Gear madness support thread

[goodatmeth]

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Maybe I'm becoming slightly more sane, but I am starting to think that unless you go really extreme in deck dimensions, trucks are mostly going to be the same for you across a general range of decks. If you like how they feel on 14.25, they shouldn't feel insane on 14.3. Of course if you have 14.6 with Ventures and throw Aces on you're dealing with polar opposites and ya they'll be different.

[close]

My general opinion on this is that there are two main categories of trucks: Indy/Ace style trucks, and Venture/Thunder style trucks. My experience is that it's relatively easy to switch between the related brands of trucks, but it's when you change styles that most skaters will need some time to adjust, or maybe find that they simply do not like that style.

I agree, thinking about my personal skating experience, but I gotta just share this.
A friend of mine is completely, intentionally oblivious about skate gear. He doesn't care and doesn't want to care. He just wants to skate. He's basically in the post-madness-enlightenment without ever going through the madness.

This week, after skating standard indies for 3 years, he switched to thunder hollow lights because his trucks broke. That's such a gigantic fucking step in height, wheelbase and especially weight I couldn't wait to see how it goes and possibly fucks him up for a bit.

He kinda struggled finding his pop at first, then he took a few minutes to get that he needs to lean more into slides. All in all it took him about 20-30 minutes to fully adjust like nothing changed on all terrain. He even landed his first kickflip bs smith that day.

It makes me almost sick to think about how much we can self-sabotage with all this bullshit. I wish all of you, and me, to break free of this and reach enlightenment.

In other news that give the complete opposite message: I just switched from thunder to ace a few days ago in order to really get holding long fs noseslides down. And it worked perfectly. Why? Probably because I told myself I can do it better on ace, so I did. I'm sure it could have worked just as fine on thunders, but I didn't allow it for myself I guess.

[Sedition]

In other news that give the complete opposite message: I just switched from thunder to ace a few days ago in order to really get holding long fs noseslides down. And it worked perfectly. Why?

Why? Because the Thunder baseplate thing is real.

[goodatmeth]

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In other news that give the complete opposite message: I just switched from thunder to ace a few days ago in order to really get holding long fs noseslides down. And it worked perfectly. Why?

[close]

Why? Because the Thunder baseplate thing is real.

Sure. But I chose to switch trucks instead of just leaning into the slide a bit more. Opposite of what my friend did. I basically told myself I can't do it on thunders.
I actually tried that today. Now that I've learned it on ace, I can do it just as well on thunders. And it kinda pisses me off.

[LebowskisRug]

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Maybe I'm becoming slightly more sane, but I am starting to think that unless you go really extreme in deck dimensions, trucks are mostly going to be the same for you across a general range of decks. If you like how they feel on 14.25, they shouldn't feel insane on 14.3. Of course if you have 14.6 with Ventures and throw Aces on you're dealing with polar opposites and ya they'll be different.

[close]

My general opinion on this is that there are two main categories of trucks: Indy/Ace style trucks, and Venture/Thunder style trucks. My experience is that it's relatively easy to switch between the related brands of trucks, but it's when you change styles that most skaters will need some time to adjust, or maybe find that they simply do not like that style.

Makes sense for me mostly. I definitely need harder bushings in Indy and despite people saying they find Thunder twitchy and get lots of wheelbite it is the complete opposite for me.

[LebowskisRug]

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Maybe I'm becoming slightly more sane, but I am starting to think that unless you go really extreme in deck dimensions, trucks are mostly going to be the same for you across a general range of decks. If you like how they feel on 14.25, they shouldn't feel insane on 14.3. Of course if you have 14.6 with Ventures and throw Aces on you're dealing with polar opposites and ya they'll be different.

[close]

My general opinion on this is that there are two main categories of trucks: Indy/Ace style trucks, and Venture/Thunder style trucks. My experience is that it's relatively easy to switch between the related brands of trucks, but it's when you change styles that most skaters will need some time to adjust, or maybe find that they simply do not like that style.

