https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ch4uCdFAW0s/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Suns out and surf is flat so I went slappying on my lunch hour instead. Finally got a few of these switch crooks “properly”

As it was my birthday yesterday I got to spend 30mins in the skatebowl on my own yesterday morning!

And got this…

Which I managed to finish building up after family had gone home after fireworks…

60mm 78a wheels feel very soft and sushi california trucks are heavy, I just need some nice dry weather the go cruising…

https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/joy-as-grown-man-falls-off-skateboard-20170714131895?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1667578463

Built up a Santa Cruz Jeff Kendal during the first lockdown and promptly tore my hip flexor doing 10cm Ollies on the drive.

Now I just collect Natas Kaupas reissues

https://www.instagram.com/p/CaErxd7siHq/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

How’s everyone getting on with this skateboarding thing? As days get darker and everything is muddy, I’m looking at spending more time on a board, but my generally knackered joints and snatched opportunities seem limiting factors.

How are other learning / progressing? YouTube guides, skating with others, what else? How do you decide what you should try to learn next once you can push, stop etc?

How’s everyone getting on with this skateboarding thing?

Slowly. Quickly learned that trying to (re) learn to skate, doesn’t mix with keeping a close eye on a toddler learning to scoot. Been out a couple of time myself but still feel painfully self conscious with the wee man in tow. Not stopped me fantasy shopping for a surf skate for an Xmas present to myself.

Stickers is the key, according to a documentary I saw a few days back.

Not been on my plank since knackering my ankle in February ☹️

Just starting to feel more confident on the bike about small drops, so would like to ride a few cleaned up dry bowls this year at some point.

Quickly learned that trying to (re) learn to skate, doesn’t mix with keeping a close eye on a toddler learning to scoot. Been out a couple of time myself but still feel painfully self conscious with the wee man in tow.

Yeah I get that! I’m starting to do my own weekday lunchtime sessions, which seem to put less pressure on kiddie time. I think I need to establish some more fleshed out ‘lines’ in the skatepark that I can do without much thought, but still working on on it.

41 yo checking in! Never skated, but reasonable sense of balance, and my 9yo has just got a board for Christmas. Soon to be board shopping as he’s not yet ashamed to be seen with me, so grabbing that with both hands.
Summary of most of the info I’ve found so far is: an 8.25ish deck i like, Mini logo bearings and wheels about 56mm/mid 80s shore, and, Errr, haven’t figured out trucks yet. Sounds about right?
Hoping to spend up to about 75, hoping that will get me a general arse about setup that’s not awful.

Helmet/pads. You’ll need them.

Summary of most of the info I’ve found so far is: an 8.25ish deck i like, Mini logo bearings and wheels about 56mm/mid 80s shore, and, Errr, haven’t figured out trucks yet. Sounds about right?

Sounds good to me. Go to one of the big skate stores, rollersnakes, etc, you should find a complete setup for your price point and it’ll do you well.

Never mall grab. Watch Grossos Love Letters.

mini logo complete is an epic setup when you don’t know what you want!

I turned 40 a couple of weeks ago, my 13 year old wanted a board for Christmas. I talked myself out of it at the time, but I have decided did it and bought the cheapest probably most lane complete I could find.

It’s got a maple deck and cost me £19, so I won’t be too upset if I don’t use it, but I’ve always wanted to skate but never really did, all my friends were online skaters and I arsed round on a Snakeboard during the late 90s. I was surprised to find that I could still ollie when I was showing the girl the very basics.

If I take to it, I might upgrade. If I don’t, she’s got a spare.

Bought my missus for Christmas last year then she fell pregnant! But worth her at 36 and me 39 at least if I fall off badly I’ve got a health scheme I can use from work to help me with physio!

In all honestly barely used it as been busy with the little one and the drive has to I much DIY rubble on it! Here’s to two weeks time after the skip’s left and I can break my ankle pretending I’m young!

Still having fun, still can’t olie
Local skatebowl is open and weather has not been fun, there’s a covered skate zone, but that’s for the pros!
My kids show sporadic interest, I’d love to find somewhere near work so I could use my lunch hour!

Been put on the cruiser a few times, big soft wheels makes life a lot easier.

I have a coached session on Monday. Going with a mate, I have limited skatepark skills, he has basically none. Should be entertaining/brutal, I’m at a point where I need a bit of a push to actually be able to ‘use’ a skatepark, so this might help.

Has anyone been to XC skatepark, any tips? Really looking forward to some miniramp time, but will be taking all the pads!

Thought I’d add to this post above as some feedback from having a coached session, in case anyone else was thinking similar. Had a 2 hour session with Lee from TrickTech with a mate, we both really enjoyed it. Worked out at £50 ish each, for just the two of us on the session.

I’m surprised at how much I got from having some tuition / coaching. I honestly thought it would be more ramp/trick focussed, but it ended up being far more about fundamentals and finding lazy habits and blind spots that would hold us back as we progressed (like backside body varials for me 😀 ). Having been out skating since then, I’m much more aware of what I’m doing and we both feel way more confident, as well as having lots of things to work on, just on flat ground if needed. So all in, a coached session was great fun and genuinely helpful. Five stars etc.

