new to DH

[Virus91]

You're not going to get any leverage to turn if both your feet are pointing forward, unless they're side-by-side up in the front old school style. Most people have their front foot sideways and their back foot pointing forward. I hope this helps.

hmmm...the dudes who i went with told me both feet go foward. do i have to go up on the ball of my foot like i see these other guys doin or can my feet be flat on the board?

[thelostsheep]

hmmm...the dudes who i went with told me both feet go foward. do i have to go up on the ball of my foot like i see these other guys doin or can my feet be flat on the board?

when it comes to tucks... use what is comfortable for YOU.

copying someone else's tuck doesn't always work especially if you find it hard to do.

just practice with your tuck and keep arms in and i'm sure you'll be alright.

EDIT: this article might be of help...

Longboards Manila - Guest Blog: Tucks of the Trade

[GhengisChron]

i'm looking to get a speedboard. i have been riding a longboard as transportation for as long as i can remember, but never really did any huge hill bombing. i can carve down hills and i'm totally confident at speeds of like 25 mph. i'v never gone faster, that i know of.

just recently i found the whole online scene, started seeing all this technical crap, and i'm really drawn in. i never knew people raced these things, the closest i had seen was street lugeing.
paintball lost its thrill. then i entered the tournament scene and i lost the adrenaline rush of that. its like the same thing every time i play, and i'm tired of spending so much money. so i started playing tournament pump paintball and i'm damn good, but its still costly.

so i wanna get a speedboard and try my hand at this sport. play less paintball, ride more gravity. but i'm stuck.
i love standard top mounts, but the dropped decks are apparently more stable?

does it matter all that much in what style board i choose? i'm looking at EVOs, mystery models, that sorta stuff.

the speed wobbles scare me, but i realize i can make certain adjustments to help account for this.

[Blix]

i'm looking to get a speedboard. i have been riding a longboard as transportation for as long as i can remember, but never really did any huge hill bombing. i can carve down hills and i'm totally confident at speeds of like 25 mph. i'v never gone faster, that i know of.

just recently i found the whole online scene, started seeing all this technical crap, and i'm really drawn in. i never knew people raced these things, the closest i had seen was street lugeing.
paintball lost its thrill. then i entered the tournament scene and i lost the adrenaline rush of that. its like the same thing every time i play, and i'm tired of spending so much money. so i started playing tournament pump paintball and i'm damn good, but its still costly.

so i wanna get a speedboard and try my hand at this sport. play less paintball, ride more gravity. but i'm stuck.
i love standard top mounts, but the dropped decks are apparently more stable?

does it matter all that much in what style board i choose? i'm looking at EVOs, mystery models, that sorta stuff.

the speed wobbles scare me, but i realize i can make certain adjustments to help account for this.

We're trying to keep the gear oriented questions out of this thread, but since you spent some time wording a long post , it deserves an answer...


When it comes to dropped, drop-through and topmounts, it's mainly preference and whatever you get used to. I started on a slightly dropped deck (Asym) and also on a Rayne Hellcat and I like those a lot. Dropped or drop-through is feeling a bit more stable starting out, good for confidence building. I kinda prefer the direct response of a straight up topmount, but I'm still looking for the right deck Personally I'd recommend something like a Rayne Hellcat, Rayne Isis, Comet Pagan or similar drop-throughs.
Or you could just go for a Mystery Model and be done with it.

As long as you work your way up the hills so to speak, and not starting bombing too hard at first, you'll get used to what you get eventually.
Just don't fall into the trap of running tight trucks that don't turn much, loose(ish) is the way to go! Run softer bushings tightened down a bit rather than hard bushings, so you always have some good lean and turn.
Most important is learning to slow down and stop, start working on sliding, use this thread to learn about pendys and such. Knowing you can stop in an effective manner really does wonders for confidence , keeps you relaxed, and when you're relaxed, wobbles tends to stay away.
Pad up, too much road rash takes away from skating time, no fun!

[GhengisChron]

i'm 160 pounds. what duro barrel bushings should i be looking at for downhill and what should i flat out ignore?
i have some 91a randal cones and they seem soft as hell.

[Mynusss]

i'm 160 pounds. what duro barrel bushings should i be looking at for downhill and what should i flat out ignore?
i have some 91a randal cones and they seem soft as hell.

I weight the same as you and I was recommended these two settings:

Both trucks: Top Bushing 87 Venoms Barrel, Bottom Bushing 90 Venoms Barrel

Other Set Up: Front Truck: Top 87 Bottom 87
Rear Truck: Top 87 Bottom 90

[Drifty420]

hey i have the FSM (info about board is in sig) and i love it dearly.. but i want to get into more serious downhill 45+. is the FSM good for this?

[anatharc]

hey i have the FSM (info about board is in sig) and i love it dearly.. but i want to get into more serious downhill 45+. is the FSM good for this?

this thread is more about technique than gear. but id suggest getting a square lipped lower duro wheel for DH. youll be slippaging all over the place with the durians.