[close]

I agree, thinking about my personal skating experience, but I gotta just share this.
A friend of mine is completely, intentionally oblivious about skate gear. He doesn't care and doesn't want to care. He just wants to skate. He's basically in the post-madness-enlightenment without ever going through the madness.

This week, after skating standard indies for 3 years, he switched to thunder hollow lights because his trucks broke. That's such a gigantic fucking step in height, wheelbase and especially weight I couldn't wait to see how it goes and possibly fucks him up for a bit.

He kinda struggled finding his pop at first, then he took a few minutes to get that he needs to lean more into slides. All in all it took him about 20-30 minutes to fully adjust like nothing changed on all terrain. He even landed his first kickflip bs smith that day.

It makes me almost sick to think about how much we can self-sabotage with all this bullshit. I wish all of you, and me, to break free of this and reach enlightenment.

In other news that give the complete opposite message: I just switched from thunder to ace a few days ago in order to really get holding long fs noseslides down. And it worked perfectly. Why? Probably because I told myself I can do it better on ace, so I did. I'm sure it could have worked just as fine on thunders, but I didn't allow it for myself I guess.

Yah a dude I know switched from 8.5x14.25 on Indy 169s to 8.25x14.38 on Thunder 148 hollow lights after a week of shitty flatground the switch became irrelevant.

[Ok]

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Expand Quote

Maybe I'm becoming slightly more sane, but I am starting to think that unless you go really extreme in deck dimensions, trucks are mostly going to be the same for you across a general range of decks. If you like how they feel on 14.25, they shouldn't feel insane on 14.3. Of course if you have 14.6 with Ventures and throw Aces on you're dealing with polar opposites and ya they'll be different.

[close]

My general opinion on this is that there are two main categories of trucks: Indy/Ace style trucks, and Venture/Thunder style trucks. My experience is that it's relatively easy to switch between the related brands of trucks, but it's when you change styles that most skaters will need some time to adjust, or maybe find that they simply do not like that style.

[close]

I agree, thinking about my personal skating experience, but I gotta just share this.
A friend of mine is completely, intentionally oblivious about skate gear. He doesn't care and doesn't want to care. He just wants to skate. He's basically in the post-madness-enlightenment without ever going through the madness.

This week, after skating standard indies for 3 years, he switched to thunder hollow lights because his trucks broke. That's such a gigantic fucking step in height, wheelbase and especially weight I couldn't wait to see how it goes and possibly fucks him up for a bit.

He kinda struggled finding his pop at first, then he took a few minutes to get that he needs to lean more into slides. All in all it took him about 20-30 minutes to fully adjust like nothing changed on all terrain. He even landed his first kickflip bs smith that day.

It makes me almost sick to think about how much we can self-sabotage with all this bullshit. I wish all of you, and me, to break free of this and reach enlightenment.

In other news that give the complete opposite message: I just switched from thunder to ace a few days ago in order to really get holding long fs noseslides down. And it worked perfectly. Why? Probably because I told myself I can do it better on ace, so I did. I'm sure it could have worked just as fine on thunders, but I didn't allow it for myself I guess.

[close]

Yah a dude I know switched from 8.5x14.25 on Indy 169s to 8.25x14.38 on Thunder 148 hollow lights after a week of shitty flatground the switch became irrelevant.

Yeah but….
Kickflip back smith.
This person is good.
I’m not.
I NEED the different trucks/all the help I can get.




But yeah, I agree it’s not the plow, it’s the farmer.

[rocklobster]

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Maybe I'm becoming slightly more sane, but I am starting to think that unless you go really extreme in deck dimensions, trucks are mostly going to be the same for you across a general range of decks. If you like how they feel on 14.25, they shouldn't feel insane on 14.3. Of course if you have 14.6 with Ventures and throw Aces on you're dealing with polar opposites and ya they'll be different.

[close]

My general opinion on this is that there are two main categories of trucks: Indy/Ace style trucks, and Venture/Thunder style trucks. My experience is that it's relatively easy to switch between the related brands of trucks, but it's when you change styles that most skaters will need some time to adjust, or maybe find that they simply do not like that style.

