After months of waiting, this finally came in the mail yesterday....

our new shop decks came in today.  we had a tattoo artist friend draw up the graphic and then had it all finalized.. turned out super sick, way better in person too.  alaska native wolf theme... pumped.  now we just need to get cruisers for me...

   

a cruiser, at least by my definition, is more or less a wider normal board with risers and longboard wheels, but the board is usually a fun shape.  it's the same thing most filmers use as their filming boards.  krooked zigzagger for example.  same concave, a little wider than normal, nose and tail kick of the same size, but cut in a semi old-school shape.  a lot of companies make stuff like that now so you could really just go to your local shop and see what they have, or just google "skateboard cruiser deck," and you get lots of results from various pro companies.  it seems like most of them have at least one cruiser shape these days, since they are getting popular.  I'm riding a 9" DGK cruiser now, have had a zigzagger, REAL "aces ripper," city godzilla cruiser, a manik cruiser from the noah sinclair boyt series, etc.  it doesn't have to be a shape like that though.. some people just like a regular deck but in a wider size, like 8.5" or so.

for trucks, you want highs with 1/4" risers because of the larger wheels.  for wheels, something in the high 50s or low 60s is pretty perfect if you ask me, and you want them soft.  I like 62mm with a 78A durometer, but that's all preference.  a lot of wheels companies are making these too.. ricta clouds, satori, spitfire, etc.  again, most skateshops would probably have at least a couple cruiser decks/wheels in stock.

and the far left one here.. gnarly graphic, haha

can you recommend some good cruiser boards?  Have you tried the Carver boards?  I have one of them that have the special trucks...super fun.

depends what you want to do.  three basic things.  if you want to get into the "trick" side of skating, get a regular board.  if you want to cruise streets and just go on flat ground and make turns, longboard.  if you want to cruise streets efficiently but also have the ability to skate it like regular (ollies, etc), get a cruiser (similar to a regular board, but with soft longboard wheels).  cruisers are a nice hybrid between the two.  also best for travel in my opinion, as you cruise like a longboard (fast, smooth), but they are regular-size, thus easier to transport/carry when not actually skating.  I have almost given up all regular skating for cruisers.  I think it's most similar to snowboarding too, in that you cruise anywhere smooth, go fast, make turns, but you can still pop up, over, and down things and do tricks if you want.  super fun.

you could also get two boards, or hell get three if you want.  I mostly skate cruisers, but occasionally I get on a regular board if I feel like going to the park.  pretty rare though.  20 years in, so I'm burnt out on it.

It helps. You might not think so, but compared to someone who's never ridden any type of board it makes a huge difference.

What's your projected finish date guesstimate? Just so I know when to check back

That sounds awesome post pictures when its done. 

[TUBE]HB2tAbCftUc[/TUBE]

If I ever own a house with a large enough backyard. Im building a covered mini ramp for sure

Dang, thats a bummer. No cheap indoor parks around?

I used to screw all my old boards in my wall. My bedroom was in the basement. My mom went down there and raged because of it haha. She threw them all away. 

That was awesome. Simply awesome...

Nollie tres felt really awkward and unnatural when I first learned them. I just did it so often that it feels great now.

But tres just feel like it takes way too much effort for me. 

three years isn't shit. i've been skating for 20 years (blows my mind every time i realize that) and haven't even tried to land one.  i guess that's just me, but still.  three years is short.  besides, sure you could learn to land tricks, but the mots important part comes either 100% naturally or it takes way longer to develop that the time it takes to learn new tricks.

internet high five to the first person who knows which important part i'm talking about.

edit: as far as the key to tres... it's all in the back foot scoop.  you can almost do one without even using your fron't foot.

What I got around me are ramps and regular transition which is still fun but you cant flow as well.

looks like a really fun park. Is that a full pipe in the back?

