Help for New Slalomers! (please read)

[stevie]

Either of those boards would work great. The 80a zigs should also work well. They grip like a softer wheel.

[hyper whittle]

There is another alternative ....

There is an old school skater here (open class) and he uses 1/8 inch think floor mats. He then cuts them in circles..(the size of the bottom of a standard cone) I have used them before. You dont get wheel snag, you feel a tiny bump if you hit one. I think he got them at a dollar store or a clearance rack at a hardware store. (cant remember)

Just an idea someone has tried already and works.

I have similar stuff, about 1/8" thick heavy gasket material I got in the plumbing section. It's plunger-orange. Too heavy to blow away, easy to run over. I cut 3 of them into 2 x 2 squares, got 27 pieces for about 10 bucks.

Still a bit hard to see as a line, but it works ok.

Come to think of it, I should cut up the kids' old table placemats... they's be bigger, probably heavy enough, and free!

[bullwings]

Hanger widths?

I have an Axe 2.5 coming in (21" WB). Right now I'm content to using it for running cones solo or with a friend and as a quick short distance transportation board.

What widths should my hangers be? I have some Bennett 4.3s and RTS-129. I hope that'll work. I have some wider trucks and hangers, but I'm thinking i probably don't want that. I have a khiro wedge and bushing kit, so i can tweak it from there.


Also, i've been doing LDP type pumping (around 5-8 miles at a time - nothing hardcore like the pavedwave guys) and I was wondering how that differs from slalom pumping. Will it be more difficult to learn to slalom pump since i might have picked up "bad" habits doing LDP style pumping?

[BigDaddy@TactisSkates]

Hanger widths?

I have an Axe 2.5 coming in (21" WB). Right now I'm content to using it for running cones solo or with a friend and as a quick short distance transportation board.

What widths should my hangers be? I have some Bennett 4.3s and RTS-129. I hope that'll work. I have some wider trucks and hangers, but I'm thinking i probably don't want that. I have a khiro wedge and bushing kit, so i can tweak it from there.


Also, i've been doing LDP type pumping (around 5-8 miles at a time - nothing hardcore like the pavedwave guys) and I was wondering how that differs from slalom pumping. Will it be more difficult to learn to slalom pump since i might have picked up "bad" habits doing LDP style pumping?

The Bennett is cool... change the bushings and use the Skatekings skennett bushing if you can... They Rock. The rear RTS needs to be a 106 and use the Green bushings or the Black Bitch Bushings.

Wedge the front to vert and dewedge the rear... It will Rock Pump this sucker and it will rip your head off!

Dano

[inertiatic515]

ive been running some 7-10 ft spaced courses on my vangaurd (flex 2) and my cut down bomb hills (28" wb) on my driveway thats gets me over 25 regularly. what style setup would be best for these types of courses?

You can do that on your driveway??!!


Pics!!

[inertiatic515]

I'm having trouble deciding b/w this:

pulse assassin prototype - Silverfish Longboarding - The Longboard Skateboarding Community

and an Axe II.


What I'm worried about is that the wheelbase on the Pulse is too long.. then again I'm not looking to do any serious racing - just some GS-style courses for fun and a killer pumping commuter.

[Rouleau]

could someone explain to me the specifics and differences of tight/hybrid/GS slalom? thanks

[Momona Boe]

the main differences are cone spacing - in REAL general descriptions:

Tight is as it sounds - typically the cones are 6' apart or less, often in a straight line but sometimes there are offsets

Hybrid is more open, straight cones and offsets, usually the spacings vary from like 6' to 7' or more

GS is wide open, kinda like bombing a hill but with big offset cones

There's also Super GS which is even more open

[Parallel Man]

the main differences are cone spacing - in REAL general descriptions:

Tight is as it sounds - typically the cones are 6' apart or less, often in a straight line but sometimes there are offsets

Of course, I have to add something

Ron is a l m o s t correct. Cone spacing is a huge part of it but don't forget the grade of the hill. 6-foot or less on the flat can seem like giant slalom compared to 7- or 8-foot on an 8% grade.

