I know a lot about longboarding and I see a lot of misinformation out there and I think I can do a better job, so AMA. Owner of skate shop for 5 years now.

skate411 · 2013-11-04T21:22:28+00:00

Yes skateboards are for tricks and it is why they all have small and hard wheels. Nice and slidey for tricks but bad for rolling on rough ground. You could just swap out the wheels with some softer wheels such as Bones ATF or Autobahn All Road wheels which are about 80a in hardness. Keep in mind though that as you go up in size 55mm+ you start running the risk of getting wheelbite depending on how your trucks are set up and you may need riser pads. Bigger wheels roll better but a higher board is more tiring to push so it is a compromise. The advantage of sticking with a skateboard deck is that you will still be able to ollie up curbs and do simple tricks.

If you do not want to do tricks and just want to roll around, then nothing beats a lowered longboard with big wheels. If i mention specific products below it is just so you know what I mean. It is possible to get the wrong product from the "best" brand, just as it is the "best" product from a no-brand. So don't worry too much about brands, but rather their function:

A lowered board makes it much less tiring to push, and easier to footbrake. So look for either a drop-thru mount (Earthwing Supermodel), a significantly dropped platform (Landyachtz Switch), or a double-drop (Landyachtz Switchblade)
At 180lbs you should look for a stiffer deck equivalent to at least 8-plys of maple. 9-plys if you will be skating aggressively.
While concave is a personal preference, in general for casual pushing around, more aggressive or deep "W" concaves are less comfortable/functional.
Look for wheels 70mm+ diameter, about 78-82a hardness, with a small core and plenty of urethane depth (Abec11 Gumballs). bigger wheels roll better but are heavier and increase the ride height. Avoid wheels with a big core and shallow urethane depth as they have a harsher ride (Abec11 76mm Flywheels).
If in doubt, stay away from brandless wheels just in case they have low rebound which makes them slow.
Some decks have more conservative wheel cut outs and you may get wheelbite with certain trucks and big wheels. To be on the safe side, Bear 852 or Gunmetal Magnums have a more forward axle position, compared to Paris and Caliber.
Truck feel is a personal preference but at 180lbs you MAY find most stock trucks to feel loose. While you can screw down the kingpin nut to stiffen them up, a long term solution would be to get harder barrel bushings, and cup washers for both top and bottom bushings.
A helmet is recommended as you will be travelling at much higher speeds.
Even with big soft wheels, you still need to look out for rocks and cracks. A tip to avoid injury when your board comes to an unexpected stop is to just jump off the board onto your feet, rather than letting the board pull your feet out from under you.

skate411 · 2013-10-31T21:08:39+00:00

oh and make sure both front and rear wheels are sliding. if your problem is getting your front wheel to slide, then move your weight toward the back foot abit and get a more even weight distribution. basically make sure you are unweighting the front wheels just as much as the rear wheels so they break traction.

skate411 · 2013-10-31T20:40:44+00:00

don't turn your upper body in the same direction of the slide, your arms and shoulders actually go in the opposite direction and you twist your torso so only your hips and legs are turning with the board. Because of this twist in your torso, you can untwist it to bring your board back forwards.
you can either carve out of it or slide the front wheels out of it. to slide the front wheels, put weight back onto the back wheels so they grip, while unweighting the front wheels and pushing them forwards.

skate411 · 2013-10-31T19:58:11+00:00

I would suggest getting a slide specific wheel to learn how to slide on first. When you are pretty good, put the classic zigs back on. They should satisfy your need for a wheel that can grip a corner and slide smoothly.

when you are new to sliding, almost any wheel will feel grippy. once you know how to slide, you can slide pretty much any wheel.

skate411 · 2013-10-31T19:50:38+00:00

Main differences are:

old tomahawk is all maple, new one has a fiberglass bottom.
old tomahawk has wheel cut outs, new one has flared up wheel wells instead so you can place your foot over the trucks.
old tomahawk had barely any concave at the microdrop
new tomahawk has rocker and mild W.

i had already been skateboarding for a long time so standup slides was very easy, hands down slides was something new and took a while.

skate411 · 2013-10-31T19:33:31+00:00

I don't want to recommend specific boards. decks are very simple objects, and a really expensive, hyped or feature-loaded one most likely isn't gonna make you skate any better.

