Anyone else sizing down?

[dublak2]

I know this is the era of bigger popsicles, 8.25"-9". The heroin boards are even comically bigger than that.

I come from the Osiris D3 generation when boards were 7.5"-8". When I made my comeback I bought the 8.5" board with matching trucks that are current with the times.

I'm going to shrink down to an 8.25" with 144 trucks even though I'm a big dude with size 12 shoes. Anyone else going smaller instead of larger?

[smg1138]

I've been in the same boat lately. Had been skating 8.5's but realized 8.25 with a 14.25 wheelbase is really the ideal size for me. I have an Girl G008 that's fun for flip tricks, but it doesn't feel stable enough on transition and bigger jumps. The board madness has been killing me lately and I feel like a good 8.25 could make a perfect all terrain setup. What 8.25 shapes are you guys liking these days?

[Ok]

i would throw out there, that to me, the more important choice is truck size.

i was just out riding with my kids and therefore messing around on several setups, 7.75-8.5
i sucked on all of them.
ride a 7.75 for a week, and then i notice that an 8.125 looks hesh, and 8.25 looks like a mega ramp board.


when i look at the setups in pro media, it seems as tho sizes are getting a little smaller, maybe more 8.25 truck riders than a few years back, so slim down

[Puddy Smally]

I mostly ride 8” - 8.25”, but will size up to 9” depending on what I’m feeling that particular day.

I actually think WB is a much more important factor than deck width, especially if you’re flipping your board regularly.

[hiljentaa]

Ventured into 8.25 & 8.38 territory with 8.25 & 8.5 trucks for awhile, but now firmly on 8" trucks and 8.125 board.

Bigger board and trucks does me no favors, personally.

[big_kev_215]

Once I started skating bigger boards and shaped decks a few years ago, I found it very hard to size down.  Smaller decks started looking ridiculous to me.  For some reason like a year ago, I was able to convince myself to size down to 8.38 and I’ve since gone down to 8.0’s for a while.  I mostly skate curbs, low ledges, and banks, and once I realized that my curb tricks weren’t suffering, it was easy to commit.  I dont foresee myself going above 8.25 anytime soon.  The other pro has been not constantly buying different sizes of every brands trucks to match each different shaped deck and big board haha

[FunnyBunny]

I was riding 8.5 to 8.75 for a few years then last spring I went to 8.5 and in the fall I went to 8.375 board on 8.25 trucks. I can skate my best overall on this size and I also think I don’t get as tired as fast trying to pop a big ass board up shit. I got an 8.25 on ice that’s up next. So we’ll see if that crosses the line to too small. 

I got other boards that are 9+ for dicking around on when I get tired of my normal setup.

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

I find it's the trucks where you have to make the big decisions.  I've sized down from 8.25 trucks to 8, so now I ride 8.125's a bunch and can skate an 8 as well....Overall I found the proportions of an 8.25 could sometimes be too big ie. wheelbase and overall length, it made sense to size down.

[Coastal Fever]

Everyone in here should also be posting shoe size.  Big difference between a size 8 on an 8.25 and a size 12.

I wear 11s and haven’t gone under 8.5 in ages.  I think about it sometimes, but if I can’t flip an 8.5 easily I doubt it’s worth me buying a whole new setup to shave off a 1/4”.

[baustin]

If you enjoy flipping your board and mostly skating mellow street stuff in general, I don’t see any advantage to skating anything bigger than an 8.25 unless you’ve got the build of an NBA player or something. Personally I think 8-8.25 would suit any adult skater and younger kids should still be able to skate 7.5-7.875s when starting out. I feel like the massive board trend is really hindering the young kids I see trying to learn to skate because they’re on these 8.5s with 60mm conical fulls when they should be on something much easier to maneuver and learn on.

[disgruntledMTAEmployee]

reynolds sized down to an 8.06 as of somewhat recently. It's catching on.

