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Skateboard wheels ,why are they so small now?
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rusty-trowelFree Member
I was running a Zorlac John Gibson set up around ’86 (can’t remember what hardwear was on it though). Also just about old enough to have ridden the 2 bowls (1 snake run i think) that they had at Thruxton race track in the mid/late ’70s (i was about 7!), although missed out on Andover swimming pool/park.
m-a-t-tFree MemberHaze – Member
Some of the more well known places I skated…Barrow in Furness Skateshack (a personal favourite)
Ah happy memories – The Shack was at the bottom of my street, and as a kid i spent days helping Milly, Russ and Co carry all that ply up the stairs, so we got to ride it before it opened. Then later when Robin used to lock us in during the day so 5 ofnus had the whole park to ourselves, heading home filthy.
I remember seeing Tony Hawk and the Bones Brigade there too!
A few mates reopened it themselves a few years ago, but the whole complex has been flattened now.
Still miss skating, but don’t bounce off the floor like I used to!
SidKillerestFree MemberAaaah Nice one Haze… Dicker’s indoor bowl.. sweet memories… spent many a weekend down there in me youth! God bless the Birmingham wheels scene… How i miss the deadly levels of methane being belched out the ground on a hot day!
Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition
Latest Singletrack VideosFresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...floatFree Memberafrothunder88 – Member
On a sidenote, anyone into longboarding in the Bristol area? God knows theres enough hills and I wouldn’t mind sessioning Bridge Valley Road before they reopen it.you can check out the forum on lushlongboards.com theres a fair few people who are around bristol.
mdbFree MemberThis thread takes me back. Skating was my life from about 12 to 18 in the mid to late 80’s / early 90’s.
I’m a Brighton boy so for me it was The Level and the various mini ramps on the seafront at Saltden and Rottingdean plus going to Romford and Southsea.
Tried to get back into it a few years ago but it hurt like hell!
HazeFull MemberTried to get back into it a few years ago but it hurt like hell!
Same here mdb and loved it as much as when I was younger, it just got a bit much hobbling into work most mornings.
I can still sit for ages watching this sort of stuff…
TheSouthernYetiFree MemberIt was becoming a professional that put an end to my skating too…
Meeting with Directors with cuts all over your hands…
‘you did that skateboarding?… my 7 yr old loves skateboarding!’ 🙁afrothunder88Full Memberyou can check out the forum on lushlongboards.com theres a fair few people who are around bristol.
I shall do just that, cheers!
scruffFree MemberHaze / Sid Killerest,
I built Dickers with Stampy, used to skate the Vert ramps mostly. Still see quite a few of the old guys around. Quite a few into MTBs now, if you remember Jester (Si Patton) hes running the (mtb) DH national series now.
TheSouthernYetiFree MemberIt’s a foundation longboard, circa ’96, massive indys on it, some huge soft wheels (will have to check what make) they’re so soft that the inside edges are a bit knackered, has amazing bearings though I’m not sure how good they are these days as I’ve not touched it in 12 or so years. I’ll have to dig it out.
gavtheoldskaterFree Memberi started skating again around 98/99, back then it was almost impossible to get anything other than street stuff (longboards were ok funnily enough). for a while i rode santa cruz bullets or somesuch as it was the best i could get.
was also funny riding my fibreflex 42 around the village, the kids would literally stop and laugh at me as in their eyes i was way too old and my board was massive to them. yet now all the cool kids ride longboards down this way.
these days though i don’t skate parks much at all, i’m afraid the fear of hurting myself – meaning i can’t surf – is too much. a bit of slalom, downhill cruising (we’ve got a couple of 2 mile runs down this way) and sliding is fun though.
anyway, for some lovely kit have a look here at octanesport
gavtheoldskaterFree Memberoh, started around 75 or so on a 2×4 with rollerskates nailed to the bottom.
back in the day skated southsea for many many years, leigh park bowl was fun, indoor ramp at crantock, the funky little bowl in barnstable, ilfracombe bowl(that was a fun one), bournemouth (thats another fun one), farnborough, rom, loads of random half pipes and more i’ve forgotten. recently st georges, that bowl in wales just over the border (nice), newport indoor, mount hawke (my lad now goes to the under 11s session on monday night), saltash, helston, hayle, playing place (love that) and was instrumental in getting a major bowl built in penzance. in addition i once barged, drained and skated a swimming pool, a lifetime dream that, and a natural super smooth rock bowl in australia.
and i’ve got about 20 skateboards, tons of bits, and one of these : ) under lock and key. yes i could’nt believe the price either.