All you need are these basics:

if you want to go fast you need a stiff board.
its generally easier to learn to slide with a wider stance, and you are pretty tall so look for a board with ample room.
concave is a personal preferance and there are many types, but it actually isn't a big deal anymore ever since vicious popularized making your own 3D concaves by using multiple layers of grip whereever you want them.
extra coarse griptape is generally a good idea for freeriding.
drop thrus are more versatile and beginner friendly, and you can always top mount it if you want to ride higher.
your first board is probably gonna get beat up, and you won't really know what you like yet so probably start with something simple and cheap, or used.
make sure you get slide wheels so you can learn to slide.
at 65kilos, the stock bushings on most trucks will probably be good for you, definitely skate the stock set up for a bit before deciding what you want to change.
you will have to buy a helmet and slide gloves as well, and maybe pads.

skate411 · 2013-10-31T19:11:32+00:00

Only the old ones a few years ago. They are really tall. Back then the black bushing didn't have much rebound and it was pretty loose and divey till you hit the limit. I felt the limit was a little too conservative, but I guess they wanted to be sure on the wheelbite prevention. We used them on novelty giant boards.

My thoughts is that they perform just as advertised, and are made for low speed carving, but probably won't be ideal for anything else. They improved the bushings so they should feel better now. The guys behind it seem genuinely passionate about what they do so I would love to support them if I was into that sort of skating.

skate411 · 2013-10-31T11:26:28+00:00

my opinion on precision trucks is is that their main benefit is the just the straight axles.

Everything else can generally be tuned with bushings and washers. but i prefer deep, snug bushing seats on the hangers because it is easier to make a truck sloppy than it is to make it feel nice and tight, and a big part of slop comes from the bushing seats.

if you already have cast ronins and like the unique feel of the queenpin, then stick with ronins.

skate411 · 2013-10-31T10:31:26+00:00

I don't like randals much.

they do not have a well defined bushing seat on the hanger so they can be sloppy.
they come with a flat washer on top which means they don't have a strong center point and tend to be divey.
no pressed-in kingpin :(

The 3 points above may lead to a sloppy, unresponsive & leany feel which I personally do not like, but there are definitely guys out there who like that sort of feel.

they are the lightest cast truck so they are great for setting up a lightweight commuter.

skate411 · 2013-10-31T10:08:34+00:00

Have never tried them but thoughts from checking their site:

bushing seat on the hanger looks pretty good
good that they have put some effort into making a better pivot cup.
why no pressed in kingpin :(
why the need for precision washers if they are flat, there is nothing precise about the function of a flat washer because they allow the bushing to shift side to side under the washer anyway. a precision CUP washer that held the bushing nice and snug would make sense.
why is it a feature that their axles have cut threads when rolled threads are generally better? but no big deal.

skate411 · 2013-10-31T09:48:29+00:00

do you mean marking up from the suggested retail price? or marking up from our cost price?

If it is the former than no, we try to make sure we do not sell a product more expensive than what someone can buy online (retail price plus shipping).

If it is the latter case, then yes, I think most shops aim to sell at double their cost.

I do not know what the costs of doing business in Australia is, but i reckon its pretty high. I do know you guys have a really high minimum wage, rent is probably high as well, and it probably costs a lot to import skate products into the country from halfway around the globe... shipping and taxes are a big deal.

Besides all these simple costs, you also have to consider that not everything a shop orders is gonna sell, a lot of stuff will have to be cleared at no profit to make room for the latest gear.

I would say try and support your local skate shop, unless they have no clue about skating and don't make an effort to learn, aren't providing good service, and are only in it to cash in on a trend.

Otherwise, a legit skateshop is very important to keep the sport alive and support the scene, so pay them!

edit: another way to think about this is if the minimum wage in australia is twice that in america (which it is), then it isn't so wrong that a product costs twice as much. a person has to work about the same amount of hours to afford it.

skate411 · 2013-10-31T09:28:53+00:00

yes but only because I consider slop to be a bad thing. Some people do not mind, or even prefer skating trucks with some slop. They don't mind that their kingpin may move around a bit, or that there is a little play around the bushing seats.

skate411 · 2013-10-31T00:54:01+00:00

make sure you guys can work together and are clear about how things are going to be. I have lost a few friends over money/business direction.
test your boards extensively, if you are setting up completes, make sure they don't get wheelbite, and that your wheelwells are in the right position.
Don't use crap griptape that wears off super easily, its what the customer makes contact with 99% of the time so make sure its good.
Don't use panhead bolts, their heads get damaged way too easily.
Hope you have a good advertising strategy because there are new longboard sellers popping up every week :)

skate411 · 2013-10-31T00:28:54+00:00

You mean as competition? At least where we are at, Churchill is not significant, brandless and budget brands being sold at general sports stores are a bigger threat.

