Longboarding Resources & Q/AGet or give friendly, patient answers to, "Which board should I get?", "How do I stop?" or "What's wedging and how do I do it?"
i was wondering if anyone has used their KS without the riser (or alternately as a top mount). any problems around the trucks? i'm looking to get more clearance on my m1, for wheelbite (stimulus and real soft bushings) and railbite (the deck has gotten a lot flexier over time and it scrapes when pumping).
i use my scimmy with no risers, no problems at all. switching between some 60mm and 70mm wheels
Anybody ever try to put Original trucks on one of these? I tried e-mailing the guy who makes them but he never responded.
I'm getting a set of S8s soon, I'll let you all know... From what I've read, it should work (topmounted of course, no risers), but might make it a little harder to use the nose/tails for tricks.
So I've been riding my scimitar with Original S8s for the past few days (topmounted, of course).
In a nutshell, it works. Carves crazy, slides super easy, and all that jazz. The board height is slightly higher than dropthrough Randals, probably since the wood riser usually lowers the board more.
Minor complaints:
- the kingpin will still dig into the deck a little if you don't use a riser.
- they're noticeably heavier than Randals.
Major complaint for me: the wheelbase is extended nearly an inch on each side. Usually this wouldn't be too bad of a thing, but in the Scimitar's case, the nose/tail becomes near unusable. Like, leverage similar to that of a Vanguard. This, combined with the truck weight, makes it near impossible to do manuals or pop-grab tricks. Shovits are still doable, though. Not really an issue if you don't care for tricks, I guess.
I'll probably be switching back. These standups are fun though...
Does anyone know if Indy 215s will fit on the m1 or scimitar?
I think they are drilled Old school, but I e-mailed william, the KS owner and he said he 'thinks they will fit' based on the shape of the indy baseplates and the shape of the cut-outs. For the M1 you need to run sideset or relatively small wheels. Indys seem to do OK on other dropthroughs, so I think it should work. I was going to do the same thing, but I managed to get a cosmetically damaged demonseed for $50 shipped , so I went that way instead (haven't had time to set it up though).
Ok so I am going with a Kracked Skulls for my first longboard, but before I buy it I have some questions. Which length should I get? I'm planning on getting a scimitar either 40" or 42", I'm 5'6" 120 lbs so which do you think would be best for me? And I want a decent amount of flex. Also, I live in a city with pretty bad roads and sidewalks so I'll need some wheels to smooth out my ride. Would gumballs or bigzigs be good for that? Are the abec 5 bearings real crappy? cause they're a lot less expensive so I'm hoping they'll be decent. If I order the board without the logo, does that mean I have to finish it myself? I plan on doing my own graphics later on, is the logo difficult to remove? And on average, how much does it cost to do your own grip tape?
I know this is a lot of questions and I would appreciate any advice or opinions! Thanks so much, I'm really excited to get my first longboard!
Oh, and is it easy to stop quickly if a car pulls out in front of me? that's been a little worry of mine
Ok so I am going with a Kracked Skulls for my first longboard, but before I buy it I have some questions. Which length should I get? I'm planning on getting a scimitar either 40" or 42", I'm 5'6" 120 lbs so which do you think would be best for me? And I want a decent amount of flex. Also, I live in a city with pretty bad roads and sidewalks so I'll need some wheels to smooth out my ride. Would gumballs or bigzigs be good for that? Are the abec 5 bearings real crappy? cause they're a lot less expensive so I'm hoping they'll be decent. If I order the board without the logo, does that mean I have to finish it myself? I plan on doing my own graphics later on, is the logo difficult to remove? And on average, how much does it cost to do your own grip tape?
I know this is a lot of questions and I would appreciate any advice or opinions! Thanks so much, I'm really excited to get my first longboard!
Oh, and is it easy to stop quickly if a car pulls out in front of me? that's been a little worry of mine
The 40" or 42" will both be good, it comes down to preference. BigZigs would be good. Abec rating doesn't apply to skateboard bearings unless you're doing 250+MPH. Any bearing will work as long as it's clean and lubed. Grip tape is like $1.50 per foot, so 4 x 1.50 = $6.
And you can foot brake or slide to a stop. Shutdown slides are easy to learn, at least, they're easy to use in an emergency. If you want to look good while doing them, they'll take practice.
