What are some of the worst trends in the history of skateboarding?

[devils acrobat]

Localism

[shockpadsandwristguards]

Grip Gum
No more wooden skateparks
Being ashamed of skinny jeans (sexy)
Polar skateboards Art
Being above 40 and drunk in Copenhagen each year
Thinking full length videos don’t last
Instagram edits
Skating in Air Force 1s and other bulky nikes
Vans Etnies and other skate shoe companies making running shoe inspired kicks
Giving your buddy’s your phone for filming and then taking forever to land it
Smartphone filming in general
Marketing skate gear outside of skateboarding
Collabs

Fs 180 no complies

[veritas]

Strobeck Zoom becoming standard practice

The wave of MTV Bam-related shows that made stupidity a form of social currency

Baker2g era Reynolds cosplay with the Krew skinnys and ill fitting button downs that made you look like a recently evicted pirate

[KGB]

People starting company’s to turn themselves and others pro that don’t have pro skills. And Instagram.

[kook1234]

Jackass/wild Boyz/bum fights was all lame. Not sure if bum fights had anything to do with skating but forsure was inspired by jackass.

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Rip Grip was pretty bad too. Companies must have been selling a lot of it though because I’d see them on a lot of boards. Basically decals made of puffy foam that you put on the bottom of the board to help with grabs.

[close]

Some one sent me some about 5 years ago, works decent enough as a stomp pad on snowboards.

my older brothers crew would show up at random parks in smaller towns and start antiquing the locals.  they'd double-team older bowl troll types and would film this.  they had an entire section of this in one of their videos

[Wienerboy]

- Keys hanging from your fucking belt loop, literally never understood it. Such a wack style. Don't they get in the way? As if some rich kids saw a janitor at their school and thought "working class clothes are IN right now, how can I look even more blue collar?"

- Most people wearing Supra Skytops dressed in a similar style and that was all bad. Basically too skinny of pants (I do like skinny pants to a certain point) with an oversized T shirt that looks like a gown, perhaps a chain, and Skytops to complete the look. This gave rise to Justin Bieber dressing the same.

[manysnakes]

- Keys hanging from your fucking belt loop, literally never understood it. Such a wack style. Don't they get in the way? As if some rich kids saw a janitor at their school and thought "working class clothes are IN right now, how can I look even more blue collar?"

Back over the summer, I saw a mid-30s mustachioed guy I could only describe as a "Jenkem Skater" at the park with the whole high school janitor's key ring of keys just flopping from his pants while he pushed slowly around the park without landing any tricks. I mean like ~25 keys and other accoutrements just hanging from his belt loop, rattling constantly. It was like skating with a tambourine on your pants, if a tambourine were capable of disfiguring your hip.

[Pastasash]

- Keys hanging from your fucking belt loop, literally never understood it. Such a wack style. Don't they get in the way? As if some rich kids saw a janitor at their school and thought "working class clothes are IN right now, how can I look even more blue collar?"

I admit I do this but I don't have a million keys like a janitor, just a regular amount. Really doesn't make a difference/ feels like its rattling around too much since it's just cars, apt, and a mail key. I don't like the bulky key feeling in my pants pocket when I'm skating and some days I don't like leaving my keys laying around the park/spot esp if there's non locals there.

[Síota]

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Jackass/wild Boyz/bum fights was all lame. Not sure if bum fights had anything to do with skating but forsure was inspired by jackass.

Expand Quote

Rip Grip was pretty bad too. Companies must have been selling a lot of it though because I’d see them on a lot of boards. Basically decals made of puffy foam that you put on the bottom of the board to help with grabs.

[close]

Some one sent me some about 5 years ago, works decent enough as a stomp pad on snowboards.

[close]

in your opinion the worst trend in skateboarding is the video series bumfights? interesting.

to add to the discussion: skating handrails

Nah small wheels was dumb, plastic besides rails...lots of good suggestions was adding to the list, but handrails really?

