Gear madness support thread

[Ok]

Did anybody figure out a truck setup of thunder hangers in some other longer baseplate that doesn't feel like shit?
The classic would be thunder hanger in venture plates. Which bushings though?

Yes pros can slide just fine on the thunder plate. I'm not pro and it's 1000 times easier to slide loooong on other trucks.
(I'm close to axle on the thunders and want to keep skating the hangers)

it’s been mentioned on here, somewhere.
i think johnny tang, whom i only have seen from deep dives on ig, had some shit like this.

[Boog]

Did anybody figure out a truck setup of thunder hangers in some other longer baseplate that doesn't feel like shit?
The classic would be thunder hanger in venture plates. Which bushings though?

Yes pros can slide just fine on the thunder plate. I'm not pro and it's 1000 times easier to slide loooong on other trucks.
(I'm close to axle on the thunders and want to keep skating the hangers)

Make life easier and just skate a whole venture truck. Even with the thunder hanger it will still turn like a venture. Although the thunder grinds so damn good I kinda see what you're going for.

[OhioGuy]

I’ve decided to focus on progression next year instead of hoarding gear. But I have like a dozen new decks. This wouldn’t be an issue, but since I want to progress I’m just gonna stick to Crailtap’s G053 shape.

Might revisit the other decks one day. Have any of y’all ever skated a new deck that was like 3-4 years old?

I feel like they’ll be fine. They’ll be in my apartment, in a box under my bed stack with similar decks.

[Ok]

I’ve decided to focus on progression next year instead of hoarding gear. But I have like a dozen new decks. This wouldn’t be an issue, but since I want to progress I’m just gonna stick to Crailtap’s G053 shape.

Might revisit the other decks one day. Have any of y’all ever skated a new deck that was like 3-4 years old?

I feel like they’ll be fine. They’ll be in my apartment, in a box under my bed stack with similar decks.

that’s a really good board to stick with.

[OhioGuy]

Expand Quote

I’ve decided to focus on progression next year instead of hoarding gear. But I have like a dozen new decks. This wouldn’t be an issue, but since I want to progress I’m just gonna stick to Crailtap’s G053 shape.

Might revisit the other decks one day. Have any of y’all ever skated a new deck that was like 3-4 years old?

I feel like they’ll be fine. They’ll be in my apartment, in a box under my bed stack with similar decks.

[close]

that’s a really good board to stick with.

I love it. Just feels so right. Pairs well with my 159s and 55m Lock In Fulls. I could ride this setup for the rest of my life 😌

[Ok]

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I’ve decided to focus on progression next year instead of hoarding gear. But I have like a dozen new decks. This wouldn’t be an issue, but since I want to progress I’m just gonna stick to Crailtap’s G053 shape.

Might revisit the other decks one day. Have any of y’all ever skated a new deck that was like 3-4 years old?

I feel like they’ll be fine. They’ll be in my apartment, in a box under my bed stack with similar decks.

[close]

that’s a really good board to stick with.

[close]

I love it. Just feels so right. Pairs well with my 159s and 55m Lock In Fulls. I could ride this setup for the rest of my life 😌

that’s a great notion! and i hope keep it.


i’ve never had allegiance to one setup. and i regret that, too busy trying on dresses, missed the dance.

[Ok]

for the last 10 years i’ve been unintentionally committed to not skating the same setup, twice in a row. bad sentence.
often this was just a result of sporadicly skating, too much work/other stuff, etc. it is obvious in my mental health makeup that i want to try the next thing.
i say that to say this: i’m not sure where home is.

if you had to start all over, what would you begin with? i’ve been skating such wildly different setups/gear, i don’t have a good bead on what ‘works’ (in truth, it’s me and my physical limitations, i’ve changed a lot).
my latest inclination is to just buy whatever the most common complete would be, if this era, and then just stick with that. or give it a month.
skating isn’t currently as homogeneous as it has been, there doesn’t seem to be as much of a uniform setup, compared to the days of my youth, or even 10ish years ago

[moonordie]

for the last 10 years i’ve been unintentionally committed to not skating the same setup, twice in a row. bad sentence.
often this was just a result of sporadicly skating, too much work/other stuff, etc. it is obvious in my mental health makeup that i want to try the next thing.
i say that to say this: i’m not sure where home is.

if you had to start all over, what would you begin with? i’ve been skating such wildly different setups/gear, i don’t have a good bead on what ‘works’ (in truth, it’s me and my physical limitations, i’ve changed a lot).
my latest inclination is to just buy whatever the most common complete would be, if this era, and then just stick with that. or give it a month.
skating isn’t currently as homogeneous as it has been, there doesn’t seem to be as much of a uniform setup, compared to the days of my youth, or even 10ish years ago

Maybe to recreate the setup of your prime?
In my case I spent an awful amount of time and money figuring out what's best for me and at the end that's = 8.25 with a 14 WB and no longer than 32 (G052 and Primitive shapes are my fav), Jessup Ultra, Ace AF1 (currently I'm on 44 but I did best with 55), F4 99 OG classics 53mm (Currently on CF 53mm since I couldn't find the aforementioned) and obviously swiss 6 (regular ones are ok too).
Regarding shoes 808 are my to go with 480 being a solid alternative.

