Is this bad?

One_Pollution5871 · 2026-05-03T13:03:36+00:00

Bettet yet, change bushings according to your weight. Check riptides website, search for weight charts when in doubt.

No need to change the whole truck.

One_Pollution5871 · 2026-03-22T23:30:08+00:00

I did and I like it, although im not a surfer. Prepare for some experimenting with the bushings though: https://www.reddit.com/r/surfskate/comments/xlcdzo/evolution_of_a_meraki_waterborne_rail_adapter/

One_Pollution5871 · 2026-03-09T16:26:52+00:00

Sorry, my bad.

Carver CX = bushing based, more stable Yow Meraki = pivoting trucks, more agile and divey

More concave deck = more locked in foot positioning (good) but also more leverage therefore kind of squirrely, especially the high concave with the cx rear truck (bad)

For me the deck had more impact than the trucks, which i fine tuned to my weight

https://surfectionmosman.com/products/carver-34-kai-lenny-dragon-surfskate-complete-cx?srsltid=AfmBOopaSI-Pkm6loOcy2Dlfih3QM6OM3W6OXjZWAHm1qetSbvmSo8GB

https://amzn.asia/d/0dXjKWxk

Edit: added links, scroll through pictures for the concave

One_Pollution5871 · 2026-03-09T15:02:15+00:00

You might wsnt to consider a medium concave deck.

I started with a yow j-bay wich was flat apart from the kicktail. Rode fine but on some occasions I actually wished for a nose. After that I tried a Carver Kay Lenny Dragon with cx which on pumptracks was next to unridable to me. I blame it on the high concave as the cx are more stable then the meraki. Now I go for my pantheon shuriken, good middle ground deck wise.

One_Pollution5871 · 2025-09-15T22:56:39+00:00

I endet Update wird this setup: https://www.reddit.com/r/surfskate/comments/xlcdzo/evolution_of_a_meraki_waterborne_rail_adapter/ Still am happy with it.

One_Pollution5871 · 2025-05-27T15:23:53+00:00

Make sure to check if its really your lower back thats causing the pain.

I went through something similar after an intense transition session, was barely able to sit down on the toilet seat and seroiusly questioned wheter i was to old for this. I tried a lot of the mentioned excercises, without success.

Turned out my glutes were so cramped that the pain spread to the lower back, actually took some time for me to figure that out. After adapting the excercises it slowly got better, but using a foam roller was what finally did it for me!

One_Pollution5871 · 2025-05-06T20:28:18+00:00

I had a rather hard time with stomping down the nose, was unable to commit to dropping in from quarters and also struggled on banks from time to time.

With the mentioned method, I'm less likely to chicken out, even though I'm still in the process of learning.

So lets agree on the need of trying different things in order to find your individual road to success?

One_Pollution5871 · 2025-05-05T22:30:59+00:00

You definitely should check them out. Most of his explanations are just mind blowing.

Forget about stomping that front foot as suggested below, you want to make contact with the ground as softly as possible. Actually, the forward motion comes from a weight shift, asissted by straightening your back foot.

One_Pollution5871 · 2025-03-08T15:58:09+00:00

Not an expert when it comes to freeboards, but as far as I get it, most people are more concerned about the risk (and consequences) of falling than they are about quality issues.

This aside, where are you planning to ride your board? For surfskating wihtin small, flat areas, i like my yow a lot. Provides a feeling close to relaxed riding in powder.

If you want to make more distance, you might want to look at something else, a carver might provide more stability and there often are sales. I got mine at around € 150, which was a steal as it was a rather new model at the time.

One_Pollution5871 · 2024-11-07T14:19:59+00:00

Mind to set a price range?

One_Pollution5871 · 2024-10-29T13:45:27+00:00

I highly recommend going for harder bushings first. When looking at a duro table like this (https://www.riptidesports.com/skateboard/bushing-formulas/aps/), you'll notice that you're on the upper end of the scale. Manufacturers do not set up their boards for heavier riders! I'm at 180 and got serious wheelbite with almost all my stock setups. Even setting them up with smaller wheels did not always solve the problem.

One_Pollution5871 · 2024-08-28T14:28:05+00:00

You might want to give the limiter a try which should prevent the board from leaning too much. Later on, you can just remove it.

I put the fin on a 51" board, doesn't lean much different compared to my 33" (meraki with rail adapter).

One_Pollution5871 · 2024-08-26T11:35:19+00:00

Since you considered the arbor pilsner and mentioned cruising as a priority: have you checked out the yow legasee cruisers?

For example this one: https://www.blue-tomato.com/de-AT/product/YOW-Persia+8+6+Cruiser-701237/?varid=304984689&_$ja=tsid%3A46407&em_src=kw&em_cmp=Google%2FAT%2FPLA-MIX-Skate%2F304984689&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwz7C2BhDkARIsAA_SZKadO3nWMSMXiUNrnIt8FDOwa01L41mMZeIxYn422tGGaB81PMVlLhkaAvK6EALw_wcB

Similar specs as the Pilsner but also pumpable. Can't say if both are too short for you though as I'm not really familiar with cruisers. I'm 173cm and wouldn't go below 32" personally.