[Uncle Flea]

I’ll throw out two obvious ones that I actually participated in. 1991/92, tiny wheels. I’m talking barely bigger than bearings. This was beyond dumb, yet almost everyone was doing it. I’d get on the city bus and often an older guy would ask why my wheels were so small. “It’s better for street skating” I’d say and they’d usually look at me like I was crazy. The other one is giant pants. I don’t mean just baggy, I mean huge af. We’d go to goodwill and look for the biggest pants they had. Chop them at the ankle and wear them. We weren’t as bad as Goofy Boy, but damn close.

I mean you're choices was be down with baby wheels or ride antique fuckin vert products.

Lucky me found the Alva "Hard ons" might've hard ones but my brother and I was fighting over them in the shop screaming no I want the HARD ONS! NO! YOU BARELY SKATE THEY ARE MINE.

This was like 2 years before the wheel crisis happened. I did steal the wheels from my brother because he barley skated.

I had some g bones too. I loved those wheels but others let me know that it didn't matter that I was beyond good at skatebloarding because I wore slim fits and ride vert wheels from the 80s.

I just went to photograph my last g bone but some dick head maybe stole it.

So here's the difference between 1990 and post the REAL small wheels 6 pack which Something Else actually didn't sell long.
THEY DEFINITELY BROKE OPEN THOSE 6 PACKS FOR EXTRA MONEY

I went to cop and was like fuck that shit. Got any blue Alva wheels bitch?

I got REAL low riders that was the same blue as the Alva wheels. It was me and Lavar riding blue wheels and I ok with it because Lavar was my guy for sure.

Anyway I got these still.



The Bones wheels blow doors on the Spit Butter Tablets

Fucking skateboarding industry putting speed limits on actual real world skatebloarding.

What the pros want should NEVER trump what the people need. We need options always. Otherwise I'm just going to buy shop products always or make my own.

I can handle substandard shit if it's local because I love my shops. Luckily Orchard has risen up and replaced all asshole suburban kook shit and there's tons of options for all types of humans.

So here's the big kick in the dick from the industry.



I quit for a few months maybe a year. I saw the ole Best ever skate Bud Eli Queen and he told me big wheels was back so I should come with him to something else and start again. I said cool!!!

But Why you riding a freestyle bloard tho?

Oh bloards are small now wheels are big and get this!!! There's again no options bigger than this.

Wtf!?! How the fuck am I going to flip that thing? It's gonna break for sure.

T hi s is the Golden age of products we're living in on this very day.
I'm going skating rn in case I'm dead tomorrow.

So let's go Enjoy it because Rodney is cooking up some more bullshit with && and soon it's going to be impossible to buy an actual fuckin good bloard.

People think these things && added to his board are new but they aren't. I'm pretty sure that the Decomposed started the rail changes.

If you wanna know more just go bury a potato in the usual place ok. He's not appearing for any of us rn. 

[Wienerboy]

Expand Quote

- Keys hanging from your fucking belt loop, literally never understood it. Such a wack style. Don't they get in the way? As if some rich kids saw a janitor at their school and thought "working class clothes are IN right now, how can I look even more blue collar?"

[close]

Back over the summer, I saw a mid-30s mustachioed guy I could only describe as a "Jenkem Skater" at the park with the whole high school janitor's key ring of keys just flopping from his pants while he pushed slowly around the park without landing any tricks. I mean like ~25 keys and other accoutrements just hanging from his belt loop, rattling constantly. It was like skating with a tambourine on your pants, if a tambourine were capable of disfiguring your hip.

Ha nice, this made me laugh.

I can understand not wanting bulky stuff in your pockets while skating. I always find a more secluded part of the skatepark to put my phone and keys while I'm skating, but makes sense if you don't want to leave things laying around. When pros do it, I think they're more trying to make a fashion statement. And it's always the same types too, punk/hesh, probably wearing all black, wide pants with the cuffs cut off and a shaved head. People that belong on Tim Robinson's company, Big Balls Boards.