[munchbox]

Expand Quote

for the last 10 years i’ve been unintentionally committed to not skating the same setup, twice in a row. bad sentence.
often this was just a result of sporadicly skating, too much work/other stuff, etc. it is obvious in my mental health makeup that i want to try the next thing.
i say that to say this: i’m not sure where home is.

if you had to start all over, what would you begin with? i’ve been skating such wildly different setups/gear, i don’t have a good bead on what ‘works’ (in truth, it’s me and my physical limitations, i’ve changed a lot).
my latest inclination is to just buy whatever the most common complete would be, if this era, and then just stick with that. or give it a month.
skating isn’t currently as homogeneous as it has been, there doesn’t seem to be as much of a uniform setup, compared to the days of my youth, or even 10ish years ago

[close]

Maybe to recreate the setup of your prime?

this

it wasnt necessarily my “prime”
but a setup i made a ton of progress on
after years of fucking around trying different shit
even going down as far as 8.25 for a minute
i ended up virtually on the same board

the prime setup:
antihero 9/33.25/15wb
thunder 151 hollows
52mm radial slims
1/8 risers

where im at 4 years later:
polar 9/32.5/14.5wb
venture 6.1 hollows
52ish radial fulls
ditched risers

if you ever want out of madness/finding home base
i have sort of an idea after spending thousands in the search

remember the board that you learned the most with
i think we all know that one, hard to forget the feeling
try and find it again or something close to it

pick a truck that fits that board. get married to it, settle down
id recommend cheating on your partner before your trucks
you will never be satisfied with and open truck relationship

once you get that setup, theres another vital rule
stay out of threads that dont involve the gear you skate
you will be persuaded back down a consumerist rabbit hole
and theres countless better things to blow money on
worked pretty well for me

[Ok]

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for the last 10 years i’ve been unintentionally committed to not skating the same setup, twice in a row. bad sentence.
often this was just a result of sporadicly skating, too much work/other stuff, etc. it is obvious in my mental health makeup that i want to try the next thing.
i say that to say this: i’m not sure where home is.

if you had to start all over, what would you begin with? i’ve been skating such wildly different setups/gear, i don’t have a good bead on what ‘works’ (in truth, it’s me and my physical limitations, i’ve changed a lot).
my latest inclination is to just buy whatever the most common complete would be, if this era, and then just stick with that. or give it a month.
skating isn’t currently as homogeneous as it has been, there doesn’t seem to be as much of a uniform setup, compared to the days of my youth, or even 10ish years ago

[close]

Maybe to recreate the setup of your prime?

[close]

this

it wasnt necessarily my “prime”
but a setup i made a ton of progress on
after years of fucking around trying different shit
even going down as far as 8.25 for a minute
i ended up virtually on the same board

the prime setup:
antihero 9/33.25/15wb
thunder 151 hollows
52mm radial slims
1/8 risers

where im at 4 years later:
polar 9/32.5/14.5wb
venture 6.1 hollows
52ish radial fulls
ditched risers

if you ever want out of madness/finding home base
i have sort of an idea after spending thousands in the search

remember the board that you learned the most with
i think we all know that one, hard to forget the feeling
try and find it again or something close to it

pick a truck that fits that board. get married to it, settle down
id recommend cheating on your partner before your trucks
you will never be satisfied with and open truck relationship

once you get that setup, theres another vital rule
stay out of threads that dont involve the gear you skate
you will be persuaded back down a consumerist rabbit hole
and theres countless better things to blow money on
worked pretty well for me

hey i appreciate it!

my ‘prime’ was maybe 20+ years ago, and trying to ride tiny boards, low trucks and small wheels is hard. skating and aging is hard, ha.
i’ve used gear swaps as a way to get motivated and that’s a gross mentality.
you know how people eventually just accept that they are uncool and start dressing age appropriate? i’m overdue. just need to the get the dockers of skate setups.
i’ve got a buddy who rarely skates, he bought a legacy brand deck (not the actual company legacy), in 8.25, 144s, 53 classics. that’s the energy i need.
‘one what everyone else is having please’

[Frank and Fred]

pick a truck that fits that board. get married to it, settle down
id recommend cheating on your partner before your trucks
you will never be satisfied with and open truck relationship

Solid advice. I'd go as far to say, pick decks that fit the trucks you are committed to. Don't fuck with your trucks.

