Skateboard Planet

So I was watching VH1 last night and they were talking about oldschool Nicole Richie. Her personal trainer said she hated working out so he found this piece of equipment because it was fun and kept her occupied while still toning her legs. It's like a skateboard type thing.. a board that lies on a cylinder, and the cylinder rolls around on the floor and you're supposed to balance on the board while standing up on it.

It's called either a Bongo Board or a Pivit. Either way it's a variation of a balance board.

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ok don't listen to those fags. pads rule. its spliting your head open? no. ok lets get started. start off with a good deck they come in a varity of shapes and sizes most of the shapes are very similar so thats not a great concern but size is defenitly an important aspect, they start at about 7 in wide and go up to 8 1/2 in wide, but for you try a 7 3\4 in board its alot more stable and gives alot mre wider surface to get used to since you are a beginner. TRUCKS: once you got a good deck its time to get a nice pair of trucks they will be the longest lasting component on your board, basically you want to get trucks that match the width of your deck you can tell if the outside bolts match the edges of the board, if there flushed then you got the right size trucks., loosen/ tighten them to your prefrence. WHEELS: wheels come in simaliar shapes but a varity of sizes, they go from 50mm to 60 mm that may not seem like a lot of difference but they can mean alot when you trying to get speed, but for a beginner try a size like 55mm-58mm and that will also keep you getting faster, and go to a smaller wheel when you get more experienced., GRIPTAPE: before you want to put the board together you want to have griptape. griptape it the stuff that keeps your feet to the board., BEARINGS: ok so you got your deck you got your wheels, and your trucks now the only missing component is bearings, they basically come in a set of 8 and 2 per wheel, they come in a varity of ratings 1, 3 and 5 with 5 bieng the fastest. But for a beginner it doesnt really matter. To put it on just put it on one end of the truck and then take the wheel and push it on, and do the same for each trucks. Make sure you put the washer on the inside and on the outside of the wheel.

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So i have a few skateboard equipment questions.

i am a beginning skateboarder, working with a really cheap old board i got for free, and looking to upgrade

does anyone have any recommendations on what a good skateboard shortboard and longboard for a beginner would be? (such as brand, length, plus what i should expect to pay)

(i want to get one of each, shortboard would be used for all around skating and maybe to learn some tricks and longboard would be used for transportation mainly)

what are the differences of a wood vs fiberglass longboard?

could someone just give me a basic fill in on the reputations of various brands, and fill me in on types and differences of different trucks and wheels

and anything else i forgot to ask if you feel free like explaining i'm all ears, i dont think i remembered everything i'm curious about

thanks a lot
also one more question: the board i have now is a wood board and it seems to be really light, and maybe a little thin. i was checking out another board and it seemed to be a bit heavier. my question is which is better, a heavier or lighter deck. Are lighter decks easier to pop tricks with, or are they the same difficulty? thanks
also length/width (weight?? idk) recommendations would be very helpful. i'm about 6'1 160 pounds 11.5 us shoe size, if it makes a difference

Ok, i cant help you any on the longboard but i can on the shortboard. But i would imagine the fiberglass longboard would be alot lighter.

If you are beggining skateboarding with shortboard, i would pick someting kind of in the middle. What i mean by that is if you were skating bowls and pools, you would need a wider board, an 8" wide to 8.5" , although my shoes are alot smaller than yours, a 71/2 , so im not riding any 8.5" board.

Now if you are going to skate stairsets and ledges, like just street skateboarding, you will need a skinnier and lighter board. Something with alot of pop and about a 7.5" wide would be good.

Now for wheels, skating pools and halfpipes wider wheels, and street skating would mean you would need skinnier wheels.

And for trucks, you just need trucks that fit on your board. they will fit if the bolt on the wheel is level with your skateboard deck.

I dont really know on reputations of brands, just follow the advice i gave.

what i skate is a 7" to 7.5" because i street skate, skinny wheels, fitting trucks, and whatever hardware i can scravenge.

You cant forget bearings!

bearings are rated from abec 1 up, the higher the number the faster it is. I ride abec 7's, but if you arent very good at balancing i would recommend from abec 3 to abec 5. lucky bearings are good for me.

this comment is big, i know.

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I finally decided to pick up skateboarding again, mostly to get around places, and that involves downhill. I didnt know if it was just me doing something wrong or if it has to do with my equipment. Some people seem to effortlessly skate down hill without gaining or losing speed.

Although this is a small thing, leaning forward slows you down a little bit and leaning back speeds you up. You can take your back foot off and let it skid on the ground (use a flat and level to the ground foot to do this) a little bit to slow down some more.

If you watch old skate videos like Toy Machine Welcome to Hell and Jump Off a Building, you'll see the the guys that bomb hills use the power slide method to slow down. This is harder to do once you've picked up a lot of speed if you're not experienced with it. It involves leaning back and turning/sliding/shifting 90 degrees (until completely or partially horizontal) and holding a skid or slide in that position temporarily before shifting back to a straight forward position.

