tree life (npub1lgl…lcra)
Ok, I promised you a quick downhill board intro, so here we go.
BOARD
Boards come in two flavours: top-mount and drop-through. Top-mount is just like a regular skateboard. Drop-through has trucks passed through holes in it, so the deck itself is suspended between the trucks and wheels. The choice here is up to you. I personally prefer drop-through boards for downhill due to lower center of mass and higher stability, but this comes at a price of real estate. There's just less space on top of the board for your feet and you can't put them above the wheels.
Length is probably the second most important choice to make. Depending on your height, it will be somewhere between 36" and 42". I ride 40" boards, my height is around 188cm and I wear size 45EU shoes. Adjust your board length to your dimensions accordingly. A good idea when you check out a board would be to put your feet at your shoulder width while on a board and check that wheels are either straight below your feet or slightly further away.
Longboard trucks are basically all the same. Just pick something that fits the board. Just don't grab the tall ones. With downhill, being closer to the ground is better. For wheels, you need wider and maybe a bit softer than average wheels for better grip. You probably wouldn't wanna slip, would you? 78mm x 60mm 74a would be my choice. Again, same as with trucks, adjust the size to your board so that the wheels don't clip it when you turn.
Or just buy a complete. Sector 9 used to sell great completes a few years ago, maybe your local skateshop still has them. Then the only thing for you to worry about here is the board length.
GEAR
The absolute minimum is a helmet and a pair of sliding gloves. For helmet, I recommend buying a full-face since smacking your face against the road is never pleasant. Besides, at higher speeds you can catch a bug in your face and it's not the greatest experience, I know for a fact! Alternatively, a motorcycle helmet could work, although it might be too heavy and cover too much of your field of view.
Sliding gloves are a no-brainer. It's just sturdy gloves with a plastic puck attacked to the palm side. Buy the one that fits, there's nothing more here.
On top of this, I would recommend at least knee and elbow pads. A back protector is a good idea too. And if you're going to ride above 70-80kph, just switch to motorcycle gear altogether, since what happens to you if you fall will be basically the same.
Curator of Mastodon.art fediblock :newt: /
npub1wc…t4sk7
2023-06-26 01:46:57
Author Public Key
npub1wc2kznjw6kldwzz8eedr9pf208waa8ww3fjsqk0nz4rdv8q663qswt4sk7Published at
2023-06-26 01:46:57Event JSON
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"content": "nostr:npub1lglsp23xf55a3qhl7z9pmsevfx0tge6whnltjjvvq5739qer8sdqfjlcra\n\nOk, I promised you a quick downhill board intro, so here we go.\n\nBOARD\n\nBoards come in two flavours: top-mount and drop-through. Top-mount is just like a regular skateboard. Drop-through has trucks passed through holes in it, so the deck itself is suspended between the trucks and wheels. The choice here is up to you. I personally prefer drop-through boards for downhill due to lower center of mass and higher stability, but this comes at a price of real estate. There's just less space on top of the board for your feet and you can't put them above the wheels.\n\nLength is probably the second most important choice to make. Depending on your height, it will be somewhere between 36\" and 42\". I ride 40\" boards, my height is around 188cm and I wear size 45EU shoes. Adjust your board length to your dimensions accordingly. A good idea when you check out a board would be to put your feet at your shoulder width while on a board and check that wheels are either straight below your feet or slightly further away.\n\nLongboard trucks are basically all the same. Just pick something that fits the board. Just don't grab the tall ones. With downhill, being closer to the ground is better. For wheels, you need wider and maybe a bit softer than average wheels for better grip. You probably wouldn't wanna slip, would you? 78mm x 60mm 74a would be my choice. Again, same as with trucks, adjust the size to your board so that the wheels don't clip it when you turn.\n\nOr just buy a complete. Sector 9 used to sell great completes a few years ago, maybe your local skateshop still has them. Then the only thing for you to worry about here is the board length.\n\nGEAR\n\nThe absolute minimum is a helmet and a pair of sliding gloves. For helmet, I recommend buying a full-face since smacking your face against the road is never pleasant. Besides, at higher speeds you can catch a bug in your face and it's not the greatest experience, I know for a fact! Alternatively, a motorcycle helmet could work, although it might be too heavy and cover too much of your field of view.\n\nSliding gloves are a no-brainer. It's just sturdy gloves with a plastic puck attacked to the palm side. Buy the one that fits, there's nothing more here.\n\nOn top of this, I would recommend at least knee and elbow pads. A back protector is a good idea too. And if you're going to ride above 70-80kph, just switch to motorcycle gear altogether, since what happens to you if you fall will be basically the same.",
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