[LebowskisRug]

I wonder if our primes were really as good as we think? I was better at flip tricks and low altitude manual pad/mini ramp tricks by far, but I don't think I knew what a slappy was and my pop wasn't as solid especially switch.

Back then my setup was usually like a 7.6-8" AWS/Habitat, 7.75 Aesthetics. Or 7.75 Crail with Venture 5.0/5.2 or Thunder 145 low. I skated as low as 7.4, but after BA telling me to try a slightly bigger board and loving an 8 as a taller skater 7.75 ended up being the smallest I could fathom in like 2000. At one point I got a Toy Machine fists 8.25/Thunder 147 and that was when I first unlocked actually doing things fast.

I'm more convinced now that if I had the gear I do today I woulda learned to skate better and faster.

[lildonut92]

I wonder if our primes were really as good as we think? I was better at flip tricks and low altitude manual pad/mini ramp tricks by far, but I don't think I knew what a slappy was and my pop wasn't as solid especially switch.

Back then my setup was usually like a 7.6-8" AWS/Habitat, 7.75 Aesthetics. Or 7.75 Crail with Venture 5.0/5.2 or Thunder 145 low. I skated as low as 7.4, but after BA telling me to try a slightly bigger board and loving an 8 as a taller skater 7.75 ended up being the smallest I could fathom in like 2000. At one point I got a Toy Machine fists 8.25/Thunder 147 and that was when I first unlocked actually doing things fast.

I'm more convinced now that if I had the gear I do today I woulda learned to skate better and faster.

I think about this all the time. I was definitely able to do tricks a lot easier. My setups got bigger over time but I’m back on 7.75’s now. Skating feels easier with a smaller setup as a small dude. But there is a certain stability I miss with a bigger setup. Especially when going fast. Since I mostly only skate ledges, manual pads and curbs I’m gonna stick with what feels good now.

I get in my head when I see the dudes who I think rip and how big their boards are. But no point in riding something that feels like a boat to me just because it’s the current standard.

[Ok]

I wonder if our primes were really as good as we think? I was better at flip tricks and low altitude manual pad/mini ramp tricks by far, but I don't think I knew what a slappy was and my pop wasn't as solid especially switch.

Back then my setup was usually like a 7.6-8" AWS/Habitat, 7.75 Aesthetics. Or 7.75 Crail with Venture 5.0/5.2 or Thunder 145 low. I skated as low as 7.4, but after BA telling me to try a slightly bigger board and loving an 8 as a taller skater 7.75 ended up being the smallest I could fathom in like 2000. At one point I got a Toy Machine fists 8.25/Thunder 147 and that was when I first unlocked actually doing things fast.

I'm more convinced now that if I had the gear I do today I woulda learned to skate better and faster.

completely agree on chasing past ghosts (re: my long past prime).

the sentiment of riding a similar setup to your best session, first heard from some geoff rowley setup video.

your past setups are describing mine, very much so.
i would skate small, narrow, low setups, skate very slow, try lots of flip tricks, and occasionally ollie over or onto something relatively high. not much of a prime. trying to skate these small setups now, lots of tricks are easier, if i’m going really slow. really really slow.

there was a few times where i setup ‘big’ boards, to function as a cruiser. these would be 8” ish (i swear the orange eagle was this size in like 2002), 8” indys, 54s. me and my friends would get drunk and then be shocked when we could kickflip the insanely wide board. no light bulbs went off, no one thought it might be a good idea. i had 8.5 hewitt during that time and it looked like what 9.5-10 popsicle would look like to me now.

i struggle with skating fast, but it’s a lot easier on a bigger longer board. yesterday that meant more slams, slightly faster, as i couldn’t flip the behemoth around
so to rehash, totally agree prime was never all that. i don’t expect to be good, or even not gross. with all of my experimentations, i’m not even sure where i find something that feels comfortable for just a nice ollie.
i’m short, i was thinking an 8-8.25, 148s, 53 ish classics. i wonder what the most basic 8.25 is? the dlx 8.25x14.38x32?

if someone who didn’t skate, came into a shop, i guess that’s about what i’d recommend

[DarkPools]

My prime is now, as it was back then, as well. Different applications of "prime" but still, prime.

I've generally stayed consistent with sizing, brands, shapes, etc. so I've felt constant in my efforts to progress.

At 29, I can technically do more/harder tricks on certain obstacles that I could never do in my youthful athletic prime of 19. However, at 19 I had the energy and lighter body frame to probably do the tricks I know now better but didn't quite hone the skill in for them yet.

