Gear madness support thread

[Frank and Fred]

Despite my stupid amount of hard goods, I do tend to use it all. I just don't use it until its completely cooked like I used to. I tend to stop using it while it still has life in it and I pass it on to a local organization that works with homeless youth. I like to give them completes but I don't always have trucks or bearings for them...

[Mbrimson88]

I think the distribution and then re distribution of used skate product really does help the skateboard world go round.

When I was younger we would always scrounge and save a bit here or there, but never enough to really get much brand new stuff, but there was always someone selling something of varying degrees of wear, so that would usually be a much better alternative to riding what we had into dust and could still afford to skate a semi decent setup.

Then when I was old enough to buy my own, I would look for the best deals or whatever just to get through.

Now I guess it is absolute overkill with the amount of stuff I have, but I only buy things, both new and used, with the aim of skating them, or more so passing them on to others who want them, either through the shop or just my personal connections, so I feel like it is worth doing what I do.

Nothing I have is really that sacred, so I can setup a new board easily enough if I needed to, or lend / pass on an existing complete to anyone if the situation arises too, but I do enjoy seeing people use stuff to the point they are done with it and then I can either skate it myself or fix it to the point where it will be good for someone else to use for a while after that too.

I kind of get a kick out of skating old trucks or fixing old sets of wheels, but even old completes can still be great fun more often than not too.


In saying all that, I have definitely left my better days behind, which at some points in my life, were very difficult to deal with, but I have accepted the fact that I can still roll around and enjoy whatever it is I can still skate, so I am not really fussed by what I used to be able to do or try to achieve success in getting tricks back with specific setups, more so just do what I can when I can and if things work on any given day, then all the better for it.

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

I usually skate through it or sell it at a big time loss….I deserve it. 

I always have a razor tailed boards that I give out to kids who’s boards are all chipped up.

With wheels/trucks I’ll usually piece together a complete to sell on CL or give away.

I do have a quiver of about 5 set ups that I’ll move parts around. 

[MysticalTypeExperience]

Glad to see people are posting.

For some reason I can't tag anyone, but big ups to everyone donating gear. I did a couple big clean outs recently and dropped a bunch of stuff at the local.

I actually had a decent (for me) flatground session on my shaped board today...I think maybe I just needed to get used to the smaller wheels I've been running? So the beast is sleeping for now. If I see a nice pointy-ish popsicle next time I'm at the shop, though...

I just hand out my lightly used stuff to homies who seem like good people at the skate park. Always feels good.

[LebowskisRug]

How does one commit to a single setup? As I mentioned I've got 2 assembled and it's like 18/20 things work well on each one, neither is perfect. But I ain't trying to continue wasting mends energy on madness.

[diplodocus]

I’ve been on ace classics forever. Thought i was never gonna change. Than ace came out with low hollows. I was stoked. Thought i was finally gonna make the jump to AF 1. Got em and hated em. Grind was too smooth for me compared to the classics. I got another set of classics. Fast forward 2 months later, i’m kinda annoyed that classic 44 aren’t 8.5 axel…ok no big deal. I’ll get a new set of trucks once skate through these a little more. Got an egg and the 8.38 axel is noticeably more magic carpet than normal to my previous shape. Getting more annoyed… I go to a mini ramp this week and I keep sticking on basic grinds, maybe it’s the coping, maybe it’s my trucks wearing down, but now i’m getting pissed. And now i’m back to thinking, maybe that AF1 grind wasn’t so bad after all… Now I want AF1 55 but not in hollow.

Sigh. Just amassing trucks. It was easier when the board shape and wheelbase was the constant in my set ups. Now that i’m changing boards i’m really getting the truck madness. Ugh.

[rocklobster]

How does one commit to a single setup? As I mentioned I've got 2 assembled and it's like 18/20 things work well on each one, neither is perfect. But I ain't trying to continue wasting mends energy on madness.

Spending way too long to swapping stuff between setups and having 2 spare pairs of trucks in my backpack convinced me to stick to 1 setup. Was spending way too much time swapping between trucks mid-session, when that time could have been better spent getting used to my setup.

