Pro Era

[Ok]

I’m sure this has been done, shit….I might have already tried to start something similar, but can’t recall.

Pro’s setups. From times bygone. Or current. It’s always interesting, to me, to see how people’s gear has changed over the arc of their time in the skateboard world’s eye.

I’m looking for anecdotes, conjecture, anything really.

Examples would be: what was Ricky’s setup in EE3? Looking like 139s (136s? Stage?) 58s ish, and maybe an 8”?

Does Bobby Puleo ride 5.0 lo’s? Or 5.2s?

How big is AVE’s setup?

My favorite thread is the 7.75 safe space, and there were a few rad posts about what Cardiel used to ride, same with Julien. Love that kinda stuff.

Please and thanks

[Frank and Fred]

From the May 1991 Thrasher. (Worth reading  the whole article)


Its actually worth digging through the Thrasher archives in general for equipment nerd out...

[CannerSpaghetti]

BA skates a 8.75 now. I think he used to skate a sub 8, which is fucked considering the dude wears like a size 14 shoe.

[Allen.]

BA skates a 8.75 now. I think he used to skate a sub 8, which is fucked considering the dude wears like a size 14 shoe.

According to Watson, Axion’s had their pro model samples made in the pro’s shoe size, and apparently BA wears a 13 and that’s why his shoe looked infuckingsane.

[Hypnotoad]

I’d be curious to hear more about this too.

I do remember truck sizes being a lot more limited 20 years ago.  I would just buy a set of ventures and that was that.

I also feel like there were a handful of pros in the 7.5 to 7.75 era riding wider boards than their sponsors had for sale.  I don’t think Rick Howard was ever a skinny board dude, for example.

[franc]

BA always skated big boards, he often said it.
I grabbed one he left at a comp in 98 and it was really wide for the time. I can't remember how wide it was but everybody skated 7.5s or 7.75s then and it was like a 8.5 or something.

[Ok]

I’d hazard a guess and say BA was on 8.5s/149s during the glory years.
The glory years, for whomever, are the setup details I’m chasing.
I have an old tws buyers guide, and Rick Howard lists his set up as an 8, 14” wb (one of the few to specify), and indy 159s….I don’t think that’s what he was actually running.
Thanks to any and contributions so far

[munchbox]

tom knox
8.5/149

[DaleSr]

BA always skated big boards, he often said it.
I grabbed one he left at a comp in 98 and it was really wide for the time. I can't remember how wide it was but everybody skated 7.5s or 7.75s then and it was like a 8.5 or something.

A man after my own heart

[franc]

Expand Quote

BA always skated big boards, he often said it.
I grabbed one he left at a comp in 98 and it was really wide for the time. I can't remember how wide it was but everybody skated 7.5s or 7.75s then and it was like a 8.5 or something.

[close]

A man after my own heart

I'd sell a leg to still have that board. I left it at my mum's thinking it was safe there and she chucked it away years later thinking it was useless as I hadn't touched it (probably looked old to her as BA had definitely well skated it). Damn.

[Ok]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

BA always skated big boards, he often said it.
I grabbed one he left at a comp in 98 and it was really wide for the time. I can't remember how wide it was but everybody skated 7.5s or 7.75s then and it was like a 8.5 or something.

[close]

A man after my own heart

[close]

I'd sell a leg to still have that board. I left it at my mum's thinking it was safe there and she chucked it away years later thinking it was useless as I hadn't touched it (probably looked old to her as BA had definitely well skated it). Damn.

Moms have no chance in these type of scenarios. My mom is an unpaid curator for a museum of childhood artifacts from her family. It looks….daunting/unhealthy.


But yeah I wish I’d kept all my vhs/big brothers/and a few setups from each era

[ok boomer]

I thought Bobby rode Venture 5.0 Lows. No idea where I read that though.

Ye olde Transworld Buyer's Guides were goldmines for that info. I have a few of them. I think I have 2000-2007.
BA was riding 8+ back then and so was Rowley. I think BA's was the biggest fists deck at the time either 8.38 or 8.5. Rowley was 8 with 136s. Most were 7.5-7.75 though.

Believe Carroll used to ride 7.5s with Venture Low 5.0s. So did Guy & Sheffey also if memory serves. (98-03 realm, give or take)

I think you were right on Oyola. 8 with 136s and 58s.

I also read a cool thing with Paul Schmitt about how a lot of guys have 8-8.25 pro models but are still riding 7.75s. I assume these are guys from an older era. Gen X guys!

I talked to Frankie Hill a few times and he told me he'd ride Indys sometimes, but mostly rode Ventures in his prime. Most of his best stuff was on Ventures. (Pretty sure once the bulldog graphic was out)

Klein rode Thunders during the early World stuff, then Trackers, then back to Thunders.

There were a lot of sites with setup info back in like 1998-2003. Probably hosted by Geocities.