Nowadays, it's quality over quantity. I do what I can do well. What I can't do well, I don't do as often, but both groups of tricks are generally better than I was doing them 10 years ago

[Ok]

My prime is now, as it was back then, as well. Different applications of "prime" but still, prime.

I've generally stayed consistent with sizing, brands, shapes, etc. so I've felt constant in my efforts to progress.

At 29, I can technically do more/harder tricks on certain obstacles that I could never do in my youthful athletic prime of 19. However, at 19 I had the energy and lighter body frame to probably do the tricks I know now better but didn't quite hone the skill in for them yet.

Nowadays, it's quality over quantity. I do what I can do well. What I can't do well, I don't do as often, but both groups of tricks are generally better than I was doing them 10 years ago

well fuckin good for you fucko




jk. athletic prime for me was 33 ish. i could ollie the highest at that time.

i think it’s rad you’ve stayed skating, and kept gear close enough. i quit for drinking and work, and then the gear….well yeah, i’m obviously a mess there.

[DarkPools]

Expand Quote

My prime is now, as it was back then, as well. Different applications of "prime" but still, prime.

I've generally stayed consistent with sizing, brands, shapes, etc. so I've felt constant in my efforts to progress.

At 29, I can technically do more/harder tricks on certain obstacles that I could never do in my youthful athletic prime of 19. However, at 19 I had the energy and lighter body frame to probably do the tricks I know now better but didn't quite hone the skill in for them yet.

Nowadays, it's quality over quantity. I do what I can do well. What I can't do well, I don't do as often, but both groups of tricks are generally better than I was doing them 10 years ago

[close]

well fuckin good for you fucko




jk. athletic prime for me was 33 ish. i could ollie the highest at that time.

i think it’s rad you’ve stayed skating, and kept gear close enough. i quit for drinking and work, and then the gear….well yeah, i’m obviously a mess there.

Hahah I was more so driving home the point that your "prime" can evolve as you age. Some pros have gotten better even though they were beyond their "prime."

Thanks, though! Had some older skaters set me straight on gear quality/preferences early on so I could curb the madness

[Mbrimson88]

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My prime is now, as it was back then, as well. Different applications of "prime" but still, prime.

I've generally stayed consistent with sizing, brands, shapes, etc. so I've felt constant in my efforts to progress.

At 29, I can technically do more/harder tricks on certain obstacles that I could never do in my youthful athletic prime of 19. However, at 19 I had the energy and lighter body frame to probably do the tricks I know now better but didn't quite hone the skill in for them yet.

Nowadays, it's quality over quantity. I do what I can do well. What I can't do well, I don't do as often, but both groups of tricks are generally better than I was doing them 10 years ago

[close]

well fuckin good for you fucko




jk. athletic prime for me was 33 ish. i could ollie the highest at that time.

i think it’s rad you’ve stayed skating, and kept gear close enough. i quit for drinking and work, and then the gear….well yeah, i’m obviously a mess there.

[close]

Hahah I was more so driving home the point that your "prime" can evolve as you age. Some pros have gotten better even though they were beyond their "prime."

Thanks, though! Had some older skaters set me straight on gear quality/preferences early on so I could curb the madness

Talking about people in their prime, I recall back in 2003 when Mike V came out with his assorted crew for his current brand at the time, a demo at a mostly transition based park and a small but vocal group of locals heckled him as one young local ripper was "showing him up" with most things he was skating and trying, air variations and what not.

Already kind of old for a pro and often taking a while to get some tricks, he was not put off and went through his list of tricks like a man on a mission, but some things were harder than others, that was for sure.

When he got to meet the "wonder kid" after the demo and gave him a board or something, he said something like "I can only hope you still have half of those tricks when you get to my age, cause you sure are ripping now, but give it twenty years and then see how you feel after a hard session" or something like that.

The reason that stuck with me, (besides it being on video I took) was that "wonder kid" had his day in the sun but gave up skating after a while and moved on to other things, which just goes to show, some people will peak and then be done and gone just as quickly as they came, while others will stick with it, maybe well after their prime but still keep skating, whatever the reason.


Sure I am well past it at 48 now, maybe twenty to thirty years past what could have been my prime too, but that doesn't stop me getting out and having a roll and giving it a good go still, even though my body can't take half of what I want to try now, but then other things are all kinds of awesome and I would have never thought to try this or that back then when my skateboarding priorities were different.

Sure I can get bummed sometimes thinking about what I used to be able to do, but I try to think more about what I can still do and what I might be able to try in the future, as well as being stoked for others I skate with who are still on the rise, so from that perspective, I am not so worried about the finer details.

[Ok]

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My prime is now, as it was back then, as well. Different applications of "prime" but still, prime.

I've generally stayed consistent with sizing, brands, shapes, etc. so I've felt constant in my efforts to progress.