 

1 screenshot from the short video my bro took of me.  Only my second day skating but I feel like I'm progressing well.  I was super stoked to be able to ride this small bowl thing, I was just going back and forth, rolling to fakie and then back again.  I finally got the momentum and speed to be able to "pump" the transition.  What a good feeling that is.  Maybe next time will be kickturns or axle stall.  I can only hope.

 

Thanks. Sounds brutal. Did you smash your face up that bad that you're scared to get back on the board?

Yeah its that way here for me. Ohio is way to humid during the summer. When you sweat, it stays on you and doesn't dry out.

Yeah, skating during the day in the summer can be brutalllllll.  I hate it when you go out and skate for 5 mins and you already get drenched with sweat. 

But spring and fall I shred anytime past 2pm haha. I need my sleep.

I can't skate early either. For some reason I tend to do a lot better in the middle to late in the day. Seems like that's when my muscles feel nice n loose, warmed up and ready to go.  

 

I've got to try getting to the park when there's not anybody else around too.  It's not a good option waking up early though... are parks typically busy at night once the lights come on?  Like from 8 till 10pm?

at my local park these lil kids with bikes just circle around the park. they dont mind anyone elses turn. I know they are kids but its annoying

 

Dang that is impressive.  Ollieing 5 times in a row at 1:17 to go UP the stairs is something I've never seen before.

You should get feeble fakies down then, they arent hard. Its just scary to trust yourself to go back down haha.

my good friend ryan cortes is living in spain right now and just put together this video that he filmed, only at famous spots.... damn.  i'm a big fan of ryan's video style, but maybe it's because i know him.  either way..

full screen - https://vimeo.com/50671399

[tube]http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=50671399[/tube]

ninja, do you have feeble fakies? If not, learn those and I'm sure you'll have pivot fakies soon.

Down on what?

Btw, that Maloof joint I posted sucked a bit.  I mean, I love watching skating I've never seen, but for a $12.50 theater experience, you'd think they'd incorporate full sound and whoever was in control of the camera sitch, SUCKED...  I mean REALLY sucked.  Sure they only had two days to make it happen, but the Maloof camp has way too much money to drop some garbage like that.  I wonder if their other events (live music, etc) suck like this...

I was mindblown when i watched that video yesterday. He really raised the bar with this one.

 

I'd ride her everyday  I think that's the style longboard I need for my creaky old ass.

 

Hell, I was thinking just for the speeds.  It's not terrible fast, but when I was bombing hills last summer at 30mph I thought, "Damn, I would hate to hit a rock right now".....or make a wrong move period.  I used to wear helmet and all pads when I was doing the downhill, if I was trying slides I think they'd be on too. 

I don't see why not, probably look into Fox moto gears or something.

But back to the point, yeah, roller blading pads are meant for people that are roller blading and how far are you going to fall cruising by the beach with your walkman on the waist of your spandex? 

Good skateboarding right there. This dude rips.

Dude, they are pads, I think just as long as they are comfortable your good. I don't think you need brand name pads unless you really want to. 

 

btw, how much should I expect to spend on a set of knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist guards?  I've got a helmet already :) no worries there.  What are some good brands, and where can I buy em?  Probably not Big5 or Dicks, right?

Yeah man I dont think it's a good idea driving with a head injury haha. I'm glad you're okay though. I understand, its like that for a lot of people. I am fine skating by myself too but I'd rather do it with my buddies because I learn so much more. And I don't get frustrated because its a positive vibe.

 

I love skating by myself.  The best thing about someone to skate with though is that it's nice to have someone else to do the driving when you need to make a run to the ER  Skating alone is like meditation for me, but it did suck driving a half hour to the ER when I was bleeding and woozy.  Which was my fault for not having my helmet on that day.

This is me with a couple of the kids I'm currently instructing...

Heres a pretty cool montage my buddy made of all of us. 

