Quirks to your board set up

[JANUS]

Always taking spacers out and bearing shields off no matter what type of bearings

[overwaxed]

I only skate odd numbered wheels, specifically 55mm and 53mm -  I grew up in a small ass town in Virginia with super crusty 'street spots' so 55's were pretty necessary. I split the difference once in 2001 with some 54mm and compound fractured my arm. Skating fizzled slowly from 2005-2007 but I got back into it full force last year and tried some 54mm wheels once again and immediately ate shit and sprained my elbow bad. So henceforth only odd numbered wheels lol. Now I live in Chicago, also crusty but 53mm full conical F4's do the trick!

Full black grip forever, thunder bolts with 2 blue guys diagonal on the nose, spacers/shields gone, 8.38 on 8.5 trucks (skated 7.88 on 8 trucks during my peak and this is the evolved version). Pretty standard quirks but quirks none the less.

[KC_Rookie]

I've never understood being anti-spacers and speed rings. There are absolutely zero negatives to running them even if you believe they're some kind of conspiracy by the wheel and bearing companies to get you to spend an extra 50 cents or something.

I get that people like the "sound" of shieldless bearings I guess. I tried popping shields off once and any added sound was negligible at best, and in general I've never been skating and found myself thinking "man, I just wish my board was louder somehow".
If the idea that shieldless are better because "it lets the dirt fall out" is true, then someone needs to go tell every engineer at every bearing company on the planet for as long as bearings have existed, cause somebody lied to them.
The wheel bearings on your car typically have shields too but you don't hear any mechanic saying you should pop those worthless shields off...but then maybe your car would make a super cool ZZZZZING sound?

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

I assume shields off just make things noisier which is what skaters are shooting for.  I don't really know if spaces make a difference as most cores are not consistent and you're still backing everything off 1/16th of a turn anyhow...

With all due respect, and I've likely used the analogy before but.....a skateboard is not like a car at all...

[yourbreakfsat]

I've never understood being anti-spacers...

While I do run spacers, spacers can be a detriment if a wheel's core isn't aligned. A couple times I helped set up my friends' spacers with Spitfires, the wheel wouldn't roll if spacers were used. Without spacers, the wheels rolled great.

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

Expand Quote

Grip over the bolts (but I’ll always do so sort of design with lines), I also need 3 wheel graphics facing in and 1 out (which is always toe side on my back foot)

[close]

serious question, how do you tighten your bolts when they get loose & remove them when you switch boards?

ive seen other people do this but it doesnt make any sense to me at all

I’m not a complete freak, I punch little hex holes in the bolts from the top so I can access them if they get loose; I just don’t get why people would want less grip in those areas!

Also, when you change decks you just flip the board over and give them a quick whack with your skate tool and they pop right through the grip tape! You should try it, it’s very satisfying

[overwaxed]

I've never understood being anti-spacers and speed rings. There are absolutely zero negatives to running them even if you believe they're some kind of conspiracy by the wheel and bearing companies to get you to spend an extra 50 cents or something.

I get that people like the "sound" of shieldless bearings I guess. I tried popping shields off once and any added sound was negligible at best, and in general I've never been skating and found myself thinking "man, I just wish my board was louder somehow".
If the idea that shieldless are better because "it lets the dirt fall out" is true, then someone needs to go tell every engineer at every bearing company on the planet for as long as bearings have existed, cause somebody lied to them.
The wheel bearings on your car typically have shields too but you don't hear any mechanic saying you should pop those worthless shields off...but then maybe your car would make a super cool ZZZZZING sound?

For me spacers just don't seem necessary, one less thing to drop and have roll under a piece of furniture changing wheels. And bearings look cooler without shields - who doesn't like looking at their balls?

[JANUS]

I thought it was concluded that the popularity of popping shields was a ploy by big bearing to boost their profits.

[Chavo]

I've never understood being anti-spacers and speed rings. There are absolutely zero negatives to running them even if you believe they're some kind of conspiracy by the wheel and bearing companies to get you to spend an extra 50 cents or something.

I get that people like the "sound" of shieldless bearings I guess. I tried popping shields off once and any added sound was negligible at best, and in general I've never been skating and found myself thinking "man, I just wish my board was louder somehow".
If the idea that shieldless are better because "it lets the dirt fall out" is true, then someone needs to go tell every engineer at every bearing company on the planet for as long as bearings have existed, cause somebody lied to them.
The wheel bearings on your car typically have shields too but you don't hear any mechanic saying you should pop those worthless shields off...but then maybe your car would make a super cool ZZZZZING sound?

I rarely run spacers as they seem pointless in most scenarios. I have a few sets but wheel spacing is always too wide or too skinny. Is it too difficult for the industry to get together and decide on a number?

As for shields, I think most skaters (pros included) need to be reminded that skateboards do not have engines and therefore should not make engine sounds.

[GBLange]

spacers and after i cut my griptape, i always file it off to get it smooth and perfect around the edges.

[goodatmeth]

I ride skinny hard wheels and then complain about the rough ground for the whole session

[gaunting]

Idk, I’m really weird about bushings, not necessarily the hardness, but the color. for example, if I’m riding Indy stage 11’s, those orange bushings are great, they look aesthetically pleasing with any color combination of any wheel or deck graphic. however, if a venture truck comes with a certain color bushing, I can’t have a graphic that is completely different from that bushing. same goes with thunder. I could not ride red thunder bushings with just any graphic, but I could more than likely ride the blue ones that come in the stock team standard trucks, with any colored graphic.

 I also refuse to ride any kind of bushing that is opaque in color. I despise the look. the only color bushing that I’ll ride that’s opaque, is white. like, the ace bushings, those are fine. but when I got those Indy stage 4’s and saw they had flat, opaque, red bushings, I took them out immediately. I know Indy stock bushings aren’t necessarily translucent, like thunder or venture, but they work for some reason.

I know I’m a weirdo lmao.

oh and also, I spent like $80 in hardware, so I could have a 7/8” allen head bolt in every color. so every board I get, I have a front left allen head bolt that matches the color(s) of the board graphic.