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I'm currently sat at a really cool indoor skate park watching my son having a great time on his scooter, and I can't help thinking that this looks like a whole lot of fun...
I've had a go on his scooter at various times, and it's good fun then, but as a child of the 70's skateboarding was always the thing I wished I could do then, and as I have an idea that I might be spending a reasonable amount of time at skate parks over the next few years, it seems like a "perfectly sensible" plan to learn to skate...
What could possibly go wrong?!?
So, any suggestions as to what type of skateboard for use by a 40ish year old at skate parks...
If you've never skated before its going to be a painful learning curve.. you won't bounce at your age. Unless of course you can do your job with a broken wrist or collar bone..
Work are pretty used to me, and others, being broken... I've spannered myself in the Alps, my boss has done the same, the big boss did his elbow on Jacobs Ladder...
And I was fully planning on wearing most of my body armour for it!
To be honest, just cruising around the park and playing on the quarter/half pipes would be good enough, am not expecting to be doing massive jumps or anything...
Visit a skate shop and get a complete set up it’ll be about £60. Or get a penny nickel on special from sports direct for about £40 you’ll want to grip tape it though and it’s a cruiser not a trick board. Be prepared to feel very old and fragile.
Just get a scooter, it is 10 times easier.
My other half is currently laughing at me after I mentioned I had asked about this on here... she also pointed out it might not be that compatible with my recent neck surgery..
To be fair, she might have a point there, but I'm expecting more limb injuries than neck!
So it looks like I might need to find a skate shop somewhere, not sure there are any that local though.
But just had a chat with the folks running the skate park, they also have BMXs there, so that might be an option too...
But not a scooter!
Nowt wrong with old folks boarding
Or long boarding
Kids are spoilt with all the spots around these days, we weren’t so lucky back in the day and at 46 I still think about dusting the board off and hitting a few...sat here with a broken collarbone though it seems as far away as ever.
Anyway, local skate shop and you’ll probably get a decent set up for £100 or so...
I was in the same place as you about ten years ago. I still can’t skate or bmx but I do have photos of me looking very middle aged on a board and bike. My son does both much better than me and I’d like to think that his dad joining in was part of that.
Word of warning: all the armour didn’t stop me breaking a wrist (not badly) and dislocating a shoulder (still hurts years later)
Good luck. Enjoy
Daz, too much road biking, did you do a too skinny froome crash and hurt yourself? I did 3 shovits last sunday. My son is nearly better than i ever was.
Learning to skateboard is stupid. But that's the point.
I keep thinking of going back to it too. What stops me is remembering how much it hurt when I came off in my twenties. I wouldn't be able to stop myself from trying something stupid and it would probably end badly. If you can keep it sensible I say go for it!
Why not have ago, its not like a board is a massive investment, a nice setup is pennies compared to a decent mtb.
I've picked it up again at the ancient age of 35, I just ride the ramps now (too many rolled ankles trying to relearn flip tricks).
Also i've never understood why skating is seen as a kids sport, unlike say snowboarding which no one would think twice about taking up in later life.
Get on it i'd say. At 43 i still go for the odd skatepark roll around, I even attended Southsea Skateparks 40th bash last month.
I don't try anything tech these days, but just carving and a few grinds and kick turns are still big fun.
Peoples attitudes towards older skaters have improved and i would say its not just for the kids anymore.
The facilities the Yoof have these days are impressive, we had to make do with a small 4 ft mini ramp and the tesco supermarket curb for street sessions back in the day 🙂
Well, having done a quick scan of t'interwebs, it doesn't look like there is a decent skate shop local to me, and no real opportunity for a while to visit one, so it looks like I might have to do this remotely...
So, having done some reading... which is usually quite dangerous... but I am figuring that if I don't really care about doing tricks, and just want to ride bowls/ramps etc then a wider board is better, is that right?
And looking good Rocketdog... now I have some kind of style to aspire to, although my beard got trimmed, by order of the management, a couple of years ago...
Have a look at Z Flex's cruisers. They are pretty good and we used to sell loads when I worked in a Skateshop 🙂
Scruff, exactly that mate 😄
Occasionally pop the odd kick flip in the garage but haven’t rolled out in a long time.
Going back to it I reckon I’d have trouble not getting carried away, but learning from scratch you’d probably be fine keeping it easy.
Bound to be a few knocks along the way though.
Wear a helmet. Might not look cool but I had the worst concussion of my life skateboarding.
Sounds like you won't be interested in leaning fakie or nollie tricks so i'd look at a directional board. Something like this for old skool cool: https://powell-peralta.com/bones-brigade-caballero-dragon-blue-complete-skateboard-assembly-10-x-29-75
Then go check the bones brigade doc for some inspiration
Oh yeah, Independent trucks 👌
I've had a look at cruisers, but aren't they more about just skating around town, not really for riding bowls etc? They all look really narrow and short, whereas I thought wider was better for the things I wanted to do...
I'm finding this quite confusing... (that's not unusual for me though)...
I definitely like the look of that Bones board, but at well over £100 it's a little too pricey for me right now...
As for protection, I am planning on kiting up with my bike knee and elbow pads, will get a piss-pot helmet... but is it worth getting wrist supports too?
Sorry i meant this one - it should be perfect at £79. Just go with knee and elbow pads and a helmet and you'll be good.
<h1>Z-Flex Street Rocket Skateboard - Green</h1>
A lot of people ‘of a certain age’ are going back to it.