[TUBE]y-jK0aF6W1w&feature=relmfu[/TUBE]

full screen - https://vimeo.com/47386737 

jarrett's melon to fakie during warmups

 

They're webcasting all of it, here's the link to the skate comp.-

skated a bit at the park after work with jeremy, haden, phil, and our friend josh who's in town.  jarrett and sam showed up too... pretty much the standard snowboard crew.  fun session but i keep hurting my ankle.  pretty sure i have mild tendonitis and need to start letting it heal fully.

did a little shooting with jarrett

melon to flat over the table

this is a backflip handplant thing he does, not just a handplant

melon to fakie

one of his latest tricks, ninja airwalk to fakie

frontside air

thought this was kinda funny.. jerms fs tail down the hubba with conor's bs heel in the foreground as he punches jerms in the face

josh has pop for days.  boner ollie.

can't remember if this was a bs 180 or bs flip

full screen - https://vimeo.com/46269737

[tube]http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=46269737[/tube]

 

No one wants to admit that C  I think it's really a combo.  

there were more shots on the hip, but nothing landed.  agreed on a down rail.  i think we're going to build a manny pad again too.. i miss those a lot.

Yeah, Timmy's alley oop was nice.  Props for the transfer attempts too.  It's obvious those are in the bag, but he couldn't pull it out in the comp.  Not many people doing work on the hip.  They should add a down rail to that set up.

highlight reel.  pretty much all solid trickery, so it flows well enough.  timmy (first skater, in the black) makes it worthwhile on his own.

full screen - https://vimeo.com/45828617

[tube]http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=45828617[/tube]

few more.

max and a warm-up ollie, as i was getting the camera set up

Timmy and one of his classic frontside airs

Aaron's kickflips.. always poked

cropped this one for the faces.  jerm's catchin' air, phil needs a high five, and sam has a nice face.

skate comp today.  i didn't really focus on photos during the festivities, but snapped a couple as everyone was warming up.  not especially stoked on any of them, but i do like this one of jerms and his classic frontside air in the mini after things settled down.... harsh pop-up flash and all.  working on the rest tomorrow... filmed all the runs, and i think you guys will like the skating that went down.  we have a grip of talented dudes around.  good times.  stoked for our triple contest series starting next weekend.

 

Oh hells yeah. I'm suprised you haven't already.  Lake MI is the bomb for that.  My sorry ass will be doing it mostly on Lake Erie when I finally get a hook up.  Hit up my man Mark at motorcitykiteboarding.com   He gave us a beginner lesson and kiting made much more sense.

 

A decent snowboard setup usually goes for 600 plus, a kite setup (including board) is about double that (and up), both pricey. 

 

Yeah, I've heard some tales of the bad side of kiting.  Dude hitting the side of a hotel.  It's all about safety.  Lessons are a must.  There are safety features that when used properly will usually keep you out of trouble.

Es freaking crazy expensive. Then you see/hear the horror stories of the guys that get pulled hundreds of feet into the air! haha

that was insanely close at 3:33 of the vid....looked like a great time.

yes...my buddy is a very skilled snowboarding and has been surfing fairly regularly for five years now.  Although  his surfing skills are improving they are no where near his snowboarding skills.  I have been surfing around 40 times and certainly my snowboarding life hasn't hurt me in the water but it really hasn't helped that much either...but with that said so much fun...haven't met a board sport yet that isn't.

skated a little tonight.  i don't know what's up, but almost every time i skate at the park, even just for a little, i end up with a shtooked up lower back.  been going to the chiropractor for a little over a month and it's helped overall, but i'm still working out this issue. i think it stems from an old snowboard injury..

anyway, tried shooting photos with ryan.  the park is super dim, but up in this corner you get a little daylight, so it wasn't as bad.  struggled to get anything i was happy with on my part.. this is the only one i was alright with, but i wish it had been something other than a warm-up ollie.

   

i feel like "i don't know how to swim" really means "i've never really done it and i'm afraid of being in water."

Technically he could just wear a life vest, which is a requirement isn't it?  

