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| Sidewalk Surfing (537 Posts)
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FlexDex
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On 6/24/2003
Speedy
wrote in from
(67.121.nnn.nnn)
Kolu,
Here's why *I* don't like flexdex: They're heavy. Most boards are made of wood, which is essentially a stiff latticework of carbon and air. Flexdex are made of sollid fiberglass. On the shorter boards it can be nice, because they feel very sollid, and even though they're short and narrow you don't get that flimsy, wobbly, popsicle-stick feeling. On a 60" board however, that would quickly become dead weight. Since you're probably looking at fairly low speeds, I imagine you do at least some pumping, and here weight will really be a bad thing. My opinion, which is not worth any more than anyone elses, and probably a good deal less than others on this page. But I've been a flatlander all my life, and know weight.
-Speedy
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longbordahs
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On 6/24/2003 vaitus
wrote in from
(216.166.nnn.nnn)
Kolu, I chose 201s cause I had the bakus already, which are the same size as the 101s. Also longer wider boards seem to be working better with wider trucks, especially by keeping all four wheels down on hard carves.
Getting back to the big boards subject I really love my Soulcarver 54", it has a 40.5" wheelbase, whereas most 60" boards are 39", which gives you that longboard surfboard feeling without the unnecessary long nose and tail. Plus it's cheap, $40 for the board only, and well made. If you want to go longer you could have a custom one made and still spend less than the price of those flexdex you mentioned, (thay come with kryptos, yuk!). Have I made another sale? :)
Most of those boards are made of flat baltic Birch plywood anyways, really easy stuff, maybe you could have some Hawaiian skate company make one one for you and save even more money. Just my $0.02.
Aight now I have a question for you, what can you tell me about Ben Aipa longboards and longboard stingers?
Soon I'll be in the market for a new surfboard and I've heard really good things about the guy. Thanks and Aloha.
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Trucks on LN
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On 6/24/2003 Scott
wrote in from
(142.177.nnn.nnn)
Kolu - I just use indies on my LN there fun and the board rides well.... but im sure if I could afford more I would go with the randals on my board.
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surfah
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On 6/23/2003
Kolu
wrote in from
(67.192.nnn.nnn)
Allright Vaitus, you're selling me more and more on the Exkates. If I remember correctly I have a friend in SF who has a pair or 2, maybe I can score a set when I'm there. Bro deal? If nothing else at least I'll get to try riding them. If you don't mind the continued line of questioning, what were your reasons for choosing the 201's over the 101's?
Thanks for the input on the Exkates being a better choice than the Baku's though. If I only had the $ to try them all.... No lottery to play in HI unfortunately. Or fortunately as the case may be. I did just come across something very interesting in the *long* board department. (Still talking 60" rather than the Jam monstas) I was looking in the wheel forum and somebody mentioned an online retailer . I like to check out the sites that people post up in NCDSA to see what they have to offer. This time I was surprised to see that they had quite a selection of Flexdex boards. Now this isn't a big deal to some - most of the posters here aren't big fans of Flexdex, but there happened to be 2 boards of interest to me. There is a "Pro 60 downhill" model, and a "Kelly Slater K60" model. Both, yes, 60" and surfboard shaped. Aha! Uncertain as to why I have this obsession with 60" as opposed to vastly more common 54s and 57s I have now found two more options to choose from. (!) With free shipping.... to the mainland of course. No big surprise there. Unfortunately they don't come as just the deck - you must buy the whole complete. They did choose to use Randal 2's though, so at least a decent truck. That I could use for other boards after switching to a set of Exkates, right? ;) Again, if I only had the $, I would try them all. My skateboard quiver seems to be rapidly approaching the same size as my surfboard quiver. Hmmm....
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surf trukkas
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On 6/23/2003 vaitus
wrote in from
(216.166.nnn.nnn)
Kolu, how's my haole/hawaiian? :)
You're absolutely right about Exkates and Bakus not being good downhill trucks and softer bushings will make it even worse, that's where you want to keep riding on Randals. If you haven't already, switch to stimulator bushings, they'll only make things better. I was actually talking flatland cruising, that's where Exkates shine. I ride Bakus too, on a board similar to a Barfoot. The 2 trucks are very much alike, bakus turn tighter beacause they're narrower than the wider exkates I ride, but exkates have higher rebound because of the bigger bushings, if I had to go with one I would choose Exkates. I ended up with both just because I bought Bakus first. If you're used to Randals you should be fine with the soft exkate bushings, they have more return to center, which is not a problem at low speeds, it actually makes it possible to lean deeper when turning. If you really want to make thinghs hard, ride loose randals on a long wheel base with the stock yellow bushings, yikes! What I actually found most effective to improve my cross stepping and nose riding skill though, is riding a long flat board on a bank mellow enough to allow me to walk back and forth, that's the closest I've come to replicate the side slipping action of a longboard on a wave. Similar but more difficult thing would be to ride an indo board put sideways on the roller.