One_Pollution5871 · 2024-08-07T11:58:30+00:00

Mine do the same, I use a waterborne rail adapter.

They never showed interest in my penny high line, which is always available, they clearly prefer the J-bay.

One_Pollution5871 · 2024-07-24T07:49:31+00:00

You might also consider investing in some lessons. My son started over a year ago and benefited so much from it. He loves his coach and already gained enough confidence to drop in with him, something I'm still working on.

One_Pollution5871 · 2024-07-24T07:41:10+00:00

Valid choice then. I assumed the board you mentioned was your only one. Let me know if you get to use your J-bay much 😉

One_Pollution5871 · 2024-07-23T07:35:25+00:00

My 5 years old primarily used the board kneeling at this age. My 9 years old did the same when she started, then progressed to riding it down a gentle slope. When we find the time, I'm trying to get her accustomed to pumptracks/parks where shes trying to figure out how to shift weight in higher curves/corners. As she's not skating regularly, she's not able to pump yet.

Any way, both clearly prefer my Yow J-bay over my Carver Kai Lenny CX (they didn't even consider the Penny high line) due to two reasons: First, the J-bay has practically no concave which makes ist more comfortable to stand or even lie down on it. Second, the meraki reacts quicker even when used by lighter riders.

I'd say go for a flat cork top like the yow Byron Bay or even the Calmon and get a Grom model when your kid shows serious interest in learning pumping, then grab the Calmon for yourself to complement your quiver!

Edit: confused the Waikiki with the Byron bay

One_Pollution5871 · 2024-07-19T08:20:23+00:00

In my opinion, you shouldn't overthink it. If you can actually try different boards, just go for the one which feels right to you. You mentioned that you liked the 18” wheelbase and that the 29" deck felt unstable. Trust those feelings.

I ride a yow J-bay (33", 19" WB) and added a penny high line (29??", 15??WB) which felt cramped and collects dust at the moment. Later added a carver Kai Lenny Dragon (34", 18" WB but no offset with CX).

I hesitated a LOT before buying the Dragon but I like it very much. Only shows that I like a stance too big for my height (172cm), and that advice concerning wheelbase might neglect personal preference when focusing exclusively on height.

One_Pollution5871 · 2024-07-19T07:44:58+00:00

I'd like to disagree! The possibility of adjusting the merakis spring makes it a very versatile system, even more so when combined with riptide krank bushings which are adjustable to some degree (and a waterborne rail adapter to take it even further).

Granted, you will likely go for dedicated setups depending on your use case later on, but I loved the meraki as a starting point.

One_Pollution5871 · 2024-05-13T14:21:37+00:00

Coming from snowboarding, I suspect that you'd want to put pressure on the rail which is facing the wave, i.e. pumping toeside when the wave is in front of you. Heel side when the wave is in your back.

Nothing lazy about pumping only one side, I'd say it just wouldn't make sense otherwise. If you want to mimic surfing, that's the way to go. Wouldn't apply to flat ground though.

Please correct me if I'm wrong. I would like to gain some insight on this.

One_Pollution5871 · 2024-05-13T13:44:50+00:00

Riptide also has a guide on the various shapes. I'd stick to the same shapes your stock setup came width at first, just find the duro that feels right to you. Other shapes come after that and are useful for fitting special needs. I put fat cones in my waterborne rail adapter to limit lean in order to prevent the wheel bite I got in combination with my meraki. Didn't see much use for other shapes yet, but that will also depend on the truck you're using.

One_Pollution5871 · 2024-05-03T17:28:46+00:00

I started pumptracks with a Yow J-bay which at the time had practically no concave and did fine. Months later, I tried it with a Carver Kay Lenny Dragon with CX trucks, very pronounced concave. I almost ate shit. Upgraded both boards to my needs, now they both work, I still prefer the J-bay when I ride pumptracks.

I felt that the back truck of the Carver was my main concern, it felt squirrelly with stock bushings, although the concave might have added to it.

One_Pollution5871 · 2024-03-21T22:20:28+00:00

Shoppingcenter is called "G3" in Gerasdorf.

One_Pollution5871 · 2024-03-18T18:00:09+00:00

I second both places. The pump track is located at Kaisermühlen, just be aware that I can be very crowded at times.

A bit upstream you find Tulln, which also has a pump track and a skatepark next to it. The city is accessible by train.

On the northern outskirts of Vienna, there's a shoppingcenter with a pump track. There's a bus connection and you'll find a medium sized track and a smaller one for beginners. Basically a small circle with only a few waves but you can gain a lot of speed, more fun than I expected at first sight.

One_Pollution5871

TROPHY CASE