[one80]

was on 8.25/149 for years, just set up an Asta 8.0 with 139 mids running size 12 1010s

[Xen]

I went up from 8.25 (my mainstay) to 8.5" because all the 8.3s are fucking garbage (and hardly ever measure eightpointfuckingthree, usually 8.25" - looking at you Hockey/FA, Quasi Twin Tails....

Now being on 8.5s I want to find a good, full 8.3X yet again...I don't get why 'they' don't make 8.3Xs with the same mold as the 8.5s/8.25s but scaled accordingly, take Toy Machine 8.5s/8.25s great shapes, 8.3s garbage - 8.3 have some of the most fucked up dims out there. /rant

10.5 (as well as in shoe size)

[Coffee]

I also came back from the late 90’s early 2000’s riding 7.5-7.75 boards. Started back on an 8 and eventually sized up to 8.5. After a break the last few years the 8.5 is too big so I went back to 8.125. Think I’m going to stick here for a while.

[switchfrontshuv]

A while ago I was riding 8.125 on thunder 149s + 1/8 risers and it was great. It was a light setup with quick response without sacrificing the sweet wide grinding surface for pinch; it was a lot easier to commit to precarious tricks and didnt feel or look too hot-roddy. These days im on 5.8 ventures and 8.25 but I kind of wish I was still skating a similar setup.

I dont know why but switch and nollie heelflips felt more awkward and difficult to control/spin predictably on a smaller board, whereas nollie bs/fs 180s were more responsive and easier, almost to the point where I wanted to start trying them to grinds/slides on ledges, which is quite a bit out of my comfort zone.

I think this summer I want to slim down to a 8.125 deck/8.25 truck combo or just get 149 thunders because I miss the feeling of having a light and flippy setup - ventures feel good for skating fast but sometimes the responsiveness is just not there.

A treflip or bigspin on ventures is noticably more difficult to feel out for me compared to on thunders, and I do get tired quicker skating these wide & heavy ventures (eg. When popping onto tall ledges or over stuff).

[Democratic Republic Of Mongo]

The roundness of the kicks can make a board seem wider. It’s all an illusion but it works. So like if you size down from say an 8.38 to an 8.125 with rounded kicks and you stay on 8.25 trucks, wheelbase is the same, it won’t be too bad of an adjustment.

[Xen]

The roundness of the kicks can make a board seem wider. It’s all an illusion but it works. So like if you size down from say an 8.38 to an 8.125 with rounded kicks and you stay on 8.25 trucks, wheelbase is the same, it won’t be too bad of an adjustment.

I've found that if I grip 'wide' meaning not trim away so much along the edge as to make it show the top color ply (hard to explain). I've also noticed that if slap a racing strip down the middle this helps 'widen' the top down view a bit.

A while ago I was riding 8.125 on thunder 149s + 1/8 risers and it was great. It was a light setup with quick response without sacrificing the sweet wide grinding surface for pinch; it was a lot easier to commit to precarious tricks and didnt feel or look too hot-roddy. These days im on 5.8 ventures and 8.25 but I kind of wish I was still skating a similar setup.

I dont know why but switch and nollie heelflips felt more awkward and difficult to control/spin predictably on a smaller board, whereas nollie bs/fs 180s were more responsive and easier, almost to the point where I wanted to start trying them to grinds/slides on ledges, which is quite a bit out of my comfort zone.

I think this summer I want to slim down to a 8.125 deck/8.25 truck combo or just get 149 thunders because I miss the feeling of having a light and flippy setup - ventures feel good for skating fast but sometimes the responsiveness is just not there.

A treflip or bigspin on ventures is noticably more difficult to feel out for me compared to on thunders, and I do get tired quicker skating these wide & heavy ventures (eg. When popping onto tall ledges or over stuff).

I get you on big spins and ventures/thunders but for me, and thunders, tricks like that result in so much wheel bite vs ventures I'd be better off on anything else; it's crazy how hefty (dense) the venture 5.8 hangers feel in comparison to 149 thunder hollow hangers.