Also some people like to ride the front truck tighter to replicate the feeling you get when noseriding a longboard surfboard, I've tried that but didn't like it too much because the outside front wheel tend to come off the ground on hard carves making the whole thing less fun.
Last thinga: I'm no big downhiller but 2 possible reasons other the ones you correctly mentioned for getting those wobbles on your 60": Indies are very bad downhill/speed trucks because of their geometry and sloppy construction, you might have drilled your board out of alignement.
On a different note, just found a web page from an old Malibu surfer where they mention Mikey Dora was a local at POP in 1974, that's the same spot sohwn on Z-boys. I'm going to post this on the bulletin board to see if anyone knew about it.
Aloha!
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surf trux
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On 6/23/2003
Kolu
wrote in from
(67.192.nnn.nnn)
Vaitus - I think I see your point on the difference between Exkates and Randals for the surf-skate, though I should probably get myself a pair to get the real-feel-deal. I have Randals on my 46" board which I like a lot for "surfing" but it's also my downhill board. I've seen/heard comments about that "rebound" / return-to-center effect that Exkates have that some consider a problem.... Does your choice of "the softest" bushings negate this? As I'm a good 30 lbs. heavier than you, I wonder if the next up from softest bushings would be better for me.... I could see the forced "return to center" being a potential problem that could throw you from the board though. Or maybe a good thing that would make a nose ride easy, though if you're trying to train for surfing, you wouldn't want it easy - you'd want to train your ankles for the feel.... Hmmm.... gears in brain grinding away.... Have you ever tried the Baku trucks that Chuck Barfoot puts on his boards? Here's something else on a similar but slightly different vein. On my 60" plywood plank I put my old Independent trucks from my 80's Santa Cruz R/S 10 board. As I don't know the official size #, I just measured them (hangar) at 5", where my Randal 150's are 5 3/4. Anyway, point of my story being that I occasionally had some tracking problems, mostly when going downhill. Ever see a plane land with a cross-wind? Coming down over the runway at an angle? That's sort of what the board was doing. And when I would go to turn, there would be this funny change of direction wobble that I would have to overcome, where the board would go from tracking at an angle to straightening out when the wheels came parallel to the board again, to turn initiation, to tracking again. Just had to go stand on one of my boards to see if I was crazy. I wonder if it was due to the super long wheelbase, and the back truck turning more than the front... Hmmm.... any ideas? No idea what the wheelbase was in actuality. I made that board way before I knew it made a difference....
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Kolu
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On 6/23/2003
Vaitus
wrote in from
(216.166.nnn.nnn)
Kolu, there must be something magic about that DT guy, oh and remember it's all realtive, some people here on the East Coast (me first!) would give anything to have that small stuff you have to put up with on the Big Island...;-)
Ok back to sk8ing, yes I do believe Exkates have a surfier feel to them than Randals. I have ridden Randals exclusively for 2 years and I used to think they were the closest thing to surfing, but I guess that's because I hadn't been on anything else....I still like them but as pointed out by others on this board, compared to other trucks you may find them tippy at lower speeds (they turn a lot and right away), in that regard they benefit a lot from using stimulator bushings but for low speed cruising other trucks can be more fun.
To me Exkates feel more stable when cruising, the big bushings provide killer rebound and you can lean a lot on them, which gives you that magic surfy sensations. The soulcarver felt good with randals but feels a whole lot better with exkates. Now I can crank turns in a way I couldn't do on randals. Definetly woth a try. For the bushings the choice would be easy, go as soft as you can! I'm 145lbs and use the softest (black) bushings, I've tried the blue ones, next in hardness, and went back right away.
If you have a board with big wheel clearance you could also try Webb Shogos, they're 7mm wider than Randals Or Exkates and super low, but I hear the business that made them went sour.