[close]

I agree, thinking about my personal skating experience, but I gotta just share this.
A friend of mine is completely, intentionally oblivious about skate gear. He doesn't care and doesn't want to care. He just wants to skate. He's basically in the post-madness-enlightenment without ever going through the madness.

This week, after skating standard indies for 3 years, he switched to thunder hollow lights because his trucks broke. That's such a gigantic fucking step in height, wheelbase and especially weight I couldn't wait to see how it goes and possibly fucks him up for a bit.

He kinda struggled finding his pop at first, then he took a few minutes to get that he needs to lean more into slides. All in all it took him about 20-30 minutes to fully adjust like nothing changed on all terrain. He even landed his first kickflip bs smith that day.

It makes me almost sick to think about how much we can self-sabotage with all this bullshit. I wish all of you, and me, to break free of this and reach enlightenment.

In other news that give the complete opposite message: I just switched from thunder to ace a few days ago in order to really get holding long fs noseslides down. And it worked perfectly. Why? Probably because I told myself I can do it better on ace, so I did. I'm sure it could have worked just as fine on thunders, but I didn't allow it for myself I guess.

[close]

Yah a dude I know switched from 8.5x14.25 on Indy 169s to 8.25x14.38 on Thunder 148 hollow lights after a week of shitty flatground the switch became irrelevant.

[close]

Yeah but….
Kickflip back smith.
This person is good.
I’m not.
I NEED the different trucks/all the help I can get.




But yeah, I agree it’s not the plow, it’s the farmer.

Exactly - I struggle to do both tricks individually, your homie is cut from a different sheet of griptape.

[FrenchSkater]

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Expand Quote

Maybe I'm becoming slightly more sane, but I am starting to think that unless you go really extreme in deck dimensions, trucks are mostly going to be the same for you across a general range of decks. If you like how they feel on 14.25, they shouldn't feel insane on 14.3. Of course if you have 14.6 with Ventures and throw Aces on you're dealing with polar opposites and ya they'll be different.

[close]

My general opinion on this is that there are two main categories of trucks: Indy/Ace style trucks, and Venture/Thunder style trucks. My experience is that it's relatively easy to switch between the related brands of trucks, but it's when you change styles that most skaters will need some time to adjust, or maybe find that they simply do not like that style.

[close]

I agree, thinking about my personal skating experience, but I gotta just share this.
A friend of mine is completely, intentionally oblivious about skate gear. He doesn't care and doesn't want to care. He just wants to skate. He's basically in the post-madness-enlightenment without ever going through the madness.

This week, after skating standard indies for 3 years, he switched to thunder hollow lights because his trucks broke. That's such a gigantic fucking step in height, wheelbase and especially weight I couldn't wait to see how it goes and possibly fucks him up for a bit.

He kinda struggled finding his pop at first, then he took a few minutes to get that he needs to lean more into slides. All in all it took him about 20-30 minutes to fully adjust like nothing changed on all terrain. He even landed his first kickflip bs smith that day.

It makes me almost sick to think about how much we can self-sabotage with all this bullshit. I wish all of you, and me, to break free of this and reach enlightenment.

In other news that give the complete opposite message: I just switched from thunder to ace a few days ago in order to really get holding long fs noseslides down. And it worked perfectly. Why? Probably because I told myself I can do it better on ace, so I did. I'm sure it could have worked just as fine on thunders, but I didn't allow it for myself I guess.

It's the same for me, I would love to get out of this madness.. I've been on Venture for a year, but I skated these trucks for a long time during my first ten years of skating (15 years of skating for me)

From the tenth year to the fifteenth, I alternated a lot of trucks, I fell into this madness, because I wanted to see if I skated better with this or that brand.. the influence of pro skaters too, I see such a skate this, I want to try..

Anyway, last year I was skating with Venture 5.2 high, on an 8, and I felt like home..