At the Worlds in 2007 the DHB set the tight slalom on a pretty steep hill. It was TIGHT and the bottom cones if I remember were like 7.5 feet. Some of the Europeans complained it was too loose at the bottom but for the most part anyone who qualified really had to get the wiggle on to make the course.

So, when thinking about tight, hybrid and giant don't just obsess over cone spacing. It's also got a lot to do with venue where you're skating. It's almost like what ol' Justice Stewart said about porn: you'll know it when you see it.

[GPymp]

Yay Wessie!

Wes dont forget to confuse him more... that some course setters will set a (on a steep hill) course to start tight 6'-7' straight line then space it out 7'-8' cones (hybrid'ish with many offsets) and then tighten it back up at the bottom 6'-7' straight line.

Here is a video example of ti-brid course.

Gpymp slalom on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Course by George Pappas

[Flumpa]

So ...

Humu ?

I'm getting a Humu because it's awesome (duh), and I was wondering how slalom-able it'll be.

Nothing serious, of course; I was just perusing the forums, and this sounds pretty dope. So I thought i would do some mild stuff.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

[bishop005]

looking into getting a slalom set up any reccomendations?

[seabass101dg]

I'm looking forward to the slalom scene.
I have a quick (i hope) question regarding riding.
How should feet be placed on the board?
I've been kinda slaloming in and out of parking spaces in the parking garages and find that my feet completely perpendicular to the board is easiest for me.
Is this correct? I really don't want to have to completely review my riding because I've relying on poor stance.
Thanks for the help guys!
BTW, I've been riding on a k-mart short board deck (i know) with Randal 150mm and 65mm 78a wheels. My flexdex slalom 30 deck comes in this week hopefully.

[GPymp]

looking into getting a slalom set up any reccomendations?

Sk8kings makes a complete that will be dialed in to your specific weight. They are the only ones that do this.

Sk8kings: AXE WOOD SERIES SLALOM COMPLETE -- AXE II ORIGINAL

And if you have the cash, you can upgrade trucks wheels etc..

[compster]

So i've got a Pocket Pistols 32" foamcore coming to me, once owned but not ridden. I'm going to go for 69mm hotspots split duro and rtx/rtx. But i need to know how much wedge/dewedge for each truck, and what widths to work with.

[JoeLunchBucket]

Hey, new poster here!
I just finally figured out my pump and now I really want a slalom board. I tried a friend's discontinued rayne slalom board and it was amazing.

So I'm looking at the Sk8kings AXE 1, 2, and 2.5 (since it seems to be one of the cheaper ones, AND its custom tuned) and I was wondering whether its really a big deal if I get the carbon fiber one vs the wood version. I don't weigh much (140-145) so I don't know if the stiffness of the carbon is necessary (plus, it saves me money if I opt for the wood). Opinions, go!

EDIT: I should also say that I don't intend on getting into the slalom racing scene anytime soon. For now, I'm just a college guy who wants a solid, versatile board to have loads of fun with. I already have a s9 board that I love and an evo for downhill, neither of which can pump as well as I would like

[Xgecko]

Get wood........until youactually know what you are doing money is better spent on cones and gas to skate with people who can help you learn

[Sector 9ine]

Maybe a flexdex 29"? i wanted a board i could also use a commuter to school

[sniffleless]

I read on here somewhere that the flexdex has a little too much flex to be a good slalom board BUT it will work if you are just starting out and riding for fun.

[Shavarsh]

I want to get my brother into pumping, he is 70 lbs. I nee to find a setup under 100 used is ok, but as cheap as possible that is super easy to pump I was thinking the rbros 30 out of the classifieds. He wants a quick cruzer/pumper board will this work and is there a cheaper/ better alternative?