Don't know much about Seismics, I've ridden the 157mm (red sparings) briefly and didn't like the lack of shock absorbtion and the rattyness given by the plastic construction. I hear softer springs are better. Many swear by them though they don't seem to be the first choice for bigger boards. aloha and good luck!
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nose-ridah
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On 6/22/2003
Kolu
wrote in from
(67.192.nnn.nnn)
Vaitus - yup, big surf shapes. Proof of that pudding came when I took one to Santa Cruz one year and my then favorite board became a DOG! Woof. Not quite as much wave availability here on the big i. as opposed to surfing every day on Oahu, but I live with it. The boards I ride are about the 17th generation of an old Takayama board that still lives under my friend's house back on Oahu. Back to skateboards though - I'm interested in your choice of exkates for your longer board. Do you think it gives your board a "surfier" feel than, say, Randals? The expensive bushings for the exkates tend to put me off a bit. And I do like my Randals.... I wonder how Seismics would go....
Scott - what trucks do you use on your Nosewalker?
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exkates/ board for K
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On 6/22/2003 vaitus
wrote in from
(216.166.nnn.nnn)
Kolu, rounded pin longboards sound a lot like Hawaii and big surf, as a matter of fact I might get one pretty soon since I'll have to get rid of my McTavish (delam), maybe a Takayama. You can get Exkates from skatetrunk.com, that's where I got mine, there are also other places who sell them and there's always ebay too. Aloha!
K, if you decide to buy from the internet, sk8shop.ch has an extensive selection. You could search the archives here (or just google) for Euro skate dealers. Also some of the regulars on the website silverfish.cc forum are from northern Europe. Euro prices are not exactly cheap compared to here, and you still have to pay for the shipping, so you might end up getting a better deal if you buy direct from one of the US internet dealers. The major drawback would be the wait I guess. Anyways good luck and let us know what you end up with. Aloha! how do you say Aloha in Dutch? ;-)
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longo bongo
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On 6/18/2003
Kolu
wrote in from
(67.192.nnn.nnn)
Scott, thanks for the input for the Nosewalker. Will have to check to see if any shops have it in/around Santa Cruz when I'm there. I'm all about the surf shapes for surf practice. Shipping to Hawaii is a killer. Big thanks to Daddies, Solidskate & Longskate for being so accommodating and shipping USPS.
Vaitus - that should answer your question about me living in Hawaii. Avid longboarder myself. Nothing under 9', though I have been thinking about getting something along the lines of the Hobie Retro Egg. I can just envision Bertleman/Buttons K. kine turns on that buggah. Other than that, 2 T&C Ned McMahon 9' rounded pin shapes (darn him for moving back to the mainland), local guy Slick 9' rounded pin (brought him the T&C's to copy) and a Pierson Arrow 10' that I brought from Santa Cruz. Now if only we could get a swell.... I didn't even know Exkate even make trucks anymore. Just found their website tho, and it's dated 2003. It's even getting rare to see their wheels. I noticed Long and Solid skates don't carry them anymore.
K- might I suggest the Pumpkin Cruisin '98? They're a Swiss company, so maybe easier to come by in Europe (rollbretter.com). I just got one from Daddies Board Shop, and love it to bits. Admittedly no kicktail, but it makes a killer cruiser and pumper. Just about perfect for Holland I would think.... Also, you might check out Surrey skateboards (surreyskateboards.com). They're in the UK, so shipping might be easier on your budget. No Sector 9, but plenty of other brands to choose from.
aloha ka kou
Kolu
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Luke Nosewalker for Kolu
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On 6/17/2003 Scott
wrote in from
(142.177.nnn.nnn)
This board is amazing
I own it and it is so much to walk on and sidewalk surf on. I reallyenjoy this board and definatly think it should be in your hands for a surfboard shape... its sweet
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thanks
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On 6/17/2003 K
wrote in from
(213.10.nnn.nnn)
Thanks Vaitus, appreciate it :)
now if i can just find a shop which sells sector nines....
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long + K answers
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On 6/17/2003 vaitus
wrote in from
(216.166.nnn.nnn)
Mahalos to you Kolu! do you live in Hawaii? what surfboards do you ride? me, guess what, I'm a longboarder! I ride a Takayama DT3 9'0 and McTavish Noosa 66 10', don't see the need for anything else, maybe a pintail someday.
yes I'm not crazy about pointy boards either, but they'll give you a little more wheel clearance.