Have you tried conicals in your Ventures?

[Dkeppel]

Funny enough I joined this forum to get advice on my downsizing which I've done and im finding the 8.25" with Thunders much more comfortable for flipping. I started skating again 4 months ago, was very excited to see wide decks in fashion because as a teen I had to hunt down the widest deck which was a 7.75" to try fit my size 12-13 feet. The 8.6" is nice for cruising it fits my big ass feet well, but it's size along with the heavy Indys standards was wearing me out too quickly. Now if only this extreme heat we are experiencing would settle down a little or if the council would put up some shade sails or something.

[GT]

3 setups
7.75 on 5.0
8.25 G027 on 147
8.75 chocolate big boy Jr on 149 (curbs)
When I skate more regularly I will be on 7.75 as stability getting better and tuned.

[rikki]

Got back to skating a few years ago after a hiatus of countless years.

Started on a 9.0 with 159 Indys, riding mostly transition.

After some time, sized down to 8.5, then to 8.38 with Ace 44 Classics.

Wanted to get back on street/flatground, sized down to 8.25 with 144 Indys.

Dipped into an 8.125 deck, hovering between Venture 5.6 and Indy 144s.

As of now, it seems like I'm settling at 8.25 (with an occasional 8.125) with a maximum wheelbase of 14.25. Anything wider and longer wheelbase-wise now feels like a boat now unless I'm riding bigger pools. )For that I still have an 8.5 with a long wheelbase, but that's for special occasions.)

My shoe size is 10.

So yeah, been sizing down. Mind you, I don't mind the width in a board per se, but my old ass really feels the weight of a bigger setup.

[herecomesaregular]

Another old head here that skated 7.75-ish then rejoined the skate world and experimented up to 8.5 (razor edge heroin so effectively even wider) and a 8.75 egg but settled back on the perfect size:

BBS 8.25
14.25 wb
But with 8.5 trucks

I skate in size 10 men’s usually, but I think shoe size is a red herring/nonissue most of the time on deck size.

[gaunting]

It’s kind of the opposite for me.  I’ve tried sizing up occasionally over the years, but always go back to 8”. pretty much been that size more or less for 20+years. sometimes I’ll ride a 8.125” if I wanna feel like I’m standing on a 🚤 boat.

[Francis Xavier]

Size 12 foot.

Used to ride 7.75" then a decade of dedication to 8" only.

Juggled 8.25-10.5" for the last 15 years or so and just got on a BBS 8" blank. It's been fun, I feel like for me it takes a few sessions to really get used to a board anyway, unless it's the exact same deck again and again. I only ride Indy or Aces and Spitfires on everything. Just works.

[Grand Saber]

I've had an opposite problem where when I try something other than my usual setup (8.5 with Indy Forged Hollow 149s) I start to suffer serious toe drag on a bunch of tricks (size 12 shoe). My flip tricks are much easier on a 8-8.25, but I struggle big time on control. Finding boards that are also long enough (at least 32") at the 8-8.25 range with a good shape is also quite difficult.

I think the less I think about changing from my current setup and just try to improve my tricks now where my heart is set at right now

[minilogoflow]

I was riding a Heroin 10" shaped board on Ace 77's for a couple months then switched up to a 9.0 Polar with 161 Thunders and now on a 8.8 BBS blank with 55 Ace classics. It's still a big board overall but I wear a size 13, anything 8.75 and under starts to feel "small" to me. Even with the big Heroin board I was still able to do 360 flips and hard flips no problem but I'm liking the normal shape and extra wb+length on the 8.8. Started sizing down mostly because I wanted to skate a popsicle again. Only thing that has stayed the same is wheels, 56mm to me is the sweet spot of being big enough without hitting monster truck territory.

[JM]

Grew up skating 8” decks only. Then stepped on 8.5” four years ago and loved the way it felt on my size 12 feet.

Riding DLX 8.38’s ever since.