However, last week I bought thunder 148s, because I want to go wider.. I was skating 8.125 with the ventures, and I wanted to try with the thunders.. To also be lower and have more reactivity, and also find my flip (I lost my flip since I have high trucks, I noticed it while watching my old videos! I am small with small legs.. the trucks medium or lows are probably an advantage..).. The first three sessions with the thunders were relatively good.. Different feel, but still good trucks.. Maybe a switch to 8.25, for more room and safety, and even if I do a lot of flat, it doesn't change much .. I let my desires guide me now haha

[LebowskisRug]

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Maybe I'm becoming slightly more sane, but I am starting to think that unless you go really extreme in deck dimensions, trucks are mostly going to be the same for you across a general range of decks. If you like how they feel on 14.25, they shouldn't feel insane on 14.3. Of course if you have 14.6 with Ventures and throw Aces on you're dealing with polar opposites and ya they'll be different.

[close]

My general opinion on this is that there are two main categories of trucks: Indy/Ace style trucks, and Venture/Thunder style trucks. My experience is that it's relatively easy to switch between the related brands of trucks, but it's when you change styles that most skaters will need some time to adjust, or maybe find that they simply do not like that style.

[close]

I agree, thinking about my personal skating experience, but I gotta just share this.
A friend of mine is completely, intentionally oblivious about skate gear. He doesn't care and doesn't want to care. He just wants to skate. He's basically in the post-madness-enlightenment without ever going through the madness.

This week, after skating standard indies for 3 years, he switched to thunder hollow lights because his trucks broke. That's such a gigantic fucking step in height, wheelbase and especially weight I couldn't wait to see how it goes and possibly fucks him up for a bit.

He kinda struggled finding his pop at first, then he took a few minutes to get that he needs to lean more into slides. All in all it took him about 20-30 minutes to fully adjust like nothing changed on all terrain. He even landed his first kickflip bs smith that day.

It makes me almost sick to think about how much we can self-sabotage with all this bullshit. I wish all of you, and me, to break free of this and reach enlightenment.

In other news that give the complete opposite message: I just switched from thunder to ace a few days ago in order to really get holding long fs noseslides down. And it worked perfectly. Why? Probably because I told myself I can do it better on ace, so I did. I'm sure it could have worked just as fine on thunders, but I didn't allow it for myself I guess.

[close]

Yah a dude I know switched from 8.5x14.25 on Indy 169s to 8.25x14.38 on Thunder 148 hollow lights after a week of shitty flatground the switch became irrelevant.

[close]

Yeah but….
Kickflip back smith.
This person is good.
I’m not.
I NEED the different trucks/all the help I can get.




But yeah, I agree it’s not the plow, it’s the farmer.

[close]

Exactly - I struggle to do both tricks individually, your homie is cut from a different sheet of griptape.

Ya he switched cuz his lifetime goal is kickflip back tail kickflip out and he felt he needed a more nimble setup to do that I dunno if he has actually done or tried since.

[Ok]

I generally skate better/feet hurt less, in dunks.
They look kinda fucked tho.
For context, I’m really old, and I wear straight fit pants (501s, etc). Shit just looks too…try-hard dad, hip-dad, yo your dad is a creep, etc.
I like the way half cabs, and some other classic vans styles look, as well as cons, etc. you know, classic looking shoes. But they hurt.
I don’t think there is a solution. I am just complaining.


***good thing I have like 3 pairs of dunks. To look stupid in.

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

Fastbreaks?  You can get dunks in classic colors no?

[Ok]

Fastbreaks?  You can get dunks in classic colors no?

Fastbreaks or pro leathers would look better.
Good call.

I think you can get dunks in regular colors, when I bought these 3 pairs it was when I couldn’t get dunks very easily and just grabbed whatever they’d sell me in my size.

[IpathCats]

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Fastbreaks?  You can get dunks in classic colors no?

[close]

Fastbreaks or pro leathers would look better.
Good call.

I think you can get dunks in regular colors, when I bought these 3 pairs it was when I couldn’t get dunks very easily and just grabbed whatever they’d sell me in my size.

Fastbreaks have a worse insole and that stupid nylon material on most models. I wish so badly that converse would fix this shoe, i would probably skate it exclusively if they did.

Those new ones with the boot laces that came out look ok, but its not the time of year for an all black shoe.

