I think it’s made skating progress in a more well rounded way. It seems like we’re no longer simply aiming for max technical proficiency and/or handrail gnar, but you can if that’s your wheelhouse. The bigger boards have unlocked other, surfier potential while adding some gnar*.
*As controversial as crosslocked 50-50s are on here, they do allow people to grind longer, more wild rails and you wouldn’t really see too many of them on 7.75 or 8” trucks.
SOUND LOGICAL but Im pretty sure isn't true
long distance rail skating its been going on since Duffy and Way showed it was possible, a lot of shit its been done in those terms, the difference its kids nowadays are more prone to skate the fucked up 10 flat 14 rail than ever before only cause so much has been done on "normal" spots, but that doesn't mean they go longer
its become a more common way to step on the rail but the most insane rail dudes are still locking the wheels (nyjah or foy)
I think its more a consequence of loose trucks than board wide, you can totally crosslock on a 7.5 If you want to.
As a kid I always thought that when you grinded a round rail you had to grind RIGTH IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRUCK, full balanced and centered, basically a 1 mm contact surface on each truck
That probably came from skating only square flatbars with my friends thinking it was safer, which obviously never helped us to properly learn rail tricks