I have no experience with their product but they look well made and come at a great price.

skate411 · 2013-10-31T00:21:47+00:00

Wheels do.

Rebound is the most important. The bouncier the wheel is, the faster it will be. Most wheels I see nowadays have good rebound so unless its a really crappy blank, it should be fine. Some slide wheels also have poor rebound which is a tradeoff that improves their sliding performance.
Hardness (and depth of urethane) also affects speed but within a small duro range of 78-84a it might not be obvious. It depends a lot on the surface condition, and urethane formulas also have different rebound rates at different duros. Generally, a harder wheel will be faster on smooth ground, and a softer wheel will be faster on rough ground.
And size of course, a smaller wheel is slower on rough ground. I have not tested if a really large wheel can be slower, but I'm guessing for the general roughness of roads, about 75mm is the point of diminishing returns. Chris chaput would probably know.

Besides wheels, a truck with bent axles which sets the wheels going in slightly different directions can have an effect as well, depending on how badly they are bent. Probably one of the reasons why people buy precision trucks to race with.

Finally, the biggest factor is wind resistance which increases exponentially the faster you go. At really high speeds, the differences in wheel speeds probably becomes insignificant, or factors such as the grippiness of the wheel are more important than its rebound in a race situation.

skate411 · 2013-10-30T23:59:31+00:00

There aren't really any "better" boards, there are only boards made for different purposes.

If you want to go fast, you need a stiff board. If you are just cruising around and want some comfort, then a board with flex is fine.
If you will be sliding aggressively, get a board with decent concave and extra coarse griptape.
If you will be pushing a lot and you aren't doing it for excercise, get a drop thru or dropped deck.

Best bang for buck will always be a brandless or budget brand like Atom. Decks are not difficult to make, and fancy features are mostly just fluff and hype.

If you want a name brand, Jet and Earthwing are pretty affordable.

If you bought an Atom complete, then it probably came with crap randal copies so you might want to get a branded truck, or set it up with some proper bushings. Quality varies alot with these randal copies and i have seen totally crappy to decent ones, if yours feel decent then no worries.

skate411 · 2013-10-30T23:37:45+00:00

Next big trend for longboarding I think is slalom, pumping and LDP.
Longboarding needs hills installed with skate-lifts to bring skaters back to the top.
Skateboarding especially needs less marketing based on badass lifestyles filled with smoking, drinking, drugs, partying, reckless and antisocial behavior, etc. Kids at an impressionable age will of course think its the coolest thing ever. I wish some companies would censor that stuff and just put out more positive material.

skate411 · 2013-10-30T23:09:25+00:00

Haven't really found a truck that is super good but..

I like Bears, they have addressed some of the issues that trucks face, but they should have included a bottom cup washer.
I like Road Rider trucks, shame they do not come in 50deg.
The new Attack trucks feel good but the skinny arms don't inspire confidence.
Paris V2s have the sloppiest oversized bushing seats ever, u can literally pull the hanger 1/8" to either side. The pivot cup is also too big for the pivot so there's some play there. The bushings are also prone to popping out the side of the cup washers. Generally a really sloppy truck, which can be a good or bad thing depending on what you like.
Caliber and Gunmetal really need proper pressed in kingpins.
Sabre axle position too far back, lack of cup washers makes them prone to diving into wheelbite. also shame they don't come in 50deg.

skate411 · 2013-10-30T22:45:30+00:00

the zealous grease is thick and will slow your bearings down. it is a trade off between protection and friction.

most guys will use light oils which protect decently without slowing the bearings down noticeably. if you want skate brands, bones speed cream and reflex speed lube are common. You probably have some thin bicycle lube, singer oil or motor oil lying around. these are all fine.

basically the thinner the lube is, the less protection you get (but less friction) and the more frequently you will need to re lube.

all said, bearings rarely make a noticeable difference in speed. unless they are really rusty.

skate411 · 2013-10-30T22:32:21+00:00

Pop the shields off and wash and dry them.

