Skateboard upgrade (2)

Continued from here.

Ebay told me that my new truck bushings wouldn't be here for a fortnight, so I went back to the shop and bought some Independent medium soft in orangey-yellow (£6 for the set). This improved the steering no end. The problem was then that I got 'wheel bite', so I tightened the trucks a bit. Too much, as it turned out. On the test run I fell off and bruised my thumb as it it would only go in a straight line.

So today I loosened the trucks again (back to easily steerable), fashioned some risers out of an old plank and while I was at it, shifted the front trucks an inch forwards and took a power saw to the front to get that 'cruiser' look*. Not quite symmetrical but never mind. The thing now runs silky smooth, I just need to find a place where I can 'practice' (i.e. fall off without people watching): * I have immersed myself in skate culture by watching a few videos on YouTube. They are very elitist.

Only the small skateboards with a kicktail at each end are actually referred to as 'skateboards'. These are for doing tricks, which cause concussion, fractures and bruising.

The really long ones without kicktails are called 'longboards'. These are for whizzing downhill at dangerous speeds.

The middle category, are medium length and have a definite front and back. The rear overhang is longer with a kicktail; the front overhang is shorter, flat and pointy. These are for people who just want to roll down the pavement (and who don't have a death wish). These 'boards are derided as 'cruisers' and don't seem to count.