Bigger, softer, faster!

I started again from scratch. 36" deck, 21" wheelbase, 8.5" trucks, 75mm wheels etc. Everything is about 20% - 25% bigger than the first one (on the left for comparison).

That was my first attempt at cutting out a deck. The basic surfboard shape is fine, but I messed up on the finer detail and I know it (the outline is a bit wobbly and the truck holes are slightly out of line). I've learned from my mistakes and have a second bit of marine ply for another try next week or whenever:

Skateboard upgrade (3)

I decided that I didn't like the old deck. Having designed the perfect deck on paper, I was researching what materials I would need to make my own custom deck when I stumbled across one that matched my design 'to a T' for a modest £45. That was the price for the whole thing complete with weird trucks and wheels (but still a good price for the deck alone, bearing in mind the faff of trying to make my own).

I messed up removing the trucks - bloody Allen key! Are they mental? Since time immemorial, trucks are held on with Philips-head bolts, and the nuts are easily accessible with yer bog standard skateboard all-in-one tool (which these weren't). TBH stepped in to drill out the shredded bolts for me. Trucks went in the metal recycling and I'll keep the wheels (they seem pretty good, the bearings are questionable but nothing a set of Bones REDS won't fix).

The new deck (top of pic below) is 2" shorter, has an elegant and useable shape (your feet don't get lost on half an acre of grip tape. If I put my front foot on, push off and jump on with my back foot, it lands just where I want it); it has a 2 1/2" longer wheelbase so more stable and no front overhang; and a more subtle kicktail (enough is enough). The perfect 'cruiser' for rolling down the pavement*. No good for doing tricks or going fast downhill.
* In case you're wondering, the trucks are the ones that came with the original cheapo skateboard, 7.5" axle and pretty good once I had upgraded the bushings. New trucks and it will be Trigger's skateboard.

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.

Skateboard upgrade

Her Indoors bought The Lad a £30 all-in-one skateboard on holiday a couple of years ago. The deck was fine - they are all the same nowadays; nice 7.5" trucks - when I was a kid they went to 6.5"

But the wheels were tiny hard things and the bearings were useless. It wouldn't even accelerate going down a modestly steep road on the caravan site. Give yourself a good push and it ground forward a few feet and then stopped again. We tried going off the ramp at the site skate park; I managed to stay upright, he fell off. The 'board was duly relegated to the shed.

I have finally got round to upgrading:
- OJ Super Juice 60mm 78A wheels - the largest and softest they had in the shop (I'm sure these used to be in orange only - they had any colour except orange. The shop doesn't stock the Kryponics Reds, which would have been my first choice), so I chose yellow. £41 a set.
- Bones REDS bearings. Bones are the industry standard at just under £20 a set, so I went one better and got the REDS. £27 a set.
- plus some 'speed washers' they had kicking around in the workshop and a three-way skateboard tool. £5.
- the bloke in the shop said there's no need to bother with spacers, and he didn't have them in stock anyway.
- to be honest, I think the trucks could do with new rubbers as well. You can only adjust between 'straight ahead' and 'wobbly' - you are supposed to be able to adjust how much they respond when you lean into a curve. I have ordered a new set from eBay for £4.

I am pleased to report that it is now disconcertingly fast, even down my garden path that drops about 2" over a 20 yard distance, and hits the house wall with a reassuring clack after you've jumped off in a panic. I'm sure all this stuff costs about the same in £s as it did in the late 1970s. Back then, this lot would have costs year's pocket money. In real terms, it's now basically free.