slappy/curb discussion thread

[jsettle]

My attempt at front side hurricanes...For some reason I can never not keep my front wheels from hitting the ground when i do them. I guess i just need to figure out the weight distribution better.

[TheDingus]

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We use Varathane oil based lacquer. Takes about a solid 24 hours to fully dry but it’s worth it.

[close]

Thank you. Is there a particular one you use? I notice that most of them appear to be intended for wood.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Varathane-1-qt-Clear-Gloss-275-VOC-Oil-Based-Interior-Polyurethane-2-Pack-242174H/202067192

This one works great.

[manysnakes]

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We use Varathane oil based lacquer. Takes about a solid 24 hours to fully dry but it’s worth it.

[close]

Thank you. Is there a particular one you use? I notice that most of them appear to be intended for wood.

[close]

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Varathane-1-qt-Clear-Gloss-275-VOC-Oil-Based-Interior-Polyurethane-2-Pack-242174H/202067192

This one works great.

Excellent. Thank you so much. How many coats do you apply?

[TheDingus]

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We use Varathane oil based lacquer. Takes about a solid 24 hours to fully dry but it’s worth it.

[close]

Thank you. Is there a particular one you use? I notice that most of them appear to be intended for wood.

[close]

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Varathane-1-qt-Clear-Gloss-275-VOC-Oil-Based-Interior-Polyurethane-2-Pack-242174H/202067192

This one works great.

[close]

Excellent. Thank you so much. How many coats do you apply?

Rub brick one coat of that stuff then wax works great

[rawbertson.]

One thing I will add from my expereinces now ...

if it is a very hot day, you can spray it, let it sit for like 10-15 minutes, then wax +skate it.

if its really cold and windy, spray might not work at all and you may have to come back later and try again whne its less windy / cold or use roll on lacquer. i have never had to do more than 1 coat and also i find my best spots are actually a little thinner. there is one by my house that i only had a tiny bit of a can left and its one of my favorite curbs because its not too slippery i dont feel like i am going to shoot out on front crooks but it sitll goes hella nice when i wax it fresh.

[manysnakes]

One thing I will add from my expereinces now ...

if it is a very hot day, you can spray it, let it sit for like 10-15 minutes, then wax +skate it.

if its really cold and windy, spray might not work at all and you may have to come back later and try again whne its less windy / cold or use roll on lacquer. i have never had to do more than 1 coat and also i find my best spots are actually a little thinner. there is one by my house that i only had a tiny bit of a can left and its one of my favorite curbs because its not too slippery i dont feel like i am going to shoot out on front crooks but it sitll goes hella nice when i wax it fresh.

I’ve spray lacquered plenty of curbs, but this spot is adjacent the ocean so it’s always wind swept, and it’s high traffic so spray cans and the sounds associated with them are a no-go. Hence my desire for something which can be discreetly and quickly rolled on without attracting too much attention.

[biaherl]

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One thing I will add from my expereinces now ...

if it is a very hot day, you can spray it, let it sit for like 10-15 minutes, then wax +skate it.

if its really cold and windy, spray might not work at all and you may have to come back later and try again whne its less windy / cold or use roll on lacquer. i have never had to do more than 1 coat and also i find my best spots are actually a little thinner. there is one by my house that i only had a tiny bit of a can left and its one of my favorite curbs because its not too slippery i dont feel like i am going to shoot out on front crooks but it sitll goes hella nice when i wax it fresh.

[close]

I’ve spray lacquered plenty of curbs, but this spot is adjacent the ocean so it’s always wind swept, and it’s high traffic so spray cans and the sounds associated with them are a no-go. Hence my desire for something which can be discreetly and quickly rolled on without attracting too much attention.