At 29, I can technically do more/harder tricks on certain obstacles that I could never do in my youthful athletic prime of 19. However, at 19 I had the energy and lighter body frame to probably do the tricks I know now better but didn't quite hone the skill in for them yet.

Nowadays, it's quality over quantity. I do what I can do well. What I can't do well, I don't do as often, but both groups of tricks are generally better than I was doing them 10 years ago

[close]

well fuckin good for you fucko




jk. athletic prime for me was 33 ish. i could ollie the highest at that time.

i think it’s rad you’ve stayed skating, and kept gear close enough. i quit for drinking and work, and then the gear….well yeah, i’m obviously a mess there.

[close]

Hahah I was more so driving home the point that your "prime" can evolve as you age. Some pros have gotten better even though they were beyond their "prime."

Thanks, though! Had some older skaters set me straight on gear quality/preferences early on so I could curb the madness

[close]

Talking about people in their prime, I recall back in 2003 when Mike V came out with his assorted crew for his current brand at the time, a demo at a mostly transition based park and a small but vocal group of locals heckled him as one young local ripper was "showing him up" with most things he was skating and trying, air variations and what not.

Already kind of old for a pro and often taking a while to get some tricks, he was not put off and went through his list of tricks like a man on a mission, but some things were harder than others, that was for sure.

When he got to meet the "wonder kid" after the demo and gave him a board or something, he said something like "I can only hope you still have half of those tricks when you get to my age, cause you sure are ripping now, but give it twenty years and then see how you feel after a hard session" or something like that.

The reason that stuck with me, (besides it being on video I took) was that "wonder kid" had his day in the sun but gave up skating after a while and moved on to other things, which just goes to show, some people will peak and then be done and gone just as quickly as they came, while others will stick with it, maybe well after their prime but still keep skating, whatever the reason.


Sure I am well past it at 48 now, maybe twenty to thirty years past what could have been my prime too, but that doesn't stop me getting out and having a roll and giving it a good go still, even though my body can't take half of what I want to try now, but then other things are all kinds of awesome and I would have never thought to try this or that back then when my skateboarding priorities were different.

Sure I can get bummed sometimes thinking about what I used to be able to do, but I try to think more about what I can still do and what I might be able to try in the future, as well as being stoked for others I skate with who are still on the rise, so from that perspective, I am not so worried about the finer details.

this is a rad mentality, the notion of just getting out there, being a lifer. i’m still stuck in trying to land flatground tricks i only had so so in 1996. my skating never elvolved, or changed, as i got older. i see lots of folks shredding as they get older, usually a combination of great fundamentals/ go-to’s, natural ability, and then mixing in heavy doses of transition. (jesse paez has some clips on instagram that are an excellent example).
transition wasn’t in my area, and then when it became more available, i was to insecure to start from scratch, and just preferred to creep around and try my little worm burner flip flops. learning ramp shit now, is terrifying. but. it’s better than not skating. i’ve definitely taken uncomfortable slams on really really really basic stuff, rock fakies and that.
some days when everything is not working i’ll just ride around and do shuv-it’s and try and be grateful i’m not at work.

went out to today with multiple setups and just had a bunch of fun.

[rocklobster]

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My prime is now, as it was back then, as well. Different applications of "prime" but still, prime.

I've generally stayed consistent with sizing, brands, shapes, etc. so I've felt constant in my efforts to progress.

At 29, I can technically do more/harder tricks on certain obstacles that I could never do in my youthful athletic prime of 19. However, at 19 I had the energy and lighter body frame to probably do the tricks I know now better but didn't quite hone the skill in for them yet.

Nowadays, it's quality over quantity. I do what I can do well. What I can't do well, I don't do as often, but both groups of tricks are generally better than I was doing them 10 years ago

[close]

well fuckin good for you fucko




jk. athletic prime for me was 33 ish. i could ollie the highest at that time.

i think it’s rad you’ve stayed skating, and kept gear close enough. i quit for drinking and work, and then the gear….well yeah, i’m obviously a mess there.

[close]

Hahah I was more so driving home the point that your "prime" can evolve as you age. Some pros have gotten better even though they were beyond their "prime."

Thanks, though! Had some older skaters set me straight on gear quality/preferences early on so I could curb the madness

"The older he gets, the better he thinks he was" - I think @j....soy..... said something to this effect a while back.

I've stopped thinking about trying to relive my prime - there were things I did better in my teens and things I'm doing better now in my late 30s, it's part of aging gracefully. The last thing I want to be is that old fuck at the session loudly reliving his glory days to anyone within earshot.

As for my prime setup - it's way too specific to recreate and only fit my skating at that moment, 2023 me would hate that same setup.

