March 14, 20223 yr Author I missed most of last 'season' thanks to a snowboarding ankle injury. Up to that point I found I could do the two hands down slide if I planned it. The unexpected going too fast slide was still usually a disaster. Now I am working on basic skateboard tricks so my long board slide attempts are on hold for a bit. While I'm tired today I'm stoked that the time change happened. Between board sports and mountain biking I need more daylight.
March 14, 20223 yr Here is my street board. Usually just head to top of the hill on my street and carve my way down and try to avoid speed wobbles
March 15, 20223 yr 2 hours ago, Updawg said: Here is my street board. Usually just head to top of the hill on my street and carve my way down and try to avoid speed wobbles Keep your weight/center of gravity up front, centered above your front trucks.
March 15, 20223 yr 7 hours ago, MC Fresh Breath said: Hey dude, first off, welcome to the club! Very similar to you as to when I started getting into this. I really enjoy the landyachtz videos (I don't own one of their boards) : For me, practicing foot stopping over and over was key to getting comfortable. You really have to bend your knees more than you think. Then the more you skate, the more you'll get comfortable with speed. I know, duh, but the thing to keep in mind is those of us who take it up as adults are different than adults who "get back into it." No muscle memory to go back to, and now that we're older, our progress is slower. So during warmer months I try to set an 'every day' goal of getting on the board. Maybe some days its just 10 minutes. Other days shoot for an hour. But every day, a little something. In terms of stopping for a long time every time I went out, I would just start out with get going, stop under control. Repeat. Add a little speed and you can use the foot drags to slow down w/o stopping all the way. Have fun! I came back to it, so I was pretty familiar with turning and carving and all that, even could return to kick turning pretty quick. But being six feet tall and 200 lbs, instead of 4 foot something and 100 lbs made it a pretty harrowing proposition. Also, I remember rocks in the road being something of a nemesis as a kid, now it's much, much worse.
March 15, 20223 yr Author When I got the local shop hook up on wheels for the Santa Cruz skateboard they put Spitfire 80HD 56mm chargers on it. Seems to handle smallish pebbles about the same as the longboard, which is pretty good.
May 2, 20223 yr Author Right after I got the new board it decided to be winter again. So I got those 'SkaterTrainer' things which are essentially rubber blocks you put on the wheels to stop the board from rolling while practicing. Landed my first ollie ever in my life at age 52 this past Saturday. I'm happy. Going to get a bit more practice with it before I decide to try it without the trainers on.
December 29, 20231 yr Haven't skated in years, but have some of my favorites from the 80's on my office wall. Dropped the Roskopp and added a Billy Ruff Puppet Bomb. Have a Neil Blender Coffee Break reissue I need to put up, but want to have a couple more horizontal graphics first so it's not on it's own. Will get a Jeff Kendall Halloween and Joe Lopes BBQ at a minimum before adding.
December 30, 20231 yr 1 hour ago, Mittens said: Haven't skated in years, but have some of my favorites from the 80's on my office wall. Dropped the Roskopp and added a Billy Ruff Puppet Bomb. Have a Neil Blender Coffee Break reissue I need to put up, but want to have a couple more horizontal graphics first so it's not on it's own. Will get a Jeff Kendall Halloween and Joe Lopes BBQ at a minimum before adding. Quality choices! The horizontal decks are the bane of every display. 15ish years later and it still irks me that Santa Cruz modernized their reissue shapes by adding kick noses.
December 30, 20231 yr Author Seems not too long after I moved to Oregon Austin built a few skateparks all around that look nice from what I see on the Youtubes. Including one in Mueller that would have been just down the road from me. Oh well. I'm now on a Welcome board. 9.25 wide with a 14.75 wheelbase. Found out I like a longer wheelbase which given my height and old man self (6'5'') makes sense. Indy forged hollow 169 trucks. Alternate between spitfires or Powell dragons depending on the surface. Just baby ollies and short manuals for me right now other than just riding around for fun. Hoping to get some no complies in 2024 and maybe some shuv its. The neighborhood crew rode a lot this summer so we had a great time (some of them really, really good skaters). Although one of them really hurt himself badly in a garage session so he might not be rejoining. Have also found r/oldskaters on reddit is one of the few subreddits I go to anymore these days. Pretty supportive group. Although if you browse it much you will think every dude 40 and up rides either a Heroin egg deck or an Andy Anderson flight deck. Happy holidays and New Year skate crew.