[frontsideNECKTIE]

Rip n Dip-esque culture is the worst trend in recent years. or the yo flip.

[slaab900turbo]

Behold. The 1987 CCS catalog.

https://shop.ccs.com/blogs/blog/1987-catalog

It was the best of times. It was some of the worst trends known to skateboarding.

I miss my Rat Bones jacket.

[SatanicPanic]

Caring about SOTY

I include myself in this. It was dumb.

[Sk8 Prick]

Already mentioned a bit, but the general aesthetic of skateboarding in the early 2000's after the late 90s fresh era, but before the krew pants/ reynolds 3 combo, was beyond heinous. Bootcut jeans, unnecessarily bulky cupsole shoes, some weird earthtone colored t shirt. Disgusting. Koston looked particularly terrible at this time.

Thankfully, it seems that all eras of skateboarding can coexist now, so hopefully we wont have an industry wide exodus back to this look once the 90s/y2k style leaves the cultural zeitgeist.

[I_Respect_Wood]

- Keys hanging from your fucking belt loop, literally never understood it. Such a wack style. Don't they get in the way? As if some rich kids saw a janitor at their school and thought "working class clothes are IN right now, how can I look even more blue collar?"

- Most people wearing Supra Skytops dressed in a similar style and that was all bad. Basically too skinny of pants (I do like skinny pants to a certain point) with an oversized T shirt that looks like a gown, perhaps a chain, and Skytops to complete the look. This gave rise to Justin Bieber dressing the same.

This never understood, I mean I used to have my keys like that (a decent amount) but in general life, not for skating, I can´t skate with nothing in pockets, and having a maraca of keys make it worse, always hated seeing videos and I remember exactly telling my  friend back in the day while watching Slash doing some tricks in a video and having the the janitor keychain, I was like he´s on tour, there´s  a van parked literally in front of the spot, he can leave it there, and also having your own keays in a different city make no sense, like you can leave on the hotel, also your filmer or TM can have your hotel keys.

[Esquivel]

Agree with pretty much everything said so far, especially the Strobeck zoom to the face and trap music.

My 3 additions:

- Skating with fanny packs. Maybe skate with one at MACBA to protect your phone, but useless anywhere else.

- T-shirt in hand while skating. Absolute wack, no need to explain.

- Highwater pants and beanie rolled up and tilted to the front. This is like trying to look as stupid as possible.

[dill8849]

Colored grip tape
Tight pants
Yo flips
Zooming too much while filming
Big ass shoes
I always felt like sprinting away after landing a trick was cringe worthy but I have no problem with someone being hyped about the trick.
Redbull hats

[GS77]

Expand Quote

Behold. The 1987 CCS catalog.

https://shop.ccs.com/blogs/blog/1987-catalog

It was the best of times. It was some of the worst trends known to skateboarding.

[close]

I miss my Rat Bones jacket.

Yes. That jacket was sick. I on the other hand had the Vision Beret, hip pack and speckled shorts to match. I was 12 but still, no excuse…

[hotservicedeli]

Gimmicky licensed collaborations. Most core brands have done it. There was a sense of humor and thought that went into it when brands would just risk the cease and desist. It some how made it cooler.
Primitive is the all time worst at choosing who and what to collab with. Like, Guns and Roses? Puke. 
Santa Cruz definitely hit the lottery with the pokemon collab. Admittedly I have a few wall hangers but they are all subject to being set up, and don’t live in a mint mystery bag. The pimping out of objects meant to skate is for hype beasts seems gluttonous and a waste of a tree.

[backside_frontside]

Low effort ride-on grinds

[SatanicPanic]

Gimmicky licensed collaborations. Most core brands have done it. There was a sense of humor and thought that went into it when brands would just risk the cease and desist. It some how made it cooler.
Primitive is the all time worst at choosing who and what to collab with. Like, Guns and Roses? Puke. 
Santa Cruz definitely hit the lottery with the pokemon collab. Admittedly I have a few wall hangers but they are all subject to being set up, and don’t live in a mint mystery bag. The pimping out of objects meant to skate is for hype beasts seems gluttonous and a waste of a tree.