[rawbertson.]

someone here got me thinking about going back to 1 setup
i tried some spitifre 97a F4 54 mm classics today and i actually dont like how sticky they are. i am like 99% sure i just like the 99a better.
my 8.38 board has these 51mm 99a classics worn down as fuck and they feel reallllly shitty at a crusty spot.
but on my egg board i have these 54mm conical full 99a f4s and they go through crust wayyyy better
i dont want to say its cause 1 has better bearings than the other because the small wheel one spins really well and it goes quite well at skateparks for me etc. but the bigger wheel one clearly feels way faster. and way better over the crust as i said which is a huge factor in getting me back to 1 setup with the wide wheel. this wheel shape seems to be really working for me on this setup too... so i thought back to my original point
why not just go back to 1 setup
no rails
not sure whether 54 or 54mm conical full will make a difference but something around there.
i like the "smaller" board with big wheels.
I am on thunder teams 148s which are 52mm but i think it will be fine. if you are going to wheel bite
i can pull out the rails setup as i need to but its not something i actually need super often i am finding. it is fun but i dont think i am getting the most out of it. the spots i am typically utilizing them at i also dont really need to have a fresh deck for because they are like 4" high.

i set up the 8.38 with tiny tiny classics beucase it feels pretty sick when you skate a perfect spot. skateparks feel money, never feel like idrag on noseslides. my board feels a nice medium size to land on without being bulky. i still get good feedback from my trucks because they are teams. the turning is not complete tic tac land becuase they are 148s but i will admit they arent loosey goosey if thats what you wanna go for. i dont really need that though i would just ride a wide setup if i really wanted loose turning liek that (its way more stable... that just feels dangerous to me to ride skinny boards death loose but maybe makes sense for smaller guys) but like just put some bigger damn wheels on thing and you can take it anywhere right? i know it wont limit my tricks or spots or aynthing. i am considering even going up to like 56 just to be really wild and have hella speed. i was riding 56mm on indy standards for 10+ years. on 8" boards. i love that small board big wheel setup!!!! then i am confident i dont need to roll with that extra setup. i think i can still do all the combos and shit. like noseslide to crook.

[Sedition]

Random Note from the Land of Madness

About two months ago, while skating mini ramp, I didn’t like the way my front toe-side wheel was “locking in” (e.g. slipping out) on b/s 50-50s. I switched over to Conicals, which had a much better “lock.” Historically, I haven’t liked Conicals for street skating. I decided to give them another, pro-longed, chance. After a bit, I started to get used to them, and even somewhat like them. Def a smoother ride than Classics (bigger contact patch), good lock-in on 50-50s. I didn’t like them as much on feeble/smith grinds, and f/s 5-0s (when truck is angled a bit). They also had a “lesser slappy.” But, I was liking them. So, a bit later I am back on a mini ramp. I started having some trouble with pivot to fakies, and axle stalls to fakie. I bailed a few (slammed one pivot to fake quite hard) because the conicals were locking in just a tad too much during reentry. In 2019 I broke my leg on trick to fakie, and I will never fully get over the fear that created. Sometimes it seems like it’s gone. Sometimes it just comes back with acute vengeance, totally out of the blue. Pivot fakies have always scared me a bit, and with the broken leg context, the “fear to fakie” was suddenly back—I didn’t even want to try them again. I switched back over to my Classics, but it was two weeks before I even started trying them again, but I was too scared to commit to any of them. The next session I came back wearing every pad I owned, and once I committed, started pulling them every time.

The mind, triggered by gear nuance, is, well…maddening.

I won’t be riding Conicals again.   

[LebowskisRug]

someone here got me thinking about going back to 1 setup
i tried some spitifre 97a F4 54 mm classics today and i actually dont like how sticky they are. i am like 99% sure i just like the 99a better.
my 8.38 board has these 51mm 99a classics worn down as fuck and they feel reallllly shitty at a crusty spot.
but on my egg board i have these 54mm conical full 99a f4s and they go through crust wayyyy better
i dont want to say its cause 1 has better bearings than the other because the small wheel one spins really well and it goes quite well at skateparks for me etc. but the bigger wheel one clearly feels way faster. and way better over the crust as i said which is a huge factor in getting me back to 1 setup with the wide wheel. this wheel shape seems to be really working for me on this setup too... so i thought back to my original point
why not just go back to 1 setup
no rails
not sure whether 54 or 54mm conical full will make a difference but something around there.
i like the "smaller" board with big wheels.
I am on thunder teams 148s which are 52mm but i think it will be fine. if you are going to wheel bite
i can pull out the rails setup as i need to but its not something i actually need super often i am finding. it is fun but i dont think i am getting the most out of it. the spots i am typically utilizing them at i also dont really need to have a fresh deck for because they are like 4" high.