 

Anyhow, Yeah, I too have never had the joy of surfing.  I've been wanting to surf Lake Michigan (yes, it is totally possible), but it a matter of buying a $700 board that might not get used that often.  Plus, since I don't live near Lake MI I'd have to be able to run over there at a moments notice to try and catch a few decent waves.  I'm nervous to swim the ocean due to all the crazy shit in there. 

 

Only things in common to me are the standing sideways and riding a board.  When I started snowboarding I came from a skate backround.  On a skateboard I could nose slide all day on curbs, when I started trying frontboard on snow it was like I was trying that same motion I did (front?) nose sliding on concrete.  It took a long time to get out of that habit on the snow and sometimes I still find myself doing it from time to time.  Backside was different, the skate days helped with that basic motion, but it's still way different.

 

Freebording looks like it has that same spirit you talked about when you cruise spens.  I do need to get either a nice cruiser or freebord soon.

 

but of course this is just my opinion.  for me, i'm not trying to improve my snowboarding through any means but snowboarding, but i do focus on staying in shape between seasons so i can pick up where i left off.  i also try to keep the mental fun of it alive via cruiser skateboarding... going fast, cruising streets, grinding curbs and popping over all kinds of features on the way.. the same way i snowboard.  a lot of riding is mental, as far as how you ride, what you do, and the way you see features (especially when you link them together), so that probably helps keep your mind fresh.

nothing will be a real substitute for the way you actually snowboard.  the only thing that's really like snowboarding to a point it will "help you" with snowboard-specific skills.... is snowboarding.

And I just found out there was a Wild in the Streets ride today in Detroit.  Found out at 6, it was at noon.  It was a five mile ride through the streets of the D in part to raise funds for a park in the city.  I skipped going to the park today because it got up to 95 and I melt at that temp.

full screen - https://vimeo.com/44363467

 

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Snowskate maybe?

 

 

I got out today for a bit.  So happy there were two other old guys there with just as much protection on  So I didn't have to feel like the only turd there.

now the shake junt chicken bone video, THAT'S a killer video.  every part and trick is sick, editing is amazing, there's an awesome crazy fun feel to it, and lots of lifestyle/random/crazy shots in there.  that crew never disappoints.  so much amazing stuff in there.

 

http://thesavvyduck.com/eric-koston-is-not-dead/#

 

 

And check out my man Barts company What Luck?  He's 100% DIY which is pretty sweet. 

 

whatluckskateboards.com/

Yeah, I saw that.  I'm not sure which is my favorite of his, but Haroshi is sick.  You guys can check his work here:

 

 

On another note.  Hit the park on my new setup today.  Kinda wishing I woulda stuck with my 10" wide pool board instead of an 8.5.   Totally forgot how different a smaller board would feel under foot.

fortunately it's fake.

 

So sick and to add to that, a little recent Daewon at the Berrics:

I didn't even know what snowboarding was back in the late 70's - early 80's.  When Skateboarder Magazine changed to Action Now my brother and I saw the end of the skate scene, at least in our minds.  We loved Skateboarder Magazine.  If you google skateboarder magazine and click images you can see a lot of covers, I remember several of them.

Notice the Action Now Magazine stickers... Skateboarder Magazine relaunched itself as "Action Now" in August, 1980 and covered BMX, snowboarding (damn, wish I picked up snowboarding back then), sandboarding, surfing, body-boarding, etc.  

