haven’t been skating, went thru another what now feels like significant aging/changing time….i now feel older, and just crustier than ever. nothing is working when i go to skate. i spend the whole session on the very basics (think slow rolling kickflip), and then don’t make it to any other rungs.
of course this sparks the setup switcheroo, as tho that will change it all.
has anyone just switched to something, regardless of results, and buried the madness for a bit?
i’ve been trying to find an 8” setup that works, that seems like it would make the most sense for me (skated best in the 7.75 era, getting older and weaker big boards heavy).
i’ve cast a wide net, tried too much. the last flatground session (mercifully by myself in a deep corner of a parking lot that is only frequented by some thoughtful unhoused folks, occasional dog walker, oversized truck trailers), i showed up with 4 completes. an 8 with venture lows, an 8 with ace 33s and big wheels, 8.38 with 8 thunders, 8.5 with 149 thunders. skated the 8.5 the best, board is like 3 years old and dead as fuck.
i think that because it’s a wide plank it’s a little easier to land on. the 8.5 is also 32 with a 14.4 wb. kickflips work, and im trying to get back to 360 flips. the complete feels like it weighs more than two completes.
the above conversation about wider trucks having ‘more soul’, is sadly accurate. @Sedition had mentioned this before and it’s one of the few times i agree with them re: gear, wider setups ‘feel better’ (or something to that effect).
i traveled and went to a skate spot/park that would have been my dream 25 years ago, and realized some difficult truths about where my abilities are at today. it hurts.
my feet hurt. the 808s have been saving me, well except for the part about the toes being squished into the narrow toe. dunks seem to have dried up, i have some hi’s on the shelf that are more narrow than my lows were. maybe forums? those run tts?
i’ll try and keep my posting down, and in this thread. it really is where i belong, ha
Watch out, long ass wall of text madness post. TL:Won't read. It's been said on here before You/We know what works*, you just think gear options will improve that kickflip, it won't (usually).
Showing up with four completes, hell loading the car up with them is setting you up for disaster (I do this occasionally with trucks, so you are not alone). "an 8 with ace 33s and big wheels, 8.38 with 8 thunders" those both sound terrible/non-functional to me. "Hey, let me setup an 8.5" w/14.5" WB, with 8.75" trucks and 53/54mm wheels and wonder why I bitch about not land flip tricks.
Been on twins for a hot min, bounced back to regular, bad move. Just throwing down the board is the best feeling ever. No reset shuvs or other tricks needed.
Found a couple of 8.25 twins that I really jelled with. DW Foy but BBS wood (I know you know), royals and old V3s, it was/is great but felt dead after a week (more on that later) so on a whim jumped to a DSM wood/SC VX (sale) twin with damn near the same shape (dims are within 1/16th or so).
Amazing. My pop went from just ok to snappy once I was used to the kicks. *I've always preffered china/DSM/epoxy/R7 based boards. Steep, stiff and snappy. I've zero finesse, all power, so steep works best with my ollies. Crack it hard and hope for the best.
Switched back to bones 103a V5 *STFs and it helped my overall game. Why? Because I feel super confident doing bluntslides (they're such an easy trick once you get over the fear), I can slide for days, effortlessly, on STFs (they just feel softer these days, softer than a spit 101a/not as rattly as they used to be). So I warm up, and once I get going I start doing them;
this gets me hyped and I start getting in the zone and trying other shit.
Start your session doing tricks you
can do, that are makes, even if it's a B/S slappy, a shuv it....not what you want to learn, it will help your mindset for the session. Landing things = dopamine, not landing things = frustration and causing an OCD flare-up regarding gear (of which you have four to choose from...). "FUCK, I didn't land that kickflip, must be the 8.5"....fuck, must be the big wheels on the 8"...
It will come as no suprise that my only madness left is trucks.
Royals are the go to, smooth and responsive, great pinch...hard grind and, the more I've been skating one truck for a while, their grind clearance is starting to get in the way (regs, not IKP). Another thing I noticed is how they sound/feel through the boards: they have a deadening feel to them...you know how tinny and crispy forged thunders and hard wheels feel? Opposite feeling with them; then add in a BBS and a 99a (or worse yet a 93/x9X) and it just feels slow, clunky and dead. Bad Vibes. I like the *tinny/crispy Thunder feel, no other truck has it...but currently riding 8.25" forged slappys (and debating moving to 8.5 hangers...or my thunder TIs
)
So stiff, DSM wood, 103a STFs (better yet 101a rictas but they don't slide as well), dry bearings, and forged thunders (wheelbite be damned) is what I like to feel under my feet and how I like my board to sound. I cannot stress how much a dead board sound makes me not want to skate it.
This is also why my knees probbly hurt
Shoes. Knees and feet hurt on me (knees from workingout and skating + old). Nike Leos. That react insole is the most comfortable thing I have have skated in hands down. Shoe has a wide toe box and mid foot. Room/deep enough to throw in an insole on top with better arch. The react insole makes up the entire midsole of that shoe it is nothing without it. Colorways are pretty weak but you can get them cheap.