My looong board is a soulcarver, 'only' 54" long but with a 40.5" wheelbase. After a lot of trial and error I found it to be an outstanding match for Exkates 201, completely out of fashion trucks but great for what this board is for, 'surf skating', which I see as low speed carving and boardwalking.
K, I don't know what else is available in Holland, so I'm going to suggest a Sector9 Cosmic1, yeah I know I'll suggest this board for anything but I love it, I just can't help it! it's compact and easy to carry around but long enough to be a longboard, the flex will absorb road bumps, it carves great and being light and low it's easy to push. The Cosmic 2 is longer and more squishy, especially if you're over 150lbs. If you can don't get the complete, get just the board instead and set it up with Tracker trucks, either darts 149mm or sixtracks and abec11 flashbacks wheels in the 78a durometer, it''l be cheaper and far better. These are flexy boards so if you want to ollie over curbs you should consider something stiffer. Hope that helped.
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looong
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On 6/17/2003
Kolu
wrote in from
(67.192.nnn.nnn)
vaitus - mahalos for your input. I had forgotten about the Jam boards. They're a bit too pointy for me I think. But whoa are they long! I have to admit I'm not big on wheel cutouts either. Which makes me a picky bastard, I know, but I have very strong ideas about my surfboards too. I like the look of the S9 Luke Nosewalker and the Gravity Hardwood boards, mostly for the "surfboard" shapes. When I was living in Santa Cruz I made myself a 60" board out of a piece of 3/4" ply that I used to cruise up and down West Cliff practicing my cross stepping and such. I should look around to see if it still exists when I'm there in a couple of weeks....
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questions
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On 6/16/2003 K
wrote in from
(213.10.nnn.nnn)
hi longboarders...
i've recently caught interest in longboards, and have been considering getting one as an alternative transportation method, u know, to get to campus etc.
the problem is, i have no idea what kind of setup fits this need. how long should the deck be, what kind of trucks and wheels i should get, is a kicktail important for jut getting around...etc. i don't know anyone here who longboards, and i haven't found a local shop which sells longboards, so i can't ask anyone else, which is why i turned to the forums... hopefully someone can help me out here, just some general reccomendations is all i ask for :)
i've got my eye on the sector9 cosmic rider 2, but again, i don't know if it will suit my needs. basically i just need a cruising board, i won't be going downhill, since there aren't any real hills here in holland, and i won't (i think) be doing anything fancy... but how do longboards handle on sidewalks? i mean, i've been reading about board reviews and everyone talks about carving long turns... so how much of a hassle is it (or is it at all?) to get around in a (more or less dense) urban setting?
okay, well anyway.
thanks for listening.
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questions
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On 6/16/2003 K
wrote in from
(213.10.nnn.nnn)
hi longboarders...
i've recently caught interest in longboards, and have been considering getting one as an alternative transportation method, u know, to get to campus etc.
the problem is, i have no idea what kind of setup fits this need. how long should the deck be, what kind of trucks and wheels i should get, is a kicktail important for jut getting around...etc. i don't know anyone here who longboards, and i haven't found a local shop which sells longboards, so i can't ask anyone else, which is why i turned to the forums... hopefully someone can help me out here, just some general reccomendations is all i ask for :)
basically i just need a cruising board, but i'm not going downhill, since there aren't any real hills here in holland... but how do longboards handle on sidewalks? i mean, i've been reading about board reviews and everyone talks about carving long turns... so how much of a hassle is it (or is it at all?) to get around in an urban setting?
okay, well anyway.
thanks for letting me vent.
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really long boards
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On 6/16/2003 vaitus
wrote in from
(216.166.nnn.nnn)
Kolu,
check Jam bords on www.longboard.net, they're huge! (don't know how practical though)
Candank also makes a nice 60" board with 50" wheelbase, kind of expensive though.
Other big boards, but with shorter wb, around 40": Gravity Ed Economy, Soulcarver 54, Tahoe Tallac 62, Afroman, S9 Nosewalker, Fatboy, Flexdex, Davisdesigns, Sherman.
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looong board
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On 6/4/2003 Kolu
wrote in from
(67.192.nnn.nnn)
Anyone ever try one of the Landyachtz B-Ride boards? I think they're 58". I've been looking around, and that's the longest I've found lately. Not exactly surfy-board shaped, but I sort of like it....
Kolu
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walking board
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On 5/28/2003 vaitus
wrote in from
(69.18.nnn.nnn)
lbk,
the stiffer (and wider) the board the easier to walk on it,
therefore if that's the purpose I would go with the bank rider.
