Safe Space for 7.5 - 7.75 deck rydaz

[Mongo Lloyd]

Skated Lynch in Boston a couple weeks back, and it looked like most of the locals were riding sub 8” boards. Are smaller sizes seeing some sort of comeback?

I wasn’t quite sure the best place to ask this.

[Mean salto]

Skated Lynch in Boston a couple weeks back, and it looked like most of the locals were riding sub 8” boards. Are smaller sizes seeing some sort of comeback?

I wasn’t quite sure the best place to ask this.

People have been questioning a small board comeback for about ten years now. It seems like it comes up in little pockets but at the same time there's less 8 inch boards available than there has been for years (8.25 seems like what people call small now) and wheels are now wide and most popular size is 54 which doesn't really seem like it's being done with 7.5s in mind.

[Ok]

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Skated Lynch in Boston a couple weeks back, and it looked like most of the locals were riding sub 8” boards. Are smaller sizes seeing some sort of comeback?

I wasn’t quite sure the best place to ask this.

[close]

People have been questioning a small board comeback for about ten years now. It seems like it comes up in little pockets but at the same time there's less 8 inch boards available than there has been for years (8.25 seems like what people call small now) and wheels are now wide and most popular size is 54 which doesn't really seem like it's being done with 7.5s in mind.

i was FOR SURE that small boards were going to comeback, 2017ish. they did not.
from time to time i’ll fire up a 7.75, skate as well as i can skate, get weirded out about how small it looks, put it back under the bed.
i had an episode of that, which also coincided with my life getting too wacky, even by my standards, and decided to panic buy THREE 7.5s. which now look insane.
i go thru a whole rigamarole, where i: note that my best years were in small boards. make a small setup, promptly kickflip it first try. freakout. start trying to skate said small board.
i lose gusto when i have to skate 50s. ground sucks where im at. so i need to use bigger wheels. narrow board on high trucks with big wheels?  then it starts looking really stupid.

[dr.prestige]

someone in the Setup Thread requested clips of folks skating their 7.75s so I made a sub-8" mini edit and figured this thread would appreciate it as well. Please excuse the shit nollie flip.

https://i.imgur.com/EZKk5Pi.mp4

[pugmaster]

IDK if you are aware, but Shorty's re-released the trix bunny board again in the original size, 7.5.

https://www.shortysinc.com/collections/decks/products/shortys-bunny-eyes-limited-re-issue

[Mongo Lloyd]

Expand Quote

Skated Lynch in Boston a couple weeks back, and it looked like most of the locals were riding sub 8” boards. Are smaller sizes seeing some sort of comeback?

I wasn’t quite sure the best place to ask this.

[close]

People have been questioning a small board comeback for about ten years now. It seems like it comes up in little pockets but at the same time there's less 8 inch boards available than there has been for years (8.25 seems like what people call small now) and wheels are now wide and most popular size is 54 which doesn't really seem like it's being done with 7.5s in mind.

It was weird because all the kids skating skinnier boards were all maybe at most in their early 20’s. So they’d like never have skated through the 7.75 era. One in the kids was skating some puffy DVS too. It was like going back 20 years. It looked sick too, if I’m being honest.

Definitely a bit of a head scratcher.

[smg1138]

Baker 7.5x31.25
Pepper griptape
bronze allen
Thunder 145
Spitfire worn approx 45mm
Bones big balls

How do you like the Baker 7.5? I'm skating the 8.25 B2 shape now but was thinking about putting together a 7.5 just for fun and the shape looks pretty good.

[funeral_tuxedo]

Home-press 7.25" x 32"
6.8" Tracker Trucks
Wooden risers
54mm 97 duro F4s
Hollow ace hardware
jessup
minilogo bearings
italian leather slippers

Lovely set up @FROTHY

[Sk8 Prick]

Palace 7.75 - 13.8 wheelbase
Indy 129 hollow forged
Bones x99 v1 52mm
Super reds
shortys allen key
jessup ultra

Prior to these indys, I was riding the same pair of venture hi 5.2s with 1/8" shock pads on 7.75-8", 14"+ wheelbase decks for 5+ years. I can't remember the last time I felt the tail hit the ground on a kickflip... Everything else was good though, I liked the lofty snap of the high ride. Tre flips came and went as they pleased.