Ok so I am going with a Kracked Skulls for my first longboard, but before I buy it I have some questions. Which length should I get? I'm planning on getting a scimitar either 40" or 42", I'm 5'6" 120 lbs so which do you think would be best for me? And I want a decent amount of flex. Also, I live in a city with pretty bad roads and sidewalks so I'll need some wheels to smooth out my ride. Would gumballs or bigzigs be good for that? Are the abec 5 bearings real crappy? cause they're a lot less expensive so I'm hoping they'll be decent. If I order the board without the logo, does that mean I have to finish it myself? I plan on doing my own graphics later on, is the logo difficult to remove? And on average, how much does it cost to do your own grip tape?
I know this is a lot of questions and I would appreciate any advice or opinions! Thanks so much, I'm really excited to get my first longboard!
Oh, and is it easy to stop quickly if a car pulls out in front of me? that's been a little worry of mine
Any wheel from 77a to 84a would be fine in terms of smoothness. Gumballs are BigZigs are both good wheels. Big Zigs are supposed to be faster and grippier with choppier slides. They are both great wheels and so are the flashbacks and freerides.
When you order no graphic it won't come with varnish, but this is good because it allows you to paint right onto the wood and then preserve the paint by varnishing over it. You should definitely get a few coats of varnish down before riding it. That pretty light birch gets dirt stains super easy without any finish on their.
Grip tape will cost you like 5 dollars. Abec 5 bearings are fine.
For board size I recommend trying a few boards of different sizes to see what you like. I think that board size is more about your personal riding style than you height or weight.
If you are moderately careful and learn how to footbrake you probably wont be hit by a car.
Remember you can save that extra 7 bucks or whatever by using a discount code. You don't have to use mine (staple), but it would be appreciated!
Ok so I am going with a Kracked Skulls for my first longboard, but before I buy it I have some questions. Which length should I get? I'm planning on getting a scimitar either 40" or 42", I'm 5'6" 120 lbs so which do you think would be best for me? And I want a decent amount of flex. Also, I live in a city with pretty bad roads and sidewalks so I'll need some wheels to smooth out my ride. Would gumballs or bigzigs be good for that? Are the abec 5 bearings real crappy? cause they're a lot less expensive so I'm hoping they'll be decent. If I order the board without the logo, does that mean I have to finish it myself? I plan on doing my own graphics later on, is the logo difficult to remove? And on average, how much does it cost to do your own grip tape?
I know this is a lot of questions and I would appreciate any advice or opinions! Thanks so much, I'm really excited to get my first longboard!
Oh, and is it easy to stop quickly if a car pulls out in front of me? that's been a little worry of mine
40'' or 42'' really isn't going to make a huge difference but both should be fine. Think about what 2 inches really is? I'm about your size and I have the 42'' and love the board. It's just long enough/short enough in many good situations like carrying and riding alike. I do find the board a bit heavy as my only complaint. If you're brand new to skating I'd go with the Retro Green Zigzags (75mm/80a duro). Stable/steady/cruiser wheels that have handled the wet many a times. Getting to the "wet road conditions" I upgraded to the IDS Oust Bearings and have rode them through legit puddles and wet weather. After a cleaning they are as good as new and not rusting yet so in my scenario I really think they are worth it.
Onto the next series of questions: You should just get the logo. Mine didn't come applied nor did my board come finished. What was at first disappointment turned into a good learning experiece. I've given many people advice how to polyurethrane and finish the wood of this board. Mine still (as I said I ride through the rain sometimes) is still in very good condition. I do have to say that my logo is starting to bubble though and that's prob the weakest part of the board. The quality of my vinyl sticker wasn't very good from the getgo.
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Oh, and is it easy to stop quickly if a car pulls out in front of me? that's been a little worry of mine
I'd have to say no but yes at the same time. This question retains really nothing about the board but everything about the rider. From the beginning I felt like stopping effectively was the hardest part of riding and maybe it still is for me but you have to build confidence to ride in the streets I believe... especially in a city like NY.
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"you know your fat when your belly headbangs with your head.."
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Originally Posted by Bomb303
I qualify that as failure, not routine maintenance.
Alright thanks everyone! now i have a few probably stupid questions. I'm pretty sure i'm going with the bigzigs, but do the different colors affect the ride? I wouldn't think that they would but some things that i read confused me...haha. And are there any like holiday specials, cause free shippping would be cool.
So yeah, i think im going to get it with the logo so i can ride it like right when i get it. Painting graphics over it later on shouldn't be too difficult, right? Thanks again!
Alright thanks everyone! now i have a few probably stupid questions. I'm pretty sure i'm going with the bigzigs, but do the different colors affect the ride? I wouldn't think that they would but some things that i read confused me...haha. And are there any like holiday specials, cause free shippping would be cool.
