Don't let Professor Schmitt and the wheelbase police tell you that you can't skate what you want.

[close]

Nice. What length? Do you feel like the wb to length ratio matters? like a small wb with a standard/longer length is doable?

It's 9"x32", the Girl Love Seat shape. Its got a big nose and tail with a lot of flat, and the overall surface area between the kicks is pretty long. Maybe that is part of it? The last board I had that I really enjoyed was 31.75" with a 14.25" WB and pretty flat kicks.

[giantbeardedone]

Here's a list of tall skaters to watch and their heights tall bros:
Ron Whaley (6'7")
Justin Figueroa (6'5")
Bobby Long (6'5")
Brian Anderson (6'4")
Stefan Janoski (6'3")
Andrew Reynolds (6'2")
Corey Duffel (6'2")

Keep shredding tall dudes.

[drewsmahgoos]

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this might be a stupid question but i just have to ask. does it make more sense to learn flatground on a smaller or bigger setup? I know people that have learned on the 7.5s a decade ago and the old heads who were riding 10" decks with huge wheelbases.

been mostly skating flat and curbs these days but i feel like i have been fucking around long enough and should try to get semi decent now that nobodys watching. any suggestions?

[close]

Not really a straightforward answer. Depends on what tricks you wanna learn and what problems you're having with them on your current setup...

[close]

just trying to get consistent control of as many flatground tricks (including switch and nollie) i can on something other than my regular feel good size. hopefully i can take it from there and have it translate to my "right" size

theres a shit ton that i dont like about my current setup but it revolves around the board being too pointy which makes alot of shit look off while looking down at it. also the tail isnt stable when popping and that didnt help my consistency at all. ready to move on from this deck and never look back

What's your setup like now? I'm 6'4" and a size 13 and generally skating around 8 or 8.125. Sometimes I go wider but it's not too skinny or anything. Wheelbase definitely matters more. For curbs and flatground and honestly most everything else I'm skating around 14.25. On my 8/8.125 its 14.25 with ventures.

[munchbox]

fa 8.38/31.85/14.18 WB
thunder 151 hollow lights
f4 conical full 53mm 99

wider has definitely felt better for everything, moved up from 8.25 and might try the same shape in 8.5 next

[weedgod94]

i've recently convinced myself that an 8.38 x 31.9 with a 14.12 wb on ventures or a 14.38 wb on indys would be my 'perfect' setup, as long as it doesnt have a stubby tail.

Gonna try and unload an unloved setup and look into picking up a primitive or dlx with closeish dims once the local shop opens.

[lovermangenius]

6'3", 175lbs, US 13 shoe, currently riding an FA 8.18 with 52mm Spitfire F4 tablets and Indy 144s

Started skating again this summer after a 7 year break and have been going crazy feeling like I'm riding boards that are way too small for me. I picked up some Thunder 151 titanium lights but have been really stuck trying to decide between sizing up to an 8.5 or 8.75. I'm worried about the 8.5 feeling too small or the 8.75 being too hard to skate and haven't been able to pull the trigger. I'm sure the difference isn't that big in reality, does anyone have any recommendations?

[munchbox]

6'3", 175lbs, US 13 shoe, currently riding an FA 8.18 with 52mm Spitfire F4 tablets and Indy 144s

Started skating again this summer after a 7 year break and have been going crazy feeling like I'm riding boards that are way too small for me. I picked up some Thunder 151 titanium lights but have been really stuck trying to decide between sizing up to an 8.5 or 8.75. I'm worried about the 8.5 feeling too small or the 8.75 being too hard to skate and haven't been able to pull the trigger. I'm sure the difference isn't that big in reality, does anyone have any recommendations?

try both. id say my ideal width lands in between 8.5 and 8.75, but wheelbase is much more important to keep constant

[FrozenIndustries]

Just want to say re-reading this stuff today got me to chill out over a madness flair up. Much love to all my fellow tall skaters.

[sammyz]

6'3", 175lbs, US 13 shoe, currently riding an FA 8.18 with 52mm Spitfire F4 tablets and Indy 144s

Started skating again this summer after a 7 year break and have been going crazy feeling like I'm riding boards that are way too small for me. I picked up some Thunder 151 titanium lights but have been really stuck trying to decide between sizing up to an 8.5 or 8.75. I'm worried about the 8.5 feeling too small or the 8.75 being too hard to skate and haven't been able to pull the trigger. I'm sure the difference isn't that big in reality, does anyone have any recommendations?

Im very similar size...I’ve tried a bunch of decks between 8.5 to 8.8 and as far as popsicles go, the Black Label 8.68 was my favourite...but since then ive worked out i prefer shaped (kinda egg shape) 8.75-9 decks. Example, Brown Bomber, its 8.8 where my front foot is usually placed on the board, but over the trucks its a 8.5-8.6 -and Wb is 14.25 which is perfect too

[TumKayo]

I’m 188cm, 100kg. Been trying some big boards lately and love them. Went to a board with a long wheelbase though, and it’s super weird. Feels like I have to relearn a lot on it.

I got a Welcome 8.8 Effigy shape. I took it to skatepark, and I love how it feels on ramps and bowls, but I can barely ollie it! The timing is all off. WB isn’t even that long at 14.6”

Didn’t realize I would notice wheelbase increases a lot more than I notice dramatic width increases.

[50mm]

I think boards with less concave are better the bigger you are. When I have a board with steep concave I feel like my feet are trying to work around the concave, like I have less flexibility on my foot placement. This is all just my bro science but even if it's mental it works for me. Steep concave flicks too quick for me too. I prefer a slower flick to work these limbs back to where they need to be in time.