I was also on the same pair of 52mm bones easy streets since they came out. They're about 46mm now. (I ride my sh*t forever)

This is the one boys and girls. They last few years were me training with a heavy bag, now I'm ready to fly like a butterfly and sting like a bee.

[Nymphicus hollandicus]

Palace 7.75 - 13.8 wheelbase
Indy 129 hollow forged
Bones x99 v1 52mm
Super reds
shortys allen key
jessup ultra

Prior to these indys, I was riding the same pair of venture hi 5.2s with 1/8" shock pads on 7.75-8", 14"+ wheelbase decks for 5+ years. I can't remember the last time I felt the tail hit the ground on a kickflip... Everything else was good though, I liked the lofty snap of the high ride. Tre flips came and went as they pleased.

I was also on the same pair of 52mm bones easy streets since they came out. They're about 46mm now. (I ride my sh*t forever)

This is the one boys and girls. They last few years were me training with a heavy bag, now I'm ready to fly like a butterfly and sting like a bee.

Great set-up! I like the grip job.

How would you describe the concave and nose and tail steepness if you don't mind me asking? I've been wondering about trying a sub 14" wheelbase again one day and have seen quite a few different 7.75" Palace decks for sale in the UK. I'm currently on a Mini-Logo 8" which is very mellow.

Also, I can relate to your old set-up with 5.2's with riser pads, I tried 5.0 highs with 1/8th risers for a short while, not the worst but definitely takes some getting used to.

someone in the Setup Thread requested clips of folks skating their 7.75s so I made a sub-8" mini edit and figured this thread would appreciate it as well. Please excuse the shit nollie flip.

https://i.imgur.com/EZKk5Pi.mp4

PS dr.prestige my reply is a bit late but just thought I say, nice clips!

[hiljentaa]

Saw that Chocolate is reissuing a Chico graphic on the old 7.5 PS Stix shape.

https://www.skatewarehouse.com/Chocolate_Chico_Nicaraguan_Sunrise_Re-Issue_Deck/descpage-CHNSRDK.html

[ok boomer]

I think I've mentioned this 69 times but .. anyone ride a 7.75 or under with Thunders? As an Indy guy.. it hurts to think about it but i want to try this out??

[nosneb]

Chocolate 7.5x31
BlackMagic griptape
Bronze Allen hardware
Thunder lo 145
Spitfire 99 43mm
Bones Bigballs

[nosneb]

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Baker 7.5x31.25
Pepper griptape
bronze allen
Thunder 145
Spitfire worn approx 45mm
Bones big balls

[close]

How do you like the Baker 7.5? I'm skating the 8.25 B2 shape now but was thinking about putting together a 7.5 just for fun and the shape looks pretty good.

Only thing I don’t like is they don’t offer the “mellow” in 7.5 but the board flattened out decently after a few sessions

[lincoln]

Chocolate 7.5x31
BlackMagic griptape
Bronze Allen hardware
Thunder lo 145
Spitfire 99 43mm
Bones Bigballs

So good!

[Nymphicus hollandicus]

Chocolate 7.5x31
BlackMagic griptape
Bronze Allen hardware
Thunder lo 145
Spitfire 99 43mm
Bones Bigballs

Yeah that's a very tasteful set-up, I like the graphic a lot.

[hiljentaa]

Chocolate 7.5x31
BlackMagic griptape
Bronze Allen hardware
Thunder lo 145
Spitfire 99 43mm
Bones Bigballs

Glad to see one of these setup. Would gnar ya

[Troubadour26]

Anyone here transitioned from riding 8.25+ back down to 7.75 or smaller?

I was intrigued when guys like Kevin Bilyeu were first getting their shine and embracing smaller set ups. I skated 8.5 for years and once I was skating less frequently, I finally sized down to 8.25. I’d tried in years before and I’ve always found going down in size to be a more difficult adjustment.

Fast forward to now, I skated 8.25 for the last 4 years or so and I’m currently on 8.38. Like many people add a big wonky shaped board to their quiver for novelty, I’ve always wanted to add a 7.75. Is there anyone who makes a board smaller than 8 with a wheelbase at 14.25 or longer?

If I could find something like a 7.875 with 14.375 wheelbase, I think that I’d definitely pull the trigger.

[Fifty8mm]

Anyone here transitioned from riding 8.25+ back down to 7.75 or smaller?

I was intrigued when guys like Kevin Bilyeu were first getting their shine and embracing smaller set ups. I skated 8.5 for years and once I was skating less frequently, I finally sized down to 8.25. I’d tried in years before and I’ve always found going down in size to be a more difficult adjustment.