Concrete sealer in a coffee cup. Stuff's like water you don't even need a roller but putting it on with a brush or real small roller is cleaner

[Jory4]

Couple of mediocre new ones stashed in the trick bag. Sure there’s a hole in the bottom of mine though as it’s getting emptier as 50 looms closer!!


https://i.imgur.com/Fsd74ws.mp4

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoHylsIpPum/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

[streetmeat]

new park has this curb with multiple angles and then it goes downhill, i tried forever to try to stay locked in and ride the whole fuckin thing out but could not get through the 'kink'/downhill part for the life of me

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoXEi9zDR-o/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

[Jchao93]

Something I've been curious about for a while now.
Which is better for slappys, cheap bearings or good expensive bearings?

I've been skating the cheap ones but after a while they roll like trash. I'm thinking about switching them out for some better ones but not sure if the "better" bearings will hold up against slappying all the time.

[BartHarleyJarvis]

Something I've been curious about for a while now.
Which is better for slappys, cheap bearings or good expensive bearings?

I've been skating the cheap ones but after a while they roll like trash. I'm thinking about switching them out for some better ones but not sure if the "better" bearings will hold up against slappying all the time.

Definitely

[manysnakes]

Something I've been curious about for a while now.
Which is better for slappys, cheap bearings or good expensive bearings?

I've been skating the cheap ones but after a while they roll like trash. I'm thinking about switching them out for some better ones but not sure if the "better" bearings will hold up against slappying all the time.

Doing slappies wrecked my first-generation Quantum Atom bearings, but my Bones Swiss bearings are still going strong after three years of more or less continued use and lots and lots of slappies.

[Lou Strux]

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Something I've been curious about for a while now.
Which is better for slappys, cheap bearings or good expensive bearings?

I've been skating the cheap ones but after a while they roll like trash. I'm thinking about switching them out for some better ones but not sure if the "better" bearings will hold up against slappying all the time.

[close]

Doing slappies wrecked my first-generation Quantum Atom bearings, but my Bones Swiss bearings are still going strong after three years of more or less continued use and lots and lots of slappies.

Just last week, I finished cleaning & relubing a set of 12 year old Bones Swiss that felt pretty jacked after that long of an interval without any service at all. These things were even in a set up that wound up spending the entirety of “the pandy” stored in a damp (flooded) storeroom & have the rust marks on the exposed outer edge of the races to show for it. Suffice to say: they were feeling kind of “chunky” when rotating.
Anywhooo… these things aren’t rolling like new, but damn!!! They came correct after an acetone bath & a drop of speed cream.
They are once again silent, smooth & fast.
You might pay more for these Bones Swiss jawns, but I’d like to see a set of cheap bearings come back to life this well, never mind lasting through (at least) 12 years of abuse with zero maintenance up until the point that I “treated” them recently.

[Easy Slider]

I‘ve been rocking Bronson G2s for three years now, first on my regular set up, now on my rain set up and they have seen a fair share of slappies, and rain. I cleaned them once or twice and now they seem unbreakable.

Got Bones Six on my other slappy set up for dry weather and they are very fast and do jot show any weakness.

So, both types may work if you get lucky and I guess both can let you down if you get a dud set.

[ToshiroTownune]

I've come to accept that bearings, regardless of quality, will seize up with a lot of slappies. Had it happen to bones swiss, bronsons, and many other brands and now just ride reds.

[Plan9Customs]

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Something I've been curious about for a while now.
Which is better for slappys, cheap bearings or good expensive bearings?

I've been skating the cheap ones but after a while they roll like trash. I'm thinking about switching them out for some better ones but not sure if the "better" bearings will hold up against slappying all the time.

[close]

Doing slappies wrecked my first-generation Quantum Atom bearings, but my Bones Swiss bearings are still going strong after three years of more or less continued use and lots and lots of slappies.

I had a set of first gen Quantum Isotopes and had one wheel seize completely up on the second slappy session on them. I tried cleaning it one freed up one was dead. I emailed them and with a description and video of the issue, they sent me a set of the second gen Isotopes and I’ve been on them for over a year with at least 2 days a week, at least an hour(mostly 2-3hr) slappy sessions and they’re still going strong over a year later.
So, I can say from my experience, they go strong and last. A few have had the opposite experience, so who knows.