December 30, 20231 yr Picked up the Kendall and a nice bright orange Grabke exploding clock today. Will post when they come in.
December 31, 20231 yr This is all that I really ride these days, and only a couple of times a year and only a few blocks down the street to Doomlet's school. It's a squirrelly little (26.5x7.5) death trap and a guaranteed beef for anyone heavier than me due to the softness of the bushings, looseness of the trucks (Indy 101s from ~1986 on wedged risers), and size of the wheels (76mm, 81a ABEC-11 Gumballs), but it's fast as shit and incredibly manueuverable thanks to the short wheelbase (handcarved butchery by a previous owner - I received it in a bulk purchase of used miscellaneous crap). I used it to haul ass all over campus during grad school, and it was perfect for that purpose. Only got tossed off a few times myself... It's like a lifted Mini Cooper on Mickey Thompson drag slicks. Edited December 31, 20231 yr by Prepuce of Doom
December 31, 20231 yr Author 16 hours ago, Mittens said: Picked up the Kendall and a nice bright orange Grabke exploding clock today. Will post when they come in. You might already know of these but I love watching the Andrew Cannon SC "product challenge" videos.
December 31, 20231 yr Author 15 hours ago, Prepuce of Doom said: This is all that I really ride these days, and only a couple of times a year and only a few blocks down the street to Doomlet's school. It's a squirrelly little (26.5x7.5) death trap and a guaranteed beef for anyone heavier than me due to the softness of the bushings, looseness of the trucks (Indy 101s from ~1986 on wedged risers), and size of the wheels (76mm, 81a ABEC-11 Gumballs), but it's fast as shit and incredibly manueuverable thanks to the short wheelbase (handcarved butchery by a previous owner - I received it in a bulk purchase of used miscellaneous crap). I used it to haul ass all over campus during grad school, and it was perfect for that purpose. Only got tossed off a few times myself... It's like a lifted Mini Cooper on Mickey Thompson drag slicks. bad ass!
December 31, 20231 yr Author Only my second personal grip tape job on the Welcome board. That's MOB clear grip in the middle. Yes, bit of a bubble on top right but I've smoothed it out. Pepper grip tape. Before I put the trucks on it. Art is a Michelangelo painting lol
January 2, 20241 yr First board was a Nash for Christmas in probably 1976 or so. Rode that a couple years then put Kryptonics wheels on it. It got stolen. Next board was a Bahne with Bennett Pros and Kryptonics. That one banged around in my parent’s garage for about 25 years. Don’t know if it’s still there. Would love to get a cruiser/longboard and just screw around with in the neighborhood. I surf, windsurf, etc. along with other exercise so am relatively fit and balanced.
January 2, 20241 yr First board was my brother's hand-me-down G&S warptail. Then I got into BMX in the early 80's and then back into skating again. Had this since '84/'85.
January 3, 20241 yr A thought that I had is to ride the neighborhood walking trails while walking the dog. My knees aren’t as good as they used to be and bother me after a walk. Wonder if I could make that work with a longboard?