[camel filters]

I generally skate better/feet hurt less, in dunks.
They look kinda fucked tho.
For context, I’m really old, and I wear straight fit pants (501s, etc). Shit just looks too…try-hard dad, hip-dad, yo your dad is a creep, etc.
I like the way half cabs, and some other classic vans styles look, as well as cons, etc. you know, classic looking shoes. But they hurt.
I don’t think there is a solution. I am just complaining.


***good thing I have like 3 pairs of dunks. To look stupid in.

Tiagos might be up your alley if the extra bulk isn't a deterrent.

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

I get it too….you think: ‘oh…I’ll just skate through them…who cares? And then you realize it’ll take you a year……

Bought two pairs of maroon Tyshawns….didn’t need the second pair…..

[Sedition]

I haven't really dipped into the Madness in awhile. This week it came back. Current perseveration: 144 vs 149s on my 8.25" DLX (144s have been my go-to since they came out...until now). Nothing has been resolved. How much sleep can I loose over .25"? An astonishing amount, it would seem.

[Mbrimson88]

I haven't really dipped into the Madness in awhile. This week it came back. Current perseveration: 144 vs 149s on my 8.25" DLX (144s have been my go-to since they came out...until now). Nothing has been resolved. How much sleep can I loose over .25"? An astonishing amount, it would seem.

Yeah, for sure!

I go by this, but of course everyone can choose their own path:

Popsicle / normal boards
8.0 = 139s
8.125 / 8.25 = 144s
8.38 / 8.5 = 149s
8.62 / 8.75 = 159s
8.88 / 9.0 = 169s

Shaped cruisers
8.75 blue meanie = 149s with big wheels
9.12 Huffer = 159s with wide wheels
9+ = 169s with big / wide wheels


The madness keeps me happy, but also makes me keep at least one of each of those set up at all times now, mainly for anyone else to try if they are interested, but that is my excuse for having them.

[Sedition]

Expand Quote

I haven't really dipped into the Madness in awhile. This week it came back. Current perseveration: 144 vs 149s on my 8.25" DLX (144s have been my go-to since they came out...until now). Nothing has been resolved. How much sleep can I loose over .25"? An astonishing amount, it would seem.

[close]

Yeah, for sure!

I go by this, but of course everyone can choose their own path:

Popsicle / normal boards
8.0 = 139s
8.125 / 8.25 = 144s
8.38 / 8.5 = 149s
8.62 / 8.75 = 159s
8.88 / 9.0 = 169s

Shaped cruisers
8.75 blue meanie = 149s with big wheels
9.12 Huffer = 159s with wide wheels
9+ = 169s with big / wide wheels


The madness keeps me happy, but also makes me keep at least one of each of those set up at all times now, mainly for anyone else to try if they are interested, but that is my excuse for having them.

I've been dealing with a pulled groin muscle (forward leg) for a bit. Flat ground Ollies exacerbated the problem. So, I've been riding my 8.75"/159s a lot the last two weeks (easier to remind myself not to ollie on a bigger deck). Been doing lots of slappies and mini ramp skating on it. A few days ago I was feeling normal enough to go back to my 8.25/144s. However, there was now a problem. I had skated the 8.75" so much, that the 8.25" now seemed impossibly small to me...like a fucking 1980s freestyle board. I was like, "WTF!?! Am I actually going to be able to skate this thing again, ever?!?" I started to feel more comfortable on it after a bit, but decided to throw 149s on, to make it feel/ride a tad more stable/wider. It worked. Sort of. For somethings. A few other things on it I did not like. And then, well, you know what happens at that stage...The Madness creeps back in to the world of Men...   

[nitro89]

I haven't been feeling as comfy on my board this year, which has been my goldilocks for a while since coming back from fracturing my ankle last October. G052 8.25, 5.6 v-lights, 52mm F4 classics.

had a 'fuck it and find out' moment after seeing a sale online and bought myself some 144 Knox forged hollow's.
stuck them on a primitive 8.38 and went to the park last night to see what's what.

after skating ventures for the last 20 years or so, i was scared of the change but tbh im 70/30 convinced i should of done this sooner, they feel good, grind good, flip tricks work, and they are very responsive.

the skate from the car to the park was fun tho, i was speed wobbling one footed mid push until i cranked them down a bit. never experienced that before.haha

ill report back after a few more skates with a definitive answer as to whether they have cured this bout of madness.

