Longboarding

[dnjrboy]

My wife got me a longboard a couple of months ago. I've been using it to commute back and forth to work. For that purpose it has been quite good.

But, I just signed up for a 20 km endurance race here in Edmonton through the river valley. Big hills both up and down. Over the last couple of days I've been over 40 kms flying down a hill and have learned enough to not hurt myself during the process of slowing down. Its an interesting mix of drifting your skateboard in some places, dropping a foot to brake, and sliding on the palms of your hands (corian counter top 'pucks' velcro'd to the palm of your gloves).

I haven't felt this giddy about something since I first started shaving with a straight.

At 33, I do feel like the old man in the group. But, I don't really care either.

The sweat hasn't even dried on me from my last skate, but I can't wait to skate tomorrow.

[dnjrboy]

Here's an example of sliding using the gloves with the pucks on them.
I am no where near this good.

[holli4pirating]

Why do you want to slow down? Isn't it a race? :-p

[dnjrboy]

I'm a little afraid of maiming myself.......

[bulldog]

I love longboarding. What board do you have?

[Pops!]

i've been skating since i could walk.. but i gotta say.. longboarders are nuts.. that dude could have shaved off a kneecap very easily.

[nzFuzzy]

This was posted on Youtube recently.
Canadian Andrew Chapman was visiting New Zealand over the summer and was out riding with local longboarders.
One of the locals could be in the barefooting thread too!
Speeds of about 100kph were reached in this clip...

YouTube - Longboarding the Bombay Hills, Auckland, NZ [Original]

[dnjrboy]

I have a Rayne Nemesis, crail trucks, and some new retro freeride wheels. The new wheels are so much easier to slide than my older Manx wheels. Those things would grip so frik'n hard. They are fast though......

[MickR]

Time to revive this old thread to see if any of you blokes out there now are into this stuff. I bought myself a Longboard for Christmas. Haven't been on a board for over 30 years. I may have a death wish or may just suffering midlife crisis...Again, but that's all beside the point. I'm getting into it more for the cruising aspect. plenty of long bike tracks in my area and not too many hills. I'm not that insane as to hold a desire for finding any big bloody hills either! I should add, I bought a Penny board for my oldest daughter to have a go at skateboarding. If she takes to it, it's something we may be able to do together. we already go on bicycle adventures through some of the nature reserves in the area over the weekends, so why not add another aspect to what we can do ?!


Mick

[DualNature]

Sweet! I have been wanting a thread like this..

I started longboarding in the late summer/early fall this year.
I got my first board from a friend, its a Sector9 Pintail, some 48.5" in length

I love using it for both cross country riding, as well as down hill bombing.
I cannot yet slide, but hey.. i JUST figured out how to speed tuck before the snow came.
Before knowing how to tuck, i hit 40mph (64kmh) on a local hill. I want to give it another go in full tuck.. but now the snow hit, and hit hard.
The hill is about 1/2-3/4 of a mile long, and has a rather steep grade, and is actualy a saddle of sorts.
You go down the one hill thats steeper, but shorter.. and up the other thats shallower but alot longer. Then turn around, and go again.

This is the deck of my longboard, I painted it because i was restoring a bike for my ex (at the time, gf)
This is how i was going to paint the bike, Im actualy thinking about re painting the board again.. but in metallic gold and satin silver. (The same pattern)