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| Buttboarding (778 Posts)
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Buttboarding Info |
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On 9/24/2002 Andy
wrote in from
(65.129.nnn.nnn)
Thanks for taking a look EK. Yes I agree, we have been more lucky than smart. But if you look at some of the videos near the top of the page, you'll see that it's all leathers and full face helmets now.
I definitely would like to come west for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is to get some exposure to other riders, but right now I am using all my vacation for this BASE jumping thing. Sooner or later though, I am coming West to see my Bro in Aptos. Then there will be riding.
Thanks again for checking out my site!
Andy
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On 9/24/2002
EK
wrote in from
(204.246.nnn.nnn)
Howzit!
Hey Andy... you've got some cool vids of you buttboarding. But I have to admit that the level of protective gear you guys wore worried me abit (but didn't we all worn just that when starting out...).
Hey are you going to be at the San Francisco Gravity Fest? You should! Then ridng will be moved to a "higher" level. Laters.
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On 9/23/2002 PSR
wrote in from
(216.114.nnn.nnn)
Hey,Joseph,I saw your post over in 'homemades'(btw,HC posted a reply on the 'Luge' page,not here,but he didn't ignore ya)and a few of my posts back (like a month ago) I mention that my board is legally questionable,but runs a long wheelbase.Well,the reason it runs a long spread between axles is that was a Freeboard,and I mounted my front truck on the nose-kick,and put my rear on at the bend at the tail's base.This gives me some unique advantages.I'm laying in a feet-down position (by about 2-3 degrees) so my head/shoulders are a bit higher for better vivbility. The front kick provides a nice under-thigh lift when padded(we'll see if that passes Tech Insp.!)and the rear tail helps as a headrest. Best by far is that the front truck's pivot sit tucked up,probably just above the deck's height,so my center of mass isn't very far above it,which gives excellent stability. I had to severly de-wedge the front (16*,an 11 deg. + 5 deg. wedge,fat-end-forward) to keep the front truck from being too turny.The rear truck is also negatively wedged a tad (like 4* or so)to promote traction and stability. The only ugly things on this board are it's slightly soft flex,and the way I've currently got my tow-rope mounted at the rear(that definately won't be race-legal!).Otherwise it's as fast and stable as I want to be on a four-wheeled woodie,almost as good as my (much) older CrutchBoard,which runs three trucks/six wheels.
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On 9/23/2002 Andy
wrote in from
(65.129.nnn.nnn)
Hi,
I've started putting a few video clips up on my site if anyone wants to check the out.
www.alienXworld.com
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On 9/13/2002
Chris Chaput
wrote in from
(63.168.nnn.nnn)
I think that you'll find that there are three basic widths for the back end of a buttboard.
1. Narrow. Fits between shoulder blades. Feels good.
2. Medium. Hurts shoulder blades. Feels bad. Sucks.
3. Wide. Shoulder blades on top. Feels good.
Just as in walking near dogs, avoid #2 and it won't stink.
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On 9/11/2002 mathew
wrote in from
(65.174.nnn.nnn)
PSR-
Thanks.
good answer.
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On 9/10/2002 PSR
wrote in from
(216.114.nnn.nnn)
I think Darren Lott was going for 'shoulder lean' in that narrow-rear design.I try to keep my elbows/shoulders level,and 'lean deep' by pulling my inside shoulder towards the front of the board,kinda like diggin' deep in the pockets for loose change.Thusly,I kept a wide deck throughout.Since you're cutting your own,go wider first,then taper it more if the deck feels like it's in the way.
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On 9/10/2002 mathew
wrote in from
(65.174.nnn.nnn)
Thanks guys!
now i just need to actually build my board. i have the wood, just need to cut and drill!
Q: why the narrow back-end on the board?
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On 9/9/2002 PSR
wrote in from
(216.114.nnn.nnn)
Matthew,I was running 84A Flashbacks up front with 78A Roadie Racers at the rear,and it ran O.K.,just vibrated on rough patches of tar.Grip and speed were fine.Still,the plushness of the softer Flashbacks is what I favor,so 75A is what I prefer to run (funny,I'm looking at my Board,and it has Payaso's on all four corners,and my Luge has the 88A/84A Flashbacks on it;Hmmm...)for speed,comfort,and grip. I wouldn't run 84A at the rear on my buttboard,just not enough 'feel' and stickiness. In this,Buttboard wheel selection is kinda like Slalom wheel set-ups,with harder up front,softer at the rear working pretty well.You've got more weight over the fronts,so a harder wheel will 'hunker down' and get grip relative to the rear,which softer wheels are better suited for.Just gotta be aware of the road surfaces,and pick the hardness that flows best.For smoother,newer tar,or warmer days,an 84A front might be just right with a 78A rear...