Fast forward to now, I skated 8.25 for the last 4 years or so and I’m currently on 8.38. Like many people add a big wonky shaped board to their quiver for novelty, I’ve always wanted to add a 7.75. Is there anyone who makes a board smaller than 8 with a wheelbase at 14.25 or longer?

If I could find something like a 7.875 with 14.375 wheelbase, I think that I’d definitely pull the trigger.

Sour, skate mafia and dgk.

[Gland Dongzig]

sanded down a bunch of 7.5 decks over the last 1.5 years so I have no idea what this is.
Venture 5.0 los
51mm Spitfire classics that look huge pictured here
anyhow it will be fun.

[Nymphicus hollandicus]

sanded down a bunch of 7.5 decks over the last 1.5 years so I have no idea what this is.
Venture 5.0 los
51mm Spitfire classics that look huge pictured here
anyhow it will be fun.

Looks good, how are you getting on with the 51mm classics?

I've been enjoying experimenting with smaller wheels (51mm classics down to 45mm OJ Little Chubbies) on my Venture Lows/7.5" deck. They're not broken-in yet and still have the treads showing but I like the lowness.

[Gland Dongzig]

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sanded down a bunch of 7.5 decks over the last 1.5 years so I have no idea what this is.
Venture 5.0 los
51mm Spitfire classics that look huge pictured here
anyhow it will be fun.

[close]

Looks good, how are you getting on with the 51mm classics?

I've been enjoying experimenting with smaller wheels (51mm classics down to 45mm OJ Little Chubbies) on my Venture Lows/7.5" deck. They're not broken-in yet and still have the treads showing but I like the lowness.

51s are fine with los..I typically run my trucks at a point that I can push a sub 50mm to the board with little effort (if that makes sense) So I think that’s considered loose? These ones are new so I haven’t backed the nut off yet. All that shit aside I will tell you a I definitely prefer a wheel less than 48, but thats because of muscle memory

[marcusbutler]

I've been all over the place with setups. But I remember going back to an 7.7 and 8's a while back with indy and thunder 7.6 trucks. And it was a struggle to lock in to feebles and crooks. Kept missing and going to slides and same with crooks, straight to slides. Anyone struggle with downsizing trucks and consistent tricks becoming lost?

[Nymphicus hollandicus]

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sanded down a bunch of 7.5 decks over the last 1.5 years so I have no idea what this is.
Venture 5.0 los
51mm Spitfire classics that look huge pictured here
anyhow it will be fun.

[close]

Looks good, how are you getting on with the 51mm classics?

I've been enjoying experimenting with smaller wheels (51mm classics down to 45mm OJ Little Chubbies) on my Venture Lows/7.5" deck. They're not broken-in yet and still have the treads showing but I like the lowness.

[close]

51s are fine with los..I typically run my trucks at a point that I can push a sub 50mm to the board with little effort (if that makes sense) So I think that’s considered loose? These ones are new so I haven’t backed the nut off yet. All that shit aside I will tell you a I definitely prefer a wheel less than 48, but thats because of muscle memory

Sounds like you run your trucks a lot looser than me, I replace the stock bushings on Ventures with Indy 96s Super Hards and have the nut barely flush/just engaging with the nylock. I find that gives me the right amount of firmness I like but still turns how I like. I did try 51s, found they worked well but I'm preferring the slightly lighter board weight feel of smaller wheels now.

[Nymphicus hollandicus]

I've been all over the place with setups. But I remember going back to an 7.7 and 8's a while back with indy and thunder 7.6 trucks. And it was a struggle to lock in to feebles and crooks. Kept missing and going to slides and same with crooks, straight to slides. Anyone struggle with downsizing trucks and consistent tricks becoming lost?

My skill level isn't at the point where I could give much input on tricks being lost etc. but I would say running an 8" deck with 7.6" trucks would probably be a little too magic carpet for my liking. Did you run loose trucks too? I used to ride 7.875" with Venture 5.0 highs and had them set fairly tight which worked OK for me, I'm sure if they were loose though it might not work as well. I've actually gone the other way lately (7.5" deck with 8" trucks) and I'm finding that more fun for the mainly pushing/cruising/limited tricks that I do.