i set up the 8.38 with tiny tiny classics beucase it feels pretty sick when you skate a perfect spot. skateparks feel money, never feel like idrag on noseslides. my board feels a nice medium size to land on without being bulky. i still get good feedback from my trucks because they are teams. the turning is not complete tic tac land becuase they are 148s but i will admit they arent loosey goosey if thats what you wanna go for. i dont really need that though i would just ride a wide setup if i really wanted loose turning liek that (its way more stable... that just feels dangerous to me to ride skinny boards death loose but maybe makes sense for smaller guys) but like just put some bigger damn wheels on thing and you can take it anywhere right? i know it wont limit my tricks or spots or aynthing. i am considering even going up to like 56 just to be really wild and have hella speed. i was riding 56mm on indy standards for 10+ years. on 8" boards. i love that small board big wheel setup!!!! then i am confident i dont need to roll with that extra setup. i think i can still do all the combos and shit. like noseslide to crook.

Why not just slowly go up in wheels. If you have 51 Classic try a 52 Radial. Its wider riding surface but the c-c width is similar. Or 53. You might not need 54+ and find that just the wheel change is a happy medium.

I remember in Jake Anderson's interview he said he was skating some realllllly crusty spots so he went up from 52 to a 54. Very few pros ride bigger than 54 and many, if not most, are on a Classic shape (probably a 70/30 or 60/40 split between classic shapes and wider conical shapes). Many pros skate all flavors of crust, normal terrain, etc on the same wheel and it might not be ideal, but if it is middle-of-the-road-enough you probably won't be at a complete loss at spots as you are now and will get used to pushing/speed reduction. In a country where cardiovascular diseases are a prominent cause of death think of it as prolonging life.

[LebowskisRug]

Random Note from the Land of Madness

About two months ago, while skating mini ramp, I didn’t like the way my front toe-side wheel was “locking in” (e.g. slipping out) on b/s 50-50s. I switched over to Conicals, which had a much better “lock.” Historically, I haven’t liked Conicals for street skating. I decided to give them another, pro-longed, chance. After a bit, I started to get used to them, and even somewhat like them. Def a smoother ride than Classics (bigger contact patch), good lock-in on 50-50s. I didn’t like them as much on feeble/smith grinds, and f/s 5-0s (when truck is angled a bit). They also had a “lesser slappy.” But, I was liking them. So, a bit later I am back on a mini ramp. I started having some trouble with pivot to fakies, and axle stalls to fakie. I bailed a few (slammed one pivot to fake quite hard) because the conicals were locking in just a tad too much during reentry. In 2019 I broke my leg on trick to fakie, and I will never fully get over the fear that created. Sometimes it seems like it’s gone. Sometimes it just comes back with acute vengeance, totally out of the blue. Pivot fakies have always scared me a bit, and with the broken leg context, the “fear to fakie” was suddenly back—I didn’t even want to try them again. I switched back over to my Classics, but it was two weeks before I even started trying them again, but I was too scared to commit to any of them. The next session I came back wearing every pad I owned, and once I committed, started pulling them every time.

The mind, triggered by gear nuance, is, well…maddening.

I won’t be riding Conicals again.   

Radials might be your new best friend. The side profile is lovely and does make a tiny difference.

[Crabby_Bastard]

Expand Quote

There is an 8.75 Unity with IV concave sitting at the local shop and I'm close to pulling the trigger.  I had it with the Eagle graphic, Indy 159 hollow forged and 54mm F4 Conicals and loved it.

[close]

Well done. That is my exact set-up for that deck, and damn, it feels so good (when I stray from my 8.25). Get that Unity.

Anyone skate 149 Thunders or Indies on the white eagle shape? I checked out that board at my local. Shape looks good, felt good under my feet. I just do want to buy 159s to go with it. I prefer to skate the trucks I have until they die.

[Mbrimson88]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

There is an 8.75 Unity with IV concave sitting at the local shop and I'm close to pulling the trigger.  I had it with the Eagle graphic, Indy 159 hollow forged and 54mm F4 Conicals and loved it.

[close]

Well done. That is my exact set-up for that deck, and damn, it feels so good (when I stray from my 8.25). Get that Unity.

[close]

Anyone skate 149 Thunders or Indies on the white eagle shape? I checked out that board at my local. Shape looks good, felt good under my feet. I just do want to buy 159s to go with it. I prefer to skate the trucks I have until they die.

It will definitely work well enough, so no problems there.  Others I know do that with all their setups, eg deck size up from trucks.

It works well with big wide wheels too, but any wheel will still skate ok.

[Crabby_Bastard]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

There is an 8.75 Unity with IV concave sitting at the local shop and I'm close to pulling the trigger.  I had it with the Eagle graphic, Indy 159 hollow forged and 54mm F4 Conicals and loved it.