I learned cross stepping on a Soulcarver 54" roundtail, which has a slight flex to my 145 lbs, but my friend's taohe tallac 60", same wheelbase but totally stiff, is a whole lot easier to learn walking. that said, for my weight and for the fact that I prefer to have a little flex, I like the soulcarver better.
I thought the tuna was a nice board for walking by the way (never tried one), did you get the complete with gullwings?
ps thanks for the videos source. another video to check out is wingnut's art of longboarding, just a 5/7 minute segment on board walking but very nice.
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sidewalk surfing - top 10
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On 5/26/2003
Bob
wrote in from
(204.65.nnn.nnn)
Wow -- I am honored that anyone would put me on a list with those guys. I am a total beginner.
Chris Chaput is amazing at board walking tricks. He is so sure footed, its sick.
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paddling in
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On 5/26/2003 robc
wrote in from
(205.150.nnn.nnn)
Saw a new sidewalk surfing move- yesterday seemed to be some sort of "skateboard mayhem" day on my street- every kid with a shortboard was out in a big pack. Looking out my window, I saw this little guy, about 4 years old, lying prone, with his legs up, propelling himself stylishly up the street with his arms. I almost split a gut, it looked so perfect. Too bad we're a long way from the ocean...
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Gravity Sidewalk Surfers and Boards
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On 5/25/2003 lbk
wrote in from
(64.75.nnn.nnn)
vaitus, again thanks for the tips. I'm going to invest in an Ed Economy Gravity board for sidewalk surfing and cruising. Not sure if I should get the Street Rider or the Bank Rider. The Street Rider has some flex to it while the Bank Rider is stiffer but much heavier. What do you think would be the better choice? I've got a Jam Tuna that is fun to make long swooping turns on like a bottom turnon a surfboard or a nice powder turn on a snowboard. Though, I need a 50''+ board with a kick tail.
BTW, Go to Gravity Skateboards for footage of Cabbage, Coleman, Edwards, and Yuppie (sp?) another guy I would put on the list of top 10 Sidewalk Surfers. Also, have you ever seen Chaput cross step a skateboard? He rips.
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cross stepping
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On 5/24/2003 vaitus
wrote in from
(216.166.nnn.nnn)
lbk
interesting list you got there, where can I find footage of Cabbage, Coleman and those other guys? I'd have a couple of names to add, Greg Weaver (downhill motion) and Larry Bertelmann (go for it), but they belong to another era.
to learn cross stepping first you should be comfortable riding your board balanced on a single foot, both stances.
that's because to cross your legs you have to lift one foot at a time, and every other step you'll find yourself almost switch stanced.
also remember to bend your knees a lot, and to begin the motion from the knee, not the waist, think "kicking" instead of "walking". a flat, wide, stiff board with trucks stable at low speeds (pretty much anything but Randals) will help a lot.
also when I was learning I used to do some warm up drills,
a few minutes on the indo board and cross stepping with eyes closed (on the carpet!) to help me find the best balance and to make sure I could walk back and forth in a straight line without relying on my vision (feeling the bealnce instead of looking at my feet). good luck!
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Top 10 Sidewalk Surfers-Short List
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On 5/24/2003 lbk
wrote in from
(171.75.nnn.nnn)
Top 10 Sidewalk Surfers (in no particular order, your choices)
How about helping me complete this informal list of who makes it into the Top 10 Sidewalk Surfers in the world today? Note, they must still be actively sidewalk surfing skateboarders today? Here is my startup list:
1) Cabbage
2) Chris Chaput
3) Cliff Coleman
4) Brad Edwards
5) Keith Johnson (surfacemotion.com)
6) Bob Loftin (texaslongboarder.com)
7)
8)
9)
10)
Viatus, thanks for surfacemotion tip. I agree that the reverse drop knee turn is just for show but it looks crazy. Sure wish I could ride a longboard like Wingnut rips a longboard surfboard. Of course I can’t cross step worth a crap right now but would like to learn.
DR
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How to do a Reverse Drop Knee
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On 5/24/2003
vaitus
wrote in from
(216.166.nnn.nnn)
lbk, have you checked surfacemotion.com? the absolute best and most comprehensive site for surf style skating. the guy who put it up is very helpful and will answer all your questions.
if that's what I'm thinking of, making a front side turn from the tail with your legs crossed, then it's pretty easy to do if you have your cross stepping down and doesn't serve any practical purpose.
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