I suspect most of us are time-poor but gear-rich - all about giving myself enough time to make a decision if the gear swap was worth it. Roughly 3 sessions for a deck or 1 month for trucks (lifespan of a deck).

[DarkPools]

How does one commit to a single setup? As I mentioned I've got 2 assembled and it's like 18/20 things work well on each one, neither is perfect. But I ain't trying to continue wasting mends energy on madness.

Don't set up a 2nd, 3rd; 4th, etc. setup. Make one your go to and force yourself to ride it! If you spend enough time on one you won't want to ride a different one. At least, that's what's worked for me.

[IpathCats]

I’ve been on ace classics forever. Thought i was never gonna change. Than ace came out with low hollows. I was stoked. Thought i was finally gonna make the jump to AF 1. Got em and hated em. Grind was too smooth for me compared to the classics. I got another set of classics. Fast forward 2 months later, i’m kinda annoyed that classic 44 aren’t 8.5 axel…ok no big deal. I’ll get a new set of trucks once skate through these a little more. Got an egg and the 8.38 axel is noticeably more magic carpet than normal to my previous shape. Getting more annoyed… I go to a mini ramp this week and I keep sticking on basic grinds, maybe it’s the coping, maybe it’s my trucks wearing down, but now i’m getting pissed. And now i’m back to thinking, maybe that AF1 grind wasn’t so bad after all… Now I want AF1 55 but not in hollow.

Sigh. Just amassing trucks. It was easier when the board shape and wheelbase was the constant in my set ups. Now that i’m changing boards i’m really getting the truck madness. Ugh.

If it's been a while since you've tried Indy's, you might wanna give them a shot. As someone who has tried everything, I can tell you for certain, that Indy's grind the best. The forged hollows and titanium hollows should save you some weight too and put you pretty close to ace height.

[MysticalTypeExperience]

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How does one commit to a single setup? As I mentioned I've got 2 assembled and it's like 18/20 things work well on each one, neither is perfect. But I ain't trying to continue wasting mends energy on madness.

[close]

Spending way too long to swapping stuff between setups and having 2 spare pairs of trucks in my backpack convinced me to stick to 1 setup. Was spending way too much time swapping between trucks mid-session, when that time could have been better spent getting used to my setup.

I suspect most of us are time-poor but gear-rich - all about giving myself enough time to make a decision if the gear swap was worth it. Roughly 3 sessions for a deck or 1 month for trucks (lifespan of a deck).

This is the final level of gear madness haha

[rocklobster]

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How does one commit to a single setup? As I mentioned I've got 2 assembled and it's like 18/20 things work well on each one, neither is perfect. But I ain't trying to continue wasting mends energy on madness.

[close]

Spending way too long to swapping stuff between setups and having 2 spare pairs of trucks in my backpack convinced me to stick to 1 setup. Was spending way too much time swapping between trucks mid-session, when that time could have been better spent getting used to my setup.

I suspect most of us are time-poor but gear-rich - all about giving myself enough time to make a decision if the gear swap was worth it. Roughly 3 sessions for a deck or 1 month for trucks (lifespan of a deck).

[close]

This is the final level of gear madness haha

This is the extent of my madness, I don't mess with bushings, pivot cups or washers, at most Bones bushings.

[IpathCats]

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How does one commit to a single setup? As I mentioned I've got 2 assembled and it's like 18/20 things work well on each one, neither is perfect. But I ain't trying to continue wasting mends energy on madness.

[close]

Spending way too long to swapping stuff between setups and having 2 spare pairs of trucks in my backpack convinced me to stick to 1 setup. Was spending way too much time swapping between trucks mid-session, when that time could have been better spent getting used to my setup.

I suspect most of us are time-poor but gear-rich - all about giving myself enough time to make a decision if the gear swap was worth it. Roughly 3 sessions for a deck or 1 month for trucks (lifespan of a deck).

[close]

This is the final level of gear madness haha

[close]

This is the extent of my madness, I don't mess with bushings, pivot cups or washers, at most Bones bushings.

....yea....me neither, that would be crazy right?