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On 9/9/2002
sean c
wrote in from
(158.136.nnn.nnn)
mathew i use 75a flashbacks in the front with 72a in the back. i think i remember darren lott saying that was what he and a few other riders raced in scotland. i believe the reasoning was that your front wheels will wear a bit faster, and i think that because the 72a is such a soft durometer it had a tendency to wear quicker and would get a bit damaged if they ran over small rocks. anyone be sure to correct me if i'm wrong.
sean c
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On 9/9/2002 mathew
wrote in from
(65.174.nnn.nnn)
Any of you guys using any of the harder flashbacks? 84a?
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On 8/30/2002
Petter Österling
wrote in from
(194.237.nnn.nnn)
Hi everybody!
I live in Stockholm Sweden and has just started buttboarding after a couple of years of painfull standup experience=)
I will be moving to Newport beach California in about 2 months. Does anybody know of any good buttboard locations in that area?
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On 8/28/2002
Owen M
wrote in from
(203.166.nnn.nnn)
G’day all,
We Australian street lugers are facing a crisis. A recent T.V. current affairs program has cast us in a less than admirable light, branding us as idiots, lunatics and a menace to society. They did cover our point of view to a rather limited extent but nothing about the lengths we go to for safety, or our years of experience. The story is on the program website (http://todaytonight.com.au/stories/264287.html). If you feel like supporting us, consider sending a message of support for us to the “contact us” section of the Today Tonight website (http://todaytonight.com.au/contactus/29924.html). Please be considerate and tactful, perhaps mention the safety aspects of the sport that they neglected to cover.
There is a debate on in Australia at the moment about whether to ban luge entirely. Please help us to regain a respectable and professional image after this media misrepresentation.
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On 8/27/2002
David Fielden
wrote in from
(205.143.nnn.nnn)
Riding in Oklahoma Labor Day weekend
Monday Riding at the Talimena Drive on Labor Day weekend. Most of us will be camping at the Winding Stair Camp Grounds Sunday night, so we can get up early and get lots of riding before the heat sets in. We will have streetluges, buttboards, speedboards, gravity bikes and even quad skates. Anyone and everyone is welcome. I even received an email from the U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer who said "David, traffic on the Talimena Drive has been slow in the past several weeks. I don't expect any problems during labor day weekend. Be safe and
have FUN."
The Talimena Drive is 2-1/2 hours from Tulsa, 3-1/2 hours from Oklahoma City, and 3 hours from Dallas Texas.
So Far we have people from Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Kansas coming. Should be fun!
E-mail me for more directions, car-pool info. etc....
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On 8/21/2002 PSR
wrote in from
(216.114.nnn.nnn)
Tim,Sean,thanks for the info! Until fairly recently,my personal focus (other than Cruising,ramp riding,bombing hills,and Slalom) with skateboards has been to get my equipment dialed in,and recover as gracefully as possible from knee surgery.With the knee,I wasn't really sure I could even Luge/Buttboard safely using only one brake!Less sticky shoes have helped.I'm out of funds,and no longer have good leathers(have a jacket,gloves,helm,goggles,,Just need a few more items.)to race with,so I'm 'just practicing' this season.Next year,we'll see what's up!! BTW,the nearly Full Moon was much fun to ride by! Nelson and I probably got 45 mph out of a hill that usually has too much traffic on it,but at Midnight was just about perfect.Cats were the main concern,scared a few,but didn't kick any.
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On 8/21/2002
ankan
wrote in from
(194.237.nnn.nnn)
PSR, I totally agree with you on that. I've spend about $100 on my buttboard, and it's as fine as any buttboard sould be ;) In swedens rally scene there's a thing called folk-race. People come there with their old volvo240's and thrash the s#@! out of them, and the winner of every race have to sell his car for $50. Buttboarding for mee seems to be the equivalent for gravity racing, except that you don't have to sell your gear if you win ;)
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On 8/20/2002
Tim
wrote in from
(24.61.nnn.nnn)
Gravity Sports International has 3 races left this season. See the schedule at www.gravitysi.com. We offer a buttboard division in Rookie-Am-Pro. Minimum 2 riders make a class. We also offer classes and open road riding on class dates. Call 603-783-9692 for more information on open riding and classes.
See the complete schedule and contact information on the GSI site.
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On 8/20/2002
sean c
wrote in from
(158.136.nnn.nnn)
psr have you thought about going to any gsi races this summer over in new hampshire?
sean c
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On 8/20/2002 PSR
wrote in from
(216.114.nnn.nnn)
Sean,I'm in Vermont,on the southwest side.Find Bennington,go north about 10 miles along Rt 7,and you'll find Arlington.Arlington puts me about 45 min. from Mt. Snow,Brattleboro,and Rutland,so the hills are pretty close by! :) Ankan,I hope that does help.I didn't find any wheelbase restrictions,other than the board's length. I've seen thin self-adhesive pads on buttboards(foamtop stuff used on longboards for barefoot surfin' style),but no headrests. I do know that these boards are to be set-up 'pure' and quite simlarly to keep things dicey and fun in races,which I'm all for.Staying cheap and simple means more bang for the buck,and no big suprises on raceday.
