Whats more popular/growing the fastest, Street Luge or Stand up?
Depends on your defintion of "popular"
But recent history suggests Stand up is growing faster. There are several reasons for this. A) its cheaper/easier to get into (while you may not be able to get a speed board, you can get a longboard at almost any skateshop) B) Outside of the actual skills you need, it is easier to do. You can take a bus to the top of a hill with a skatebaord, try that with a luge. You can get away with riding a hill that you can't ride witha luge, because you can see further and be seen (as you are standing up)
Ever since Concrete Wabe longboarding in general has skyrocketed. Downhill is just an extension.
We definately have a generaion of street-lugers coming in.
not as many as stand-up, but a few of us in our early 20's are getting into this seriously.
Thing is you need a car, you cant just kick a luge around town.
you gotta drive out to the country.
Sport Extreme de Bourgoisie.
We definately have a generaion of street-lugers coming in.
not as many as stand-up, but a few of us in our early 20's are getting into this seriously.
Thing is you need a car, you cant just kick a luge around town.
you gotta drive out to the country.
Sport Extreme de Bourgoisie.
From what I've seen Standup (Speedboarding) is growing at a faster clip. Wish my observations were different. If you factor out your personal safety gear you can get a new speedboard complete for $250 + / - compared to a $1000 to $1800 quality built and outfitted streetluge. A great way to get into streetluge is via Butt Boarding. Same thrill, cheaper cost. Typical buttboard fully outfitted can be had for about $200.
From what I've seen Standup (Speedboarding) is growing at a faster clip. Wish my observations were different. If you factor out your personal safety gear you can get a new speedboard complete for $250 + / - compared to a $1000 to $1800 quality built and outfitted streetluge. A great way to get into streetluge is via Butt Boarding. Same thrill, cheaper cost. Typical buttboard fully outfitted can be had for about $200.
Lay down, go fast.
I'm just looking at a couple things:
A) Races. For the last 10 years US races have held steady with about 25 lugers. Overseas get 25-40. Standup on the other hand start push 100 racers. Its held steady the last couple of years at around 100 racers, even in the states. There have been races that we didn't have any standup riders!
B) There are a lot of riders that don't race. Small communities are growing up of guys that go out and rider. look at coastlongboarding for example. In Seattle alone I've ridden with over 20 standup guys, and like 3 of them race, in just the last year
The thing about standup is you can get a decent thrill out of the shortest hills. Plus you can actually use a skateboard for tranportation. I'm always seeing guys heading downhill on a board. Granted many of them have shortboards with the smallest wheels. But it is an easy step from there to a bigger better board.
Luge is still much hard to get into (although easier to do) No you don't need a car, but it helps to have access to one.
When I was in Switzerland a few years back, Sami was telling me about all of these cool hills you can hit. "Take the bus to the top.." "Hitchhike to the top" Things that are easy to do with a skateboard, almost impossible with a luge.
Luges biggest problem in my opinion is lack of visibility. People just don't know about it. Sure they can easily find it on the web, if they know to look. Where as longboarding is getting more popular, its not uncommon to see people out longboarding on a regular basis.
$200? I built a buttboard for a little over $100. Then I used the wood left over, put it with a $30 set of used Randals and some 76 mm Flywheels I had on hand, and there was another one. Buttboards are easy to carry around and fun.
That is kind of beside the point. Every time my friends and I bring up luging, people say things like, "You're gonna die," or "I try to stick with sports that won't kill me." I think laying on your back and racing down a hills seems crazy to most people.
That is kind of beside the point. Every time my friends and I bring up luging, people say things like, "You're gonna die," or "I try to stick with sports that won't kill me." I think laying on your back and racing down a hills seems crazy to most people.
But STANDING on the board and racing down a hill isn't?
And yeah you can easily BUILD a buttboard for under $100. That is the whole point of the class.
The cool thing about a buttboard (for the most part) is one size fits all. Its great for people who are still growing.
What everyone's said is pretty much on point. Standup is exploding... Maybe luge will follow? I've heard people (was it Kludy?) say the sport has had it's 15 minutes of fame, but I really doubt that's too true. Like AJ has commented there are a lot of kids (my age) getting into it and taking it hardcore. But also the technology has improved since the XGames and Gravity Games era... Who's to say luge won't have a new inception.
(How to make it TV worthy? Think Road Rash on Luges. With paintball guns. Actually, just courses with jumps would suffice, plenty of wreckage that way.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceman
Every time my friends and I bring up luging, people say things like, "You're gonna die," or "I try to stick with sports that won't kill me." I think laying on your back and racing down a hills seems crazy to most people.
Yeah, that does happen a lot. I kinda like being told I've got big balls, honestly.
Though, a big part of doing this is having people to do it with IMO... luckily my roommate is as nuts as I am and thus we always have a crew.. though, technically the smallest crew possible. My girl wants to get into it as well... So I'm making her a buttboard as soon as I buy a new dremel and hopefully this summer can build a luge, as I've been designing one for the past four months and have full access to my school's facilities this summer.
AJ I like your nickname for the sport... Fitting.
And yes, big hills to make it worth it are necessary. That is a problem, but luge trips are always worth it and fun.
__________________
Go skate and stop worrying.
~#### I Ride~
DH Setup - Dregs Race, Bombers, Orangatangs
Some other skateboards.
Luge - Roger Bros. Pegless, 83mm Amber Flys, Z-Rollers
Everyone thinks standup is even crazier. I've gotten four people from my university to try buttboarding, two of them are hooked. I have yet to convince someone to break 30 mph standup. I'm still working on them though. It is really nice to have a crew. Mine is small, but good. Unfortunately, they are leaving in May and it will be just me after that. I'll have to recruit some more. Spreading the stoke!
yeah biker sherlock said after doing skid row in seattle, that he could teach you how to be a pro at luge in a day, but take the rest of your life to be good, he said stand up is a constant pursuit, because the technique is always changing, and you are more nimble so the races are more technical because people are weaving a little.
__________________
Longboarding, Doin it for the Middle Aged Women.
Hellcat--------------Smokies--------------In Heats
Evo-------------------Grizzlies--------------Limes
Hellcat--------------Randall 180----------Limes
DH Race-----------Randall 180----------Limes
YOUR MOM
[HamsterChucker360] 10:45 pm: the corchia is perfect in everyway
[HamsterChucker360] 10:45 pm: i even told jessica corchia that, i said "its perfect for me"
[circle] 10:45 pm: dervish, doesnt it not have pockets after the kicktails
[HamsterChucker360] 10:46 pm: idk stood on it in like may
[boarderaholic] 10:46 pm: i wonder how creeped out she was by that comment...
[HamsterChucker360] 10:49 pm: dont sig that, just sig i like dicks
Whats more popular???
It is really nice to have a crew. Mine is small, but good. Unfortunately, they are leaving in May and it will be just me after that. I'll have to recruit some more. Spreading the stoke!