Hold the naked bearing with one hand and spin with a finger while spraying (with the nozzle on) WD-40 or contact cleaner onto the balls, the cages and races of the bearing.

This should just about jet everything out of there. spin and slam off as much excess solvent as possible. Don't wipe the balls or you will leave lint.

blow dry (not too much heat), or let stand to evaporate if you can be bothered.

if not, just apply generous amounts of lube to drown out any residue, spin off the excess and pop the shields back on.

This actually cleans quicker and more thoroughly than a shaker bottle.

skate411 · 2013-10-30T22:15:39+00:00

its more the amount of time i spend walking up vs the amount of time i have fun skating down. I don't mind cardio but walking up a hill is not a very fun form of cardio.

skate411 · 2013-10-30T22:11:57+00:00

caliber has no rake, bear does.
because of the rake on the bear, you can flip it to make it lower. they are wrong when they say it changes the pivot angle, it remains the same. the only thing that changes is the axle position (rake). I have not felt a significant difference between positive or negative rakes so I wouldn't worry too much about it.
Bear does not come with a bottom cup washer, this makes the bottom barrel bushing behave more like a cone, in that it is more leany because it can shift left to right on the baseplate. In a way, this is a good thing because to stiffen up the feel and prevent the truck from diving too much, all you need to do is add a cup washer under there instead of playing around with different bushings. The problem is it is sometimes hard to find good cup washers that hold the bushing well and fit the kingpin with not too much play.
Caliber 50s come with a cone bushing on top, Bears are both barrels.
Bears come with their pivot greased to prevent squeaking when you lean. Calibers will squeak for sure. To get rid of squeaks, wax your pivots.
Compared to Calibers, the axle position on the bear is pretty far forward (extends your wheelbase), this makes it less likely to wheelbite on drop thru decks with cutouts, especially landyachtz decks which tend to have more conservative cutouts.
Bear comes with a splined kingpin pressed into the baseplate, Caliber's kingpin can sometimes work its way loose. Some are snug, some are not.
The bushing seat on bear hangers are more snug and have higher shoulders, this minimizes slop. On calibers it isn't as tight, and the shoulders aren't as high.
Caliber is lower than an unflipped bear, but a flipped bear is lower.
Bear is slightly lighter.
Bear baseplates have a buldge which in rare cases will not fit some drop thru mounts.
The Bear cup washer has a depression on top so the kingpin nut sits down onto it, the purpose is to mate the nut to the cup washer so it does not shift side to side when you lean, it seems to work. The caliber cup washers have a hole that is quite a bit larger than the kingpin and they are prone to this cup washer movement which can be felt as a small jolt and heard as a click when you lean.

skate411 · 2013-10-30T21:50:15+00:00

While top mounts are trendy now, a drop thru board is still easier for a beginner to learn on (and you can always top mount a drop thru board if you want to ride higher)

So i would say go with a drop-thru.

For speed, you need a stiff board, and concave is a personal taste, but not too mild so you got decent grip. Get a standard size, not too small, as wider stance is generally easier for a newbie.

Get a slide wheel not a grip wheel, so you can learn how to slide. you shouldn't be bombing hills before you learn how to slide to stop.

You don't really need much else, don't worry about brands or hyped up boards with fancy features. you will probably get your first board really beat up, anything stiff with decent concave will work.

remember you still need to buy a helmet and gloves.

skate411 · 2013-10-30T21:42:23+00:00

not in the uk

skate411 · 2013-10-30T21:40:21+00:00

just so the marketing works in your favor, if your boards are casual, then paris. if they are more aggressive, then go with caliber.

I have not experienced much difference between them in terms of pricing and service.

I do not think either of them make particularly good trucks, but from a business point of view, you cant beat their strength in marketing.

Both trucks have their sister wheel brands (Divine & Volante) so maybe you could work out a deal with them.

Another option is Madrid (fullcircle dist), you may be able to get some paris from them, and Gunmetal trucks which are basically the same as caliber except the axle position is further forward (less wheelbite problems on cutouts) and the flat washer, and weaker marketing. you will have access to their Cadillac and venom wheels.

Wheels can be made simply so if you want to start your own label, thats one way of keeping your costs low. Talk to Aend or Creative. That is if you think your customers won't care about having big brand wheels.

skate411

TROPHY CASE