Check out the snowboarder on this mag cover:

Here's a nice little video of Allen Losi at Del Mar in '85:

 

Do you think 3lbs. for a deck is too heavy?  I'm not exactly petite so maybe a heavy duty board would be perfect for me. 

it's all marketing.  brands aren't really better than others, it's just preference like anything.  i used to be really anal and picky about all that nonsense, but i got over it.  as long as it's a real brand that a real skateshop would carry, it's gonna be fine.  these days i say find a board that's the right size, a shape you like, and a graphic you're fine with, and call it good.  personally i tend to really like habitat/AWS and kayo (DGK, organika, etc) decks.  indy is still #1 in my book... nothing else touches my boards.

darkstar has been around for a good amount of time now.. it's definitely not a new brand at all.  it's still a real a-list brand found in real skateshops, but apparently they sold their name to department stores, cause they sell "darkstar" completes at places like fred meyer, but they're the super cheap "fake" skateboards.  world industries has done the same, as well as a few other brands.  hell, variflex was a real company back in the day.  lance mountain rode for them, but most of us grew up with it being the cheap $30 "fake" complete from department stores.

abec doesn't matter much in most people's realities.  it basically refers to the precision with which the bearing is cut (that's what i've always understood, anyway).  unless you're a luger, it doesn't really matter.  any normal-brand bearing from a real shop is gonna be fine.  my favorite for price is flip HKDs, whether it's the abec 5s or 7s, but i usually get the 7s just cause.  there are a slough of other good options though, but we sell more HKD 5s and 7s than anything else, by far, and i haven't had any complaints.  it's basically all i've skated in all my boards for years now.

 

or my want made it seem that way at least

 

I was calling me fat.  Your freeboard was a 75 right?  So if you went by their size chart when you bought it you've got to be shorter and thinner than me.  I need the 85w.

 

 

I did, however, just order a complete (street/park board) to replace one of my stolen boards.  I'm not so in the "scene" so I'm not sure about brands these days.  Like back in my day Plan B and Alien Workshop were really legit boards.  A few years ago my son was downing those and saying Creature and some other brands are the shit.

 

So, anyhow.  The board I got is an Alien W.S. w/ indy trucks, darkstar wheels w/ abec 9's.  

 

1. Is that a decent setup?

 

2. The board is 3 lbs.  Is that heavy for a deck?  Will that make that much diff for someone not so skilled as myself?

 

I can remember indy trucks being heavy, but indestructable.  Never heard of Darkstar.  Abec9 seems quick. 

jeremy's first time to the park this year, photo by his lady

thought about the question again.  i didn't mean i film FOR the reps like it's something i'm supposed to do, i just mean i like filming and making little videos, and these guys are my personal friends, and we film often.  i send some of the videos by my own accord to our reps, and then the rest happens

also, short skate on cruisers earlier.. got booted from downtown pretty quickly as expected, with four cruise ships full of tourists walking around.

i'm not that stoked on either of these photos on my part, but on jerms' part, not bad for his first time skating this year, and on a zipzinger

       

 

I thought it was something like that.  How do you get into the filming aspect of that?  That's pretty sweet. 

none of the guys in my skate videos are sponsored besides a few of them being our shop riders, but i'm working on getting a couple of them on flow this summer.

slow day at the shop so i made a little somethin' from yesterday

[tube]http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=42305917[/tube]

 

Soon my time will  come.  I'm still kicking myself for not taking advantage of my wife working for an airline (when she did).  They flew right into Aspen. 

 

Glad you had a great time though, sounds like the off season is a juggling act.

screenshot of sam from a followcam.. pretty stoked how the short line came out.  forgot how much i love filming people's lines, more so with street skating though..

think after i collect more footage over the next couple weeks, i'll make a little park edit.

It was a great trip, we had an incredible time.  My video footage is quite boring, I'm still sorting through it to see if I can put together a decent edit.  Between coaching my son's baseball team, assist coaching the other son's team, volunteering at school, work and giving my wife attention with whatever time I have left over I haven't had a chance to edit the footage.