January 3, 20241 yr 6 hours ago, CycleTex87 said: A thought that I had is to ride the neighborhood walking trails while walking the dog. My knees aren’t as good as they used to be and bother me after a walk. Wonder if I could make that work with a longboard? I fucked around with the idea a few times back when I had two retired greyhounds. No disasters, but ultimately not advisable. Your dog may be different though. Edited January 3, 20241 yr by Prepuce of Doom
January 3, 20241 yr @Prepuce of Doom I have no idea how you ride that thing! @Rip76 first new deck I bought was a Hawk as well. @MC Fresh Breath I hadn't seen that, but it's something I think about quite a bit - translation of eras/tricks/boards. I quit skating right at the end of the 80's when rails and kickflips had *just* entered the scene. Got the new decks in today. Here's the current wall situation - the Ruff and Natas weren't up there originally. The new arrivals: The rest - will probably keep the Cab and sell the Groholski and Roskopp
January 3, 20241 yr ^^^^very quickly, and very carefully! Post some pictures once you get everything hung up! Are you doing anything beyond the generic "fishing line and a nail" method of hanging? I have had good success with Ook hooks in the past (they're used in the picture below), but I don't know whether they're still the right tool for my current job. I've mentioned this previously upthread, but my collection (probably between 80 and 100 decks right now?) is still all boxed up and waiting to be hung, but it's such a large undertaking that it's about the last thing we'll ever get around to as far as home improvements. And there are two added levels of difficulty - plaster walls, and I've been allowed the walls of the staircase leading to our basement, so it won't be easy to get up there... Here's an old picture that I dug up that includes the Schmitt Stix Hans Lindgren deck (upper right, with Heckle and Jeckle) that originally sported the Indy 101s currently on my dangerous little cruiser. I was a pretty small kid back in the day, so I got the bright idea to just ride a freestyle board like a regular deck - I put rails on it and everything. Predated the trend towards popsicle sticks by a decade, and gained quite a bit of height to my (still quite meager...) ollies as a result of the weight difference... Edited January 3, 20241 yr by Prepuce of Doom
January 3, 20241 yr Damn - you got a couple I'm looking for, but I'm not trying to spend any more $$$ right now...I shouldn't have bought the last couple, but I have a problem. The O'Brien and both Jesses, and I don't want the popsicle version, but definitely want a Staab Mad Scientist. Looks like we've got the same Grabke, and that green Roskopp is more the era I want.
January 3, 20241 yr The Grabke you have could have been mine! That picture is a decade (and two cross-country moves) old - I've since ebayed many of my reissues over the years to pay for speeding tickets. Part of an agreement with Mrs. Doom that one indulgent foolishness must pay for the other... I still have a few reissues, but I know for a fact that the entire Roskopp reissue series went to line the coffers of Tifton, Georgia...
January 3, 20241 yr Author 36 minutes ago, Prepuce of Doom said: -I've since ebayed many of my reissues over the years to pay for speeding tickets. Part of an agreement with Mrs. Doom that one indulgent foolishness must pay for the other... Best thing I've read online in forever.
January 4, 20241 yr This is a good follow. Shes cute and can skate. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1kQPqXMFdG/?hl=en
January 4, 20241 yr 10 hours ago, Updawg said: Here’s my street rider Looks like an old Mistral windsurfing board on the wall there.
January 5, 20241 yr Hard to throw those things away I guess. I have a currently functional rig in my garage - an F2 board I bought in probably 1993 or 94, along with various newer components. Newest is a sail I bought to replace the one I put my knee through in summer of 2020, the last time I sailed. So I have a brand new $800 sail that has never been unrolled laying on the shelf in my garage gathering dust.
January 5, 20241 yr Author This dude reps Austin pretty damn well. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1ueM6GrO3q/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link His "Texas Three Step" videos are worth watching on Youtube.
January 5, 20241 yr Couple pics w/ some legends. Got to chat with Bucky and Staab for a little bit, Hosoi and Cab were just pic requests.
January 11, 20241 yr On 1/3/2024 at 12:51 PM, Mittens said: @Prepuce of Doom I have no idea how you ride that thing! @Rip76 first new deck I bought was a Hawk as well. @MC Fresh Breath I hadn't seen that, but it's something I think about quite a bit - translation of eras/tricks/boards. I quit skating right at the end of the 80's when rails and kickflips had *just* entered the scene. Got the new decks in today. Here's the current wall situation - the Ruff and Natas weren't up there originally. The new arrivals: The rest - will probably keep the Cab and sell the Groholski and Roskopp where did you find the coffee break ???