[SatanicPanic]

I’ve been doing BS blunts for a couple months now. Slides easy but haven’t rolled away from a single one. Shit is hard.

[j....soy.....]

Push with your front foot no?  It’s counter intuitive but it helps the slide, you probably won’t over do it, and it helps leverage the pop out….

[SatanicPanic]

Push with your front foot no?  It’s counter intuitive but it helps the slide, you probably won’t over do it, and it helps leverage the pop out….

I’ll try that, thanks!

[Xen]

Any back tail tips?

[rawbertson.]

Any back tail tips?

start with nollie bs tail, 5-0 to bs tail, suski grinds, to get more comfortable sliding a long distance. the straight up ollie in is kinda hard on a curb, its almost easier going up onto something a tiny bit higher (like 2 curbs high is perfect) because coming down too hard on it will jolt you too much. if you want to go to something lower, you have to go really fast and kinda like "gap" out to it a bit to keep your momentum straight.

 for me i was always dragging my heel so i found moving it up a tiny bit and putting more pressure on my toes / ball of my foot helped me stay in. practice on a dry spot ollieing into the stall at low speed when you want to start learning the ollie in. i just like to do this to dial in the motion and have confidence in it, making sure my feet land in the spot i want.

[modern life is war]

Having shitloads of fun with just the basics right now. Front 50s, back 50s, back 5-0s, k grinds... That's all i can do so far but still super satisfying to watch my trucks get ground down every session.

Has anyone ever built a diy curb that won't move around when you hit it too hard? I want to make one I can drop off at the skatepark but I hate it when people bring parking blocks and they just slide around when you try skate them. I was thinking of gluing strips of rubber to the bottom or something.

[skunty]

For slappy back tails I spin my shoudlers and scratch the back truck on the way in and try to time is so my wheel falls off and drops me into tail just as I stop turning my shoulders. I guess technically its like 5-0 to tail but I try to keep the 5-0 as short as possible. I've done powerslide into back tail as well but it's not as satisfying.

In my experience the only fool proof way to keep curbs in place is rebar through a  hole in the curb to a hole in the ground. Rubber helps but it can still move

[Plan9Customs]

Got 45 minutes while waiting for my kid’s appointment to end. Scratched out the worlds smallest blunt slide. Only about 3-4” but it screeched and I rode away. I was stoked. They junkie sleeping near the curb wasn’t.
As for making a curb that won’t move, you need one thats pretty long and tall. I did a 7”h x 8’l that was fairly stable but it’s a bit over 200#s, so it’s not exactly a take and drop then grab and leave thing. You can use silicon caulk on the bottom or glue bike inner tubes to it but it’ll still move a bit. If it’s a permanent place, construction adhesive is the correct answer.

[djoekr]

 I've asked it before but got no real answer: how the hell am I supposed to skate a curb when the sun is out? My wax is kinda melting, and gunking up while grinding. I can actually feel it slowing me down.

[jsettle]

I've asked it before but got no real answer: how the hell am I supposed to skate a curb when the sun is out? My wax is kinda melting, and gunking up while grinding. I can actually feel it slowing me down.

If the curb is rub bricked really nicely and a good coat of lacquer on it, you hardly ever need to put wax on the curb in my opinion. The curb i skate alot was rub bricked really good. Normally once a month or so, i will spray some more lacquer on it to keep it fresh. If that hasnt been done on the curb you skate, i would let all that wax melt and rub brick it and put a few layers of lacquer on it.