[IpathCats]

I haven't been feeling as comfy on my board this year, which has been my goldilocks for a while since coming back from fracturing my ankle last October. G052 8.25, 5.6 v-lights, 52mm F4 classics.

had a 'fuck it and find out' moment after seeing a sale online and bought myself some 144 Knox forged hollow's.
stuck them on a primitive 8.38 and went to the park last night to see what's what.

after skating ventures for the last 20 years or so, i was scared of the change but tbh im 70/30 convinced i should of done this sooner, they feel good, grind good, flip tricks work, and they are very responsive.

the skate from the car to the park was fun tho, i was speed wobbling one footed mid push until i cranked them down a bit. never experienced that before.haha

ill report back after a few more skates with a definitive answer as to whether they have cured this bout of madness.

grats, hope your new setup works for a while.

i much prefer indy's to ventures. i probably pop tricks a bit higher on ventures, but indy's are just more fun for me overall. and the grind is SOOOOO much better on indys

[Richard Skidder]

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I haven't really dipped into the Madness in awhile. This week it came back. Current perseveration: 144 vs 149s on my 8.25" DLX (144s have been my go-to since they came out...until now). Nothing has been resolved. How much sleep can I loose over .25"? An astonishing amount, it would seem.

[close]

Yeah, for sure!

I go by this, but of course everyone can choose their own path:

Popsicle / normal boards
8.0 = 139s
8.125 / 8.25 = 144s
8.38 / 8.5 = 149s
8.62 / 8.75 = 159s
8.88 / 9.0 = 169s

Shaped cruisers
8.75 blue meanie = 149s with big wheels
9.12 Huffer = 159s with wide wheels
9+ = 169s with big / wide wheels


The madness keeps me happy, but also makes me keep at least one of each of those set up at all times now, mainly for anyone else to try if they are interested, but that is my excuse for having them.

[close]

I've been dealing with a pulled groin muscle (forward leg) for a bit. Flat ground Ollies exacerbated the problem. So, I've been riding my 8.75"/159s a lot the last two weeks (easier to remind myself not to ollie on a bigger deck). Been doing lots of slappies and mini ramp skating on it. A few days ago I was feeling normal enough to go back to my 8.25/144s. However, there was now a problem. I had skated the 8.75" so much, that the 8.25" now seemed impossibly small to me...like a fucking 1980s freestyle board. I was like, "WTF!?! Am I actually going to be able to skate this thing again, ever?!?" I started to feel more comfortable on it after a bit, but decided to throw 149s on, to make it feel/ride a tad more stable/wider. It worked. Sort of. For somethings. A few other things on it I did not like. And then, well, you know what happens at that stage...The Madness creeps back in to the world of Men...

I find myself in this situation often 148/149 on 8.25 waivering back and forth, pros and cons. What didn’t you like about the 149/8.25 combo?

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

Pogos might help alleviate the madness but likely not your groin….

[LebowskisRug]

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I haven't really dipped into the Madness in awhile. This week it came back. Current perseveration: 144 vs 149s on my 8.25" DLX (144s have been my go-to since they came out...until now). Nothing has been resolved. How much sleep can I loose over .25"? An astonishing amount, it would seem.

[close]

Yeah, for sure!

I go by this, but of course everyone can choose their own path:

Popsicle / normal boards
8.0 = 139s
8.125 / 8.25 = 144s
8.38 / 8.5 = 149s
8.62 / 8.75 = 159s
8.88 / 9.0 = 169s

Shaped cruisers
8.75 blue meanie = 149s with big wheels
9.12 Huffer = 159s with wide wheels
9+ = 169s with big / wide wheels


The madness keeps me happy, but also makes me keep at least one of each of those set up at all times now, mainly for anyone else to try if they are interested, but that is my excuse for having them.