[close]

Well done. That is my exact set-up for that deck, and damn, it feels so good (when I stray from my 8.25). Get that Unity.

[close]

Anyone skate 149 Thunders or Indies on the white eagle shape? I checked out that board at my local. Shape looks good, felt good under my feet. I just do want to buy 159s to go with it. I prefer to skate the trucks I have until they die.

[close]

It will definitely work well enough, so no problems there.  Others I know do that with all their setups, eg deck size up from trucks.

It works well with big wide wheels too, but any wheel will still skate ok.

Thank you!

[lildonut92]

I’ve never really had truck madness until recently. Now, I’m losing my mind over it. Tried venture lows, too low. Tried venture hi’s (forged plates) and it was better. But still felt a little too high off the ground. I liked how snappy they were tho. The only options that I have left that are in between those two in terms of height are: Thunders, mindy and ace lows.

In my late teens through early twenties I was strictly a forged Indy guy. This madness stemmed from me remembering that I liked Indy’s for the most part but wanted something lower. I’m a shrimp. So, feeling lower to the ground feels more natural.

With the V-lights, I felt like I was exerting too much energy to hit the tail down. My legs are short and I’m older. In order to get good pop on higher trucks, I have to have a heavy pop foot. I get so tired so fast. One of the only things I like about venture lo’s was that I didn’t have to use up my energy like that and I could skate longer.

This is mostly just me ranting. But if any short kings out there wanna provide some insight, I would greatly appreciate it.

[Ok]

I’ve never really had truck madness until recently. Now, I’m losing my mind over it. Tried venture lows, too low. Tried venture hi’s (forged plates) and it was better. But still felt a little too high off the ground. I liked how snappy they were tho. The only options that I have left that are in between those two in terms of height are: Thunders, mindy and ace lows.

In my late teens through early twenties I was strictly a forged Indy guy. This madness stemmed from me remembering that I liked Indy’s for the most part but wanted something lower. I’m a shrimp. So, feeling lower to the ground feels more natural.

With the V-lights, I felt like I was exerting too much energy to hit the tail down. My legs are short and I’m older. In order to get good pop on higher trucks, I have to have a heavy pop foot. I get so tired so fast. One of the only things I like about venture lo’s was that I didn’t have to use up my energy like that and I could skate longer.

This is mostly just me ranting. But if any short kings out there wanna provide some insight, I would greatly appreciate it.

i mean i think you got it covered, i don’t have the answers either.

(i’m older and shorter)

[Mbrimson88]

I’ve never really had truck madness until recently. Now, I’m losing my mind over it. Tried venture lows, too low. Tried venture hi’s (forged plates) and it was better. But still felt a little too high off the ground. I liked how snappy they were tho. The only options that I have left that are in between those two in terms of height are: Thunders, mindy and ace lows.

In my late teens through early twenties I was strictly a forged Indy guy. This madness stemmed from me remembering that I liked Indy’s for the most part but wanted something lower. I’m a shrimp. So, feeling lower to the ground feels more natural.

With the V-lights, I felt like I was exerting too much energy to hit the tail down. My legs are short and I’m older. In order to get good pop on higher trucks, I have to have a heavy pop foot. I get so tired so fast. One of the only things I like about venture lo’s was that I didn’t have to use up my energy like that and I could skate longer.

This is mostly just me ranting. But if any short kings out there wanna provide some insight, I would greatly appreciate it.

You can't make a tall truck lower, but you can make a low truck taller.

I have seen a few people put thin risers on Venture low trucks, which I initially thought was going against what the trucks were designed for, but as one guy clearly said, the Venture low truck is a little too low at 48mm, but the others too tall, so putting something under the low makes it just the right height for him, eg 1/8" riser brings it up to 51mm.

If you do skate any boards that are thin enough to fit Venture low trucks, then this might be an option for you, but also finding the right riser height, eg 1/8 worked fairly well for the other guy, on the Real ply risers they made for Venture trucks, but anything to get the right height shouldn't be too hard to find, without the board looking or feeling weird.


Other than that, finding the right deck to pair with certain trucks can also give a better or worse result, but then push you further down the madness rabbit hole too, depending on the findings / outcomes.  More mellow or longer fingers of flat will definitely make a taller truck feel better on the pop, as would a shorter wheelbase with Ventures, compared to Ace or Indy, for which a slightly longer wheelbase usually works better.

That said, people can adapt to almost anything given time, but trying something different or new can often feel very weird or just not seem to work at first.

What boards / wood or shapes or whatever do you skate?


* I am not short, but I have skated with and understand what people prefer from all shapes and sizes, if that helps a bit.