*shoves box of bushings, washers, and pivot cups under the bed*

[Boog]

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How does one commit to a single setup? As I mentioned I've got 2 assembled and it's like 18/20 things work well on each one, neither is perfect. But I ain't trying to continue wasting mends energy on madness.

[close]

Don't set up a 2nd, 3rd; 4th, etc. setup. Make one your go to and force yourself to ride it! If you spend enough time on one you won't want to ride a different one. At least, that's what's worked for me.

This is how I do it too. Eventually all your tricks will work on that one setup. Just stay committed to it.

[rocklobster]

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How does one commit to a single setup? As I mentioned I've got 2 assembled and it's like 18/20 things work well on each one, neither is perfect. But I ain't trying to continue wasting mends energy on madness.

[close]

Don't set up a 2nd, 3rd; 4th, etc. setup. Make one your go to and force yourself to ride it! If you spend enough time on one you won't want to ride a different one. At least, that's what's worked for me.

[close]

This is how I do it too. Eventually all your tricks will work on that one setup. Just stay committed to it.

For sure 101% committed the 1 setup.

Until I have a shit session and the madness creeps in.

But in all honesty I remind myself that I'm dealing with fractions of inches and millimeters differences between gear, stop being a baby and just adapt to whatever is under my feet. Adapting to your environment (and setup) is part and parcel of skateboarding anyway.

[camel filters]

I have an unreasonable amount of everything. The best I could do is narrow my quiver to 3. My regular 8.5 popsicle, a 10" shaped frog board to mess around on, and a cruiser. I still have a enough to set up another 2 completes but I'm gonna try to stay committed and just use up that gear to replace parts of what I already have set up. If my shaped board breaks, I'm planning on just running with the popsicle and the cruiser set up.

[Ok]

An area where my madness goes buck: skate well (for me) on a smaller setup, small wheels, lo(w) trucks. I try and take that baby board into the ‘real world’, and have a ratshit time: skating super slow, feet getting banged off the deck by compression cracks, nothing working. Need bigger softer wheels 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 next thing you know I’m on an 8.5 with late 2020 Kader sized wheels, rolling, and can ollie, but maximum frustration levels kicking in.
Basically what I’m trying to say is I want the best of all worlds and that’s not how it works.

[rocklobster]

Why not a middle ground setup with 8.25 deck and build it for ATV use?

Mid height trucks and skinnier 54mm wheels but with a wider contact patch to compensate for a harder smaller wheel.

Basically what I’m trying to say is I want the best of all worlds and that’s not how it works.

Ok that explains it.

[Ok]

Oh no, you’ve got the reasonable solution…I also think my weird under functioning pre frontal cortex wants the jolt of setting up ‘extreme’ setups, or things further on the ends of the spectrum. And that is ridiculous. 
My attempt over the next month: 1 setup, and if I start to lose it, maybe change the wheels…and add risers. Or not. But defined gonna switch the wheels around…so not exactly one setup, at all. But, one deck, one pair of trucks is gonna be a game changer.

[rocklobster]

But, one deck, one pair of trucks is gonna be a game changer.

That's a first step, then go up or down 0.125" up or down in deck size if you want more flippery or stability. I think that's where the odd sizes like 8.125 / 8.38 / 8.625 come in handy: when you want a compromise size without having to swap trucks. Lots of guys I know who started off in the 7.75 days move up to 8.0 when they first come back and eventually settle on 8.125 / 8.25 as they pack on the pounds or get taller with age.

[Frank and Fred]

This thread has me inspired to set up a summer solstice sacrifice to the skate gods and perhaps donate some gear to those who need it more than I.

[Ok]

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But, one deck, one pair of trucks is gonna be a game changer.

[close]

That's a first step, then go up or down 0.125" up or down in deck size if you want more flippery or stability. I think that's where the odd sizes like 8.125 / 8.38 / 8.625 come in handy: when you want a compromise size without having to swap trucks. Lots of guys I know who started off in the 7.75 days move up to 8.0 when they first come back and eventually settle on 8.125 / 8.25 as they pack on the pounds or get taller with age.