[close]

I've been dealing with a pulled groin muscle (forward leg) for a bit. Flat ground Ollies exacerbated the problem. So, I've been riding my 8.75"/159s a lot the last two weeks (easier to remind myself not to ollie on a bigger deck). Been doing lots of slappies and mini ramp skating on it. A few days ago I was feeling normal enough to go back to my 8.25/144s. However, there was now a problem. I had skated the 8.75" so much, that the 8.25" now seemed impossibly small to me...like a fucking 1980s freestyle board. I was like, "WTF!?! Am I actually going to be able to skate this thing again, ever?!?" I started to feel more comfortable on it after a bit, but decided to throw 149s on, to make it feel/ride a tad more stable/wider. It worked. Sort of. For somethings. A few other things on it I did not like. And then, well, you know what happens at that stage...The Madness creeps back in to the world of Men...

Well what if I told you the DLX 8.25 I'd actually basically 8.38?

I went through 148/149 debate this Fall actually. There were a few things it seemed I liked about the 149 so I stuck with what it seemed I didn't like. I finally bent the axles so I had to go back to 148. Turns out almost all of it was in my head but my Tre flips and any scooping trick feels a little bit faster and even if it's BS I'm running with it.

149 Pros: I thought I had better lock in on grinds, felt more stable for some sketchier landings, and for whatever reason it seemed my nose manual game was on point.

149 Cons: I somehow got more wheelbite, I didn't like them as much for certain slides like back tails cuz they're Thunders and the margin of error for not sliding on the wheels was lower, my 360 flips scooped slower, and I didn't prefer the pinch actually.

[nitro89]

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I haven't been feeling as comfy on my board this year, which has been my goldilocks for a while since coming back from fracturing my ankle last October. G052 8.25, 5.6 v-lights, 52mm F4 classics.

had a 'fuck it and find out' moment after seeing a sale online and bought myself some 144 Knox forged hollow's.
stuck them on a primitive 8.38 and went to the park last night to see what's what.

after skating ventures for the last 20 years or so, i was scared of the change but tbh im 70/30 convinced i should of done this sooner, they feel good, grind good, flip tricks work, and they are very responsive.

the skate from the car to the park was fun tho, i was speed wobbling one footed mid push until i cranked them down a bit. never experienced that before.haha

ill report back after a few more skates with a definitive answer as to whether they have cured this bout of madness.

[close]

grats, hope your new setup works for a while.

i much prefer indy's to ventures. i probably pop tricks a bit higher on ventures, but indy's are just more fun for me overall. and the grind is SOOOOO much better on indys

thanks, me too.

i found i was popping higher with the indys on and with less effort than i used to with the ventures. i pop further away from the rails/ledges im skating now too, first 10 mins i kept overshooting things, couple scary moments. got the adrenaline going though.

i think i may be converted but i need at least a couple more sessions before ill commit to that statement.

[Sedition]

Well what if I told you the DLX 8.25 I'd actually basically 8.38?

The 8.38 is one of my most hated DLX decks. Won't go near that thing.

[IpathCats]

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I haven't been feeling as comfy on my board this year, which has been my goldilocks for a while since coming back from fracturing my ankle last October. G052 8.25, 5.6 v-lights, 52mm F4 classics.

had a 'fuck it and find out' moment after seeing a sale online and bought myself some 144 Knox forged hollow's.
stuck them on a primitive 8.38 and went to the park last night to see what's what.

after skating ventures for the last 20 years or so, i was scared of the change but tbh im 70/30 convinced i should of done this sooner, they feel good, grind good, flip tricks work, and they are very responsive.

the skate from the car to the park was fun tho, i was speed wobbling one footed mid push until i cranked them down a bit. never experienced that before.haha

ill report back after a few more skates with a definitive answer as to whether they have cured this bout of madness.

