i want to start slalom

[robert borek]

hi, im interested in slalom skateboarding, but i dont have a clue about it, i have read a lot on the forum for begginers and it says to get some randalls or wedge some shortboard trucks, i am a shortboarder and have shortboard trucks, but i want to know what direction to wedge them in, and how much to wedge them, and should i get some very soft bushings, and if so what do you reccomend?

i havent actually got a slalom deck, but i have a 8 inch wide shordboard, would that be ok to start with?

oh yeah and what wheels are good for slalom, what sise, duro ect???

i know this is a lot of questions. sorry but i dont have a clue

thanks

[satori]

you can get into a good slalom setup for pretty cheap actually. i'd definetly reccommend getting slalom specific stuff. check out skatekings.com to get a feel for slalom equipment. you can get an axe deck (or whatever u want) but you're definetly going to want some tracker rts/x trucks and seismic hotspot wheels to start off with.

[stevie]

First off, where you at? The quickest way to get started is to meet up with other slalomers and start practicing with them. I'm in Los Angeles, if you're nearby.

You want trucks with 130mm or narrower hangers. Most slalom trucks are in the 90-110mm range. 106mm RTX/RTS is a good place to start. Wedging is critical for the proper feel. Front truck: thick end of wedge towards middle of board. Back truck: thick end of wedge towards tail. Use the standard 10 degree wedges, as hard as you can find.

Your 8" shortboard will actually work pretty well, if it's long enough for you to redrill it to a 17" wheelbase or longer. Wheelbase is measured between baseplates, from the holes that are towards the middle of the board. A normal shortboard wheelbase is around 14" which is way too short. It would make cones OK but would not be able to generate much speed.

Wheels: 62 to 70mm, 78 to 88 duro. Can't go wrong with Manx, Seismic HotSpots, 3dm Cambrias or ZigZags of either size. I suggest you start smaller and softer and move up in size and duro as you progress. 66mm 80a ZigZags are probably the perfect place to start. Good luck.

hi, im interested in slalom skateboarding, but i dont have a clue about it, i have read a lot on the forum for begginers and it says to get some randalls or wedge some shortboard trucks, i am a shortboarder and have shortboard trucks, but i want to know what direction to wedge them in, and how much to wedge them, and should i get some very soft bushings, and if so what do you reccomend?

i havent actually got a slalom deck, but i have a 8 inch wide shordboard, would that be ok to start with?

oh yeah and what wheels are good for slalom, what sise, duro ect???

i know this is a lot of questions. sorry but i dont have a clue

thanks

[Momona Boe]

Best advice is to tell us where you are and we can point you to slalomers in your area.

Not only will they give you pointers, they'll probably let you try their stuff so you can feel the difference. They will also have stuff they wanna sell you cheap that will work more than fine for you till you get better. And sometimes they have blow up dolls.

[pavedwave]

if you want to go really cheap and get started today you could use your shortboard, just drill an extra set of holes that overlap where the tail bends up, and use at least one soft angled riser, then another hard angled riser in the rear to make the back baseplate at least parallel if not dewedged with the deck. then a wedged truck in front. having a kicktail isn't for everyone though, many still like flat or cambered flexy decks, you'll figure out once you start toying with more setups -- and finding the group in your area is def the best thing. here is a high tech auto-cad rendering:



in any case the rtx/rts and hotspots are solid, you'll have at least decent parts for any deck once you're ready to buy one. good luck!

p.s. boe i'm wondering which blow up doll is best for sliding?

[robert borek]

thanks, firstly im in bristol, in england, so i doubt there are any other slalomers here and not any longboarders that i know of

i measured the wheelsbase on my shortboard and its 16 inch, will that be alright for now or should i re drill it,

my trucks are royal trucks (i think they are simalar to trackers) so with wedging i need to wedge the front truck so that the big bit of the wedge it pointing into the middle of the board, and do the rear truck with the lower en or the wedge pointing inwards?

i cant buy any new stuff ( exept cheap thigns like busings ) so i want to make the best slalom board out of what ive got, and this is my shortboard setup:

fracture 33 inch by 8 inch deck

royal trucks

54mm 90a wheels

bones reds bearings

[stevie]

There are slalomers in England. Check out the UK forum over at ncdsa.com: http://www.ncdsa.com/47/Skateboardin...ed-Kingdom.htm

If your board has a 16" wb already, then it is definitely long enough to accomodate a 17 or 17.5" redrilling. 16" is probably too short, it would likely limit your ability to project your turns.

If you're stuck with the Royals, so be it. You will want to upgrade to slalom specific trucks at some point but the Royals will work for now. Make the front as turny as possible with soft bushings and the back a good deal stiffer. The front truck does the turning and initiates the pumps. The back truck follows and provides drive and traction.

The posted wedging illusttration is correct.

You will need different wheels. Those are too small and too hard and probably too narrow. Although your budget is limited, wheels are critical, almost above anything else. Octane Sport is an online retailer from the UK: http://www.octanesport.com. They have everything. I still recommend the 66mm 80a ZigZags as the perfect starting wheels. 62mm 82a Cambrias are also good. Any bearings are OK if they are in good shape. Good luck.

thanks, firstly im in bristol, in england, so i doubt there are any other slalomers here and not any longboarders that i know of

i measured the wheelsbase on my shortboard and its 16 inch, will that be alright for now or should i re drill it,

my trucks are royal trucks (i think they are simalar to trackers) so with wedging i need to wedge the front truck so that the big bit of the wedge it pointing into the middle of the board, and do the rear truck with the lower en or the wedge pointing inwards?

i cant buy any new stuff ( exept cheap thigns like busings ) so i want to make the best slalom board out of what ive got, and this is my shortboard setup:

fracture 33 inch by 8 inch deck

royal trucks

54mm 90a wheels

bones reds bearings

[robert borek]

ok, thanks for all your help, but theres one more question, what angles should the risers be at? , and will my wheels do for now.

i have never ever riden a slalom board and i know nothing about slalom, it has just apealed to me a lot recently

[xxguitarist]

honestly man, the wheels wont really do.

you could make do with nearly any longboard wheels-kryptos etc, but shortboard wheels really wont cut it for you. they dont roll fast on pavement and they dont have good traction.

theres also lush longboards out of the UK and they have boards & stuff when you have money for it..

[Christophish]

Hi Robert,

Are you sure you measured the wheelbase correctly? Sounds a bit long for an 8 inch shortboard that runs Royal Trucks. Are you measuring from inner baseplate hole to inner baseplate hole? Sounds to me like you are measuring hanger to hanger. as for the Royals: You could probably wedge them to quicken up the turning a bit, but Royals are streetskating specific trucks, designed NOT to be too turny to help stabilize landings from kickflips, ollies, or whatever off of those big 7 sets. I don't think they'll work well enough for you even temporarily, if anything they might contribute to frustration, which might turn you off of slalom.

I'm sure there are slalomers near you, you'd be surprised. Slalom has historically been more popular in Europe than here. As much as I don't like to refer people to other forums on this or any forum, sheck out the ISSA forum. http://www.slalomskateboarder.com There are a lot of Europeans there, mostly mainland Europe, but you may find a crew near you in the regions section.

As for the wheels you have: FORGETTABOUTIT!!!! Taller, wider and softer are a MUST.

[Nacho]

Hi Robert,

Lush longboards are based in Bristol as far as I know, so there are plenty of longboarders down there!!! Check their webpage and forum: http://www.lushlongboards.com/forum/ There will probably someone interested in slalom.

Good luck