You'll probably want to master the power slide on flat ground first before attempting to use it to slow down on hills. Also, front side is probably easier to start.

If you still don't know what I'm talking about check out this youtube video at 50 seconds for an example of a front side power slide used in slowing down on a hill:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=aOfracMtkFc

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If you've seen the show scarred, a lot of times their helmets and pads can't help them. Is it known for any skateboarders to roll when they go off a rail too fast to minize the damage done to your joints. Like in martial arts where if they are thrown and they just roll and the force just moves them instead of targeting a body part.

skate shoes help a lot, they help grip the board doing tricks or dropping in, and u dont fall as much.

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if you wana know the latest equipment go on ccs and look on new arrivals idk about the tricks

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I will try to skate at the skatepark for the first time and yesterday,I fell really bad without wearing safety equipment.Should I wear safety equipment while at the skatepark??

PS: This is my first time.

yeah i wear a helmet every time(but its required)! but you dont wont to bash your skull on the ramp do you? so wear a helmet

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I was a skater from 1988-1996, but I got away from it over time. Now I'm looking into starting again as something to do for fun as well as something I can use for short errands that I need to run. I don't have any equipment at all, and I don't want the most expensive stuff in every category, but I just want a basic setup so I can get used to skating street again. What should I buy?

All decks and parts are basically the same now days, cept for bearings, just like back in the day you need good bearings. All decks are the same shape and do the same stuff so basically the same. The first person was correct about powell, they make a blank brand called mini logo. I have one of their mini logo superlight and its a great decks and for $25 for the deck you can't beat it. For trucks some good brands being you jsut want to get around and street skate a bit independant, thunder, tensor, krux would all be good for you. Wheels, who cares they all roll i've used skateshop brands and they're just as good as spitfires and ricta and bones which I also use. For bearings bones is still the best i've been using them for years and you really can't get any better for a brand name bearing, bone swiss are more $$$ but a lot nicer but bones reds are $15 out the door and well worth it. Hope this helps out and welcome back.

http://www.skatesonhaight.com/Skateboards-s/1.htm
http://www.blankskateshop.com/Mini-Logo-Skateboard-Decks-s/19.htm

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can someone find me everything i need to skateboard ( everything in pink!!!) websites please

not solid pink, but quite pink nonetheless
http://www.nextag.com/FOUNDATIONS-Foundation-Loather-Skateboard-592526858/prices-html

pink trucks
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007V7QX6?smid=A2NVRQ8QSA5E0A&tag=nextag-sg-20&linkCode=asn

pink wheels
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NAVV82?smid=A28FUI98AHS404&tag=nextag-sports-mp-20&linkCode=asn

and amazingly, pink grip tape
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013SZPRQ?smid=A3CDEUCT9UACPY&tag=nextag-sg-20&linkCode=asn

finding solid pink stuff is quite impossible, but hope this will do!

If not, there's always spray paint……..

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My 11 yr old cousin is really into skateboarding I'm trying to find him a skateboarding jacket (for nasty Iowa winters) I'm in California … and any other skateboarding necessities. Where do I shop to find any nice quality jackets … and what's the best brands? He's got many skateboards including flip, birdhouse. What's the best brand for skateboards and shoes? Some tell me stick with VANS while other say DC. He currently has etnies … but anything out there that's better? Boards, jackets, shoes, etc… I need to do some Christmas shopping. THANK YOU

I'm pretty sure skateboarding jacket is just under skateboarding sweatshirts and the like.

In California, especially in the San Diego area, there are various skate shops. A few examples are Active, SunDiego Skateshop, and there are many skate brands who have their own stores.

There are many skateboard brands, if he likes using flip or birdhouse, you should get him another one. Each brand has a different feel to the skater. 1 thing is to check how flexible the board is, if you don't know, the people working at the skate shops will be happy to assist you.

Shoes, on the other hand, I can help a lot with.
VANS- don't buy the slip-ons, go for Geoff Rowley's Rowley XL2s or Dustin Dollin's No Skools. It's a really great brand and quality.
GLOBE- the Vagrant or the Gallaz, the Globe CT IV is really awesome, but can be hard to find. I'm pretty sure if won't be too hard if you're in California.
DC SHOES- great quality and all, but some people have a problem with b/c it's too mainstream. If your cousin doesn't care, it won't matter. There's many kinds and all of them are durable, lasts long, comfortable. It can get a little big sometimes.
EMERICA- if your cousin likes etnies, he'll probably like emerica. Try the Kirchart 4s.

Out of all of these brands, Vans is the best. Followed closely by Emerica/DC.

If you're buying your cousin a complete set, meaning with wheels, trucks, etc.
Definitely get Independent Trucks, Ricta Wheels, Bones Bearings. These are just some of the brands I use and I've never had a problem with them.

For apparel, you should be able to find a lot of brands at the skateshops. Be aware that some of the clothes are quite thing, I'm not sure if this applies to boys as it does to girls, though. Usually, skate clothes are very durable and comfortable.

Hoped this helped!

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