Got a treat for Xmas.  A reissue of the deck I got for Xmas 1990 (New Deal Andrew Morrison) to add to my collection, plus a pair of NB skate shoes based on a pair from an old R.A.D cover shot.

Also got this Blind Powell rip-off models set.

That’s a lot of decks!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0bn3jcx

Absolutely agree with the mental health I’m laughing like a loon sometimes. I’ve only got local outdoor ramps/spots the weather is killing me.
Kids are back at school so I get the place to myself good times

That mental health video captures a lot of what us older skaters get from it, but I think the Andy Anderson description of why skating is fun in itself is also a good one.

I have an Anderson Flight deck and this makes me realise how wasted it is on me 😀

I might ask for a new deck for my next birthday in a few weeks… I’ve for decent wheels n trucks. I’ll be 59 and it’ll be to ride, not hang on the wall 😀

Latest update : found the braille skateboarding boitcamp videos very useful, I’ve downloaded the app too which has a checklist of techniques and tricks.

Definitely giggled like a baby when I’ve got something just right a few times

I really look forward to my Saturday morning skate bowl sessions.

I had a play last week at the local small park, first time in a year after bad ankle injury. Did a few kickturns and flat ground ollies, even dropped off a curb.

41yo checking in with his post Christmas board!
My son’s got bored of his already, who would have guessed? But he’s got a scooter now so we still get to hang out at the park together.
My level of distinct unawesomeness basically stops at 180 kickturns after rolling up then back down a small quarter pipe.
I’ve conquered the dizzy heights of rolling in small ramps and dropping in from the tail on very small ones. (I s disproportionately pleased when an 11 year old taught me to do this, mostly by yelling ‘COMMIT!’ at me)

However, was trying to pump transitions on a small half pipe today, and a couple of times when I was pumping on the way down it felt like the front had hung up on something. My son said it looked like the wheels were grabbing the board as I was correcting my course. It does look like there are scuffs above the wheels.
I’m only about 70kgs, and I’ve already tightened the kingpin (I think that’s what it’s called!) To the point where it’s about to bulge. Do I need some sort of spacer between the board and trucks? Do I need a stiffer elastomer thing?
Or have I just got a crap setup?

buy bones bushings in a hard 96a compound job jobbed

It’s called wheelbite. A thin riser between trucks and deck will help. You could get stiffer bushings ( the rubber bits in the trucks )

But realistically you really need more practice / board control. It’s probably that your pumping action isn’t quite in balance /smooth enough yet.

If you look at how loose most decent bowl skaters ride their trucks, it’s pretty loose. If your trucks are too tight it makes it harder to stay in balance over the board anyway.

If you keep practising your feet will develop enough control / balance that you can keep the board running without wheelbite.

ceepers is correct but if your only riding once or twice a week it’ll take about five years to develop the foot strength to balance perfectly without wheel bite
if your a fat knacker like me ( just seen your 70kg get the medium )get the hard bushing they still turn just are more supportive lol
most stock bushing are crap even on indys

Thanks people!
Yeah, did some more reading, and like you say, seems like the best solution is to spend more time on the board and get better! As a parent with a bike/SUP/DIY/run habit it’s going to take a good while, will try and get it on the beard as much as possible, or get some ply out in the garden!

Modern trucks are a bit lower so wheel bite can be more likely IME, I have put some risers on mine.

Or go back to the 1990’s and buy some wheels.

Well its been over a year

and this is how high I can olie  !!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cyv7AKWsAHA/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

Probably about the same as me these days, and I used to be able to clear a shopping trolley on its side. Unless you are out there for hours a day, skating to work and sleeping with your deck next to you I doubt you’ll get much higher. These things take time and effort.

Well done though. I must get out on my deck sometime.

This seems like a good place to ask, so… my niece (8) has expressed an interest in getting a skateboard and I, as keeper of the wheels (obvs), have been tasked with supply. My experience of skateplanks, however, starts and ends at THPS!

Looking for something that won’t break the bank (in case she changes her mind) but good enough that it won’t impede her progress if she likes it. Would something like the Mini Logo Complete mentioned above be suitable?

Size-wise 7.5-7.75″ seems to be the suggestion. What would be the drawbacks (if any) of going for the larger size for longevity whilst she’s still growing?

Finally, what’s the recommended protection level for a noob – helmet and knee pads?

tempted to try again at skateboard….i just remember trashing shoes when i skated when younger, the grip tap shredding the sides of the shoe when olleing,  any know tips to stop that from happening?

Frogstomp, 7,5 would be fine, its weight of the board really unless shes a huge shoe size. Cheaper boards skimp on bearings so make it hard to roll nicely, Mini logo should be a decent set up as Im pretty sure it a Powell sub brand.

Alcolepone, if you dont want knackered shoes and more knackered ankles dont play on skateboards 😉

Never really got to grips with riding my longboard, as I’m goofyfooted, and my left knee is pretty trashed, I just can’t maintain my balance, so I wobble a lot and I just don’t feel secure on it. I suppose I could get a knee brace, but that’s not a cheap option. I guess at getting on for 70 I’m expecting a bit much. I could have used it to get along to my archery club, except my kit is in quite a large duffle bag kind of thing, and fairly heavy, so I’d probably fall off anyway. *sigh*

Still skateboarding (and falling!) aged 70 years young

“Addicted to the Flow”

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y0Ez1_uwNZc