[LebowskisRug]

Got 45 minutes while waiting for my kid’s appointment to end. Scratched out the worlds smallest blunt slide. Only about 3-4” but it screeched and I rode away. I was stoked. They junkie sleeping near the curb wasn’t.
As for making a curb that won’t move, you need one thats pretty long and tall. I did a 7”h x 8’l that was fairly stable but it’s a bit over 200#s, so it’s not exactly a take and drop then grab and leave thing. You can use silicon caulk on the bottom or glue bike inner tubes to it but it’ll still move a bit. If it’s a permanent place, construction adhesive is the correct answer.

Adding to this I made a curb that won't move and it's insanely heavy. I used several pieces of tied rebar and ultra high strength concrete with densifier mixed in. To add to the weight I got a few pieces of solid scrap metal that weigh more per square inch than concrete and put them near the bottom when I poured it. When it was done I patched any bubbles, then got some polishing wheels for a hand drill and wet polished the entire thing before clear coating it. With wax it's too slick

[djoekr]

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I've asked it before but got no real answer: how the hell am I supposed to skate a curb when the sun is out? My wax is kinda melting, and gunking up while grinding. I can actually feel it slowing me down.

[close]

If the curb is rub bricked really nicely and a good coat of lacquer on it, you hardly ever need to put wax on the curb in my opinion. The curb i skate alot was rub bricked really good. Normally once a month or so, i will spray some more lacquer on it to keep it fresh. If that hasnt been done on the curb you skate, i would let all that wax melt and rub brick it and put a few layers of lacquer on it.

I've been skating this curb for over 2 years now, so I think rub bricking might be overkill at this point. I waxed it up when I just started out skating, way before I knew about lacquer. I'll try your advice, gonna let most of the current wax melt off and hit it with some layers of lacquer and see if that helps.

[BL0B]

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I've asked it before but got no real answer: how the hell am I supposed to skate a curb when the sun is out? My wax is kinda melting, and gunking up while grinding. I can actually feel it slowing me down.

[close]

If the curb is rub bricked really nicely and a good coat of lacquer on it, you hardly ever need to put wax on the curb in my opinion. The curb i skate alot was rub bricked really good. Normally once a month or so, i will spray some more lacquer on it to keep it fresh. If that hasnt been done on the curb you skate, i would let all that wax melt and rub brick it and put a few layers of lacquer on it.

[close]

I've been skating this curb for over 2 years now, so I think rub bricking might be overkill at this point. I waxed it up when I just started out skating, way before I knew about lacquer. I'll try your advice, gonna let most of the current wax melt off and hit it with some layers of lacquer and see if that helps.

if you're gonna lacquer, might as well rub. you can burn off (propane torch) or acetone before you rub. rubbing will smooth out the chunks if done right, since you've already been skating the curb.

[djoekr]

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I've asked it before but got no real answer: how the hell am I supposed to skate a curb when the sun is out? My wax is kinda melting, and gunking up while grinding. I can actually feel it slowing me down.

[close]

If the curb is rub bricked really nicely and a good coat of lacquer on it, you hardly ever need to put wax on the curb in my opinion. The curb i skate alot was rub bricked really good. Normally once a month or so, i will spray some more lacquer on it to keep it fresh. If that hasnt been done on the curb you skate, i would let all that wax melt and rub brick it and put a few layers of lacquer on it.

[close]

I've been skating this curb for over 2 years now, so I think rub bricking might be overkill at this point. I waxed it up when I just started out skating, way before I knew about lacquer. I'll try your advice, gonna let most of the current wax melt off and hit it with some layers of lacquer and see if that helps.

[close]

if you're gonna lacquer, might as well rub. you can burn off (propane torch) or acetone before you rub. rubbing will smooth out the chunks if done right, since you've already been skating the curb.

Hell, might as well go all the way as I frequent that spot so much. Dunno which brands are proven to be good as I'm in Europe, but I guess I got some research to do. Should I get the matte or clear finish?

Edit: found some acryl based lacquer/varnish. Does it matter if it's water-based? Anything else I should be aware of before I use the wrong stuff and ruin one of the only good spots in my hometown?