Raise the roof.
I think it tends to be forgotten how much of a vert dog Alan was.
I like the two trick line Auby Taylor did from the Rumble in Ramona where he does a fakie ollie to an ollie to fakie. Straight up and down and blasted as high as possible on a Jeff Phillips style old school shape.
Thrasher - September 2005 Volume 5 Number 9
9 comments:
He was wearing a full cut helmet, too.
I say, Whatever floats your boat. But I don't get the retro thing. Like that guy on Santa Cruz who rides a board from the 1980s. I could never do that.
I don't get the shaped board trend either. All the kids at my park think they get more cool points the crazier the shape. I ask if they realize the shape of the board pros ride is based upon their needs, and when met will help them skate better. There's a reason why the popsicle shape has become the standard; because it is the optimal shape for all types of skateboarding. Also, I feel winkowski is just a gimmick. If he didn't ride an old school shape, would he stand out more than any other? He is good at skating, so it's not like he is untalented, I think he just gets more hype.
I’m a believer in the popsicle as well. The functionality of it is unmatched. I get the vert folks riding their custom shapes because it’s the most comfortable to them.
I like Auby’s approach because it seems like he’s learning how to properly skate vert as it was in the 1980s. He’s even said as much in his recent Thrasher interview. His interest feels genuine.
I sort of think the 90/91 shape of a slightly wider and longer board with a big nose, like what Grosso rides is a good overall shape, too. Maybe not for a few tricks, but in general. I figure I’ll switch to that with some big, soft wheels once my ollies go away completely.
I dig Welcome. I doubt I could ride one of their boards. Some of the shapes don’t seem practical. For a bit you would see a guy with rails and a shaped deck trying to skate old school and it didn’t work. I’ve also seen kids riding the same setup and just destroying everything. We live in odd times.
I’ve kind of wondered why Winkowski rides the old shapes. Skateboarding is already hard and you’re making it harder. I’m not sure what I think of him. I’ve read the interviews and he doesn’t seem like the sharpest dude ever. It’s actually weird to think about how he’s riding a board that came out before he was born.
I have the typical popsicle shape as my standard setup, but do enjoy using my shaped wider deck (JK dream girl re-issue) with wider trucks and softer wheels just for going to the store/getting mail as its much better for rolling over rough/patched streets and such, but what's weird is that it can often make me focus a little more on foot placement/effort on ollies (as I'll think, this thing is a tank) and I can really snap a good one that feels levelled out, whereas at a park my popsicle can feel like I'm failing around too much. The thing is at my age I have the disposable income to have multiple set-ups to play around with, my tricks are going the way of the dodo and I'm slowly coming into the mindset of just getting out as opposed to landing things, otherwise I'd stay popsicle all the time.
Welcome however I just can't wrap my head around, the shapes and art aren't for me.
My thing is, I like a light board. 7 3/4 popsicle, hollow trucks, slim wheels. I even thought about doing the Stevie Williams two truck bolts thing, but I like stability. Basically, I want my board as light as possible. I have zero interest in riding a wide, shaped board because they're heavier.
I think for older guys, part of it is nostalgia. "This is like the Blind Jason Lee board I had when I was 14." For younger guys, it might be more about being different. "I am a unique and special individual, and that is reflected in my deck choice."
But me, I am not even trying to ride a tank.
My friend is a mechanical engineer, and he ran the numbers on two bolts versus four, and there was no significant difference as far as stability. You can run two bolts per truck in your set up.
Interesting about the bolts.
I've noticed that hardware tends to come loose and people don't check it. How does it fair with two bolts? I suppose if you make sure the bolts are tight before you skate, it shouldn't matter much.
I like my board on the light side, which is why I won't go too wide. I think my boards always end up a little bit heavy. The second Polar deck I had was the lightest board I've ever had. None of the others have really been close. I don't know if it was defect or they were trying a different wood shop, but it was light.
I appreciate the info about the bolts. I think I had in the back of my head all the times I was skateboarding somewhere, and my bolts were no loose, and no skate tool. So I'd have to periodically tighten it with my hands.
I fell asleep last night watching the Jamie Thomas Nine Club. Three and a half hours! That is a long Nine Club.
My mechanical engineer friend skates, too. He didn't do the calculations with pencil and paper, he ran it through one one the design programs he uses, like AutoCAD or something similar. Bolts coming loose didn't increase once he went to two bolts. But we skate the smooth cement of a skatepark; not so much in the streets anymore.
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