[close]

grats, hope your new setup works for a while.

i much prefer indy's to ventures. i probably pop tricks a bit higher on ventures, but indy's are just more fun for me overall. and the grind is SOOOOO much better on indys

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thanks, me too.

i found i was popping higher with the indys on and with less effort than i used to with the ventures. i pop further away from the rails/ledges im skating now too, first 10 mins i kept overshooting things, couple scary moments. got the adrenaline going though.

i think i may be converted but i need at least a couple more sessions before ill commit to that statement.

Indy's have a lighter pop feel for sure. whats probably happening is you're still popping with the same effort the ventures required since thats what your body is used to.

[IpathCats]

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Well what if I told you the DLX 8.25 I'd actually basically 8.38?

[close]

The 8.38 is one of my most hated DLX decks. Won't go near that thing.

i love that shape haha. different strokes

[Sedition]

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I haven't really dipped into the Madness in awhile. This week it came back. Current perseveration: 144 vs 149s on my 8.25" DLX (144s have been my go-to since they came out...until now). Nothing has been resolved. How much sleep can I loose over .25"? An astonishing amount, it would seem.

[close]

Yeah, for sure!

I go by this, but of course everyone can choose their own path:

Popsicle / normal boards
8.0 = 139s
8.125 / 8.25 = 144s
8.38 / 8.5 = 149s
8.62 / 8.75 = 159s
8.88 / 9.0 = 169s

Shaped cruisers
8.75 blue meanie = 149s with big wheels
9.12 Huffer = 159s with wide wheels
9+ = 169s with big / wide wheels


The madness keeps me happy, but also makes me keep at least one of each of those set up at all times now, mainly for anyone else to try if they are interested, but that is my excuse for having them.

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I've been dealing with a pulled groin muscle (forward leg) for a bit. Flat ground Ollies exacerbated the problem. So, I've been riding my 8.75"/159s a lot the last two weeks (easier to remind myself not to ollie on a bigger deck). Been doing lots of slappies and mini ramp skating on it. A few days ago I was feeling normal enough to go back to my 8.25/144s. However, there was now a problem. I had skated the 8.75" so much, that the 8.25" now seemed impossibly small to me...like a fucking 1980s freestyle board. I was like, "WTF!?! Am I actually going to be able to skate this thing again, ever?!?" I started to feel more comfortable on it after a bit, but decided to throw 149s on, to make it feel/ride a tad more stable/wider. It worked. Sort of. For somethings. A few other things on it I did not like. And then, well, you know what happens at that stage...The Madness creeps back in to the world of Men...

[close]

I find myself in this situation often 148/149 on 8.25 waivering back and forth, pros and cons. What didn’t you like about the 149/8.25 combo?

149s: I like my trucks to be same width as my board. So, right out of the gate, I have some issues with 149s on an existential level. I like the way 149s turn, feels a bit more surfy to me than 144s. Smith grinds (esp on single sided ledges) feel better/seem easier (LOVE smith grinds on the 8.75/159s). Overall, board feels a tad more stable. Feels like I don't have to be as exact/precise with any grind/stall trick. Conversely, I do notice a little more lateral slop during grinds (seem to notice it more on transition, and narrower bars/rails). Flip tricks seem a bit more clunky.

144s: Basically just the opposite of everything above.

Could I skate 149s? Absolutely. Could I skate 144s? I have for years. The question is just figuring out what I like better. Neither one is really going to make me skate better/worse.     

[Richard Skidder]

Thanks for the response @Sedition this is the exact madness that brought me to “shoes and gear” to begin with. I’m actually wanting to put 149s on my 8.125 right now
I hadn’t thought about my trucks at all for awhile and since I put a 56mm conical on there I started to want a wider truck again. Technically my trucks are wider because 148 is 8.25, and so the spiral begins.

[Sedition]

Thanks for the response @Sedition this is the exact madness that brought me to “shoes and gear” to begin with. I’m actually wanting to put 149s on my 8.125 right now
I hadn’t thought about my trucks at all for awhile and since I put a 56mm conical on there I started to want a wider truck again. Technically my trucks are wider because 148 is 8.25, and so the spiral begins.

Godspeed. I wish you out of the spiral ASAP.