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On 8/20/2002
ankan
wrote in from
(194.237.nnn.nnn)
PSR, thanks for your reply!
Are there any rules regarding the wheelbase? I have looked in the IGSA rules, and can't find anything there, also I havent seen anything on the use of "cushions" on the board, to support my head?!
I'll make a new board and give the longer wheelbase a try. Also, a headrest would be awsome to prevent the soar neck and stomach the days after buttboarding ;)
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On 8/20/2002
sean c
wrote in from
(158.136.nnn.nnn)
psr where in new england are you?
sean c
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On 8/19/2002 PSR
wrote in from
(216.114.nnn.nnn)
Ankan,due to your height,you may want run a wheelbase that's set a bit longer,and a tad more forward.Lott has his boards setup for something like(not being precise here)65% of the rider's weight over the front wheels and back towards the rear.Unfortunately that becomes closer to 50%-50% for you,so the board is more like a see-saw,with the front axle being your balance point/fulcrum.Moving the front trucks forward about 3 inches would probably put your weight in a more suitable spot along the board's length.My personal (and yet-to-be-legalized) buttboard has the axles set close to the board's ends,and cushy foam pads to support my backside.I lose a little in manuverability (stretch limo wheelbase),but gain in speed and stability,plus the cushions add to my comfort on longer hills. As for hand-grip positioning,be very aware of the whereabouts of your front wheels,as making contact with them at speed is decidedly ungood.Having your arms bent some does help in tight corners(you can lean out further,and still reel you torso back onboard thru corners)and in braking(grabbing the deck,and arching your back a tad does put the rubber down in panic braking).It's less "aero" than a straight-by-your-side arm position,and can cause your elbows to touch down once in awhile,too.Handholds cut into the deck are good.I'm not too sure about the legality of bolt-on handrails(like some luges use),so ask about that before bolting them on.
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On 8/19/2002
ankan
wrote in from
(194.237.nnn.nnn)
Hi there guys,
I tried buttboardin the first time this weekend (on a board ala Darren Lott), and it sure is an amazing feeling to go in 45mph and be able to stop properly (not like my stand-up). Anyway, I have a query about the riding position. When I lie flat on the board, in what seems to be a good position (I can almost get the nose down if I sit up and lean forward), I have to bend my arms quite a bit in order not grab the board by the wheels. Is that the way it is for you guys to? Or do you have rails outside the wheels to grab, or even in front of the wheels? Im a quite big guy (6.4) and it seemed like my mates (who were quite a bit smaller than me) didn't have the same problem.
Any tips?
cheers, anders
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On 8/18/2002 PSR
wrote in from
(216.114.nnn.nnn)
EK,thanks.No apology needed,no offense taken,life is good! As for "level",um,I'm getting old enough to be SLOW these days.Never thought That would happen! But I still get goosebumps from finding newly tarred roads that snake down thru these New England hills,and Lordy,Found one last night in-the-making,looks like it'll be about 3 miles with an avg. gradient of 6%,starting with twistbacks so tight that motorbikes are only 5-10 mph over the speed limit thru them!The only bummer is the inevitable bridge/intersection(thank God no Railroad tracks)at the bottom of the hill. One thing I've noticed with my getting older(and thusly slower) is my shoes get toasted quicker. I'm either picking more 'tech' hills,or....
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On 8/17/2002 E.K.
wrote in from
(204.246.nnn.nnn)
Hey... sorry about the "step-on-my-neck" comeback. I guess it did hit a nerve about the skeleton idea. As I thought about safety and, you are right... about the danger of this position, it should be considered. In respects to you and your level, I am sorry. I guess it's due to the feedback of just "skateboarding" in the state I live in (Welcome to Utah... now set your watch back 20 years!). I am a very few people (and I do mean very few!) who have been riding since the late 70s and I think that boarding has come a long way. Equipment has improved a hundred percent and this is the reason I got back into the "speedboarding" side of this great sport. Past experience has taught me how terrible a "opps!" situation can be. I am now trying to educate many of the younger boarders to understand the seriousness of going that fast and one of these young bloods is my own. I appreciate this site for the communications we receive. I hope that my last post did not cause any friction and I will be more "relaxed" and open to "tongue and cheek" advice. (Boy... I'm showing my age with this post... very "haole-5" as we say in the islands). Peace brah.
ek
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