For those of us who have only ridden the hills of MI I highly recommend getting out to a mountain.  Everything about Breckenridge was great:  the people, the mountain (even though snow conditions were not optimal), restaurants, etc.

fun little sesh tonight with haden and phil

   

The Vans Encores are pretty nice.  I bought them just before going to Breckenridge, I wanted another pair of boots because my Burton Rulers (that I've had for 3 seasons) were giving me some toe issues, I didn't want my trip ruined due to sore toes.  I went to a local shop and tried on Northwave (Legend I think), DC Judge, Thirty Two Lashed, Rome Libertine (worst fit of the bunch), and Vans Encore.  I kept each pair on for a while and walked around the shop.  The Encores felt the best with decent arch support for factory insoles and just really felt like they hugged my feet without being overly tight.  I put 4 days on them in Breck and they felt great. 

 

 

The Vans pool party is pretty sick.  It's on right now-

 

http://www.vans.com/eventsites/poolparty/poolparty-webcast/

 

 

@humblerooster- yeah, I know, I probably should stay off it longer.  I just hate not riding.  Bad enough I can't snowboard right now, but I can't even go cruise a mellow bowl.  I was in an area with some nice hills I thought about longboarding the other day- but it was wet....and I was alone.  I tend to get a lot less runs in alone.  Something about the walk back up.  Not even the physical exertion, just the time it takes me to walk a half mile uphill feels wasted.

Regarding the ankle fellas, when I sprained it two years ago, it basically shut my summer skating down.  I got some mellow skating in late summer, but it was ugly.  I hope that's not the case here...

 

It sure do. My ankle still hurts from over a month ago (the pool incident). If this affects my snow season I'm gonna be steamy.

 

Kinda ironic you just mentioned loving bank tricks just the other day movesmusic

Yeah, even watching the video of the first time I jacked me ankles I really don't see how it happened.  No video of the 2nd time, just lingering pain...

The first time I was riding Burton Rulers.  The second time I was wearing Vans Encore boots.  The Encores are definitely softer.

I'm thinking about getting some hi-tops for skating to add a bit more support 

I don't have a lot of problems with the lower part of my body while snowboarding, but yeah, I'm 39 and I still skate a lot.  I had to stop bigger gaps, stairsets and lots of raw street stuff because I was getting so banged up that I didn't want to function during the day at work and so forth.  I started skating park a lot more and even started wearing full pads, which is something I had never done before two years ago.

Getting old sucks.  I'm in my 40's and hurt my ankles twice this past snow season doing a simple 180 off a box.

On a brighter note, I was playing with a little p&s that I've never used for action shots and I got some pics of some little 10-12 year old groms.  Kids are sick these days.  I haven't loaded them yet but when I do I'll come back and post.

 

 

 

Yes, what skating should be.  Looks like nothing but fun, Spenser. 

Ok thats what i was thinking but just didnt feel like asking. But that sure does save a lot of money!

threw the footage together

full screen - http://vimeo.com/41876897

[tube]http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=41876897[/tube]

 

@movesmusic-  I like hitting that stuff too, mostly just the banked part.  Not a whole lot of trick goes on at the top.  Still love that sensation of rolling it.

we stacked up two boxes in two ways and filmed a little

smith

front 180 melon

melon over the stack

pushing it over two boxes and a cone

started out right

If you look, Im pretty sure that there is a freeboard thread......

 

They do seem to be pricey.  And I wonder how durable they are.  I'm a big guy.  Am I going to snap the thing if I try a gap?  If they'd drop the price about a hundy I'd already have one. 

 

 

Hahah thats why i brought it up.

 

There's so many other things I need to spend $250 on right now.  But damn do I want one.

Or a freebord! ;)

 

Is that anything like the "hooded knight"?

Looks like a solid board. I wouldnt mind having one.

Oh and the knight adds a lot of character to the video. 

What's up with the sworded knight in that video?

Ive been both, but a dude on a bike going faster than you, more weight and speed.  Force = Mass x Acceleration, so I was pretty shit outa luck.  We both were.  

 

JBburton- bug on a windshield  I've been the windshield.  Luckily no ones ever gotten too hurt from the impacts.