HazeFull MemberMatt – I travelled up from the Midlands a few times to skate the shack for the weekend, get stupidly stoned and kip in the car overnight or end up at a party.
Skated it with Milly on a couple of occasions and rode the comp up there with Gooey, Rocker et al. Long time ago when Andy Scott was only knee high and already pulling off stalefish fakies etc.
Fine memories except the black bogeys!
Scruff – I remember Jester and certainly remember Stampy. I reckon I’d probably know you too!
afrothunder88Full MemberIt’s a foundation longboard, circa ’96, massive indys on it, some huge soft wheels (will have to check what make) they’re so soft that the inside edges are a bit knackered, has amazing bearings though I’m not sure how good they are these days as I’ve not touched it in 12 or so years. I’ll have to dig it out.
Oooo, deck type and dimensions? How much are you after? I want a board to start learning how to slide on.
jondFree Member>In my day, wheels were big, trucks were narrow and decks were home made!
My first vaguely proper board was a ‘4 vouchers from hovis loaves + £3’ thing (prior to that it was a single clay wheel skate separated over two ends of some floorboard timber). Next I replaced the (smallish) wheels with blue krytonic seconds (I think they were something like £16 or £20 circa ’77 !) – istr they were about 65mm, and the larger ones were 75mm or so – so at the larger end of things..
Shortly followed by some ACS580 trucks – relatively wide, apart from slalom trucks.
Finally, a homemade deck which was an old ply cupboard door. Last time I used it for any distance was in about ’89 – after a day’s diy on my OH’s flat I’d scoot down to the local kebab shop for supper. It’s in the workshop at the bottom of the garden and still rideable after..err..32 years. Think I might need to learn how to foot drag, I never could, don’t think my knees would take jumping off at any kind of speed now !TheSouthernYetiFree Memberafrothunder – It’s at my parents. I’ll try and get hold of it at the weekend. It must be over 45″, but this is from memory. I’ll get a pic. The wheels were super soft though so sliding might be tricky.
m-a-t-tFree MemberGreat to see that Haze – nice to see you’re rocking just the one elbow pad! Used to love that ramp so much – gapping the roll over in the corner of your pic. The black bogeys were legendary!
I remember the night there when the guys from Zorlac had come up to see Dave Harkness, and he killed the place – somehow pulling off christ airs inbetween the rafters!
Would love to see any other pics you have from up there?
Some quality footage here: Deathbox Spirit of the Blitz. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXUfWV-twgA
afrothunder88Full Memberafrothunder -It’s at my parents. I’ll try and get hold of it at the weekend. It must be over 45″, but this is from memory. I’ll get a pic. The wheels were super soft though so sliding might be tricky
I don’t mind changing the wheels for something harder so that’s fine. Drop me an email once you have a pic if that’s okay? Email is in my profile. Cheers.
SidKillerestFree MemberScruff – Cool mate the dickers bowl was a classic…. yellow plastic coping and corners you could go through! Ace… I remember seeing Eric Dressen tear the place apart…Stale to tail on the vert wall? ridiculous! and Stampy’s Skates – possibly the smallest shop ever? I always preferred it to Yah Dude… that place just smelled of patchouli oil and sweaty skaters.
Have you seen the Birmingham skate archive on facebook? well worth a look, full of blasts from the past!scruffFree MemberSid, yes theres a few pics of me on the archive. Alex Luffman.
I was there when Dressen and the Dogtown boys demo’d but best thing I ever saw ever in skating was Gonz on the vert ramp no less, his style was so different to anyone elses.
HazeFull MemberI was on the spine when the Gonz turned up, he had his helmet on and I didn’t recognise him at first. We took turns dropping in, just some nice grinds and stuff.
He upped the game with some huge frontside ollies, I soon realised who it was and sat down and watched in admiration.
Great style, a proper legend.
Hob-NobFree MemberBlimey, a bast from my past.
I started boarding in the late 80’s, my parents when they moved a few years ago dug a load of my old boards out, it was like a trip down memory lane.
I started riding ramp, I remember dropping in on the half pipe in Farnborough for the first time, it was pretty scary.
As I progressed into my teens, I rode more park & street, and got pretty good, had a bit of support – I even made it into a VHS video my parents still have! I used a few New Deal boards, then went onto World Industries, and finished up on Blind. Always with Independent trucks & Deathbox wheels.
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