Totally agree. 8.125, on 8 trucks, is a similar board to truck ratio, as 7.75 deck on 7.63 (5.0/129) trucks. Busentiz, suciu  , both do the 8.38 on 148 (I think). Makes a lot of sense

[Sativa Lung]

Take it from a guy who's tried damn near everything the market has to offer...

If you're struggling and hitting a wall progression-wise it's almost certainly not your gear. It's your form. If you consistently aren't landing something it's a lot more likely you're doing something fundamentally wrong than your wheelbase. I did this for a long time and even though I knew in the back of my head the problem was that I was being a poor craftsman and blaming my tools, I thought some day I'd step on some magical combination of wood and metal and be able to skate like I was 16 again. Didn't work. Still doesn't. Never will.

Skate what you like. If you want to get better then practice more on what you like.

Written while literally sitting on a box of boards I haven't skated.

[Ok]

Take it from a guy who's tried damn near everything the market has to offer...

If you're struggling and hitting a wall progression-wise it's almost certainly not your gear. It's your form. If you consistently aren't landing something it's a lot more likely you're doing something fundamentally wrong than your wheelbase. I did this for a long time and even though I knew in the back of my head the problem was that I was being a poor craftsman and blaming my tools, I thought some day I'd step on some magical combination of wood and metal and be able to skate like I was 16 again. Didn't work. Still doesn't. Never will.

Skate what you like. If you want to get better then practice more on what you like.

Written while literally sitting on a box of boards I haven't skated.

The goat.

[backinaction]

I've been working on trying to find that "middle ground" setup that works everywhere.   I don't skate my 8.0" much these days.   I do regularly skate my 8.75" at one park that is all transition, but have skated 8.3ish boards there ok. 

Yesterday i showed up to the more "street" park with 3 setups.
Creature 8.38" - 14.5 wb with Ace AF1 55s and 54mm F4 101s
Real Ishod TT 8.3" - 14.4 wb with Indy 144 hollows and 53mm STF 103
Powell 8.25 flight (that measures 8.38) - 14.25 wb with Thunder 149 Ti and 54mm F4 99s.

The wheelbase / truck combos make the axle to axle very similar, and the Creature has the steepest tail, then the Real, and the Powell is the mellowest. 

Started out on the Creature/Ace setup.  I like it in transition, but my timing is fucked up with ollies.  I just don't get the same pop.   Struggled on this setup.

Pulled out the Powell/Thunder.   Felt more at home with anything that required ollies.  Not bad in transition.

Then pulled out the Real/Indy.  Started landing a bigger percent of my flip tricks.   This may be the way.

I may be an Indy guy even though it seems like the default truck for all old farts like me. Convenient as I have 144s, 149s and 159s already.   I will try the Indy Ti 149s on both the Creature / Powell setups.    I may have some Thunder Ti and AF1s to trade soon.

[Ok]

I've been working on trying to find that "middle ground" setup that works everywhere.   I don't skate my 8.0" much these days.   I do regularly skate my 8.75" at one park that is all transition, but have skated 8.3ish boards there ok. 

Yesterday i showed up to the more "street" park with 3 setups.
Creature 8.38" - 14.5 wb with Ace AF1 55s and 54mm F4 101s
Real Ishod TT 8.3" - 14.4 wb with Indy 144 hollows and 53mm STF 103
Powell 8.25 flight (that measures 8.38) - 14.25 wb with Thunder 149 Ti and 54mm F4 99s.

The wheelbase / truck combos make the axle to axle very similar, and the Creature has the steepest tail, then the Real, and the Powell is the mellowest. 

Started out on the Creature/Ace setup.  I like it in transition, but my timing is fucked up with ollies.  I just don't get the same pop.   Struggled on this setup.

Pulled out the Powell/Thunder.   Felt more at home with anything that required ollies.  Not bad in transition.

Then pulled out the Real/Indy.  Started landing a bigger percent of my flip tricks.   This may be the way.

I may be an Indy guy even though it seems like the default truck for all old farts like me. Convenient as I have 144s, 149s and 159s already.   I will try the Indy Ti 149s on both the Creature / Powell setups.    I may have some Thunder Ti and AF1s to trade soon.

Indy has a very do it all geometry in my opinion.