Yea, this reminds me why I have been so on and off with skateboarding over the years.  I remember a several years ago I was in a skatepark and dropped in on an 8 foot roll in.  The park isn't always "maintained" or cleaned when it should be, so one of my wheels ended up getting caught on some debris toward the bottom.  Ended up falling off and smacked my hip into the support of a rail.  Sucked so much.  Another time I did a revert on a ramp and was just not paying attention, so next thing i know i turned around crashed head-on into some dude on a bike just dropping in to go up the ramp.  Neither of us were paying attention and we both took our time walking it off.  Was a pretty big dude too so I was like a bug on a windshield.  But knowing me I will likely get back into that sooner than later.  It is the right time of year.

Below is a shot taken last summer that gives you guys an idea of what the park looks like that I ride a lot.  I live a little over a mile from here now.  There is a 5'-10' bowl behind the photographer.  I'll find a pic of it and post it as well...

haha hardly, i'm just talking about ollies and kickflips, nothing crazy.

skated yesterday for almost two hours, which is totally unusual for one of my bi-annual attempts at liking skating again.  definitely got ollies back and just went back and forth seeing how high i could get throughout the park features.

set up a box i used to skate all the time and tried my hand at grinds again, and it was like nothing changed.. back 5-0s for daaaaays haha.  fun sesh... refreshing.

R.I.P Warp skatepark. Oh well i have another 4 in hour driving distance! 

 

So humblerooster, you must hit Mt. Hood.  Place looks pretty sweet, is it worth the crap weather that surrounds the mountain?  I tossed around the idea of moving out that way (summer riding, hells yeah yo).  It's the weather and what I'd do for $ out there that make me hold back.  It's grey enough in MI, don't know if I could handle that Seattle-like weather OR gets.

 

I'm so bummed cuz it's been over a month now.  Just when I think my foot is cool I step wrong.  Probably a good thing for my foot I'm not skating. 

 

 

"actually went to the park the other night for the first time in forever and skated a little bit. definitely weird at first, but it only took a few ollies to get back into the swing of it. tried a few kickflips and still have those. gonna skate again tonight... i think if i keep it fun with friends, i might actually keep skating somewhat regularly."

 

Well goodie two shoes for you spens  Oh, look at me, I just hop on a board and get all Nyjah all over the place....OOOOhhhhhh.      For real though, good for you dude.  Boarding is good for the soul.  I envy those that can (well enough to look like they belong on a board). 

Yeah bro, it isn't as easy as it used to be.  It takes me a bit to get warmed up but once I'm there it flows ok.  A day with a few good spills is one that takes a toll, but in any case, I usually feel it after I skate, especially right now, as I'm currently getting back into skate shape.  I had a nice session at the park yesterday despite the almost 90* weather...

mostly just filmed with my friend monte though.  he's been progressing a TON and has awesome style.  tall guy steez.  here's a mashup of some of the footage.  gonna film more throughout the summer and hopefully make him a legit part, see if i can get him on flow with someone.

full screen - http://vimeo.com/41412476

[tube]http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=41412476[/tube]

 

 

So we have this really rad park (for MI anyhow) called Riley that has some sweet bowls.  Here's a pic of a guy I went to high school with (he's 39/40).  He has a (very) small company Purple Heart skates.  He's a pretty cool dude been living the dream since back in the day.  Mind you, I busted my head just riding up this same wall.  And this assssshole......

Ahhhh good old wilson. Such a fun place to ride. So you live a lot closer to the city than me. I love that 7 stair set with the 2 ledges. Dope place.

Name some of the parks because you live in Chicago and i live right by it. Maybe we ride the same park.

 

Wanted to share this video with you guys, maybe you've already seen it.  No matter this is dope as shit.  I wonder how Burnquist feels getting beat by a 12 year old.  (I like Bob, but it's gotta be rough).