[Gland Dongzig]

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sanded down a bunch of 7.5 decks over the last 1.5 years so I have no idea what this is.
Venture 5.0 los
51mm Spitfire classics that look huge pictured here
anyhow it will be fun.

[close]

Looks good, how are you getting on with the 51mm classics?

I've been enjoying experimenting with smaller wheels (51mm classics down to 45mm OJ Little Chubbies) on my Venture Lows/7.5" deck. They're not broken-in yet and still have the treads showing but I like the lowness.

[close]

51s are fine with los..I typically run my trucks at a point that I can push a sub 50mm to the board with little effort (if that makes sense) So I think that’s considered loose? These ones are new so I haven’t backed the nut off yet. All that shit aside I will tell you a I definitely prefer a wheel less than 48, but thats because of muscle memory

[close]

Sounds like you run your trucks a lot looser than me, I replace the stock bushings on Ventures with Indy 96s Super Hards and have the nut barely flush/just engaging with the nylock. I find that gives me the right amount of firmness I like but still turns how I like. I did try 51s, found they worked well but I'm preferring the slightly lighter board weight feel of smaller wheels now.

Back in the day I ran my Ventures fairly tight like most of us did back then. However I aged poorly right along with the BPSW era, so loose trucks make up for the lack of “suspension” my body has these days. I know the concept of tight trucks/small boards is met with animosity in this era of skateboarding, but it sure makes for some precise and clean fliptricks

[munchbox]

nothing wrong with tight trucks
as long as the style is good

[Nymphicus hollandicus]

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sanded down a bunch of 7.5 decks over the last 1.5 years so I have no idea what this is.
Venture 5.0 los
51mm Spitfire classics that look huge pictured here
anyhow it will be fun.

[close]

Looks good, how are you getting on with the 51mm classics?

I've been enjoying experimenting with smaller wheels (51mm classics down to 45mm OJ Little Chubbies) on my Venture Lows/7.5" deck. They're not broken-in yet and still have the treads showing but I like the lowness.

[close]

51s are fine with los..I typically run my trucks at a point that I can push a sub 50mm to the board with little effort (if that makes sense) So I think that’s considered loose? These ones are new so I haven’t backed the nut off yet. All that shit aside I will tell you a I definitely prefer a wheel less than 48, but thats because of muscle memory

[close]

Sounds like you run your trucks a lot looser than me, I replace the stock bushings on Ventures with Indy 96s Super Hards and have the nut barely flush/just engaging with the nylock. I find that gives me the right amount of firmness I like but still turns how I like. I did try 51s, found they worked well but I'm preferring the slightly lighter board weight feel of smaller wheels now.

[close]

Back in the day I ran my Ventures fairly tight like most of us did back then. However I aged poorly right along with the BPSW era, so loose trucks make up for the lack of “suspension” my body has these days. I know the concept of tight trucks/small boards is met with animosity in this era of skateboarding, but it sure makes for some precise and clean fliptricks

Thats really interesting to me, and it makes sense about using looser trucks to counter less flexibility or suspension as you said. I suppose I'm coming at it more from learning/developing things from scratch so the added stability of tighter trucks makes me a little more confident, perhaps I'm relying on that added stability as a crutch of sorts?   

nothing wrong with tight trucks
as long as the style is good

Agreed!

[Nymphicus hollandicus]

I'm finding its slim pickings for 7.5" decks in the UK currently. With the odd exception there only seems to be about three staples you can find easily, Enuff blanks, The National Skateboard Co. and a few Girl/Chocolate Reissue G001 shapes. The latter are going for around £80 rrp so although I fancy one of those one day, they're quite pricey. 
For now I've dusted off and re-gripped an old 7.5" Enuff blank I had lying around (I even tried freestyle skid plates out on it ages ago hence the holes!)

Its approximately 31.1" Long with 13.875" Wheelbase.
Venture 5.2 Lows cast plates
OJ Little Chubbies 45mm wheels
Independent 96a Super Hard bushings
Independent GP-S bearings and some spacers
Girl 1" Long neck Allen hardware
Spare Enuff Grip (This stuff disintegrates quickly but wanted to use it up, I usually prefer Jessup)

[gmld]

someone in the Setup Thread requested clips of folks skating their 7.75s so I made a sub-8" mini edit and figured this thread would appreciate it as well. Please excuse the shit nollie flip.

https://i.imgur.com/EZKk5Pi.mp4

That looks small  , but nice Tricks!