My next session, just taking one. Multiple setups had been the routine for awhile. I’m only trying the same tricks over and over.

[manysnakes]

Why not a middle ground setup with 8.25 deck and build it for ATV use?

Mid height trucks and skinnier 54mm wheels but with a wider contact patch to compensate for a harder smaller wheel.

Expand Quote

Basically what I’m trying to say is I want the best of all worlds and that’s not how it works.

[close]

Ok that explains it.

This is what happened with me. I went nuts trying bigger and smaller shit, until I eventually figured out that an 8.25" with a pair of Ace or Indy trucks gave me 95% of what I needed at all times. And whatever is that 5% I'm missing, I'm not going to find it switching back and forth between completes every time I skate a different spot.

[big_kev_215]

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I've been working on trying to find that "middle ground" setup that works everywhere.   I don't skate my 8.0" much these days.   I do regularly skate my 8.75" at one park that is all transition, but have skated 8.3ish boards there ok. 

Yesterday i showed up to the more "street" park with 3 setups.
Creature 8.38" - 14.5 wb with Ace AF1 55s and 54mm F4 101s
Real Ishod TT 8.3" - 14.4 wb with Indy 144 hollows and 53mm STF 103
Powell 8.25 flight (that measures 8.38) - 14.25 wb with Thunder 149 Ti and 54mm F4 99s.

The wheelbase / truck combos make the axle to axle very similar, and the Creature has the steepest tail, then the Real, and the Powell is the mellowest. 

Started out on the Creature/Ace setup.  I like it in transition, but my timing is fucked up with ollies.  I just don't get the same pop.   Struggled on this setup.

Pulled out the Powell/Thunder.   Felt more at home with anything that required ollies.  Not bad in transition.

Then pulled out the Real/Indy.  Started landing a bigger percent of my flip tricks.   This may be the way.

I may be an Indy guy even though it seems like the default truck for all old farts like me. Convenient as I have 144s, 149s and 159s already.   I will try the Indy Ti 149s on both the Creature / Powell setups.    I may have some Thunder Ti and AF1s to trade soon.

[close]

Indy has a very do it all geometry in my opinion.


My next session, just taking one. Multiple setups had been the routine for awhile. I’m only trying the same tricks over and over.

I spent my entire skate lifetime fighting the fact that I actually really like Indys.  Now I’ve reached the acceptance phase and finally started only skating Indys.  I really think Indy 159s are the overall perfect truck.  You can run them basically on 8.38’s all the way up to 9 inch popsicles and on pretty much any shaped board.   

[backinaction]

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I've been working on trying to find that "middle ground" setup that works everywhere.   I don't skate my 8.0" much these days.   I do regularly skate my 8.75" at one park that is all transition, but have skated 8.3ish boards there ok. 

Yesterday i showed up to the more "street" park with 3 setups.
Creature 8.38" - 14.5 wb with Ace AF1 55s and 54mm F4 101s
Real Ishod TT 8.3" - 14.4 wb with Indy 144 hollows and 53mm STF 103
Powell 8.25 flight (that measures 8.38) - 14.25 wb with Thunder 149 Ti and 54mm F4 99s.

The wheelbase / truck combos make the axle to axle very similar, and the Creature has the steepest tail, then the Real, and the Powell is the mellowest. 

Started out on the Creature/Ace setup.  I like it in transition, but my timing is fucked up with ollies.  I just don't get the same pop.   Struggled on this setup.

Pulled out the Powell/Thunder.   Felt more at home with anything that required ollies.  Not bad in transition.

Then pulled out the Real/Indy.  Started landing a bigger percent of my flip tricks.   This may be the way.

I may be an Indy guy even though it seems like the default truck for all old farts like me. Convenient as I have 144s, 149s and 159s already.   I will try the Indy Ti 149s on both the Creature / Powell setups.    I may have some Thunder Ti and AF1s to trade soon.

[close]

Indy has a very do it all geometry in my opinion.


My next session, just taking one. Multiple setups had been the routine for awhile. I’m only trying the same tricks over and over.