 

Totally.  I was talking to a kid a one of the parks around here and he said "I know a bigger guy that skates pretty good".  Is that kid in his late 30's?  Did he stop for almost 20 years?  You gotta lose get to your ideal if the boy skates.  Old man still has to show up for a few years  Until he's old (good) enough to realize dad ain't got it anymore.  But he'll still appreciate that you're there.  Back before my kid stopped skating and turned into an asshole he really seemed to like it that I'd still go out and try it (knowing I'd get hurt) with him.

 

I too wanted to be a "manageable" weight at the start of last winter.  190-200 is my range I'm looking for.  Instead for the first winter in 10 years I actually gained weight (snowboarding usually keeps me good). 

 

I did the same thing with my park board.  Got it a few years (and about 20 pounds ago) thinking "oh well, I'm only a little over, it'll just flex more".  Man does that board flex.  Like a noodle.  Now I'm only about 40lbs over for it.  I'm still shocked I haven't snapped it yet.

Skating, on the other hand, I think requires quite a bit less girth so it give me motivation.  Especially if my boy starts skating.  

 

The few times I rode this spring I was close to 240 (lost about 10 since then).  When I was in my hey day I was 160ish.  It's like the 17 year old me is trying to skate with a bag of quik-cret tied to my waist.  And a bunch of past injuries too. 

 

About the only "trick" I can still do is shuv-its (can still do them fakie surprisingly).  I can't get enough pop to get a kickflip.  Time for tubby bye-bye. 

 

They had some complete cruisers there Meaty for like 65.  Did you see those? 

 

If anyone ever sees freebord up there for a big discount don't hold out on a brutha

 

It's sad that companies like Airwalk and Vision are low end now, they used to be legit back in the day.  Kind of like Mongoose bikes, they used to be the shit in the 80's.  Now you can get them at any sporting goods store.

No, that's NOW and goes through the next week.

Haha yeah thats where i saw it. Just totally forgot to post the site for people to see but you got that covered.

@snowj720:  gotcha.  Nash was one of those brands like vision and airwalk that were low end pro

but diffinitely better then those crap walmart decks!  And I know just what you mean about trying making sure they like it before investing money into it.  I figure $50 is about what I want to spend for him to find out. If not, he can use the board for something else, or I can use it!  LOL! 

 

 

funny you should mention that, because in their private stash for the next week they have their brand decks for $20 and their wheels for $12.  No trucks, though...

 

Not sure what moose decks are either, but at blankdecks.com, you can get REAL skateboards, and their completes start at $50.  

 

My son had a spiderman board as his first board (kmart board).  Same thing.  Show me you can at least ride it and like doing it enough to justify a good board. 

 

As far as a board for you.  Those moose boards on ebay were like 40-50ish and they had longboards (pintail) and street (semi-old and new school setups).  You could get a complete longboard and blank (street) deck for probably like $60.    Just a thought.

 

 

And the skateshoe topic above.  I feel ya.   Back in the day I used to rock chucks (which were like $15 back then) and shoe goo squares of old bike tubes on as "ollie pads".  Vision used to have their version of the chuck with little oval rubber pads.  I loved those all black visions. 

Ollies are going great, moving a little faster each day and rolling away from landings with some consistency now.  current shoes will not last the month, though.  

I really need to check out my buddy's long board.  He says he loves it, and that will help me decide if when I get my board a deck, if I get a new street deck for me or a long board.  

 

I was like MrMeaty in the buying of cheaper bearings.  Mine was just because I think the most expensive ones available in the late 80's/early 90's were maybe $25.  $90 for bearings is crazy.  Hell I thought I was stylin' now with some abec 7's

When I skated all the time we would get the cheapest bearings we could get because they would always get waterlogged and rusted cause it rained so much in the Philippines where I was.  

 

What kind of bearings did you get luv2shred?  $30?  Damn bearings have gotten more expensive than back in my day.

Thats a really good bargin. I payed 30 for a set plus 30 for bearings even though i dont need them. Ahh im still mad. I need the money.

 

If you can't just sit on wheels without using them......you might have to add some new trucks and a board to those wheels