I've actually tried to go through pro's truck history quite a bit. Rodney Mullen fascinates me on this. Tracker to Indy to ? to Destructo to Tensor. There's some casperslide photos I've seen from 1993 realm, that I can't tell if he's riding Thunders or Ventures or something else.

Also seeing Carroll's Questionable part with Indys, then Virtual Reality with Ventures. But there's some sick ass angles of him grinding those Indys at EMB in Questionable

[iw0]

not super thrilling or interesting and past related but philly santosuosso rides 5.6s on an 8.0 according to this post (in the comments)

[Ok]

I thought Bobby rode Venture 5.0 Lows. No idea where I read that though.

Ye olde Transworld Buyer's Guides were goldmines for that info. I have a few of them. I think I have 2000-2007.
BA was riding 8+ back then and so was Rowley. I think BA's was the biggest fists deck at the time either 8.38 or 8.5. Rowley was 8 with 136s. Most were 7.5-7.75 though.

Believe Carroll used to ride 7.5s with Venture Low 5.0s. So did Guy & Sheffey also if memory serves. (98-03 realm, give or take)

I think you were right on Oyola. 8 with 136s and 58s.

I also read a cool thing with Paul Schmitt about how a lot of guys have 8-8.25 pro models but are still riding 7.75s. I assume these are guys from an older era. Gen X guys!

I talked to Frankie Hill a few times and he told me he'd ride Indys sometimes, but mostly rode Ventures in his prime. Most of his best stuff was on Ventures. (Pretty sure once the bulldog graphic was out)

Klein rode Thunders during the early World stuff, then Trackers, then back to Thunders.

There were a lot of sites with setup info back in like 1998-2003. Probably hosted by Geocities.

I've actually tried to go through pro's truck history quite a bit. Rodney Mullen fascinates me on this. Tracker to Indy to ? to Destructo to Tensor. There's some casperslide photos I've seen from 1993 realm, that I can't tell if he's riding Thunders or Ventures or something else.

Also seeing Carroll's Questionable part with Indys, then Virtual Reality with Ventures. But there's some sick ass angles of him grinding those Indys at EMB in Questionable

I’d guess Puleo is 7.75 with 5.0 lo’s and 50s (the wheel part we got in great detail). It trips me out how I cannot tell the width of setups in footage. Like I’m pretty sure Westgate skates 7.75ish and 5.0s, but if I look at him in a video I’m convinced it’s 8” deck with 5.25s.
Anyways.

With someone  like Carroll it is fascinating to see the different gear, in a short period of time: skating changed so much in like 8 years, and the gear with it.
Sheffey….such a weird one, in so many ways, but sticking to gear: he was the goat during life/plan b, and then seemed to stick with his setup from mouse for the next 20+….the sheffey shape was so sick, that pin tail! Definitely 7.5 for sheffey and maybe guy, 5.0 lo’s for the majority of it.
I thought carroll was 7.75 during that era. Dunno why. I think I thought people’s offered boards were the size they rode. Like Gino used to have a 7.88 and his boards always looked wider, in photos and stuff, then everyone else’s.
Heavy need gibberish from me.


Thanks for the shot of wavy’s board. That cash only looks pretty sick of to me

[ok boomer]

I’d guess Puleo is 7.75 with 5.0 lo’s and 50s (the wheel part we got in great detail). It trips me out how I cannot tell the width of setups in footage. Like I’m pretty sure Westgate skates 7.75ish and 5.0s, but if I look at him in a video I’m convinced it’s 8” deck with 5.25s.
Anyways.

With someone  like Carroll it is fascinating to see the different gear, in a short period of time: skating changed so much in like 8 years, and the gear with it.
Sheffey….such a weird one, in so many ways, but sticking to gear: he was the goat during life/plan b, and then seemed to stick with his setup from mouse for the next 20+….the sheffey shape was so sick, that pin tail! Definitely 7.5 for sheffey and maybe guy, 5.0 lo’s for the majority of it.
I thought carroll was 7.75 during that era. Dunno why. I think I thought people’s offered boards were the size they rode. Like Gino used to have a 7.88 and his boards always looked wider, in photos and stuff, then everyone else’s.
Heavy need gibberish from me.


Thanks for the shot of wavy’s board. That cash only looks pretty sick of to me

I think you are right on Carroll, I THINK 7.625-7.75. I thought I had read that Puleo liked Guy's 7.5 shape? Guy and Shef's Girl shapes were the only ones I rode (I tried a Rudy 7.88 but wasn't feeling it). I could skate those tiny tails really good for a period.