January 11, 20241 yr G&S just did a reissue run in October. Looks like there's some of this colorway left: https://gordonandsmith.com/collections/the-neil-blender-collection/products/g-s-neil-blender-reissue-coffee-break-colorway-2 Wish they'd do a reissue of Faces - I had a black/purple deck back in the day.
January 11, 20241 yr On 1/3/2024 at 12:51 PM, Mittens said: @Prepuce of Doom I have no idea how you ride that thing! @Rip76 first new deck I bought was a Hawk as well. @MC Fresh Breath I hadn't seen that, but it's something I think about quite a bit - translation of eras/tricks/boards. I quit skating right at the end of the 80's when rails and kickflips had *just* entered the scene. Got the new decks in today. Here's the current wall situation - the Ruff and Natas weren't up there originally. The new arrivals: The rest - will probably keep the Cab and sell the Groholski and Roskopp I had that Vision Mark Gonzales board in that exact colorway. My best friend across the street had that exact Lance Mountain. My favorite board all time is that Natas. I think I owned 3 of them over the years I skated. Great street deck with the shorter nose and a little more angle on the tail than most of the Powell decks. Great collection.
January 11, 20241 yr Thanks! I feel the same way about the Dressen, and honestly it's a very similar shape to the Natas. Easily my favorite deck to ride way back when.
January 11, 20241 yr Natas decks were always a little different than the norm - deeper concave, steeper tails, etc., and are probably one of most popular "favorite rider from back in the day" decks for a lot of people, at least in my experience. I remember the distinctive feel of my friend's Panther 2 more clearly than that of some of my own decks over the years... Edited January 11, 20241 yr by Prepuce of Doom
March 5, 20241 yr that was a tough video to watch for a couple reasons: 1) the music SUCKED 2) I sprained my wrist in the pool at Brushy, couple weeks ago. still fucked. gonna be a while. getting old sucks.
March 6, 20241 yr Author Sorry about the injury. Heal up. I can't skate outside right now and haven't been snowboarding enough this season. Ah well, supposedly Spring is around the corner.
March 6, 20241 yr It's been a good couple of months, and it's a good thing I'm about out of room on the wall, because I'm damn sure about out of money! Got 1 more grail I'll start hunting in a month or so when the coffers have had a chance to fill back up - Kevin Staab Mad Scientist. The horizontals:
March 7, 20241 yr Did a little longboarding around some residential streets yesterday afternoon near my hotel in Odessa. Just slow cruising and nice weather. Need some better roads and scenery but enjoyable.
April 1, 20241 yr On 1/11/2024 at 3:49 PM, Mittens said: G&S just did a reissue run in October. Looks like there's some of this colorway left: https://gordonandsmith.com/collections/the-neil-blender-collection/products/g-s-neil-blender-reissue-coffee-break-colorway-2 Wish they'd do a reissue of Faces - I had a black/purple deck back in the day. they already did i'm sure they will again this guy is currently on ebay . i flew right past that part of your post as i instantly went to g&s
April 1, 20241 yr There's a couple on ebay, but there's something off about that deck - the shape isn't correct, imo. It should be very wide at the front trucks, super narrow hips at the back trucks and a pronounced flair out for the tail. If I move and get a bigger wall, maybe I'll add it to my collection, but for now, I'm out of room and I am done spending. Just bought my final grail for $710 last week and spent a couple of days dry heaving and reconsidering my life/values.
April 1, 20241 yr 1 hour ago, mr.goodkat said: they already did i'm sure they will again this guy is currently on ebay . i flew right past that part of your post as i instantly went to g&s Yeah, these aren't my wheelhouse, but something about this deck looks off to me as well.
April 2, 20241 yr On 1/5/2024 at 5:49 PM, Mittens said: Couple pics w/ some legends. Got to chat with Bucky and Staab for a little bit, Hosoi and Cab were just pic requests. This is so cool! Where was it? I had no idea there was a skateboarding thread on Surly until today.
April 2, 20241 yr Bucky/Staab was at the last Warped Tour show in Mountainview, CA in 2019. Hosoi/Cab was at It's Not Dead Fest in San Bernardino in 2015.
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