(I was never good at flip tricks, but if I wanted to try them a lot again… I’d step down to an 8”)

[boofactory]

Skated 8.0 with 5.2 Ventures for the past year and ended up on the 9.6 April Guy board recently on 6.1’s. Enjoyed both a lot, they both have pros and cons for certain tricks. At the end of the day with skating both sizes, for me I think I’m going to try the real true fit 8.75 shape to find a happy medium.

[Tiltmode Army Reservist]

Size 12 shoe, 8.25" trucks, and my boards are 8.125" x 32" with a 14.25" WB.

I'm also in my late 30's, so I came of age in the 7.75" era. I took a few years off the board to chase all the bullshit they tell you to start chasing at a certain age (college, job, serious relationship), but at the end of all that running, I realized how much I missed skateboarding. A few years ago I took my old 7.75" out of my closet, reignited the flame, and then quickly found out how much bigger the boards had become. I eventually sized up to 8.25" but that felt like too much, so I went down to 8" only for that to feel like an overcorrection. So I got an 8.125", started landing kickflips, and stuck with that.

Everyone overthinks the details of every hobby. If you find something that works for you and it allows you to have the most fun, stick with it, and hope the #brands keep making it the way you like it. Also, shit could be worse: right now someone is thinking about buying a carbon fiber pickleball racket. I'm grateful that's not me.

[left-nut]

I sized down unintentionally after breaking the quasi 8.75 I was riding on thunder 151s. I had an 8.5 antihero (smaller in actuality) already setup on 148s. I figured I’d at least try it before buying another 8.75. To my surprise, I didn’t really feel like I had to adjust much. I’m a size 12 as well, and it’s definitely a bit less comfortable on transition, but I spend 90% of my time skating ledges and doing flip tricks anyway. If anything, I think I miss the length and longer wheelbase more than the width.

[switchfrontshuv]

Expand Quote

The roundness of the kicks can make a board seem wider. It’s all an illusion but it works. So like if you size down from say an 8.38 to an 8.125 with rounded kicks and you stay on 8.25 trucks, wheelbase is the same, it won’t be too bad of an adjustment.

[close]

I've found that if I grip 'wide' meaning not trim away so much along the edge as to make it show the top color ply (hard to explain). I've also noticed that if slap a racing strip down the middle this helps 'widen' the top down view a bit.

Expand Quote

A while ago I was riding 8.125 on thunder 149s + 1/8 risers and it was great. It was a light setup with quick response without sacrificing the sweet wide grinding surface for pinch; it was a lot easier to commit to precarious tricks and didnt feel or look too hot-roddy. These days im on 5.8 ventures and 8.25 but I kind of wish I was still skating a similar setup.

I dont know why but switch and nollie heelflips felt more awkward and difficult to control/spin predictably on a smaller board, whereas nollie bs/fs 180s were more responsive and easier, almost to the point where I wanted to start trying them to grinds/slides on ledges, which is quite a bit out of my comfort zone.

I think this summer I want to slim down to a 8.125 deck/8.25 truck combo or just get 149 thunders because I miss the feeling of having a light and flippy setup - ventures feel good for skating fast but sometimes the responsiveness is just not there.

A treflip or bigspin on ventures is noticably more difficult to feel out for me compared to on thunders, and I do get tired quicker skating these wide & heavy ventures (eg. When popping onto tall ledges or over stuff).

[close]

I get you on big spins and ventures/thunders but for me, and thunders, tricks like that result in so much wheel bite vs ventures I'd be better off on anything else; it's crazy how hefty (dense) the venture 5.8 hangers feel in comparison to 149 thunder hollow hangers.

Have you tried conicals in your Ventures?

Yeah, I feel you on thunders and wheelbite, which is why i refuse to ride thunders without a 1/8 riser. Usually in that case i prefer 55-56mm wheels so I can make up for the space and it doesnt feel weird when I pinch crooks and stuff. Ive never skated hollow thunders but Id be down to see what they do