I’d recommend a board of around 9” and above width, what ever trucks you can get and wheels of a 90a 62mm, better on pavements but slightly slower rolling in skateparks.
I found boards these days are way too narrow and wheels so hard designed for skateparks/ ramps only.
If you are actually going to a venue to skate then no excuse not to pad up and wear a lid.
Anything you can enjoy with your kids is a good thing so go for it.
oh yea, Indy trucks always...
OP definitely get yourself some wrist guards.
Take it slowly and go at a pace you're happy with. I'm not gonna lie it's hard, physically and mentally. But that's the buzz.
Check out http://www.middle-age-shred.com/forum/ loads of good advice and info.
I'm 6'2" overweight. Enjoy rolling around parks and bowls. I've gone a for shaped board 9.3" x 33.25" (15.5" wheelbase) + 169 trucks + 58mm wheels
Enjoy
middle aged men, curbs and slappys...
Fingers crossed your kid will ditch the scooter and take up skating.
I’m from a skating and bmx background and was amazed at what the kids on scooters can do.
Found myself thinking they are ‘almost ‘ up there with us skaters...
Have just signed up to MAS... it looks like the STW for skateboarding!
Cool, so something like that Z-Flex would be a good choice...
How about this one? https://www.prolineskates.com/d-street-cruiser-hornet
I keep suggesting to him that he might really want to skateboard, but he's having none of it at the moment... but then he is only 8! Am not sure his friends at school would think he's very cool if he stopped with the scooter!
Obviously the best way to make him think skateboarding is cool will be to see his dad doing it!!!!
The Caballero won't do you any favours other than nostalgia. Boards have come on a long way since that model was sold,and some of the reissues aren't really made for skating, more like wall hangers.
You can pick up Death or Anti Hero completes that are good value, or look at Mini Logo. It won't matter where you are, but I would give Woody a shout at Big Woodys skate shop in Blackpool, he's heavily involved with Middle Aged Shred and are always happy to help older guys getting back on the board.
Hey Nick, how goes it? Sounds like you're in a similar position to me, I keep getting badgered by our lad to get a board and go out with him. I do like your approach to protection... with your track record too 😉
Bobba fat
how are new boards better than say a 1992 reissue?
Hey Spud...
Long time no see... hope everything is going okay and MrsSpud is all good.
To be honest, little T isn't so much bugging me to get out, he's far too interested in playing himself! But if I am going to be spending as much time at skate parks as I currently seem to be, I need to at least enjoy bit too... :o)
And yes, I do have a bit of a history of breaking myself, so as I am a bit of a liability already I am sure this won't actually make much difference!
So does this mean you'll be following suit too...
Boba...
I'd looked at one of the Mini Logo boards, but wasn't sure why that was any different from something like one of the D Street cruiser boards like the Beetle...
I've got a genuine Colby Carter H-Street deck with purple Indy's and some nice retro wheels if you fancy it.
£300?
You'll be the envy of A & E.......
Hi Sorry to hijack this thread....
But if your unsure of what being old brings to your skating life.....
or this
Keep being tempted by a longboard, then I can use my old blue Kryptonites. 😎
I was never much cop on a board, too old really to take the spills, but longboards look just the thing for just cruising along.
Just found this, Santa Cruz screaming hand. Nice!
Bobba I’m not sure boards have come along way at all, they are still the same basic construction and use the same truck design.(unless you are talking longboards or carvers). Only difference in my 15year absence is kids are on wider decks and different wheel sizes (and also the average 8year old can skate better than me)
I skate my reissue all the time, I think the only reason you wouldn’t is cos they’re pricey and you don’t wanna mess up the art
55 here, skateboarding, rollerblading and BMX and not much good at any of them tbh.
It does depend on what shape your in, if your fit and confident enough go grab a piece of the action.
If you don't want to confuse things. Something like this is pretty much the norm (and very much at the budget end of the spectrum).
https://www.rollersnakes.co.uk/antihero-classic-eagle-pre-built-complete-blue-8-0
If you want to do all of this tech flippery (and you probably don't) you may or may not want to go for something less than 8". If you want to go big (as in big ramps, big stairs, etc), you may want to go bigger. For what you describe, I'd say anything between 8 and 9" is probably fine.
For cruising about on, you could even go bigger. Some of the 80s re-issues aren't actually bad since they often come off the same press as modern boards. Wider. Bigger wheels. Shorter nose. That's about it.
Bigger wheels will be faster. They make more sense on ramps.
Skateboarding is really hard... Learning from scratch in your 40s is quite a feat. Since you already know how to ride a bike, BMX would be by far the easier option.
aren’t they more about just skating around town, not really for riding bowls etc? They all look really narrow and short, whereas I thought wider was better for the things I wanted to do…
If you start learning at over 40 and progress to riding bowls, I'll be extremely impressed! You should make a video diary of your progress, cos that really would be something special to stick up on Youtube.
To be fair, 'riding bowls' can mean a lot of different things to different people.
The OP is talking about using it at the skatepark with his kid. No reason he can't learn to cruise around on the ramps.
It does look so much easier to watch it though. Modern skaters are in fact real life wizards. They do magic. You'll not have access to those magical powers.
Butcher speaks the truth 🙂
If your a total beginer - It's really annoying for others at the park - you don't grasp the etiquette- you get in people's way etc. Would you turn up at a trail centre if you could only just about ride a bike ? If you want to start skateboarding go find an empty carpark or industrial estate and get a few basics sorted . .