So yeah, i think im going to get it with the logo so i can ride it like right when i get it. Painting graphics over it later on shouldn't be too difficult, right? Thanks again!
Different colors are different duros (levels of softness/hardness). The lower the duro number (ie 77a, 80a, 83a) the softer the wheel, the higher the number, the harder the wheel. 78a-80a are usually the best all-around duros for most people. For most Retro wheels, the colors are like this:
Pink - 77a
Clear Red - 78a (I heard that pretty much any clear wheel is ####, so I wouldn't get them)
Lime - 80a
Yellow - 83a
Orange - 86a
Some companies have the same color for all duros (Sector 9 78a and 80a Raceforms are the same color), but most color-code them, and the colors change between companies. Orange ZigZags aren't the same duro as orange Orangatangs, for example.
Kracked Skulls is giving away a deck in the Piedmont Freeride competition. Please come by! It is December 26 (yes the day after christmas) at 10:30 am. Intersection of Wildwood and Crocker wildwood and crocker piedmont - Google Maps
Ok so I am going with a Kracked Skulls for my first longboard, but before I buy it I have some questions. Which length should I get? I'm planning on getting a scimitar either 40" or 42", I'm 5'6" 120 lbs so which do you think would be best for me? And I want a decent amount of flex. Also, I live in a city with pretty bad roads and sidewalks so I'll need some wheels to smooth out my ride. Would gumballs or bigzigs be good for that? Are the abec 5 bearings real crappy? cause they're a lot less expensive so I'm hoping they'll be decent. If I order the board without the logo, does that mean I have to finish it myself? I plan on doing my own graphics later on, is the logo difficult to remove? And on average, how much does it cost to do your own grip tape?
I know this is a lot of questions and I would appreciate any advice or opinions! Thanks so much, I'm really excited to get my first longboard!
Oh, and is it easy to stop quickly if a car pulls out in front of me? that's been a little worry of mine
I would go for the scimitar in either of those lengths, for the reason that if you're going to be using this thing for all forms of longboarding including commuting you might want something easier to carry around than the 44 or 46. I would go for the gumballs or flashbacks, because again if I had to pick just one setup to have and learn on, these wheels would be great all-rounders, with great road dampening, grip and a smooth transition from grip to slide. As far as bearings go I think maybe the abec 5s would be fine for a while but a pain to clean, and the oust are probably overkill. I would recommend picking up some bones reds plus a basic roll of grip (should be cheapo) from a local skate shop, that way they'll grip it up for you and you can talk about nearby hills in the meantime I have the quartz grip on mine and yeah, it works well and has lasted forever, but you could save some money by sticking with the tried and true basic black.
Before you do that however, if you order it un-logo'd pick up some Rustoleum crystal clear enamel and some spray paint or Apple Barrel acrylic paint to do some sweet graphics. I found that taking an exacto knife to a layer of masking tape made a super easy stencil to paint over. Apply the enamel over the dry paint, being sure to follow directions. My scimmy came with a coat of something I had to sand off, but apparently the non-logo'd boards come unfinished now. If that is the case, hit the top bottom and sides with the enamel; it creates a nice water-resistant finish.
Above all else, have fun with this thing. It can be easy to get caught up in gear selection and forget about that all important rule.
Oh right, and about stopping. At first, you SHOULD be afraid of cars pulling out in front of you, because with no effective stopping strategy you will eat it hard. That being said, slide gloves are easy to make, shutdown slides are super easy to learn, and you can and should practice footbreaking all the time.
I think it was in the past where boards with no logo were unfinished and they come finished now. Still there is no harm in finishing it some more. Also KS has recently added ridges to the scimitar for grabbing rail (similar to the rapier). They look very useful, but I don't know if it will affect the flex pattern. I will try one soon and see, but if it changes the flex a lot I will ask him to make the ridges optional. I'm sure if you asked him he would make one with or without and I am psyched to try out something new from KS.
I think it was in the past where boards with no logo were unfinished and they come finished now. Still there is no harm in finishing it some more. Also KS has recently added ridges to the scimitar for grabbing rail (similar to the rapier). They look very useful, but I don't know if it will affect the flex pattern. I will try one soon and see, but if it changes the flex a lot I will ask him to make the ridges optional. I'm sure if you asked him he would make one with or without and I am psyched to try out something new from KS.
Re: Kracked Skulls
, so I went that way instead (haven't had time to set it up though
). 
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