It seems like Shef would just ride whatever was popular at the time, even now. Like he just has that much skill/power that the differences didn't matter. Shef and Duffy riding Indys now is weird to me, BUT this is also because Questionable is my favorite video and I hold them to THAT time, when they rode Ventures, lol. I actually (BPSW era) made a "what-Shef-rides" board. So it was an egg with Venture Lows and some tiny ass wheels. My Indy "loyalty" made me stop after a period though. Then I made a "what-Howard-rides" setup. lol

I used to study photos pretty hard and made a list of who-rode-what (I did this from say 88-93). I remember being bummed when guys I liked rode Thunders back then. I have no idea why, but I was anti-Thunder without ever trying them at that point. I kept the info in my head until everything went to 8+ boards in ehh 2008? I'm not as interested from that point, which is my 100% bias against 8+.

1994 there was some all over the map changes. 7.25 all the way to 8? I know I rode 7.5 during this.

I also think you are correct on Gino. His boards did not look as small as a lot of those guys to me either.

I think PJ Ladd was doing 7.5, Venture 5.0 Lows and 50mm during the WHL?

[Ok]

Expand Quote

I’d guess Puleo is 7.75 with 5.0 lo’s and 50s (the wheel part we got in great detail). It trips me out how I cannot tell the width of setups in footage. Like I’m pretty sure Westgate skates 7.75ish and 5.0s, but if I look at him in a video I’m convinced it’s 8” deck with 5.25s.
Anyways.

With someone  like Carroll it is fascinating to see the different gear, in a short period of time: skating changed so much in like 8 years, and the gear with it.
Sheffey….such a weird one, in so many ways, but sticking to gear: he was the goat during life/plan b, and then seemed to stick with his setup from mouse for the next 20+….the sheffey shape was so sick, that pin tail! Definitely 7.5 for sheffey and maybe guy, 5.0 lo’s for the majority of it.
I thought carroll was 7.75 during that era. Dunno why. I think I thought people’s offered boards were the size they rode. Like Gino used to have a 7.88 and his boards always looked wider, in photos and stuff, then everyone else’s.
Heavy need gibberish from me.


Thanks for the shot of wavy’s board. That cash only looks pretty sick of to me

[close]

I think you are right on Carroll, I THINK 7.625-7.75. I thought I had read that Puleo liked Guy's 7.5 shape? Guy and Shef's Girl shapes were the only ones I rode (I tried a Rudy 7.88 but wasn't feeling it). I could skate those tiny tails really good for a period.

It seems like Shef would just ride whatever was popular at the time, even now. Like he just has that much skill/power that the differences didn't matter. Shef and Duffy riding Indys now is weird to me, BUT this is also because Questionable is my favorite video and I hold them to THAT time, when they rode Ventures, lol. I actually (BPSW era) made a "what-Shef-rides" board. So it was an egg with Venture Lows and some tiny ass wheels. My Indy "loyalty" made me stop after a period though. Then I made a "what-Howard-rides" setup. lol

I used to study photos pretty hard and made a list of who-rode-what (I did this from say 88-93). I remember being bummed when guys I liked rode Thunders back then. I have no idea why, but I was anti-Thunder without ever trying them at that point. I kept the info in my head until everything went to 8+ boards in ehh 2008? I'm not as interested from that point, which is my 100% bias against 8+.

1994 there was some all over the map changes. 7.25 all the way to 8? I know I rode 7.5 during this.

I also think you are correct on Gino. His boards did not look as small as a lot of those guys to me either.

I think PJ Ladd was doing 7.5, Venture 5.0 Lows and 50mm during the WHL?

Puleo definitely was about the guy 7.5 shape, I think he has since sized up. I want to know what he was riding in static 2/infms days.

The PJ Ladd WHL setup….I’ve spent some time pondering this shit. My bullshit theory was that he was riding bigger boards (still sub 8, so like 7.75) during WHL. I dunno why I thought this. His skating just seems more loose, faster, less obsessively planned out.  But, I heard/read, that he used to trade all of his element stuff in for girl boards. And during that time….early 2000s, it was probably those small sheffey or guy shapes that we all loved, ps stix, probably 7.5-7.75, 5.0s, just guessing.
The person on here that would know, is Global Moderator.

[Reed Richards]

Pro Era?


But seriously, I remember hearing on the Nine Club that the pro models sold to the public aren't necessarily the ones they actually ride (e.g. CRob was riding 7.75s but had a 1 off graphic that was 8.38.)

Believe Carroll used to ride 7.5s with Venture Low 5.0s. So did Guy & Sheffey also if memory serves. (98-03 realm, give or take)

Sheffey rode a pinner for sure.  Peep game.

[AppleNick]

Expand Quote

BA skates a 8.75 now. I think he used to skate a sub 8, which is fucked considering the dude wears like a size 14 shoe.

[close]

According to Watson, Axion’s had their pro model samples made in the pro’s shoe size, and apparently BA wears a 13 and that’s why his shoe looked infuckingsane.

I think I remember seeing some pictures of some Dunks he had on Instagram and the size tag said it was a 13.9 which is amazing.