[close]

I spent my entire skate lifetime fighting the fact that I actually really like Indys.  Now I’ve reached the acceptance phase and finally started only skating Indys.  I really think Indy 159s are the overall perfect truck.  You can run them basically on 8.38’s all the way up to 9 inch popsicles and on pretty much any shaped board.

I took 20 years off skating, and when I came back I noticed that almost all the guys my age were skating Indy.  I thought they were un-enlightened and that they were just skating Indy because thats what they had been skating forever.

So I became "enlightened".  I bought Thunder, Ace, MiniLogo, Krux, Royal...  and yes, Indy.    The Krux and Royal sucked.  But the Thunder, Ace and MiniLogo all did SOMETHING better than Indy.  Indy was just the shitty "default" truck. 

It turns out, default is good.

[manysnakes]

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I've been working on trying to find that "middle ground" setup that works everywhere.   I don't skate my 8.0" much these days.   I do regularly skate my 8.75" at one park that is all transition, but have skated 8.3ish boards there ok. 

Yesterday i showed up to the more "street" park with 3 setups.
Creature 8.38" - 14.5 wb with Ace AF1 55s and 54mm F4 101s
Real Ishod TT 8.3" - 14.4 wb with Indy 144 hollows and 53mm STF 103
Powell 8.25 flight (that measures 8.38) - 14.25 wb with Thunder 149 Ti and 54mm F4 99s.

The wheelbase / truck combos make the axle to axle very similar, and the Creature has the steepest tail, then the Real, and the Powell is the mellowest. 

Started out on the Creature/Ace setup.  I like it in transition, but my timing is fucked up with ollies.  I just don't get the same pop.   Struggled on this setup.

Pulled out the Powell/Thunder.   Felt more at home with anything that required ollies.  Not bad in transition.

Then pulled out the Real/Indy.  Started landing a bigger percent of my flip tricks.   This may be the way.

I may be an Indy guy even though it seems like the default truck for all old farts like me. Convenient as I have 144s, 149s and 159s already.   I will try the Indy Ti 149s on both the Creature / Powell setups.    I may have some Thunder Ti and AF1s to trade soon.

[close]

Indy has a very do it all geometry in my opinion.


My next session, just taking one. Multiple setups had been the routine for awhile. I’m only trying the same tricks over and over.

[close]

I spent my entire skate lifetime fighting the fact that I actually really like Indys.  Now I’ve reached the acceptance phase and finally started only skating Indys.  I really think Indy 159s are the overall perfect truck.  You can run them basically on 8.38’s all the way up to 9 inch popsicles and on pretty much any shaped board.

I know a few people who recently faced this reality. Indy has been around forever, they know what they're doing, and the Stage XI is the best truck they've ever made. It works well enough that SoCal mega ramp chompers and Brazilian ledge gods skate functionally identical trucks.

[IpathCats]

I spent my entire skate lifetime fighting the fact that I actually really like Indys.  Now I’ve reached the acceptance phase and finally started only skating Indys.  I really think Indy 159s are the overall perfect truck.  You can run them basically on 8.38’s all the way up to 9 inch popsicles and on pretty much any shaped board.

I'm kind of the other way around. I tried a bunch of shit when i was younger, then i tired indys after skating for like 6-7 years. I only skated indys for the longest time. Eventually, I basically stopped skating for a few years, and when i got back into it again more seriously, i got another pair of indys, they were ok for a while, but something just felt off. I basically just chalked it up to me being rusty for a year or so, then i really started getting into my setup after that and started trying other brands again. Really had no recollection of how different the other trucks were, i just always thought indys were the best. The variety of riders on indy is def a testament to their versatility. GT, mason silva, and tom Knox all ride 149s, crazy if you think about it.

I have been thoroughly enjoying my thunder team hollow 148's lately. First thunders ive ridden in like 15 years. They have their tradeoffs, but the turn, popfeel, and pinch really suit my style of skateboarding. The bushings seem kinda shitty though, mine are splitting after a handful of sessions. The baseplate issue is kind of annoying, but im adjusting my slide tricks and they are getting better. Nothing will ever match an indy grind though, just gotta accept that. Lurpivs were pretty damn close though.