Alva modern leopard 33” x 10” with 17” wb. Paris street 169s. 60mm OJ super juice. Dragon built-in bearings. Wedged front, dewedged rear. Cone/barrel front, barrel/barrel rear. Turny front, stable rear. Carves and pumps the best out of any of my boards. I love that Paris street trucks run the same bushing size top and bottom, so I can run double barrels, or even double cones if I wanted to get squirly.
Alva tri logo - 10” x 30” x 16”wb or Alva modern leopard - 10” x 33” x 17”wb.
Cruiser with cx trucks, good idea or bad idea? I need a board I can travel around with that is equally good at stable pushing, carving, and pumping. And I HATE wheel bite! Trying to decide between these decks (not based on the graphics). I’m thinking the loaded ballona might be a tad small. Loaded ballona - 27.75” x 9” x 16”wb. Alva - 30” x 10” x 16”wb. Powell - 30” x 10” x 16.25”wb. Any other decks and/or trucks I should consider?
Cruiser with cx trucks, good idea or bad idea? I need a board I can travel around with that is equally good at stable pushing, carving, and pumping. And I HATE wheel bite! Trying to decide between these decks (not based on the graphics). I’m thinking the loaded ballona might be a tad small. Loaded ballona - 27.75” x 9” x 16”wb. Alva - 30” x 10” x 16”wb. Powell - 30” x 10” x 16.25”wb. Any other decks and/or trucks I should consider?
Just got my new greenroom cx all set up. Orangatang nipples bushings, Zealous bearings, and OJ super juice wheels (Powell Peralta rat bones for park). Love the 18” wheelbase. Ready for the weekend!
Is it silly or pointless to use surfskate trucks on a deck with tkp wheel wells since the geometry doesn’t line up? I’ve always avoided decks with wheel wells because aesthetically it doesn’t make sense. Maybe it’s my ocd. Anyone else?
How do you choose your decks? Curious what everyone prefers. Do you buy surfskate completes? Decks from surfskate companies? Old school decks? Longboard decks?
So I saw the post with the giant Gravity Ed Economy longboard, and it reminded me of my earlier years and thought I’d share.
Back in 2007 I was 20 years old and still figuring it out. Skating/longboarding was my life (still kinda is) and other than that I was just working as a line cook in a restaurant. I graduated high school in 2005 and was just taking time to figure out what I wanted to do. I was skating flow for Gravity at the time, so I decided to move across the country (from Ohio) to work in their warehouse in San Diego. I lived on the beach in Oceanside and worked at the Gravity warehouse in San Marcos for two months packaging product and what not. I even got to skate with Brad Edwards (RIP) a few times, and his board model was by far my favorite. For some stupid reason I decided to move back home and go to culinary school. I figured any growth in the skateboard industry would only lead to a desk job and sales, which is what I was trying to avoid, and having talked to a lot of people already in the industry and telling me there’s no money in it and very hard to make a comfortable living. I’m almost 40 now, living on the east coast (Charleston,SC), still skating multiple times a week, and what I wouldn’t give to get back into the skate industry. I feel like my days being a chef are running out, I’m ready for a different path.
And here’s another kicker…
Before skating for Gravity, I was getting flow from Arbor around 2005ish when they were just getting into the longboard game; they were a snowboard company first. I think they only had like 4 boards in their lineup all with that classic koa wood top and sugar coat grip. I skated mostly street and park, so I rode whatever 36” double kick board they had at the time.
Guys and gals, I think I screwed up.
So next week I’m flying Delta from the US to Italy. I’m bringing an old school cruiser (32” x 11”) that won’t fit in my checked luggage. If I carry it strapped to my backpack, will I have any issues with carry-on? I hear domestic flights are pretty easy going with it, but not sure about international. Thank you!
Ravenel bridge in Charleston, SC. 1 mile walk to the top but totally worth it. Setup: Santa Monica Airlines stigmata (36” x 9.25” & 20”wb), Carver CX with Orangatang nipples, and OJ super juice.
What wheels do you all use for smooth concrete skateparks? Currently I’m using Powell Peralta rat bones 60mm 90a. I find the shape and hardness really good for speed with still plenty of grip. I’m always looking to try new stuff.
Anyone try bones hardcore barrel bushings on carver cx? I’m currently using orangatang nipples, but I have bones conicals on all my tkp setups and wanted to give these a try on my CX’s. It doesn’t list the actual size of the barrels but they’re made to fit most longboard trucks.
I retired my Carver Taylor Knox deck. Wanted something with a longer wheelbase and a nose to keep my foot from slipping.
SMA stigmata longboard - 36” x 9.25” with 20”wheelbase.
Carver CX trucks with Orangatang nipples.
Powell Peralta rat bones wheels 60mm 90a (for park) with Bones race reds bearings. I’ll switch to OJ super juice for street.
Santa Monica Airlines stigmata. 36” x 9” with 20” wheelbase. Indy 169s and Alva 60mm 92a flatbacks. Taking it to the park tomorrow.
…at least for a long long time. My pushing foot is cooked. And I can’t push with my other foot. I’ve tried, it just doesn’t work. I’m dealing with pulled tendons in my big toe and Achilles. I’ve taken time off, ice, stretches, tape, compression wraps, Achilles wraps, carbon fiber insoles, nothing helps. So I’m taking a very long break, maybe even retirement from long distance pushing and cruising. But I have to skate! It’s not an option. I’ve been skating for 30 years! I NEED it for my physical and mental health. So it looks like for the foreseeable future it’s skate parks, pump tracks, and surf skating where pushing is very minimal. 🤙
…at least for a long long time. My pushing foot is cooked. And I can’t push with my other foot. I’ve tried, it just doesn’t work. I’m dealing with pulled tendons in my big toe and Achilles. I’ve taken time off, ice, stretches, tape, compression wraps, Achilles wraps, carbon fiber insoles, nothing helps. So I’m taking a very long break, maybe even retirement from long distance pushing. But I have to skate! It’s not an option. I’ve been skating for 30 years! I NEED it for my physical and mental health. So it looks like for the foreseeable future it’s skate parks, pump tracks, and surf skating where pushing is very minimal. 🤙
If you have this board it would be greatly appreciated if you could post some actual photos of the deck and your thoughts on the board. I’m really interested in buying one but there’s no real pictures of it anywhere online that show concave and kicks in detail.
So I’ve been skating since I was 10, I’m almost 40. Most of my skating for the past 5 years has been longboarding, pushing 10-15 miles per session, and no issues. But just these past few months I’ve been having a lot of foot pain in my pushing foot. It feels like a combination of plantar fasciitis, pulled Achilles, and turf toe. Even if I take a couple weeks off, it still comes back. Any fix? Is this just how it is now because I’m getting older? Should I focus more on cruising around the skatepark and surfskating since that’s the least amount of pushing? I really enjoy my long cruises, I hope there’s a way to recover. I’ve been using stiffer cupsole skate shoes and an ankle wrap which helps some, but the pain is still there and especially the morning after.