[Petary791]

hey i have the FSM (info about board is in sig) and i love it dearly.. but i want to get into more serious downhill 45+. is the FSM good for this?

That is seriously serious DH. On straight bombs and turns you won't deathly drift out with your 86A wheels on I say try flipping your hangers and give it a shot. You're going to want grippier wheels at some point though.

[RodRod]

hey i have the FSM (info about board is in sig) and i love it dearly.. but i want to get into more serious downhill 45+. is the FSM good for this?

reminder: we are trying to keep gear questions out of this thread. questions about riding are best. thanks


to your question: if you are comfy on it then yes if not then no

[Drifty420]

ok sorry for asking that question in this thread. im comfortable on it but not so much at high speeds.. i get all nervous about wobble and i get that "oh sh!t im going pretty damn fast" feeling.. i dont think i have much convidince in my ride at high speeds.. probably due to the lack of skin on my body from previous failed hills.

any tips please?

[RodRod]

ok sorry for asking that question in this thread. im comfortable on it but not so much at high speeds.. i get all nervous about wobble and i get that "oh sh!t im going pretty damn fast" feeling.. i dont think i have much convidince in my ride at high speeds.. probably due to the lack of skin on my body from previous failed hills.

any tips please?

take it slowly throw some harder bushings on there and relax. build up to the higher speed when you you are comfortable and dont be scared to fall. if you do get wobbs loosen up and absorb them and if necessary pull a coleman to reduce that speed

[anatharc]

ok sorry for asking that question in this thread. im comfortable on it but not so much at high speeds.. i get all nervous about wobble and i get that "oh sh!t im going pretty damn fast" feeling.. i dont think i have much convidince in my ride at high speeds.. probably due to the lack of skin on my body from previous failed hills.

any tips please?

work your way up the hill. go as high as you feel confident at and each run go like 5-10ft higher. at some point you'll realize that you've "topped out" your acceleration and will be bombing down the hill at max speed. this is where i got confident hitting hills. i realized that that was the fastest id be going on the hill and was perfectly stable. it's all about practice.

when you get confident at that speed try tucking. a slight tuck at first and then more and more aero as you get used to it. also take the hill in stages when you get a good tuck down. youll be travelling much faster and want to be used to the speed before you overstep your abilities. dont expect to be a hill killer all at once. take your time. overestimating your abilities will end in road rash.

try to find runs with turns in them. this way you can practice cornering. as always, work your way up the hill till you're confident taking turns at max speed.

KNOW HOW TO SLIDE/FOOTBRAKE!!!!!!!!

[Drifty420]

take it slowly throw some harder bushings on there and relax. build up to the higher speed when you you are comfortable and dont be scared to fall. if you do get wobbs loosen up and absorb them and if necessary pull a coleman to reduce that speed

your probably right when you say take it slowly. im not scared to fall though its just not 1 of my favorite things to do haha. i have yet to learn any slides.. i do have some sweetass homemade gloves though

[RodRod]

your probably right when you say take it slowly. im not scared to fall though its just not 1 of my favorite things to do haha. i have yet to learn any slides.. i do have some sweetass homemade gloves though

learn to do a coleman slide...you will use it all the time. next time you go out and skate take the time to learn it. you need to be able to slide, they come in handy in sticky situations. if you dont get it the first time, do it, do it, and do it again until you get it. you may get frustrated, but once you get it the stoke will burn haha but seriously

[Petary791]

your probably right when you say take it slowly. im not scared to fall though its just not 1 of my favorite things to do haha. i have yet to learn any slides.. i do have some sweetass homemade gloves though

Definitely don't go fast unless you know how to coleman. Straight up. It's just bad for skateboarders everywhere when a car pulls out in front of you and you smack it.

[anatharc]

learn to do a coleman slide...you will use it all the time. next time you go out and skate take the time to learn it. you need to be able to slide, they come in handy in sticky situations. if you dont get it the first time, do it, do it, and do it again until you get it. you may get frustrated, but once you get it the stoke will burn haha but seriously

bingo. colemans have saved my life (well at least many of my bones). your durians should be perfect to learn on.

just do a search for colemans if you're not sure how to do it. plenty of help in the SF databases.

[Drifty420]

well i was trying to pull off some stand up 180s but i only get like the 90* turn and then i fly forward and stop. definatly going to learn some colemans though. is the comet voodoo better for downhill or is that another lame gear question? (thanks for the advice guys, helps me out alot)

[FlamingLongboarder]

well i was trying to pull off some stand up 180s but i only get like the 90* turn and then i fly forward and stop. definatly going to learn some colemans though. is the comet voodoo better for downhill or is that another lame gear question? (thanks for the advice guys, helps me out alot)

Yeah, the Voodoo is definately much more DH oriented than the FSM. Throw some grippy >70mm wheels on it, wear a helmet, and have fun.

[GhengisChron]

a longer wheelbase is less likely to suffer speed wobbles right?

is it also harder to slide?

and does the width of the board affect wobbles also?