I change my vote to this.

Guns and Roses wasn’t that bad. Kikkoman is the worst I can remember but they’ve probablyp done worse than that.

[KGB]

Expand Quote

- Keys hanging from your fucking belt loop, literally never understood it. Such a wack style. Don't they get in the way? As if some rich kids saw a janitor at their school and thought "working class clothes are IN right now, how can I look even more blue collar?"

[close]

Back over the summer, I saw a mid-30s mustachioed guy I could only describe as a "Jenkem Skater" at the park with the whole high school janitor's key ring of keys just flopping from his pants while he pushed slowly around the park without landing any tricks. I mean like ~25 keys and other accoutrements just hanging from his belt loop, rattling constantly. It was like skating with a tambourine on your pants, if a tambourine were capable of disfiguring your hip.

No one cares. Everyone hates you.

[emotional_degloving]

Monster truck ass wheels, anything above about 56 mm.
You do not need to bring 60mm formula fours to the skatepark and you sure as shit don't skate street or rough street at that.

[Wienerboy]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

- Keys hanging from your fucking belt loop, literally never understood it. Such a wack style. Don't they get in the way? As if some rich kids saw a janitor at their school and thought "working class clothes are IN right now, how can I look even more blue collar?"

[close]

Back over the summer, I saw a mid-30s mustachioed guy I could only describe as a "Jenkem Skater" at the park with the whole high school janitor's key ring of keys just flopping from his pants while he pushed slowly around the park without landing any tricks. I mean like ~25 keys and other accoutrements just hanging from his belt loop, rattling constantly. It was like skating with a tambourine on your pants, if a tambourine were capable of disfiguring your hip.

[close]

No one cares. Everyone hates you.

I don't hate you, braj.

[Uncle Flea]

Keys are for ease. My chain is cut to the exact length needed to open the door while occasionally hammered.

Don't wanna break the key off.

The only time it bothers me to have is where straight people assume I'm like sending smoke signals to other queers from the closet.

Otherwise it's no longer fashion when it's been there since birf pretty much

It probably entered skate fashion when people saw their 60year old janitor at school had some big ass cut to size overalls with his timbs and shit.

Everyone went out and got Carhartt like red contrast over alls vs paying $70 for some ftcs

The worst things that's sometimes is a deal breaker is getting stuck to shit when you tryna get up and get away from some typpah wut da fuuuuuh.

Like a WUT THE SHIT! But you stuck and can't get out the way

I want all people to say what the shit like they are Bob Valens.

That's like one of the most powerful moments in the history of film

[Uncle Flea]

Also I tune everything that jingles on me. From my truck washers to my quadruple ear gauges to make an f sharp major chord when I bomb

[manysnakes]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

- Keys hanging from your fucking belt loop, literally never understood it. Such a wack style. Don't they get in the way? As if some rich kids saw a janitor at their school and thought "working class clothes are IN right now, how can I look even more blue collar?"

[close]

Back over the summer, I saw a mid-30s mustachioed guy I could only describe as a "Jenkem Skater" at the park with the whole high school janitor's key ring of keys just flopping from his pants while he pushed slowly around the park without landing any tricks. I mean like ~25 keys and other accoutrements just hanging from his belt loop, rattling constantly. It was like skating with a tambourine on your pants, if a tambourine were capable of disfiguring your hip.

[close]

No one cares. Everyone hates you.

Nah, I think most people found my anecdote amusing.

[bob george]

*Not being allowed to use any wax for anything.

*Using so much wax to point that you are no longer grinding and don't really need any speed.

[let’s go home]

*Using so much wax to point that you are no longer grinding and don't really need any speed.

I think it was after Fully Flared or some Torey Pudwill’s parts when people were eager to learn longer lipslides or lipslide combos on ledges while going reaaaally slow.
The result was many fs 5-0 wipe outs to cranium bash.